YouTube dropping support for IE6

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phlegmboy

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#37549 15-Jul-2009 09:37

Anyone using YouTube through IE6 is seeing a banner saying that support for IE6 will be phased out soon along with likes to IE8, Firefox and Chrome.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2015/youtubeie6.png

How many people out there are still using IE6 voluntarily and how many have it forced on them through corporate standards (usually due to web apps that will only work via IE6)?

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freitasm

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#235487 15-Jul-2009 09:40

I run Internet Explorer Mobile 6 and when used in "Desktop Mode" it shows this message.

Interesting to compare this with my blog post about Internet Browsers, just last week.

In summary companies that "force down" these changes aren't looking at why some people still use Internet Explorer 6. Just read the comments in my blog - it seems most corporate IT structures are not updating at all.

Cost? Legacy systems? Lots of reasons for that.

Ragnor

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#235497 15-Jul-2009 10:01

Smells like a marketing directive came down from Google to push Chrome to me and there ain't nothing wrong with that imo.

$5 says they won't actually stop supporting IE6 till it drops below 5% which will be years after Windows 7 has been in the market perhaps around 2012 maybe.

The warning is fairly non obtrusive so I think it's probably a positive move for large sites to raise awareness and promote users upgrading their browsers. I wish trademe, nzherald and stuff would do the same!

d3Xt3r

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#235630 15-Jul-2009 13:20

I think it's a great move. Hopefully other major sites would join the bandwagon, marking the beginning of the end for IE6.

Just kill it already.

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

jamesmurdoch

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#235633 15-Jul-2009 13:27

yes i see the big banner haha

Behodar

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#235637 15-Jul-2009 13:29

The stats from the site I maintain show IE6 as being at around the 25-30% mark (I don't have exact stats on-hand as I'm at home at the moment). I'd wager that about half of those visitors are using it at home, and therefore not being forced into it by IT.

We changed from IE6 to 7 internally last month.

manhinli

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#235652 15-Jul-2009 13:56

Hope this makes our teachers go "Oh no...! I won't be able to watch YouTube clips while relaxing during lunch break" as our school still uses IE6 even though the majority of our PCs are running very capable systems (at least Pentium 4 with some reasonable grunt) - the teachers will definitely get to our IT department.

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phlegmboy

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#235980 16-Jul-2009 09:39

I have just been told that our IT infrastructure team are within a week of finishing testing IE8 but, more importantly, that the policy of only allowing IE to be used is being rescinded but that we will only be officially providing support for IE.

Guess who immediately volunteered to "test" Firefox :)

I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long.

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RedJungle

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#236000 16-Jul-2009 10:15

In summary companies that "force down" these changes aren't looking at why some people still use Internet Explorer 6. Just read the comments in my blog - it seems most corporate IT structures are not updating at all.

I agree a lot of people currently have no choice but to use IE6.. that said however - if enough of the big websites make a conscious choice to no longer support IE6 (or perhaps to degrade the experience for IE6 users), then policy makers will surely have no choice but to move forward at least to IE7?

I'm in the 'this is a good thing' camp for purely selfish reasons - because it makes my job easier if there's no IE6 to deal with

Ragnor

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#236210 16-Jul-2009 18:24

Don't lie RedJungle, I know you secretly enjoy testing sites in IE6.

openmedia

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#236211 16-Jul-2009 18:27

A lot of web sites are still seeing 25% plus use by IE6 which is a real shame. This browser should have died years ago.

Sadly there are a lot of cases where in house applications or intranet services still require IE6. I've seen cases where applications require IE6 and a very specific Microsoft JVM to operate.

I say good on You Tube for making this stand.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.