Why Google Chrome Frame won't help

So Google just announced a new open source project: Chrome Frame.

Google Chrome Frame is an early-stage open source plug-in that seamlessly brings Google Chrome's open web technologies and speedy JavaScript engine to Internet Explorer. With Google Chrome Frame, you can:

• Start using open web technologies - like the HTML5 canvas tag - right away, even technologies that aren't yet supported in Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8.
• Take advantage of JavaScript performance improvements to make your apps faster and more responsive.

Just to clarify: I don't think it hurts anything, and I applaud Google's intentions to rid us all of supporting such a piece of shit like IE. It looks like a cool piece of technology and the most creative effort I've seen since the Mozilla ActiveX control.

But it'll do jack shit to get around supporting IE in all of its broken glory.

I'll ignore the current requirement of adding a meta tag to a page in order to trigger the plugin, and also the fact that this extremely young and experimental project doesn't have things like deployment tools for IT departments to use. They just announced this, and want feedback from developers at this point so they can continue working on it.

Google Chrome Frame will do jack shit, because the stick-in-the-mud companies that can't part with IE6 won't install a browser in a plugin. If the companies didn't have ignorant, self-defeating, head-up-their-fucking-ass rules about what level of corporate hell they'll ban you to for trying to install something on your machine, they would simply let you install the browser itself. None of the companies currently threatening their employees with fines or even firing will consider for a second adding an entire browser via a plugin. Employees might try to install it on their own in order to try to hide the fact that they get more work done when not using a complete piece of shit, but that will just prompt more companies to learn how to block people from installing browser plugins.

One of the reasons even the more laid back companies would probably let people install a whole other browser before installing a browser in a plugin: support. If you have employees using web applications that take advantage of Chrome Frame and they hit a bug either in the web application itself or something more severe like a browser crash (or maybe the always entertaining BSOD), that will fucking suck to figure out what happened. And if you installed Chrome Frame without their knowing, then call up support with a "my browser fucking crashed on me again" that turns out to stem from Google's crap code, your employer will fuck you. Shit, once they finally upgrade to IE8 they'll have enough of a problem with browser engines.

We instead need to find out what products companies use that require IE and either get the distributer to stop that shit, or provide alternatives. This will take a fucking long time, so I expect we'll also need to educate some of these dumbasses who think that they'll stay more secure by using an ancient fucking version of the least secure browser in existence, so they'll at least let one of the better choices onto the machines. Then employees will still have IE6 for the ten-year old shit software that requires it, and something else to use that actually works with the rest of the world.

IE6 death push makes CNN

Web citizens trying to kill Internet Explorer 6:

'On the surface, the campaign against IE 6 may seem like a cult of disgruntled techies who are angry at Microsoft or want to gripe about people who lag behind the technological curve.

But that analysis is too simplistic, said Dan Oliver, editor of .net, a UK magazine about Web design.

"This isn't an anti-Microsoft campaign," he said. "Microsoft makes some fantastic products. The latest version of their browser is a good browser. But with regards to IE 6 ... [it] is an awful browser and no one should be using it."

He added: "Ultimately, we've kind of waited long enough. That's why there's a big movement of support for it because the geeks out there have known about this for years and have been waiting for big sites to jump on and push it forward."

In a statement to CNN, Microsoft said it also wants people to turn away from IE 6.'

I completely fucking disagree with the "The latest version of their browser is a good browser." statement, but the point that people should use it over IE6 definitely still stands.

UK government fails to follow its own advice on not using IE6

From MoD sticks with insecure browser:

'The MoD is implementing a secure desktop computing service for 300,000 users worldwide through its Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) programme, but defence minister Quentin Davies said: "DII currently uses Internet Explorer 6 and at the current time does not have a requirement to move to an updated version."

Watson expressed his dismay at the response.

"Many civil servants use web browsers as a tool of their trade," he told GC News. "They're as important as pens and paper. So to force them to use the most decrepit browser in the world is a rare form of workplace cruelty that should be stopped.

"When you consider that the government supported Get Safe Online initiative advises that companies should upgrade from IE6, you would imagine that permanent secretaries would like to practice what they preach," he added. "Why civil servants should not be given the choice to use Firefox or Chrome or Safari is beyond me. UK web workers deserve better.'"

Emphasis mine, because I fucking loved reading that part.

IE6 Must Die moves to Twitter petition

For those of you involved in this Twitter thing (which I almost feel compelled to join now...fuck me - I can't believe I just said that), you can now add an icon to your Twitter profile image using a service called "Twibbon" - IE6 Must Die. This came about after James Lynch (lynchjames) read Mashable's article, IE6 Must Die for the Web to Move On:

"We've sputtered on with the dead weight of IE6 since 2001, but we�re just now reaching a breaking point, and companies are starting to feel it. YouTube and Digg clearly believe that it�s not in their best interests to continue supporting the outdated browser and thus have put the word out about their plans to phase out support. More and more companies will take their lead as it becomes harder and harder to justify the cost of keeping a site running correctly in Microsoft�s old browser.

But looking forward, HTML 5 standards will enable the building of richer web applications. More and more of our lives are on the web, and our use of web apps like Facebook has skyrocketed. Google�s even announced Google Chrome OS, an operating system that will run web apps instantaneously because it is built on the browser. But projects as rich as Google Wave will not realize their full potential (or run at all) if they must cater to a browser that runs on outdated standards."

The campaign as of this post has just about 5000 supporters, which doesn't seem too shabby for a day's work. Still, let's see that number really fucking rise!

IE6 Must Die

IE6 will die a long, horrible (for us) death

Or, further evidence that PPK knows his shit.

A short while ago, PPK (of indispensable QuirksMode fame) wrote a post entitled "State of the Browsers - IE edition" which you should have read by now. If not, go fucking read it.

"Recently I held a presentation at a local Microsoft conference in the Netherlands. Slides are here. Fanatical followers will recognise most of the topics I discussed from earlier slide shows, but the last one, about the changes to the market share of IE6, 7, and 8, is new.

Basically, IE6 will continue to exist when IE7 has all but disappeared, and, contrary to what you might expect, this situation will create exciting opportunities for Microsoft�s competitors.

Besides, last week the news came that Microsoft is going to voluntarily de-bundle IE from all Windows 7 machines that will be sold in Europe, and I continue to have my doubts about that affair.

So it�s time for a special State of the Browsers IE edition."

Make sure you read the entire thing, don't just skim the fucking thing and come back here.

Now, what he wrote should make complete sense, even if you didn't want to hear much of it. Who wants to admit that IE6, the shit-stained cockroach of a browser, will likely last longer than IE7?

Confirming this, a recent post on Digg looks deeper into the usage of Digg by users still stuck with IE6 and why the fuck they don't use something else. Turns out, most of them can't use something else. According to their poll, some 70% of IE6 users who participated say their job won't let them use something sane (either by direct denial or by blocking admin access).

Around the same time as the poll, it came to light that Orange UK not only instructs their employees to only use IE6, but it outright fucking threatens them with a �250 fine if they find Firefox on their work machine, even though Firefox helps them work more efficiently. This not only follows in the my-ignorant-fucking-company-won't-let-me-upgrade vein, but also the fuck-you-I'll-get-something-even-better.

The best of all (so far, I have no fucking doubt in my mind that others will continue to follow suit) comes from the United States government, where State Department workers asked Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, if they could use Firefox instead of IE. In fact, they couldn't believe they even had to bother asking in the first place:

MS. GREENBERG: Okay. Our next question comes from Jim Finkle:

Can you please let the staff use an alternative web browser called Firefox? I just � (applause) � I just moved to the State Department from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and was surprised that State doesn't use this browser. It was approved for the entire intelligence community, so I don't understand why State can't use it. It's a much safer program. Thank you. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, apparently, there's a lot of support for this suggestion. (Laughter.) I don't know the answer. Pat, do you know the answer? (Laughter.)

UNDER SECRETARY KENNEDY: The answer is at the moment, it's an expense question. We can --

QUESTION: It's free. (Laughter.)

Update: Tom Watson, a UK MP, has joined in, questioning various government departments of their plans (or lack thereof) to move from IE6 to something not quite so fucking old and decrepit. Side note: one government department, which has at least started thinking about the move, wins the department naming contest: NOMS.

Register Frustration

Nestled in my feeds today, I found a quick little rant in the middle of a review of Wolfram's Alpha on The Register:

"Alpha is really good at telling you all sorts of information about mathematical expressions, showing you publicly available data about populations and geography, and comparing stock quotes. However, I am a software engineer by trade, and the information I need is about Python module documentation, Apache configuration, and why some fucking snippet of CSS won't fucking render in fucking Internet Explorer fucking 6. For someone like me (and in the web market, there are a lot of people like me), Alpha is breaking ground in a New Kind of Uselessness."

Emphasis and knowing smile mine.

Fantastic fucking IE6 splash screens

Efforts to wipe out this piece of shit we call IE6 continue

Bring Down IE 6: a campaign by .net magazine

"The premise is simple: Internet Explorer 6 is antiquated, doesn't support key web standards, and should be phased out. This isn't about being anti-Microsoft, it's about Microsoft's lack of development in the browser market. With IE7/8 not available for Windows 2000, IE6 accounts for up to 20% of web usage, primarily via business users. Clients pressure designers to 'force' sites to work in IE6, and designers, not wanting to lose business, comply, using hacks and workarounds. This wastes time and money. Microsoft needs to fix this, designers need to unite, and we all need to move on."

Ballmer throws more weight behind drop IE6 campaign

Steve Ballmer ber IE6-brukere oppgradere:

"Microsoft recommends end users that are browsing the web with Internet Explorer 6 to upgrade today to benefit from numerous improvements including security features and usability enhancements.

Interoperability is key to enabling developers to continue to create great user experiences on the web. Our commitment to the technical community continues with our significant investment in Internet Explorer 8.

We continue to believe in the importance of supporting the end users and encourage the technical community to work with us in securing a good transition for the users that today are using IE6.

Hope that helps"

See Google's translation for the Norwegian impaired: Steve Ballmer asks IE6 users upgrade

Track the campaign

IE6: Do Not Want!

"This is all about the campaign to rid the WWW of Internet Explorer 6 that has devastated web developers and held back the evolution of everything that blocks the tubes for far too long. This can not go on any longer! Off with its head!

To raise awareness please send in tips to your major news sites about this campaign and use these tools to spread the word."

They've started keeping track of each country, site, and blog post they can find that tells everyone to ditch that broken piece of shit once and for all.

Let's end support of IE6 on behalf of Microsoft

A fantastic proposal from the ever-creative and wonderful Chris Blizzard:

"It sounds like some people in Norway have started to band together and just choose not to support it. But one thing that would really help is to just pick a date and have it spread world wide.

My suggestion is for everyone to just say that Dec 31st, 2009 is the last day it should be supported - drop support from libraries, stop testing, etc. IE6 usage is already sliding quickly and it�s time to help it across the line. The web needs an upgrade."

Still here? What the fuck! Get to work and spread the word about this goddamn wonderful idea! Digg the ever-loving shit out of his post! We finally have a light at the end of this web developer trodden tunnel, but we need to make sure it fucking happens!

If we don't, we'll need to keep cursing at this piece of shit every day until something like mid 2011, when Microsoft has scheduled its already long overdue execution.

Because you can't use dick until IE expires

Catching up on things, so bear with me.

Alexis Deveria posted a great breakdown of when you can use various browser features and pieces of specs. In addition to confirming what we all know - IE fucking sucks - it also gives a good visual of when you can plan to start using given features based on your matrix of supported browsers, which will invariably include some version of IE. For many of us, that even includes the dinosaur itself, IE6.

A couple of highlights from the results:





If you notice anything amiss in the results, don't just fucking dismiss the whole thing - let Alexis know in the comments so he can fix it.