Mac Corner

Discontinuation of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player Means Little for Mac Users

By Jehan Alvani, Desktop Support Specialist

Three years ago the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit announced that Internet Explorer for Mac would be discontinued in 2005. That year has come and gone, and as planned, Microsoft recently pulled the Internet Explorer download from Microsoft's "Mactopia" Web site.

Another Microsoft product that is reaching the end of its lifeline is the widely used Windows Media Player for Mac. Microsoft announced that Windows Media Player will no longer be developed for OS X. However, the company did not indicate that they would remove the download of the program. Microsoft has also offered to make components of Windows Media Player code available to third party developers, offering a link to a program called "Flip4Mac" directly from the Windows Media Web site.

The question raised by both retirements is simple -- What does it mean for Mac users? The answer is equally simple -- Practically nothing.

The gap left by Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player will be filled very quickly.  In recent years, fewer Web pages require Internet Explorer, and browsers like Apple's Safari and Mozilla Firefox offer compatibility for most Internet Explorer-only Web pages. With Microsoft's endorsement of programs like "Flip4Mac," other programs are quickly replacing Media Player. PeopleSoft is fully accessible from both Safari and Firefox, and more applications are integrated to meet Web standards.

If you have questions, contact the Macintosh Support Team at macusers@towson.edu.