Farewell Internet Explorer, the browser of all (but never too loved) – BBC

Are you ready? Internet Explorer is about to become history . It will do after exactly 20 years of a career that has no rival (here our photo story by Pennisi Martina). Officially happen (except for some pro users that the purpose of the speech of little interest) at the launch of Windows 10, which will take place next summer, taking on board the new browser Project Spartan, codenamed Halo-style as the voice assistant Cortana. Then actually the browser will remain live for years in millions of PCs, as well as older versions of Windows (the case of the immortal Xp). But Microsoft is a question mark, a mark never tropp0 loved – so often the winners – which over the years has stained (for own responsibility) of a reputation that has led him to be a loser card for Redmond (although still 60% of the browser market on the desktop, but a laughable 2.5% on smartphones and tablets). It is basically a refresher in an apartment now become old and unattractive: the new browser will have the name of Microsoft in it, as shown by the marketing head of Redmond, Chris Capossela. This should convince, in the idea of ​​Satya Nadella, the CEO responsible for a whole new policy for Microsoft, many users to abandon Firefox, Safari, and (above all) Chrome. And “go home.”

Because of the fact Internet Explorer has been the program that brought the Internet to all , for better or for worse, as Windows is the operating system of democracy. Monopolist, to the point of requiring the intervention of the European Union for abusing its dominant position. But twenty years ago, it was on August 16, 1995, when the first Explorer – built on the architecture of Mosaic, the first graphical browser history – appeared as an add-on pack for Windows 95, began a ride that allowed him to get up to one billion users and 95% of the share of the browser (were the early 2000s). In the early years it was to bury Netscape Navigator, the browser then dominant and much loved by the enemies of Apple, thanks to the second version, released a few months later also for MacIntosh. Everything was easy enough just for binding to double-locked with the most popular operating system in the world. The top in fact occurred around 2001, and in subsequent years, with version 6 that went hand in hand with Windows XP.

Then the trouble began, legal and “political” – with the obligation to include a selection window within Windows – and the software Safety: Explorer was laundry from everywhere, became heavy and opened the side alternatives, until then relegated to percentages ridiculous. Before Firefox (2004), then Chrome (2008) adjusted themselves the hardest blows. Then came the smartphone and the train that Microsoft would lose no chance to reply. And despite the new version of Explorer, the 11 offers performance to match its competitors, now the name – as mentioned, never too loved despite the key role he played in the spread of the Web – is definitely compromised. Hence the choice of Redmond to focus on something new. That perhaps will not regret Explorer, but certainly can not erase history that wrote.