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Internet Explorer has finally bowed out of the internet age after close to 30 years of existence. Microsoft Edge will take over henceforth.

Microsoft on June 15th ended its  support for most versions of its Internet Explorer (IE) 11 browser, driving the final nail on the browser’s coffin. 

Internet Explorer came into being first in 1995, dealing a fatal blow to  Netscape Navigator, the then king  web browser.

Netscape Navigator was the flagship product of the Netscape Communications Corp and was the dominant web browser in terms of usage share in the 1990. Due to the grand entry of Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator disappeared  by around 2003.

Like most innovations, IE has outlived its existence, and, owing to the rapid growth of the fourth industrial revolution, Microsoft’s Edge has replaced the good old Internet Explorer. 

However, this has not come as a surprise. About a year ago, Microsoft announced  that Internet Explorer would be removed from most versions of Windows 10 this year. As a good way of preparing its customers and fans, Microsoft  spent months encouraging customers to get ready by proactively retiring the browser from their organisations.

Internet Explorer 11 will be retired for Windows 10 client SKUs (version 20H2 and later) and Windows 10 IoT (version 20H2 and later). Nonetheless, not all products will be affected by this. Others will remain, though they will be phased out progressively. They include IE Mode in Edge; IE 11 desktop on Windows 8.1, Windows 7 (with Extended Security Updates), Windows Server LTSC (all versions), Windows Server 2022, Windows 10 client LTSC (all versions), Windows 10 IoT LTSC (all versions). The IE 11 desktop app is not available on Windows 11, as Edge is the default browser for Windows 11.

Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge will be supported through at least 2029 to give web developers eight years to modernize legacy apps and eventually remove the need for IE mode, officials have said

Microsoft has told its customers the Internet Explorer desktop application will be progressively redirected to Microsoft Edge over the coming months following the June 15 support end date, and will ultimately be permanently disabled via some, as yet publicly undesignated future Windows Update. Customers should not uninstall IE completely, as IE Mode relies on IE 11 to function.

Microsoft officials say support for IE Mode will follow the lifecycle of current and future Windows client, Server, and IoT releases at least through 2029. If support for a version of Windows ends before 2029, support for IE Mode on that version also will end. Microsoft has committed to providing a one-year notice ahead of retiring IE Mode. Officials have said that there will be no extensions for IE 11 support past the stated retirement dates.

Microsoft rolled out the very first version of IE in 1995, alongside Windows 95. It introduced IE 11 in October 2013. Microsoft began bundling Edge with Windows 10 in 2015.