Microsoft Working on Tool to Port Chrome Extensions to Edge

Earlier this week, Microsoft released a new Windows 10 build for Insiders that, among other things, brings support for extensions to Microsoft Edge. There aren't many extensions to play with currently, but a Microsoft engineer says the company is working on a tool to allow developers to bring their Chrome extensions to its store. "Lots of questions on this," tweeted Jacob Rossi. "Yes we're working on a porting tool to run Chrome extensions in Edge. Not yet finished and not all APIs supported."

Comments

Because really

[Anonymous Coward]

That's easier to do than working on their own Extension system that nobody will use anyway.

Re:Just great.

[Anonymous Coward]

Every Windows 10 user uses Edge... to go to the Google Chrome download page.

Insider Previews

[jones_supa]

For Windows 10 users: if you want to get these test builds, go to Settings -> Update & security -> Windows Update -> Advanced options -> Get Insider Preview builds. I'm just putting this here as many might not be aware about this possibility.

Re:Insider Previews

[thegarbz]

I have it on good authority that no one on Slashdot runs Windows 10 or runs Windows Update. Incidentally that makes the Slashdot visitor IP logs a wishlist of computers vulnerable to zero day attacks. Except of course for those people running FreeBSD, they are safe. (No one runs Linux because of systemd)

Re:Insider Previews

[Zaiff Urgulbunger]

Do you know if MS have any extension developer docs publicly available? I'd like to see how similar it is to Chrome extension development.

Re:Obligatory

[MightyMartian]

Having upgraded about three quarters of our office to Windows 10, I've found Edge to be a very flaky browser. I'm getting a good many remote procedure failed errors, with baffles me greatly. Thus far, I'm not terribly impressed with the browser's stability, and many users have just switched over to Chrome or Firefox, or keep using IE.

Re:Obligatory

[ArmoredDragon]

I don't know what the "extend" part will look like yet (I'm guessing proprietary API additions) but I already know that Microsoft intends for edge extensions to become a walled garden (that is, you can't install any extensions without Microsoft's blessing) which is what the extinguish part of the plan might end up being.

Bootstrap Desperation

[WheezyJoe]

Microsoft seems to be trying to co-opt every other platform to fill the empty user space that is Windows 10-exclusive. They're supposedly rigging a way for iOS apps to run on Windows 10 (aka "Islandwood"), and they had a plan for Android apps (aka "Astoria") to run on the platform but recently dropped it in favor of Xamarin.

Astoria enabled Android apps written in Java to run on Windows, sometimes with no modifications at all. Xamarin allows developers to share a large proportion of their code between Android, iOS, Windows, and beyond, but it requires that all that code must use .NET, and typically C#.

This seems a little desperate. In the short run, maybe more stuff makes its way into the Windows Store, and salesmen can say "Windows 10 does that!" for any reason you'd stick with another platform. But if the quickest way to develop for the broadest market is not to develop for Metro but instead target a different platform and port it later, wouldn't Metro (or Modern or Windows 10 mobile or Edge, whatever) always remain an afterthought, last to get ported and last to receive bug-fixes?

Microsoft appears to admit that apart from Win32, Windows 10 is a Johnny-come-real-real-lately, but isn't interested in doing the work to develop any killer apps on its own.

Re:Bootstrap Desperation

[toonces33]

They wouldn't know a killer app if it bit them in the backside. They want other people to write the killer apps, and then sell them through their app store (where MS gets a percentage).

Re:Bootstrap Desperation

[gstoddart]

Microsoft seems to be trying to co-opt every other platform

I'd say they're more trying to leverage other platforms to mask their own screw-ups ... because they can't seem to figure out what is successful or people actually want, so they're trying to get the things which work onto their own platform so people will stop saying "why would I need your crap?"

I find it pretty sad that a company who has had so much market dominance for so many years, spends billions on research, finds themselves floundering around trying to make their stuff look relevant by simply trying to get stuff which people actually like to run on their platform.

No, scratch that, I don't find it sad it all ... I find it pathetic and hilarious. Because they clearly find themselves in a situation in which all of their "innovation" is shit nobody gives a damn about ... yes, congratulations, you have recycled the same failed Active Desktop crap on yet another operating system, and taken away Solitaire.

That's some cutting edge shit right there.

Just like they ported apps from Android to Windows

[LuniticusTheSane]

Anyone else remember the cancelled project Astoria to port Android apps to Windows 10? http://www.windowscentral.com/...

Re:Obligatory

[Billly Gates]

You do know IE 11 is still inlcuded by default in the pro and enterprise versions? Reason being is Edge and 10 were not finished.

MS has designed Edge to use webkit extensions from day 1. It was alpha quality so MS disabled it. On my own desktop I will not touch 10. It is Vista quality at the moment and I sure as hell wouldn't dare put this at work for another year or 2.

Didn't Learn From IE?

[Luthair]

Is Edge really still tied to the Windows build?

Re:Obligatory

[williamyf]

When I migrated my Brother's Office to Win10 a While ago, I installed Firefox ESR (38 at the time) with the required AdBlocker and PrivacyBadger and pinned it to the task bar. I left Edge on the desktop, and IE buried in the menus.

I instructed the users to use Firefox as their daily driver (here in venezuela, the public administration is slowly [and crappily] migrating to opensource so firefox works better there). If any webPage does not render well (say, a bank), they are instructeed to try first Edge, and IE 11 as a last resort.

I know that in its current state Edge is shite, so why this policy? Becauuse it is designed to CONDITION the users to try edge. When Edge finally catches up (and I trust it will), those people will be using two modern browsers for their needs, and forget the decent but rather cruftty IE11.

So far, is working quite OK. No one has bypased the orders to install chrome, and no one is asking Where IE11 is or how to enable legacy mode...

Fingers crosed for FF45 ESR to behave, for the migration to Chrome type extensions to be seamless, and for Project Electrolysis to delay as much as possible.

Re:Just great.

[mangamaster03]

Yep. I installed Windows 10 a few weeks ago, and Edge has been used once...to download Chrome.
Though, if adblock works Edge, it might become slightly more popular.

Edge will never capture signifcant market share

[postmortem]

he people are used by now to different browsers and platforms (mobile being one), it is not 1999 anymore when only obvious way to internet was through windows 98 and IE shortcut on desktop. The crowd that did that is relatively old, and minority...

So Microsoft has to be realistic and realize Edge is not going to have much market share. Ever. If they were trying to make healthy and safe browser with long-term plan, then be so. But this is not step in that direction. It more smells of defeat. And we all know how quick Microsoft is to abandon products.

Why not Edge to Chromium?

[DesertBlade]

Wouldn't be easier (and better) just to make Edge a Chromium browser?