Microsoft announced today that it will retire the desktop version of Internet Explorer 11 on June 15, 2022, but only on “certain versions” of Windows 10.

“The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge,” Microsoft’s Sean Lyndersay announced. “Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure[,] and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern, compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications. Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (‘IE mode’) built-in, so you can access those legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge.”

I’m a bit concerned by that “certain versions” bit. And it turns out that the IE 11 retirement party does not include Windows 10 Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) or Windows Server Internet Explorer 11 desktop applications, or the MSHTML (Trident) engine. But a related FAQ notes that this also doesn’t affect IE 11 on Windows 8.1, Windows 7 with Extended Security Updates (ESU), or Windows 10 IoT LTSC (all versions).

Whatever. IE needs to be put out to pasture. Some progress is still progress.

“With Microsoft Edge, we provide a path to the web’s future while still respecting the web’s past,” Lyndersay continues. “Change was necessary, but we didn’t want to leave reliable, still-functioning websites and applications behind.”