Internet Explorer Celebrates 15th Birthday
Internet Explorer Celebrates 15th Birthday
Posted 08/17/2010 at 5:10am
| by Paul Lilly
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Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser turned 15 years old this week, and after a decade and a half, it still has plenty of friends to party with, more so than any other browser on the planet.
Despite losing some ground to Firefox and relative newcomer Chrome, IE still claims a dominating 60.74 percent of the market. The latest version, as well as the upcoming IE9 release, are also light years ahead of where IE first started way back in 1995. Consider that the first official release checked in at just over 1MB and was based on Mosaic. Just three months later (November 1995), Microsoft would release Internet Explorer 2, the first cross-platform browser to support both Windows and Mac.
The big question mark is where will IE stand in another 15 years? Microsoft has been able to gain back some ground in recent months, but the overall trend in the past year or so has the competition gaining on IE, perhaps not swiftly, but steadily. It will be interesting to see how long IE can maintain its market share dominance.
On a related note, for a look back at browser development through the years, check out our "Surfing Since 1991: The Evolution of Web Browsers" feature.
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Talcum X
August 18, 2010 at 4:04pm
It was primitive...more so than it's compeditors. Back then I had Mosaic, and soon after (as many did) Netscape.
lunchbox73
August 17, 2010 at 11:14am
This morning on the way to work I happened to be thinking about the first time I was on the web about 15 years ago. It was on a college computer in the library and I was using Netscape. I remember being confused because I didn't understand what was part of Netscape and what was www content. The whole concept was foreign to me! How time flies...
I have to say I do miss the little swirling globe icon in IE.
Keith E. Whisman
August 17, 2010 at 9:56pm
Back in the day about 15 years ago, Netscape was a free download but it was also for sale at WalMart for around $50 bucks if you were dumb enough to buy it. Heck, Opera was a charge to use product until a few years ago. I am so glad that Web Browsers are now free. It's been a while since I've seen a web browser you have to pay for to use except for the Android market though, if I remember right there are a few android phone web browsers in the market that cost money.
I think Mosaic and Internet Explorer really drove the pay to use Web Browsers out of business. And you know what, I'm glad they did. Because the browsers are free, there really isn't much incentive to build proprietary features into web browsers that would make the web a different place then what it is today because Websites would have to try to stay compatible with all these different proprietary technologies, some of this exists today but not nearly as bad as it once was and not as bad as it could be if everyone were purchasing different browsers from hundreds of different suppliers with their own proprietary tech. So I'm glad things have turned out the way they did. And Happy Birthday MS Internet Explorer.
Lhot
August 17, 2010 at 10:40am
suicide party? I know IE6 is old and cranky....but I still trust it and like it more than any later release. Of course I ONLY use IE6 for MS updates :)
Razicus
August 17, 2010 at 9:38am
Hopefully now that it is celebrating it's 15th birthday and IE9 is around the corner, more businesses and people will finally let IE6 die and update to the newer version(s).
Keith E. Whisman
August 17, 2010 at 7:39am
He's 15 already? I remember when IE was born and Bill Gates cut the cord.
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