That’s it for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser—mostly.
The tech giant issued a reminder that it plans to stop supporting old versions of the browser beginning next week. As of Jan. 12, Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10 will no longer receive technical support or security updates, leaving any laggards who fail to upgrade with antique software and poor protection against computer bugs and hackers.
Users who boot up an old version of the browser on Tuesday will be greeted with a message urging them to upgrade either to Internet Explorer 11, or to the company’s new Edge web browser. A final patch, to be issued that day, will consist of final code fixes for the elder browsers as well as the aforementioned notification, which will prompt users to download alternative software.
(Stubborn users, note that this pop-up can be deactivated.)
WATCH: For more on Microsoft’s Edge browser see our Coins2Day video.
Microsoft (MSFT) first announced the “end of life” date for these versions of Internet Explorer as early as August 2014. In March, the company demoted the browser to the status of a “legacy engine,” as the Verge then noted. In other words, the company is keeping a version of the browser—Internet Explorer 11—on the books mostly to placate big corporate customers and satisfy their software compatibility needs.
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Next week’s browser retirement day represents Microsoft’s latest volley in the fight to regain market share from the competition, namely Google (GOOG). Indeed, the Edge browser—a component of Windows 10, the company’s latest operating system—can be read as a direct response to the search giant’s increasingly dominant Chrome browser.
So mark your calendars for Tuesday. And laggards, prepare to be nagged.
