A New Era: The End of Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer is no more. The famous and infamous browser from Microsoft officially went end of life on June 15 2022. The current version IE 11 will still work for those who want to use it but will no longer receive updates. There will be a gradual rollout of Windows Updates that will remove IE 11 from Windows systems altogether, but there’s no set date for that that we know of.

After a tenure of 27 years, being both a winner and a loser in the browser wars, the bugged, security hole-filled browser is finally going the way of the Dodo- and not a day too soon. While Internet Explorer 11 itself hasn't been updated since 2013, it was still receiving gradual patches for security measures. However, given this new information, this will also come to an end.

Internet Explorer's Retirement Plan

Internet Explorer will gradually be retired over the coming months. If by some chance you are still using it, you will first see a redirection notice recommending switching to Microsoft Edge and an offer to import all your bookmarks. Then, Windows Updates will gradually begin removing Internet Explorer from machines entirely.

If you’re a business with custom apps or internal resources coded specifically for Internet Explorer, there’s IE Mode, a business app utilizing the Trident rendering engine that should enable your resource to load properly.

The Legacy of Internet Explorer

We at Redact would be remiss if we did not pay homage to Internet Explorer. It first landed on the scene in 1995 as part of Windows 95. Then, it was the major browser in the world with majority market share.

When Google Chrome and Firefox hit the mainstream, the hit browser began losing its momentum and began gradually losing its throne atop 95% of the market share it had encapsulated.

Microsoft's browser simply became antiquated. The number of bugs and vulnerabilities and limitations built into Internet Explorer meant newer browsers offered more features, with less hassle and fewer security holes.

While it won’t be remembered fondly, Internet Explorer did one thing well. It forced other browsers to be developed to be better. Even Microsoft Edge has improved on its predecessor in some fundamental ways. So, setting all of the laggy Internet Explorer memes aside, it actually served as an important stepping stone in the history of browser development.