FollowSeeing the declining popularity of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), its developers and program managers took to the “Ask Me Anything” chat on Reddit, urging the web users to give the browser a second chance.
The developers have promised that they are working on changing Internet Explorer’s name, in an attempt to rescue the browser from its often-negative reputation.
According to metrics vendor Net Applications, the Internet Explorer enjoys a user share of just 58 percent, nearly triple the 20 percent of Google’s Chrome which is the second-place contestant.
User share is a rough measurement of the percentage of the global computer users who are running a specific browser.
But this was not the scenario in 2005 as the browser dominated the internet world with a user share of 89 percent. The second position was held by Mozilla Firefox which had just a 6 percent user share.
Its lowest point was recorded in December 2011, when its user share suffered a significant decline to 52 percent. Analysts say Microsoft’s decision to essentially stop development, thinking that it had won the browser war, resulted in the huge setback.
Hence, the developers now want Windows users to give IE another chance.
“Often times the decision to not use Internet Explorer is largely based on experiences from a decade ago and a much different IE. That being said, we know it’s our job to change the public perception, and to win the hearts of users everywhere. Each person who opens IE and downloads another browser, is another person we’ll be working even harder tomorrow to win back,” said Jonathan Sampson while posting his argument on the Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA).
When someone on AMA asked about whether the company had ever considered dropping the name ‘Internet Explorer’ for a refreshing touch to the browser, Sampson reacted by saying, “It’s been suggested internally. I remember a particularly long email thread where numerous people were passionately debating it. Plenty of ideas get kicked around about how we can separate ourselves from negative perceptions that no longer reflect our product today,”
“The discussion I recall seeing was a very recent one (just a few weeks ago). Who knows what the future holds?,” he said in his post.
While that may have been the case — perhaps sparked, said analysts last week, by the resulting cutback in the testing required to support fewer versions — the cheers Williams noted must have been discouraging to the enterprises that will feel the brunt of the new policy.
Meanwhile, the developers also announced the launch of IE12, which may get a new name. Whatever be the case, experts believe the changes in approach may bring profits for Window’s browser.
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