The Oldest Browser of Microsoft – Internet Explorer Shuts Down

It’s time to say goodbye to Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s oldest browser (IE). The app will be retired on June 15, 2022, after 27 years of operation. Internet Explorer will be rendered useless on some versions of Windows 10 starting June 15, 2022, according to a Microsoft release from May of last year. Customers were then encouraged to switch to Microsoft Edge, which supports both legacy and new websites and apps, according to the company.

The IE desktop app will be removed as of June 15, and users will be switched to Microsoft Edge. If this is news to you, don’t panic; Microsoft provides a FAQ section outlining how to help IE users make the switch. The business appears to be going all out to promote its cross-platform browser Edge, with everything from instructions to video tutorials.

History of Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer was first introduced in 1995 as a Windows 95 add-on package. Its release marked the beginning of the end for Netscape Navigator, the first widely used browser. After that, Microsoft made IE and it’s widely used Windows operating system so tightly linked that many users simply used it instead of Navigator by default.

Later, the business began including the free Internet Explorer browser in the package. In 1997, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, alleging that it had violated a previous consent agreement by mandating computer manufacturers to use its browser as a condition of adopting Windows.

In 2002, it struck a deal with an antitrust lawsuit over its use of its Windows monopoly to stifle competitors. It also had a squabble with European regulators, who claimed that linking Internet Explorer to Windows gave it an unfair edge over competitors like Mozilla’s Firefox, Opera, and Google’s Chrome. The browser reached a peak of 95% usage in 2003, but it was unable to sustain that position, and its user base began to rapidly drop.

Many new browsers joined the market, promising better user interfaces, quicker internet speeds, and smoother performance. Internet Explorer looks to have been unable to stay competitive, and it has deteriorated into little more than a default browser for installing alternative browsers.

Reason Behind the Retirement

According to the firm, incremental upgrades to Internet Explorer couldn’t keep up with general web advancements, so they had to start from scratch. Microsoft Edge, according to the firm, is the greatest browser for Windows and is quicker, more secure, and modern for today’s internet. Because some portions of the web still rely on Internet Explorer’s unique behaviors and features, Microsoft has included an IE mode in Microsoft Edge.

Explorer Shuts Down After 27 Years

Microsoft stopped developing new browser features in 2016, and this could be the first time the company decides to phase out Internet Explorer. According to internet analytics firm Statcounter, the Chrome browser currently has a 65 percent share of the global browser market, followed by Apple’s Safari with 19 percent. Edge, the heir to Internet Explorer, comes in second with roughly 4%, just ahead of Firefox.

According to Mashable, Sean Lyndersay, the Microsoft Edge program manager, Microsoft Edge is the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10. Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (IE mode) built in, according to a Microsoft blog post from May 2021, so you can access legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications directly from Microsoft Edge.

He went on to say that not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, safer, and more modern browser than Internet Explorer, but it also tackles a critical issue: compatibility with older, legacy websites and applications.

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