Internet Explorer was once the king. But now, even its creator despised it.
Internet Explorer was one of the very first web browser that caught most of the world's eyes. Bundled with Microsoft Windows, it was the browser that landed the company in the first ever browser war with Netscape.
As the internet matured, the what was once an acclaimed web browser, became the butt-jokes of practically every web designers and web developers out there.
Even the tech community and end users started to dislike it.
The browser has long been mocked and ridiculed for its speed issues, outdated user interface, lack of modern web support, and others.
Internet Explorer once reigned the internet kingdom, by owning 95% of the web browser market. Fast forward to 2020, only 1.19% of the web uses the browser.
And this is why Microsoft wanted to kill it. This was announced back in August 2020.
Microsoft said that:
“We believe that Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both consumer and commercial contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsible web access.”
Unfortunately for Microsoft, quite a lot of people remained loyal to the Internet Explorer.
With Internet Explorer's death date comes nearer, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Microsoft has compiled more than 1,000 Internet Explorer-incompatible web pages.
When visiting any of those Internet Explorer-incompatible pages with Internet Explorer, Microsoft will automatically redirect users to its Chromium-powered Edge browser, with a message that reads:
This website doesn’t work in Internet Explorer.
At the same time, the incompatible page on Internet Explorer will redirect to a page on Microsoft's website, with a message saying that:
The website you were trying to reach doesn't work with Internet Explorer.
You've been redirected to Microsoft Edge where you can continue your browsing uninterrupted.
Microsoft continues to add the Internet Explorer-incompatible websites, meaning that the list will be an ever-expanding one.
At this time, Microsoft has included some popular services, like DevianArt, FileHippo, Flickr, Google Duo, Google Drive, Instagram, Stack Exchange, Stack Overflow, Twitter, VK, YouTube, Yahoo! Mail and more.
With this approach, not only that Microsoft can keep users of Internet Explorer from switching to competitors' products (Chrome, Firefox, etc.), as it can also incentivize users into switching to the Chromium-based Edge.
Further reading: Microsoft's Malware-Like Aggressive Push To Promote Its Edge Browser Is Angering People