Are you using an old version of your Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.)? If you are, then did you know that you’re likely to be getting less than the full feature set out of the websites you visit, plus you run a higher risk of nasty things like computer viruses finding inroads via your old browser and into your computer?
The most common ‘old’ browser still in widespread use is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer version 6 (IE6). But its days are numbered! An increasing number of organisations, large and small, are clamouring for its demise. Try these for size:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8492862.stm
http://deathtoie6.com/
http://www.ie6death.com
http://www.bringdownie6.com/
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/02/24/the-death-of-ie6
And now Google has joined the fray, not least because it suspects IE6 to be the weak link that allegedly allowed Chinese hackers to target the Google accounts of human rights activists.
In an email statement received by Itomic today, Google said:
“In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance, we are harnessing some of the latest improvements in web browser technology. This includes faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5. As a result, over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.”
Upgrading from IE6 to the latest version, IE8 is trivial. Windows users can do it via ‘Windows Update’, or just visit the link below:
http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/internet-explorer/
Better still, why not let your hair down and try an alternative (and some would argue, far superior) Internet Browser:
http://www.google.com/chrome
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox
http://www.apple.com/safari/
http://www.opera.com/
Enjoy all that that the web has to offer!