Windows 10 Could Ship With Both IE11 And Spartan

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will include a new browser — currently codenamed “Spartan.” At the time, though, it shared very few details about it, something it rectified by posting a more detailed description this morning. What we know now, for example, is that Microsoft will continue to ship Internet Explorer 10 for those who still need some of its legacy features like Active X. IE on Windows 10 will support both Microsoft’s new and old rendering engines, and Spartan can also fall back on the old IE engine when it encounters legacy sites.

That all sounds quite confusing, but Spartan will be the default browser and feature both a refreshed interface and numerous other under-the-hood improvements that likely won’t come to IE. Spartan is also a universal app that is meant to work across all Windows 10 devices from smartphone to desktops. Chances are, most regular users won’t see the old IE on Windows 10, and Microsoft is only keeping it around for those enterprise users who really still need it.