Disclaimer: This is the second post in a series on Internet Explorer 8 and what it means for the browser world. Read more about how this came to be.

Disclaimer: I am currently doing paid work for a subsidiary of Microsoft. This was not the case when I wrote this post.

With the release of Internet Explorer 6 and the demise of Netscape, Microsoft deemed the Browser Wars over. Development effectively ceased and the era of the standalone browser was over, according to the IE program manager.

As any web developer can attest Internet Explorer 6, despite its crushing dominance of the browser market, was a dog. While Microsoft might have thought the end of history had arrived as far as browsers are concerned, others realised there was still room for improvement.

IE6 suffered from three major problems:

1. It was not standards compliant

Your average punter couldn’t really care less about this one. As far as they are concerned, if a website is broken it is the webmaster’s problem. Thousands of web developers developed grey hairs (or lost them altogether) over the inconsistencies in IE6.

2. It underestimated users and how they interact with the web

At one point Microsoft even went down the path of making the desktop background a webpage (Active Desktop, anyone). A single one. But of course, as we transferred more and more of our work and personal activities onto the web, most of us had several browser windows open, some dozens. Tabbed browsing was clearly needed, but Microsoft was in no rush to provide it.

3. It was not extensible

As the online world started shifting from a web of published information to a web of interaction and transaction, the browser provided no support for simple, client side programs that would allow to make sites even more powerful. While nobody can expect a browser maker to provide all these features, opening an application programming interface (API) allows thousands of developers to do this work for it.

So in came the Mozilla Foundation with Firefox and sold its new browser on points 2 (tabbed browsing) and 3 (extensions), and through its spread improved point 1 almost by stealth.

When the market share of IE started dipping, Microsoft quickly developed and released Internet Explorer 7, delivering on point 2 above.

Now, with IE8 and its accelerators and web slices features delivering on point 3, is there really anything left that your average web user would defect to Firefox, Safari or Chrome for?

Certainly, Chrome is super secure and stable through its isolated processes and Safari is fast and pretty, but will this be enough to get Joe Bloggs to ignore what came with his computer and go through the process of downloading and installing an alternative browser?

(Photo by Garrett LeSage)

Disclaimer: I have been invited by Microsoft’s digital agency to postulate statements about Internet Explorer 8, post them on my blog and get a discussion happening. This is the first of these posts.

Disclaimer: I am currently doing paid work for a subsidiary of Microsoft. This was not the case when I wrote this post.

Microsoft’s new browser has been eagerly awaited by many. Most hopes were centered around Internet Explorer finally catching up to the rest of the browser world in terms of standards compliance. See, IE7 finally introduced tabbed browsing, but failed the Acid2 test as abysmally as did IE6. So the hopes for IE8 were palpable.

Why IE6 needs to die

The Acid tests are a series of pages which test the adherence of browsers to web standards. There are now three of these tests and they validate a browser’s handling of various technologies used for modern web applications.

Why is this important?

When browser makers ignore web standards, both builders and users of the web suffer. The former because rather than concentrate on functionality and benefits they have to find workarounds to deal with the various browsers’ quirks, effectively building the site multiple times. The latter because sites and online applications break.

The Acid2 test has been around for more than four years now. As of today, the latest versions of all major browsers pass that test.

Acid3 specifically tests scripting and AJAX-related functionality, so the higher a browser’s score, the better it is equipped to handle today’s web interactions. While still lagging behind Safari and Firefox, IE8 seems to be catching up.

Internet Explorer 6 however, still used by 20%-35% of web users, is continuing to be the bane of every web developer’s existence, so the sooner we can get rid of it, the better.

How can IE8 replace IE6?

So replacing IE6, a horrid old piece of broken code, with IE8, a relatively modern browser on the right development track, is a good thing. But how is it going to happen?

1. Users buy a new computer with IE8 preinstalled

This will happen eventually, but bear in mind that computers purchased as late as October 2006 still shipped with IE6. Some of these purchasers are likely to hold on to these machines for many more years.

2. Windows Update will nudge users into upgrading to IE8

Windows Update has begun to automatically request users to accept an upgrade. Unfortunately, this is opt-in and not very convincing for non-technical users. I can foresee many answering this dialog in the negative.

3. Users actively and manually download and install IE8

This is something only more advanced computer users would do and, in all likeliness, already have. If they haven’t already defected to Firefox or Chrome, that is.

So how can we finally dump IE6 on the rubbish tip of browser history?

Yahoo! and eBay

Shortly after the release of Internet Explorer 8, both Yahoo! and eBay have made available branded versions of the browser bundled with specific enhancements aimed at users of their respective sites.

Both eBay and Yahoo! reach deep into pockets of non-technical web users who are unlikely to upgrade their own browser and by offering them a better way to manage their Yahoo! email or their eBay buying and selling compel them to go with IE8.

Is this going to be enough to finally push IE6 over the edge? Or is Kate Carruthers right and it is really the corporates who are holding back the elimination of IE6?