There was a time when Internet Explorer was the browser that ruled the roost with an iron fist, but those days are over. Things are so bad for Microsoft in the web browser game, that the IE team is begging users to give the browser another chance, but how many are willing to go that route?
Recently Microsoft participated in "Ask Me Anything" question and answer session on Reddit in a bid to improve the web for Internet Explorer users, and making the browser a better place for developers. It's going to be a tough road ahead for the IE team since Google Chrome is slowly dominating.
Some users asked about the impending death of IE8, but those who might fear such a thing should not worry much. According to Microsoft, the company plans to release bug fixes minor updates for the browser after sending it to the graveyard.
In addition, Microsoft did mention that Internet Explorer 12 is being worked on, but did not mention when users can expect to give it a spin. There's a high possibility that Internet Explorer 12 might launch with Windows 9 or soon thereafter.
"Do you believe the reputation of Internet Explorer is something you can change?" That's the most popular question during the Reddit AMA. Microsoft responded by saying that a lot of cool things are coming, and that the team has been attending a lot of web events to get quality feedback on the browser.
"I hope so. Sincerely. A lot of things are changing. We announce the end of support for too old versions of IE or for out of date ActiveX control," says a Microsoft developer. "This is a first step to reduce fragmentation which is really a pain for web developers (Which I'm part of :)) - David."
"And we are changing ourselves also:) I'm going to a lot of web events just to gather feedbacks and really try to improve IE!"
Things have changed dramatically for IE over the years. Back in 2005, the browser had around 89 percent market share on the web, fast forward to 2014, and now IE has only 52 percent market share. In the past, Microsoft clearly didn't realize how powerful a web browser could become until Firefox and Google Chrome came along.
The software company is trying very hard these days to regain users it has lost; especially those who only use IE to download other browsers, then never open it again.
It is not the end of the road for Internet Explorer just yet, but if Microsoft doesn't move quickly, IE could lose enough market shares to push it into irrelevancy.
