As of today, Tuesday , January 12, 2016 , Microsoft will no longer update the old versions of its web browser. That includes versions 8, 9, and 10 of Internet Explorer . That means that millions of users are going to have to manage to find other alternatives. When a manufacturer stops renewing its software, that means that users are left unprotected against malicious attacks. The point is that there are still quite a few Internet users who use these older versions of the browser, often because their machines or their operating systems do not support more modern ones. Actually, there are still 9 percent of computers with Internet Explorer 8 , and 6.7 percent that haveInternet Explorer 9 . If we add to that, the 4.2 percent of world market share that Internet Explorer 10 retains, we have almost a fifth of web browser users around the world who are going to see their security reduced .
In reality, the only one it is going to keep alive is Internet Explorer 11 , which represents 25.6 percent of the global market share, according to the latest data available from NetMarket Share, as of December 2015. The Redmond people launched the first notice about the technical death of Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 in July 2014. The company itself warns users that if they intend to continue using those old versions they will be more susceptible to infections from viruses and other malicious code, which can steal data or hijack the computer. With this operation, Microsoft hopes that Internet users will switch to the latest version of their browser. However, it can also happen that they end up migrating to Mozilla's Firefox browsersor to Google Chrome . The Chrome 47 version has a 15.7 percent market share, while Firefox 42 has 5.3 percent.
Microsoft has also announced that Internet Explorer 11 - launched in the fall of 2013 - will continue to receive security patches and technical support . It will do so in its variants for three operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 . That means having security updates that cover vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malware, and help keep users and their data more secure. It also includes security updates that protect computers from malicious attacks.
It should be remembered that Internet Explorer 8 has been available since 2009. For its part, Internet Explorer 9 was released in 2011, and a year later version 10 of IE was released . Last year, the company introduced its new default web browser, Microsoft Edge . Currently, Microsoft Edge 13 has an almost testimonial presence in the market, with a share of only 0.53 percent. Generally, Microsoft's maintenance lifecycle policy includes a minimum of five years of core support and a minimum of five years of extended support for enterprise or development products.