RIP Internet Explorer: Microsoft’s legacy browser is now definitely over

Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer on Wednesday, putting its aging web browser on the pasture after nearly 27 years. A South Korean software engineer marked the moment by spending 430,000 won ($330) on a tombstone featuring Internet Explorer’s stylized “e” logo and cheeky engraving, Reuters reported.
“It was a good tool for downloading other browsers,” it reads, referring to the joke that people only used Internet Explorer to install more modern browsers like Google Chrome.
I can’t believe someone in South Korea bothered to order a tombstone for Internet Explorer just so they could kill it a second time with the most vicious roast you’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/5xpePtoPkN
— Cian Maher (@cianmaher0) June 17, 2022
The end of support came more than a year after the company said its Internet Explorer 11 Windows 10 desktop app would be retired in favor of Microsoft Edge.
“Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure, and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it’s also able to address a key concern: compatibility with older legacy websites and apps,” Microsoft said. about its new browser, which launched in 2015, in a blog post.
The first version of Internet Explorer was included in a Windows 95 Plus upgrade package in 1995.
It was once the most popular web browser, reportedly holding 95% of the market in 2003. Usage has plummeted as rivals like Chrome have grown and Microsoft has made the Chromium Powered Edge its default navigation. StatCounter reported that it recently held around 0.5% of the market.
The abandonment of Internet Explorer caused technical problems in Japan, where some companies and government agencies operated websites only compatible with the old browser, according to Nikkei. They were apparently aware of the move to Edge, but were slow to act, and many sought help from software developer Computer Engineering & Consulting.