For those of you who haven't yet updated from Windows Vista to Windows 7 (and, to be honest, there is no reason not to have done so by now), Microsoft has announced that the newest version of Internet Explorer won't be compatible with any versions of Windows prior to 7. Of course, those still using Windows XP–mainly businesses now–will be similarly left out. This announcement comes barely a month after the final IE9 release and clearly shows that Microsoft is finally getting serious about the current "browser wars," after years of being associated with what was by far the worst web browser on the market.
This isn't the first time Microsoft has limited browser support to its newer operating systems. The recently-released IE9 required graphics and text API's Direct2D and DirectWrite to run, neither of which were present in XP. However, there are no major differences, says Ars Technica, preventing IE10-Vista compatibility, and that this decision was motivated by the desire to shift market share away from the older versions of Windows.
