Plot twist! Microsoft has already announced the death of Internet Explorer, as the company is ready to finally transition these remaining users to the Edge web browser on all fronts.
But apparently, not all platforms.
That is because IE will continue to be supported on some Windows devices, even as Redmond warns that all future operating system releases where the browser will live on would no longer include the app.
Internet Explorer will be available on some versions of Windows, particularly those used in critical environments.
As Microsoft makes clear:
“For certain versions of Windows currently in-support and used in critical environments, we will continue to support Internet Explorer on those versions until they go out of support.
These include all currently in-support Windows 10 LTSC releases (including IoT) and all Windows Server versions, as well as Windows 10 China Government Edition, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 with Extended Security Updates (ESUs). Future versions of these editions will not include Internet Explorer. Developers who rely on the underlying MSHTML (Trident) platform and COM controls on Windows will also continue to be supported on all Windows platforms.”
Leading the charge here is Windows 7, which, although not officially supported, continues to be available on devices configured for the ESU program.
And then there is the IE mode that is bundled with Microsoft Edge, which should be the go-to destination for anyone who still uses Internet Explorer. This mode offers perfect compatibility and a set of tools to load apps without having to be stuck with an ancient browser.
The IE mode will continue to be supported until at least 2029, as explained by Microsoft.
