Microsoft Chrome?

[EarDemon]

Microsoft is building a Chromium-powered web browser that will replace Edge on Windows 10

Looks like Edge is going to be re-born as a Chromium based browser.

Windows Mobile, Cortana and now Edge. Three of the big talking points of Windows 10 are gone or almost gone. Add in Groove Music, and that's a decent amount of things they've thrown in the towel on recently.

 

[Foxbat]

I wish Cortona would vanish from our Enterprise Edition Windows Server 2016 boxes. It seems every time I move the mouse to the "Start" icon up pops the Proxy Challenge for Cortona since Admin accounts don't have Internet access in our environment. I never used Edge enough to come to hate it, so if Edge becomes more "Chrome-like" then that's fine in my book.

 

[navychop]

Good news.


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[harshness]

Edge isn't enough like IE to replace it and as it turned out, it isn't substantially more secure as Microsoft promised, so what was the point of Edge?

The problem for Microsoft is that they desperately want a browser that they can depend on to run their other applications over so it has to be done in-house. Far be it from Microsoft to cave in and adopt out-of-house standards so that their software could run on any standards compliant browser.

Microsoft needs to be happy that they are once again the wealthiest company in the World and stop trying to put their proprietary stink on everything.

 

[Lone Gunman]

I've run Win 10 since the first Beta release and I've NEVER used Edge! Never used "The Cloud" or "Cortina" either and don't ever plan to. I've also run the "Classic Shell" desktop on Win 10 since Beta and still do to this day. I've run Firefox and an older version of the Presto Opera on Win 10 that I still use for some surfing I do.

Having said that, I never use ANY Windowz system for anything that needs to be secure online and use Linux for that instead!! In fact, I've used one flavor or another of Linux for secure stuff since 2009 when my then Windows XP system got hacked and some important account passwords were compromised.

But back to the Chromium thingie, with Firefox, Safari, Opera, Google Chrome and gauwd knows how many other browsers now being Chromium based, I'm not sure that's a plus from a security standpoint.

Just saying..............

 

[harshness]

But back to the Chromium thingie, with Firefox, Safari, Opera, Google Chrome and gauwd knows how many other browsers now being Chromium based, I'm not sure that's a plus from a security standpoint.

Chrome hasn't been suffering the long lists of vulnerabilities of late, but now that it has earned the biggest target crown, your concerns are certainly something to consider. Like the Microsoft products, it clearly wasn't built from the beginning to be secure.

 

[EarDemon]

I'm nearly convinced the only reason why Microsoft is still in the browser game is like you said because of their web based apps.

Ironically enough, in my limited experience with about 30 users, Chrome handles Microsoft's own Dynamics 365 better than Edge or IE. Our corporate HQ used to have on-prem Dynamics CRM 2011, but when it came time to upgrade they caved in and bought into the rip off software as a service philosophy and went with a hosted Dynamics 365 subscription. Maybe it's just us, but in Edge, the formatting is off, pages don't populate correctly or fill the screen properly and in IE, some links and menu options don't load and some images are broken. In Chrome everything is fine. When they had on-prem 2011, if you loaded CRM in a non MS web browser instead of the Outlook client add-in, there'd be banners on every page telling you your using a non supported browser, but it would still work better than IE.

I used Edge for the first time in a few years last month. Apparently Symantec requires Edge to enroll new PCs into SEP. Up until then I didn't realize Edge had extensions, not that I use a ton of extension in Chrome, but the few I use come in really handy for me. Other than Ad Block, there were no equivalents available for Edge that I use in Chrome.

 

[harshness]

I'm nearly convinced the only reason why Microsoft is still in the browser game is like you said because of their web based apps.

There are still some banks and other deliberate (slow-moving) institutions that prefer IE even though it doesn't work right with their applications. Reminds me of the stories of Space Shuttle computing technology. We have a check scanner at work that recommends Firefox but the bank's data processing people didn't want to go there and they tried Edge, IE and finally settled on Chrome.

Inflexible industries seek to have someone substantial to blame and it is really hard to pin anything on freeware products. Even Microsoft was wagging their tongues of the importance of someone to sue a few years ago when they were utterly frustrated and feeling betrayed by the success of Linux.

 

[Lone Gunman]

There are still some banks and other deliberate (slow-moving) institutions that prefer IE even though it doesn't work right with their applications. Reminds me of the stories of Space Shuttle computing technology. We have a check scanner at work that recommends Firefox but the bank's data processing people didn't want to go there and they tried Edge, IE and finally settled on Chrome.

Inflexible industries seek to have someone substantial to blame and it is really hard to pin anything on freeware products. Even Microsoft was wagging their tongues of the importance of someone to sue a few years ago when they were utterly frustrated and feeling betrayed by the success of Linux.

If they were frustrated then, just wait until they start charging Win 10 users $6 to $8 a month for that privilege!! The number of Linux users will skyrocket when that happens!! Last time I checked a few years back, Dell would sell you a new desktop system with Linux already installed on it.

 

[harshness]

Last time I checked a few years back, Dell would sell you a new desktop system with Linux already installed on it.

Microsoft has since laid down the law with Dell and while you may or may not be able to order a Red Hat server, "home" computers get Windows 10 Home and "business" computers get Windows 10 Pro or no OS at all.

Fortunately most Linux distros are fairly easy to install and offer a wide selection of device drivers as the Windows world moved toward "universal" drivers.

 

[EarDemon]

Haven’t people been saying Linux is thisclose to taking off for 20 years now?

I’m no Linux expert, but I enjoy tinkering around with it, and I think it’s cool and I absolutely love how customizable, free and wide open it is. And because of that, Linux can be overwhelming. And because of that Linux will never be a mainstream desktop operating system. Yes, Android is based off of the Linux kernel and so is Chrome OS, but you’re never ever going to have mainstream users installing and configuring Ubuntu, Fedora or SUSE on their own computers for everyday use.

While Microsoft, and a good portion of other software developers are going with the Software as a Service scam, I don’t think Microsoft will take Windows in that direction. Yes, I believe all of their software will require a monthly or yearly fee, but I think Windows will remain fee free, or maybe they’ll charge extra on a yearly basis for ‘Premium features’. And yes, I realize Microsoft is experimenting with SaaS on some of the Enterprise SKUs, but I don’t believe it will trickle down to traditional Home and Pro.

There are two types of computer users, Content Consumers and Content Creators. If Microsoft goes 100% in on SaaS with Windows, Content Consumers will just further flock to cheap Chrome Books, iPads and similar devices. Or they will go to Apple, since most people are duped into think Apple is some type of premium brand, and would more willing to put up with their garbage, and pay the initial higher up-front cost. Content creators will need a real computer for their work and probably stick with Windows no matter what if the software they rely on is not available on other platforms. I can’t speak much for photo and video creation and editing, but I know Adobe’s CC suite does not support Linux. I work at a manufacturing plant where our engineers are heavily reliant on pretty high end CAD/CAM software packages. Software from Autodesk, PTC Creo, SolidWorks, MasterCAM and DP Technology, not much Linux support there either.

People are generally computer illiterate, hence why Apple has taken off so well. Simple devices, for simple minded people. Windows seems to be the happy medium between the caged, crippled, hand holding world of Apple and the wild west style of Linux. As I continue with Windows 10 migration at work, do you know how many people are in a stupor when I tell them they can access xyz application just by typing the first few letters of what they’re looking for in the Start Menu. I cannot see people like this using Linux, even a Windows clone Linux. I have 4 Linux VMs configured right now, and purchased an off-lease HP workstation and threw in an SSD and started to play around with Kali. With the help of my new boss we configured an Ubuntu Server for network monitoring and metrics. It’s fun for the geek, for those that want to email, post their entire lives on Facebook and watch random stupidness on YouTube, they will never use a traditional desktop variant of Linux.


Both Dell and HP offer pre-installed Linux computers. Ubuntu seems to be the flavor of choice for desktops and laptops.

Linux ready systems from Dell
Ubuntu | HP® Official Site

 

[navychop]

20 years? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Gotta be at least 30 or 40.


And if the content consumers leave Windows, many of the creators will, too.


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[Ilya]

My biggest problem with Edge is that it doesn't work on Windows Servers!

 

[harshness]

Haven’t people been saying Linux is thisclose to taking off for 20 years now?

That was long before there was a threat of "annual maintenance fees".

Yes, Android is based off of the Linux kernel and so is Chrome OS, but you’re never ever going to have mainstream users installing and configuring Ubuntu, Fedora or SUSE on their own computers for everyday use.

There are several distros that are much easier to install than the ones that you remember. Ubuntu is pretty easy but Mint and Manjaro (the current hot ticket at Distrowatch) are even easier.

Yes, I believe all of their software will require a monthly or yearly fee, but I think Windows will remain fee free, or maybe they’ll charge extra on a yearly basis for ‘Premium features’.

I think you may be wrong about Windows not going to a subscription model.

More than a few of Microsoft's partners are spending millions to convert to SaaS using Microsoft's proprietary tools. It is the next step in a seemingly continuous process or porting your product to the latest fad development platform.

Microsoft is even courting Linux developers by offering Ubuntu tools from within Windows as well as a pretty robust *nix shell.

If Microsoft goes 100% in on SaaS with Windows, Content Consumers will just further flock to cheap Chrome Books, iPads and similar devices. Or they will go to Apple, since most people are duped into think Apple is some type of premium brand, and would more willing to put up with their garbage, and pay the initial higher up-front cost.

Apple appears to be a few short years from bailing on conventional computers.

Both Dell and HP offer pre-installed Linux computers. Ubuntu seems to be the flavor of choice for desktops and laptops.

Linux ready systems from Dell
Ubuntu | HP® Official Site

Do NOT confuse "Linux ready" with shipping Linux installed and configured. You may be able to swing an enterprise deal for Linux installed but Dell and HP don't sell them to just anyone.

If you order an HP desktop online, your options are Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro and FreeDOS. You get a credit for "Linux-ready" on workstations and servers.

Linux ready is easy because Linux covers pretty much every modern computer without having to build packages or dig up drivers but that is still a long way from being installed and supported by the manufacturer.

 

[harshness]

My biggest problem with Edge is that it doesn't work on Windows Servers!

It would but they decided not to allow their "Universal Windows Platform" virtual machine to run on servers (probably because in leans heavily on things like DIRECTX and other hardware-oriented Windows APIs for hardware that servers typically don't have).

Of course you can set up a virtual machine the old fashioned way with Windows 10 and you're off and running.

Obviously requiring virtual machines for .net and UWP makes your computer run everything faster because VMs and emulators are orders of magnitude faster than native code, right?

 

[Foxbat]

I'll just throw this out for EarDemon: I choose Macs for home because I use Windows servers and PCs at work (I'm IT supporting two data centers with HP Blade enclosures running VMware to virtualize our Microsoft Windows servers). I get paid to support and use Windows at work; at home I am spending my own money and I don't want to spend my off time dealing with Windows problems. But then that's just me...

 

[EarDemon]

Each to their own, but I'm not into BDSM. I don't like being tied up and told what to do and be scolded for doing something the master doesn't approve of. I will put up with a few problems here and there versus living in the submissive Apple ecosystem where you can't think for yourself.

I'm not saying all who bow at the alter of Jobs are computer illiterate, but in my general observation, Apple users are either computer illiterate, people who think of the shiny fruit logo as a status symbol, or rich elitists who think because of the high price tag they are getting something special. I have support iPhone and iPads at work. They are truly awful devices and are annoying as all hell to support and use. I don't want to spend my off time dealing with crippled devices that want to integrate and sync with everything. But then that's just me...

 

[harshness]

I take the middle road where you consider that Apple just costs too much for the applications it can bring to bear. They make a relatively good product at a ridiculously high price. That so many are forced to run key applications in Windows mode is only going to get worse in my vision of the future. The issues that Apple has been having across all of their product lines of late has taken much of the luster off of their reputation for not pulling boners.

That said, in the last three or four months, Microsoft has radically stepped down their game in terms of Windows 10 testing and I think I may see evidence of a Coriolis Effect swirl as the last vestiges of conscientious pre-release testing circle the drain.

The neat part about Windows computers is that you can weigh how much you want to pay against what you get and they much more readily support popular Linux distros. If you're going to use something that isn't Windows, you might as well have access to the next largest library of software.

 

[Comptech]

Linux mint with mate desktop and any windows user will fel at home.

 

[klang]

My background is IBM mainframes and Windows servers and I too choose Mac for my home computing needs.


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