The inclusion of Internet Explorer in the ubiquitous Windows operating system and the requirement for it to be used on certain government websites made the browser an inescapable part of daily life for millions, he said.
Updated
June 15, 2022, 2:25 PM ET
It also accelerated the demise of Netscape Navigator, the world’s first commercial web browser.
“Internet Explorer was certainly not the first browser, but its inclusion in Windows in the mid-1990s really helped bring the web to a very large user base,” and made the Internet more accessible. say Professor Nelson.
Still, he said, “It was never a great browser.”
“If you wanted to do high-performance things or you were on the cutting edge, anything from Microsoft was like driving your mother’s Toyota Camry,” said Professor Nelson. “It did the job, but no one was excited about a low-performance, unappreciable browser.”
In a blog post about browser withdrawal, Sean Lyndersay, CEO of Microsoft Edge Enterprise, said Wednesday that despite its remarkable role in the evolution of the web, “Internet Explorer’s reputation today is deservedly a product of an ancient era: a peculiar behavior without the security of a modern browser “.
Over the next few months, users who open Internet Explorer will be redirected to Microsoft Edge in “IE mode,” he wrote.
“Finally, Internet Explorer will be permanently disabled as part of a future Windows update, at which point Internet Explorer icons will be removed from users’ devices,” he wrote. He called the Edge a “faster, more secure, and more modern browser.”