A look back at Internet Explorer as Microsoft retires it from service

In this article we look at how the browser came about and its highlights

For most it was their first ever web browser, but after 27 years Microsoft has decided to finally bring Internet Explorer to end of life after what has been a long delayed retirement.

The plans to retire the browser were made last year, making Internet Explorer 11 its final version.

For some people, the browser will take them on a happy trip down memory lane, but for others it may be remembered for crashes and slow loading web pages.

But how did it come about, and what were it's highlights? Well in this article that's what we are going to take a look at.

When was it released?

The veteran web browser was released with Windows 95 back in 1995.

It became one of the most popular tools for getting onto the internet and at the time was known as IE 1.0, although by November they released version 2.0 for Windows' 32 bit operating systems.

This was the release that saw the introduction of browser cookies and, due to the popularity of the browser, a third version was launched in 1996.

This version added Windows Media Player, Internet Mail and News as well as a program that allowed users to view GIF's and JPEG'S.

Of course, multiple version of IE were released as the years went on and changes were made. For example, version 4 in 1997 saw Internet Mail and News replaced with Outlook Express, whilst the release of version 6 in 2001 saw more privacy and security options.

Version 6 became the primary browser until 2006 which saw the introduction of IE 7, with the last version, IE 11, being launched in 2013.

This included features built for touch screens such as those on smartphones and tablets.

But the downfall of Internet Explorer began in 2016, when Microsoft announced it would discontinue its technical support for all versions of the browser except 11.

This move came as the tech giant decided to make Edge its preferred browser, which too was launched in 2016.

The discontinuation came as web functionality developed with video streaming and other services.

Despite getting updates, Internet Explorer lagged behind rivals such as Mozilla Firefox in 2004 and Google Chrome in 2008.

And in 2021 it was announced that Internet Explorer would be retired in 2022 after Microsoft phased out the old browser for several years.

What happens now?

Well, anyone who now tries to use the desktop browser simply won't be able to use it and will instead be redirected to Edge.

Microsoft said in a blog: "Customers are encouraged to move to Microsoft Edge, which provides support for legacy and modern websites and apps. For organisations with a dependency on legacy Internet Explorer-based sites and apps, sites will need to be configured to open in Microsoft Edge using Internet Explorer (IE) mode."