Progress Marches On

Given this week’s links, a timely question from Caity Weaver’s “Work Friend” Q&A column in The New York Times:

Q: I teach at a large university where instructors are expected to upload students’ final grades in a centralized online system at the end of each semester. I have no problem with this simple data entry task and see it as a routine part of my job. What concerns me are the instructions that accompany it: “Please note, instructors should be using IE (Internet Explorer) to avoid any potential issues.” What is “Internet Explorer”? I don’t have this on my computer. In violation of the policy, I’ve been successfully uploading grades using programs that are not “Internet Explorer” without incident. But my success makes me all the more puzzled by the instructions. Should I try to get “Internet Explorer”? Or continue on in violation of policy?  — A.C.

A: Internet Explorer is a discontinued web browser introduced by Microsoft in 1995, and the best course of action would be to never think about it again for the rest of your life.

This one feels like a punch to the gut from the “Make You Feel Old” machine. (Via Glenn Fleishman.)

★ Tuesday, 7 January 2020