As of Wednesday, Microsoft will no longer support the internet explorer browser that most people loved to hate but some adored. Like BlackBerry phones, Palm Pilots, and dial-up modems, Microsoft explorer would soon become a memory.
Microsoft's internet explorer once
dominated the market and was used widely. Its demise doesn't come as a shock to
people who keep up with tech news. A year back, Microsoft had stated that it would
put an end to the browser on June 15, 2022, and now the company has done that.
The users are now being pushed in the direction of the Microsoft Edge browser
that was launched in August 2015 and is widely available and used worldwide.
Talking about Microsoft's internet
explorer, the company said it was time to move on. Promoting Microsoft Edge, Sean Lyndersay,
general manager of Microsoft Edge Enterprise, wrote this in a blog post
published in May 2021: "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."
Social Media Reactions
As expected, there was some social media
buzz regarding the huge change in the world of internet browsers. Many users
took to Twitter to share their opinion regarding the change. Some referred to
internet explorer as a "bug-ridden, insecure POS," while others used
words like "top browser for installing other browsers."
For some people, it turned out to be a
moment for '90s nostalgia memes, and some even became sad to see IE go.
One user posted this on Twitter- "End
of an era. Our Dear old Friend from the Good old Days of Childhood... In the
Loving Memory of Our First Window to the Internet... 1995 to 2022."
Another wrote, "It's time to tell your
nan to stop using it now, like seriously."
History of Internet Explorer
The first version of Internet Explorer was
created in 1995. The antediluvian era of web surfing was largely dominated by
the first widely popular browser, Netscape Navigator. The launch of IE signaled
the beginning of the end of Navigator. Microsoft decided to tie IE and its
ubiquitous Windows operating system together so tightly that many people simply
used Internet Explorer by default instead of Navigator.
The Change
In 2020, Microsoft shared its plans to drop
support for Internet Explorer on Microsoft 365 services and apps. The change
was implemented on August 17, 2021. As of December 2021, the Microsoft Edge
browser had a US market share of 5.92%.
The New Leader
Chrome
is undoubtedly leading the charts when it comes to web browsers. The invention
of Google has about a 65% share of the worldwide browser market. It is followed
by Apple's Safari, with a 19% share of the worldwide browser market. Edge has
just a 4% share of the worldwide browser market but still manages to be
slightly ahead of Firefox, which is the least used browser on this list.
Sources:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/microsoft-internet-explorer-1.6489129
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2022/06/14/microsoft-shut-down-internet-explorer-wednesday/7626639001/
https://6abc.com/internet-explorer-retires-microsoft-web-browser-google-chrome-edge/11961415/