Microsoft retires Internet Explorer after 26 years
Internet Explorer bids goodbye as Microsoft Corp. finally pulls the plug from the iconic web browser after a long and slow 26 years.
Internet Explorer, which has become notorious for its slowness and consistent lags, met its end on June 15, after Microsoft disclosed that Microsoft Edge, which the company launched in 2015, would become the new default internet browser for Windows 10.
Microsoft said the discontinuation of Internet Explorer is a viable move because Microsoft Edge promises “a faster, more secure, and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications.”
“With Microsoft Edge, we provide a path to the web’s future while still respecting the web’s past. Change was necessary, but we didn’t want to leave reliable, still-functioning websites and applications behind,” Microsoft added.
To our predecessor: You helped the world explore the internet along with every facet of life. Now, it's time to surf the big web in the sky 🕊 pic.twitter.com/43L0UpL0gQ
— Microsoft Edge (@MicrosoftEdge) June 15, 2022
With the Internet Explorer's demise, netizens from Twitter had shared their last goodbye with their good (and bad) memories of using (or not using) the two-decade-old internet browser.
Goodbye old friend! #InternetExplorer #retired #endofanera @PMSClan@Microsoft #herecomesthereaper pic.twitter.com/Ft3kTdO0Rw
— Craig Hannah (@sec121987) June 15, 2022
RIP Internet Explorer, you wasted about 40% of my professional life. #goodriddance pic.twitter.com/JtEAt1NlsD
— Ben McKenna (@benmckenna) June 15, 2022
Bye bye Internet Explorer you will be missed but forever a meme for us. pic.twitter.com/P5O6udFYfI
— nolly ⚓️ (@NollyGlass) June 15, 2022
Microsoft credited Internet Explorer on a YouTube video as an “ IT and Web Developers doorway to the worldwide web,” adding that “their first website ran on Internet Explorer and introduced users to the power of the internet."
Despite its bad reputation among internet users, Sean Lyndersay, the General Manager of Microsoft Edge, noted that Internet Explorer had significantly contributed to the development of web browsing.
“Its contributions to the evolution of the web have been remarkable,” Lyndersay said.
Microsoft released the initial version of Internet Explorer back on August 16, 1995, as their own internet browser explicitly designed for their operating systems and debuted as a bundle for Windows 95.
The iconic browser with the letter "e" logo became an instant hit among netizens back then and was able to knock off Netscape Navigator from its dominance in the market. Microsoft dominated the web browser industry in 2003, with more than 90% of users using Internet Explorer.
In a data report from Similarweb, Google Chrome dominates today’s modern web browsing with a 61.63% market share, followed by Apple’s Safari and Internet Explorer’s successor, Microsoft Edge.
Users who access Internet Explorer after June 15 will be switched directly to Microsoft Edge, which has Internet Explorer compatibility.
Microsoft Edge will also import users' data from Internet Explorer, such as passwords, favorites, and settings.
Microsoft said businesses using legacy websites in their daily operation can utilize IE mode in Microsoft Edge until 2029.