New government keeps old browsers

• Author: Mat Marlow
• Posted: August 3rd, 2010
• Tags: government, ie6, internet exporer 6, microsoft, upgrade

In a response to the internet petition entitled "Encourage government departments to upgrade away from Internet Explorer 6", a spokesperson for Number 10 issued a disappointing message.

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As a country that is striving to keep up with the rest of the world in the broadband race, the Government seems lethargic when adopting new technologies. A case in point is their lack of urgency or even concern over Microsoft’s ageing browser Internet Explorer 6, which is used widely across the network of Government agencies and departments.

Now at version 8 with substantial leaps in support for newer technologies and programming languages, Internet Explorer is still the most popular browser in both domestic and commercial/industrial use. Unfortunately, as so many companies adopted the internet around the time of IE6, they are now left with a legacy of old software which is difficult to upgrade across a large user base, especially when so many internal applications were designed for it and subsequently break in newer versions.

Of course, this is no excuse for stubborn refusal to upgrade, it’s simple procrastination. The internet has come so far since the browser was launched that by not implementing newer browsers, the government and large companies are locking themselves out of huge benefits in regard to technological advancements. Website developers are always limited by the lowest common denominator when it comes to building exiting and functionally dynamic applications for cross-browser implementation, so this attitude is dragging the whole industry down.

Security, though, is a larger concern. The browser has had so many security issues over the years that just trying to keep it secure requires all sorts of counter-measures as admitted in the quote below taken from Number 10’s response.

“It is not straightforward for HMG departments to upgrade IE versions on their systems.  Upgrading these systems to IE8 can be a very large operation, taking weeks to test and roll out to all users. To test all the web applications currently used by HMG departments can take months at significant potential cost to the taxpayer. It is therefore more cost effective in many cases to continue to use IE6 and rely on other measures, such as firewalls and malware scanning software, to further protect public sector internet users.”

Click here to view Number 10’s full response to the petition “Encourage government departments to upgrade away from Internet Explorer 6″.

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