SaveTheDevelopers.org places a friendly popup request for IE6 users to upgrade their browsers. (via TechCrunch)
By placing a simple conditional comment with a .js script in your page.tpl.php, visitors using the outdated and buggy IE6 web browser will see a small roll-down on the top of their browsers, "nagging" them to upgrade. After clicking the roll-down, a new browser window opens with links to other recommended browsers:
IE6 is a horrible blemish on the web and is the cause of millions of hours of wasted developer time: the sooner we get rid of it, the better. This seems like the most unobtrusive, gentle way to inform people that an upgrade is available and that they should consider scrapping IE6.
However, some people simply can't upgrade or switch browser because of restrictions on their corporate networks. Do they deserve to be "nagged" about upgrading?
And, if a visitor is coming to your site, willing to invest their time in what you have to offer, is it wise to distract them from that, all in the name of the greater good?
On some sites, the answer is surely "yes". SaveTheDevelopers has instructions to include their .js file in your HTML, and let it detect whether the browser is IE6, but I prefer to add conditional HTML comments so non-IE6 users will not download the script. Put this in your page.tpl.php:
<!--[if lt IE 7]>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.savethedevelopers.org/say.no.to.ie.6.js"></script>
<![endif]-->Just a little warning: the SaveTheDevelopers script didn't work well when the rolldown obstructed the top links on one of my sites. Test first!
But who uses IE6 is not
But who uses IE6 is not savvy enough to download and install another browser.
I disagree
I don't it's necessarily true that people who use IE6 do so because they are too inexperienced to install different software on their computer or upgrade their browser. I think it has more to do with ignorance that there are updates/alternatives out there, and that the other options really make a difference.
Actually. . .
A recent study by Johns Hopkins demonstrated that IE users are an avarage of 38 IQ points dumber than users of other browsers. The study also found that IE users enjoy sex only if done in missionary position, drive fords and stated that their favorite song was "Escape" by Rupert Holmes (look it up). The study also concluded that the world would be a better place if at least 40% of them were shot in the head at point blank with a high caliber revolver.
. . . Oh wait, no that was just me.
Indeed
Comic genius...
Yeah
...for certain sites it might not be appropriate to do this, but if it's for a personal site or something like that I'm wholeheartedly supportive of the idea. I think in the next couple years we'll be seeing the IE 6 marketshare dwindle fairly rapidly though. Or so I hope. :-)
Using this roll-down is a
Using this roll-down is a careful decision to make. It has it's drawbacks - you don't want to irritate people!
IE7 is still not a mandatory security update (as far as I know - did some research and couldn't find anything to suggest it was), so there are many people who simply do not know about it. For those people, we are doing them a favour by suggesting they upgrade or try Firefox. ;)
For those people in big organisations who cannot perform the upgrade themselves - it all comes down to awareness and pressure. If enough people in a big company are made aware that the company is using an outdated browser, then they will apply pressure on their decision makers to fix whatever it is that's holding them back from upgrading, be it an incompatible in-house system or complicated roll-out process.
What I like about this script, is that it's very unobtrusive. It rolls down, then after a few seconds, disappears. You can ignore it quite easily if you like.
... but developer saves his
... but developer saves his time using IE 6 - this is the fastest way to find out when something went bad in the all-browser-compliant-html/css-code... ;]