New Edge now being rolled out via a Windows Update

[GoodBytes]

Microsoft is finally replacing its discontinued, since over a year, old Edge web browser in favor of its new Chromium based one of the same name, but now with a new logo. The new web browser is not tied to the OS like the old Edge web browser and can now update independently, and we see it already get a number of updates continuously. That said, as Microsoft doesn't want people to use its old web browser, it is now delivering the new one via Windows Update. The update will remove the old Edge and install the new one. Microsoft mentioned in the past that they'll do this, as the old Edge has been completely discontinued, beside for security support (as UWP apps can use it).

 

For a while now, Microsoft has been working on its new web browser with official versions already being released for a number of months. You can see the new Edge web browser as Chrome web browser but with Microsoft services instead of Google, with their own implementations (including OS integrations, such as notifications) and their own polish and optimizations. Since Microsoft started this new Chromium Edge web browser with interesting results, Google felt the pressure to be active again in its own web browser. You may have notices a series of new features being released often in Chrome recently, this is why. That said, as Chromium is open source, many of these new features added by Microsoft or Google, benefits both web browsers, making the user, us, win regardless.

 

Quote

Microsoft's support document states that the new Edge is available through an update to all Windows 10 PCs running version 1803 or later, but that doesn't mean you'll see the update today. Windows 10 updates often roll out gradually, so you might have to wait to see the new browser through Windows Update. If you want to grab the new Edge today, you can download it from Microsoft's website. Note that once you update to the new Edge, you won't be able to go back to the old Edge.

 

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/new-microsoft-edge-rolling-out-everyone-windows-10-through-windows-update

 

If you are unaware of the new Edge web browser, here is quick overview:

• The web browser, being Chromium based, like Chrome, works with the very same extensions from Chrome. In fact, you can go to Chrome extension store and just install any extensions you see.
• It has nearly all the same features of Chrome, as it is essentially the same web browser. For what it lacks, Microsoft has its own feature set. For example, Google is working on colored tabs and tab grouping, while Microsoft new Edge web browser has Collections. A feature which allows you make groups of tabs which you can label and keep aside, allowing to not only clear your tab bar, but also have these groups sync between your devise, including Edge on Android and iOS. So for example, if you are doing a research on something and have multiple tabs, you can regroup them, and close them out, and start a new group if you want for something else, another project of yours, like your research for a new computer for example, and you can switch between them. Collection can be shared and moved to Word and Excel, an notes and can added on the collection itself. Another feature is improved tracking prevention, which you can control from the Settings panel of the web browser. Or another one: "Continue on PC" allowing you to send a page from your phone Edge web browser to any of your PCs while you are on the go (if your PC is turned on), save it for later. This is just to name a few things.
• The GUI has Microsoft touch on it. From little things like icons on buttons and text boxes, to making the Settings panel be organized and easy to navigate.
• It is availible for: Windows 7 (yes), 8, 8.1, 10, macOS, Android and iOS. Linux version was teased at this year at Microsoft BUILD event
• It also available in 32bit, 64bit and ARM64 (for Windows 10 on ARM based systems) flavors.
• It also has IE mode for companies who run Windows Enterprise that can be enabled, as well as GOP integrations, and custom home screen.

So in other words, use the one you prefer, both are excellent web browsers with teh same great performance as you would expect.

 

If you can't wait, you can get it here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge

 

[Ashleyyyy]

i posted this hours ago in a status update... i could have beaten goodbytes to this news and i didn't realize. fuck.

[TempestCatto]

But...does anyone give a shit? I mean, there's people that prefer Safari over Edge/Explorer.

[Ashleyyyy]

5 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

But...does anyone give a shit? I mean, there's people that prefer Safari over Edge/Explorer.

safari is legitimately a very good browser. it's faster and lighter than chrome on my macbook... 

[dizmo]

I've installed Edge but still haven't used it.

[Guest]

As a repeat from what I said on @Ashley xD's status:

Good. Now old people will actually be able to print when an update makes Edge the default PDF reader.

[DrMacintosh]

12 minutes ago, Den-Fi said:

Now old people will actually be able to print when an update makes Edge the default PDF reader.

Edge already basically is the default PDF reader. Windows 10 doesnt have anything like macOS's Preview.app and its one of the big reasons I don't like Windows 10. 

[D13H4RD]

Been debating giving it a try.

 

The problem is that I've been very well-accustomed to Firefox at this point and while the Chromium base is all well-and-good, not entirely sure if I want to take the plunge just yet.

[captain_to_fire]

43 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

But...does anyone give a shit? I mean, there's people that prefer Safari over Edge/Explorer.

not everyone owns a Mac. Also, in the corporate environment Windows still predominates and many legacy systems still require IE's antiquated rendering engine that's why the new Chromium based Edge has an IE compatibility mode. I think it was @leadeater who said one that it is very easy to manage Microsoft Edge via Group Policy whereas Chrome and Firefox is basically just YOLO.

30 minutes ago, Den-Fi said:

Good. Now old people will actually be able to print when an update makes Edge the default PDF reader.

I'd say Microsoft should just make an external PDF viewer just like Preview on macOS which was launched since the first Mac OS X in 2001.  It's quite disappointing that Windows for the longest time didn't have a native PDF reader not unti 2012 with Windows 8, even that got replaced with Microsoft Edge in W10 1803.

 

But I do prefer the PDF viewer of the old Edge compared to the Chromium Edge. For one, the old Edge allows me to jump into chapters of long documents with its sidebar at the left side. Chromium Edge has none of that.

 

[leadeater]

1 hour ago, TempestCatto said:

But...does anyone give a shit? I mean, there's people that prefer Safari over Edge/Explorer.

Safari on Windows is cancer, literally terrible. Not a huge surprise since Apple gives zero craps about Windows so 

 

15 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

I think it was @leadeater who said one that it is very easy to manage Microsoft Edge via Group Policy whereas Chrome and Firefox is basically just YOLO

Chrome does have a decent ADMX/GPO pack now so it's a lot better to manage. Even so, before then, I'd rather actually use Chrome than Edge lol. But yea you still end up pushing out IE/Edge GPO settings since the OS itself uses them for stuff and some things just for what ever reason want IE still.

[captain_to_fire]

13 minutes ago, leadeater said:

Chrome does have a decent ADMX/GPO pack now so it's a lot better to manage. Even so, before then, I'd rather actually use Chrome than Edge lol. But yea you still end up pushing out IE/Edge GPO settings since the OS itself uses them for stuff and some things just for what ever reason want IE still.

I just looked for Microsoft's deployment guide for the new Edge and they really want organizations (small, medium, large) to use SCCM or Intune. No guide on how to use Group Policy.

Too bad for business with 7 PCs, Intune is just way too expensive.

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, gabrielcarvfer said:

Can you use extensions on mobile versions of Edge/Chrome? If not, then Firefox still the king.

Partially. You have Adblock Plus and Honey.

 

[Derkoli]

Is it just me who got the new edge like, a month ago?

[GoodBytes]

23 minutes ago, gabrielcarvfer said:

How do people live without DarkReader? Poor eyes.

We have strong eyes?

 

But seriously, I don't see this to be a problem. Both YouTube and this forum has dark theme. What other website one needs to go to when everything is here?

[leadeater]

54 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

I just looked for Microsoft's deployment guide for the new Edge and they really want organizations (small, medium, large) to use SCCM or Intune. No guide on how to use Group Policy.

Deployment and management of those are different things, but anyway you'd have to be insane to use SCCM for a 'small business', completely and utterly unaffordable and requires more server resources than such a business would have combined for everything else. I don't think Microsoft actually recommends that at all. You can just use Microsoft Store for Business and Education and assign Apps to users and it'll just install, job done. For large businesses you'll want something better but this is fine for those smaller ones.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

1 hour ago, captain_to_fire said:

not everyone owns a Mac. Also, in the corporate environment Windows still predominates and many legacy systems still require IE's antiquated rendering engine that's why the new Chromium based Edge has an IE compatibility mode. I think it was @leadeater who said one that it is very easy to manage Microsoft Edge via Group Policy whereas Chrome and Firefox is basically just YOLO.

I'd say Microsoft should just make an external PDF viewer just like Preview on macOS which was launched since the first Mac OS X in 2001.  It's quite disappointing that Windows for the longest time didn't have a native PDF reader not unti 2012 with Windows 8, even that got replaced with Microsoft Edge in W10 1803.

 

But I do prefer the PDF viewer of the old Edge compared to the Chromium Edge. For one, the old Edge allows me to jump into chapters of long documents with its sidebar at the left side. Chromium Edge has none of that.

Though I doubt Microsoft actually gives a crap about making a PDF reader. Most people including the oldest of folks just go ahead and install Adobe Acrobat since it's the PDF reader that was released with the format. 

[captain_to_fire]

Just now, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Though I doubt Microsoft actually gives a crap about making a PDF reader. Most people including the oldest of folks just go ahead and install Adobe Acrobat since it's the PDF reader that was released with the format. 

I can complain about several things that Windows 10 gets wrong like their fragmented backup and restore features, but I was hoping that until now they should've put a decent built in PDF reader in Windows 10. Tbh I'm not a fan of Adobe Reader because of it's shoddy security, and scrolling a long PDF using a touchscreen or trackpad is just slow. The only reason I still use it is because of their left navigation sidebar, something the new Chromium Edge lacks.

[SansVarnic]

Though I prefer that MS would have stayed with Spartan the new chromium version is pretty nifty and I have been using it since preview days and believe it is better than Chrome.

My opinion of course.

[RejZoR]

4 hours ago, TempestCatto said:

But...does anyone give a shit? I mean, there's people that prefer Safari over Edge/Explorer.

At the moment, MS Edge is actually better than designed-by-a-moron Firefox. Has anyone seen the new idiotic "Mega" bar? Jesus that thing is now annoying as frigging hell in Firefox and they removed the about:config switch for it to turn it off. Now they expect you to master CSS to get rid of that damn flashing oversized thing. WTF Mozilla?! I never thought we're gonna see this day but MS Edge is actually a good browser now. Not just by standards which are brought by Chromium anyway, I'm mainly talking about functionality and overall feel. It's actually nice. Who would've though eh? 2020 is getting weirder and weirder with every passing month...

[captain_to_fire]

49 minutes ago, Escanor said:

Does it include password manager these days the new chromium based edge ?

It does, but I would advise against using built in password managers of browsers and just use a third party password manager.

 

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, captain_to_fire said:

Too bad for business with 7 PCs, Intune is just way too expensive.

Not really - Intune on its own is expensive but it’s bundled with most subscriptions anyway. 

[captain_to_fire]

24 minutes ago, Windspeed36 said:

Not really - Intune on its own is expensive but it’s bundled with most subscriptions anyway. 

As I’ve said in my Windows Defender thread in my signature, I think paying ~$8 per user every month is simply I can’t justify for remote management of the PCs our employees are using. Unless of course Microsoft bundles Intune with Office 365 Business Basic for around that price then yes. 

[Guest]

12 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Edge already basically is the default PDF reader. Windows 10 doesnt have anything like macOS's Preview.app and its one of the big reasons I don't like Windows 10. 

I am aware of that. It is just terrible at printing as I implied. 

[Doobeedoo]

I've been using it from initial release and really it's very good overall. I got all the extensions I want, it's quite fast and responsive for me. I like the UI it's sleek and nice. Also it's great it's decoupled from Win updates and can get fixes and improvements faster. 

[Ashleyyyy]

9 hours ago, Derkoli said:

Is it just me who got the new edge like, a month ago?

you installed it manually. this is pushing the new Edge to everyone, including grandma's. i've spoken with some people in the dev team (i had a bug in edge canary and reported that to them on discord, yes microsoft has a public discord that the devs are active in) and i also asked them why this was a big deal and it was because until now the people using the new edge went out of their way to install it manually. now, it's being rolled out to everyone including people who don't know much about computers. they were expecting a bunch of calls about the button to set tabs aside being gone etc etc.