Google deprecating support for IE6?
TGDaily has an unattributed report asserting that
Google is now urging Gmail users to drop Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) in favor of Firefox or Chrome that, according to the company, run the popular web-based email service “twice as fast.” Google also labels IE6 as an unsupported browser, meaning it fails to run some Gmail features
I’m unable to find any direct quote from Google to this effect - anyone got one? With 20% of users still using IE6 (which is only marginally less than all versions of Firefox, and close to 3 times Safari), it’s an interesting position if it is in fact the case.
There’s a reasonable case to be made that IE6 is disproportionally used in larger enterprises and organizations, for which Google provides commercial versions of Google apps like Gmail. It’s hard to imagine Google abandoning IE6 support for such users, even if the percentage of users for their free versions of Gmail, Google Apps and so on using IE6 is small and diminishing.
We’ll have some interesting related statistics from our recent “State of the Web” survey in the next few days, which among many other things asked designers and developers what browsers they used (and tested their sites and applications in).
I’m guessing that for mere mortals, support for IE6 in our sites and applications will need to continue for some time yet, even if Google feels they can start transitioning users to other browsers.
I for one, have found no browser that I liked better then IE6. It’s got a small footprint (memory/cpu) because it’s not trying to be an application provider.. it’s trying to be a browser. The browser interface components are small and out of the way. This maintains the focus on the content, not the browser. When I find a browser that I like better, I’ll move. So far, I have not. Less is more. Back to the basics, folks. A capable graphical browser with a small foot print with the focus on content. Browsers should not have self ego love.
[…] an increase in Mac OS X and iPhone usage, both of which spark increases in Safari usage. Also, with Google discouraging use of IE market share will only continue to go down, as it has for […]
[…] a better and more secure browsing environment). Thus, it seemed that companies like 37signals and Google had to take the lead, having to publicly announce that they would no longer bother making future […]
DOliva, what about multiple tabs? And, on the subject of tabs, I quickly fired up IE6 and did a comparison between it and Firefox (which is my preferred browser). Firefox uses slightly more of the page due to the tab bar, but if you took that away it would use up less screen estate than IE6 (with the small icons option checked).
I wonder, legally speaking, is it anti-competitive for Google to leverage its monopoly on search to push its browser product? It’s the same pattern as MS using its grip on the OS market to push other products. Still, anything that helps show IE6 the door…
[…] a better and more secure browsing environment). Thus, it seemed that companies like 37signals and Google had to take the lead, having to publicly announce that they would no longer bother making future […]
@DOliva: That’s a bunch of Hoo-HA! IE 6 needs to be retired for good after a seven year reign. It’s lack of support for standards has caused, god only knows, how many wasted developer hours and dollars of those who employ them. If had a law degree I would start a class action suit against MS.
While I understand that IE 6 was a major player in web history, just imagine where the state of web design and development would be today with out all the wasted effort supporting, what is at best, a mediocre browser.
As of this morning, I cannot use IE6 for Gmail. I have Firefox loaded, but I really don’t like it or IE7. I will use Firefox for Gmail when I need to use the webmail version, but that’s not very often.
Can we please just kill all IE products? They all suck and are the bane of every web designer!
save a developer, use a better browser!