Internet Explorer 6 is dead.
Microsoft Internet Explorer had a huge share of the browser market, only to be expected when every PC running Windows came with the browser installed and automatically set to “default browser” In 1996, version 3 of the browser was bundled free with Windows 95 on all new personal computers sold, at that time personal computers were becoming more popular in the home and office environment and few users bothered to look for alternate browsers.
The Department of Justice in the United States actually brought a legal case against Microsoft and the contract the company had with computer manufacturers that pretty much forced them to include Internet Explorer with every new computer. In response, Microsoft declared that shipping the operating system with the browser was in the interests of the purchaser. During the court action Microsoft insisted that Windows 98 could not operate without the browser. A “fact” that was proved untrue!
Microsoft continued to release new versions of the browser, not just for shipping with new PC’s but available for download from their website, with each new release, the code was not only modified, but an attempt to make the browsers “backward compatible” was probably a mistake — users frequently failed to upgrade, until forced to do so. In 2000, the courts findings were that Microsoft had abused a monopoly position, withheld important technical information and pretty much forced Netscape from the browser market. By 2005, Internet Explorer 6 had around 83% of the market share.
Internet Explorer version 6 therefore gained widespread acceptance in the office environment, where, once installed, it was often too costly, too time consuming, or more likely, not a priority, for the browser to be upgraded. Microsoft continued to offer support, so what reason would any company have for changing.
Microsoft eventually released Internet Explorer 7 in 2007, version 8 in 2009 and will soon release version 9. But still, there are users out there with version 6!
So, why is Internet Explorer 6 a problem?
Frankly, it is a pain for anyone putting a website together – it does not layout the page correctly, it fails to comply with W3C standards, it does not support the png format.. without the website owner writing a special Internet Explorer 6 stylesheet to get around the problems.
That probably won’t concern anyone still using the browser, if website designers continue to spend extra time making the site viewable, why bother to update the browser. Except, there is more and this could affect the user in ways they perhaps had been overlooking — it involves security. Internet Explorer 6 is weak and can be seriously exploited, putting any computer using the browser at risk.
Operation Aurora — 2009
Everyone knew about this, it received heavy coverage on televisions and hit the newspaper headlines around the world, leading to Google threatening to pull out of China. Operation Aurora was a cyber attack that started in mid-2009, Google were the first organisation to make the attack public in 2010 when they believed the attack originated in China.
These attacks were not aimed solely at Google however, but at Adobe, Rackspace and, according to media reports, Yahoo, Symantec and Morgan Stanley among others. McAfee, who named the attack Aurora, indicated the goal was to access and modify code at high technology, security or defence companies. These attacks simply exploited the vulnerabilities of Internet Explorer. Microsoft has also stated a problem exists in later versions of the browser — 7 and 8, regardless of the operating system, without maintaining regular upgrades or patches any IE user is still at risk.
Such was the sorry state of affairs following the announcement by Google, that some governments issued statements, advising people not to use the browser until the problem could be fixed, other governments stated people should abandon Explorer altogether. Yet, still, there are people using version 6!
This website will no longer support Internet Explorer 6
For many years, we took the time to check the site would work with IE6, we wrote special code, we had special sets of images – we slaved away to make the site work. We are no longer prepared to go to those lengths – anyone checking the site using version 6, will not see the site correctly and they will see a drop down panel advising them to upgrade. If that affects you, sorry, but it would be rather like someone insisting horse troughs were made available every mile, because they chose to travel by horse and cart. With the upcoming release of Internet Explorer 9, we also see no real need to try to make Internet Explorer 7 work correctly either. It really is in your own best interest to maintain your web browser with the latest version.
If you work for a company that still uses Internet Explorer 6, ask why, why is your company using a potentially harmful, risky browser? Check your companies “Mission Statement” does it declare they are forward thinking, committed to offer a brilliant, up-to-date service [add any other “we are the best thing since sliced bread” statement here] … now, ask yourself this.. why is the company using a browser that is so out-of-date and potentially hazardous to its future? What would your customer base say if they knew you were vulnerable to cyber attack? Keep up-to-date, upgrade your browser now.