Late last week, Google announced it will phase out old browser support next month on Google Docs and Google Sites. The search giant also sent out an e-mail to Google Apps administrators to warn them of the date, as well as tell them something it did not disclose publicly last week: Gmail and Calendar are next on the IE6 support kill list. Here's the relevant snippet:
We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010. After that point, certain functionality within these applications may have higher latency and may not work correctly in these older browsers. Later in 2010, we will start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Calendar. Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above.
We contacted Google to verify the authenticity of the e-mail. "We plan to stop supporting older browsers for the rest of the Google Apps suite, including Gmail, later in 2010," a Google spokesperson confirmed with Ars. We asked whether phasing out the support for older browsers on Gmail and Google Calendar would affect everyone, and not just Google Apps that companies have deployed. "Correct, both enterprise and consumer users," the spokesperson told us.
IE6 started off 2010 with about one-fifth of the browser market share. Actually, if we add all browser versions below IE7, Firefox 3.0, Chrome 4.0, and Safari 3.0, it's clear that at least one in four users are using browsers that Google plans to stop supporting. There's no telling if this number is the same for those who access Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, or Google Sites; we asked, but Google refused to provide data from its end. The company has been using Gmail to convert IE6 users to Chrome for over a year, but later this year it's going to deal another blow to the ancient browser, moving it that much closer to its well-deserved demise.
And not a moment too soon, says I. Quite possibly this could speed up updating of the trillion-and-one old internal apps that only support IE6. Once the programmers can't check their Gmail from work and all.
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Periodic Pwnage Pantry:
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"Isn't it interesting... religious behaviour is so close to being crazy that we can't tell them apart?" - Gregory House
"This is usually the part where people start screaming." - Gabriel Sylar
Faqa wrote:And not a moment too soon, says I. Quite possibly this could speed up updating of the trillion-and-one old internal apps that only support IE6. Once the programmers can't check their Gmail from work and all.
It's not up to the programmers to make the decision to update their internal web applications.
Faqa wrote:And not a moment too soon, says I. Quite possibly this could speed up updating of the trillion-and-one old internal apps that only support IE6. Once the programmers can't check their Gmail from work and all.
It's not up to the programmers to make the decision to update their internal web applications.
And besides, part of the problem is that the programmers that wrote the internal apps have moved on to other jobs, so there's literally no one left in the company who knows how to update them.
Fucking hell. Now I can't check my gmail at work like I can't check my yahoo mail.
Thank you, Census, for making it impossible for me to use my email for work purposes.
Geh. Working tech support at a uni is going to be hell for a bit. "Nyer nyer nyer it worked three months ago, why would it stop?"
Also, our uni uses gmail for its official student mail.
defanatic wrote:Geh. Working tech support at a uni is going to be hell for a bit. "Nyer nyer nyer it worked three months ago, why would it stop?"
Also, our uni uses gmail for its official student mail.
I feel your pain. Really, I feel it.
<Looks at ConsoleOne> <Thanks God for ZENWorks> <Thanks god he doesn't have to support student equipment.>
No I don't, but I can sympathize and try to imagine it.
defanatic wrote:Geh. Working tech support at a uni is going to be hell for a bit. "Nyer nyer nyer it worked three months ago, why would it stop?"
Also, our uni uses gmail for its official student mail.
I feel your pain. Really, I feel it.
<Looks at ConsoleOne> <Thanks God for ZENWorks> <Thanks god he doesn't have to support student equipment.>
No I don't, but I can sympathize and try to imagine it.
Think that's bad? The entire Census operation uses IE6 as its standard. And almost all its applications are web/server based.
So glad I have a job interview tuesday...
I can't get to gmail (or any OTHER email client) from work anyway, so it doesn't affect me that much.
However, if I lose Google, THAT will be a problem.
Nitram, slightly high on cough syrup: Do you know you're beautiful?
Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.
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Faqa wrote:And not a moment too soon, says I. Quite possibly this could speed up updating of the trillion-and-one old internal apps that only support IE6. Once the programmers can't check their Gmail from work and all.
It's not up to the programmers to make the decision to update their internal web applications.
And besides, part of the problem is that the programmers that wrote the internal apps have moved on to other jobs, so there's literally no one left in the company who knows how to update them.
Well, see, that's the point. Such a major application dropping support will place pressure on the people who DO make decisions to make it happen. Even if a new coder has to dive into the codebase.
FYI, "dropping support" != app will magically stop working. Odds are the standard mode in gmail at least will continue working (well, for what Google apps call "working") in there for quite a while.
What's wrong with most Google apps? The only one that I've noticed real issues with is iGoogle.
Also, the standard mode will work, yes. Until Google updates it. Then it might or might not and they won't give a shit if it doesn't.
"Peace on Earth and goodwill towards men? We are the United States Goverment - we don't DO that sort of thing!" - Sneakers. Best. Quote. EVER.
Periodic Pwnage Pantry:
"Faith? Isn't that another term for ignorance?" - Gregory House
"Isn't it interesting... religious behaviour is so close to being crazy that we can't tell them apart?" - Gregory House
"This is usually the part where people start screaming." - Gabriel Sylar
Faqa wrote:What's wrong with most Google apps? The only one that I've noticed real issues with is iGoogle.
It are the little things that annoy me. For example, in gmail's standard view, the subject lines aren't real links. Thus, right click -> open in new window isn't an option in most my browsers. I just tried it in Firefox 3 and it works there, but it doesn't work in my other browsers.
If that's how they treat IE6 when it is "supported", I say their support isn't worth much.
How is that "support"? That's a deliberate design decision (and probably a good one for the majority of their users). I never actually thought to open an email in a new tab before, to be honest (and there's still the 'new window' link once an email is opened, which is a bit clunkier, yes).
LadyTevar wrote:However, if I lose Google, THAT will be a problem.
It's unlikely that Google will drop support on their main search (though they might not support some of the nicer features they add).
Faqa wrote:Well, see, that's the point. Such a major application dropping support will place pressure on the people who DO make decisions to make it happen. Even if a new coder has to dive into the codebase.
What pressure? Why would someone else's web application put pressure on a corporation's internal codebase?
What pressure? Why would someone else's web application put pressure on a corporation's internal codebase?
Pressure because, for better or worse, Gmail is a widely used application. When a lot of folks that were used to checking their Gmail from the office can't do it anymore, they can pressure IT to "make it work again". Given that the only solution ends up being to upgrade the browser.... yeah. Although, as Destructinator pointed out, there's no reason to believe IE6 will really stop working unless Google updates something that breaks it.
"Peace on Earth and goodwill towards men? We are the United States Goverment - we don't DO that sort of thing!" - Sneakers. Best. Quote. EVER.
Periodic Pwnage Pantry:
"Faith? Isn't that another term for ignorance?" - Gregory House
"Isn't it interesting... religious behaviour is so close to being crazy that we can't tell them apart?" - Gregory House
"This is usually the part where people start screaming." - Gabriel Sylar
Faqa wrote:Pressure because, for better or worse, Gmail is a widely used application. When a lot of folks that were used to checking their Gmail from the office can't do it anymore, they can pressure IT to "make it work again". Given that the only solution ends up being to upgrade the browser.... yeah. Although, as Destructinator pointed out, there's no reason to believe IE6 will really stop working unless Google updates something that breaks it.
The heads of IT can just go "we don't support personal email" or "why are you checking personal email at work?"
Faqa wrote:When a lot of folks that were used to checking their Gmail from the office can't do it anymore, they can pressure IT to "make it work again". Given that the only solution ends up being to upgrade the browser.... yeah.
Or they could just install Firefox, and keep IE6 for the badly-designed web app.
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Faqa wrote:When a lot of folks that were used to checking their Gmail from the office can't do it anymore, they can pressure IT to "make it work again". Given that the only solution ends up being to upgrade the browser.... yeah.
Or they could just install Firefox, and keep IE6 for the badly-designed web app.
Probably not: Firefox is missing a lot of the usual "enterprise" management features that Group Policy allows.
Destructionator XIII wrote:The complication there is there are some firms that use gmail (especially the hosted domains) as their work email too.
Those corporations probably are a bit ahead of the game and using something slightly more modern.
Destructionator XIII wrote:The complication there is there are some firms that use gmail (especially the hosted domains) as their work email too.
I'd be surprised if this was common in large organizations (almost every one I've ever seen uses Exchange), but it might an issue in other ones.
Yeah, and in other organizations where they don't use Exchange, it's unlikely they've been developing internal applications that are tied to IE6. So it's no big deal there.
This is mostly a non-issue, which is probably why Google decided to drop support and put those QA days into something more productive.
Faqa wrote:And not a moment too soon, says I. Quite possibly this could speed up updating of the trillion-and-one old internal apps that only support IE6. Once the programmers can't check their Gmail from work and all.
It's not up to the programmers to make the decision to update their internal web applications.
And besides, part of the problem is that the programmers that wrote the internal apps have moved on to other jobs, so there's literally no one left in the company who knows how to update them.
Incidentally the client whose project I'm working on just dropped IE6 support as requirement, as it was costing too much development and QA time to support. Legacy apps that really need IE6 will be be run over Citrix
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Now, you see, I'm a weird case, because this actually makes me less likely to get a Gmail account, not more likely to use more advanced browsers... some of the computers I access the Internet from are just plain old, and I like being able to use them.
Yeah. And besides if a crappy PC can run IE6 it can run some alternative that can be used to check gmail. There are browsers K-Melon which I used on my old Pentium 4 computer.
I have to tell you something everything I wrote above is a lie.
Faqa wrote:When a lot of folks that were used to checking their Gmail from the office can't do it anymore, they can pressure IT to "make it work again". Given that the only solution ends up being to upgrade the browser.... yeah.
Or they could just install Firefox, and keep IE6 for the badly-designed web app.
Probably not: Firefox is missing a lot of the usual "enterprise" management features that Group Policy allows.
You can package Firefox with an extension that allows Group Policy support, or you can use FrontMotion who provide prepackaged MSI's with GPO Support. Alternatively you can also lock settings in the firefox.js file, that's not quite as easy to manage as Group Policy as you need to have a deployment mechanism in place for it. (Go Zenworks!)
Deploying extensions gets a little tricky as you often have to faff around with the compatibility settings to get them to work outside of the randomly named profile folder that firefox likes to make. Then you've got the problem of keeping it updated, which typically involves frequent repackaging, making the excercise more expensive then IE through WSUS which gets updates out to as many PCs as you want in just a few clicks.
