Tech giant Microsoft has announced the retirement of Internet Explorer, the browser it created more than 25 years ago and which is now largely abandoned as people instead use competitors like Google’s Chrome or Apple’s Safari.
Microsoft said that as of June 15, 2022, Internet Explorer will be retired and no longer be supported by the company while disclosing that Microsoft Edge will replace it.
“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, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications,” Microsoft said in a blog post on Wednesday, referring to its other browser.
The announcement has triggered a lot of reactions online.
“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.
According to heCool_ColdMan; “This browser might seem old and outdated nowadays, but back in the day, everyone needed it. RIP Internet Explorer 1995-2022,” he tweeted.
But Internet Explorer-based websites and applications will work with Edge at least until 2029, Microsoft said, because many organizations have websites based on the now-doomed browser.
Chrome, Google’s browser, controls 65 percent of the market, said Statcounter.
Safari, created by Apple and available on Apple computers and devices, is second with nearly a 19 percent market share as of April of this year.
Firefox and Edge are in third and fourth place with 3.59 percent and 3.39 percent respectively.
