Beat the IE6 wolf! • Hacker News Board

Re: Beat the IE6 wolf!

#21

Post by notahacker » Tue, Mar 08, 2011, 12:18 PM UTC

JacobAldridge wrote: post #13

I don't use IE6, and haven't for a long time, so this is an assumption based on trying to get into the mindset of someone who 1) is still using IE6 and 2) has control over the update (ie, ignoring those in large corporates who can't update themselves). If I'm using IE6, do I even know what a "browser" is? Let along an "outdated one"? And what, exactly, are the five colourful round things on the bottom of the page? Ah…

I'll go a step further: the person that uses IE6 really shouldn't be changing the software on their computer because a big shiny graphic on a website tells them to. Either you're wasting their time because they don't have the permissions from BigCorp to install stuff, or they don't know very much about computers and shouldn't be downloading malware because ad banners tell them they might get a virus or speed their computer up. Just because your motivations are more noble doesn't mean that using the same design antipatterns is a good idea.

The Microsoft banner is horrendous too. If you must (because your functionality doesn't work on IE6), give them a text link to the Microsoft upgrade page with a "You need to update your Internet Explorer for this site to work correctly. You can do this by going to the Microsoft free download page _here_. You can also find out more about the latest version by going to Microsoft.com and searching for Internet Explorer".

Other options (probably via browserchoice.eu) should be secondary. And I say this despite IE8 being a horrible browser I wouldn't use voluntarily.

Re: Beat the IE6 wolf!

#22

Post by tomelders » Tue, Mar 08, 2011, 2:55 PM UTC

djg38 wrote: post #14

tomelders wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, that puts the burden of keeping IE up to scratch on Google, which is just bizarre situation to be in. Chrome Frame is a quick fix, but it can't last forever. I'll bet £100 that IE will never be Standards Compliant. Microsoft have demonstrated over and over again that they have no interest in being even remotely Standards Compliant. It would be better for the Internet as a whole if IE simply ceased to exist.

No browser is standards compliant. That's impossible; the "standards", at least pre-HTML5, contain ambiguities and self-conflicts. It's all a matter of degree. And I can't agree with your assessment, Microsoft has shown interest in improving their standards support repeatedly. Each browser was closer to the mark than the last.

But still miles behind the competition. Their improvements have been tiny and often incomplete. The discrepancies are far too great to be passed off as "we just need a little time to catch up". Microsoft aren't a bit player here. I'll judge them by the same standards I judge myself or anybody else; IE is a sad excuse for a browser, and IE9 will be just as bad as the rest.

Re: Beat the IE6 wolf!

#23

Post by ck2 » Tue, Mar 08, 2011, 3:30 PM UTC

derefr wrote: post #15

ck2 wrote: post #6

Saying something is "old" is not a good enough reason to make people give it up. Instead, tell them it's unsafe and insecure and it's free and super easy to use a newer browser. Then you've got something. Tell them them IE6 won't be deleted just in case they need to go back for some reason. My car is over 10 years old, gets better mpg than many of today's cars and still has airbags. An argument that "it's old, better…

People understand the Moore's-law-kind-of-"old" better than you think, if you give them the right analogy. "Remember what Playstation 1 games looked like? A few scant polygons and textures were all the hardware could manage. Your browser is as old as a PS1. † Websites have gotten better, stronger, faster, and more technologic since 2001, but you can't see any of that—because you're trying to view them in a browser bu…

People still using IE6 might not be gamers.

For example I have no idea what a PS1 was like (or PS2 for that matter?)

Re: Beat the IE6 wolf!

#24

Post by DjDarkman » Wed, Mar 09, 2011, 8:42 AM UTC

OR you could just not write IE6 hacks and the users would suffer a little and just catch on. The reason IE6 is still used is because IE6 hacks are still used.

And btw, I wouldn't use that banner for one reason: I don't promote IE download under no circumstances. IE8/9 may be hot now, but it will suck just as bad in a few years as IE6 now.