I’m a big fan of the Graded Browser Support table from the fine folks at Yahoo! It was the official foundation for our browser support policy at Cramer and I still look to it now for hints into what one of the most mass-market of all sites thinks about the browser landscape.

With that in mind, the following discussion point from the latest update is an interesting one:

Internet Explorer 6: We are forecasting the transition of Internet Explorer 6 from A-grade to C-grade in the next GBS update. The calculus here is simple: The proliferation of devices and browsers on the leading edge (including mobile) requires an increase in testing and attention. That testing and attention should come from shifting resources away from the trailing edge. By moving IE6 to the C-grade, we ensure a consistent baseline experience for those users while freeing up cycles to invest in richer experiences for millions of users coming to the internet today on modern, capable browsers. Note: This forecast should not be taken as an indication that IE6 users will see an abrupt change in their experience of Yahoo! websites in Q1 2011; the change in philosophy toward IE6 will be reflected in new development and products and applied in ways that make sense based on product needs.

Yes, it’s cautious. More cautious than many would like (including everyone that takes part in those aggressive “kill IE6” campaigns.) Thing is, because of the corporate install base Internet Explorer 6 is still a reality for most sites (this, developer-centric site, stills gets 1.5% of its visits from IE6) and if your user base is as high as Yahoo!’s then even 1-5% (whatever their final numbers is) represents millions of users. If they’re lowering the level of support a strenuous argument should be made that you should be doing the same.

For some of you this may come as a surprise but this argument can be extremely difficult in some situations. Imagine your biggest client is an IE6-only organization and then try to explain to them how you’re going to scale back support for their browser. In case you’ve never been there, that argument basically boils down to “the site you’ve just paid hundreds off thousands of dollars for won’t look all that great for anyone in your organization.” Still, pointing to Yahoo! and their cautious, reasoned approach might be able to help you escape the IE6 shackles.

It’s worth a shot at least.

For what it’s worth, I dropped IE6 support for new development on my personal sites about a year and a half ago. Considering Firefox is half my traffic and Chrome is number 2, averaging around 20%, for both this place and my personal site, I think I’m on the safer side of the spectrum.