Microsoft is celebrating the death of version 6 of its Internet Explorer web browser by baking a cake. As usage levels in the US drop to below 1% and that trend mirrored in UK and Europe, we can finally celebrate the end of what some have rated as the worst technology product of all time. 
From the user’s perspective, using IE6 to browse the web leaves a computer vulnerable to viruses and malware that steal personal data etc. From a web developer’s point of view, IE6 often interprets a web page coded to industry standards differently from other browsers which means a lot of messy additional layout code and extra testing to ensure a web page displays correctly.
The only country bucking this trend is China where usage levels are falling but still around 25%.
Unlike only a few years ago when IE was dominant, there are now three main browsers that your websites should be compatible:
- Internet Explorer (versions 7, 8 and 9)
- FireFox
- Google Chrome
The market is moving to a position where no one browser is dominant, however the good news is that, apart from a few quirks with IE7, they tend to work the same way and no major adjustments are needed to get proper cross-browser compatibility for a website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16408850
