Who uses old versions of IE?

[curtiss]

The topic about the screen resolutions got me thinking about IE versions. I have no problem developing my Web sites to look good in 800x600 resolutions (in fact, that's what we still optimize our sites to work with), but I'm very tired of programming sites to work in older versions of IE.

Looking at my Google Analytics for one of my sites, I noticed that only 0.1% of our visitors are using versions 5-5.5 and none are using anything less than 5. However, nearly 50% of our IE-using visitors are still using IE6 (on my tech-related site, however, only 30% are using IE6, and only 30% of our total visitors are using IE at all).

Who is still using IE6. If you are, would you mind explaining why? If you know someone else who is, do you know what their reasoning is behind it?

I'm curious, since there are so many incompatibilities with IE6. Obviously, I still develop my sites to work properly with IE6, but I will be extremely happy when I see its popularity decrease to the state that IE5 is currently at.

[meeleend]

It is about two months back when I was providing final touches to the look of my blog, I found a desperate need of some way to test the design and layout in multiple browsers just to ensure that users using different browsers could view the site as it was intended to be without layout, rendering issues etc. It was easy to test in Opera, Firefox and Internet Explorer 7.0 but I was also interested to test my website in older versions of Internet Explorer 5.5, 6.0 etc. because still a sizable number of users are using these versions of Internet Explorer. Despite my search I could not find a simple solution.

But a few days back I found a very nice software package called Multiple IE that rolls all the older version of Internet Explorer in to a neat little installer. Most interesting thing is that all these Internet Explorer versions can be installed and used in the same windows installation. I have tested it in Windows XP and I am sure it will also work with Vista. Internet Explorer versions that are rolled in to the installer are as follows:

Internet Explorer 3.0
Internet Explorer 4.01
Internet Explorer 5.01
Internet Explorer 5.5
Internet Explorer 6.01

I am mostly interested in testing for the Internet Explorer 5.5 - 6.0. Internet Explorer 3.0 and 4.0 are a little too old and a lot of work may be involved if you want to make your website work with these older IE versions properly.

[Leprakawn]

I cannot remember where I found this, but this is a great conditional statement for those with IE versions ≤ 6.

<!--[if lte IE 6]>
<style>
#unsupported {
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 155px;
    height: 47px;
    background: transparent url(http://www.mentallyretired.com/unsupported.gif) center center no-repeat;
}
#unsupported a {
    display: block;
    width: 155px;
    height: 47px;
    text-decoration: none;
    text-indent: -9999px;
    font-size: 0.1em;
}
</style>
<p id="unsupported">
    <a href="http://www.mentallyretired.com/unsupported.html">CAUTION:  Your browser is no longer supported by this Web site. See it as intended. Click here.</a>
</p>
<![endif]-->

[Deadeye]

I'm forced to use IE 6 at work, at home I use IE7 and FF3

I think people still use IE6 due to change and some are just stuck in a rut.

Wesley

[Leprakawn]

Deadeye... haven't you figured out how to hack around the syst and make IE7 global?

[Deadeye]

make IE7 global?

its on the internet, how global do you want it?

[myhostbreak]

How can we unsecure IE 7??

Anyone have any idea about it??

[Leprakawn]

By global, I mean letting all of your co-workers use it, too.

[curtiss]

Originally Posted by myhostbreak

How can we unsecure IE 7??

Anyone have any idea about it??

Um. If this isn't spam, then I have absolutely no idea what you're asking. What do you mean by unsecuring IE7?

[Deadeye]

Originally Posted by curtiss

Um. If this isn't spam, then I have absolutely no idea what you're asking. What do you mean by unsecuring IE7?

DUH!!! make it less secure. Geez curtiss, I thought you knew better


Leppy, thats easy enough, but all of our web apps are designed for IE6 and will break in 7

Wesley

[curtiss]

Originally Posted by Deadeye

DUH!!! make it less secure. Geez curtiss, I thought you knew better

Oh. I thought he was asking us how to unsecure IE7 like a tray table on an airplane.

Leppy, thats easy enough, but all of our web apps are designed for IE6 and will break in 7

Wesley

Oh, you've got to love proprietary Microsoft programming.

[Deadeye]

Originally Posted by curtiss

Oh, you've got to love proprietary Microsoft programming.

Yeah no kidding, I've heard and read in IE8 its suppose to follow the web standard and render the ACID2 test flawlessly, not sure about the ACID3 though

Wesley