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A group of more than 100 people will gather in Denver, Colorado Thursday to finally put Internet Explorer 6 to rest. The funeral will be used to signify the long-overdue demise of Microsoft’s browser, which has been in operation for much of the past decade. The funeral also comes just before Google is expected to discontinue support for Internet Explorer 6 on YouTube and its Google Docs productivity suite.
Unfortunately for those who want to finally say goodbye forever to Internet Explorer 6, it likely won’t happen anytime soon. The browser is still used widely around the world by Windows XP users and enterprise customers that rely on it to for some legacy products. But that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be put out to pasture. The browser has been the subject of much criticism over the years. It’s also one of the worst security culprits on the market.
Even Microsoft, a company that has stayed notoriously loyal to some of its worst products, recommends users upgrade to Internet Explorer 8, rather than stick with Internet Explorer 6. Simply put, almost everyone believes Internet Explorer 6 is light years past its prime.
But simply allowing it to ride off into the sunset probably won’t do it justice. Internet Explorer 6 needs to be laid to rest and forgotten. Here’s why:
1. It’s brutally ugly
When it comes time to compare Internet Explorer 6 to some of its newer counterparts, most folks are shocked by just how ugly it is. The interface is extremely difficult to maneuver around and the basic design leaves much to be desired. Granted, it was designed at a time when looks didn’t mean as much as they do today, but let’s be honest, Internet Explorer 6 was never good-looking.
2. It’s underpowered
Internet Explorer 6 is extremely underpowered. In fact, it’s one of the slowest browsers on the market currently in wide use. When compared to competing browsers, including Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 6 pales in comparison. Web page render times are brutally slow and in some cases, pages don’t even load properly. Simply put, Internet Explorer 6 lacks the power and functionality to make it relevant today.
3. Security, anyone?
Security is where the major issue with Internet Explorer 6 resides. Unlike so many other versions of the browser, Internet Explorer 6 was overrun with security issues. And unfortunately, Microsoft in some cases took far too long to address those problems. Internet Explorer 6 security issues contributed heavily to Mozilla’s Firefox browser gaining popularity. Lest we forget, Internet Explorer 6 was practically one big security hole.
4. Reputation matters
Microsoft cares about its reputation. Perhaps that’s why it’s so important for the company to push its latest browsers and urge current Internet Explorer 6 users to move on. Prior to the release of Internet Explorer 6, few folks really had trouble with Microsoft’s browser. They knew it wasn’t perfect, but it worked. After Internet Explorer 6, the company’s reputation was diminished as more and more users saw the browser for what it was: a lost cause.