The search giant pulled the plug at the precise moment when Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 10 web browser is set to arrive in stores worldwide on October 26. Shortly thereafter, on November 15, Google Apps will no longer support IE 8.
Image Source: (ZDNet)
The move will make Google one of the first major companies to drop support for Microsoft’s 3-year-old browser. That means no Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, and certainly no Google Drive for users of the older browser. By the way, IE 8, which launched in March 2009, was also the final MS browser to support Redmond’s 11-year-old workhorse operating system that refuses to die: Windows XP.
However, that is not to say that Google Apps sites will suddenly stop working in IE 8, it only means that Google has finally tipped-off that it no longer cares about XP customers who want to continue to use Google products such as its cloudy apps service. Hence, users will see a message suggesting they upgrade to a newer release — but do not expect things to keep working in the long run.
Google explained the reasoning behind its decision by pointing out, “each time a new version of one of these browsers is released, we begin supporting the update and stop supporting the third-oldest version,” ergo Internet Explorer 8 is up for the chop.
By the way, the knock-on effect means that Windows XP users will be severely affected. The drawback is that Internet Explorer 9 cannot be installed on Windows XP — only rival browser such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Because many legacy Web apps still require Internet Explorer 6 to run, users of the ageing operating system are being sent a clear message: get out of the old and in with the new.
Hence, in doing so, the search titan is forcing colleges and schools, businesses and even government departments who use Google Apps, and still rely on Windows XP for legacy applications, between a rock and a hard place.
While Windows XP is more than a decade old, it is still used by 42 percent of the worldwide market, according to Net Applications. Besides, Microsoft itself never released a version of IE 9 for Windows XP, so the only real upgrade path for those that want to stick with Windows XP (and continue using Google Apps) is either to install a different web browser or use Google Chrome Frame.
The Google Apps admin page has been updated to suggest that IE 6, 7 and 8 do just that: “Organizations that hinges on Internet Explorer may want to consider using Google Chrome Frame, which seamlessly brings Google Chrome’s open web technologies and speedy JavaScript engine to Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8.” Recent Chrome Frame releases no longer require admin privileges to install, making it somewhat easier to install even in corporate environments.