Before I start, I should make it clear that this post isn’t just aimed at charities – in fact, everyone should keep their browsers up to date as much as possible for lots of reasons, some of which are outlined in this post.

The two main reasons that I’m talking to charities is that, firstly, smaller charities are more likely to have ‘inherited’ or ‘come by’ their computers and this includes the browser that is on it. Secondly, less well-resourced charities don’t have anyone in charge of ICT, so people are often reluctant to change the set-up of their computers without anyone officially sanctioning it.

Charities are not alone – from personal experience, universities and public sector organisations are among the worst offenders for refusing to upgrade their systems.

The one browser that is the proverbial thorn in the side of web developers is Internet Explorer Version 6, or IE6.  Originally released in 2001, it became the standard web browser of choice across the globe until its successor, IE7, was released in 2006.  By today’s standards of web browsers, it is clunky, inefficient and insecure, yet, because of the sheer numbers of people that still use it – often by default – website owners are choosing to support it, which is slowing down the implementation of advancements being made in the web development field every day.

Now, you may think that because your browser appears to work just fine there’s no reason to upgrade it to the latest version; in fact, if, after reading this you're still keen to keep IE6, please leave your reasons in the comments because I'd be keen to hear your rationale behind it.  But here are three issues that will hopefully make you think again.

Accessibility and usability

Developments are constantly being made in the way websites are coded to improve usability and accessibility which are unsupported in older browsers.  Whilst this affects the way the information is displayed on the screen, it can have a knock-on effect in the way screen readers interpret the information for visually impaired users; depending on the focus of your work, this may have an averse effect for your service users.

A lengthy part of developing any website is ensuring it works across different browser types.  Increasingly, many web developers are choosing not to support IE6 in the course of their work (or may charge premium to support it) as it slows down the testing process and can restrict the possibilities available in a web design.  Worse still, a web developer may have to employ (or overuse) various scripting techniques they would otherwise do without in order for the website to appear the same in IE6 as it does in all other browsers, severely slowing down the website and possibly interfering with screen readers.

As developers are using the latest techniques to ensure more efficient and standards-compliant websites, browsing in IE6 could soon mean that your favourite website no longer displays the way that it used to (YouTube users beware!).

Security

Browser development teams are constantly working behind the scenes to ensure that they stay one step ahead of potential security threats.  Anyone that has had a virus on their computer will tell you that the inconvenience isn’t worth putting off that upgrade. 

Yes, you should have anti-virus software running on your PC already (if not, you can download AVG anti-virus software for free); however, having the latest browsers ensures that you are up to date with all of the security patches that the browser has issued in order to protect your work and your PC.

Efficiency

Simply put, more up to date browsers are more efficient and more streamlined; they run faster and are often packed with a raft of features that can aid your browsing experience.  Updating your browser also opens up the possibility of running free and/or open source applications and plug-ins that won’t work in older browsers as they have been especially designed for newer versions of your browser.

How to upgrade from IE6

If you are still browsing with IE6, you can upgrade free of charge to the latest version of Internet Explorer.

If you’re keen to try something else, you can find a whole host of free browsers that you can download for Windows including

• Firefox – a free and open source browser with a plethora of plug-ins
• Safari – Apple's browser, although there is a free PC version
• Opera – a lesser known but still widely used browser
• Google Chrome – offering seamless integration with other Google apps e.g. Google Docs.

In the same way you wouldn’t watch a recent Hollywood blockbuster on a black and white television, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be working on the very latest browser, especially when it’s free of charge and so easy to upgrade.

I realised recently that a lot of my 'work in progress' tweets were about the new website that I'm designing for Bee Charmer Productions.  I've had a few tweets back asking for sneak previews but, because of my NDA, I haven't been able to share... until now.

Part of the header for BCP's new blog

If you follow my work, you'll realise that Bee Charmer Productions is the production company of Regan Latimer, best known to you as the creator and writer/director of the web series, B.J. Fletcher: Private Eye (on which I am also Associate Producer).  BCP's website has taken a number of guises over the past year - first a holding page, now a one page intro site - and I am pleased to announce that we are now in the home stretch of putting together its first full website.

I'm sure I'll write this up as a full case study when it's up, but for now here's a sneak peek of a work in progress...

Part of the main website's footer

BCP's new icon set