The End of Internet Explorer browser—mostly.
Upgrade, or face the consequences.
Users who boot up an old version of the browser on Tuesday will be greeted with a message urging them to upgrade either to Internet Explorer 11, or to the company’s new Edge web browser. A final update, to be issued that day, will consist of final fixes for the elder browsers as well as the aforementioned notification, which will prompt users to download alternative software.
Microsoft first announced the “end of life” date for these versions of Internet Explorer as early as August 2014. In March, the company demoted the browser to the status of a “legacy engine,”. In other words, the company is keeping a version of the browser—Internet Explorer 11—on the books mostly to placate big corporate customers and satisfy their software compatibility needs.
The reminder that it plans to stop supporting old versions of the browser beginning next week. As of Jan. 12, Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10 will no longer receive technical support or security updates, leaving any who fail to upgrade with antique software and poor protection against computer bugs and hackers.