Microsoft might ditch Internet Explorer in Windows 10

If you were to ask people what the worst internet browser is, chances are the answer will be Internet Explorer. Microsoft’s browser has developed a reputation for being slow, buggy, and generally bad. That’s probably why rumours have popped up indicating the company will ditch IE and replace it with an entirely new browser.

ZDNet is reporting that Windows 10 will see Microsoft launch a new browser, currently codenamed ‘Spartan’. Apparently the underlying structure of the browser won’t change too much, still using Microsoft’s Javascript and rendering engines, but it will be more lightweight and will come with extension support. This is hoped to help the browser compete with the likes of Chrome and Firefox.

ZDNet’s sources also claim that Windows 10 will come with both Spartan and Internet Explorer 11, though the latter will be primarily used for the purpose of backwards compatibility.

We don’t know whether it’s true or not, and it’s certainly possible that ‘Spartan’ is just the codename for a newer version of Internet Explorer. That being said IE has become well known as an unreliable browser, and ditching the brand name can only be a good thing for Microsoft — especially if its successor manages to deal with IE’s many problems.

No doubt we’ll be hearing more about this at Microsoft’s Windows 10 event towards the end of January, so we’ll keep you updated with any new developments.