Still include IE6 support when creating a Web Application?
I really don’t know if i shall. And this time I’m really asking for your opinion on that, just leave a comment. A Pro is that many users in corporate environments are still forced to use our favourite old-school browsing grandpa. And excluding a mentionable amount of users just for the sake of less work?
On the other hand, I guess that most people using really modern WebApps are nevertheless forced to use modern browsers. I don’t know, really not. A short yet true list of cons is presented here as well, and a rather radical point of view presented by nick cowie.
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4 Comments to “Still include IE6 support when creating a Web Application?”
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Don’t do it until you feel all the other (more important) aspects of your project are done.
Depending on what your application is about, it might only appeal to the kind of tech-savy users that use new browsers anyway…
So, to cite the two laws of supporting Internet Explorer 6:
1) Don’t do it if you don’t feel it is absolutely necessary,
2) Just. Don’t. Do. It.
Yes, i just made these up.
Heck, even Google advices their users to upgrade to modern browsers…
Moritz, I don’t think my views on browser support are that radical.
With regards to IE6, it is coloured by the fact I do work in an organisation where IE6 is the corporate browser. You can not change it:
Because you might not be able to do you job accessing certain internal systems.You will not be able to check you pay or book days offThe computers are locked down so you can not install or upgrade your browser.
The organisation I work for is not the only one I know of a large number of Government and business organisations in a similar position.
So if you are building a web app for me who uses Firefox 3.1beta and webkit nightly builds outside office hours, it needs to work in IE6 if I want to access it during office hours.
Also if your web app has business applications, (ie could be used inside the corporate firewall) then IE6 support would be a significant factor.
Google recommends IE6 users to upgrade for a better experience, but does not block access to their services. The lesson advise but do not dictate.
Well, Google dropping support is a good sign, as it hopefully forces people inside the mentioned corporate environments to upgrade to something more secure and up-to-date. You’re making some good points there!
I think it really depends on your group of interest. If I was the boss of a (a little) bigger company I’d welcome certain social networks and communities to lock out IE6 users using hardcore ajax technics just for the sake of profit. Users DO want all that eye candy, fast loading, user friendly stuff, so most of the websites gaining for that special user do use them technics and therefor premise a modern browser. If I recall statistics claiming 40% of the mail traffic in a company spam I’d love every developer saying no to IE6ers. Summed up I think it is a matter of time. At the latest when the companies will start up using those technics too, IE6 will be banned in any event. But I guess that’ll need some time. Btw. that’s what I don’t like about web development and love about java. If it works, it works