This movement has finally gotten enough of Microsoft’s attention that they had their GM of the IE team respond. You can view his response, and the many many insightful and entertaining comments by web developers and IT professionals below.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/08/10/engineering-pov-ie6.aspx

One of my favorites:

“The problems and solutions are quite clear to me:

Problem 1: IE6 is not standard compliant, it wasn’t even when it was published

Problem 2: Corporations that need IE6 for their internal pages made a mistake (or were fooled by Microsoft sales personel into) investing money in Microsoft standard non-compliant intranet platform.

Web developers solutions:

Solution: Informing visitors that their browser is obsolete with links to modern browsers and stop supporting it. It is not at all webdeveloper’s problem. It is Microsoft and corporate customer’s problem.

Corporate solutions:

Solution: keep IE6, but install Firefox or Google Chrome to each desktop. So the employees can still access the obsolete intranet and at the same time employees and company will benefit from modern browser functionality. And yes, it requires additional effort to install it on so many computers, but you are paid for doing such things. Sorry guys, but my dear sys admins, you were the one who invested into (and trusted) software that lacks standard compliance.

Microsoft developers, and PR personnel. I understand that you can’t ban your customers, but please show the guts to take the responsibility on your own shoulders for the standard noncompliance that caused the situation and stop halting the world’s technology development just because it is not in your favor.

Microsoft once was a pioneer, and that old Microsoft would felt quite ashamed of what Microsoft is today. Instead of searching for competitive advantages in rapid and smart development, the only thing you can come up with is advantages through monopoly and financial power. Most of the things you implement in your products are based on ideas coming from open source society. And it’ is nothing wrong with that, as long as you would give it credit for their input and stop the FUD towards them. They too are your customers. There is no just open or just commercial IT systems anymore.

There is a place for everyone on the market, but even Microsoft must learn to follow its rules. Your bad public image caused by arrogance of the market backfire for sure.”