Microsoft Edge (codenamed Project Spartan) is a web browser in development by Microsoft. Officially unveiled on January 21, 2015, and first publicly released as a preview on March 30, 2015, it will replace Internet Explorer as the default browser on Windows 10 PCs, smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft Edge is designed to be a lightweight web browser with a layout engine built around web standards that is "designed for interoperability with the modern web". It removes support for legacy technologies such as ActiveX in favor of extensions and integration with other Microsoft services, such as the assistant Cortana and OneDrive, and also includes annotation tools and a reading mode.

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.[2]

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.[3] Microsoft officially unveiled "Spartan" during a Windows 10-focused keynote on January 21, 2015.[4] "Spartan" will be marketed as a separate product from Internet Explorer, and carry a new brand; although its final name had not been officially unveiled, it was teased that "Microsoft" would be contained within its name.[5]

"Spartan" was first made publicly available as the default browser of Windows 10 Technical Preview build 10049, as released on March 30, 2015.[6] The new engine used by "Spartan" was previously available in Windows 10 builds as part of Internet Explorer 11, and was also to be used by the browser on the final version of 10; Microsoft has since announced that Internet Explorer would not use the engine from "Spartan", and that the browser would be deprecated on Windows 10.[7][8]

On April 29, 2015, during the Build Conference keynote, it was announced that "Spartan" would officially be known as Microsoft Edge,[9] using a slightly changed logo from Internet Explorer. Microsoft "is sticking with E names so that consumers who are used to clicking on a blue ‘e’ will know how to launch the new browser."[10]

Features

Microsoft Edge will serve as the default browser on both the PC and mobile device editions of Windows 10, replacing Internet Explorer 11 and Internet Explorer Mobile.[7] Edge uses a new layout engine also known as EdgeHTML, which is forked from Trident[11] that is "designed for interoperability with the modern web". The new "Edge" engine will be used by default across Windows 10. Microsoft initially announced that Edge would support the legacy MSHTML engine for backwards compatibility but later backtracked, revealing that due to 'strong feedback' Edge would host the new engine exclusively, while Internet Explorer will host the legacy engine exclusively.[12]

Edge does not support legacy technologies such as ActiveX and Browser Helper Objects, and will instead use an extension system.[1][13][14] 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.[1][7][13]

Edge integrates with Microsoft's online platforms: it integrates with the Cortana digital assistant 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.[4] It also integrates with the "Reading List" function to sync content between devices, and provides a "Reading Mode" that strips unnecessary formatting from pages to improve their legibility.[4]

Performance

Early benchmarks of the EdgeHTML engine - included in the first beta release of Edge in Windows 10 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 significantly faster than other browsers,[15] while in all other benchmarks it operated more slowly than Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera, in some cases significantly so.[16]

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.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c Weber, Jason (January 21, 2015). "Spartan and the Windows 10 January Preview Build". IEBlog. Microsoft. 
  2. ^ Foley, Mary Jo (December 29, 2014). "Microsoft is building a new browser as part of its Windows 10 push". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. 
  3. ^ Warren, Tom (January 8, 2015). "Windows 10s new browser will have the most advanced features ever". The Verge. Vox Media. 
  4. ^ a b c Ingraham, Nathan (January 21, 2015). "Microsoft officially announces Spartan, its new web browser for Windows 10". The Verge. Vox Media. 
  5. ^ Warren, Tom (March 17, 2015). "Microsoft is killing off the Internet Explorer brand". The Verge. Vox Media. 
  6. ^ "Project Spartan gets its first public outing in new Windows 10 build". Ars Technica. Condé Nast Digital. March 30, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015. 
  7. ^ a b c Warren, Tom (March 24, 2015). "Microsoft relegates Internet Explorer to a 'legacy engine' to make way for new browser". The Verge. Vox Media. 
  8. ^ Jacobsson Purewal, Sarah (February 19, 2015). "How to enable Spartan's Edge Rendering Engine in Windows 10". CNET. CBS Interactive. 
  9. ^ "The successor to Internet Explorer will be named Microsoft Edge". The Verge. April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015. 
  10. ^ Sams, Brad (April 29, 2015). "Microsoft reveals Edge's new logo". Retrieved May 1, 2015. 
  11. ^ Foley, Mary Jo (January 22, 2015). "Microsoft's Spartan browser: What's under the hood". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. 
  12. ^ Sams, Brad (March 24, 2015). "Microsoft says IE 11 will remain unchanged from Windows 8.1, Spartan is the future". Neowin. 
  13. ^ a b Rossi, Jacob (November 11, 2014). "Living on the Edge – our next step in helping the web just work". IEBlog. Microsoft. 
  14. ^ Warren, Tom (January 27, 2015). "Microsoft reveals its Internet Explorer successor will support extensions". The Verge. Vox Media. 
  15. ^ Howse, Brett (January 25, 2015). "Internet Explorer Project Spartan Shows Large Performance Gains". AnandTech. Purch. 
  16. ^ "Windows 10 Browser Benchmarks: Spartan vs. IE, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera". April 1, 2015. 
  17. ^ "Delivering fast JavaScript performance in Microsoft Edge". May 20, 2015. 
 
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