Internet explorer previously known as Windows Internet Explorer is going to retire next year after more than 25 years of a long journey. Internet Explorer is developed by Microsoft in the year 1995. Redmond-headquartered Microsoft announced in a blog that the browser will no longer be supported by the company from June 15, 2022.
Microsoft revealed last year that it would no longer support Internet Explorer in its Microsoft 365 applications and services. The transition will take effect on August 17th.
We
are announcing that the future of internet explorer on windows 10 is in
Microsoft Edge,” says Sean Lyndersay, Microsoft edge program manager. She
advised individuals and organizations impacted by the end of Internet Explorer.
For the most part, it will be an easy transition, but it's important to know
how to make the transition go smoothly.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft is not giving up on the browser space yet with its new browser called Microsoft Edge. The Company has been working for nearly two years now on the new Microsoft Edge, making the browser world-class for their customers.
Microsoft Edge is a modern web browser that comes with the newest edition of Windows, Windows 10. It is based on the open-source Chromium project which is also used by Google chrome and has most of the features that internet explorer and other browsers have.
Microsoft
Edge is more secure, faster and modern than internet explorer. Internet Explorer
mode is created in Microsoft edge for a couple of years. Several companies have
websites based on Internet Explorer, so these websites and applications can
operate with the Edge at least until 2029.
Rise of Internet Explorer
The rise in the dial-up connection at home
in 1990's Internet explorer was the only way to access the World Wide Web. There
were other browsers like Netscape and Opera Mini; internet explorer had taken
over the markets like India as it came bundled with desktops.
When Microsoft launched internet explorer
in 1995 Netscape had nearly 90 percent of the browser market. Netscape was its
main rival.
But between 1996 and 1999 Microsoft made
the browser freely available, unlike Netscape which required a paid license for
use. Internet explorer had other advantages too; it was integrated into
Microsoft windows operating system which made the browser popular. The internet
Explorer is successfully winning in taking over the market from its
competitors.
However, the win did not come easily. The
US government filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft and this case
dragged until 2001. In the end, Microsoft agreed to settle the case with the US
department of justice but by then other browsers including Netscape were
practically wiped out of the market.
By 2002, Internet Explorer took over 95% of
the market becoming the dominant browser and vanishing competitors from the
market. Even today, internet explorer comes pre-installed on Windows PCs
alongside its Edge browser.
Fall of Internet Explorer
For years, Internet Explorer was the
default browser on Windows PCs until competitors like Mozilla's Firefox and
Google's Chrome snatched users away. By 2004, other browsers had appeared, and
the win was short-lived. After Google released Chrome in 2008, forced
standards, a weak user interface, and bloated web pages made Internet Explorer
obsolete.
Over the past ten years, Internet
Explorer's dominance reduced to less than 2% of the global browser market. In a
world dominated by smartphones, the rise of mobile operating systems such as
Android and iOS began to make Internet Explorer less important.
The Internet Explorer web browser has
undergone many redesigns over the years, but still more users switch to
Google's Chrome, which dominates both desktop and mobile platforms.
According to the 2020-2021 statistics chrome
has 64.45 percent market share followed by safari created by Apple and are
available in apple devices and system with nearly 18.13 percent and Firefox at
4.08 percent of the browser market share. Edge has a market share of just 3.39
percent as of April 2021, so it will be an uphill battle for the browser.
Reactions Received
After the announcement of Internet Explorer
retirement audience took social media to write about their experience and
appreciated the updates made by Microsoft in the Edge.
Internet Explorer might seem old and
outdated, but back in the day’s everyone needed it. So many people experienced the
internet for the first time by this browser. This is the only browser which was
available for free.
“I still fondly remember my childhood days,
the very first experience of the internet which was made possible using Internet
Explorer. IE9 was pretty good and became my choice over the rest,” Abhinav
Pathak, Co-Founder and CEO of Perpule.
Written by - Kriti Verma
Edited by – Adrija Saha
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