If you’ve not already heard, or have somehow forgotten over the long holiday, next week marks a significant milestone for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser. Next week, along with the first Patch Tuesday of 2016, Microsoft will stop supporting Internet Explorer versions 8, 9, and 10. This means that after January 12, 2016, Microsoft will no longer supply security updates for these versions.
For those clinging to the old versions, a new patch (KB3123303) delivering during Patch Tuesday will install a nag notification to warn users about the lack of support and offer an upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 (where applicable).
Microsoft really wants folks to either move to Internet Explorer 11, or Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge in an effort to stay secure on the web. Unfortunately, even though Microsoft is touting a 200 million active device milestone for Windows 10, customers may not be as accepting of the new web browser built into the latest OS.
Microsoft Edge was supposed to be the future of web browsers with a sleek and fast interface. But, as it exists today, Edge is buggy and temperamental and is a huge black mark on an ever improving OS. Recent browser stats show that customers may be using the exit of IE 8, 9, and 10 from supportability as a way to migrate to Chrome and Firefox. Not really what Microsoft intended. In December, Internet Explorer dipped below the 50% usage mark, while Chrome is creeping closer to taking the number 1 spot. Edge has only been able to garner a paltry 2.3% share.
