YouTube, one of the most popular website on the internet is dropping support of the 8-year old browser from Microsoft, Internet Explorer 6. As we all know, Microsoft Windows is used by majority of the world’s computers thus making Internet Explorer the most used browser. Dropping support for IE 6 will have tremendous impact on YouTube visitors, cutting about a fifth of their visitors.

Users of IE 5.5 and 6 are presented with a message asking them to download IE8, FireFox 3.5 or Chrome in order for them to use YouTube.

IE 6 is still widely used around the globe especially in the corporate sectors. Most of these corporations can not upgrade their browsers just like that due to some hindrances. One of them would be that most of their web based applications are tailored to run in IE6 and if they does the upgrade now, they may need to completely rewrite of if not modify a huge amount of code in order for their application to run properly on modern browsers.

Google, who owns YouTube, also placed a Chrome download link on YouTube’s sidebar which SitePoint.com suggested will increase Chrome’s popularity.

There are many rumors and/or news going around the world wide web that several large websites are already planning to cease support of the 8-year old browser and I personally think this might be the end of Microsoft’s oldest browser that is still used today.