SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 (AFP) - Microsoft said it is retiring Internet Explorer, the browser it created more than 25 years ago and which is now largely abandoned as people instead use competitors like Google's Chrome or Apple's Safari.

"We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge," the company said in a blog post on Wednesday (May 19), referring to its other browser.

"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 said.

People ribbed Internet Explorer in tweets on Thursday.

"RIP Internet Explorer, I never used it, but after it dies we can't make fun of it anymore," wrote someone with the handle Arcader UwU.

"I still fondly remember how I used it to download Chrome on every new Windows system," said Hrishikesh Pardeshi.

"This browser might seem old and outdated nowadays, but back in the day, everyone needed it. RIP Internet Explorer 1995-2022," said someone called TheCool_ColdMan.

Microsoft said that as of Jun 15, 2022 Internet Explorer will be retired and no longer be supported by the company.

But Internet Explorer-based websites and applications will work with Edge at least until 2029, Microsoft said, because many organisations have websites based on the now-doomed browser.

Chrome, Google's browser, controls 65 per cent of the market, said Statscounter. Safari, created by Apple and available on Apple computers and devices, is second with nearly a 19 per cent market share as of April of this year.

Firefox and Edge are in third and fourth place with 3.59 per cent and 3.39 per cent respectively.