The Top 5 Reasons Why We No Longer Support Internet Explorer 8 (The Curse of IE8 & the Ghost of Versions Past)
It’s that festive time of year here at CoreSolutions Software – our pumpkin is ready for the carvin’, the leaves are changing colors and everyone at the office is chatting about their planned costumes for Halloween.
This week, I was asked to blog about why CoreSolutions Software no longer provides support for Internet Explorer 8 and seeing as it’s the week of Halloween, I thought I’d put a ghoulish spin on things.
It was a cold autumn afternoon about a year ago, when we decided to end all support for IE8. To sum it up, from a company perspective, continuing to support IE8 would only cause more burdens than benefits and certainly more grief than glory.
So in keeping with the spirit of Halloween, I present you with, “The Curse of IE8 and the Ghost of Versions Past.”
The Curse of IE8 and the Ghost of Versions Past
It was supposed to bring increased speed, enhanced security and a more fluid way of browsing the internet, but 6 years after its official release Internet Explorer 8 is heading, “6 feet under.”
While there are a select number of individuals who continue to utilize IE8, reasons to cease support for the browser continue to pile up, making it abundantly clear that IE8 is destined for the final resting place of versions past.
Here are the top 5 reasons why we no longer support Internet Explorer 8:
- Windows XP Support is Dead
- Internet Explorer 8 is Vulnerable to Security Risks & Viruses
- Most Websites are Incompatible with Internet Explorer 8
- Internet Explorer 8 has Issues with CSS3, HTML5 & so on
- Internet Explorer 8 Does Not Support Media Queries
It may sound macabre, but back in April of 2014, Microsoft support and updates for Windows XP ended, essentially putting the axe to Windows XP and all products under its umbrella. This meant that the company would no longer support Internet Explorer 8. That’s right, the program’s own creator no longer sees the product as a viable browser for this day and age. Microsoft has basically, “pulled the plug,” on Windows XP, leaving IE8 running without life-support. If that doesn’t tip you off that this browser is headed for extinction, then I’m not sure what will.
Ewwww! Worms, Trojan horses, and even direct action viruses, without new updates, Internet Explorer 8 leaves your system open to a variety of security breaches and viruses. These types of threats can wreak havoc on your system and all your applications. Rather than risk having to constantly update an application riddled with viruses that entered the system via IE8, we’ve decided to avoid this headache altogether by not supporting this browser. After all, it’s widely known that IE8 lacks the security capabilities of newer browsers.
They’ve created a monster! Only the beastliest of browsers would make it so difficult to navigate the internet in this day and age. There are a plethora of websites that are incompatible with the Frankenstein that is Internet Explorer 8’s standard and there’s no telling when they’ll be compliant.
Without the ability to use advanced styling techniques, we can’t achieve our desired end goal of creating and delivering the clean interfaces that our clients have come to love and expect. That’s why we have a behemoth of a beef with IE8 struggles with CSS3. Add to that the fact that IE8 does not support HTML5 and you’ve got a devil of a problem – we build innovative web applications that REQUIRE the functionalities of HTML5, so any lack thereof is a huge hindrance to how we do business and something truly grotesque in the eyes of our developers.
If there’s anything that strikes the final nail in IE8’s coffin, it’s this - IE8 does not support media queries – this restricts us from building responsive frameworks and essentially removes our entire ability to focus on mobile development. Since industry trends clearly indicate that tablet and smartphone traffic is on the rise, any use of a browser that is incompatible with this technology seems worthy of burying for good.
It’s Time to Say Goodbye to IE8 and Move on to a New Browser
Internet Explorer 8’s glory days are over and the reality of the situation is that support for the browser is fading fast – that’s why we think it’s best to leave IE8 for an eternity in the graveyard of forgotten web browsers, next to Internet Explorer 7 and Netscape Navigator. With that in mind, our final message to all supporters, evangelists and current users of IE8: it’s time to view Microsoft’s 2014 end of Windows XP support and updates announcement as being akin to a eulogy – it’s okay to look back fondly at the good times you spent with IE8, but perhaps it’s time to consider a move to a new browser.
There is light at the end of the IE8 tunnel, but passing over to the other side requires that you leave your old browser behind, in exchange for a new one. There are many viable alternative browsers available on the market for you to choose from, like IE 9, 10, 11, Firefox, Chrome and so on, all of which will provide an enhanced browsing experience when compared to IE8. Go ahead and upgrade today and reap the benefits of perusing the web on an updated browser.
Happy Halloween!
CoreSolutions Software
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