A Eulogy to Internet Explorer

By Holly Westerfield

When Microsoft introduced Internet Explorer in 1995, it changed the game forever. It set the industry standard that people shouldn’t have to pay for a browser, it was the first to offer commercial support for CSS, and it shaped the way the internet still uses JavaScript and Document Object Models (DOM). At its peak, Internet Explorer was used by 95% of people using the internet.   

Unfortunately, nothing can last forever. Microsoft officially retired Internet explorer in 2022, but the program remained semi-functional on some older PCs worldwide. However, this will soon no longer be the case. Upcoming updates from Microsoft will permanently disable Internet Explorer 11 on any Windows computer that still has its ghostly remains installed.  

But what does this mean for you? 

Well, it means if you are still using Internet Explorer on your computer, you will be moving to Microsoft Edge or another browser soon. We recommend using Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari to run PASS Tools or to take a PASS Training course.