http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/google-chrome-and-internet-explorer-whats-changed-in-the-world-of-web-browsers-728306.html
Google Chrome and Internet Explorer: What's changed in the world of web
browsers?
New statistics have revealed that Google Chrome is on the verge of overtaking
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as the most used web browser in the world.
If so it would bring to an end a period of complete dominance Microsoft has so
far enjoyed in the digital age, where their Internet Explorer browser has been
the go-to way of exploring the internet for 20 years.
So, what is Chrome?
(Mark Lennihan/AP)
Chrome is Google’s own-made web browser, that launched in 2008 and works across
not just Windows, but also Apple’s Mac line-up of desktop and laptops, as well
as smartphones and tablets running iOS, Android and Windows.
At a time when few alternatives were available to Internet Explorer on Windows,
Chrome offered a simplistic approach to navigating the internet, including the
merging of the address bar and search bar that was a key selling point at the
time, and would soon become common practice across different browsers.
Why is Internet Explorer now in decline?
(Damian Dovarganes/AP)
Having for years been the default option on millions of computers –
particularly in offices around the world – IE has long since been outstripped
by its rivals. Apple’s Safari, as well as Chrome and Mozilla Firefox and Opera
are all seen as faster, more usable browsers – and given that they’re available
across many platforms, these days users now have far more choice than in the
past.
Microsoft is also slowly phasing out Internet Explorer, confirming that it
would stop supporting versions earlier than IE 11 from January this year. This
forced many users to either update to a newer version of Explorer or make the
jump to Windows 10, where it has been replaced by the new browser, Edge.
In both these cases, many chose to go elsewhere.
Is the end of IE then?
(Steven Senne/AP)
Long term, it would appear that Microsoft would like to get everyone onto
Windows 10 and that would mean saying goodbye to Explorer. Deals have been
struck with governments and other big businesses to keep supporting older
versions for some years to come, so IE isn’t going to disappear completely any
time soon, but the software’s best days are most definitely long gone.
When will Chrome take over as most used?
(Paul Sakuma/AP)
If the figures continue to move as they are, Chrome is likely to take top spot
by this summer, though it could be sooner if Chrome uptake speeds up.
Chrome’s appeal has always been how universal it is across devices, and soon
that will tell in the market share numbers.
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