One of the biggest frustrations that I have as a professional web developer is Internet Explorer – more specifically IE8, which is currently refusing to die because it is “good enough but not quite”. Here we are, trying to move forward with new technology on HTML5 standards that work across most modern browsers, except things don’t look or work quite right in IE8. Corporations still give out computers to employees with IE8 pre-installed. Enough is enough. Let’s make 2012 the year that we, as a body of web professionals, begin to retire IE8.
How?
From now on, every site that I deliver for clients will have, by default, an IE8nomore header (or variant), which will only show up when a user with IE8 or less browses to the site. If a client specifically wants me to support IE8, they will need to pay extra for it. It’s that simple. Clients need to be educated that IE8 is just bad software. If they have the chance to tell you that a site you created doesn’t work in IE8, you’re too late. You need to put the header in by default so that when they, or their colleagues browse to your site, they immediately see that their browser is outdated. It’s psychological. They need to upgrade. You don’t need to lower your standards.
If you’re a professional web developer, make it your resolution. Let’s rid the world of standard-less browsers. Let’s nail IE8 and please be done with it.
Links
IE8nomore header
IE6nomore header (the original)
