Microsoft has taken the final steps to remove the defunct Internet Explorer (IE) web browser, completing the phase-out. First released in August last year, Internet Explorer's retirement roadmap had several milestones, with browser support slowly moving away from a growing range of Microsoft services. Starting this week, Microsoft has withdrawn support for Internet Explorer for all Microsoft 365 apps, ending the timeout process. While some Microsoft 365 apps can still run through the browser, users should expect a greatly reduced experience. “Support is no longer available for Microsoft 365 apps and services in IE11,” the updated roadmap states. "Also, you shouldn't expect any new functionality when accessing Microsoft 365 apps and services in IE11 and the daily user experience can gradually worsen over time. Apps and services go offline."
Goodbye Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer has long been the butt of jokes in the tech community, ridiculed for its speed issues and clunky user interface. The decision to kill the browser, which first appeared in 1995, can be seen as an admission of its uselessness for modern users. The decline of the web browser can be attributed to its market share, which increased from a high of around 95% to a few percentage points as newer alternatives with more features emerged. To make up for lost ground, Microsoft has now placed all of its eggs in the Edge Basket. The company rebooted the browser in January 2020 and has since poured significant resources into creating new features to help Edge keep up with Firefox and Chrome. “Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013, when the online environment was much less sophisticated than it is today. Since then, open web standards and newer browsers, like the new Microsoft Edge, have enabled better and more innovative online experiences,” Microsoft wrote when announcing the IE roadmap. “We believe that Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both business and consumer contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsive web access to larger feature sets in everyday toolsets like Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and more. Yet for all its flaws and limitations, many, like this writer, will remember Internet Explorer, whose early experiences helped shape the Web. Rest in peace, old friend.