Phazm Webdesign

NO MORE Internet Explorer 6!

Update: For a select few

IE6 is being phased out with a mandatory push from Microsoft, requiring all computers to upgrade to IE7.

The article from Microsoft mentions several ways you can disable the WGA-free update, so the war might not be over. But in my opinion, this is a major step forward.

This post is the second in a continuing series of DIY tutorials, which aims to make things as simple as possible.

Ajax. Some would say that it is simply an over-used buzzword, but I disagree. Ajax (formerly known as AJAX) is a fantastic way to enhance websites and improve user interactivity. However, like all things, it should be used in moderation, and has the potential to be used improperly (I'm looking at you, flash.)

But I don't want to get off-topic so early on. In this tutorial, you will:

• Learn how to use Ajax in the simplest way I could think of
• Create an addictive voting script
• Create a simple shoutbox
• Download source and create your own within minutes!

I have recently been getting mildly irritated at all of the "Just don't code for Internet Explorer 6 and people will stop using it" blog entries I've been seeing lately. I consider it a huge problem in the mentality of a designer when they disregard a large portion of visitors and/or customers. No disrespect to Nick La, but simply "giving up" on IE6 is not (at this time) a viable solution, especially because IE6 still has the largest user base.

The fact is, IE6 is not that hard to code for, as long as you have a good understanding of Semantic XHTML, you shouldn't have much of a problem. In this post, I'm going to outline some of the steps you can take to reduce the time it takes to develop your pages for Internet Explorer 6.