The Internet Explorer web browser has been discontinued for some time. However, some businesses are still using it. Microsoft commented on their blog stating that there is a cost (‘technical debt’) associated with using outdated software.
There are multiple issues associated with using outdated technology, but in many cases it can work just fine. In the case of Internet Explorer and anything that operates online, not so much. Using an outdated web browser will expose you to unpatched security vulnerabilities.
While security is the biggest issue, there is also the issue of finding developers that can/will work with outdated technology (finding them can be an expensive task). Technical issues can also arise due to compatibility issues with certain parts of your setup that may have to be replaced with newer ones.
Chris Jackson from the Microsoft Tech Community blog wrote: ‘You see, Internet Explorer is a compatibility solution. We’re not supporting new web standards for it and, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren’t testing for Internet Explorer these days.
They’re testing on modern browsers. So, if we continued our previous approach, you would end up in a scenario where, by optimizing for the things you have, you end up not being able to use new apps as they come out. As new apps are coming out with greater frequency, what we want to help you do is avoid having to miss out on a progressively larger portion of the web!’
