The Decline of Internet Explorer: Why It’s Time to Move On
A Legacy of Inadequacy
Internet Explorer, once the dominant force in the world of web browsers, has become a relic of the past. Despite being installed by default on Windows 10 computers, its popularity has dwindled significantly, with a mere 1.8% of users still clinging to this outdated browser. But why has IE fallen so far behind?
A Brief History
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to 1995, when Microsoft first released Internet Explorer. With minimal competition from other browsers, IE quickly became the go-to choice for web surfers. However, as the years went by, Microsoft failed to keep pace with the evolving web landscape, leading to a plethora of quirks and inconsistencies that frustrated users and developers alike.
The Rise of Better Browsers
The advent of Google Chrome (2008), Firefox (2002), and Safari (2003) marked a significant shift in the browser market. These newer browsers offered better features, user interfaces, accessibility, and browsing speeds, leaving IE in the dust. Today, it’s clear that IE is no longer a viable option for those who want to stay ahead of the curve.
Reasons to Abandon IE
So, what’s holding you back from ditching IE for good? Here are just a few compelling reasons:
- Missing Features: JavaScript, a crucial programming language, is severely limited in IE. The lack of support for modern JavaScript features makes it difficult to build great websites that work seamlessly across all browsers.
- HTML and CSS Inadequacies: IE lacks support for many recent HTML and CSS features, forcing developers to invest significant time and effort into making their websites compatible with this outdated browser.
- Browser APIs: While some web APIs can be supported using polyfills, many others cannot, leaving IE users in the dark.
- Dev Tools: IE’s developer tools are sluggish and inadequate, making it challenging for developers to troubleshoot issues.
- Performance Issues: IE’s inability to support the latest JavaScript version leads to performance problems, making it a security risk.
- Security Concerns: Since 2016, IE has been plagued by major security issues, putting users at risk.
- Lack of Updates: IE 10 is considered dead, and IE 11’s extended support ends in October 2025. The update rate is slow, and when they do come, they’re often related to security rather than new features.
Microsoft’s Abandonment
Why should you continue to use a tool that its creator has abandoned? Microsoft strongly recommends switching to Edge, a faster, more modern alternative. The company announced in 2015 that all the latest features and updates would only be available in Edge.
The Cost of Supporting IE
Supporting IE comes at a tremendous cost, not just in terms of labor but also in opportunity. By continuing to support this outdated browser, you’re limiting your ability to take advantage of modern web features and technologies.
Big Companies Have Moved On
Many big tech companies, including Dev.to, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Zendesk, Atlassian, YouTube, Meetup, Slack, Trello, Discord, Spotify, and Yahoo, have abandoned IE. It’s time for you to do the same.
What’s Next?
It’s time to bid farewell to Internet Explorer and embrace the future of the web. As users and creators, we should strive for efficiency and progress, not inefficiency and stagnation.