Microsoft revealed on its website that it is ending support for older versions of its iconic Internet Explorer browser, encouraging users to upgrade to the newest version of the browser, IE 11, or risk leaving their system vulnerable to hackers.
News of this comes after Microsoft announced the demise of IE back in March, after it announced that the 20-year-old browser would be replaced by Microsoft Edge, which was only known as Project Spartan back then. At the time, IE was bombarded by years of negative coverage as newer, faster rivals such as Google's Chrome and Mozilla Firefox over took them. Project Spartan was Microsoft's bid at a fresh start on equal footing.
Now, beginning Jan. 12, 2016, only Internet Explorer 11 will receive security updates, security fixes and technical support on current Windows OS' leaving IE 8, 9 and 10 to rot.
Microsoft notes, however, that not even IE 11 is safe from the passage of time and will only be supported for the life cycle of Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, and is only really being kept alive for the sake of enterprise compatibility, reported DNA India. Afterwards Microsoft Edge, which is capable of launching IE 11 for sites that require better backward compatibility, will be Microsoft's go-to Internet browser.
Microsoft Edge is hailed as Microsoft's all-new browser for Windows 10. It is faster and more streamlined than IE and has new features such as instant sharing, built-in note taking, a special reading mode, and integration with Microsoft's riff of Siri, Cortana.
