In a little over a year Internet Explorer, one of the most famous and historic programs to browse online (browser), will no longer receive updates and will be abandoned by Microsoft, the company that developed it over 25 years ago for its Windows operating system. For some years Microsoft has been encouraging the switch to other browsers including its own Edge, based on the same system with which Google develops Chrome, the most used program for surfing the Internet in the world.
Due to the numerous incompatibilities with more modern web pages, Internet Explorer had become less and less relevant and used by users. It is estimated that today it is used by less than 1 percent of those who surf online, although the program is still used in some companies that are left with old versions of Windows due to compatibility problems with their software.
For those who find themselves in these conditions, Microsoft has recommended for some time to use the “Internet Explorer mode” available in Edge, which simulates some features of the browser destined to be retired in about a year. The mode will be maintained until at least 2029, giving companies time to upgrade their systems.
The deadline for Internet Explorer was set for June 15, 2022 for major versions of Windows 10. It is not yet clear whether the browser will remain available on the PCs it was already installed on or whether it will be removed through subsequent updates. Should it remain available, it would not receive new updates either for the addition of features or for security.
To trick users into switching to Edge, Microsoft last year placed restrictions on using Internet Explorer to access its Teams service and now plans to do something similar for the online version of Office. Additionally, starting August 17 of this year, Internet Explorer will no longer be designated as compatible for using various Microsoft services such as OneDrive to save files online and Outlook for e-mail.
Edge has been available on Windows since 2015 and at the time it was already seen as a first sign of Microsoft's choice to go beyond Internet Explorer, defined in recent years by the same company as a “compatibility solution” rather than a real browser for daily use. However, Edge has struggled to carve out a space in a rather crowded market dominated by Google with its Chrome.
