Internet Explorer- End Of An Era!

 Whether you like it or not, Internet Explorer has evolved. And with it, a rich legacy that altered the way we surfed the internet.

Microsoft will ultimately discontinue the much criticised Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022.

It did, however, expose the internet to millions of people in spite of its critiques.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Windows dominated personal computers, and the built-in browser followed suit.

But as time went by, superior substitutes like Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome appeared.

Eventually, even Microsoft created a new browser named Microsoft Edge to take the place of Internet Explorer as the default browser for Windows.

So, as a final farewell, let us revisit the software that was Internet Explorer (IE).

In 1994, Thomas Reardon utilised the Mosaic browser's source code to create the initial iteration of Internet Explorer. Mosaic was a product of Spyglass, Inc.

Then, Spyglass, Inc. granted Microsoft a licence to use this software in exchange for a quarterly fee and royalties from its non-Windows sales.

The initial version of Internet Explorer was released by Microsoft and included with the Microsoft Plus! expansion pack for Windows 95.

The original six-person team later added to the browser's functionality to produce Internet Explorer 1.5, which is currently a free download for all Windows operating systems.

Spyglass decided to sue Microsoft as a result since this action inadvertently broke their contract.

The former was convinced they didn't need to audit Microsoft to calculate its Windows sales, while the latter resolved the complaint for $8 million.

The second iteration of Microsoft's web browser was also the first to support Apple Macintosh and PowerPC processors.

In order to accommodate up to 24 languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, Microsoft also created Internet Explorer 2.

Other features from IE2 that are still in use today include bookmarks, SMTP and POP protocols, HTTP cookies, SSL protocols, and HTTP cookies.

Despite the fact that Windows came with IE1 and IE2, Microsoft was unable to unseat Netscape Navigator as the leading browser.

But the latter was eventually dealt a fatal blow with the 1996 introduction of IE3.

As with this version, Netscape plugins are supported, enabling users to fully personalise their browser.

Additionally, it was the first version of the IE browser to support ActiveX and frames, two modern technologies.

The first time the desktop experience and the internet were combined in Internet Explorer, Windows' Active Desktop feature was made possible.

This feature is comparable to Windows 11's Widgets, which let users utilise Internet Explorer 4 to bring internet information to their desktop.

The US government sued Microsoft for its monopolistic activities, which included bundling IE with Windows and making it more challenging to install other browsers like Netscape Navigator and Opera, during its introduction, which ignited the first round of the browser wars.

Microsoft asked for and was allowed an appeal by the US Supreme Court for a lighter punishment, despite the fact that it lost the case at the district trial, where the court ordered a split up of Microsoft.

After consulting with the DOJ, Microsoft resolved the dispute.Government regulations mandate that the former disclose its API with outside businesses.

Although IE5 didn't provide any new essential features to the browser, it was a little upgrade over IE4.

With compatibility for Windows 3.1, Windows NT 3.0, Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Solaris, and HP-UX, the IE browser also boasted the broadest range of operating systems.

It was initially offered with Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, and Windows ME as well, but was quickly replaced by IE6.

Prior to the introduction of the new version, this browser claimed to have up to 80% of the market share.

With a market share of 90%, this version of Internet Explorer rose to become one of the most widely used browsers ever.

Microsoft provided 95% of all browsers used worldwide at its height, if you count other versions of IE. This solidified Microsoft's victory in the first browser wars.

In spite of this, this is the version where the facade started to fracture.

Multiple fixes were needed to address the major security flaws in Internet Explorer 6.

Despite the fact that these issues weren't specific to IE, the huge market share of this browser made it the most troubled.

Additionally, it had a number of problems, making it less effective than browsers that were rivals.

Part of them were so terrible that if a website contained some of the code, IE would crash.All these problems caused Mozilla Firefox to emerge as a superior alternative in 2004, and it has since engaged in fierce competition with Microsoft, releasing its 100th edition in May 2022.

Tabs were first introduced to popular browsers by Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer 7 followed suit. This time, though, you can preview all of your open tabs and manipulate your tabs by dragging and dropping.

Microsoft increased security by limiting IE's read-write capabilities to the user profile and decreasing its integrity. This makes sure that any security flaws that go unnoticed or unfixed won't have a big impact on the user.

Additionally, IE7 is the first browser to provide Delete Browsing History, which allows you to quickly remove your cache, history, cookies, stored data, and passwords. If you're using a public computer or internet café, you may then use this to clean your browser's data.

Windows Vista and Windows XP Service Pack 2 are both compatible with this version of IE. Additionally, Windows 7 comes with it. By adding a number of new features, the browser improves stability, privacy, and security even more.

Some of these are Automatic Tab-Crash Recovery, which makes sure that just the particular tab is impacted when a web page crashes—not the entire browser window—and InPrivate surfing, which enables you to browse the internet without leaving any traces in your browser.

Additionally, it contains a number of little upgrades like Accelerators, Favorites Bar, SmartScreen Filters, and others that provide for a smooth user experience.

It was only available for a year before the subsequent version of Internet Explorer took its place.

Nevertheless, it brought with it a number of improvements.

These include a cleaner user interface, a quicker JavaScript engine, better CSS support, compatibility with different HTML5 elements, and many layers of malware defence.

IE9 still works with Windows Vista and Windows 7, but no longer supports Windows XP.

The Metro design language of Windows 8 is the main focus of IE10's development. However, Windows Vista is no longer supported, although it is still compatible with Windows 7.

There aren't many new features in this incremental update to the last Internet Explorer version. However, this version's one standout feature was its integration of Adobe Flash, which made it possible for improved security, less power consumption, and speed when websites contain Flash content.

The final version of Internet Explorer to be released, IE11, has significantly improved performance despite the fact that no new, noteworthy features have been introduced.

Although IE6's poor performance led many people to believe that Internet Explorer is sluggish and jerky, things have since improved.

In three of four tests in a SitePoint benchmark from 2013, Internet Explorer 11 outperformed Chrome 30 and Firefox 26.

2015 saw the addition of yet another SitePoint test that contrasted IE11 with Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.

This time, IE11 performed poorly in two of the three tests, but it still placed second in the third, despite the fact that Microsoft Edge is now the browser being actively developed in place of IE.

When Microsoft Edge was introduced in 2015, Internet Explorer was no longer being actively developed, although the firm continued to support IE until 2022.

This is due to the fact that Microsoft was forced to provide support for it for seven years, giving business clients more than ample time to convert to Microsoft Edge.

FAREWELL

With installations across various Windows operating systems ranging from Windows 3.1 to Windows 10, Internet Explorer has a remarkable 28-year lifespan.

We cannot overlook the enormous significance of IE6's legacy, despite the fact that the internet browser currently has a terrible image due mostly to the shortcomings of IE6 when it was at its best.

A number of features that are still in use today were introduced by this browser, including as cookies, SSL protocols, automatic tab-crash recovery, and more.

We also cannot ignore the fact that at least three generations first encountered the internet using Internet Explorer, despite its flaws.