You may be well beyond Internet Explorer 6. You're likely to have upgraded to 7, then now 8, or maybe moved onto an alternative browser such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox – but a surprising 23.3 percent hasn't yet.
The 23.3 percent usage of Internet Explorer 6 makes it still the most widely used internet browser. IE7 trails at 18.2 percent and IE8 at 18.1 percent.
While Microsoft is likely happy that internet users are sticking with Microsoft software, it isn't so pleased that the biggest chunk is still running browser technology from eight years ago.
Given the Internet Explorer is a free product, the motive for Microsoft in urging users to get caught up with the times is more to do with security and the advancement of the web. Browsers developed after IE6 are better equipped to handle modern websites and multimedia – as well as better adherence to web standards.
Microsoft is now running a campaign from now through June 2010 that'll urge users to upgrade.
"What we're doing with the outreach is help users understand how to protect themselves against social engineering threats that exist and to help people understand how Internet Explorer 8 puts people in control of their own privacy online," said Ryan Servatius, senior product manager for Internet Explorer, according to CNet.
Part of the reason why IE6 still has such a foothold is because it shipped with Windows XP, which is also the most widely used version of Windows today. Those moving to Windows 7 will naturally also move to IE8. The real challenge ahead for Microsoft will be to convince corporate users to upgrade – hopefully by way of a completely OS overhaul.
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