Internet Explorer

This tool helped people see the web.

It was made by a company called Microsoft. Many people used it on their computers.

At one time, almost everyone used it. It was very popular in 2003.

Later, new tools came out. These tools were called Firefox and Chrome. People started using those instead.

Microsoft made a new tool called Edge. Edge is meant to take its place.

Some old parts still work today. They help show old web pages. It was a big part of computer history.

Internet Explorer was a web browser made by Microsoft.

A web browser is a tool used to see the internet. It first came out in 1995 for Windows 95. At first, only a few people worked on it. By 1999, over 1,000 people worked on the project.

It became very popular in the early 2000s. In 2003, it had a 95% usage share. This means almost everyone used it to go online.

Later, other browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome arrived. People also began using mobile phones with Android and iOS. These new tools did not use Internet Explorer. Because of this, its use went down. Microsoft made a new browser called Microsoft Edge to take its place.

Even though it is retired, some parts still exist. Microsoft Edge has a feature called IE Mode. This mode uses the Trident engine. The Trident engine is the code that helps the browser show web pages. This helps people still see older websites. Microsoft will support this mode until at least 2029.

Internet Explorer was a famous series of web browsers made by Microsoft.

A web browser is a software program used to visit websites. For many years, it was the main way people explored the internet. It was built to work with the Windows operating system. This made it a very common tool for computer users everywhere. Even though it is now retired, it played a huge role in how the digital world grew.

How the browser worked involved a special piece of code called an engine. For many versions, Microsoft used the Trident engine to show web pages.

This engine acted like a translator for the computer. It took the code from a website and turned it into pictures and text. Later, Microsoft Edge became the new main browser. Edge has a special feature called IE Mode. This mode uses the old Trident engine to help people view older websites. It allows modern computers to still understand the way old sites were built.

The history of this project began in the summer of 1994. A man named Thomas Reardon started the project.

Early versions used code from a program called Spyglass Mosaic. In 1995, the first version arrived as part of a package called Plus! for Windows 95. The team started with only about six people. By 1999, the project had grown to over 1,000 people. Microsoft spent a lot of money each year to develop it during the late 1990s.

Internet Explorer had many different versions over the years. Version 2 arrived in late 1995. Version 7 came out in 2006 and added tabbed browsing.

Version 11 was the final major release. In 2003, the browser reached a huge peak of 95% usage share. This means almost everyone using a browser was using Internet Explorer. However, its popularity fell after Firefox launched in 2004 and Google Chrome launched in 2008. Mobile systems like Android and iOS also did not support it.

You can see how important this browser was by looking at how we use the web today. Many modern tools were built to replace it. Microsoft Edge officially began replacing Internet Explorer in 2015.

Even though the main program is gone, its technology still helps us. The Trident engine will be supported through IE Mode until at least 2029. This helps keep the internet working for people who still need to visit older pages. It connects the history of the web to the tools we use now.

Internet Explorer was a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft.

These browsers were used to navigate the World Wide Web on Windows operating systems. For a long time, it was the most dominant tool for accessing the internet. It played a central role in the early growth of the digital age. While it has been retired from most modern systems, its legacy continues through specific technical features. Understanding its history helps us see how the modern internet evolved.

To display a website, a browser uses a specialized piece of software called a rendering engine.

For many years, Internet Explorer relied on the Trident engine. This engine acts as a translator between website code and the user. It takes complex instructions and turns them into the text and images we see on a screen. Even though the standalone browser is gone, the Trident engine still exists. It is used in "IE Mode" within the Microsoft Edge browser. This allows newer computers to display older websites that require legacy technology. Microsoft has committed to supporting this mode until at least 2029.

Internet Explorer went through many distinct versions over its long lifespan. The project began in the summer of 1994 under Thomas Reardon. Version 1 was released in 1995 as part of the Plus! package for Windows 95. Version 2 arrived later that year for Windows 95 and Windows NT. Version 4 was significant because it was the first to use the Trident engine. Later, Version 7 introduced tabbed browsing in 2006, allowing users to open multiple pages in one window.

The final major release was Internet Explorer 11, which included advanced features like hardware-accelerated JPEG decoding.

The history of the browser is marked by intense competition and legal challenges. In the 1990s, Microsoft fought the "first browser war" against Netscape. Netscape was the dominant browser before Internet Explorer gained widespread use. Microsoft used bundling, which means including the browser with the Windows operating system, to win this competition. The development process also faced legal scrutiny. Early versions used source code from Spyglass Mosaic. This led to a lawsuit where Microsoft paid an $8 million settlement in 1997. Additionally, SyNet Inc. sued Microsoft over the name "Internet Explorer," resulting in a $5 million settlement.

At its height, Internet Explorer had an incredible impact on the global market. In 2003, the browser reached a peak usage share of 95%. This means nearly every person using a web browser at that time used Internet Explorer. Microsoft invested heavily in the project to maintain this lead. By 1999, the development team had grown to over 1,000 people. However, its market share began to decline after the launch of Firefox in 2004 and Google Chrome in 2008.

The rise of mobile operating systems like Android and iOS also contributed to its decline.

Several factors led to the eventual retirement of the browser. Security and privacy vulnerabilities were frequent concerns during its development. The United States and the European Union also investigated whether bundling the browser with Windows hurt fair competition. As technology changed, many websites stopped supporting Internet Explorer altogether. For example, the Internet Archive removed it from their supported list in 2020. Major web services like Microsoft Teams and WordPress also dropped support for the browser. By 2022, official support for many Windows 10 editions had ended.

Today, Internet Explorer is connected to the broader ecosystem of modern web technology. Microsoft Edge was released in 2015 to succeed Internet Explorer 11. While Edge is the primary browser, it maintains a connection to the past through its compatibility features. The transition from Internet Explorer to Edge represents a shift in how software is developed and maintained. We moved from a single, dominant browser to a more diverse landscape of tools. This evolution ensures that the web remains accessible even as old technologies are replaced by new ones.