What in the heck happened to Internet Explorer? Seriously, I remember the old days in elementary and middle school when Internet Explorer was the only browser that anybody used. Of course, that was also back before everybody and their brother owned an Apple iPhone, and before President Obama was the president. Eventually, people just stopped using it and instead, they used Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Apple Safari. So what did happen, and why does it seem like Microsoft’s Internet Explorer just fell right off the edge of the Earth?

Internet Explorer is a web browser that was developed by Microsoft. It initially was released 20 years ago, and between 2002 and 2003, it was the most-used web browser. However, soon afterwards, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari all became more abundantly used as mobile technology was introduced. People became familiar with the browser that they used on their phones and tablets, so they also used them on their computers. It makes sense. With the rise of these other web browsers, Internet Explorer took a huge hit. Since then, Internet Explorer has been used, but it still was not the hotshot that it used to be.

People always joke and ask, “Who even uses Internet Explorer still?” According to W3Schools.com, only 6 percent of people use Internet Explorer in 2016. However, the easiest answer for who uses it is the United States Government. Maybe that’s why bills don’t get passed?

All jokes aside, one of the major reasons web browsers like Google Chrome surpassed Internet Explorer is because of their user-friendly interface, speed, their compatibility and the ability to easily utilize plug-ins and apps. Google Chrome has asserted themselves as easy to use and very reliable; in today’s tech-savvy society, people trust the browser and they aren’t willing to take the time to try others.

Although Internet Explorer 11 is still used by some, in the spring of 2015, Microsoft announced their new web browser Microsoft Edge (codename “Spartan”). It was created to be used on Windows 10 devices and to eventually replace Internet Explorer 11. It is set to release sometime in 2016 and it is also supposed to be much more competitive with the likes of Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Microsoft Edge should be a game-changer in the world of computers.

Although Internet Explorer began and had its glory days as web browser in the early 2000s, eventually, other web browsers started to rise. Competition ensued and by the start of the new decade Internet Explorer was just an afterthought. Compatibility, speed and accessibility, all became items of interest when people started to choose their web browser and Google Chrome has led the way. However, with the introduction of Microsoft Edge, hopefully Microsoft can boost themselves back up into the likes of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. We’ll just have to wait and see.