After almost 30 years, Microsoft is no longer supporting Internet Explorer.
As of Wednesday, June 15, Microsoft has officially axed the once-dominant browser that launched in 1995 - making the application tech history.
This may not seem like a shock as the Microsoft company made clear last year that it was planning to put an end to Internet Explorer. Now more people can use Microsoft’s Edge browser instead.
Sean Lyndersay, general manager of Microsoft Edge Enterprise, wrote in a May 2021 blog post: "Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure, and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications."
Per Sky News, the explorer browser was packaged with Microsoft's Windows operating system and quickly evolved into the web's most used browser. By 2003, it accumulated a share of 95 percent.
The browser had to be installed on to computers using a CD-rom and was the gateway to the internet era for people in the 90s and early 2000s. Microsoft heavily dominated the tech world long before the emergence of Google, Facebook, and TikTok.
While the web browser developed with video streaming and other services, despite its updates, Internet Explorer still crawled behind tech rivals like Mozilla Firefox in 2004 and Google Chrome in 2008.
Internet Explorer was soon dethroned by Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge - which since its debut in 2015, the browser uses about 4 percent of all web traffic today.
As reported by Sky News, Chrome's rise is somewhat due to mobile browsing conquering the web. Both Chrome and Apple's browser Safari have managed to thrive with approximately 65 percent and 25 percent of the market share respectively.
While it is the end of an era, Internet Explorer's legacy is sure to live on after its retirement, as it came pre-installed on Windows computers for more than two decades.
Per BBC News, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced in 1995 that the launch of Windows 95 had Internet Explorer installed and it would be a factor in the technology giant's plans to ride the "internet tidal wave".
Decades later, Internet Explorer is set to be remembered as one of the key tools that shaped the way the internet is used and accessed today.