Microsoft's New Edge Browser Now Rolling Out via Windows Update (theverge.com) 29
Microsoft is starting to roll out its new Edge browser through Windows Update. The new Chromium-based version of Edge launched in January, but Windows users had to specifically download it. From a report: A Microsoft support article notes that it's now available on Windows Update, meaning it will soon arrive on the more than 1 billion Windows 10 devices in use. It appears that Edge will be automatically installed through Windows Update on Windows 10 version 1803 and higher. That covers the vast majority of versions of Windows 10 that are currently supported, meaning it should start showing up in Windows Update for everyone soon. As always, this is a gradual rollout, so you might not see it immediately on Windows Update just yet.
Is it setting itself to be the default browser? (Score:2)
I noticed Edge (with a new icon) was now the default browser on my grandmother's PC.
Re:Is it setting itself to be the default browser? (Score:5, Informative)
Improvements and fixes
This update includes the following quality improvements:
Start menu pins, tiles, and shortcuts for the current version of Microsoft Edge will migrate to the new Microsoft Edge.
Taskbar pins and shortcuts for the current version of Microsoft Edge will migrate to the new Microsoft Edge.
The new Microsoft Edge will be pinned to the taskbar. If the current version of Microsoft Edge is already pinned, it will be replaced.
The new Microsoft Edge will add a shortcut to the desktop. If the current version of Microsoft Edge already has a shortcut, it will be replaced.
By default, most protocols that Microsoft Edge handles will be migrated to the new Microsoft Edge.
The current version of Microsoft Edge will be hidden from UX surfaces in the OS. This includes settings, applications, and any file or protocol support dialog boxes.
Attempts to start the current version of Microsoft Edge will redirect to the new Microsoft Edge.
The First Run Experience (FRE) will auto-launch the first time that a device restarts after the new Microsoft Edge is installed.
Data from earlier versions of Microsoft Edge (such as passwords, favorites, open tabs) will be available in the new Microsoft Edge.
This new Microsoft Edge does not support uninstalling of this update.
To view supported features, please see the Microsoft Edge Platform Status.
You suck M'Smash.
Re:Is it setting itself to be the default browser? (Score:5, Informative)
Whether you download today or wait for us to upgrade it on your device, your favorites, passwords, and basic settings will carry over to the new Microsoft Edge automatically. The automatic rollout will maintain your default browser setting – if your default is currently set to a browser other than Microsoft Edge, your setting will carry over once the new Microsoft Edge is installed.
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So nice of them. To just create a link in the desktop. And pin it to the start menu. USE OUR BROWSER.
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Re:Is it setting itself to be the default browser? (Score:4, Interesting)
Microsoft knows quite well that Windows users will put up with such treatment. So long as users, by and large, allow themselves to be pushed around to better suit Microsoft's desires, such behavior will continue.
The pushy Windows 10 rollout combined with the heavy Windows 10 spying and shifty tricks in UI design it uses to make you think you have disabled the spying when you actually have not, were the collective straw that broke the camel's back for me. I switched to Fedora Linux instead of upgrade from Windows 7, and have not looked back since.
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Oh good, a new Chrome downloader.
Re: Is it setting itself to be the default browser (Score:3)
Edge is basically Chrome now. MS telemetry vs. Google advertising; pick your poison.
If you'd said 'Firefox'...
End of an era (Score:3)
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Brave is just a crypto scheme.
It's using the same Blink engine as Chrome, Edge and others anyway.
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No, they are "adding" a new monopoly engine. So now instead of having to have Internet Exploder and Microsoft Edge installed on every Windows 10 computer as is currently the case, you will now be required to have three browsers installed: Microsoft Chome-Edge, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Internet Exploder. Plus of course, whatever browser you actually use if that is not Microsoft Chrome-Edge or Microsoft Internet Exploder.
This is because Microsoft Edge (not Chrome-Edge) and Microsoft Internet Exploder
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This is because Microsoft Edge (not Chrome-Edge) and Microsoft Internet Exploder are integrated into Windows and Office and you cannot get rid of them without toppling the whole house of cards.
Microsoft Edge the *browser* is integrated into office, EdgeHTML the rendering engine. All of Microsoft's current offerings work fine in both Chrome as well as the new Chrome powered Edge. Furthermore Office integration works in the new Edge powered Chrome even where Chrome itself fails as the only connection between the systems is now API/URL calls that have zero to do with the rendering engine.
So no. EdgeHTML will be removed and nothing depends on it. You will be left with Trident (Internet Explorer) and
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True, unless you got rid of IE (can be done through add/remove apps) and use Firefox (yay!). Then, you actually have to keep IE if you're in a corporate environment; my IT people rolled out ChrEdge and the timesheet application broke. It requires IE. It worked with OldEdge, since OldEdge had IE compatibility baked in. It fails to start with ChrEdge. IT has been made aware...
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Both browsers are open source however, so its a good thing. The old closed source IE is gone and replaced with an open source engine. Also, as a Web Developer, there are too many browser engines which led to all of these variations to support. Now that we are down to just two, its much easier to deal with now. Its kind of nuts to call an open source browser a monopoly. I am happy with what has happened. I don't know how you can argue against it.
There Is Another (Score:2)
Until another organization has the courage to take on Google we are now in Chrome's Dominance Era.
I agree we are fully in Chrome Dominance Era, however at least the fact that every iOS device uses Webkit based browsers will keep that somewhat in check. You can't have a modern site and not also have it work reliably on an iPad...
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Remember how this era started? When M$ waned to release an OS (Windows 95) that had a single explorer for both local and internet files, and made the distinction between the two seamless?
The DOJ stepped in and said no, internet browsers had to be separate from core OS components because the internet was somehow magical fairyland.
So we got the Windows 95 that the government thought we deserved - one that allowed bad business models from the early nineties to survive the forces of innovation.
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Can you imagine it? Just under a decade and a half ago, an HTML rendering engine for a Linux desktop environment will become today's dominant web browser engine?
We had IE6 to suffer through, and now it's been replaced by KHTML, originally developed for KDE. Also, it's LGPL, so imagine that - a license in the GPL family now being a monopoly!
Tell me how many people predicted THAT at the turn of the millennium?
(Yes, it's KHTML that became WebKit that became Blink, but still.)
Re:End of an era (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft won the browser war, but failed its objectives.
The reason why Microsoft pushed IE to be more than the Wordpad of Web Browsers. Is because they were seeing the likes of Netscape pushing more features into the browser which could mean, people no longer needed a Windows computer to do daily activities. As well HTML standards were such in flux with stupid plugins doing a lot of rendering. Means Microsoft could play the game so only Windows PC can access and run Websites.
This actually worked they had mostly killed of Netscape, and has been the default browser for a while. However ActiveX, has been shown to be a security nightmare, as it was made to work on windows PC's however it needed a professionally setup windows PC with proper security settings in order to prevent every website who wanted in, to make a an active X script, That will do what it was suppose to do, but then just did a bit more. So people just got hammered with spyware and crap.
This made Web Developers to stop focusing on Active X, and move towards more compatible methods, and this allowed Firefox to be the Secure browser of choice, while not maintaining dominance, it was quickly growing, and web developers supported it much more. That and it started first on HTML5 support which allowed for new features and abilities.
During this period Apple was gaining popularity, and its own Safari browser was getting some traction too (including a windows version) This made website development even more needed to be platform independent. Especially as a lot Bosses and CEO's wanted their fancy Macs for work.
The iPhone was the biggest treat. This with Safari dropping flash and pushing full HTML5. Had pushed web developers to really follow the standards much better than ever before. Just because of the level of demand.
In the mean time. IE 6 was getting more and more out of date, IE 7 (that came with Vista didn't kick off too well). With Windows 7 IE up to version 11 got a little traction, but it was clear that its core was getting out of date.
With Safari being mostly Mac based, Firefox getting more and more bloated. Google put out Chrome as the small. light and fast browser, as to get market share, on the PC market, as well as prepping for the growth of the Android Platform.
Google leveraged it popularity of its search engine to encourage people to use Chrome. And it being faster and more secure than IE, it got popular.
Microsoft no longer having any advantage in making web sites to be Windows Only. (A failed attempt at Windows Mobile). They tried to Make Edge the Fast Light browser again. However the problem is people didn't trust MS anymore, and Edge wasn't as feature full as they advertised it.
I think MS gave up, and just switch to chromium so there is browser that comes with the OS that is good enough to be modern and work. And Let google dev deal with most of the big issues, where they can put some fun useless features on it.
I like it (Score:3)
I like it because it allows HW video decoding of Netflix's encrypted streams, so my very cheap media centre mini PC (Intel Atom x5-z8350 with 2G DDR3) effortlessly renders Netflix's encrypted 1080p video streams. So for an HTPC it's more useful than Chrome or Mozilla or Kodi (which relies on Chrome's widevine for decryption and SW decoding where the upstream forbids HW). Obviously it would be better if Netflix weren't assholes and I could do everything on LibreElec or Debian, but they are assholes.
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On Windows why wouldn't you just use Netflix's native app which also supports the above? Why add browser overhead?
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With a browser I can have Netflix, ITV, Channel 4 & Britbox web UIs each in their own tab on the one application. It's very convenient.
There's no noticeable overhead that makes any difference even to a very low end mini PC with limited RAM. It's not used as a regular PC, just Kodi and catch up, controlled by remote control android app and/or bluetooth touchpad.
Great... (Score:2)
... now if only large corporate user bases would get off of IE11, all of our lives would be easier.
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Would be, but then I wouldn't be able to submit my timesheet. Need IE to start the app.
We need portable versions (Score:2)
of Edge (chrome), Edge (legacy) and IE. Unfortunately, so far there was little interest from developers to make portable versions, which would be a major convenience for everybody: a) ability to choose the browser which is most compatible with the task at hand; b) compliance with whatever policies enterprises enforce to their production environments c) no interferences with the operating system (registry etc).
About 90% of the apps I use are portable (even LibreOffice), and so my trusted Win7 daily driver en