Microsoft retires Internet Explorer after 27 long years
In 2004, Internet Explorer was the most popular web browser, with a 95 percent market share. Its popularity was slowly eroded by the emergence of better and faster browsers like Firefox and Chrome, as well as the rise of smartphones, and it is now officially retired and out of support.
Internet Explorer was launched in 1995 as an add-on package for Windows 95. Microsoft later started providing the app for free as part of the package. However, over time, it has devolved into a default browser that is used to install other browsers.
“The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 lies in Microsoft Edge,” said Sean Lyndersay, Microsoft Edge program manager, quoted Mashable.
Lyndersay added, “Not only is Microsoft Edge a quicker, more secure, and more contemporary browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it also addresses a crucial concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications.”
“Internet Explorer mode (‘IE mode’) is incorporated into Microsoft Edge, allowing you to view older Internet Explorer-based websites and applications directly from Microsoft Edge,” the Microsoft Edge program manager said.
“With Microsoft Edge capable of taking on this and other responsibilities, the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be discontinued and phased out of support for certain versions of Windows 10 on June 15, 2022.”
Some businesses will still be caught by surprise by the retirement of Internet Explorer, or won’t have been able to fully remove its use in time. Nikkei reported this week that some government agencies and financial institutions in Japan have been slow to respond to IE retirement. The website for Japan Pension Service must still be viewed in Edge’s IE mode, for example.
Don’t think you can just ignore the warnings though. After this ‘redirection phase,’ Microsoft will permanently disable the browser on devices via a future Windows Update.