Internet Explorer Era Comes to End as Microsoft Moves On

Microsoft is retiring its web browser Internet Explorer after nearly 30 years and is preparing for Windows 10's new search engine, Microsoft Edge.

Released on August 24, 1995, Internet Explorer was a primary web browser that rose in popularity by the early 2000s before other competing browsers such as Apple's Safari, and Google's Chrome entered the scene.

The last update of Internet Explorer was released in 2013. Now after 27 years, the browser will be rendered inoperable this Wednesday.

Microsoft announced in 2020 that Internet Explorer was set to retire and encouraged its users to move to the new browser.

Supported by Windows 10, Microsoft said in a blog post last year: "We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge."

"Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications," the company continued.

Microsoft Edge has a built-in Internet Explorer mode, and users will still be able to access those Internet Explorer-based "legacy" websites and functions.

"We can't thank everyone enough for supporting Internet Explorer over the years. Many people and organizations around the world have depended on IE to support them as they've learned, grown and conducted business online," the tech giant said.

According to Digital Trends, Internet Explorer is actually still widely popular among Windows users. And research conducted by Lansweeper showed that 47 percent of Windows 10 devices continue to use Internet Explorer, and 79 percent of the PCs that were surveyed operate out-of-date versions of Windows 10.

But Digital Trends warned that with the lack of updated technology, there could be a higher risk of cyberattacks for those who still use the older versions of Internet Explorer, and the risk may be decreased via Microsoft Edge.

Still, the conclusion of the era of Internet Explorer does not come without a bit of nostalgia. Twitter users shared memes and videos of their memories using Internet Explorer in order to say goodbye.

One user shared the news with a photo of an infamous pop-up, as Twitter users joked that Internet Explorer was sometimes famous for its incredible lag time.

Another Twitter user wrote: "I haven't used IE in a decades but it was the browser I had used for the majority [of] my childhood. Whether you loved or hated Internet Explorer, it'll be the end [of] an era."

Newsweek reached out to Microsoft for further comment.