Microsoft is killing off the Internet Explorer brand

[Djinn]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/17/8230631/microsoft-is-killing-off-the-internet-explorer-brand

While Microsoft has dropped hints that the Internet Explorer brand is going away, the software maker has now confirmed that it will use a new name for its upcoming browser successor, codenamed Project Spartan. Speaking at Microsoft Convergence yesterday, Microsoft's marketing chief Chris Capossela revealed that the company is currently working on a new name and brand. "We’re now researching what the new brand, or the new name, for our browser should be in Windows 10," said Capossela. "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 will still exist in some versions of Windows 10 mainly for enterprise compatibility, but the new Project Spartan will be named separately and will be the primary way for Windows 10 users to access the web. Microsoft has tried, unsuccessfully, to shake off the negative image of Internet Explorer over the past several years with a series of amusing campaigns mocking Internet Explorer 6. The ads didn't improve the situation, and Microsoft's former Internet Explorer chief left the company in December, signalling a new era for the browser.

Capossela also detailed the power of using the Microsoft brand over just Windows or Internet Explorer, and showed off some research data on a new name for the company’s browser vs. Internet Explorer. Putting Microsoft in front of the new secret name increased the appeal to some Chrome users in the UK. "Just by putting the Microsoft name in front of it, the delta for Chrome users on appeal is incredibly high," says Capossela.

Microsoft is clearly testing names with market research, but it’s unclear when the company plans to unveil the final name for its Internet Explorer successor. Judging by Microsoft’s own research, it’s obvious the company will move as far away from Internet Explorer as possible, and it’s likely Project Spartan will have the Microsoft name attached to it.

Who knew having what is consistently the worst browser on the market is not effective. Especially without ever updating it to even be competitive with the other more popular ones.

To me IE is just that browser I use to go download Firefox the first day of turning my computer on. Then it is never to be touched again.

Also....Project Spartan? Didn't we go through this when they rolled out Microsoft Cortana? I guess their next Microsoft smart phone will be the Infinity, gaming mouse the Banshee, gaming console High Charity, tablet the Forerunner...

 

[Terminus]

A rose by any other name loads just as slow.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Oh well I don't think many people will object. Unless I'm wrong... anybody out there use Internet Explorer often?

 

[Djinn]

Oh well I don't think many people will object. Unless I'm wrong... anybody out there use Internet Explorer often?

Various companies and people that just plain don't know any better as far as I can tell. Older types most likely.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Various companies and people that just plain don't know any better as far as I can tell. Older types most likely.

Seems about right. Anyway I honestly don't care if Internet Explorer eventually fades away.

 

[Mipha]

Oh well I don't think many people will object. Unless I'm wrong... anybody out there use Internet Explorer often?

I'm don't know much about the names of various browsers, is Safari IE?
Safari is the only one I ever have used.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I'm don't know much about the names of various browsers, is Safari IE?
Safari is the only one I ever have used.

They are different.

 

[(◕‿◕✿)]

Even if the browser engine for this one isn't total ****, I highly doubt it will be standards compliant. Microsoft, like literally every non-open source software company, loves to reinvent the wheel and do their own (worse) implementation of something that was standardized years ago. All other browsers, like Firefox, Chrome/Chromium, Opera, and so on more or less support all the standard CSS selectors and definitions including new stuff, as well as canvas/HTML5, websockets, etc. IE was always notorious for its absolutely broken and stupid implementation of damn near everything, from not supporting CSS properly to trying to use ****ty javascript standards no one even cared about or liked, to generally just making sure it doesn't work with anything past index.htm pages from 1993. I figure they'll probably finally fully support CSS3 and maybe make some of the other standard parts of their browser not totally ****ed and market this as "NEW AND REVOLUTIONARY, SOMETHING NOT COMPLETELY BROKEN!!!".

 

[Kylo Ken]

Reading this on Internet Explorer is kinda scary.

 

[(◕‿◕✿)]

Reading this on Internet Explorer is kinda scary.

Why would you read anything on Internet Explorer

 

[Kylo Ken]

I don't know, it came with the computer and I don't know how to do the thing with chrome or firefox, like, making it my default or something. It's confusing, but I used multiple browsers before, and never noticed anything different except set up, so I guess I never really cared. If this means I need to switch browsers, then that sucks for me.

 

[Jamie]

As a web developer, I am extremely excited about this. IE has different standards for the most basic css. I've had divs be one pixel too small/big in IE, and perfect size in every other web browser. They have literally different standards for everything, from HTML to CSS to JavaScript to PHP, you always have to do a check for IE to do the most basic ****. I'm tired of it. Good riddance.

 

[Mercedes]

A rose by any other name loads just as slow.

Internet Explorer is currently the fastest web browser, actually, if on Windows 7/8/8.1, although this difference tends to be quite negligible on any good PC. IE has been a good browser for quite a while now, it's just not the best. From the sounds of things, Spartan might change that.

As long as Spartan has good add-on support, which is the biggest thing standing against IE in my opinion, and has the same or better performance as current IE (which benchmark tests have claimed it indeed does) and delivers on the promised features we've already been shown, I'm absolutely sold. I'd love to just use Window's browser, would simplify things, and I love the little features IE and Windows 8 have together. I miss them when using my Chrome.

I like new Microsoft. Lots of good decisions, recently.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Good riddance as Rep said.

 

[Salem]

What's the point of the name change? Why wouldn't they just name the new one Internet Explorer as well? Unless the it's reputation is permanently damaged.