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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Hackers causing havoc in the World of ColdFusion

Nothing like waking up on a Friday before a holiday to discover that Hackers have been causing havoc in the world of ColdFusion.  Our inbox this morning contained a message from one of our preferred ColdFusion Hosting companies Crystal Tech (now Newtek Technology Services) about the attacks and several CF sites are reporting on the coordinated efforts.

Hackers are exploiting sites running older installations of some ColdFusion applications, such as FCKEditor (a popular HTML text editor) or CKFinder (an Ajax file manager). The potential security vulnerability exists in a popular ColdFusion shopping cart application CFWebstore that allows uploading of a shell script to a vulnerable site and gain root access to the server. For less technical readers, this isn't a good thing. This allows hackers to take advantage of the vulnerabilities to plant malicious scripts onto compromised websites, as part of a drive-by download attack that ultimately aims to infect visitors to the hacked site.

Luckily, none of our CF sites are in danger, as we don't use FCKEditor for anything in our development (TinyMCE rocks!) and CFWebstore is not a product we use for our sites. Plus, Crystal Tech has assured us that that they "have already taken steps to minimize the potential for compromise".

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IowaHawkeyes.Net Beta Version Launched Today

PRLog (Press Release) – IowaHawkeyes.Net is pleased to announce the launch of the beta version of its new website. IowaHawkeyes.Net was created to give Hawkeye fans and Iowa natives a chance to stay informed about their beloved Hawks. It gives Iowans a chance to speak their minds about any and all things Iowa.

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Happy Birthday ColdFusion

It's hard to believe that ColdFusion is 13 years old this year. In the web world, that's ancient. But despite all the up and coming new languages, ColdFusion has proven it is still a major player in the world of dynamic websites.

Simon Whatley writes a great article about how ColdFusion is largely mis-understood that explains ten ways how and why CF is still a major player after all these years:

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