From IE to Edge: How Microsoft’s Browser Legacy Evolved Over 27 Years

On May 16, 2022, Microsoft announced via its official Edge Weibo account that Internet Explorer, launched in 1995, would be retired on June 16, 2022 after 27 years, with Edge taking over as the supported browser.

1. Once the World’s Dominant Browser

In recent years IE earned a poor reputation due to slow speed, limited features, and bad compatibility, especially compared with modern browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

However, two decades ago IE was the global leader. Released with Windows 95 in 1995, it quickly captured the market as the default browser. By leveraging competitive tactics against Netscape, IE became the world’s top browser within three years and peaked in 2003 with a 95% market share.

IE’s dominance simplified development requirements, as many programs were built to be IE‑compatible—a legacy that still forces some sites to support IE today.

2. Riding on Past Glory? IE’s Gradual Decline

When IE was at its height, signs of decline appeared. In 2001 Microsoft released Windows XP, making IE6 the default browser. IE6 quickly became the most used browser, but it also introduced many problems.

Users reported numerous bugs, poor performance, and a terrible experience; in 2006 PC World named IE6 the “Worst Tech Product Ever.”

IE6’s weak support for W3C standards turned it into a nightmare for web developers, who spent years wrestling with IE6 compatibility.

Microsoft issued several patches, and eventually released IE7, but the rise of mobile internet and aggressive competition meant the browser market was no longer dominated by IE alone.

3. Chrome and Firefox Rise, IE’s Glory Fades

While IE struggled with bugs, Firefox entered the scene in 2004, offering open‑source code, a lightweight design, good performance, and extensive extensions. Firefox captured 11% of the market, stabilizing at 15‑20% while IE fell below 80%.

Chrome’s emergence in 2008 marked a turning point. Within nine months it attracted over 30 million users, and by the end of 2010 its user base had exploded to 120 million, achieving a 15% market share. Chrome overtook Firefox in late 2011 and surpassed IE in August 2012 with a 34.68% share, becoming the most popular browser.

Chrome continued to add features, reaching over 1 billion users by 2015. Microsoft eventually abandoned IE in favor of Edge, cementing Chrome’s position as the market leader.

4. New Edge Receives Praise, Yet the Road Is Long

Initially, Edge built on the EdgeHTML engine struggled to gain traction against Chromium‑based browsers. In late 2018 Microsoft switched Edge to the Chromium engine, revitalizing the browser with better performance and developer support.

According to Statcounter data as of March 2022, Edge held 9.65% of the market, overtaking Safari, while Chrome remained dominant with 67.29%. Edge still has a long way to go to catch up with Chrome.

Reference links:

https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/Google_Chrome

https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/Internet_Explorer