From the status of trusted ally to one of the most obsolete browsers out there, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has given us many memories – both good and bad – but it is time to say goodbye
The Internet Explorer may be the very first browser Windows users remember using, and the days of the old design may bring back nostalgic memories, but the browser is widely believed to have fallen behind in terms of functionality for quite a while. Chrome and Firefox have been long-preferred by users and many even suggest that the only purpose of Internet Explorer now is to download other, faster browsers.
All that criticism has not been lost on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and the company has been looking at the possibility of rebranding the notorious browser. Microsoft has also confirmed that the company has been working on an entirely new browser altogether, codenamed Project Spartan. What was not clear about this new browser was whether it would replace the old Internet Explorer, run side by side or be something limited to the company’s mobile space only. New reports from The Verge suggest that the decision (which not many would have lost sleep over) has been made and Internet Explorer will be scuppered in favor of the new browser.
This only means that the new browser, which has yet to be officially named (Spartan is just the codename for the project), will replace Internet Explorer as the flagship browser of Microsoft. The new browser is expected to be lighter, faster and will support Cortana integration, which will allow users to surf web pages using voice commands as well as link the browser to other Windows 10 devices.
Microsoft Internet Explorer will be phased out, although losing its flagship status represents a new low for the browser (if it can go any lower). IE will still exist in some versions of Windows 10, but its primary purpose there will be to allow for enterprise compatibility. This ironically reflects the extent of usefulness that is attributed to the vintage browser. Microsoft has tried to undertake several steps to cancel out the negative image associated with the browser, running campy ad campaigns that hoped to lighten the image. Given that the head of Internet Explorer left in December, it is possible that that decision is what spurred Microsoft to finally put the browser to bed.
The name for the new Microsoft browser is still not confirmed, but Microsoft has done some market research on the project. The research tested out the appeal of possible names accompanied by the company’s name, against the Internet Explorer. Results show that the company’s brand name added to the appeal, or perhaps it can be argued that Internet Explorer has antagonized users to the point where anything else sounds better than the browser.
It has been twenty years since the browser was first launched, and one might at least say “thanks for the memories” to the browser that served us well in the days when light, fast browsers were not the order of the day. The name is one that invokes nostalgia, but this is a step that was necessary for Microsoft to take in order to move forward and have any chance of competing in the browser market. Perhaps the new browser might even impact the search engine market, giving Microsoft’s Bing a better chance of competing against the likes of Google and Yahoo Search. For now though, we bid farewell to the Internet Explorer.
