When will IE6 die?

Floating around forums & googling around I’ve noticed this question still being asked a lot: “Do I still have to support IE6?” and often the the answer you see is that it represents such and such percent of web users, and that’s too many to ignore.

ie6-death

I know we all want it dead, but Microsoft has underlined support for its Internet Explorer 6 web browser, despite acknowledging its flaws. The software giant said it would support IE6 until 2014 – four years beyond the original deadline.

Critics - some of which have started an online campaign – want the eight-year-old browser mothballed because they claim it slows the online experience. The browser doesn’t support web standards that have become common the last few years, and making sites work in IE 6 adds significant time to the web development process and some have even started the countdown for it end.

Here is also a group who are joining hands to stop IE6 “I Dropped IE6”

Despite the release of IE 7 in 2005 and IE 8 in 2009, a full 20% of users still use IE 6. In other words, it is still too big of a group to ignore.

But the positive side is IE6 is the oldest and the healthiest browser which have covered a big area on web and will not be easily demolished. So, make the decision for yourself. Keep your client’s objectives and interests in mind and if I missed some major considerations or you think I’m nuts, feel free to comment.

Most of all, happy coding :)

When will IE6 die?