Software giant Microsoft is killing off its Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser which it released 25 years ago.
The browser had fallen out of favour with many users and Microsoft now says it will finally retire the old browser on 15 June 2022.
With IE out of the picture, the company is now touting its new browser Microsoft Edge, a cross-platform Web browser that was first released for Windows 10 and Xbox One in 2015, then for Android and iOS in 2017, for macOS in 2019, and as a preview for Linux in October 2020.
According to Statista, as of March 2021, Google Chrome accounted for about 67% of the global Internet browser market share.
Chrome is followed by Safari at 19%, while IE trails at a paltry 0.73%.
“Over the last year, you may have noticed our movement away from Internet Explorer support, such as an announcement of the end of IE support by Microsoft 365 online services,” says Sean Lyndersay, a Microsoft Edge programme manager.
“Today, we are at the next stage of that journey: we are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge. Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, it is also able to address a key concern – compatibility for older, legacy Web sites and applications.”
Lyndersay explains that Microsoft Edge has IE mode built in, so users can access legacy IE-based Web sites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge.
With Microsoft Edge capable of assuming this responsibility, he points out that the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on 15 June 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10.
However, Microsoft notes this retirement does not affect in-market Windows 10 LTSC or Server Internet Explorer 11 desktop applications. It also does not affect the MSHTML (Trident) engine, it adds.
Says Lyndersay: “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 Web sites and applications behind.
“We can’t thank everyone enough for supporting Internet Explorer over the years. Many people and organisations around the world have depended on IE to support them as they’ve learned, grown and conducted business online.
“Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer mode inherits this important responsibility, and we look forward to supporting you online with Microsoft Edge.”
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