Internet Explorer's Demise: 7 Things IT Pros Should Know
We still don't have all the answers in regards to exactly what Microsoft is planning for Internet Explorer and Project Spartan. But we know enough to get you started on building a game plan for how you'll continue to support legacy web apps moving forward.
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Make no mistake: Microsoft is trying to get rid of Internet Explorer as soon as possible. Starting with Windows 10 and beyond, Project Spartan will be the default browser. Those of us sticking with Windows 8 or earlier versions of Windows OS don't have to worry. Yet.
(Image: Windows 10 via Wikimedia Commons)
Earlier in the month, there were conflicting reports stating that Spartan would be able to load both the new Spartan Edge rendering engine as well as the legacy IE 11 engine for certain legacy uses. However, this turned out to be inaccurate. Microsoft's Kyle Pflug stated that "Project Spartan will host our new engine exclusively."
(Image: Geralt via Pixabay)
If you absolutely need Internet Explorer to run your legacy applications, make sure you go with the Windows 10 Enterprise edition. Oh, and did we mention that Windows 10 Enterprise is not eligible for the free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users?
(Image: Codename Lisa via Wikimedia Commons)
Internet Explorer is not getting past version 11. So don't expect any new innovations coming out of the browser. In fact, it's likely that Microsoft will do as little as possible to keep IE 11 patched up and running.
(Image: Geralt via Pixabay)
ActiveX is likely to be the No. 1 legacy feature that will no longer be available in the newest Microsoft browser. As far as other legacy features, browser helper objects have also been listed. Other than those two examples, there is little public discussion by Microsoft of what it considers to be "legacy." The best way to know for sure is to test the Spartan browser on your web applications and see what breaks. Fun, right?
(Image: Microsoft via Wikimedia Commons)
If you use or manage applications that will only work in the legacy version of Microsoft's browser, this is your final warning. If ever you needed a reason to finally migrate to a modern application, this would be it. The last position you want to be in is hurrying to upgrade a critical business app when Microsoft finally pulls the plug on Internet Explorer. And believe me, they're not going to wait forever.
(Image: Nemo via Pixabay)
Microsoft's plan to sunset its old browser, while still offering to keep a legacy version going, is a brilliant move. It's one the company should consider doing more often. One of Microsoft's greatest weaknesses is in its extraordinarily long legacy application support times. When new versions of Microsoft applications roll out, they are often so bogged down by legacy support code that the greatness of the product doesn't shine through.
By cutting ties completely, Spartan has a real chance at becoming a top-tier browser. And by leaving legacy support behind, we all get a chance at a fresh start in terms of web application support.
(Image: Ralph Rybak via Pixabay)
Do we have all the answers today regarding Microsoft's roadmap for Internet Explorer support? Unfortunately, we do not. On these pages, we've presented the facts as they stand today. If you still have the responsibility of supporting legacy IE-only applications, it appears that Microsoft will continue to support you. We just don't know for how long.
(Image: Geralt via Pixabay)
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The highly touted "death of Internet Explorer" may have caused feelings of jubilation among some users, but not so for enterprise IT professionals. It's more likely that the news sent terrifying shivers your spines.
It's not that enterprise IT administrators especially love IE. Rather, it's the fact that IE is the browser upon which so many legacy business applications still rely.
Microsoft is planning to ship a brand new web browser with the launch of its Windows 10 operating system. The new browser, currently named "Project Spartan," uses a completely redesigned rendering engine. This new engine that will not be backward compatible with the many legacy IE web tools that are commonly leveraged in enterprise applications, such as ActiveX, toolbars, and browser helper objects.
ActiveX is by far the biggest "gotcha" for legacy web applications. A decade ago, or more, ActiveX was a popular software framework that essentially allowed other applications to run embedded inside web pages. It was a great way to deploy complex applications via a web browser. These days, there are more elegant, reliable, and consistent ways to build and embed complex web applications, including using languages such as HTML 5 and Java Script. The problem is, large enterprises struggle when asked to forklift a legacy application onto a more modern platform. Therefore, many IT organizations are stuck with the task of keeping applications on life support using ActiveX. Most rely exclusively on Internet Explorer to accomplish this goal.
So after hearing the news regarding a potential death to Internet Explorer, many IT admins made a mad dash to their favorite search engine to figure out just how much time they have before Internet Explorer, and all of its legacy support, would remain. Unfortunately, much of the information available online turned out to be incorrect or contradictory. On the following pages, we'll attempt to fill in as many blanks for you as possible, and clear up as much of the story as we can.
We still don't have all the answers in regards to exactly what Microsoft is planning for Internet Explorer and Project Spartan. But we know enough to get you started on building a game plan for how you'll continue to support legacy web apps moving forward. If you have any new information on this topic, or questions regarding the impending death of IE, tell us all about it in the comments section below.
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