Rest in Pieces, Microsoft Edge (Premium)

Have you seen the news? Microsoft will reportedly ditch its Edge browser rendering engine in Windows 10 and replace it with the one used by Google Chrome.

This is more of a Brad thing, but what the heck: I called it.

Not only have I been right about the epic failure that is Microsoft Edge all along---you may recall me doing the math on its supposed 330 million active user nonsense---but I also deduced that it was time for Microsoft to move to more open standards for the underpinnings of its client OS platform efforts.

More recently, on Twitter, I pointed out that Microsoft had quietly stopped calling out Edge's battery life advantage over Chrome, because it no longer exists. I also literally just said on yesterday's First Ring Daily episode that Microsoft should ditch Edge and simply offer users a choice of browsers when they set up Windows 10, and that Google Chrome would be the one that most would choose.

But seriously, folks. This isn't about me patting myself on the back.

What I'm really celebrating here is Microsoft---finally---doing the right thing. Stepping back from a cliff in a way that Terry Myerson's Windows organization never could and just doing the right f@#$ing thing.

This is a big deal.

I often envision Microsoft and other tech giants just doing the right thing. And this is why I get some upset when they don't. Think crapware and ads in Windows 10. Or this year's two major Windows as a (dis)service debacles.

When Microsoft claimed that there were 330 million active Microsoft Edge users, I explained why that number was a lie. (Likewise, when Microsoft this year claimed there were "almost 700 million" active Windows 10 devices for 6 months straight, I called them out for something that was mathematically impossible; and was later exonerated when we learned that Myerson's group had been counting virtual machine installs previously, something Microsoft no longer does.)

Folks, bad ideas are just bad ideas. And Microsoft Edge has always been a bad idea. I've long said that Microsoft should use the Chrome rendering engine and just innovate on the user experience. Best of both worlds. A great idea that would harm no one and benefit many, many more people than does the current product.

But there is one thing I'm confused about.

In What if Windows 10 isn’t the Future of Windows? (Premium), I discussed Microsoft's plans for Windows 10 Lite, which is basically the software giant's attempt to replicate Chrome OS. (It will never be a "Chrome OS killer," as Brad's unfortunate headline describes it.) At the time of that writing this, Windows 10 Lite made no sense to me. It's another version of Windows that cannot run all Windows applications.

Discussing this on FRD yesterday, Brad emphasized its ability to run web apps. That makes more sense given the move to the Chrome web rendering engine, I guess.

But it also makes less sense in one major way, too: We already have Chrome OS, and it runs Android ...

Gain unlimited access to Premium articles.

With technology shaping our everyday lives, how could we not dig deeper?

Thurrott Premium delivers an honest and thorough perspective about the technologies we use and rely on everyday. Discover deeper content as a Premium member.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC