The era of Microsoft Internet Explorer has come to an end. This is how the world reacts to this. Source: AFP
- Microsoft Internet Explorer, after many deaths, finally came to an end on June 15, 2022.
- Microsoft believes that the future of Internet Explorer lies in Microsoft Edge, which offers users “a faster, more secure, and more modern browser.”
- Japan is still heavily dependent on Internet Explorer.
After nearly three decades of service, Microsoft has finally retired its oldest browser, Internet Explorer. The final version of the browser, Internet Explorer 11, has stopped receiving support or security updates since June 15, 2022. The web browser, launched in 1995, dominated for many years during the days of dial-up Internet access. , but its dominance in the browser market did not last too long.
In fact, Microsoft reported it in a note last year, before making it official. “The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be discontinued and will no longer be supported on June 15, 2022 for certain versions of Windows 10,” the company said, adding that it will continue to support some forms of ‘Explorer. The truth is that Microsoft Internet Explorer died many times in between, with the advent of Firefox in 2002 and Google Chrome in 2008.
Microsoft saw so much of what was on the market and eventually developed Edge, a more secure and modern browser that was launched in 2015. In a blog post on June 15, 2022, Microsoft Edge Enterprise CEO Sean Lyndersay, admitted how the web has evolved and so have browsers.
“Incremental improvements to Internet Explorer could not match the general improvements to the web in general, so we started again. Microsoft Edge is a faster, more secure, modern browser, the best browser for Windows, designed for today’s Internet. But we have not forgotten that some parts of the web still depend on the specific behaviors and functions of Internet Explorer, so Microsoft Edge includes Internet Explorer mode (IE mode), “he added.
As a reminder, Internet Explorer was launched along with Windows 95, offering a first taste of the web to many people who had not yet used early browsers such as Netscape Navigator. Undoubtedly, Microsoft Internet Explorer played a key role in popularizing the Internet: it had a 95% usage share in 2003 and was not overshadowed by Edge until 2019. However, the browser was also closely related. with some of Microsoft’s best practices.
While the grouping of IE with Windows helped newcomers to the web, it also stifled competition. Microsoft even had a U.S. antitrust case against them in 2001 over allegations that the company abused IE restrictions to maintain dominance of the Windows market. It was also notorious for its poor security and the slow pace of this change only helped browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox to take center stage. Maybe that’s why the current Edge browser is based on Chromium rather than internal technology.
What will happen to current Microsoft Internet Explorer users?
According to Sean, in the coming months, the opening of Internet Explorer will gradually redirect users to its new modern browser, Microsoft Edge with IE mode. “Users will still see the Internet Explorer icon on their devices (such as on the taskbar or the Start menu), but if they click to open Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge will open with easy access to IE mode.” he said.
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. For IT professionals with organizations that use old and outdated sites as part of their normal business processes, Sean said they can easily automate IE mode so that these pages start automatically in IE mode for their users. In particular, Edge browser IE mode will still be supported until 2029 or later, so you won’t get stuck if you only need support from the previous web engine.
In his blog post, Sean also believes that with IE mode, Microsoft Edge offers unmatched Internet compatibility. “The future of Internet Explorer lies in Microsoft Edge, which gives you a faster, more secure, and more modern browser,” he added.
Some still rely heavily on Internet Explorer
For a country like Japan, the death of Internet Explorer is the main drawback. A March survey by information technology resource provider Keyman’s Net revealed that a large number of organizations in Japan still relied on Internet Explorer. In fact, 49% of respondents said they used the browser to work.
In a report from Nikkei Asia This week, Japanese organizations said the browser was used for managing employee assistance, clearing expenses, and other internal tools. “In some cases, they have no choice but to use Internet Explorer because of the customer systems used to handle orders. More than 20% of these respondents did not know or did not know how to switch to other browsers after the retirement of Internet Explorer. “
Surprisingly, Nikkei he noted that government agencies are especially slow to respond. It was yesterday that the government procurement and bidding information portal changed its recommended browsers to Microsoft’s new Edge and Google Chrome. “But for the Japan Pension Service, notices of online applications must be viewed in Edge’s Internet Explorer mode. The website of a government-supported private aid corporation for private schools still includes Internet Explorer as your only recommended browser, “says the article.
Dashveenjit Kaur | @DashveenjitK
Dashveen writes for Tech Wire Asia and TechHQ, offering research-based feedback on the exciting world of technology in business. Earlier, he reported on the terrain of the accelerated political scene and the Malaysian stock market.