Many internet users feel that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) has, at the age of ten, long since passed its sell by date. 

 

Microsoft has also jumped on this bandwagon by launching a website called ie6countdown.com. The Redmond-based company’s goal with the launching of this site is to bring the browser’s market share down to less than 1% worldwide. The site encourages not only website owners to ask users to upgrade to a newer browser, but also for people to tell friends and relatives to make the move. 

 

According to Net Applications, IE6 is still a fixture in terms of global browser market share, currently holding down an 11.33% share (3rd most after IE8 and Firefox 3.6). 

 

Roger Capriotti, director, Internet Explorer Product Marketing, provided the reasoning behind the company’s decision in a blogpost.

 

“We realize that there might not [be] a magic number for when web developers and IT pros can drop support for older browsers, but we believe that 1% will allow more sites and IT pros worldwide to make IE6 a low-priority browser – meaning you don’t have to invest as much time in updates or fixes.”

 

Capriotti stated that the company’s countdown site also sports user figures of IE6 by country, as the browser’s usage rate changes according to region (SA stands at 8.4%). Microsoft will also be updating these stats on a monthly basis provide resources for IT professionals to assist them in moving away from IE6.

 

“We’re inviting everyone to share this site with friends, acquaintances, clients, and IT admins to see for themselves why even Microsoft thinks the world would be better off without IE6,” said Capriotti.

 

“Please join us in tracking the progress as we count down the market share of IE6. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, IE6 was a great browser for its time, but we all need the web to move forward,” he concluded.  

 

Last year around this time, a “funeral” was held for the ageing browser, which was hosted by Aten Design Group, a design company from Denver, Colorado.