Time comes for all of us. It’s a lesson Microsoft is learning the hard way, as its once dominant browser is finally there. eventually – not anymore. Never again will that circular “E” logo be the first icon you click on when booting up a new PC, nor will you have to spend a Saturday afternoon uninstalling Seven Toolbars from your mother’s computer. Internet Explorer dies tomorrow, June 15, leaving nothing but memories — and, you know, Edge — behind.
You can’t say no one saw it coming. Some might say that Microsoft’s browser died out years ago, being replaced by Chrome and, to a lesser extent, Firefox. The last numbered release of Internet Explorer dates back to 2013 during the height of the Windows 8 outcry. Unbeknownst to many, the company had begun work on Windows 10, a much-loved operating system that shipped with a new browser. Edge didn’t set the world on fire — these days, it’s basically a Microsoft-skinned version of Chrome — but the message was clear: Internet Explorer’s days were numbered.
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How do we get here? As much as we’d like to say that Microsoft has done this to itself — and to be honest, it did — Google’s actions against Internet Explorer 6 are well documented. In the late 2000s, engineers at YouTube conspired to bring down that ancient, XP-friendly browser. By simply adding a browser to the top of the page that prompted users to upgrade to a newer browser, Internet Explorer’s days of dominating the web are over. Users began updating in large numbers, while technology journalists praised Google’s efforts to make the Internet faster and safer. Never mind that higher-ups never signed off on the plan—it worked, and other product teams began adopting the same technology.
Since then, the writing has been on the wall. Chrome overtook Internet Explorer usage in 2012, a year after the launch of its final version, a lead that only increased over the past decade. These days, Chrome accounts for nearly two-thirds of all browsing, with Safari in second place. To add insult to injury, Google has hidden itself from IE over the past year, turning off Workspace support and even limiting the search experience on legacy browsers.
Although Microsoft has kept some level of support for Internet Explorer 11 since 2016, it gradually slipped into “OS Component” status, no longer available for download and only optional, basically hidden on all new PCs. browser is included. Edge’s built-in “IE Mode”, which mimics the Trident layout engine in a secure, Chromium-powered space, is expected to be supported until at least 2029, while keeping a small portion of the browser alive for compatibility requirements. has been set for.
Personally, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Internet Explorer. It was the first browser I ever used, back on Windows 95, the first time I experienced the web as a kid. Internet Explorer 6 is the same way I discovered Firefox, mostly because my family’s XP machine hangs for several minutes at a time – and often crashes – every time you open it.
So, goodbye, Internet Explorer. I can’t say it was a great browser for most of its life, but that’s how I – and millions of others – learned to surf the web. And for that I will always be grateful. For now, Edge will take its place as everyone’s favorite way to install Chrome.
