RIP Internet Explorer: Microsoft Kills Browser on Valentine’s Day
Heartbreak strikes the internet-browsing world today, as Microsoft announces that their popular Internet Explorer browser will be put to rest.
The software giant made the announcement early this morning, effective immediately. Microsoft explained in a statement that the company will be “retiring” Internet Explorer in order to focus on “newer technologies.”
This news is hardly a surprise, as Microsoft has been gradually moving away from Internet Explorer over the past few years. The once-dominant browser now has less than a 5% market share, according to StatCounter. Its usage has been in decline for years, as more and more people have switched to alternatives like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
Microsoft has been pushing its new Edge browser as the replacement for Internet Explorer, but that has failed to gain much traction. Edge has less than a 2% market share, according to StatCounter.
It remains to be seen what will happen to the many websites and web apps that still rely on Internet Explorer. Microsoft says that it will continue to support Internet Explorer 11 “for the foreseeable future,” but it is unclear how long that support will last.
For now, internet users will have to say goodbye to the once-mighty Internet Explorer browser. It’s been a good run, but all good things must come to an end.
