Of course, Windows 10, which is being offered as a free upgrade for Windows 7 SP1 and 8.1 systems supports Internet Explorer 11 and the new Microsoft Edge browser under that systems normal lifecycle support process.
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Anyway, as TNW points out, Microsoft’s push to kill older versions of IE should come as good news to web developers, since they’ll no longer have to support outdated browsers…. unless they want to support Windows Vista or older operating systems which can not run IE11.
The older versions of Explorer will remain functional but they won’t receive any more technical or security updates after the cut-off.
The long and short of it is that if you’re still on Windows 8, as of today you need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 (or indeed Windows 10) or you’ll get no further security updates (or updates full-stop).
Internet statistics site NetMarketShare says almost half (49%) of all browser traffic is now done using Explorer, and according to PC site Computerworld around 340 million people globally are at risk because they are not yet running a modern enough version of Internet Explorer.
For a company that is still delivering the world’s most used operating system, Microsoft has been found severely lacking in the browser department.
For Windows 8, users can simply upgrade to Windows 8.1.
Microsoft announced the old IE version cutoff date back in August 2014. It is continuing to support IE 11 and Edge, which is the default browser for Windows 10. So if you do not wish to be anxious about end of life support, your options are clear.
Microsoft also ended general support for Windows 8.
Similarly, you can check which version of IE your computer is running by launching it from the Start menu, then clicking the Tools menu in the menu bar or cog icon near the top-right corner and then the About Internet Explorer.
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“When you upgrade the browser, you potentially upgrade all of these components”. This is another step on its march toward modernity, already evidenced by the advent of the Cortana virtual assistant and the other tech goodies enabled by Windows 10. And it was quickly surpassed by Windows 10, which was just released last summer and favored the more traditional desktop look and feel.
