MICROSOFT is officially sunsetting the vintage web browser Internet Explorer today.
Any users still on the outgoing service should shift their web activity to a new browser now.
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Microsoft announced Internet Explorer’s retirement in a company blog post last year.
An executive wrote that the company would encourage a transition to Microsoft Edge, their next-generation web browser that has struggled to latch on with new users.
“We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge,” Microsoft Edge Enterprise General Manager Sean Lyndersay wrote in 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.”
Microsoft first launched Internet Explorer in 1995.
The program was roped to their widely-licensed computer interface, Microsoft Windows.
AP reported that Microsoft was sued by the Justice Department in 1997 for anti-trust violations, in part stemming from Internet Explorer’s monopoly on browsing.
Internet Explorer supported almost 95% of web traffic at its height in 2004.
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Today, Internet Explorer is hailed as the clunky browser of technology days past.
Twitter is aflame with nostalgic memes celebrating Internet Explorer’s role in shaping early web browsing, and its descent into obsoletion.
“Goodbye Internet Explorer. You’ll be missed by no one other than old boomers who don’t know how to install a better web browser,” a tweet read.
The Verge reported that users attempting to use Internet Explorer for browsing will be redirected to Microsoft Edge – for ancient sites that require using Internet Explorer, Edge has an IE Mode plug-in.
Microsoft Edge does not hold the market share that Internet Explorer once boasted.
Edge has just 4% of the worldwide browser market and closing Internet Explorer opens up just 0.5% of free agent users.
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