Article by George Norman

On 16 Jul 2009

If you felt that just because IE (Internet Explorer) 6 is an outdated piece of software is not enough to convince you to leave it and switch to something newer and better, then here is something that might just nudge you to drop the Microsoft developed browser: YouTube will not support it for long. Yes, popular video sharing site YouTube has announced that it plans to drop support for IE6, meaning you will no longer be able to visit the site using IE6.

This week, visitors to the YouTube site that we using Internet Explorer 6 were greeted with this message: “We will be phasing out support for your browser soon. Please upgrade to one of these more modern browsers: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3.5.”


How did the Redmond-based software developer take the news that YouTube will not longer support its web browser? Quite well actually. For quite some tome now Microsoft has been trying to convince users to drop IE6 in favor of newer browser versions.

In the case of IE8 (Internet Explorer 8) for example, Microsoft has used all sorts of gimmicks to try and convince you to install the browser. There was the browser comparison chart which basically said that IE8 provides all the features you can think of (security, privacy, ease of use, developer tools, reliability, compatibility, manageability, and so on) as opposed to competing browsers which do not. Then there was the Browser for the Better campaign which said that if you download IE8, Microsoft will donate enough money to Feeding America to cover a total of 8 meals. Then there was the IE8 optimized for Live Nation which provided the user with a customized version of Internet Explorer 8 and an unreleased Nickelback tune. And last but not least, the 4 ads starring Dean Cain.

Getting back to Microsoft’s reaction, the company welcomed the idea, but expressed its concerns about corporate users that continue to use IE 6. “Microsoft has consistently recommended that consumers upgrade to the latest version of our browser. Internet Explorer 8 offers improvements in speed, security and reliability as well as new features designed for the way people use the web. While we recommend Internet Explorer 8 to all customers, we understand we have a number of corporate customers for whom broad deployment of new technologies across their desktops requires more planning,” said the Redmond-based software giant in a statement.

Personally, I recommend you switch to Firefox 3.5 – here’s a close look at what the browser has to offer. And it’s not just me that favors Firefox over IE, US Government employees want to use it too – check out this video where a government employee asks US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton if they could start using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. The question comes at about 26:30.

If you’d rather use IE8, then at least download it from the Browser for the Better web page and help out some starving children.



Tags: Google, YouTube, Microsoft, Internet Explorer, IE

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