Microsoft is to stop supporting IE 8, 9 and 10, inviting users to switch to IE 11 or Edge.
Initially announced in August 2014, next week Microsoft will pull the plug on Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10. On January 12th, 2016, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 users still running one of the older versions of IE will see a notification telling them about the end of support, inviting them to use either Edge or IE 11. The notification will be accompanied by one last cumulative patch meant to cover some security holes in the respective browsers.
The end of support means there won’t be “more security updates, non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates.” This potentially exposes users who do not upgrade to future security risks.
Microsoft invites users to use Edge, which comes as the default browser on Windows 10, or IE 11 which is to be supported throughout the lifecycle of the operating systems it comes preinstalled on. That means Jan 2020 for Windows 7, Oct 2023 for Windows 8 or October 2025 for Windows 10 when the extended support for the respective OSes is to end.
Enterprise users with applications still targeting older versions of IE are suggested to use instead Enterprise Mode and run these on IE 11. The Enterprise Mode allows administrators to configure IE 11 to switch to a compatibility mode emulating IE 8, 9 and 10 for a specified list of websites. To encourage such users to use this mode, Microsoft promises to support “Enterprise Mode as a feature of Internet Explorer 11.” Also, “Microsoft will continue to invest in compatibility improvements, tools, and other resources to help customers upgrade and stay up-to-date on the latest browser.”
For developers this announcement means fewer browsers to target, getting rid of legacy ones which required more work and testing.
Currently there are an estimated 340 million users still running one of the older versions of Internet Explorer.
