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Microsoft set to abandon Internet Explorer

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When the history of the internet is written there will be an entire chapter on Internet Explorer, the once dominant web browser.

While it has been an object of scorn in some sections of the tech community and among users who disliked its ponderous pace and tendency, like many Microsoft applications, to crash at the most inconvenient moment possible, it has also been the portal through which millions of people experienced the web, either at home or work.

Iconic though it may be, web browsers have evolved past Explorer and now it seems that Microsoft has too.

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Reports on Wednesday confirm an announcement from Microsoft in January that a new browser will arrive with version 10 of Microsoft Windows, due for release mid 2015.

Speaking at Microsoft’s Convergence conference, marketing chief Chris Capossela said the company was working on a new name and brand, tentatively titled Project Spartan.

“We’re now researching what the new brand, or the new name, for our browser should be in Windows 10,” said Capossela, according to tech website The Verge.

“We’ll continue to have Internet Explorer, but we’ll also have a new browser called Project Spartan, which is codenamed Project Spartan. We have to name the thing.”

Internet Explorer was launched in 1995, and whether you’re a fan of it or not, an almost 20-year life-span in the rapidly evolving world of technology is a considerable achievement.

IE, as it is also known, had its peak market share in 2003 before being overtaken by Mozilla’s Firefox browser.

Google Chrome is now the most-used browsing application, with Internet Explorer showing a steady decline in market share since the mid 2000s.

IE will continue to be available for die hard fans and for business, but the new Microsoft browser is expected to be the primary way Windows users access the web.

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