Transitioning from one popular product that was once the de facto leader of the market, to another product, is not an easy task.
For Microsoft, it's an extremely daunting process.
After winning the first browser war against Netscape Navigator, and winning the market without any worthy opponent, Microsoft was the leader in the browser market. But later, after Google, Mozilla and others started creating their own respective browsers, Internet Explorer was rendered obsolete.
Not only that it failed to keep up with the fast-paced internet world that was developing, Microsoft also failed to keep tabs on competitors.
Sooner than later, Internet Explorer started to be considered a relic. Microsoft again tried to regain its throne by betting its luck with the introduction of the Edge, a browser that is then successful.
Having accomplished that mission, Microsoft is finally ready to kill Internet Explorer for good
On 15th of June, 2022, Microsoft finally excluded the browser from its Microsoft Windows line of operating systems.
What this means, full support for Internet Explorer is discontinued, including its legacy.
For users, the desktop application of Internet Explorer 11 reached end of support for consumer versions of Windows 10, with Microsoft redirecting Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge.
This marks the end of Internet Explorer's existence.
At this time, users still receive Internet Explorer 11 support, if they're using Windows Server 2022 or an earlier operating system release with a long-term service extension.
But the announcement is to official mark the effective end of software updates for most people.
In its place, Microsoft recommends Internet Explorer users to migrate to Edge and use the built-in "Internet Explorer mode" which enables support for legacy internet applications.
It's worth noting though, that the Edge browser's Internet Explorer Mode is still supported to at least 2029.
The news marks the end to the bittersweet chapter in Microsoft's history.
Internet Explorer was launched alongside Windows 95, and was the product that offered the first taste of the web to many people who hadn't already used early browsers like Netscape Navigator.
Internet Explorer played a key role in popularizing the internet, and for some became synonymous with going online.
Microsoft literally owned the browser market with Internet Explorer with 95% usage share by 2003.
The end of Internet Explorer shouldn't affect most users, since in 2022, its share in the browser market is only a measly 0.38%.
Responding to the news, many developers couldn't be more pleased. And in particular, was a Korean software engineer who couldn’t pass up an opportunity to dunk on Microsoft’s now-defunct Internet Explorer web browser.
Jung Ki-young decided to commemorate Internet Explorer’s demise by spending $330 on a headstone.
He then put the memorial went on show at a café run by his brother in the southern city of Gyeongju. And when the photo was published to social media platforms, the tombstone quickly went viral.
Jung said that the memorial showed his mixed feelings for the older software, which had played such a big part in his working life.
"It was a pain in the ass, but I would call it a love-hate relationship because Explorer itself once dominated an era," he said in an interview.
Jung said that he used to work to ensure that his websites and online apps worked in Internet Explorer. This happened because his clients kept asking him to make sure their websites looked good in Internet Explorer, which remained the default browser in South Korean government offices and many banks for years.
And with the web browser's life ending, Jung said he wanted to give people a laugh with the gravestone.
Jung was surprised about how far the joke went online.
"That’s another reason for me to thank the Explorer, it has now allowed me to make a world-class joke," he said. "I regret that it’s gone, but won’t miss it. So its retirement, to me, is a good death."
Further reading: The Brief History Of Microsoft Internet Explorer And Google Chrome: A War For Monopoly