10 years ago a browser was born, and now it’s time for it to come full circle. Microsoft has launched a new online experience designed to monitor the countdown to the near-extinction of Internet Explorer 6.
Near-extinction for the software giant is equivalent with getting IE6 usage worldwide to under 1%, a realistic goal for the foreseeable future of the decade-old browser.
Microsoft’s message is quite simple, and the Redmond company has been consistent in transmitting it: IE6 was a great browser, for its time, but it has also become obsolete and it’s time for users worldwide to embrace browsers capable of supporting modern web standards.
“Now that it’s 2011, IE6 is officially a ten-year old browser. According to Net Applications, IE6 still has 12% share worldwide,” revealed Roger Capriotti, director, Internet Explorer Product Marketing.
“Our goal is to get this share under 1% worldwide. Why 1%? We realize that there might not be a magic number for when web developers and IT pros can drop support for older browsers, but we believe that 1% will allow more sites and IT pros worldwide to make IE6 a low-priority browser – meaning you don’t have to invest as much time in updates or fixes.”
The IE6 Countdown site will be updated on a monthly basis, with Microsoft promising to celebrate whenever a new market drops under 15.
Customers running Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7 should have a look at IE9, the Release Candidate (RC) of which continues to
be available for download.
Microsoft has all but wrapped up IE9 with the RTW milestone now imminent, and to say that Internet Explorer 9 is in a different league compared to IE8, let alone IE7 or IE6, is an understatement.
Capriotti underlined that Microsoft’s official position is that the world is better off without IE6, and the Countdown project is illustrative of this.
“We know that many IE6 users are on the older browser because it’s at their workplace. We’ve put together some resources for IT pros to help understand the business value of moving off IE6 and are delivering to them the tools to help them navigate the process.
“And, with the assets provided on ie6countdown.com, we’re encouraging developers around the world to spread the word by placing an upgrade notification to IE6 users on their website,” he added.
Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Release Candidate (RC) and Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Platform Preview 8 (PP8) are available for download here.
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