Every project made for the web in the past has had to go through my dreaded “Open up IE” stage. I’ve had enough. A little bit dies inside of me each time I hover my mouse over the icon for IE6 and even a little bit more if it’s IE5.2 on my mac.
I recently started testing out IE7 Beta and that has got to be THE WORST ‘Beta’ of any product I’ve ever encountered. (It’s since been uninstalled.)
It pains me to have to test on IE. It pains me to have to do Windows Updates via IE. It pains me when certain “behind-the-scenes” programs I have running have to use IE. (I’m looking at you Weather Channel.)
As just a plain old web user, I shrug when I come across a page when I see .aspx (Looking at you NBCOlympics.com) or even “Your Operating System or Browser is not supported. Blah Blah. Please use IE. Blah blah…latest version of Windows Media Player.” I shrug, because usually, whatever site and content it is that would like me to open up IE is pretty inconsequential. Aside from these nitpicks, FFox or anything else does the job for me in spades.
As a developer, though, sigh…IE 5.2, why do you suck so much. IE6 why do you suck so much. I’ve had it. I know I’m breaking some supposed cardinal rule of design and development by not considering IE in my work and therefore drastically minimizing the web audience…and for my clients that’ll translate into sags in revenue.
Eff it.
I’m starting a call-to-arms of my fellow designers and developers. FUCK IE. The majority of web users use that unstable, flaw-ridden, un-secure piece of shit and therefore we’re supposed to give in and give these users some consideration in order to maximize our potential audience? I’m not saying to screw the web users nor our clients, they are not the enemy. If we keep developing for Internet H4xxplorer, maybe the audience is wider, but the audience will not learn that there are other alternatives. If the web community as a whole becomes more and more aware of BETTER browsers, they’ll be in a better situation to make better web-related decisions. They’ll become more web-savvy. The more savvy everyone is, the more innovations and stuff we can dish out. There’s plenty out there now we can do, but just can’t or are years behind when it should have initially been implemented. (Non-develoopers, you like your Google Maps don’t you? You could have had that years ago.) Shit. Microsoft might even come out with a DECENT browser for a change if they lose a huge chunk of IE users. This attitude also extends to Microsoft’s other big 2’s: Windows and Office. An argument for another day. I don’t think Microsoft is shit. They’ve shown the capacity and capability to make awesome products…particularly when it comes to business related products. They just don’t give enough of a shit to do something in the three areas they have a cornered market on. And why should they?
Call-to-arms dudes. If more of us disregarded IE in the testing stages, the more services and projects out there will mess up upon viewing via IE (and for everyone else NO it does not mean the site’s busted, it means that IE doesn’t support a few (read:A LOT) of changes and improvements for ohhh almost a DECADE), and therefore feel more compelled to use ANY of the other browsers. Seriously, I love Firefox and all, but it doesn’t even have to be that one. Pick one. It’s totally cool, because the way it works for us usually is we create. We test in all the browsers. Very minor inconsistencies MAY occur, but nothing drastic…that is until IE opens. Then, to us, it looks like IE just had an aneurism. I mentioned earlier 5.2 and 6. You’d think there wouldn’t be that much difference. Holy shit, you have no idea. You’d also think, well why not just design for 5.2. If it works on that, it stands to reason that it would appear as intended in 6.0 as well. NOPE! So pretty much any project takes three times as long as it should just because of IE5.2 and 6.0. Even the less-intrusive-to-sanity workarounds are time-consuming. But usually, you’re probably going to have to create 3 versions of the exact same thing.
That’s it. No more IE testing. If it happens to actually work on IE, great. If not, too bad, and maybe everyone will have the opportunity to see what we see first before we actually alter the IE versions to look the way you’re accustomed to seeing them and have some sympathy for us.
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