Microsoft, a giant technology corporation that produces computer software, is officially discontinuing Internet Explorer on Wednesday after nearly 27 years of launching the once-dominant browser.
Microsoft announced a year ago that the popular web browser would close down on 15 June 2022 and encouraged users to move to Edge, another browser it launched in 2015.
“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,” Sean Lyndersay, GM of Microsoft Edge Enterprise, wrote in a May 2021 blog post, according to CTV News.
The giant tech company first released Internet Explorer as an add-on to Windows 95 in 1995 and it was the most used browser during the early 2000s, according to Al Jazeera.
Users, however, started using its rival browsers, Chrome and Firefox between 2002 and 2008. A lot of people had been complaining about the browser being the slowest compared to its competitors, crashing, and being prone to hack attacks. At the moment Google Chrome takes first place in the listicles for “Top Web Browsers.”
Chrome currently has around 65% share of the worldwide browser market, according to Statcounter. Apple’s Safari is the second-leading browser with 19% of the market share. Microsoft Edge has only about 4% of the share, which is a little ahead of Firefox.
By Zintle Nkohla
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