Silicon Investor - Edge | Microsoft's Chromium Edge Browser

[Glenn Petersen] Microsoft to retire Internet Explorer browser and redirect users to Edge Compan...

Glenn Petersen — 6/15/2022 8:19:42 AM

Microsoft to retire Internet Explorer browser and redirect users to Edge

Company says decision to disable desktop app comes as web developers less likely to make sites compatible with browser, which first graced computers in 1995

Josh Taylor
@joshgnosis
The Guardian

Tue 14 Jun 2022 22.56 EDT

Microsoft has announced it will kill off its much-maligned legacy internet browser Internet Explorer close to 27 years after it graced desktop computers in 1995.

From 15 June, the desktop app will be disabled and users will be redirected to Microsoft’s Edge browser instead.

Internet Explorer was the gateway to the internet for people born prior to Generation Z, in an era when Microsoft dominated the tech world, before Google, Facebook and TikTok, and when the browser had to be installed on to computers using a CD-rom.

Microsoft’s market domination came about due to its bundling of the software as part of the Windows operating system. The experience was often sluggish and when faster competition arrived with Mozilla’s Firefox and later Google Chrome, people jumped ship in droves.

Although market-dominant Chrome suffers from the same issues that plagued Internet Explorer, the shift away from the need to support the legacy browser will be a relief for web developers.

In a submission to an Australian competition regulator’s review of the web browser market, Microsoft said its decision to abandon Internet Explorer was largely due to the fact web developers were less likely to make their sites compatible with Internet Explorer.

The submission said that “after years of attempting to address incompatibilities as they arose with different websites – including some of the most popular ones on the Internet” the company eventually decided that continuing to differentiate from Chrome with a unique proprietary web platform “no longer made sense”.

There’s a good chance you haven’t used Internet Explorer in many years – or ever. Microsoft has been nudging people away from it in favour of the Edge browser, which was launched in 2015 and is built on Google’s open-source Chromium.

The company ended support for Internet Explorer in Teams in 2020, and announced plans to stop supporting Internet Explorer 11 in web browsers in Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 in August 2020.

If there is a relic website that still requires Internet Explorer in order to open it, people using the Edge browser will be able to run it in “IE mode”.

Despite the gradual demise of Internet Explorer, it still has strong brand recognition. A Roy Morgan survey commissioned by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in September 2021 found the browsers people were most aware of were Chrome (95%), followed by Internet Explorer (85%), Firefox (81%), Apple Safari (80%) and Edge (69%).

The same survey found just 28% of people used Internet Explorer on their computers, compared with 81% who used Chrome – including 73% of Apple users. The main reason people gave for using Internet Explorer was that it was pre-installed on their computer and there was no reason to use another browser.

While the bundled web browser in Windows may have been an advantage to Microsoft in the past, the company said people were now aware of other options, and on desktop PCs, Microsoft Edge has only a 9% marketshare.

Microsoft to retire Internet Explorer browser and redirect users to Edge | Internet Explorer | The Guardian

[isopatch] No trouble copying urls with from long list of other websites with Edge. Except...

isopatch — 12/30/2020 2:54:51 PM

No trouble copying urls with from long list of other websites with Edge. Exception is any post url on SI. Not just me. Pvt msg. from another SI member confirmed he's experiencing the same problem. Why is that? TIA.

[Eric L] Uninstalling Chromium Edge from Windows 10 ... Microsoft makes it difficult an...

Eric L — 8/24/2020 12:05:31 PM

Uninstalling Chromium Edge from Windows 10 ...

Microsoft makes it difficult and recently announced in a support page ...

Some Microsoft apps require Edge to run properly, so Microsoft made it harder to uninstall Edge to avoid unnecessary issues that could be caused by its absence (and it just really wants you to use Edge) but while somewhat difficult it is not impossible. The following 2 articles discuss how to deal with this. The complete 'How to' guides are available at the links below ...

>> How to remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10

If you don't like Microsoft Edge, you can uninstall it from Windows 10, but the process will depend on how you obtained the browser – Here's how to complete the task.

Mauro Huculak
18 Aug 2020

windowscentral.com

>> How to Uninstall Edge Chromium When Windows 10 Won't Let You

Brendan Hesse
Lifehacker
8/07/20

lifehacker.com

# # #

- Eric L -

[Eric L] Microsoft's 'Edge Legacy' (or EdgeHTM-based Legacy Edge) v 'Edge' (Chromium-base...

Eric L — 8/17/2020 3:37:56 PM

Microsoft's 'Edge Legacy' (or EdgeHTM-based Legacy Edge) v 'Edge' (Chromium-based New Edge) ...

There is som confusion particularly when it comes to browser usag share (i,e, does the analytical firm reporting share combine new Edge and 'Edge Legacy' when reporting Edge share as Net Applications does or does it report 2 separate entities as StatCounter does?).

This March article should have been posted here some time ago (back in March). Certainly before I made the just prior post. but until now I've avoided posting desktop/laptop usage share becuse of the important distinction. In the future I will generally be reporting browser market share usage on the SI Firefox board and likely referencing those post here.

"What is Microsoft Edge Legacy? |"Microsoft Edge Legacy is the EdgeHTML based browser that is currently or until very recently] the default browser on Windows 10 PCs. The new Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium, and was released in January 2020. It's available on Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows 10, and macOS. Downloading the new Microsoft Edge will replace the legacy version of Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 PCs." support.microsoft.com

>> The old Microsoft Edge is now called 'Edge Legacy'

New is normal and old is legacy when it comes to Microsoft Edge.

Sean Endicot
Windows Central
26 Mar 2020

windowscentral.com

What you need to know

• A Microsoft support document refers to the older EdgeHTML-based Microsoft Edge as "Edge Legacy."
• The Chromium-based Microsoft Edge is just called "Microsoft Edge."
• The clarification should make things easier as Edge Legacy gets older.

Microsoft has two versions of Microsoft Edge, and that can cause confusion when it comes to names. Most people have referred to the Chromium version of Edge as "the new Microsoft Edge" and specified if instead referring to the older version of Edge. Now, a support document from Microsoft refers to the EdgeHTML-based version of Microsoft Edge as "Microsoft Edge Legacy." The newer Chromium-based Microsoft Edge is just that, "Microsoft Edge."

The clarification will make things easier as Microsoft Edge Legacy becomes older and less used. This change will be particularly useful for enterprise and IT where precise wording is needed to solve administrative issues or file support tickets.

It doesn't make much sense to call the Chromium version of the browser "the new Microsoft Edge" forever or to have to always specify if referring to the Chromium or EdgeHTML versions of the browser. Eventually, there will just be one Microsoft Edge in regular use, so people should get used to that name now.

Microsoft Edge Legacy is [or until recently was[ still the default browser on Windows 10 PCs, but Microsoft is pushing people towards Microsoft Edge (the new one that we won't have to refer to as new going forward).

Microsoft Edge has earned positive reviews on Windows 10 and macOS alike. It's also available on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1. It renders websites well and works with Chrome extensions, which greatly expands the browser's functionality.

One of the most useful new features of the new Microsoft Edge is the ability to install progressive web apps. This allows you to create dedicated windows and Start Menu icons for progressive web apps like Disney+, Hulu, and Kindle Cloud Reader.

Microsoft continues to add features to Microsoft Edge. Recently, Microsoft rolled out Collections to the beta version of Microsoft Edge. <<

# # #

- Eric L. -

[Eric L] Microsoft ending Edge Legacy support on March 9, 2021 ... >> Say goodbye to Mi...

Eric L — 8/17/2020 1:40:31 PM

Microsoft ending Edge Legacy support on March 9, 2021 ...

>> Say goodbye to Microsoft Edge Legacy; support ending in March, 2021 ...

It's time to embarce the new Edge.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
17 August 2020

windowscentral.com

What you need to know:

• Microsoft Edge Legacy support will end on March 9, 2021.
• Edge Legacy will no longer receive security updates after its sunset date.
• Microsoft is pushing people towards the new Microsoft Edge built on Chromium.

Despite the launch of the new, Chromium-based Microsoft Edge earlier in 2020, Microsoft has continued to support Edge Legacy. However, the older browser's time is about to run out. Microsoft announced today that Edge Legacy support will end next year ( via MSPU).

Specifically, Microsoft Edge Legacy support will be sunset on March 9, 2021. After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates for the aging browser. The company says that apps and services created to run on Edge Legacy will continue to run in the new Microsoft Edge, however.

"Since its release in January, millions of users have upgraded their home and work browsers to the new Microsoft Edge," Microsoft said in the Tech Community post announcing the change. "Additionally, new devices and future Windows feature updates (starting with Windows 10, version 20H2) will contain the new Microsoft Edge."

Going forward, Microsoft will continue to push the new Microsoft Edge as its default browser. That's further backed up by Microsoft dropping support for Internet Explorer 11 with its web apps, which will take place late in 2021. However, Microsoft has caught some heat for its decision to not allow users to uninstall the new Edge. <<

# # #

- Eric L. -

[Eric L] Ed Bott's New EDGE Browser Overview with 10 steps to help after switching (Video...

Eric L — 8/3/2020 1:48:09 PM

Ed Bott's New EDGE Browser Overview with 10 steps to help after switching (Video and Article) ...

Ed Bott | The Ed Bott Report
ZDNet
July 29, 2020

zdnet.com

For years, Microsoft has made the browsers that choosy web users loved to hate. First there was Internet Explorer, with an endless supply of security and compatibility issues. Then there was the original version of Microsoft Edge, which shipped with early releases of Windows 10. It was significantly better than Internet Explorer (granted, that's a pretty low bar), but there were just enough problems to make it unacceptable for everyday usage. That's why Google's Chrome browser is hands-down the most popular software on the web.

But all that changed with the release of the new Microsoft Edge (same name, new logo), which is now widely available on every major desktop and mobile platform. Because it's built on the same open source Chromium Project code base that Google uses for Chrome, it's almost a perfect clone of Chrome for things that matter, like rendering web pages and working with third-party code. It's ... really good.

In fact, you might find the new Edge superior to Chrome in some respects. Google's business model is based on knowing everything you do on the web, whereas Microsoft's business model is based on paid services like Office 365. As a result, the new Edge is considerably more privacy focused than Chrome. And it has at least one killer feature that anyone who uses the web for research will appreciate.

If you're interested in switching, your first step is to install the new Edge from its official download site. Then follow these 10 steps to get things set up right from the start.

These are the 10 Steps (without the detail and screenshots Ed provides. Each one is worth carefully reviewing. See the article at link above to review each one, ...

1. Choose an Edge release channel

2. Set up profiles

3. Set up sync

4. Turn on Tracking Prevention

5. Add extensions

6. Get your passwords under control {or use a 3rd party password manager]

7. Customize the New Tab page

8. Pin your favorite sites as apps

9. Adjust your privacy settings

10. Organize your research into Collections <<

# # #

It's a very worthwhile article and over the course of this month I'll step carefully through the 10 steps. I still use Firefox as my primary browser but Edge will likely be my secondary browser permanently and likely I'll use it significantly more than I have used a secondary browser in the past, As Ed says, ... EDGE is 'really good.'

- Eric L. -

[locogringo] Interesting. I've had the ' Proper Menubar' installed and in daily use (and be...

locogringo — 7/11/2020 8:15:12 PM

Interesting. I've had the ' Proper Menubar' installed and in daily use (and been using functions of the bar itself) for about 2 weeks with no sign of the annoyance you described.

My Dell tower 8300 is going on 8.5 years old with the original video card, so go figure. Computers are so much fun!!

[Eric L] Screen flashing annoyance ... << ... the annoying screen flashing on my system...

Eric L — 7/11/2020 5:03:16 PM

Screen flashing annoyance ...

<< ... the annoying screen flashing on my system. The Menu Bar installation caused it. >>

Interesting. I've had the ' Proper Menubar' installed and in daily use (and been using functions of the bar itself) for about 2 weeks with no sign of the annoyance you described. Glad to hear you've seemingly solved your problem.

- Eric L -

[GROUND ZERO™] Yeah, let us know what they tell you... GZ

GROUND ZERO™ — 7/11/2020 4:50:33 PM

[locogringo] Fixed the annoying screen flashing on my system. The Menu Bar installation caus...

locogringo — 7/11/2020 3:51:32 PM

Fixed the annoying screen flashing on my system. The Menu Bar installation caused it. I'll live without the Menu Bar.

[Eric L] Edge Memory Reduction in Win10 version 2004 [graphic] ghacks.net If you keep...

Eric L — 7/11/2020 10:53:46 AM

Edge Memory Reduction in Win10 version 2004

ghacks.net

If you keep an eye on memory usage on your Windows devices and run a device with Windows 10 version 2004, you may have noticed that Microsoft's new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser uses less memory on that version of Windows.

The new Microsoft Edge web browser uses the same core as Google Chrome, and Google's browser is notorious for using a lot of RAM when it is in use. Memory use depends largely on the activity on the Internet; users who open just one or two sites will see less memory usage usually than users who open lots of sites and keep them active.

Microsoft seems to have found a way to reduce the memory usage of the company's new web browser but only on Windows 10 version 2004. The company released the feature update for Windows 10 last month and has rolled it out slowly to eligible devices.

According to a blog post by Microsoft Principal PM Manager, Microsoft Edge, Kim Denny on the Microsoft Edge Dev blog, the new Microsoft Edge may use up to 27% memory less on the new version of Windows 10 than on previous versions.

Denny explains that Microsoft implemented Windows segment heap memory improvements in the browser that reduce memory usage.

With the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, Microsoft Edge has leveraged the Windows segment heap memory improvements now available for Win32 applications to manage memory more efficiently. Early internal testing results of devices on the May 2020 Update are showing a memory usage reduction of up to 27% when browsing with Microsoft Edge.

Segment Heap has been available to UWP applications only in previous versions of Windows 10. Microsoft announced Project Reunion recently in an attempt to unify the Windows development platform. With UWP having stayed behind expectations, Microsoft decided to unlock UWP specific APIs such as segment heap so that Win32 programs can use these as well.

Microsoft Edge is the first Win32 application that makes use of segment heap but the API is available for all developers. It is possible that other browsers, e.g. Firefox or Chrome, and also other programs, make use of the API to reduce the memory usage of applications that run on the Windows 10 <<

# # #

ZDNet has a comprehensive take on this here: zdnet.com

- Eric L -

[locogringo] Thanks, maybe I will. I did a search and it's been a widespread problem for yea...

locogringo — 7/11/2020 7:09:27 AM

Thanks, maybe I will. I did a search and it's been a widespread problem for years. I tried two fixes, but neither worked. (color scheme and flash)

[GROUND ZERO™] I don't see that formatting screen but you might give them this feedback... The...

GROUND ZERO™ — 7/11/2020 5:56:10 AM

I don't see that formatting screen but you might give them this feedback...

The feedback icon is found on the far upper right corner of your browser page, I circled it in red...

GZ

[locogringo] I'm getting a lot of what appears to be a black formatting screen that flashes b...

locogringo — 7/10/2020 4:14:18 PM

I'm getting a lot of what appears to be a black formatting screen that flashes between sites before loading the page. It's instantaneous and too fast to read but highly annoying.

Do I need to reset something? Anybody else getting it?

[Eric L] Get to know the new version of Microsoft Edge Video (April 24, 2020) [youtube v...

Eric L — 7/10/2020 3:43:28 PM

Get to know the new version of Microsoft Edge Video (April 24, 2020)

youtube.com

The new Microsoft Edge is here! Built on an open-source foundation called “Chromium", it will help you browse the web reliably, securely, and productively while protecting and respecting your privacy with powerful features like Collections, Tracking prevention, Extensions and more. Learn more about the new Microsoft Edge.

• How to manage and organize favorites in Microsoft Edge (April 16, 2020)

youtube.com

• How to organize with Microsoft Edge Collections (June 17, 2020)

youtube.com

# # #

- Eric L -

[locogringo] I installed Norton Password manager for Edge. So far working well along with th...

locogringo — 7/10/2020 2:57:39 PM

I installed Norton Password manager for Edge. So far working well along with the other Norton extensions.

I've been getting pretty fed up with Firefox too and Brave still has some drawbacks, so I'm willing to give Edge a good workout.

[GROUND ZERO™] Thanks, will follow with great interest... All the very best... GZ

GROUND ZERO™ — 7/10/2020 1:58:55 PM

[Eric L] Adding a proper Menu Bar to the New Edge ... Being something of a throwback in...

Eric L — 7/10/2020 1:37:42 PM

Adding a proper Menu Bar to the New Edge ...

Being something of a throwback initially I was somewhat disconcerted with the lack of a Menu Bar in Edge. Thanks to Martin Brinkmann of GHacks I found one and am now much more comfortable in an Edge session after adding it despite its limitations.

ghacks.net.

The Menu Bar, once a given for any desktop web browser, has been removed from the majority of web browsers. Some, Firefox or Vivaldi, still support a menu bar but even these need to be configured to display the toolbar permanently in the browser. Firefox users may use the Alt-key to display the menu bar at any time.

Microsoft's new Edge web browser does not support a menu bar at all; that is no surprise as Chromium does not come with a menu bar.

If you like to use a menu bar in your browser, you may install a browser extension in Microsoft Edge to restore it (also available for Google Chrome).

All you need to do is install the Proper Menubar for Microsoft Edge extension from the official Microsoft Edge Addons website to add it to the browser. The extension requires no special permissions which is always good.

microsoftedge.microsoft.com

Note that the extension does not alter the browser's user interface but adds a row underneath the address bar of the browser that acts as a menu bar.

The menu bar displays the usual entry points such as File, Edit, View, or Bookmarks. Its nature limits some of its functionality as the extension does not display browser-specific data such as the last visited pages or bookmarks.

While that is limiting, users who like to work with menu bars do find some useful options attached to it. Here is a short list of useful options:

• Open or close Tabs or Windows.
• Zoom in or out.
• View Source
• Enter Full Screen mode.
• Minimize or maximize windows.
• Mute Tabs.
• Jump to different internal pages, e.g. downloads, bookmarks, history, flags, or the settings.

Obviously, there is a bit missing when you compare it to native implementations. If you take Vivaldi's for example, the browser is also based on Chromium, you find the missing data entries for the history and bookmarks, as well as options to hide or show panels or toolbars, import options, and more.

Closing Words

Proper Menubar for Microsoft Edge adds a limited menu bar to the Edge web browser. Some users may like the functionality that it adds, others may dislike its limitations when compared to native solutions.

The extension could be improved by allowing it to access the history and bookmarks, as these could then be displayed in the history and bookmark menus. <<

# # #

Voila! There it is ...

That 4 tier Edge toolbar arrangement is very similar to my Firefox toolbar array ...

Now if only I had an additional search box with selectable search tools and ....

Note: The Proper Menubar extension is also available for Chrome.

- Eric L -

[Eric L] Edge Competitor: Firefox | History and Usage Stats and 2 recent Edge & Firefox R...

Eric L — 7/9/2020 6:49:35 PM

Edge Competitor: Firefox | History and Usage Stats and 2 recent Edge & Firefox Reviews ...

Firefox (and Chrome) have a legitimate new competitor and it is highly likly will both shed share as a result of Microsoft's forcing the install of their new entry on Windows users.

Th following is excerpted from Wikipedia's comprehensive overview of Firefox, which is constantly updated and the latest version is always available here: en.wikipedia.org

>> Firefox was created in 2002 under the codename "Phoenix" by the Mozilla community members who desired a standalone browser, rather than the Mozilla Application Suite bundle. During its beta phase, Firefox proved to be popular with its testers and was praised for its speed, security, and add-ons compared to Microsoft's then-dominant Internet Explorer 6. Firefox was released on November 9, 2004,and challenged Internet Explorer's dominance with 60 million downloads within nine months. Firefox is the spiritual successor of Netscape Navigator, as the Mozilla community was created by Netscape in 1998 before their acquisition by AOL.

Firefox usage grew to a peak of 32.21% at the end of 2009 with version 3.5 overtaking Internet Explorer 7, although not all versions of Internet Explorer as a whole. Usage then declined in competition with Google Chrome.

As of July 2020, Firefox has 8.48% usage share as a "desktop" browser according to StatCounter, but 7.58% according to NetMarketShare, making it the third-most popular browser after Google Chrome with 69% and Safari with 8.74% usage share across all platforms is lower and is third-most popular overall at 4.25% according to StatCounter, and 3.55% according to NetMarketShare. <<

# # #

==========================================
Two Recent Top 2020 Browser Ratings and Reviews
==========================================

TechRadar | The Best browser 2020

techradar.com

1. Mozilla Firefox
2, Microsoft Edge
3, Google Chrome
4, Opera
5. Vivaldi

It's a very close-run thing, but we believe that Firefox is the best browser you can download today. It's not without its flaws, but developer Mozilla has committed to supporting its users' privacy and developing tools to stop third parties from tracking you around the web.

The newly released Chromium-based Edge comes a close second. It supports all the same browser extensions as Google Chrome, but is noticeably less RAM-hungry, allowing for faster performance.

>> 1. Mozilla Firefox

The best browser for power users and privacy protection

Operating system: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS

--> Incredibly flexible
--> Cross-platform sync
--> Good privacy protection
--> A bit slower than rivals

Firefox has long been the Swiss Army Knife of the internet and our favourite browser. Version 72 [now at 78] is particularly good: it can alert you if your email address is included in a known data breach, it blocks those annoying allow-notifications popups, it blocks “fingerprinting” browser tracking and it brings its picture in picture video mode to the Mac version. As before it’s endlessly customizable both in terms of its appearance and in the range of extensions and plugins you can use. Last year’s overhaul dramatically improved its performance, which was starting to lag behind the likes of Chrome, and it’s smooth and solid even on fairly modest hardware.

As much as we love Firefox – right now it’s still our favourite browser – we’re worried about its future. 2019 wasn’t a great year for Mozilla, with a major add-on crisis in May that Peter Saint-Andre and Matthew Miller claimed “was the result of having an interlocking set of complex systems that were not well understood across the relevant teams”. The lack of in-house quality assurance teams was also highlighted – much of Mozilla’s QA is outsourced – and in early 2020 the QA leads were reportedly let go in a round of layoffs. Mozilla’s struggling for income, so if you value Firefox you might want to visit donate.mozilla.org to help secure its future.

>> 2. Microsoft Edge

A genuinely great browser from the former browser bad guys

Operating system: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux coming soon

--> Very, very fast
--> Crystal clear privacy tools
--> Can save sites as apps
--> Windows really wants it to be the default

Older readers will remember Microsoft as the villains of the Browser Wars that ultimately led to the rise of Firefox and Chrome. But Microsoft is on the side of the angels now and its Edge browser has been rebuilt with Chromium at its heart. It’s Windows’ default browser and there are also versions for iOS, Android and Mac.

The new Chromium-powered version is considerably faster than its predecessor and includes some useful features including Read Aloud, the ability to cast media such as inline videos to Chromecast devices, an Opera-style start page and a good selection of add-ons such as password managers, ad-blockers and so on. You can also download web pages as apps which then run as stand-alone applications without having to launch the whole browser. That’s useful for the likes of Google Docs or Twitter.

There are lots of customization options and we particularly liked the Privacy and Services page, which makes potentially confusing settings crystal clear, and the Site Permissions page. That gives you fine-grained control over what specific sites can do, including everything from pop-ups and ad blocking to MIDI device access and media autoplay.

Edge looks like Chrome and works like Chrome, but we like it more than Chrome: it’s noticeably faster on our Mac and the customization options are superb. <<

# # #

Digital Trends | The best web browsers for 2020

digitaltrends.com

They choose Google's Chrome as the best web browser

>> The best Chrome alternative: Mozilla Firefox

Firefox comes in a close second — a very close second. Mozilla takes real strides to make its browser a truly modern way to surf from site to site, thanks to efforts like its upgrade to Firefox Quantum and the virtual reality-focused alternative, Firefox Reality. It wasn’t too long ago that Mozilla rebuilt the familiar old standby browser’s interface, offering a cleaner, more modern take on what a web browser should be, and even introduced a password-free browsing experience.

The changes weren’t just skin deep, however: There’s some impressive engineering going on behind the scenes. Firefox Quantum is designed to leverage multi-core processors in ways that its competitors just aren’t doing. It’s not going to make a huge difference in your day-to-day browsing, but the Mozilla Corporation hopes this design will give it an edge moving forward. By engineering for the future now, Firefox Quantum is in a better position to take advantage of quicker and quicker processors as they emerge year after year.

More recent updates include better privacy protections with anti-tracker support, improved password syncing across devices, improved readability, and integrated breach alerts.

Beneath those changes, it’s still the same Firefox we all know and love. It’s a capable browser, with a deep catalog of extensions and user interface customization. The new Firefox Mobile app also received the Quantum treatment, so it’s quicker and more streamlined than ever before. Grab the mobile Firefox app and you can share bookmarks between devices, but you must sign up for a separate Firefox account. Unfortunately, managing settings across platforms isn’t as seamless as Chrome.

Even with a few major overhauls, Firefox is a comfortable, familiar standby. There’s a bit of a fringe benefit, too. Since it’s been around longer than Chrome, some older web apps — the likes of which you might encounter at your university or workplace — work better on Firefox than they do on Chrome. For that reason, it never hurts to keep it around. The most recent version, Firefox 76, does an even better job than ever of keeping you safe from sites that want to track your activities as you surf the web.

As a primary browser, Firefox is more privacy-centric than Chrome and is comparably fast, but its feature set isn’t quite as expansive elsewhere. >>

>> The web browser with the most potential: Microsoft Edge

Microsoft developed an integrated browser for Windows 10, dubbed Edge, that uses an in-house browsing engine and updates along with the operating system. This project is arguably a failure, as Edge remains unable to gain a substantial market share despite it serving as Windows 10’s default web browser.

In response, Microsoft rewrote Edge using the open-source Chromium web browser engine, taking Google’s lead and making something all its own. The new version launched on February 5, 2020, which replaces the legacy version pre-installed in Windows 10. Currently, you must download and install this browser versus upgrading through Windows Update.

At first glance, Microsoft Edge looks and feels like Chrome. It prompts you to import Chrome’s bookmarks toolbar and other settings. This is great if you previously hated Edge and want to give Microsoft’s browser another shot. Even more, it supports Chrome extensions, though the browser leads you to the Microsoft Store for add-ons. You must manually load the Chrome Web Store to install anything not listed in Microsoft’s repository.

The big news here is performance. Microsoft optimized the Chromium-based Edge for Windows 10. As a quick experiment, we loaded six identical pages/tabs in Chrome and Edge. Looking at Task Manager showed Chrome consuming 1.4GB of memory while Microsoft Edge only used 665MB. That’s extremely good news for PCs with low memory amounts.

Microsoft Edge provides simpler privacy settings, too. In Chrome, you merely have a list of toggles for safe browsing, “do not track” requests, page preloads, and more. Microsoft Edge provides a more graphically friendly interface, displaying three security levels: Basic, Balanced, and Strict. With Balanced set as the default, many sites request you to disable your pop-up blocker even though one isn’t manually installed.

At this point, the new Microsoft Edge shows promise, but it won’t gain any real ground serving as a separate download. Microsoft said in January that this version will roll out in a future update. As of May 2020, this version of Edge still remained as an optional download. [This obviously changes now that Microsoft will be forcing updates to the New Edge for all Windows Users on a 6 week schedule for updates to the initial update to it] <<

# # #

- Eric L. -

[Eric L] This SI Board ... Back in February I downloaded and installed Microsoft's New ...

Eric L — 7/9/2020 12:41:04 PM

This SI Board ...

Back in February I downloaded and installed Microsoft's New Chromium Edge browser noting that I planned to use it as a secondary browser instead of IE with Mozilla's Firefox as my default. While it is not yet as robust or as customizable as Firefox (or Google's Chrome) it is very promising and likely to remain my secondary browser permanently and I'll probably get considerably more usage out of than my prior secondary browser or any other I've tried in recent years. It does have several features I like including 'Collections' and the capability to load several frequently used sites I use or follow on Edge startup including my LastPass Vault, AdBlock Plus and SI and Silicon Investor.

Initially I used the New Edge very sparingly only loading a single extension (LastPass). In the last several weeks I've imported my Firefox bookmarks, added some other extensions I use in Firefox as well as some new ones and started to customize it to my taste.

I'm a highly satisfied long time user of Firefox as well as Thunderbird and SeaMonkey and the MozBackup utility. I started using Firefox 16 years ago this month while it was still in Beta at v0.9x and it became my primary browser replacing IE 6.x a month later. I founded the SI Firefox subject board in October 2004 while it was still in Beta and a month later on November 09, 2004 Firefox 1.0 32-bit was formally released. It is currently at v 78.0.1 (64-bit) with a comparable 32-bit version also available. My next post to this board will provide a brief overview of Firefox history and current usage stats.

I'll post here occasionally and hope others will do so and share there positive or negative experiences with it as well as providing troubleshooting assistance to any users that experience Edge issues or that have questions about Edge. If any individual already firmly committed to Edge would like to assume responsibility for moderating this board they can PM me and I will arrange with SI Ron or SI Dimity to transfer responsibility.

In the interim I'll likely make some comparisons of Edge to Firefox, post links to Edge articles, reviews or content.

Best to all, - Eric L. -