‘He was a good tool to download other browsers’

South Korean software engineer Jung Ki-young’s decision to commemorate the end of Internet Explorer by erecting the browser its own gravestone has gone viral.

Tech giant Microsoft had announced that Internet Explorer would be “retiring” on June 15, recommending that users download Microsoft Edge. 

To our predecessor: You helped the world explore the internet along with every facet of life. Now, it’s time to surf the big web in the sky 🕊 pic.twitter.com/43L0UpL0gQ

— Microsoft Edge (@MicrosoftEdge) June 15, 2022

Jung spent one month and 430,000 won (approximately $330) designing and constructing a headstone to mark the browser’s 27 years of existence. Internet Explorer was the dominant browser for online banking and shopping in South Korea until 2014, despite its notoriety for being sluggish and glitchy. 

The finished design included the Explorer’s “e” logo, with the dates “1995. 8. 17 ~ 2022. 6. 15” etched below, with an inscription that read, “He was a good tool to download other browsers.”

Jung showcased the gravestone at a cafe run by his brother in Gyeongju, a city in the southern part of South Korea. It was a picture taken there that went on to become viral.

The comical image of the gravestone was posted to Twitter multiple times, with one post in particular receiving nearly 40,000 likes. 

Someone built a real tombstone of Internet Explorer in Korea. “He was a good tool to download other browsers.” https://t.co/42vnkoQshd pic.twitter.com/ud3SMiyLNp

— Soonson Kwon (@ksoonson) June 15, 2022

“Someone built a real tombstone of Internet Explorer in Korea,” wrote the user.

Journalist Cian Maher also posted an image, along with a caption about the browser getting killed a second time. 

“I can’t believe someone in South Korea went to the trouble of commissioning a tombstone for Internet Explorer just so they could kill it a second time with the most vicious roast you’ll ever see,” they said. 

I can’t believe someone in South Korea went to the trouble of commissioning a tombstone for Internet Explorer just so they could kill it a second time with the most vicious roast you’ll ever see pic.twitter.com/5xpePtoPkN

— Cian Maher (@cianmaher0) June 17, 2022

In an interview with Reuters, Jung commented that despite his mixed feelings for the browser, it still played a big role in his working life.

“It was a pain in the ass, but I would call it a love-hate relationship because Explorer itself once dominated an era.”

Jung also mentioned that he was surprised by the amount of reactions his joke had produced, saying it was another reason to thank Explorer, since it allowed him “to make a world-class joke.”

“I regret that it’s gone, but won’t miss it. So its retirement, to me, is a good death.”

Internet Explorer was initially launched in 1995, but after a decade as the world’s leading browser, it began to be overtaken by its competitors, including Google Chrome, which was known to be faster and less glitchy than its predecessor. 

Featured Image via Reuters

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