For most of its life, Internet Explorer failed us. Today, it feels like we failed Internet Explorer.
Microsoft updated both Windows and its websitetoday to mark the official death of Internet Explorer 26 years after it first graced our boxy, little Windows 95 PCs. If you try to download or use the browser, Microsoft will now nudge you towards Edge (its new default browser) instead.
Tweet may have been deleted
The browser's death is not a surprise nor is it especially inconvenient for a large majority of internet users in 2022. Microsoft started ringing the death knellfor its old internet portal last year. Web analytics site Statcounter (as noted by The Verge) indicates that, by its death, IE usage had dropped to less than 1 percent of total browser market share. The world functionally decided it was dead long before Microsoft did.
Microsoft's digital gravestone for Internet Explorer.Credit: MicrosoftTweet may have been deleted
I’m not here to dance on Internet Explorer’s grave, though. Yes, for much of its existence, IE was one of the worst browsersyou could use. Depending on the year and what you were doing with it, some sites wouldn’t even display correctly, or you’d get dozens of pop-ups, or even open up your Windows XP machine to a barrage of viruses. PC users of a certain age may recall loading up IE after a parent or grandparent used it to find seven illegitimate browser toolbarstaking up half the screen because of malware.
Tweet may have been deleted
Having said all that, though, it’s also worth remembering IE as the first door to the internet for a lot of people (if they didn't use Netscape Navigator first) because it was pre-installed on everyWindows PC from 1995 onwards. I had done a little bit of web-surfing using the awful built-in AOL browser as a kid, but once my family moved on from dial-up and the internet became accessible, IE was how I jumped into it. Watching early viral meme content on eBaum’s World before I understood that much of it was stolen without credit, playing RuneScape, or looking up cheat codes for video games (remember those?) were all formative experiences for me that were enabled by IE.
SEE ALSO:12 Chrome extensions that will help you save timeAnd like a lot of like-minded individuals I knew at the time (read: nerds), we all realized IE kind of sucked and moved on to Firefox or Opera, and eventually Chrome. Internet users, collectively, didn’t owe IE anything. It died because of meritocracy, as even its parent company eventually released a much better browser in Edge.
Tweet may have been deleted
Good memories aren’t an adequate substitute for good performance and security. But they are indicative of Internet Explorer’s cultural importance for people who grew up alongside the internet, watching it go from a digital Wild West to the all-encompassing cyber-hell we know and love today.
Rest in peace, you beautiful, broken browser.
TopicsMicrosoft
(责任编辑：綜合)
WhatsApp announces plans to share user data with Facebook
Kris Jenner stopped by 'The Ellen Show' to discuss her blooming love life
Adorable cat brothers reunited thanks to Tinder
Gift bag meant for Oscar nominees includes a pelvic floor exercise trackerSnapchat is about to explode in popularity, report saysDressage horse dancing to 'Smooth' by Santana wins gold for chillest horse
Okay forget everyone else -- this horse named Lorenzo is our favorite Olympic athlete now.
。Lorenzo,
...[详细]Adorably weird shruggie dog gets an equally weird Photoshop battle
A photo of a weird dog captured in an awkward moment stole the internet's heart, then Redditors quic
...[详细]Frugal person escapes burning bus, then returns to 'tap off' travel card, and fair enough
Public transport systems around the world require people to "tap off" their travel cards when exitin
...[详细]Peter Thiel company reportedly helped NSA spy program
Peter Thiel is a man who enjoys both the having of cake and the putting of that cake into the larges
...[详细]SINGAPORE -- Getting stuff done at the bank often involves having to waste part of your day standing
...[详细]Brain scans help predict the stories we're most likely to share
Sharing information has never been easier. Tap a button or click a mouse and you can tell hundreds o
...[详细]Modular phones aren't quite dead yet, but the Alcatel A5 doesn't impress
Modular phones were supposed to be the next big thing in mobile. But interest in phones with swappab
...[详细]Moana and Maui outwit a giant eight
The underworld of Moanais dark and full of terrors -- one of which we never got to see before now.In
...[详细]'Rocket League' Championship Series Season 2 offers $250,000 prize pool
Rocket League 。's competitive scene is just getting started.。The
。 Rocket League 。Championship Series i
...[详细]How 'Moonlight' made Oscars history
Moonlight's big night at the Oscars was a historic night and not just for the stunning way in which
...[详细]17 questions you can answer if you're a good communicator
Please enjoy the many faces of Beyoncé, Jay Z and Blue Ivy at the NBA All
