Farewell (again) to Microsoft's Internet Explorer
Microsoft's Internet Explorer will finally be retired next year after more than 26 years of service, the tech giant says.
The tech giant has been phasing out the old browser for several years - but in 2019 it had to issue an emergency patch for it, for security reasons.
Some very old websites - and crucially, internal company web-based tools - were built on older web technology, which modern browsers have trouble processing.
In a blog, Microsoft Edge programme manager Sean Lyndersay wrote that the newer browser was "a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience", and was also now better able to handle older applications.
In a separate post dealing with questions, Microsoft clarified that there would be some exceptions to the retirement, including on older versions of Windows.
Between 2000 and 2005, Internet Explorer enjoyed a 90% market share (Google Chrome is the most used browser today). But in 2013 Microsoft was fined €561m ($731m; £484m at the time) for failing to promote alternative browsers within its Windows operating system.
