Let Off the IE9 Leash

I recently got the news at work that as of midnight on 31st December 2016 we no longer officially have to support IE9. It's a sorry state of affairs but come midnight on New Year's Eve I'm sure this will be in the back of my mind and make me celebrate just that little bit more.

For the last few years I've tended to shy away from using any newer browser features in production as trying to polyfill everything for old IE is either impossible, more trouble than it's worth or hurts performance. Suddenly, it's like I've been let off the leash. I can use it all.

It's a strange feeling. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities. We can use transforms, transitions, animation, the file API, geolocation - the list goes on, and goes on quite long. The difference between IE9 and IE10 is huge. When IE10 came out Microsoft really caught up and, despite everyone making jokes about IE, there really isn't much to complain about since version 10.

Now, when I need my fix of cross-browser complications I'll have to turn to HTML email. That's still well and truly screwed up.