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Goodbye IE, Hello Edge – What the End of Internet Explorer Means

November 10, 2015

Windows 10 ships with Microsoft Edge as its default browser, replacing Internet Explorer for everyday browsing.
Edge started the year under the codename Project Spartan and was confirmed as IE's successor at Microsoft's Build conference.

Why this matters

  • Legacy headaches shrink – many hacks for Internet Explorer 10 and below can be retired.
  • Standards progress – Edge implements modern APIs (ES6, Flexbox, SVG filters) without the quirks that haunted IE.
  • Evergreen updates – Edge updates through Windows Update, closing the gap with Chrome and Firefox release cycles.
  • Security – dropping IE's outdated engine reduces attack surface.

What to keep in mind

  • Some enterprises still rely on old ActiveX or proprietary features.
  • IE 11 remains on Windows 10 for legacy needs and can be launched from Edge's "Open with Internet Explorer" option.
  • Always test critical apps in IE 11 until usage stats fall below your project's support threshold.

Moving forward

  1. Audit CSS and JavaScript for IE‑specific work‑arounds.
  2. Replace conditional comments with feature detection (e.g., @supports in CSS, Modernizr in JS).
  3. Use ES6 and modern layout (Flexbox, soon Grid) with a transpiler/polyfill fallback only where analytics show need.
  4. Drop obsolete prefixes (e.g., -ms-) from new code.
/* Was: */
@media screen and (-ms-high-contrast: none) { … }

/* Now: */
@supports (display: flex) {
  .nav { display: flex; }
}

Edge's standards focus lets developers ship cleaner code sooner.

Timeline highlights

  • Jan 2015 – Spartan shown running on Windows 10 phones.
  • Apr 2015 – Official name Microsoft Edge announced at Build.
  • Jul 2015 – Windows 10 launches with Edge set as default and IE 11 kept for compatibility.
  • Nov 2015 – Microsoft begins messaging that future features land in Edge, not IE.

Edge marks a clean break from the legacy that held the web back for years. Developers can start targeting a modern, evergreen browser on Windows and leave many IE‑only fixes behind.

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