For years, Internet Explorer was the go-to browser for all our online activities, be it streaming shows, playing games, or communicating with loved ones.
Sadly, the browser officially ‘retired’ on Wednesday (15 Jun), spelling the end of its 27-year run.
Folks who’ve been around since its heyday marked the news with genuine nostalgia and witty jokes.
In South Korea, a tombstone was even erected with the words “He was a good tool to download other browsers” engraved on it.
Perhaps in an update that was a long time coming, The Straits Times (ST) reported that Internet Explorer (IE) has officially retired on Wednesday (15 Jun).
Following that, Microsoft will no longer offer fixes or updates to the existing version.
Users who try to open the browser will be directed to its replacement instead, Microsoft Edge.
Though IE was the most widely used browser in the early 2000s, new alternatives like FireFox and Google Chrome soon overshadowed it.
According to Aljazeera, Google Chrome overtook IE as the browser with the highest global usage in 2012.
By the start of 2022, IE users made up less than 1% of web users across all platforms.
While IE’s retirement may seem like big news, some netizens who may have seen it coming commemorated the occasion through sarcastic remarks.
One Twitter user joked that it took 27 years “to finally shut down”, as though making a jab at the browser’s speed.
Source: @hohpovhoe on Twitter
Another user lamented that IE “died” because people ignored it. They mourned the sad fate, claiming that Microsoft Edge was better.
Source: @teddy_fanclub on Twitter
Some shared memes for the occasion. This one shows other browsers attending IE’s funeral.
Source: @MilgateTyler on Twitter
In South Korea, a tombstone was erected in honour of the iconic browser.
Source: @ksoonson on Twitter
It even had the browser’s birth and death date on it.
Internet Explorer came into existence in 1995 when the mainstream crowd was still learning about the Internet.
Just as how the Internet has come a long way since then, browsers and preferences for them have evolved too.
IE’s retirement while sad, is perhaps necessary. RIP Internet Explorer, and thank you for your service.
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Featured image adapted from @ksoonson on Twitter.
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