Google has announced on one of its company blogs that it plans to end support for Internet Explorer 8 in its products and websites as of November 15, 2012. (Internet Explorer 7 has already been sidelined.) While Windows users on Vista, 7, and the upcoming 8 are likely using Internet Explorer 9 and, soon, 10, those still on Windows XP aren’t able to run those more modern browsers. And because Google is the bellwether of the Internet, their end of support for those ancient browsers will be the signal for many other website owners to follow suit. Users of IE 7 and 8 will soon find themselves with frustrating web experiences or locked out of some websites all together.

Many parishes and ministries aren’t ready to upgrade to Windows 8, perhaps because they’ll need new hardware or don’t have the time, and so they’ve been sticking with XP. So what can they do? In the short term, their best bet will be to switch to a new web browser that is supported by the vast majority of websites, like Firefox, Chrome or Safari. In the longer term, they’ll want to upgrade their computers, either to the latest Windows operating system or to new computers.

Nothing is forever, especially on the Internet and at some point your old computer and its old operating system will need to be put out to pasture. It would be great if we didn’t have to spend money every few years on new technology, but on the other hand, prices for good hardware and software has never been cheaper and the user experience has never been better. Plus you’ll get access to all kinds of capabilities that you didn’t with XP.

If you’re an Archdiocese of Boston parish or ministry looking for help, let us know and we’ll point you to the right resources for you.