How can I help killing IE6? [closed]

Question

I'm fed-up supporting all the strange behaviors of the IE6 browser, so I'm wondering how, as a web developer, can I help killing IE6.

Should I just stop supporting it? I think there is still a big mass of pepole that use it for various reasons.

Maybe show IE6 users a special message that asks them to upgrade and hope it would help? (does it help?)

Any better ideas?

Answer 1

IMHO one of the best ways to do this is to provide IE6 users a complete but downgraded version of your site.

Most companies can't afford to just deny access to the swathes of people who use IE6, and of course users don't read messages, so just denying access to IE6 users won't work.

In addition to this many users don't have the ability to choose a different browser because of their network's group policy.

So I think the best you can do is give a (maybe deliberately) downgraded experience (not AJAX, simpler interface) and try to make it clear that this would be better if you were on a more modern browser. This is what GMail does, of course.

The important thing is to make sure the IE6 version still works and doesn't crash or render hideously. IE6 users will see that and think 'Oh, that website doesn't work, I won't visit there again.'

This should spur people to ask their IT department to upgrade.

It's not perfect, but then I doubt any method is.

Edit: Take a look at this blog post, basically says what I've said

Answer 2

First of all keep in mind that IE6 usage primarily originates from office(the place, not the software) users. If your site targets home users and not office users, you might consider dropping IE6 support.

Other than that there are a ton of initiatives. A few examples:

• http://www.stoplivinginthepast.com/
• http://www.stopie6.org/
• http://idroppedie6.com/
• http://www.stopie6.com/

Answer 3

I use IE 6 at work- it is out of my control (I can't just install other browsers- well actually I can, but other uses who don't have admin right can't). Maybe you should learn to live with the fact that IE 6 is still used heavily in corporate environments and there is not a lot you can do about it, unless you wish to alienate a certain user base.