Since IE6 doesn’t support min and max width, I generally use a fixed width layout for IE6. However, I was just wondering if anyone knows of any stats that give screen sizes for IE6 users (I can find general screen size stats but not specifically for IE6 users). I was thinking of using 640px or 800px since IE6 users are probably on old machines with tiny monitors. But if there’s any actual statistics it would help me make a more informed decision.
Thanks
Dave
The same as any other browser. I once hooked an LCD screen up as a replacement monitor to a computer from 1991 running pre-Windows 3.1 because it surprisingly had a VGA port.
Use an analytics tool to figure out what the lowest is for your specific set of users. The information you’re looking for doesn’t exist. LCD screens replaced CRTs years ago, even if the computer itself wasn’t replaced. IE6 was also launched at time when 800x600 and 720/1080p were both fairly common with a last update in 2008.
It was released in 2001, 640x800 was already fairly outdated at the time.
Honestly, IE6 is dead at this point. I don’t bother testing with it. But to answer the question, the resolution is defined by the capabilities of the video card and the monitor, not the browser.
Thanks for the replies. I realise that the browser doesn’t affect the screen size (other than fixed window sized browsers, which are rather rare). I was just after some stats to see what the most common. Because IE6 is most likely to be used on older computers, I was thinking that the most popular screen sizes for IE6 users are likely to be smaller than the most popular screen sizes overall.
I don’t currently use js based analytics on most of my sites, so I don’t have any stats of my own I can use.
Anyway, thanks for the link to the Wikipedia page, which states that 800x600 is a minimum requirement for IE6, which is a good enough answer for me.
Ha! I don’t think I even read that far. Cherry Picked what I wanted to see.
I don’t believe that anybody is using 800x600 with IE6. Even if the users have an old computer I doubt that there are any old monitors still working. Most only last a few years. I would guess that the majority of IE6 users have more modern monitors and are using much the same screens we are all using.
IE6 and IE7 are pretty much dead in the water (IE8 isn’t that far way either) and unless you know your audience is using IE6 then I don’t think you should waste much time on them. By all means offer a fixed width site to older browsers (although a fluid site would be better and then your question is irrelevant) but I would suggest using 980px or thereabouts.
Spend more time on modern browsers and modern devices 