Celebrating the Death of IE6
J3 MEDIA, BUZZTOWN AND THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS OF DURANGO (YPOD) PRESENT “DEATH TO IE6” AT SKA BREWING THURSDAY, APRIL 1.
[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 16, 2010, DURANGO CO] Durango is invited to the funeral of Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), an out-dated, no-longer-supported Internet browser developed by Microsoft.
The “Death to IE6” mock funeral and fake wake will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 1, at Ska Brewing World Headquarters, 225 Girard Street, in Durango, Co.
“We like to think of it as a celebration of the end of something that will be much happier in afterlife,” says Kinsee Morlan, BuzzTown’s marketing and video gal.
Because of the its technology, IE6 has trouble rendering some kinds of graphics and can make text and images line up incorrectly. “IE6 is more than 7 years old,” says Joan Zwisler of J3media. “If you think about it, that’s older than X-Box and the Ipod. In internet terms, it’s ancient! But I think some people just don’t know they can change what they are using to surf the web or they just don’t get why it’s important. As the local geeks, we’re just trying to use a fun event to help educate people.”
Within just the last few months, many major websites, such as YouTube and Digg, have stopped supporting IE6. In fact, at idroppedie6.com, there’s a running list of websites that are no longer supporting the outdated browser. It’s at 851 sites and counting! This means those who continue using IE6 WILL NOT be able to access all information on the Internet.
“Locally, there are many small businesses with awesome new websites that look like complete crap if someone is still using IE6 to surf the web,” says Morlan. Zwisler said, “Just check out www.ziataqueria.com in IE6, and you’ll know right away what Kinsey means. It looks like a piece of abstract art.” Another example is bayfieldchamber.org. These websites view completely differently in IE6 than in newer browsers like Safari, Firefox or IE8.
That’s why J3 Media, a local web design firm; BuzzTown, a local social network; and YPOD, a group of young professionals in Durango, are throwing a “Death to IE6” party with the hopes of educating the community about three important things:
- What an internet browser is
- Why it’s important to use a current internet browser, and
- The most popular new Internet browser options, including Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer 8.
The event is FREE and open to the public, with appetizers provided by Zia Taqueria.
