A tombstone for Internet Explorer, the developer’s fine tribute to symbolic software.
The history of computing is made up of many more or less iconic elements. Machines, of course, but also algorithms, concepts, and, of course, software. Among the latter, how not to mention Internet Explorer, which ruled the web for many years. Microsoft has discontinued this iconic software today. And someone decided that it is worth having your own tombstone.
Tombstone for Internet Explorer
When a few days ago, on June 15, 2022, to be exact, Microsoft officially ended support for Internet Explorer, someone decided to celebrate this event with humor. According to Reuters, software developer Jung Ki Yong spent 430,000 KRW, about 318 euros, to create a tombstone for the browser and thus commemorate the Redmond-based firm’s browser-based long and prolific life. This stone, located on the roof of his brother’s cafe in Gyeongju, features the well-known logo with an English epitaph: “It was a good tool to download other browsers.”(“It was a good tool to download other browsers.”)
A beautiful tribute from a developer to legendary software
Jung Ki Yong told Reuters that he would like this tombstone to honor the software that defined his entire career. Although browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have come to replace Internet Explorer in importance and popularity, many of Jung Ki Yong’s customers continued to ask him to provide compatibility with the very outdated Internet Explorer. “It was really annoying, but I would say it was a love-hate relationship because Internet Explorer dominated an entire era at one time,” he explained.
As amusing as this headstone is, it is nonetheless somewhat premature. Microsoft still intends to support Internet Explorer to some extent. For example, Edge IE mode will work until at least 2029. In addition, some regions of the world, including countries such as Japan, continue to use this web browser in their administrations and some companies.