The world bids adieu to Internet Explorer after a historic 27-year-long run
If you’re a tech geek, there’s no doubt that you’ve read about Internet Explorer (IE), the browser conceived and maintained by Microsoft, being put to rest with effect from June 15, 2022. To quote the American tech giant’s official blog, this decision has been taken after the browser’s historic 27-year run. In fact, going by media reports, the firm had been releasing warnings about the shutdown since March this year.
Aptly termed the ‘gateway to the internet,’ the browser has been retired due to its declining user base. Besides, security issues, an outdated interface and lagging performance have been the reasons for IE having lesser takers in the recent past, as compared to its competitors Google Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox.
Okay, so what’s next? Well, Microsoft is now urging its users to use its ‘Edge’ browser, which provides a faster and safer experience. However, this departure, albeit long anticipated, brings forth a rush of mixed emotions, nostalgia and bitter-sweet feelings.
A Journey Down Memory Lane
For Millennials and Gen X, IE was the first foray into the exciting world of the internet, a technology that changed lives in many ways, forever. Students could access information for assignments and projects at the click of a button, without having to pour through pillow-sized encyclopaedias.
So, bidding adieu to the blue-and-yellow logo evoked a sense of nostalgia in those who grew up with this browser! For many organisations, particularly those in the banking and governmental sectors, IE was the only browser they had used until recently. With that said, why has IE been retired and what's a future with Microsoft Edge looking like?
Why Did IE Have to Be Retired?
According to the official statement of Microsoft, “Incremental improvements to Internet Explorer couldn’t match the general improvements to the web at large, so we started fresh. Microsoft Edge is a faster, more secure and modern browser—the best browser for Windows—designed for today’s internet. Some parts of the web still rely on Internet Explorer’s specific behaviours and features.”
Hence, Microsoft Edge is designed such that it has an IE mode, through which users can continue to have access to their apps, passwords and bookmarks; all they need to do is simply import these from IE to Microsoft Edge. Although IE has retired, for now, it continues to remain in the shadows. However, as part of the upcoming Windows update, IE will be permanently disabled, its icons on users' devices will be eliminated forever, and all users will be redirected to Microsoft Edge.
How Is the World Reacting to This News?
The internet has been aflame with varied reactions ever since news of the iconic browser being shelved permanently broke out. We found two reactions particularly interesting.
One: The creative guys at Amul came up with a perfect quote in their iconic cartoon strip. This is how it reads, “Tera mujhse hai pehle ka Internaata koi! Amul Macro soft butter!”
Two: Farther away from home, in South Korea's southern city of Gyeongju, Jung Ki-Young, an innovative engineer, erected a gravestone with IE's iconic "e" logo, to commemorate the browser's demise on the global front. The epitaph is as perfect as it can get, “He was a good tool to download other browsers.” And no doubt, the gravestone went viral! On a quiz note, South Korea mandatorily insisted on IE for online banking and shopping until 2014.