Microsoft has said that it is retiring its long-standing browser Internet Explorer on June 15 next year after serving the netizens for over 25 years. The veteran web browser was released with Windows 95, the tech giant said in a blog post on Wednesday. “The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10.” Sean Lyndersay, a Microsoft Edge programme manager said while commenting on the decision.
“We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge,” the company said in a blog post Wednesday, referring to its other browser.
“Not only is Microsoft Edge 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,” Microsoft said.
“Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) built in, so you can access those legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge,” Lyndersay said.
Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge will be supported through at least 2029, the blog post said.
People ribbed Internet Explorer in tweets on Thursday.
“RIP Internet Explorer, I never used it, but after it dies we can’t make fun of it anymore,” wrote someone with the handle Arcader UwU.
“I still fondly remember how I used it to download Chrome on every new Windows system,” said Hrishikesh Pardeshi.
“This browser might seem old and outdated nowadays, but back in the day, everyone needed it. RIP Internet Explorer 1995-2022,” said someone called TheCool_ColdMan.
The tech giant has been phasing out the old browser for several years – but in 2019 it had to issue an emergency patch for it, for security reasons, the BBC reported.
At that point it was estimated that around 8 per cent of people were still using it. Between 2000 and 2005, Internet Explorer enjoyed a 90 per cent market share.
