IE6 finally hears the Death Rattle

Internet Explorer 6 is like a bad date that just won't take the hint. The long standing browser has been causing headaches for web developers and designers since 2001, and until recently people have done nothing but accept the abuse. Recent news, however, suggests we may have finally had our fill of abuse from IE6.

Internet Explorer is the main web browser that many of us nerds learned to surf the web on. Back in the early part of the decade, IE6 did its job and did it well. This was in large part because no other options existed. Before Microsoft was legally forced not to, they had the ability to bundle the browser with the Windows operating systems, which led to Microsoft experiencing a 95% market share for internet browsers. And when that many people adopt a product, it then becomes impossible to move away from.

Today, we have far superior browsers in the market like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari, as well as Internet Explorer 8 (I hate to say it, but IE8 is pretty slick). These browsers are not only standards compliant, which IE6 is not, but they have evolved into all-encompassing utilities that reach far beyond the internet and into your everyday lives. I can't imagine life without FF and all of its plugins, let alone surfing the web without it.

I liken the IE situation to one of your grandparents living until 204 years of age, and then thinking they could adequately compete in the NFL for a starting RB position. In 2001, IE6 was just what we needed, but for the web to continue evolving and growing, the browser that requires the most time, energy and effort to make things work must be permanently retired. Not just retired, but banished from even coming close to a computer connected to the internet.

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New Mango Blog Theme: Business Mango

In an attempt to get an inventory organized, we stumbled across a design that was never utilized for a project. The instant thought was that this design would be perfect to use for a first-attempt at a from-scratch Mango Blog theme. While we have worked with Mango on several sites, we mostly adapted existing designs/templates to the look we needed. This rediscovered design was a good idea for our first, very own, Mango Blog theme.

We came across the open source ColdFusion blog application Mango Blog over a year ago and fell in love with it instantly. The potential is huge and the ideas are near limitless. It is very much the "WordPress of ColdFusion", with one important difference: Mango is alot easier to skin!

To promote the continued use of Mango Blog, the nerds at Brice Cheddarn have decided to embark on a Mango Crusade to spread the word. Call us the Tom Cruise of Mangotology.

As a part of that, we will begin to code a series of plugins and themes released under the Creative Commons so that anyone can download and use freely, or change as they see fit.

The Business Mango Theme is the first of many free theme ideas we have in mind. This theme is very simple and rather plain but, it is good for throwing a site up in a hurry and is very professional looking, making it a good choice for any number of business oriented websites or personal blogs. It is validated XHTML and CSS as an added bonus. As time allows, updates and enhancements will be made.

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