Microsoft launched a deathwatch for its 10-year-old Internet Explorer 6 browser, saying it wanted to “see IE6 gone for good.”
According to Microsoft, which cited statistics from Web analytics firm Net Applications, IE6 still has a 12% global usage share, with almost half of that in China, long a stronghold of the aged browser.
Microsoft wants to drive IE6’s share under 1%.
“We bring you the next step in our mission to see IE6 gone for good,” said Roger Capriotti, the head of IE’s marketing, in a blog post Friday. “To demonstrate our commitment to getting rid of IE6, we’re launching a Web site.”
That site, ie6countdown.com, shows Net Applications’ usage share numbers for IE6 in 43 countries, including the U.S., China (where millions of people still use IE6), Japan, Germany and Russia, as well as the browser’s current global share.
The site also sports links that corporate IT departments can tap for advice on how to migrate to newer browsers. In developed countries like the U.S., IE6’s stronghold is in business, where upgrading can be difficult because of custom Web applications or intranets designed for the old browser.