Microsoft to Kill off Edge Browser, Replace with its Own Chromium-derivative?

[StrayKAT]

No, we have W10 enterprise at work, and Edge is the browser.

In that case, I don't know why someone's workplace was forcing IE. Just an unrelated policy, I guess.

Now I see even less of a reason for MS to move from Edge.

 

[R-T-B]

Maybe that's it? I honest don't know about Enterprise and was just guessing. I thought I overheard someone saying they were still forced to use IE.

LTSB is indeed edge free. As probably one of the few people on this forum with a legit ltsb 2016 license I can confirm.

 

[Jism]

This is why i dislike MS in general. Just stick to OS and let the others make some quality software like browsers, video calling or email clients.

Everything is being replaced even tho it offers very good functionality. Was Skype of MSN a better switch? No. Was Edge a better alternative in comparison of IE? Yes. Was Edge better then Chrome? No.

MS switches shit every x years and they need to stop doing that. Dont fix what's not broken.

 

[StrayKAT]

This is why i dislike MS in general. Just stick to OS and let the others make some quality software like browsers, video calling or email clients.

Everything is being replaced even tho it offers very good functionality. Was Skype of MSN a better switch? No. Was Edge a better alternative in comparison of IE? Yes. Was Edge better then Chrome? No.

MS switches shit every x years and they need to stop doing that. Dont fix what's not broken.

Like I said, in one case, some things aren't better. Application Guard is awesome. And there's no third party that will do it. It's basically an extension of Hyper-V. Apparently, I can't even run other VMs (VirtualBox ) with a Secure Boot system, let alone run single virtualized apps.

 

[BaRRoS]

MS switches shit every x years and they need to stop doing that. Dont fix what's not broken.

I've been saying the same thing for the last 15 years... One day someone just replied to me "Well, you have to change things in order to justify new training courses and certifications...".

 

[Jism]

Why IOS has such a great userbase? Because apple does'nt change things after an update which becomes broken or completely redesigned / new / more bad then the previous version. All apps such like facetime or Siri are just fantastic and kept very simple. Cant say that for MS > The new update from Skype seems a complete make-over and nothing really works better then the previous.

 

[StrayKAT]

I've been saying the same thing for the last 15 years... One day someone just replied to me "Well, you have to change things in order to justify new training courses and certifications...".

None of that is as bad as what happened to Linux. They gutted the whole UNIX philosophy and init systems people were trained and certified on, and now push systemd these days (which is far more dramatic than anything MS has done. NT is the same at the system level it's always been). You could say that's a good thing, that it's getting away from old philosophies.. but people need to relearn things all the same.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

That still works, in fact Explorer will even open Chrome if that's your default browser.

You just stated how it isn't the same: separate windows, separate applications. 98/ME, same window/application did everything. It was universal.

 

[HisDivineOrder]

So long as they give it an "E" for the icon, everything will be enough the same to continue the buggy, always-almost-done-but-when-they're-about-to-be-done-they-need-to-mothball-it theme they've had for years now.

 

[StrayKAT]

Just to add, I think I'm starting to dislike Nadella. He's not competitive. Gates era MS would have fought tooth and nail to gain traction with any of their given products (and outdone anyone in underhandedness to boot). Everything about Nadella is a series of compromises and giving MS a "get along" image.

I don't have many probs with old MS way of doing things. I don't blame others for competing like that either. I only dislike Google because they're not a true tech company. They're an ad company first (and every form of tech they develop serves that purpose first.. rather than the other way around). It's a tragedy that a fake tech company rules the tech world... and has everyone convinced they're a tech company. MS, Apple, Intel, etc... are all real tech focused companies. Yet people dislike them more. /rant

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I'm disappointed. Not because I want them to keep EdgeHTML. I can see how it's a problem that Enterprise still doesn't have a modern IE/Edge (and can't, because of no Windows Store? Not sure). It's just that using Chromium is beneath them. They can make anything they want. Why use that?

I wonder how they're going to implement one feature in particular that I like: Application Guard (virtualizes Edge in it's own secure session).

IE9 broke backwards support for IE6 content (which is what the vast majority of it is). IE11 broke backwards compatibility for IE7. IE11 is rather clueless on HTML5 so it's been depreciated for Edge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers#Summary_tables

Chrome 65.49%
IE 9.66%
Firefox 8.99%
Edge 4.23%
Safari 3.76%
Opera 1.56%
Other 6.31%

That bolded number is the reason why we might see a Chromium-based, IE6 backwards-compatible Microsoft browser (HTML1.1-5 support). Internet Explorer has become a liability for Microsoft. It's too costly to write from the ground up to be secure and backwards compatible so they're cheapening it by using Chromium as a foundation. It likely won't be as fast as Chrome but that's not the point (Edge is usually faster anyway). It is meant to get all of those XP/Vista/7 businesses to Windows 10 with a browser that won't break anything.

Edge is here to stay. It does what it needs to do very well. It has also shed virtually all of its backwards compatibility to get there.

 

[Vayra86]

Yes, unfortunately I did.
It's a piece of shit with virtually nonexistant configuration possibilities (well, just like Firefox to be fair).

Okay. Point me to the extensive configuring of Chrome then. Not through extensions though, because that is third party.

Edge is actually quite feature complete for a browser, much like Chrome. You're entitled to your opinion, but its not really valid. Its also incredibly fast and it has a smaller footprint than Chrome does.

Its funny you should say 'just like Firefox' because the two are not alike in the slightest, and here's the kicker, both Edge and FF do certain things much better than Chrome does. An example of this is related to web-based development work and working with SaaS applications through a browser. Chrome is OK, and FF and Edge are better, an example is how they handle XMLs. On the other hand, while Firefox seems to be in decline, Edge is moving up, both in quality and userbase.

For casual use, Chrome is great, foolproof, sandboxed and thus safe. For anything advanced, its one of the least interesting browsers.

Any comparison with IE, in any case, is so far off the mark its unreal.

 

[StrayKAT]

Edge is here to stay. It does what it needs to do very well. It has also shed virtually all of its backwards compatibility to get there.

Well, I hope you're right. But like I said above, I wouldn't be surprised if MS completely threw in the towel at this point. Nadella just needs to go. MS needs to remember "what is best in life".

 

[Gorstak]

I wouldn't be surprised if we got windows 11 next year or so, with a completly new browser...

 

[StrayKAT]

I wouldn't be surprised if we got windows 11 next year or so, with a completly new browser...

I wouldn't be surprised if it's Linux either. They're already a Platinum member of the Linux Foundation...which is bizarre in itself.

I like Linux.. don't get me wrong. I just hate pussies more. Which is what I'm going to continue ranting about for today. Nadella is the type to do this (since he already is doing similar things). Yet just a few years ago, MS had Steve Ballmer who called Linux a "Cancer". Those are some fighting words.

I miss the good ole days of these figures at each other's throats. And we, as users, benefited from more choice. Look at the landscape now: Less OSes, less CPUs/GPUs/browsers/services/etc.. Everything is converging. And it's boring.

 

[Gorstak]

Linux is good if you don't value your time at all. Windows, with all it's problems, is a much more polished product. And I think windows is being built on a linux system, or some part of it. MS will have their linux distro soon, but I doubt it will be windows replacement. Hard to kill something so humungous. But if MS manages to introduce some global changes into linux community, like it did with windows, then the only saviour can be someone else, one of the big ones, like IBM. And if someone like IBM decides to kill MS, like it created it, that's it, but none of us will live to see it.

 

[StrayKAT]

Linux is good if you don't value your time at all. Windows, with all it's problems, is a much more polished product. And I think windows is being built on a linux system, or some part of it. MS will have their linux distro soon, but I doubt it will be windows replacement. Hard to kill something so humungous. But if MS manages to introduce some global changes into linux community, like it did with windows, then the only saviour can be someone else, one of the big ones, like IBM. And if someone like IBM decides to kill MS, like it created it, that's it, but none of us will live to see it.

I think it'd be a step backwards. They're functionally the same at the kernel level (I mean, they're both monolithic kernels, that manage tasks/processes in similar ways).. except Windows ties their GUI subsystem to the kernel as well. Which is better, if you want a desktop OS. Linux is still living in DOS/UNIX land, where the Xserver runs in a user space like Windows 3.1 did (worse than Windows 3.1 in some ways, since there's no guidelines or single API on how apps look and behave. Everyone keeps reinventing the damn wheel).

But I could see people at MS being stupid enough to throw that all away. Throw in the towel on phones and browsers and Office exclusivity.. then the OS is one step away.

 

[Gorstak]

Well, you ceirtanly know about their inner workings better then I do. However, I only have high school diploma and have worked most of my life as a security guard. IT is just a hobby for me, and I don't take it that seriously as some people do. Just a metal bucket that offers one or more pleasures in life, but nothing that I can't live without. I only scratch the surface when something isn't working properly and is bothering me, but usually every time I do that, it requires a deeper analysis, and someone with proper education. I usually mess things up, or do 'em in a way that isn't recommended by anyone. I somehow manage to get by, even with all my clumsiness and superficialness. What I'm trying to say, is don't take my words as the holy letter or an act of agression, you have a mind of your own, and by all means, use it.

 

[StrayKAT]

Well, you ceirtanly know about their inner workings better then I do. However, I only have high school diploma and have worked most of life as a security guard. IT is just a hobby for me, and I don't take it that seriously as some people do. Just a metal bucket that offers one or more pleasures in life, but nothing that I can't live without. I only scratch the surface when something isn't working properly and is bothering me, but usually every time I do that, it requires a deeper analysis, and someone with proper education. I usually mess things up, or do 'em in a way that isn't recommended by anyone. I somehow manage to get by, even with all my clumsiness and superficialness. What I'm trying to say, is don't take my words as the holy letter or an act of agression, you have a mind of your own, and by all means, use it.

Haha.. I'm not any better off education wise. I just had plenty of time to waste, as you said yourself. And I didn't see any aggression. It's all cool.

The only aggression here is me..against the direction I see Microsoft slowly going in.

 

[Dave65]

I've been using it some in the last few months, it really isn't that bad.

 

[Gorstak]

I've been using it some in the last few months, it really isn't that bad.

in the words of lady gaga, the edge? the edge? the edge? the edgeeee?

 

[Sasqui]

MS switches shit every x years and they need to stop doing that. Dont fix what's not broken.

Agreed and it seems to be a good part of silicon valley culture to copy what's successful, and in the process, produce a shitty copy.

 

[lemonadesoda]

I use chrome with extension "IE Tab" (which is just 1.8MB) to deal with backward compatibility. I need it a lot to access older hardware, such as printers, network scanners, telephone PBX etc.

I don't use Edge, I dont use IE, and I won't "switch" to a "new" MS browser just to access legacy when I can get there already. After what MS has done to Skype, I basically HAVE NO FAITH in what MS is doing with their applications/customers.

 

[StrayKAT]

Agreed and it seems to be a good part of silicon valley culture to copy what's successful, and in the process, produce a shitty copy.

They tried something original with Win 8, and people hated that too (including me). Although I think the tile paradigm was great for phones. And people still wanted some icon/desktop paradigm on those too.

And when they do stick to the old, people shit on that anyways. Familiarity breeds contempt... even though it works fine.

All in all, I think MS hate is irrational.

 

[R-T-B]

which is far more dramatic than anything MS has done. NT is the same at the system level it's always been

I mean, they pretty much started out with a systemd style process manager in the kernel, so yeah, less dramatic because it's always been there.

except Windows ties their GUI subsystem to the kernel as well

Not so much anymore. There is a command line only version of the windows kernel now, meaning the GUI subsystem has been made modular.

I like Linux.. don't get me wrong. I just hate pussies more.

...

I mean, I get what you are saying, not taking it literally. But seriously, what does "having balls" have to do with a good software product?

Linux is still living in DOS/UNIX land, where the Xserver runs in a user space like Windows 3.1 did

You forgot wayland. Linux is pushing to end that seperation in many ways. XServer is just hard to get rid of entirely for backwards compatibility reasons. Still, the xserver basically draws via the kernel so the difference is almost academic at this point.