Internet Explorer was the first web browser for millions of people, but Microsoft is no longer maintaining it after 27 years.
For some, the browser evokes nostalgia, while for the majority, it evokes recollections of slow-loading pages, bugs, crashes, and annoyances.
This is a lengthy retirement. Even when the corporation decided to end support in August of last year, its utilization was a fraction of what it formerly was.
Those who attempt to use the desktop program will discover that it is no longer supported and will be redirected to the Microsoft Edge browser.
For some, the browser evokes nostalgia, while for the majority, it evokes recollections of slow-loading pages, bugs, crashes, and annoyances.
Released in 1995 and integrated with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, Internet Explorer became the web’s most used browser by 2003, with a 95 percent market share.
Internet Explorer, despite improvements, fell behind rivals such as Mozilla Firefox in 2004 and Google Chrome in 2008 as the web’s capabilities expanded to include video streaming and other services.
Microsoft’s successor browser, Edge, which the firm stated would replace Internet Explorer in 2015, is integrated with Windows and accounts for approximately 4% of web traffic today.
The next year, Chrome surpassed Internet Explorer as the most popular web browser, a position it has held since then.
This is partially due to the dominance of mobile browsing on the web. Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari have achieved success, capturing approximately 65% and 20% of the market share, respectively.
This market share has caused both firms some difficulty.
Google was fined €4.34 billion (£3.8 billion) in 2018 for requiring phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome to the exclusion of alternative search engines and web browsers.
Microsoft had a similar dispute with the US Department of Justice around the turn of 2000, defending a suit filed in 1997 – and settling it in 2002 – that argued the company used its Windows monopoly to drive out competitors.
Microsoft claims that Edge provides “a quicker, more secure, and more contemporary surfing experience than Internet Explorer,” while retaining compatibility with “legacy websites and applications.”
