Microsoft: Thank you, WordPress for Dumping IE6 Support

Microsoft said a big thank you to Wordpress for the decision to dump support for Internet Explorer 6 announced on May 19th, 2011.

The Redmond company is one of the driving forces pushing the transition away from IE6 and onto more recent browser releases, preferably IE8 or IE9, as far as the software giant is concerned.

“Last week, WordPress dropped support for IE6 and joined the hundreds of other web sites that are working to move enterprises and consumers alike to a modern browser platform,” revealed Ryan Gavin, Senior Director, Internet Explorer Business and Marketing.

“Thank you! As WordPress highlighted in their blog, you can track IE6’s demise across the globe and join the cause on the IE6 Countdown site.”

I for one moved away from IE6 so long ago I cannot even recall exactly when was the last time I used the browser.

I also dumped Windows XP years ago, and moved to Windows Vista and then to Windows 7 which I’ve been using as my main operating system since the Beta.

It’s simply impossible for me to think of a reason why users will still run an operating system and a browser that are a decade old.

Recently I wrote this article: “Users Who Think XP Is Good Enough Need to See Infection Rates Compared to Windows 7,” and it seems that Gavin agrees.

“Windows 7 provides a modern operating system that is designed to support a modern web. IE6 and Window XP were fine pieces of software for their time, but the threats of ten years ago and the protections available to consumers pale in comparison to what we can do today to keep users safe,” he said.

“Advancements in things like DEP (Data Execution Prevention) and ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) are fundamental security innovations that simply didn’t exist with Windows XP. SmartScreen Application Reputation in IE9 helps protect you from the #1 threat to consumers today, socially engineered malware.”

Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) Platform Preview 1 (PP1) is available for download here.

Windows Internet Explorer 9 RTW for Windows 7 and Windows 7 SP1 is available for download here.