# Internet Explorer Internet Explorer, Microsoft's default web browser shipped with every version of Windows since 1995, ruled the web with over 95% market share in the early 2000s before Firefox and Chrome ate its lunch. The blue "e" icon turned into internet shorthand for a slow, crashing browser, spawning years of jokes about using IE only to download a better browser. ## Origin Microsoft's first Internet Explorer shipped on August 16, 1995 as part of the Windows 95 Plus! add-on pack, built by a six-person team led by Thomas Reardon from source code Microsoft licensed from Spyglass Mosaic for $2 million[3]. Early versions had no memorable branding, but IE3 launched in August 1996 with the blue "e" logo that became the icon everyone later mocked[1]. The browser hit its peak with IE6, released August 27, 2001 alongside Windows XP, which pushed IE's market share past 95 percent in 2002 and 2003[1]. That dominance is what set up the backlash: Microsoft stopped seriously updating IE for years, and web developers were stuck supporting a browser that ignored modern standards. - **Platform:** Windows (software) / Forums and image boards (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 1995 ## Overview Internet Explorer, often shortened to IE, is a running internet joke rather than a single image macro. The gag treats Microsoft's browser as slow, buggy, and useful mainly for downloading a real browser like Firefox or Chrome[1]. The blue lowercase "e" icon is the visual shorthand, and it shows up in reaction images of IE arriving late to a punchline, loading bars stuck at 5 percent, and screenshots of users opening IE just to grab a different browser installer[3]. Urban Dictionary entries from the mid-2000s already framed IE this way, with definitions calling it "the greatest browser in the world" because "no other browser can download Mozilla FireFox like Internet Explorer"[4]. That single joke pattern powers most of the meme's variations, from Reddit posts about corporate offices still running IE6 to TikTok clips of the blue "e" appearing over slow or clueless people. ## How It Spread The meme took shape once real competition arrived. Mozilla Firefox launched in November 2004 out of the old Netscape codebase, Apple Safari appeared in 2003, and Google Chrome dropped in 2008, all faster and more standards-compliant than IE6[1]. Frustrated developers and users vented on forums, Slashdot, and early image boards, and "IE user" turned into shorthand for a casual or clueless web surfer[3]. Nostalgia and mockery videos on YouTube leaned into the same joke, replaying IE's loading times, crash dialogs, and error sounds for laughs[2]. Microsoft eventually joined in with self-aware ad campaigns pitching IE as the "browser you loved to hate," and the company officially retired Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022, replacing it with Microsoft Edge[1]. The blue "e" jokes still show up in nostalgia posts, browser-war memes, and reaction images. ## How to Use The Internet Explorer meme typically works one of three ways: pasting the blue "e" icon over a person or thing that shows up late to a trend, captioning a screenshot of IE loading with a joke about how long something takes, or riffing on the "I used Internet Explorer to download Firefox" template[4]. Common conventions include pairing IE with a corporate or boomer setting, or contrasting the blue "e" against Chrome or Firefox logos to signal outdated tech. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Internet Explorer? Internet Explorer is Microsoft's web browser, first released on August 16, 1995 with Windows 95 and retired on June 15, 2022, that became a long-running internet joke about slow, outdated software[1]. ### Where did Internet Explorer come from? A six-person team at Microsoft led by Thomas Reardon built the first version from licensed Spyglass Mosaic code and shipped it with the Windows 95 Plus! pack in August 1995[3]. ### What does Internet Explorer mean? As a meme, Internet Explorer means anything slow, out of date, or late to a trend, based on the joke that IE's main use is downloading Firefox or Chrome[4]. ### How do you use Internet Explorer? In meme form, people paste the blue "e" icon over slow or clueless subjects, or riff on the "used IE to download a real browser" line[4]. ### Is Internet Explorer still popular? Microsoft officially retired IE on June 15, 2022, but the blue "e" jokes still show up in nostalgia posts and browser humor online[1]. ## References 1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer]() 2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DbgiOCTQts]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/internet-explorer]() 4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Internet%20Explorer]() 5. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_390Z7Y174]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/internet-explorer Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library