9 Responses

1. Ryan Roberts

   05|Sep|2009

   I absolutely agree, it’s all about the knowledge to predict problems IE6 may throw up and deal with them appropriatly. If you’re a professional web designer then this is your job.

   I’m writing a blog post at the moment very similar to this topic but covering how to deal with IE6 for an easier time building sites.

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2. ElanMan

   05|Sep|2009

   Nice vid
   CSS is an aspect of IE6’s problems but not the whole.
   Trying to create cross-browser native JS that IE6 ‘groks’ is another story.
   Security issues are another.

   *You’re sounding good on the mic. What mic are you using ? Or is it all Mac apps?*

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3. Jack F

   05|Sep|2009

   Hi Ryan & Ben,

   Thanks for your comments.
   @Ryan – I will look forward to that post
   @Ben – I’m using the microphone from the external iSight (which obviously was used for recording as well). It was surprising how good it was actually, very pleased.

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4. ElanMan

   06|Sep|2009

   Agreed, you sound pretty good
   Need something similar for linux. Any suggestions for good external mics?
   I’ll now stop hijacking your post

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5. A800

   06|Sep|2009

   First thing I noticed was the LOTR poster haha.

   Anywho, Pretty good opinion on IE6, which can usually be a web developer’s nightmare.

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6. Dean

   06|Sep|2009

   Its not people who choose to use IE6 that are the problem. It are the national and international corporations that have policy to stick to Windows2000 and WindowsXP that are the problem.

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7. Riccardo Benetti

   06|Sep|2009

   IE6 really is not so problematic, despite the many incompatibles already proven, but the greatest risk of browsers are old security holes, which in the case of Internet Explorer 6 are higher because Microsoft is not going to agree and also there is no solution use old software is to let the computer open to viruses, trojans and other without knowing, why repeat the mistake of not upgrading is not only the User should know that YES you should update the software, that prohibits update the antivirus and other things, prem is our responsibility as programmers and Web designers to inform and update these versions for users explaining the need for security and more fluent access to several sites including the site of banks in Brazil are the best in the world, but the uncertainty created User-is higher, be it in-house or at his residence.
   Another important factor is not whether to create tool it online or offline dependent on a browser, that creates web-based software has to keep in mind that the browser will always evolve, but the system has created to run according to rules of the W3C and browser independent.
   Update IE6 is just one more reason to ask that all persons in business or at home to update their browsers paras the latest versions, as this will be an internet a little safer and with fewer gaps.

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8. Jt Hollister

   20|Sep|2009

   I don’t really feel like you’ve put forth any arguments to suggest that IE6 doesn’t completely suck… It has CSS issues, huge security holes, javascript and more. You seem to have addressed CSS only, and even then it seems to me like what you’re saying is, yes, it sucks, but an experienced designer can deal with these problems.

   While I agree that web designers should be able to handle making changes for the sake of IE6, and that websites need to look good in IE6, I still feel IE6 is a terrible browser.

   From a user perspective, no one should use it. I can’t think of a single good reason to use it… there are better alternatives out there. Even IE7, which I still believe is terrible, is superior in every way I can think of to IE6.

   However I think I agree with your core point. From a coder/designer perspective, your site needs to look good in it because people DO use it.

   Still, I would suggest that what makes a browser good or bad isn’t whether or not it’s possible to code for, but rather whether or not it follows basic W3C standards. These standards are there to ensure that designers don’t HAVE to add an extra style sheet, more lines of code, or avoid certain perfectly good code because it isn’t supported. Microsoft has blatantly disregarded the standards, in my opinion they made a very bad browser, and I think they need to be held accountable.

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9. Dimitar Panov

   03|Nov|2009

   While I agree with some points you make, I cannot agree completely with your idea.

   Sure it’s no big deal if you code some simple sites, which have 5 to 20 pages, and don’t use much flash, javascript and for which you have written your own html. If you are an experienced coder you won’t have any problems with such sites.

   But! if you code a bigger site, which extensively uses flash, a lot of javascript, and some CMS juggernought like Drupal – coding for IE6 is a pain in the ass.
   I am telling this from my personal experience.
   I have been working as a coder to such a project in the last couple of months, and there simple are so many bugs which may occur, so many situation that you will never stumble upon if you only code simple sites.

   I am talking about a site that have hundreds of pages, and most importantly – that have a unique design, which you have to implement to several different content management systems.

   You have a design that have to be implemented – in my example – in Drupal, and all the modules that are used in it, OsCommerce with it’s awful tables and terrible generated html and Gallery 2.

   And you have to make the same design on each one of those systems (sure, you can reuse your code to a point, but not always), and that design should look the same on every major browser out there (IE 6, 7, 8, FF 2, 3, Chrome/Safari, Opera).
   Modifying the html is also an option but you have to be careful what you are changing, because that certain element that you want to delete/modify may be also needed in a hundreds of other places.
   You need to have a hell of a good knowledge for the system you are coding, when it’s not possible for you to write your own html when you need it.

   And debugging such a huge, huge site, is pain in the ass, as IE6 rendering and js engine is awfully slow. Each refresh in IE6 can take up to 15 seconds. 15 seconds! you are waiting for that browser to load all the js, flash and php shits.
   Btw, IE7 is not so much better in that regard.

   So, final conclusion – yes, there is now problem with small sites, but no, there are huge problems with huge sites.

   I am not telling that we should stop coding for IE6, even for bigger sites. That is our job, after all, that’s what we are paid to do.

   What I want to tell is that coders have all the rights to complain and swear at IE6, cause it’s really an old browser which cannot adapt to the new technologies so easy.

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