Microsoft Internet Explorer was sent to the technology retirement home in 2015, but four years later, the company’s cybersecurity specialist is warning diehard fans that it really is time to switch to a new browser.
The reason? There’s a big, beautiful Internet out there, but Internet Explorer users are likely missing out on a lot of experiences that aren’t tailored to the browser.
In a post called “The perils of using Internet Explorer as your default browser,” Microsoft’s Chris Jackson said everyone should stop using Internet Explorer. He even stripped the longtime browser of its status and instead referred to it as a “compatibility solution.”
“We’re not supporting new web standards for it and, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren’t testing for Internet Explorer these days. They’re testing on modern browsers,” said Jackson. “So, if we continued our previous approach, you would end up in a scenario where, by optimizing for the things you have, you end up not being able to use new apps as they come out. As new apps are coming out with greater frequency, what we want to help you do is avoid having to miss out on a progressively larger portion of the web!”
While Microsoft really wants to retire the legacy product once and for all, Jackson said it’s fine to use Internet Explorer for certain enterprise solutions, however even then, it should not be relied on as a main browser. While plenty of companies have made the switch, some professions with lean IT departments, such as healthcare, still have questions about the browser.
Microsoft Edge was introduced as the successor and made its debut with Windows 10. The software maker is working on a Chromium version of Edge that will be available for tests in the next few weeks. The new version of Edge could make a big difference for Internet Explorer holdouts, since businesses will be able to install it on certain older versions of Windows.
But if there’s one lesson here to learn, it’s that old habits—and desktop icons—die hard.