Yep. You have read that correctly. I will miss IE6.

Yes, it is an awful browser - full and stupid bugs, limitations, poor standards support, yadda yadda. We all know this. We've all beaten our fists on our keyboards in frustration when trying to get things 'working' in it. We've hacked it, and metaphorically smacked it, since the day it first launched back in 1507 (or around that time).

I have hated it. I have wanted it to die. It has often cost me money in extra development time on projects, and held me back on certain interesting ideas I've wanted to implement on commercial work.

"Yes. That's right. So why in the name of Jiminy Christmas will you miss it?!"

Having had to deal with the browser all my working life, I view it as like an old-drunken-stubborn-great-uncle-type-figure. It's annoying and frustrating but, hey, it's family. It didn't mean to be like it is, and yes, you often have to put it in it's place, mop its chin when it dribbles, and make compromises to make your day to day life that little bit easier.

Also, what will we all whinge about when it has finally passed away and gone to the little wikipedia page in the sky? I've already heard slight rumblings and grumblings about FireFox, and to that I say ...

... how dare you! Tsk!

How quickly we forget that it was FF - and the campaign surrounding the browser - that reduced IE's market share from an 'untouchable' 99% down to near on 50%. A decrease that prompted Microsoft to dip back into the browser market with IE7, which - of course - started the clock ticking for the demise of version 6.

We have FireFox, and the people behind the scenes, to thank for the remarkable progress we have made thus far. So no whingeing, right? OK. Good. To continue ...

Oi. IE6. Look at me. Yeah. I'm not afraid of you anymore ...

Another reason I will miss it, is that - in terms of HTML and CSS - the browser no longer has any power over me. It no longer has any secrets. I know all the bugs, the hacks, the work-arounds. You can't beat me IE6. I'm too strong for you now ...

And then there are those "IE6 MUST DIE NOW" websites. Meh!

I have also replaced my long standing hate of IE6 with a new hate - for the "Let's cut off IE6's head and kick it into a river" type websites.

Whilst I think it has been (and will continue to be) very important to educate clients and users about what are the best browsers / apps etc. to use and such, this new trend of aggressive pressure to try and kill-off IE6 "right now" is just naive and, in some cases, irresponsible.

Firstly, let's spell this out:

A date for the demise of IE6 was set the moment IE7 was planned, and this date was chosen in order to allow large companies and corporations an appropriate amount of time to update their systems.

That will be, from what I can gather, some time in 2010. That is when Microsoft will be dropping support for IE6. No amount of "Let's kick IE6 in the balls" websites will speed this up.

I'm not going to list the sites. The majority are merely 'spreading the word', which I'm all for, but some are just a waste of web space, and a couple are just down-right harmful (using nasty tricks with a kind of "well, you hit me first" mentality).

Yes IE6 is crap. Tell people. But thinking you can run into "Microsoft's cave" and "slay the IE6 dragon" with a "web standards shaped sword" is just stupid. The battle is already won. Just accept that - with  IE6 having a near-on 100% market share not that long ago - the (unfortunate) repercussion of this is that it has needed a carefully planned and drawn out death so that no more harm is caused, and that everyone is at least pointing in the right direction.

Stop groaning. Grow up. Get on with it.

Erm sorry, not you with the skin-head and tattoos - the guy behind you :P

Anyway, anyone else feel this way about it all? I will be writing a follow-up post called "Why I still design for IE6", so pop back soon. I'll put the kettle on ...