Microsoft retires Internet Explorer after 27 years
Microsoft has finally decided to retire Internet Explorer after 27 years of service. The web browser was first released in 1995 as part of the Plus add-on package for Windows 95 that year. Later versions of Internet Explorer were available as free downloads or in service packs and were included in original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows.
Internet Explorer acted as the first gateway to the World Wide Web. At that time it was the only way to access today’s popular browsers that we are using.
Microsoft Edge Program Manager Sean Lyndersay announced that the Internet Explorer 11 desktop will be retired and no longer supported on June 15 for certain versions of Windows 10.
Why did Microsoft decide to retire Internet Explorer?
Internet Explorer was very popular in 2003 with a usage share of around 95 percent. However, its user base falls with the launch of new browsers from other competitors and falls even more year after year.
Microsoft 365 ended support for Internet Explorer on August 17, 2021, and Microsoft Teams ended support for IE on November 30, 2020. Now, Internet Explorer has been discontinued since June 15, 2022.
Microsoft retires Internet Explorer: What will be the future of web browsers?
The future of Internet Explorer in Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge. The Internet Explorer 11 desktop app will be retired on June 15, 2022, said Sean Lyndersay, program manager for Microsoft Edge.
He added that Microsoft Edge is faster, more secure, and provides a more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer.
Microsoft Edge also has built-in Internet Explorer Mode (IE Mode) which will allow the consumer to access those legacy Internet Explorer based websites and applications directly from Microsoft Edge.
Because Microsoft Edge is more capable than Internet Explorer, the company has decided to retire the IE 11 desktop app. It will end support on June 15.
However, because Internet Explorer is a component of Windows and is included in long-term lifecycle releases of Windows, such as Windows Server 2019, the web browser will continue to receive security updates until at least 2029.
