Shocking News about IE Death, A 25-year-old veteran of the Internet, Internet Explorer will finally be put out to pasture in 2022.
Microsoft has been trying to move away from IE (and all the jokes about the buggy browser) since 2015 when it released the new Edge browser. But almost all of us know someone maybe that family member who always calls for tech support. who refuses to let go of the magic button on their desktop that connects them to the Internet.
In the announcement on Microsoft’s blog, Microsoft said they will be transitioning away from Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022.
In response, WordPress will be dropping support for Internet Explorer with the next version. WordPress 5.8, due out in July 2021.
The death of IE will make a huge difference for companies that provide support for their services. Users who rely on (often older versions) of Internet Explorer discover that websites don’t always function as intended, but often these users are less tech-savvy and are hesitant to install a newer or different browser. The shift to Edge will also help website designers who have to ensure their designs or functionality works in all current browsers. Once IE is deprecated, customer support staff and engineers will no longer have to worry about the IE holdouts.
For IE holdouts, you have a year to switch either to Microsoft Edge (which comes with Windows 10 and will have an Internet Explorer mode), or to another current browser such as Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox.
Easy peasy, right? For individuals, it’s as simple as downloading a new browser. As Microsoft acknowledges, some companies or nonprofit organizations may still be running Internet Explorer, or have legacy IE-based websites and apps.
Microsoft reassures such organizations that Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge will be supported through at least 2029. If you need more information about how to migrate systems and apps, there are additional links within the announcement from Microsoft.