RIP IE6: 2001-2012
Microsoft has officially declared Internet Explorer 6 dead — in the United States at least. The 11-year-old browser has been a major security risk in recent years, but looks to be doomed in the coming months.
The declaration comes as new data shows that less than 1 percent of US website visitors are running the browser. That brings the US in line with several European nations, while some other major countries around the world are on the verge of crossing the same threshold.
Across the world as a whole, Internet Explorer 6 is still used by eight percent of people. That’s largely driven by users in Asia, particularly China.
IE6′s poor reputation is driven by an unfortunate combination of two factors. Firstly, it is genuinely poorly designed and produced in terms of security. (Microsoft openly concedes that “IE6 has been the punch line of browser jokes for a while, and we’ve been as eager as anyone to see it go away.)
Secondly, it was the default browser shipped with XP; the debacle was Vista means people continued using XP machines far longer than expected, lengthening the period before users were forced to upgrade their browser because they bought a new PC.
Early last year Microsoft launched a countdown site to both encourage and track people upgrading to later editions. Last month it announced that it will use Windows Update to force upgrades to remaining IE6 and IE7 users, meaning only those people who handle updates and bug fixes manually will still be running IE6. (That change is being rolled out worldwide and wasn’t responsible for the US drop reported this week.)
It’s rare to see a company happy that people have stopped using one of its products — and it’s likely at some of those who’ve dropped IE6 have switched to rival browsers rather than upgrading — but those users who were still on a browser made in 2001 really were obstinate buggers, so it’s certainly a moment worth celebrating.
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January 5th, 2012
Girls and other women always ask me if they are pregnant because their period is late!
I used to explain to them why it didn’t always mean they were, but now days I just point them to look up late period.
The internet explains everything, from why periods can be late, to pregnancy symptoms.
When my period is late though, I still get stressy!