Microsoft is reportedly replacing Edge with a Chromium-based browser

[Firefox]

Microsoft is reportedly replacing Edge with a Chromium-based browser

Microsoft Edge has failed to capture the public’s attention since launching back in 2015, so you can’t really blame the company for switching tacks. According to new reports that first surfaced in Windows Central, the browser isn’t not long for this world. Microsoft could announce its replacement as early as this week.

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[Amaroq_Starwind]

Yeah, given that Google Chrome is now in development for Windows 10 on ARM, and that the SmartScreen system (in the form of the Windows Defender Browser Extension) is now available for Google Chrome, I am honestly not surprised.

I don't even use Microsoft Edge, but I am actually somewhat saddened by this news. The absence of competition is something that can cause innovation to grind to a halt. And the fact that Microsoft, of all people, is giving up?! Google Chrome has had a long time to mature, but Edge has just barely entered the race in comparison. They may have a slow start, but they're certainly not going to win the race if they ragequit!

[Amaroq_Starwind]

Oh, here's a twitter thread you may be interested in;

Spoiler

 

 

 

Who here would like to participate in the Microsoft Edge/IE funeral?

[exile360]

I think Microsoft's infamous reputation for making the worst performing, least secure browser (older versions of IE, particularly IE6 on XP) was just too much to overcome.  Users still think of Edge and modern IE versions the same way, and especially with wide adoption of mobile platforms where the default browser is usually Chrome and given how much easier it is to sync browser settings/favorites between devices when using the same browser on all platforms, this was pretty much inevitable.

I will say that I definitely prefer the security in IE11 to Chrome, even with multiple security add-ons/extensions installed it still fails to match the capabilities of IE for blocking badware and pop-ups online.  IE today is a very different animal from Microsoft's past efforts, but since so many sites and tech outfits kept recommending (and continue to recommend) alternatives when they see someone show up using IE and given that IE's past poor security is even a meme at this point, it's no wonder that it seldom gets a second look or any serious consideration from anyone used to Chrome or Firefox, including people in the tech industry and press, who have continued to slam IE over the years and praise Chrome (even though the latter is somewhat notorious for having embedded spyware and adware courtesy of Google; one reason I will never use it and instead stick with the tracking-free/adware free Chromium alternative, SRWare Iron).

I also definitely prefer the performance of IE over Chrome, as it's far less resource intensive, especially when multiple instances/tabs are running.  Chrome can get to be a huge drain on performance after a long browsing session, and unfortunately all those extra chrome.exe processes don't go away even when you close the tabs that spawned them (IE, on the other hand, does terminate the extra iexplore.exe processes when closing unused tabs, without having to close the browser completely to free up those resources).

Edited December 5, 2018 by exile360

[Amaroq_Starwind]

I'm sure that one day, somebody will port all of Internet Explorer's security features into Google Chrome. Like I said, we already have SmartScreen! It's only a matter of time.

[exile360]

I doubt it as many of them are either proprietary to IE, tied directly into the OS itself or both.  I highly doubt anyone would or even could port many of them into another browser.  It gives the user a level of access under the hood of how the browser functions and interacts with the network stack and OS that I've never seen any other browser even come close to (and this is from a guy who uses a Chromium based browser as well as Firefox, including with tons of security related add-ons and extensions).

[Firefox]

I am pretty fond of IE myself... most if not all my surfing needs are done in IE...

[Amaroq_Starwind]

3 hours ago, Firefox said:

I am pretty fond of IE myself... most if not all my surfing needs are done in IE...

Said Firefox

I bet in some alternate timeline, your favorite browser is Firefox, but your username is Internet Explorer. And generations from now, your descendant will be named Chromium, and their favorite browser the by-then antiquated Microsoft Edge. 🦊

I do hope that Microsoft's own Chromium-based browser will still boast most of the security features from Internet Explorer and Edge, and I also hope that it has native optimizations and the like. And perhaps maybe some Electron compatibility, albeit with a lot more security to avoid things like clickjackers and NewTab programs.

[Firefox]

14 hours ago, Amaroq_Starwind said:

Said Firefox

Unfortunately you don't know my back story... I have been using the name Firefox even before Firefox existed (not because I am promoting or using Firefox browser)...