Bye Bye, IE6
Yes, I am too dropping support for the outdated but still widely used IE6. It’s old (2001!), it has numerous compatibility issues, it is not safe and it is lacking all the features a modern browser needs. It doesn’t even have tabs. But why do people keep on using it??
The main reason is because most websites still support it. Also, a lot of internal company systems only work in IE6, and last but not least, people just don’t know that they are running an unsafe, outdated browser.
If we want to have a better internet, and give people a better experience, we as webdevelopers have to stop supporting IE6. But if you make it hard for yourself and waste your time in IE6 hacking, you’re doing the exact opposite. All the hacks that we use on our sites is the main reason IE6 still is a big player on the browser market.
In stead, give your users a message that they are using an old and unsafe browser, and give them directions in how to upgrade to a more modern browser.
This way, you are not completely ignoring IE6 users, and presenting them with a broken website. Don’t be scared that dropping IE6 support will make you lose all those precious users.
Do not make the mistake of only telling people to get Firefox, or another open-source alternative. The unknown will make your users go away, so be sure to mention IE8 as well (it’s kinda good anyway)!
So let’s all drop IE6 support, and make the web better 
This is the blog of Gerben van Dijk. Front-end developer, music and movie fanatic, photographing enthousiast.