HP Server, network and SAN management tools still require IE6 to manage servers (iLO Advanced with virtual media, Virtual Connect Manager, and so on), so I keep a VM with XP around for that purpose - severely locked down of course. The VM has DNS resolution turned off and has to be configured with a static IP appropriate for the management LAN.
I keep another one for twisted partner portals and management tools that require it, similarly locked down.
Some enterprises embraced .ASP and .NET (and MS Java) very early, and enthusiastically hired contractors to build them line-of-business applications around those technologies to migrate away from mainframes. Now they have neither the source code nor the skills to migrate away from IE6. No matter how much they wanted to adopt Vista they could not - and they did want to top to bottom and bottom to top. They will be among the last to adopt Windows 7 - and they will build in dependency on Microsoft platforms again, forcing a skip of the next generation of OS as well when dependencies for W7 prevent migration again. That's fine for Microsoft though because they're all on SA and are buying the licenses regardless. Sometimes IT is a theatre of the absurd. I have no doubt that the refresh of the HP management tools will require IE8.
These VMs and browsers are special purpose tools like SAE wrenches. They're not for every day use but handy when you need them.
The trap of IE6 continues with IE7 and IE8 BTW, and will continue to do so with ensuing versions. The nonstandard features of Microsoft browsers serve only to create dependency on Microsoft web platforms like Sharepoint and .NET - to our detriment. They ensure that I'll need VMs with version specific browsers from now until my IT career is done. It's sad, really.
There's no excuse for this nonsense. People who aren't Microsoft should know better than to implement web applications as browser dependent tools. They should have known this a decade ago. They get paid to know these things - it's just not professional. There are good standards and they work fine - see Google Maps for a nice example. If your app needs an interface more sophisticated than that it probably should be a client/server app rather than web based. I can see why Microsoft's partner portal requires Silverlight - but I can't see why any non-Microsoft website on the Internet or web management tool does. It's plain laziness.
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
