When WordPress 5.8 rolls out in July, it will no longer support Internet Explorer 11. Here’s what that means for you and your readers.
If you or your readers are still using Internet Explorer 11, WordPress plans an important change to know about.
When WordPress 5.8 gets released in July, it will no longer support that particular browser version. WordPress released the news last week.
I’ve been a Mac guy for 30 years…so I haven’t used Internet Explorer for this blog in a long, long time. Years ago, IE stopped supporting Mac. I didn’t mind that at all. Between Chrome and Firefox, I can access anything I need to access just fine without Internet Explorer.
The news from WordPress makes it clear how few people this change will likely affect. Microsoft released Internet Explorer 11 more than seven years ago, an eternity in computer-related lifespans. It cites StatCounter, which reports 0.57% of internet users rely on IE11.
WordPress won’t be the first to drop support. It points out plenty of other websites, including Microsoft Teams 2020. It points out that even Microsoft 360 will drop support for it later this year.
“If you are currently using IE11, it is strongly recommended that you switch to a more modern browser, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge,” the release states.
IE11 developers added a warning for users more than 17 months ago that labeled IE11 “outdated.” After 17 months, if they didn’t already take the hint, you have to blame them.
What does ‘dropping support’ actually mean?
Immediately, the change may not appear to have any affect on the experience. That should apply to both bloggers and blog readers.
But when a service like WordPress drops support, it means that some features may no longer work properly. As new features roll out, you face an even bigger chance of them not working. The developers, when testing changes for a rollout, simply won’t consider Internet Explorer 11.
If the new features still work, great.
If they don’t, you should have upgraded by now anyway. The developers consider you out of luck and out of time.
So if you’re one of the 0.57% of users who stubbornly use Internet Explorer 11, it’s really, really time to move on up!
