Microsoft finally discontinued the use of the Internet Explorer web browser a few days ago. The browser will not receive security updates or support on current versions of Windows, and Microsoft will gradually shift all IE usage to Edge over the next few months. Once this transition is complete, Internet Explorer will be completely disabled via a Windows Update.
Considering that the first public version of IE was released 27 years ago, we can safely say that this is a very important decision. However, the browser seems to mean more to some than to others. In fact, a tombstone made for a browser in South Korea has gone viral on the internet. You can see a photo of this stone just above.
The tombstone was designed and ordered by South Korean software engineer Jung Ki-young, who spent ₩430,000 (~$330) on the project. As can be seen above, it mentions Internet Explorer’s lifetime from August 17, 1995 to June 15, 2022 and says “It was a good tool to download other browsers”.
The tombstone was placed in a cafe run by Jung’s brother in Gyeongju, South Korea, and quickly became famous both online and offline.
“It was troublesome, but I would call it a love-hate relationship because Explorer itself once ruled an era,” Jung told Reuters. “It’s another reason why I thank Explorer, it’s now allowed me to play a worldwide joke,” he said.
Jung noted that even as other browsers dominate the global market, he continues to demand that his customers make sure the websites and apps they create for them look good in Internet Explorer. In addition, a recent report stated that up to 47% of corporate computers running Windows 10 may be affected by the retirement of Internet Explorer.