The Life, Times (and Death?) of Internet Explorer 6 (Comic Strip)

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In recent years Internet Explorer 6 has become the browser web designers love to hate. Security issues, JavaScript errors and inexplicable CSS rendering quirks have made it the brunt of many jokes. With IE6 in its twilight and big companies like Google dropping support, it seems like a good time to take a fond look back at our old foe. In this post we’re looking at what Internet Explorer 6 used to be and why its image changed over the years. You can also see the comic in a larger version.

Do we need to review our projects in Internet Explorer 6? Can we stop supporting IE6? If not, how do we handle those users who are still using IE6? And if yes, how can we prompt IE6 users to upgrade? Or how do we convince those who don’t allow their employees to get rid of the legacy browser to upgrade? What do you think? We are looking forward to your opinions in the comments to this post!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Tags:BrowsersCartoonsInternet Explorer

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Brad Colbow is a web designer living and working in Cleveland Ohio (USA). He is also the creator of the weekly web comic "The Brads" about two web designers trying to start a small company. You can follow him on twitter here.

  1. 201

    peter

    April 28th, 2010 8:58 am

    oBAMA SUCKS!

    Reply
    -10
  2. 202

    Shiva

    April 29th, 2010 4:20 am

    Yeah, i agree with this posting. As a lot of things won’t work in IE6 and takes extra time to work on the css separately for IE browsers like IE6, IE7 & IE8. Really hectic… Those who all use IE6 need to upgrade their browser to IE7.

    Reply
    +1
    • 203

      Jagan

      April 29th, 2010 4:24 am

      Dai shiva, romba peter udatha….! intha mathiri yellam inga vanthu scene podatha…!! nai unakku css olunga seiya theriyadu ana inga vanthu peria developer mathiri padam katturiya…??!!

      Reply
      -1
  3. 204

    P.Ambika

    April 29th, 2010 8:44 pm

    Really i agree with u…ie6 is very painful to us(WeDesigners OR Developers)

    Reply
    +2
  4. 206

    Dane

    June 12th, 2010 10:25 am

    Yeah don’t abandon IE6!

    PS. lets continue to teach old English ans Egyptian hieroglyphics as required courses.

    Is it time to abandon IE6? Nope that time came 2 years ago, not like you can’t make a single “Click me” button upgrade you to IE8 or better yet something that is not IE.

    Reply
    +2
  5. 207

    Jim

    August 5th, 2010 6:11 pm

    Thumbed down on stumble for the tacky Bush jab. Show some class.

    Reply
    -5
  6. 208

    anon

    September 12th, 2010 1:07 am

    God, if i don’t see IE 6 dead within this week, I’m going to kill it myself.

    Reply
    -1
  7. 209

    SIA

    October 28th, 2010 11:45 pm

    Very nice post. You described everything in a great way. Really love this post

    Reply
    +2
12

  1. 1

    Troy

    February 11th, 2010 3:21 pm

    Really? 120 minutes to read that?
    You must be on IE6. :)

    +6
  2. 2

    Sean

    February 11th, 2010 1:57 pm

    I hate when my Internet Explorer 6 sits at home all day and watches TV and gets hairy. He doesn’t even like to be taken out for a walk anymore if it is around newer websites because he is too old to keep up. My Firefox goes so much faster due to the flames coming out of his rear end.

    +3
  3. 3

    Bhausaheb Zaware

    February 12th, 2010 12:57 am

    IE6 is a pain for web developers!

    +3
  4. 4

    Collussus

    February 12th, 2010 8:04 am

    What are you planning to do when the next version of HTML comes out? Tables will be entirely removed.

    +2
  5. 5

    P.Ambika

    April 29th, 2010 8:44 pm

    Really i agree with u…ie6 is very painful to us(WeDesigners OR Developers)

    +2
  6. 6

    Dane

    June 12th, 2010 10:25 am

    Yeah don’t abandon IE6!

    PS. lets continue to teach old English ans Egyptian hieroglyphics as required courses.

    Is it time to abandon IE6? Nope that time came 2 years ago, not like you can’t make a single “Click me” button upgrade you to IE8 or better yet something that is not IE.

    +2
  7. 7

    SIA

    October 28th, 2010 11:45 pm

    Very nice post. You described everything in a great way. Really love this post

    +2
  8. 8

    Allen

    February 12th, 2010 4:27 am

    I am not a native English speaker I finished reading in about 15mins man…

    +1
  9. 9

    Alpesh Darji

    February 12th, 2010 12:11 pm

    Brad, nice way to educate people. Love it.

    +1
  10. 10

    Collussus

    February 13th, 2010 1:28 am

    Doesn’t change the fact that they’re being removed.

    +1
  11. 11

    arnold

    February 12th, 2010 3:16 pm

    wow its andy clarke lol ..this comic strip..is amazing…
    dont know what other saying but this is good man…..
    im not designing for IE6 , I force them to upgrade their browsers

    +1
  12. 12

    Alex C.

    February 12th, 2010 2:11 pm

    One “comic” strip drawing related question,
    is IE’s hair a beard or his pubic hair? :p

    +1
  13. 13

    Ben

    February 11th, 2010 2:30 pm

    @jack parsons

    It took you (about) 2 hours to read this??

    +1
  14. 14

    Mauricio

    February 14th, 2010 9:17 am

    hahahahaha. cmon man.

    +1
  15. 15

    Ketan

    February 14th, 2010 9:02 pm

    Really i agree with u…ie6 is very painful to us(WeDesigners OR Developers)

    +1
  16. 16

    Tai

    February 11th, 2010 1:49 pm

    This is great! Finally I have a way to explain IE6 to non-techies. I will just forward this link.
    @ Brad I used to follow your strip. Good to see you are back, I really like your work. You should, if you haven’t already, publish a book. I would buy one!

    +1
  17. 17

    Conflock

    February 11th, 2010 1:52 pm

    Nice comic strip. I wish IE6 will be history for webdesigners in about a year. Even MS stops support for ie6 in their new server products like e.g. Sharepoint 2010.

    +1
  18. 18

    Chorts

    February 11th, 2010 1:53 pm

    I like this site a lot and come here everyday during work to get some inspiration…but that was plain boring. Sorry!

    +1
  19. 19

    Tony Beninate

    February 11th, 2010 1:56 pm

    Basically the coolest comic strip ever.

    +1
  20. 20

    Milos

    February 11th, 2010 2:00 pm

    Are you kidding me, Chorts? :) I found it funny and clever – nice work, Brad, nice to see the comic here, at Smashing Magazine!

    +1
  21. 21

    FireDart

    February 11th, 2010 2:04 pm

    Love it!

    It was a great comic to read.

    +1
  22. 22

    MaggieL

    February 11th, 2010 9:39 pm

    Especially since the chart fits Obama better.

    +1
  23. 23

    Steffi

    February 12th, 2010 12:56 am

    You’re so grumpy…

    +1
  24. 24

    Bruno

    February 12th, 2010 1:41 am

    He probably read the entire archives :P

    +1
  25. 25

    Alessio

    February 12th, 2010 6:03 am

    Whether or not you dislike Bush or his administration, it’s a fact of the matter that his popularity declined. Isn’t it always that way, especially in second terms? The president burns himself out from too much campaigning and a ridiculously high-profile, hectic life. Poor guys! Don’t you think we should just fire our presidents as an act of mercy? :o Then they’d have a high-satisfaction but very short term. :D Now everybody’s happy: the people get the high point of the administrations, and the president doesn’t burn himself out completely and leave office in disgrace! I think I’m the best politician on the planet to have come up with that idea!

    +1
  26. 26

    Collussus

    February 12th, 2010 6:49 am

    Mostly because most of us develop a 2nd css file for all the websites especially for IE6. However, have fun living in the past. CSS3 will not be available for you.

    +1
  27. 27

    Modermo

    February 12th, 2010 7:04 am

    ie6 really has to die.

    Come on, lets not preserve its already expired life any longer.

    +1
  28. 28

    Barry McGee

    February 12th, 2010 7:06 am

    Nice way to explain to non-techy people about IE6, many thanks

    +1
  29. 29

    adam

    February 12th, 2010 11:18 am

    see ya ie6!!! that browser has casued me many painful discussions with clients

    +1
  30. 30

    David

    February 12th, 2010 11:22 am

    Screw Internet Explorer in general. Fin.

    +1
12

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