Microsoft announced this week that it will end support for Internet Explorer 11 on June 15, 2022, in favor of its newer product, Microsoft Edge.
Internet Explorer is an internet browser, which is a software tool built with good intentions, but the end result is not so good.
Let us see how this software tool got started.
The first internet browser called WorldWideWeb, was created in 1990 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee an English computer scientist from the University of Oxford, and a professor at MIT.
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee implemented the first successful communication between HTTP client and server via the internet in November 1989. Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee recruited Nicola Pellow. She joined the Line Mode Browser project that eventually led to the creation of graphical interface browsers.
In 1993 Mosaic was released, which was the world’s first popular graphical internet browser. Mosaic Communications changed its name to Netscape Communications.
Funny how most people have no idea who Sir Tim Berners-Lee is, but everyone knows who Marc Andreessen or Bill Gates is.
This is where things get interesting.
As the Internet Boom was starting, the Internet Explorer project was started in the summer of 1994 by Thomas Reardon, who according to MIT Review in 2003, used source code from the Mosaic browser.
Basically, Microsoft Internet Explorer 1.0 foundation was the Mosaic browser, its obvious Microsoft missed the start of the Internet Boom boat and were catching up. In 1994 Microsoft licensed Spyglass Mosaic for a quarterly fee plus a percentage of Microsoft’s non-Windows revenues for the software.
In 1995 Microsoft Windows 95 was released. (It looked a lot like Steve Job’s Apple Mac operating system) The first version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, was installed as part of the Internet Jumpstart Kit in the Microsoft Plus! pack for Windows 95.
January 22, 1997 Microsoft paid a settlement of $8 million to Spyglass Mosaic for not paying royalties for the use of their internet browser software.
In the 1990s lots of lawsuits were filed against Microsoft and others over intellectual property rights with regard to the use of internet browser source code, patents, and registered trademarks.
Today it is very clear that zero of the big technology companies on the planet invented the internet browser.
Without internet browsers, there would be no cloud, social media, bitcoins, and big cloud based technology companies.
Well, goodbye Microsoft Internet Explorer, it has been an interesting relationship, as with all breakups a very good learning experience.
Opinion
Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions, which allowed for cunning ambitious and unprincipled people to thrive on the foundation of technology they have no clue about or business messing with.
Welcome to the new world of extreme cybersecurity – Shall We Play a Game?
References:
Reference 1: cnn.com – microsoft internet explorer end of life
Reference 2: deccanherald.com – microsoft finally dumped internet explorer
Contact us today toll free 1-888-392-9623 to find out more on how Adept Technologies can save you money by utilizing our services and software technology.
