This comes at no surprise that Microsoft has announced the final retirement date for the Internet Explorer browser. What was a surprise, was that it has lasted this long, with the Edge browser already being around since 2015. Since Edge, Internet Explorer has been hiding in the background of Windows 10, only accessible by manually searching for it in the start menu (unless you created your own shortcut at least).
Internet Explorer first came into creation in 1995 as part of Microsoft’s “Plus! for Windows 95” update/kit. Since then, it crawled its way to version 11 by 2013, which became the last major update the browser was ever to see again. Microsoft’s original Edge browser came along a few years later to replace it, which eventually turned into the Edge browser it is today, built on the Chromium project. Now, it for the first time ever, a Microsoft browser properly competes with the likes of Chrome and Firefox.
So this would be why this comes at no surprise to see that Microsoft is ready to let Internet Explorer go. Honestly, it should have been retired by 2018 at the latest, but they had extended support through the beginning of this year as some consumers took their time to make their way to a modern version of their operating system and/or browsers.
Certain Microsoft apps (ie, 365) will continue to support Internet Explorer through August 17, 2021, with some dropping support as early as this fall. After that, the browser will see no more attention and its support for the internet will degrade into nothing, forcing users to move to a modern (safer) browser.
Even though no one has really liked the Internet Explorer browser in more than 15 years, it was a pioneer that helped guide us toward the internet we get to enjoy today. That, and existing for 25 years in this age, is no easy feat. I think that deserves a proper farewell/sendoff. RIP Internet Explorer.
