IE6 Browser Compatibility: Is it the time to look beyond?
Written by admin on June 8, 2010
The issue whether to support Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) or not has been under debate for the past few years. IE6 has a number of compatibility issues, no doubt. It’s been a major cause of worry for Web designers.
Microsoft released IE7 in 2006, and the subsequent version, IE8, in March 2009. IE8 offers a number of improvements in RSS, CSS and Ajax-based designs. The latest version offers support for various Web standards. IE8 supports Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) specification for enhanced accessibility in Ajax-based RIAs. All these factors make IE8 more flexible and easy to work with.
IE6 faces a number of compatibility issues in today’s Web design environment. It does not provide the transparency required in PNG imaging. There are different CSS styles applied for IE6, adding the woes to Web site designers. Also, IE6 does not support some of the latest CSS and HTML features. As a result, the Web site design does not produce the desired impact.
We could use JavaScript fixes for the transparency issues in IE6, as well as a number of fixes available for other issues. The question is: how long? Why not look for a whole new option instead of fixing the old ones? I think, it’s time to rethink our strategy and make a step forward in favor of higher versions.
With the popularity of Firefox, Mozilla and Google Chrome, there are more arguments in favor of upgrading the browser. Several leading developers have stopped supporting IE6. Google’s decision to stop supporting IE6 in 2010 has in a way encouraged developers to look for the new browser. With this announcement from the Internet major, developers are a bit relieved from the difficult task of fixing IE6 bugs in CSS. Popular Word press platforms like Woo Themes have already dropped their support for IE6. Many are likely to follow their footsteps to bring the wonderful results of today’s Web design applications to users’ Web sites. IE6 is also not the option for mobile applications developers like Apple’s Mobile Me.
The only good news for IE6 supporters is that the old browser still remains the favorite choice for several users. This leads to another question: Can IE6 still be the browser option for you? Well, it can be, if your Web site does not demand high levels of interaction with customers. You may wait till most users upgrade their browser. In this case, you will have to find out how much you lose and calculate the loss against the additional development time required to upgrade to IE7 or higher.
Many developers are reluctant to say ‘good bye’ to their favorite browser they have been quite familiar with. They admit there are developmental issues and compatibility concerns, yet they are willing to cope with it by applying fixes.
In light of so many challenges with IE6 and also with growing popularity of later version of IE, IE6 market share is dwindling with time. I would say now is the time that we start looking beyond IE6.
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06-09-2010
4:51 pm
xhtmlspruce
No doubt, It is part of worry for every designer…
07-09-2010
6:02 am
Minto
Totally agree with your pints. IE6 consumes lot of our development time. Its high time to think beyond IE6.