Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 | |
Developer(s) | Microsoft |
---|---|
Stable release |
Windows 10 Windows 10 Mobile 25.10586.0.0 (November 12, 2015[3]) [±] |
Preview release |
Windows 10 34.14295.1007.0 (March 25, 2016[4]) |
Written in | C++[5] |
Included with | Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Server 2016, Xbox One |
Engines | EdgeHTML,[6] Chakra |
Website |
www |
Microsoft Edge (codename "Spartan") is a web browser developed by Microsoft and included in the company's Windows 10 operating systems, replacing Internet Explorer as the default web browser on all device classes. Microsoft claims it is designed to be a lightweight web browser with a layout engine built around web standards.[7] It does not support ActiveX, Browser Helper Objects or any other form of plug-in (besides Adobe Flash Player), but adds new features such as integration with Cortana, annotation tools, and a reading mode. Extension support was added in March 2016.
Features
Microsoft Edge is the default web browser on Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, and Xbox One consoles, replacing Internet Explorer 11 and Internet Explorer Mobile.[8] Microsoft initially announced that Edge would support the legacy Trident (MSHTML) layout engine for backwards compatibility but later backtracked, saying that due to "strong feedback", Edge would use a new exclusive engine, while Internet Explorer would continue to provide the legacy engine.[9]
The browser includes an integrated Adobe Flash Player, a PDF reader and supports asm.js.[10]
Edge does not support legacy technologies such as ActiveX and Browser Helper Objects, and will instead use an extension system.[6][11][12] Internet Explorer 11 will remain available alongside Edge on Windows 10 for compatibility purposes; it will remain nearly identical to the Windows 8.1 version and not use the Edge engine as was previously announced.[6][8][11]
Edge integrates with Microsoft's online platforms: it integrates with the Cortana digital assistant, available in some countries, to provide voice control, search functionality, and dynamic, personalized information related to searches within the address bar. Users can make annotations to web pages that can be stored to and shared with OneDrive.[13] It also integrates with the "Reading List" function and provides a "Reading Mode" that strips unnecessary formatting from pages to improve their legibility.[13]
Preliminary support for browser extensions was added in March 2016, with build 14291, although only three extensions were initially supported. Microsoft indicated the delay in allowing extensions and the limited number was due to security concerns.[14]
EdgeHTML
EdgeHTML is a proprietary layout engine developed for Edge. It is a fork of Trident that has removed all legacy code of older versions of Internet Explorer and rewritten the majority of its source code with web standards and interoperability with other modern browsers in mind.[15][16] EdgeHTML is written in C++.[17] The rendering engine was first released as an experimental option in Internet Explorer 11 as part of the Windows 10 Preview 9926 build.[18]
EdgeHTML is meant to be fully compatible with the WebKit layout engine used by Chrome and other browsers. Microsoft has stated that "any Edge-WebKit differences are bugs that we’re interested in fixing." [19]
A review of the engine in the beta Windows 10 build by AnandTech found substantial benchmark improvements over Trident; particularly JavaScript engine performance, which is now up to par with that of Google Chrome.[20] Other benchmarks focusing on the performance of the WebGL API found EdgeHTML to perform much better than Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.[21]
Development
In December 2014, writing for ZDNet, technology writer Mary Jo Foley reported that Microsoft was developing a new web browser codenamed "Spartan" for Windows 10. She claimed that "Spartan" would be treated as a new product separate from Internet Explorer, with Internet Explorer 11 retained alongside it for compatibility reasons.[22]
In early January 2015, The Verge obtained further details surrounding "Spartan" from sources close to Microsoft, including reports that it would replace Internet Explorer on both the desktop and mobile versions of Windows 10.[23] Microsoft officially unveiled "Spartan" during a Windows 10-focused keynote on January 21, 2015.[13] "Spartan" is marketed as a separate product from Internet Explorer; although its final name was not officially unveiled.[24]
"Spartan" was first made publicly available as the default browser of Windows 10 Technical Preview build 10049, released on March 30, 2015.[25] The new engine used by "Spartan" was available in Windows 10 builds as part of Internet Explorer 11; Microsoft has since announced that Internet Explorer would not use the engine from "Spartan", and that the browser would be deprecated on Windows 10.[8][26]
On April 29, 2015, during the Build Conference keynote, it was announced that "Spartan" would officially be known as Microsoft Edge.[27] The browser's logo and branding was designed to maintain continuity with the branding of Internet Explorer.[28] The Project "Spartan" branding was used in versions released after Build 2015. On June 25, Microsoft released version 19.10149 for Windows 10 Mobile which included the new brand. On June 28, version 20.10158 followed for the desktop versions, also including the updated branding. On July 15, Microsoft released version 20.10240 as the final release to Insiders. The same version was rolled out to consumers on July 29.
On August 12, Microsoft started the preview program for the next version of Microsoft Edge. They released version 20.10512 to Mobile-users. 6 days later followed by version 20.10525 for desktop users. The preview received multiple updates. On November 5, 2015, Microsoft released version 25.10586 as the final release for Edge's second public release for desktop users. On November 12, the update was rolled out to both desktop users and Xbox One users as part of the New Xbox Experience Update. On November 18, the update was to Windows 10 Mobile. Finally, on November 19, the update was also made available as part of the Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 4.
Release history
Version | EdgeHTML version | Release date(s) | Highlights |
---|---|---|---|
[29] | 0.10.1004912.10049 | Desktop: March 30, 2015 |
Initial release on Windows 10 |
[30] | 0.11.1005112.10051 | Mobile: April 10, 2015 |
Initial release on Windows 10 Mobile; adds the following:
|
[31] | 0.11.1005212.10052 | Mobile: April 21, 2015 | |
[32] | 0.11.1006112.10061 | Desktop: April 22, 2015 | |
[33] | 0.11.1007412.10074 | Desktop: April 29, 2015 Server: May 4, 2015 |
Initial release on Windows Server 2016 |
[34] | 0.11.1008012.10080 | Mobile: May 14, 2015 | |
[35] | 13.1012212.10122 | Desktop: May 20, 2015 |
|
[36] | 15.1013012.10130 | Desktop: May 29, 2015 |
|
[37] | 16.1013612.10136 | Mobile: June 16, 2015 | |
[38] | 19.1014912.10149 | Mobile: June 25, 2015 |
|
[39] | 20.1015812.10158 | Desktop: June 29, 2015 |
|
[40] | 20.1015912.10159 | Desktop: June 30, 2015 | |
[41] | 20.1016212.10162 | Desktop: July 2, 2015 | |
[42][43] | 20.1016612.10166 | Desktop: July 9, 2015 Mobile: July 10, 2015 |
|
[45] | 20.1024012.10240 | Desktop: July 15, 2015 |
First public release
|
[47] | 20.1051212.10512 | Mobile: August 12, 2015 | |
[48] | 20.1051412.10514 | Server: August 19, 2015 | |
[49] | 20.1052512.10525 | Desktop: August 18, 2015 |
|
[50] | 20.1053212.10532 | Desktop: August 27, 2015 |
|
[51] | 20.1053612.10536 | Mobile: September 15, 2015 | |
[52] | 21.1054713.10547 | Desktop: September 18, 2015 |
|
[54] | 21.1054913.10549 | Mobile: October 14, 2015 | |
[55] | 23.1056513.10565 | Desktop: October 12, 2015 |
|
[56] | 25.1057213.10572 | Mobile: October 20, 2015 |
|
[57] | 25.1057613.10576 | Desktop: October 29, 2015 |
|
[58] | 25.1058113.10581 | Mobile: October 29, 2015 | |
[59] | 25.1058613.10586 | Desktop: November 5, 2015 Xbox: November 12, 2015 Mobile: November 18, 2015 Server: November 19, 2015 |
Second public release and initial release on Xbox One
|
[60] | 25.1108213.11082 | Desktop: December 16, 2015 |
|
[61] | 27.1109913.11099 | Desktop: January 13, 2016 |
|
[62] | 28.1110213.11102 | Desktop: January 21, 2016 |
|
[63] | 28.1425113.14251 | Desktop: January 27, 2016 | |
[64] | 28.1425713.14257 | Desktop: February 3, 2016 | |
[65] | 31.1426714.14267 | Desktop: February 18, 2016 Mobile: February 19, 2016 |
|
[66] | 31.1427114.14271 | Desktop: February 24, 2016 | |
[67] | 31.1427914.14279 | Desktop: March 4, 2016 | |
[68] | 31.1428314.14283 | Mobile: March 10, 2016 | |
[69] | 34.1429114.14291 | Desktop: March 17, 2016 Mobile: March 17, 2016 |
|
[70] | 34.1429514.14295 | Desktop: March 25, 2016 Mobile: March 25, 2016 |
|
[71] | 37.1431614.14316 | Desktop: April 6, 2016 |
|
Performance
Early benchmarks of the EdgeHTML engine—included in the first beta release of Edge in Windows 10[72] Build 10049—demonstrated drastically improved JavaScript performance in comparison to Trident 7 in Internet Explorer 11, and that Microsoft's new browser had similar performance to Google Chrome 41 and Mozilla Firefox 37. In the SunSpider benchmark, Edge performed faster than other browsers,[73] while in other benchmarks it operated slower than Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.[74]
Later benchmarks conducted with the version included in 10122 showed significant performance improvement compared to both IE11 and Edge back in 10049. According to Microsoft's own benchmark result, this iteration of Edge performed better than both Chrome and Firefox in Google's Octane 2.0 and Apple's Jetstream benchmark.[75]
In July 2015, Edge scored 402 out of 555 points on the HTML5test. Chrome 43 and Firefox 38 scored 526 and 467 respectively, while Internet Explorer 11 scored 336.[76]
In August 2015, Microsoft released Windows 10 Build 10532 to insiders, which included Edge 21.10532.0. This beta version scored 440 out of 555 points on the HTML5test, this score is however lower by 5 points due to an error in the test feature detection; the real score should be 445 out of 555 points.[77]
Reception
In an August 2015 review by Dan Grabham of Techradar of Windows 10, Microsoft Edge was praised for its performance, albeit not being in a feature-complete state at launch.[78] Andrew Cunningham of Ars Technica praised the browser for being "tremendously promising", and "a much better browser than Internet Explorer ever was", but criticized it for its lack of functionality on launch.[79] Thom Holwerda of OSNews criticized Edge in August 2015 for its hidden URL bar, lack of user friendliness, poor design and a tab system that is "so utterly broken it should never have shipped in a final release". He described the browser's implemented features as "some sort of cosmic joke", saying that "infuriating doesn't even begin to describe it".[80]
Data from August 2015, a few weeks after release, showed that user uptake of Edge was low, with only 2% of overall computer users using the new browser. Among Windows 10 users usage peaked at 20% and then dropped to 14% through August 2015,[81] as users tried it and many stopped using it in favor of other browsers.
In October 2015, a security researcher published a report outlining a bug in Edge's "InPrivate" mode, causing data related to visited sites to still be cached in the user's profile directory, theoretically making it possible for others to determine sites visited. The bug gained mainstream attention in February 2016,[82] and was fixed with a cumulative update on February 9.[83]
Market share
See also
- Microsoft portal
- Internet portal
- Software portal
References
- ↑ "First Major Update for Windows 10 Available Today". Microsoft. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ↑ "Upgrading existing Windows Phone 8.1 devices to Windows 10 Mobile". Microsoft. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ "The New Xbox One Experience". Microsoft. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 14267". Microsoft. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ↑ Lextrait, Vincent (March 2016). "The Programming Languages Beacon, v16.0". Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- 1 2 3 Weber, Jason (January 21, 2015). "Spartan and the Windows 10 January Preview Build". IEBlog. Microsoft.
- ↑ "Developer Resources : Microsoft Edge Dev". modern.ie. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Warren, Tom (March 24, 2015). "Microsoft relegates Internet Explorer to a 'legacy engine' to make way for new browser". The Verge. Vox Media.
- ↑ Sams, Brad (March 24, 2015). "Microsoft says IE 11 will remain unchanged from Windows 8.1, Spartan is the future". Neowin.
- ↑ "Windows 10’s New Browser Microsoft Edge: Improved, But Also New Risks". trendmicro.com. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- 1 2 Rossi, Jacob (November 11, 2014). "Living on the Edge – our next step in helping the web just work". IEBlog. Microsoft.
- ↑ Warren, Tom (January 27, 2015). "Microsoft reveals its Internet Explorer successor will support extensions". The Verge. Vox Media.
- 1 2 3 Ingraham, Nathan (January 21, 2015). "Microsoft officially announces Spartan, its new web browser for Windows 10". The Verge. Vox Media.
- ↑ Tina Sieber. "Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft Edge Browser Extensions". MakeUseOf. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ↑ "What's powering Spartan? Internet Explorer, of course". Neowin.
- ↑ Foley, Mary Jo (January 22, 2015). "Microsoft's Spartan browser: What's under the hood". ZDNet. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ Hachamovitch, Dean (2007-12-14), Internet Explorer 8 and Acid2: A Milestone, Microsoft
- ↑ Rubino, Daniel (2015-01-25). "Here's how to enable the Spartan Edge rendering engine for IE11 in Windows 10". Windows Central. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- ↑ "Building a more interoperable Web with Microsoft Edge".
- ↑ Brett Howse. "AnandTech - Internet Explorer Project Spartan Shows Large Performance Gains". anandtech.com.
- ↑ "Benchmark Deep-Dive: Microsoft Windows 10 Spartan Browser vs. IE11 vs. Google Chrome 41 vs. Mozilla Firefox". WinBuzzer. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ↑ Foley, Mary Jo (December 29, 2014). "Microsoft is building a new browser as part of its Windows 10 push". ZDNet. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ Warren, Tom (January 8, 2015). "Windows 10s new browser will have the most advanced features ever". The Verge. Vox Media.
- ↑ Warren, Tom (March 17, 2015). "Microsoft is killing off the Internet Explorer brand". The Verge. Vox Media.
- ↑ "Project Spartan gets its first public outing in new Windows 10 build". Ars Technica. Condé Nast Digital. March 30, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ↑ Jacobsson Purewal, Sarah (February 19, 2015). "How to enable Spartan's Edge Rendering Engine in Windows 10". CNET. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ "The successor to Internet Explorer will be named Microsoft Edge". The Verge. April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ↑ Sams, Brad (April 29, 2015). "Microsoft reveals Edge's new logo". Neowin (Neowin, LLC). Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ↑ Aul, Gabe (March 30, 2015). "Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10049 now available". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ↑ "New Windows 10 Technical Preview build now available for phones". Windows Experience Blog. April 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10052 now available for phones". Windows Experience Blog. April 21, 2015.
- ↑ Aul, Gabe (April 22, 2015). "Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10061 now available". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ↑ Aul, Gabe (April 29, 2015). "New Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10074 now available". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10080 for phone now available". Windows Experience Blog. May 14, 2015.
- ↑ Aul, Gabe (May 20, 2015). "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10122 for PCs". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- ↑ Aul, Gabe (May 29, 2015). "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10130 for PCs". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10136". Windows Experience Blog. June 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10149". Windows Experience Blog. June 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10158 for PCs". windows.com. June 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Whoa! Another PC build!". windows.com. June 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Welcome to the faster Fast ring". windows.com. July 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10166". windows.com. July 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10166". Windows Experience Blog. July 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Windows Insider Preview Build 10166 [PC/Mobile]". Microsoft. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
- ↑ "Build 10240 now available for Windows Insiders in Fast and Slow rings". windows.com. July 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Microsoft Edge takes a wider lead against Chrome in JavaScript benchmarks". windowscentral.com.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10512". Windows Experience Blog. August 12, 2015.
- ↑ "What's New in Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3". microsoft.com. Microsoft.
- ↑ Aul, Gabe (August 18, 2015). "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10525". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10532 for PC". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. August 27, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10536". Windows Experience Blog. September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10547". Windows Experience Blog. September 18, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
- ↑ "ORTC API is now available in Microsoft Edge". Microsoft Edge Dev Blog. September 18, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10549". Windows Experience Blog. October 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10565". Windows Experience Blog. October 12, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10572". Windows Experience Blog. October 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10576". Windows Experience Blog. October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10581". Windows Experience Blog. October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10586". Windows Experience Blog. November 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 11082". Windows Experience Blog. December 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 11099". Microsoft Edge changelog. January 13, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 11102". Microsoft Edge changelog. January 21, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 14251". Microsoft Edge changelog. January 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 14257". Microsoft Edge changelog. February 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 14267". Microsoft Edge changelog. February 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 14271". Microsoft Edge changelog. February 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 14279". Microsoft Edge changelog. February 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 14283". Microsoft Edge changelog. February 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Build 14291". Microsoft Edge changelog. March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Release version 14295". developer.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "Release version 14316". developer.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Best Browsers". April 26, 2015.
- ↑ Howse, Brett (January 25, 2015). "Internet Explorer Project Spartan Shows Large Performance Gains". AnandTech. Purch.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Browser Benchmarks: Spartan vs. IE, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera". April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Delivering fast JavaScript performance in Microsoft Edge". May 20, 2015.
- ↑ Owen Williams (July 29, 2015). "Microsoft's Edge browser can win back bitter Web developers". The Next Web. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Edge HTML5 improvements teased for upcoming Windows 10 LP Insider build". Neowin. Neowin. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ↑ "Windows 10 Review". TechRadar. Future plc. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Review: Windows 10 is the best version yet—once the bugs get fixed". Ars Technica. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ↑ "OSNews.com". osnews.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Microsoft Edge marketshare - Business Insider". Business Insider. September 2, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Microsoft Edge InPrivate browsing mode is full of fail and not private". NetworkWorld. IDG. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ↑ "KB3135173, OS build 10596.104". Microsoft. February 8, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ↑ "StatCounter Global Stats - Browser, OS, Search Engine including Mobile Usage Share".
Further reading
- Weber, Jason (22 January 2015). "Project Spartan and the Windows 10 January Preview Build". IEBlog. Microsoft.
External links
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