Wordpress Considers Dropping Support for Internet Explorer 11 (bleepingcomputer.com) 36
Bleeping Computer reports:
The most well-known and popular blogging platform, WordPress, is considering dropping support for Internet Explorer 11 as the browser's usage dips below 1%. Using three metrics to determine the number of people still using IE 11, WordPress has found that its cumulative usage is below 1%...
WordPress is not alone in dropping support for IE 11. In August 2020, Microsoft announced that they would no longer support Internet Explorer on the Microsoft Teams web app, and Microsoft 365 would no longer support it starting on August 17th, 2021.
"Dropping support would result in smaller scripts, lower maintenance burden, and decrease build times," notes a post on the Wordpress blog. "For instance, a recent exploration by @youknowriad demonstrated that not transpiling the scripts to IE11 immediately resulted in a net reduction of nearly 84kB in the Gutenberg JavaScript [Wordpress Editor interface] built files, representing a 7,78% total decrease in size; these scripts have seen a size contraction up to 60%, with an average reduction of 24%...
"Moreover, dropping support would ultimately make WordPress' currently included polyfill script obsolete, decreasing the enqueued scripts size up to 102kB more."
WordPress is not alone in dropping support for IE 11. In August 2020, Microsoft announced that they would no longer support Internet Explorer on the Microsoft Teams web app, and Microsoft 365 would no longer support it starting on August 17th, 2021.
"Dropping support would result in smaller scripts, lower maintenance burden, and decrease build times," notes a post on the Wordpress blog. "For instance, a recent exploration by @youknowriad demonstrated that not transpiling the scripts to IE11 immediately resulted in a net reduction of nearly 84kB in the Gutenberg JavaScript [Wordpress Editor interface] built files, representing a 7,78% total decrease in size; these scripts have seen a size contraction up to 60%, with an average reduction of 24%...
"Moreover, dropping support would ultimately make WordPress' currently included polyfill script obsolete, decreasing the enqueued scripts size up to 102kB more."
The case for IE11 (Score:5, Insightful)
The case for IE11 is only really there for old company intranets and special devices on internal networks that are no longer updated.
Re: (Score:1)
It's just like Windows XP or MS-DOS programs which are still used in many shops and malls (even by great franchises).
Re: (Score:2)
It doesn't even need to be that old. There is still stuff on the market now that requires the java plugin (not Java web start) to function and IE is the last browser that supports that.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Flash is too modern. HTML 3.01 FTW!
waterfox does java (Score:2)
waterfox does java
Re: (Score:2)
Man. Thanks for the tip. If that works I can get rid of a whole Windows VM used 90% of the time to maintain one clients 3 year old IP KVM
Re: (Score:3)
The case for IE11 is only really there for old company intranets and special devices on internal networks that are no longer updated.
Maybe you're thinking of IE 6.0.
IE11 is quite standards compliant. About the only thing that might not work is display:flex and even then it mostly works (except for some easily avoidable edge cases).
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Does wordpress need all that?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: The case for IE11 (Score:2)
IE11 isn't really holding that back. It's not like the world is coming to a standstill by making IE11 unusable on your site.
But it's fine for legacy stuff that's hard to upgrade. So that's why it's still around.
My God No! (Score:3)
If Wordpress drops support for IE 11, I will go on a hunger strike and I trust I can count on the rest of you to join me. We need to send a strong message. “Not on our watch!.”
My God, first the Holocaust, then 9/11, and now this.
Things just keep getting worse. When does it stop?
Re: (Score:2)
Pretty soon. [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
For company intranet servers using VB6 stuff...
IE11 should be removed once and for all (Score:4, Interesting)
All the major web frameworks and software developers need to coordinate a official end of support date and refuse to develop for IE11 anymore.
For old apps that embed mshtml.dll put them in a sandbox behind multiple firewalls.
What's to consider? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I mean with 1%, what do they need to think about before removing it? Is WordPress run by a committee?
Presumably they are concerned about not screwing a quite large number of people even if it's a small fraction. One doesn't have to be "run by committee" to carefully consider one's actions, nor is careful consideration a bad thing simply because it happens on a committee.
Re:What's to consider? (Score:4, Informative)
Consodering there is still a lot of people still on Windows 7 where IE is often the only browser allowed in corporate environments, the last 1% is more like 10% logistically.
Re: (Score:2)
1% is a big number in web development. There are an estimated 3.2 billion active devices accessing the internet in 2021 which means 1% is around 32 million devices. Only an active coordination between multiple developers and websites are we to get these late adopters off of IE11. Consodering there is still a lot of people still on Windows 7 where IE is often the only browser allowed in corporate environments, the last 1% is more like 10% logistically.
There may be 3.2 billion active devices but there aren't 3.2 billion looking at WordPress sites. Many won't go beyond Facebook or their own companies' site so that number by itself is meaningless.
Re: (Score:2)
The problem there is the corporate environment.
They'll switch when they are forced to make the investment, so decisions like these from Wordpress will help nudge them a bit further. That's a net good in my book.
Re: (Score:1)
I mean with 1%, what do they need to think about before removing it? Is WordPress run by a committee?
When firefox is below 1% usage share will you support a similar move?
Or will you decry it as a monoculture ploy or somesuch?
Re: (Score:2)
When firefox is below 1% usage share will you support a similar move?
Or will you decry it as a monoculture ploy or somesuch?
Read my lips: From my cold, dead hands
That’s how you’ll take IE 11 support from me.
I’ll tolerate some things. Federal taxes, state taxes, social security taxes, civil forfeiture, prostate exams, dogshit covering my local park, the neighbor’s weed wafting into my bedroom, Kim Kardashian, the notion of gender as a “spectrum”, climate change proponent
Re: (Score:2)
When firefox is below 1% usage share will you support a similar move?
Or will you decry it as a monoculture ploy or somesuch?
If Firefox which is actively supported goes down to 1% or lower, then there is something wrong with Firefox and at that point, yes I would support removing it too.
Do it. Just do it. (Score:2)
The only way you're going to get these last stragglers off of IE is by increasing the amount of annoyance and pain involved with choosing to stay on IE. Hit both the private users as well as the "admins" who refuse to update their out-of-date internal systems.
I'll do you one better (Score:2)
Why not save even more KB and just drop Gutenberg altogether? It's a dumpster fire of an editor.
Nuke it until it glows (Score:2)
I just was asked to look at a computer which was displaying some kind of scam page asking for login credentials. Turned out the owner opened IE by accident (missed the chrome button in the taskbar) and it went to MSN, which delivered them a malicious ad containing a redirect to a scam page on cloudfront hosting. Very classy.
Microsoft Windows is effectively unusable for the average person. They cannot use it safely. (He couldn't figure out how to get the window closed... you just had to esc and then immediat