Internet Explorer: Microsoft's Troubled Browser Retires
Microsoft this week announced the demise of Internet Explorer. Let's reflect on how it evolved over the years.
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Microsoft announced this week that it will be moving Internet Explorer to the Recycle Bin. When millions of users download Windows 10 for the first time, they will find that the familiar browser has been swapped for a more modern replacement. Internet Explorer will continue to be available for enterprise customers who require legacy browser support.
The new browser, which will connect most Windows 10 users to the Internet, is currently entitled "Project Spartan" but Microsoft is conducting research to determine a permanent name by the time the OS launches in summer 2015. The new browser is promised to be speedy, light, and packed with features -- all qualities rarely associated with its predecessor. Its older counterpart will continue to exist for mostly business purposes.
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Although plenty of Web surfers were (and still are) quick to describe Internet Explorer as clunky and slow -- especially compared with competitors Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox -- it did transform the way we use the Internet. Thanks to Microsoft's enormous footprint, Internet Explorer is used by millions and remains among the most popular browsers in the world.
After its first official launch in 1995, Internet Explorer continued to evolve along with new technologies over the following 18 years. It was released in 11 different editions with various upgrades in between. Many of us watched as the browser evolved to incorporate fixes to security flaws, integrate multimedia capabilities, and more closely resemble the OS themes that changed along with it.
Despite the many changes made to Internet Explorer over the years, it couldn't maintain the pace of rapidly growing competitors Firefox and Chrome. While Internet Explorer claimed more than 90% of the browser market in its heyday, failure to innovate ultimately caused its demise. Microsoft tried to catch up but was never able to reclaim the share it once had.
Microsoft has transformed its focus under CEO Satya Nadella, moving towards a faster, more mobile, and cloud-based world. Internet Explorer no longer fits in that picture and will be pushed to the side as a new browser becomes part of the Windows 10 foundation.
Internet Explorer may not be dead yet, but it will be used by far fewer people going forward. Let's take a look back at how the browser has evolved over the years, the many editions that were released, and the features that accompanied each one.
The first version of Internet Explorer, or IE1, launched alongside Windows 95 in 1995. It wasn't a wholly original product, but a redeveloped version of the Web browser Mosaic, which came from Microsoft's partner company Spyglass. The browser had a simple goal: Connect people to the Internet. At launch time, the IE team consisted of just six members.
IE1 retailed in Microsoft Plus! add-on packages for Windows 95, but was also available pre-installed on Windows 95 machines. Despite a smooth integration with Microsoft's OS, few customers used it. Many preferred the Netscape browser that was also available at the time.
The second iteration of IE launched shortly after the original, in November 1995. At this time, Netscape Navigator still controlled the bulk of the market, and Microsoft was making a strong effort to attract its users. The upgraded IE brought support for browser cookies, Internet newsgroups, and SSL.
This version of IE was the first to release a Mac-compatible version, which launched in 1996. Internet Explorer 2 improved stability and support for QuickTime VR on the Mac OS.
Microsoft stepped up its game with IE 3.0, which was the first version of Internet Explorer to separate from the code foundation of Spyglass Mosaic and prove competitive with Netscape Navigator. The upgrade launched in August 1996 for Windows; a version for Mac OS released 6 months later. By this time, the IE team had grown to 100 members.
IE 3 brought a new, more appealing user interface and the famous "e" logo. Additional features included video and audio multimedia support, Internet Mail, News 1.0, Windows Address Book, and some CSS support. The design also supported a reverse-engineered JavaScript (Jscript) and ActiveX. IE 3 boosted the browser's popularity and brought Microsoft into the public spotlight.
Although this version no longer relied on Spyglass source code, it still integrated some aspects of its technology. This resulted in a royalties lawsuit between Spyglass and Microsoft, which ultimately ended in Microsoft coughing up $8 million.
IE 4.0 launched in October 1997 with compatibility for Windows 95, 98, and NT. It added support for Dynamic HTML, which enabled more interactive Web pages, in addition to Windows Desktop Update, Frontpage Express, and Active Desktop, which allowed users to customize their UI for Windows.
Bundling the browser with its Windows OS proved a boon for Microsoft, which saw IE marketshare skyrocket, but it also prompted further legal trouble. Competing browsers had to be downloaded off the Internet, a very slow process at the time. Others claimed that the deep integration of IE with Windows was giving Microsoft a monopoly on the market, which eventually culminated in an antitrust lawsuit case between the US Department of Justice and Microsoft. The DoJ did not require changes to Microsoft code or prevent future ties between Windows and other software.
IE 5.0 released in March 1999, following developer and public previews in the preceding months. By the time of its launch, Microsoft was pouring at least $100 million per year into the browser, which was undergoing development by a 1,000-member team.
This version built upon the capabilities of IE 4.0 to create a faster, more appealing browser with a collection of Internet apps. Additions included XMLHttpRequest and HTML Application. It was the last version of IE to launch in a 16-bit version and to work with the Mac OS. By the end of its term, its integration with Windows helped IE 5 take more than 80% of marketshare.
Internet Explorer 5.5 later released in June 2000 to address bugs and security flaws.
IE 6.0 launched in August 2001 with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Updates included a visual XP-like makeover with updated "e" logo, Windows Messenger integration, Internet Explorer Administration Kit, and automatic image resizing. It also bugs that were present in IE 5 and improved support for CSS.
Despite its improvements, most people thought the browser was lousy. It's largely associated with its design-related security flaws. In 2006, PC World named IE 6 one of its "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time."
Following a five-year hiatus, Microsoft launched IE 7 in October 2006 along with Windows Vista, and as a replacement for IE 6 on Windows XP. The break may have been too long, since it allowed new competitor Mozilla Firefox to jump into the browser space and prove a threat.
In IE 7, Microsoft focused on simplifying user tasks, improving Web management, and enhancing security. The upgrade brought a new look and additional features like phishing protection, a feed reader, better Active Directory support, a search box, and browser tabs.
Microsoft cut its next development window in half, bringing IE 8 to market just 2.5 years after IE 7. The upgrade included stronger security offerings, better standards support, accelerators, suggested Web pages, and improved stability and efficiency. It was the first version to allow downloads larger than 4GB.
Despite enhancements, IE 8 didn't prove a big threat to competing browsers Firefox and Google Chrome.
Touted as "The Beauty of the Web," IE 9 claimed to enhance Internet browsing by adding more pixels to each site. It was the first IE to launch on its own, without ties to an OS.
Other features included "pinned sites," which enabled users to select frequently visited pages from the desktop, and the ability to pull tabs to create separate windows. It also brought added support for HTML5, a greater focus on CSS3 and XHTML, and other performance-related qualities.
IE 10 was developed solely for use on Windows 8 and launched in two versions: one for use on desktops and notebooks, and another for tablets.
This version came accompanied with Adobe Flash Player for the desktop iteration, though some features associated with Flash were not included in the tablet edition. IE10 for Windows 8 tablets didn't support many plug-ins. Users didn't have an overwhelmingly positive response, but their perception was likely tainted by widespread negative feelings towards Windows 8.
The last Internet Explorer browser to launch, IE 11 hit the market alongside Windows 8.1. It was considered comparable to Chrome and Firefox, but never quite achieved the dominance it once had. Following this version, Internet Explorer will be replaced for millions of Windows users with Project Spartan, which has yet to receive an official name. Internet Explorer will continue to be available to businesses that need it.
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