As of yesterday (January 12th, 2016), Microsoft will no longer offer support and security updates for several versions of Internet Explorer running on various versions of Windows.
Internet Explorer versions 8, 9, and 10 will no longer be supported on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 desktop operating systems. This is less of an issue for the latter two, as these operating systems shipped with Internet Explorer 11.
Statistics shown by Netmarketshare claim that, 4.18% of users are still using IE 10, 6.67% are using IE 9, and 8.95% are using IE 8. This means that roughly 20% of all desktop users will become susceptible to spyware, viruses and hacks if they don’t upgrade. Microsoft has stated it will alert users of old IE versions with a nagging notice, prompting them to upgrade their browser.
The Downfall
When Internet Explorer versions 9 and 10 were released, IE was no longer the dominant browser. The combined market share of Firefox and Chrome, as well as other browsers like Safari and Opera, had finally overtaken. Newer versions of IE (9,10), while performing better than previous ones, still often displayed websites incorrectly, and continued to take up extra development time.
The latest offerings from Microsoft, IE11 and Edge, gave them a boost and brought them back in line with browsers like Chrome and Firefox. But the damage was already done, and consumers had learned and realised to avoid the IE brand.
IE versions 8, 9, and 10 mark the end of an era. While consumers may shrug and web developers may cheer at its demise, IE and its little blue ‘e’ will be a brand that wont be forgotton.
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