How much time do you spend coding for IE

[eluser]TheFuzzy0ne[/eluser]
[quote author="NogDog" date="1239744606"]If you install the Firefox "Web Developer" extension, whenever you load a page you'll get an indicator as to whether it's in quirks mode (red X) or not (green check).[/quote]

My goodness! I have that extension installed (it's like a limb to me), but I have always ignored that little icon. Thanks for reminding me about it!

[eluser]simshaun[/eluser]
I was not hinting to support every browser in existence, but only the ones that are most popular (example, the ones listed in W3C).

I’ve not met a single person to date who has deliberately stuck with IE6. The only person I know who still uses it, is running an illegal copy of Windows, and is afraid to upgrade due to WGA.

The majority of "people" who might deliberately stay with IE6 are companies. I've dealt with a couple whose corporate intranets ran apps developed specifically for IE6. At that time I was asking their IT why they wouldn't upgrade, their simple explanation was that it would cause some of their apps to break.

Outside of companies, I've mostly only met individuals who simply did not realize they could upgrade. I've also met some who did not see why they should upgrade.

Let me make it clear that I'm not pro-IE6 in any way. I just don't see how you can shrug off supporting it if you are truly a professional developer who makes a living out of web development.

[eluser]NogDog[/eluser]
[quote author="TheFuzzy0ne" date="1239745195"]...I've not met a single person to date who has deliberately stuck with IE6. The only person I know who still uses it, is running an illegal copy of Windows, and is afraid to upgrade due to WGA.[/quote]
I suspect that this accounts for a lot of the "25%" or whatever the stat is of browser usage world-wide: there are a lot of illegal copies and outdated copies of Windows being used, especially in "developing" nations. You may need to ask the question on a case by case basis, "Are the people who still run IE6 likely to be part of my customer base?" If so, then you need to support it, if not, then you can ignore it (and track your usage statistics in case your assumptions were wrong).

[eluser]slowgary[/eluser]
@simshaun:

That's exactly why I suggest using JavaScript to notify IE6 users that an upgrade is available. I agree with much of what you say but in a decade of doing on-site computer repairs, I've never met a client who wasn't more than willing to change browsers based on my recommendation. They simply don't care. The only question I'm used to hearing is "Can you save my favorites?"

Also, I've turned LOTS of designs into valid XHTML/CSS and while I'm pretty well versed on the fixes involved, I've seen many designers double their time-to-markup due to IE6 fixes. If half of your time is spent slicing a design, and the other half is spent "fixing" it for IE6, your time is not being spent well. I agree that clients will never understand this and will ALWAYS want their site to work in every browser, but it's just not possible. I had a client ask why their site was just "black and white with no images" from their friend's computer, it turned out they were using AOL 3.0, which does not support CSS. Should I have recreated the site using a table-based layout? Maybe, but I didn't.

So while 25% of internet users are on IE6, do we spend the extra time to make sure everything is the same for their browser? My answer is no. I suggest we make sure it works in IE6, even if that means the design is slightly broken. Make sure it works, that's it.

IE6 is 8 years old and has 25% market share. Do we have to support it for another 8 years before it's gone? I believe if we as designer/developers start to drop support and raise awareness, people will start upgrading. And if IE6 users don't notice that sites are broken for them, then it doesn't really matter anyways.

[eluser]slowgary[/eluser]
Hey TheFuzzyOne...

How much time do you spend coming up with threads that would likely be voted "Most Popular" or "Most Likely to Succeed"?

[eluser]simshaun[/eluser]
[quote author="slowgary" date="1239746212"]I agree with much of what you say but in a decade of doing on-site computer repairs, I've never met a client who wasn't more than willing to change browsers based on my recommendation. They simply don't care. The only question I'm used to hearing is "Can you save my favorites?"[/quote]I was only giving reasons why people might still have IE6. I was not suggesting that they shouldn't upgrade/or wouldn't (with the exception to some companies).

I've seen many designers double their time-to-markup due to IE6 fixes. If half of your time is spent slicing a design, and the other half is spent "fixing" it for IE6, your time is not being spent well.

It depends how you define spending your time well. If its important to the client that their site appears the same in IE6, then the time is being spent well. In reality though, I really don't spend much time getting a site to work in IE6. The majority of issues are solved with a conditional comment and a couple lines of CSS. (It takes very little time.) I guess if you aren't aware of the issues and their respective fixes, thats a different story.

I agree that clients will never understand this and will ALWAYS want their site to work in every browser, but it's just not possible.

Agreed, but repeating my last post, I was not suggesting that you support every browser.

[eluser]TheFuzzy0ne[/eluser]
[quote author="slowgary" date="1239746723"]Hey TheFuzzyOne...

How much time do you spend coming up with threads that would likely be voted "Most Popular" or "Most Likely to Succeed"?[/quote]

Not long actually. I was simply airing one of the many things that's been frustrating me for as long as I can remember. I needed answers and I just couldn't seem to find them, and my limited experience wasn't helping much either...

I have no formal education in Web development - I'm totally self-taught - so I rely on the articles I come across online, and professionals such as you to help me make the right decision.

Besides, I think most of the replies in this thread are from me...

[eluser]Shanto[/eluser]
Nice resource, Thank you all.