Jill Murray

For a long time, I’ve been completely ignoring Internet Explorer on this site, and my user stats either support or reflect that; I have more readers on Firefox and Safari together, than all the different Explorers together. My Safari numbers are particularly strange: over 16% of my readership is using it, compared to a general population average closer to <5%.

Ignoring Explorer has been my very personal and special way of kicking back, relaxing and telling myself "I’m worth it.” I won’t drive you crosseyed with an in-depth explanation of why supporting catering to Explorer seperately from every other browser is less fun than a month of laundry days, more irritating than a Crazy Frog ringtone, nearly twice as boring as waiting in line for a Quebec medicare card, and every bit as unjust as when your bag of chips gets stuck on the curly metal bit high up in the vending machine, but suffice it to say, it has been my honour and my privilege never to test for it, or care if the site renders legibly in IE, version anything.

If you’re using IE and can read this at all, it’s not my fault. May I recommend an upgrade to Firefox, Safari, or Opera, the browsers from which IE7 bit all its better new features, without making the effort to match their degree of standards compliance? Choose your flavour.

It was with mixed feelings that I realized today that once Break On Through comes out and I want a wider range of visitors to actually be able to make sense of things here and feel like I don’t hate them, I will no longer have that privilege. Therefore, someday, sooner than I wish, I will begin testing this site in Explorer, and actually consider taking action to make it work.

Adieu, careless youth.