More than 27 years after it was first launched, Microsoft is pulling the plug on its fossil-like browser.
Here’s why Internet Explorer is being discontinued
Users with operating systems that predate Windows 10 will no longer receive support on Internet Explorer. This comes after Microsoft abandoned its legacy browser in favour of Edge.
As reported by The Verge, Microsoft will soon redirect stubborn Internet Explorer users to Edge, marking the beginning of the company’s process of erasing the browser’s existence.
“Eventually, Internet Explorer will be disabled permanently as part of a future Windows Update, at which point the Internet Explorer icons on their devices will be removed,”Microsoft Edge Enterprise GM Sean Lyndersay wrote in a statement.
What will happen to your stored data and passwords?
Most concerning for users and corporations still using the dinosaur browser will be the safety and security of stored data and, more particularly, sensitive information like passwords.
According to Microsoft, however, users should not fret. The redirection to Edge will be accompanied by users’ personal data, favourites, history and other information.
Even cooler, the updated Edge will have a feature that will allow users to reload a page in ‘IE’ mode, something that will come in very handy for sites that support older ActiveX controls.
“Internet Explorer will not be immediately removed on all these versions today but will be progressively redirected to Microsoft Edge on all these devices over the next few months,” Lyndersay explained.
The Edge Enterprise general manager added, however, that for certain versions of Windows used in ‘critical’ environments, “we will continue to support Internet Explorer on those versions until they go out of support.”
“These include all currently in-support Windows 10 LTSC releases (including IoT) and all Windows Server versions as well as Windows 10 China Government Edition, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 with Extended Security Updates (ESUs),” he confirmed.
