Organisations should really, really stop using Internet Explorer 6 (says Microsoft)

Microsoft has launched a website specifically designed to get organisations to stop using Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) and upgrade to newer browsers.

The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown website has the stated goal of watching global use of IE6 drop below one percent, stating that,

10 years ago a browser was born.
Its name was Internet Explorer 6. Now that we’re in 2011, in an era of modern web standards, it’s time to say goodbye.

The site indicates that only 3.2 percent of Australia's internet users still use IE6 while global usage remains about twelve percent.

Finland and Norway are highlighted as leading nations, with only 0.7 and 0.8 percent usage respectively.

Some nations are still heavy users of IE6, including China where a massive 34.5 percent of internet users are still on the web browser, and in South Korea where usage is at 24.8 percent.

Internet Explorer 6 usage around the world from the Internet Explorer 6 Countdown website

I've spoken to many web developers who estimate that developing for IE6 adds around 20 percent to the development time and cost of websites - so there are sound productivity and cost reasons for upgrading, besides the security and access benefits. In fact organisations still using IE6 are already unable to fully use many popular and important websites.

If your agency remains on Internet Explorer 6, this website might be worth bringing to the attention of your senior management.

After all, as Microsoft states in this site, "Friends don't let friends use IE6".