Microsoft shuts down Internet Explorer after 27 years

After 27 years, Microsoft is finally shutting down its oldest browser - the Internet Explorer (IE) - on Wednesday. The once-dominant browser that several web users loved to hate is now joining the BlackBerry phones, and flip phones that could not revive their tech fortunes. The company had been releasing warnings about the shutdown since March. Microsoft is now asking its users to switch to its 'Edge browser' - which is known to give a faster and more secure browsing experience.

According to a report by Mashable, after the desktop app goes out of support, Microsoft will push out a Windows Update that completely removes Internet Explorer from Windows 10 devices altogether and redirects users to Edge if they try to access the app.

However, the IE 11 desktop applications on other Windows versions including Windows 8.1, Windows 7 ESU, Windows SAC, or Windows 10 IoT LTSC will remain unchanged.

First released in 1995 as an add-on package for Windows 95, the browser is being discontinued mainly due to its declining users. While the browser had reached around 95 percent of users in 2003, the position declined gradually as new and faster competitors entered the tech market. Several users began complaining that IE was slow, prone to crashing, and vulnerable to hacks.

Meanwhile, as Microsoft has managed to establish its Microsoft Edge browser, it still does not have a large market share. Currently, the Chrome browser dominates around 65 percent share of the worldwide browser market, followed by Apple's Safari with 19 percent, according to internet analytics company Statcounter, reported news agency AP.