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For us, it came down to security.  IE6 has several well known major security exploits.  We actively funnel interested parties to <a href="http://givingto.msu.edu">givingto.msu.edu</a>.  Sending users who use IE6 to a page where they may pass sensitive financial information wasn&#39;t something we were interested in doing.<div>
<br></div><div>IE6 has been effectively discontinued by many major websites including Google, Youtube, Facebook, etc. because development costs far outweigh the advantages to supporting it.  Also, as Michael pointed out, Microsoft has announced discontinuation of support.  </div>
<div><br></div><div>As far as reaching the largest possible audience is concerned, we designed the new <a href="http://cas.msu.edu">cas.msu.edu</a> website with many bandwidth saving techniques, including image sprites, which aren&#39;t supported in IE6.  Reaching users with limited internet options was more important than providing support for a dated browser which exposes our users to a variety of security risks. </div>
<div><br></div><div>That being said, we are working on an IE6 filter that clearly explains our position and provides links to a number of free and popular browsers including Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Opera. </div><div>
<br></div><div>-Marc<br><br></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 1:07 PM, VanPutten, Michael <span dir="ltr">&lt;<a href="mailto:<a href="/cgi-bin/wa?LOGON=A3%3Dind1009%26L%3DWEBDEVCAFE%26E%3Dquoted-printable%26P%3D59340%26B%3D--001636d35132946220048fcb566f%26T%3Dtext%252Fhtml%3B%2520charset%3Dwindows-1252" >[log in to unmask]</a>"><a href="/cgi-bin/wa?LOGON=A3%3Dind1009%26L%3DWEBDEVCAFE%26E%3Dquoted-printable%26P%3D59340%26B%3D--001636d35132946220048fcb566f%26T%3Dtext%252Fhtml%3B%2520charset%3Dwindows-1252" >[log in to unmask]</a></a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br>
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<font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">We all work under diverse circumstances that require different approaches. <br>
<br>
I admire developers who create pages that: <br>
<br>
</span></font><ul><li><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">have HTML and CSS code that validates without errors or warnings (i.e., you are in the right ball park for having the content of the page be usable by most visitors)
</span></font></li><li><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">have pages that pass automated accessibility tools (e.g., <a href="http://webaim.org" target="_blank">webaim.org</a>)
</span></font></li><li><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">add enhanced functionality that doesn’t impact getting access to information or requesting services (i.e., you can still use the site with most any desktop or mobile Web browser, even if it is coded for HTML5 and only really looks its best in Safari or other browser)<br>

</span></font></li></ul><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt"><br>
<br>
<br>
Regarding IE 6...<br>
<br>
Microsoft publishes information about the support life cycle for their products. Information regarding Internet Explorer 6 can be found by visiting <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifesupsps/#Internet_Explorer" target="_blank">http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifesupsps/#Internet_Explorer</a>. Here is what they say:<br>

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</span></font><blockquote><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">Support ends 24 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product&#39;s support lifecycle, whichever comes first. <br>

<br>
</span></font></blockquote><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">Dates for when service packs for Windows XP were released can be found here: <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx" target="_blank">http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx</a>. The site indicates that no further updates are planned for Windows XP. So, the final SP release dates are:<br>

<br>
</span></font><ul><li><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">XP Home Edition SP3 was released May 6, 2008
</span></font></li><li><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">XP Professional SP3 was released May 6, 2008<br>
</span></font></li></ul><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt"><br>
Official support for Internet Explorer 6 (which would have been bundled with a service pack) would be May 6, 2010. So, the software doesn’t appear to be supported by its vendor anymore.<br><font color="#888888">
<b><br>
Michael VanPutten<br>
</b>Senior Marketing Communications Manager for Web and New Media<br>
<font color="#006531"><b>Michigan State University &gt; </b></font>University Relations<br>
<font color="#006531">Spartans Will.</font></font></span></font>
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