Brothercake wrote an article about 10 cool things we supposedly will be able to do only once IE6 is dead. Those things are pretty cool and certainly provide visitors with an enhanced experience. The “problem” is that they rely on things like css3 selectors, modern javascript implementations and other stuff that IE6 won’t do and since currently about one fifth of all internet users are on IE6 there is a perceived need to “pander” to them.

But, here is the big secret, you don’t have to wait for IE6 to go away to provide that same experience to users on more advanced broswers. Look, programming a website is more than just providing a “great experience”, it’s about making content accessible and engaging users. You can both provide a “great experience” to users with modern browsers while, at the same time letting users of older or more limited browsers, like IE6, enjoy a good experience. If you are a web creator worth your salt you will *always* pander to all users, no matter how old or limited their browser is, or how small their screen size or how less acute than average their vision is or whether the reach of their fingers is short or long or none at all.

Honestly, I don’t think “great experience” should be defined by the frills, whiz-bang, and technical wizardry of the site, but by allowing the user to achieve their goal clearly and quickly. A well structured and clearly defined site should be able to accomplish this before the layers of plaster and paint have been applied.

Users with an old browser should enjoy a “good” experience. This doesn’t mean the same experience as users of modern browsers, or that you have to throttle back your design for all users. It’s okay for users with modern web browsers to enjoy a better experience than users of old browser. Do you expect the same joyful ride from a 1988 Lada than from a just-out-of-the-assembly-line Mercedes? Of course you don’t. But at least you expect to be taken from A to B without too much hassle and in a reasonable time. Ok, so you won’t get the heated seats and satellite radio, but you’ll still get there, in fact, if either car fails then the car is a useless, no matter how plush the interior or how much music you get on the satellite radio.

Use those 10 things that brothercake mentions. But don’t depend on them to provide the user experience, and don’t fall in the trap of wanting to provide the same to everybody. Educate your client and satisfy your users.