Microsoft announced new support policies for Internet Explorer today: Starting on Jan. 12, 2016, the company will only support the most recent version of the browser available for a particular version of Windows.
“Running a modern browser is more important than ever for the fastest, most secure experience on the latest Web sites and services, connecting anytime, anywhere, on any device,” says Roger Capriotti, Internet Explorer director, in the post outlining the change.
In other words, get ready to say goodbye to Internet Explorer 8 — at least if you want the benefit of ongoing security and security updates and technical support.
The Microsoft chart above shows which versions of the browser will be supported on each version of Windows starting in early 2016.
The advance warning is good, because this will be a big change for many companies and computer users. As explained by Ed Bott of ZDNet, Internet Explorer 8 is the most widely used browser version worldwide, with more than 20 percent market share on desktop PCs, according to Net Applications data.
Read Microsoft’s full explanation of the change here.
