All developers work for Microsoft

Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time developing websites will be familiar with the ongoing crusade of patching and hacking around Internet Explorer 6 issues. The amount of development time this consumes can be quite significant and we'd rather have more time to spend on new innovations and pushing your website onto the next level. If you take a step back from the "required" nature of implementing fixes so your website will look nice in this browser you will realise that you're actually working for Microsoft indirectly by enabling people to carry on using this outdated piece of software. Many people use Internet Explorer because they simply aren't aware of alternatives or don't want to break away from a piece of software they know so well.

This creates a problem for web developers where we are fixing bugs Microsoft created because if we don't, those users think that our product is broken. They are blissfully unaware that the fault lies with the very browser they are using and the only reason most modern websites display correctly is down to the various hacks and work-arounds we implement specifically for that browser.

Public awareness of this needs to be increased so that the web can move forwards. This will save your local web developers many hours of unnecessary stress and allow them to spend more time making your web experience more interactive and engaging. So tell your friends, your family and passersby on the street that not only are there are alternatives, but that they are simple to use and often have extra functions that you don't  get with Internet Explorer 6.

If you want to upgrade your web browser, try one of the following free alternatives:

• Internet Explorer 7
• Safari
• Camino
• Firefox
• Opera