Microsoft's Edge Browser Now Generally Available For iOS, Android (zdnet.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft announced in October previews of new Edge browser apps for iOS and Android. On November 30, Microsoft officials are announcing that these apps are no longer in preview and are generally available for users in select markets. By making Edge apps available on non-Windows operating systems, Microsoft is hoping to do more than give Windows 10 users who use Edge a more convenient way to sync their bookmarks, tabs, etc., across devices. Microsoft also is doing this to improve its "Continue on PC" feature that it's been touting for Windows 10. With "Continue on PC," users will be able to share a web site, app, photo, and other information from their phones to their Windows 10 PCs in a faster and more seamless way. Microsoft is looking to Continue on PC to help keep Windows PCs relevant in a world where more and more computing is done on mobile devices.

Comments

Fuck off M$!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I could also smear turds all over my phone. No thanks, Micro$hit.

Re:Fuck off M$!!!

[mark-t]

You can do that now anyways, with Unicode: U+1F4A9

Why would we want it?

[b0s0z0ku]

I mean, leprosy is available in the US for un-infected people, but it's not as if there's a big line to be infected.

Re:Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

> What are the problems with Edge, exactly other than issues that one might have with the maker of it?

Not that I'm suggesting that's not a good enough reason for someone who is negatively predisposed towards Microsoft to be opposed to its use, but I'm wondering if there are actual qualitatively measurable factors involved, or if this perspective only arises on account of a subjective bias against the company

Re:Why would we want it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank god that features no one asked for and are probably broken out of the box anyway have finally arrived.

Re: Why would we want it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hate to break it to you but Edge on Android is essentially a skin of Chrome with a Microsoft interface.

I personally have no problems with Firefox and with extensions (uBlock) primarily has been my default browser.

Re:Why would we want it?

[DickBreath]

Why would you want it? Because it will send all of your personal information to Microsoft instead of to Google. Isn't that reason enough to rush right out and install this?

Re:Why would we want it?

[rjune]

A few months before someone has an exploit? You are very optimistic. How about weeks or days?

Re:Why would we want it?

[Desler]

having a terrible track record of making secure designs, let alone secure implementations, and then often languishing efforts on fixes. All of that is a security nightmare.

So it’s right at home on 99% of Android phones then?

Re:Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

So I explicitly ask for the issue of how untrustworthy Microsoft might be perceived to be to the issue of not wanting to use Edge and all you give are reasons that are based only on the company and its history, not Edge itself.

You even go so far as to suggest that my remarks about having such predisposition are probably good enough to have such a bias should be discounted as non-sequitur while showing that to be exactly the reason that you are so inclined.

If you use one web browser and it's good enough, that's fine... but the question posed was "why would we want it?" The point of my question was to ascertain if there was anything actually technically inferior about Edge itself (not Microsoft or its history) that would suggest it actually should be avoided, and your comments do not do that.

Re:Why would we want it?

[interkin3tic]

Competition!

"Hey Firefox and Chrome, maybe get better and stop using up all my damn memory or I'm going to start using Microsoft again! Stop laughing, I'm serious! It's already on my computer, it would be so easy! ... Okay, I'm not serious..."

Re:Why would we want it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello, not the original poster, but I am a web developer.

MS made it a core mission to break web standards being set up. This resulted in me and others having to write all sorts of silly work around code just for when someone would visit the site with IE. It was a nightmare, MS owes me serveral thousand dollars of man hours spent because of their shennanigans.

Microsoft will not be forgiven anytime soon for that shit. It was rough on all of us and it caused cracks and breaks in what was becoming the first interconnected data sharing service for all of our species. They tried to butt-fuq a glorious acheivement of all mankind, you don't forgive and forget that sort of thing overnight.

I don't think they've changed their stripes to be honest, after awhile, I just stopped bothering to code for their browsers which didn't interpret standard code properly. I do not believe I am alone, and it is probably one of the reasons IE gave such a bad experience is folks like me who just stopped writing MS spaghetti and stuck to standard knowing it wouldn't run on IE, thus anyone using IE would notice that if they used any other browser everything would function beautifully. This caused IE usage to drop like a stone to the point where it was generally just used once to download a better browser and then forgotten.

Now they think with a new name and some updates that everything is simply kosher again and we can all hold hands and sing kumbaya together, HAH, that isn't going to happen, they damaged us, we damaged them, and now they are viewed as 'the enemy' and that stink of screwing with us web devs is probably never going to go away.

Re:Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

Your comment addresses Microsoft, IE, and MS's past behavior.... but does not even *attempt* to address any inadequacies that one might find with Edge. It's fair to avoid someone or something if they've been untrustworthy in the past, but that was not the point of my question. I was asking what's wrong with Edge, specifically, that makes it objectively inferior to alternatives... and nobody who has responded to me, including yourself, has done that... everyone is too busy spending their comment ranting or railing on MS. However deserved those remarks might be perceived to be, they do not address the question I asked, and I honestly don't know why people keep ignoring it.

Re:Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

Yes, actually... that is actually a very good reason to avoid it on those platforms. Although unless one is using those platforms, I am skeptical that is the reason they would want to avoid it.

There very well could be other technical reasons that Edge is inferior to other browsers, but I find it interesting that many people are too focused on hating on Microsoft to even pay attention to even try and figure out what those reasons might be. My objection is against the lack of objectivity that such comments have, not that I think that people are necessarily wrong to want to avoid Edge if they don't trust Microsoft in the first place.

Re:Why would we want it?

[JohnFen]

I have no idea, since I've never used it. It also doesn't matter. It could be the most fantastic browser in the history of browsers, but the fact that it comes from Microsoft means that it can't be trusted.

Re: Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

Now really.... was that so hard?

Re:Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

I am skeptical that is the reason they would want to avoid it.

As a long-time Linux user, that's 99.9999% of the reason I avoid using it.

Perhaps you missed the preface immediately before the text that you quoted:

Unless one is using those platforms....

But more to the point:

PS - Thinking about it a little more, another negative on Edge is it's not open source.

Given the known benefits of open source, an argument could be made that's actually a good reason too.

Anyways, My objection to the so-called mindless hate that was springing forth was not because I thought it was not deserved, but because I had *EXPLICITLY* said that outside of any preconceptions about Microsoft as a company, regardless of how strongly one felt that a negative predisposition was justified, I was wondering if people had any remaining objectively valid reasons to not use Edge.

Some have now been given... that's fine. Bear in mind only that these reasons were not necessarily obvious, and that was why I was objecting to all of the hate-on against Microsoft in response to my question.

Re:Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

I was upset that people are dumping on Edge because of grievances against Microsoft when I explicitly mentioned right from the very beginning that I wanted to exclude such biases from consideration.

Call me pedantic, but when I ask a question about XYZ stating at the very beginning that I already know about ABC and want a list of any other issues, and everybody that initially responds only gives me more of ABC, I can get a little ornery about the matter.

Re:Why would we want it?

[mark-t]

False analogy. Edge is created by Microsoft, not the other way around. Your metaphor for my initial question seems to effectively liken Hitler to Edge and the Holocaust to Microsoft, which is like saying that the Holocaust caused Hitler.

Assuming that you meant it the other way around, the Holocaust was bad regardless of who initiated it, and there are plenty of bad things that Hitler did anyways... these are all quite obvious.

Edge is something happening *today*. And as the saying goes, even a broken clock is right twice a day. It's not impossible that a bad company could produce a product that is technically good, and I was asking if there were any technically bad reasons to avoid Edge, or if the bias against it was only based only on distrust of Microsoft based on their past performances. Regardless of how deserving Microsoft might be about this is irrelevant.

All I got from the initial round of replies was, in fact, that no... everyone who initially responded was so focused on hating Microsoft that they never even bothered to see if Edge was or was not actually technically inferior to alternatives.

That's not objective. At best it's lazy, and it's certainly not what I asked for.

Nice self-professed Godwin, by the way. Full marks.

In other news...

[mccrew]

Microsoft Stick now generally available for everyone's eye.

Re:In other news...

[newdsfornerds]

You wrote my new sig file.

Adblock

[110010001000]

Does it come with any adblocking features? That is all that is really needed.

Re:Adblock

[Groo Wanderer]

Why bother when you have Bing ads? :P

Re:Way better than FF for Android

[Anonymous Coward]

Thing is on iOS they don't allow other rendering engines for browsers. You have safari and webview jammed in a container labeled firefox or edge or whatever as your options.

Not to mention webview is slower than safari and doesn't support content blockers (unless they are build in to the app). I don't know why these keep getting released, but I expect it's just to claim market share.

Re:Business as usual

[JcMorin]

I don't think it would work this time :)

M$ +5 Insightful

[Anonymous Coward]

M$? M$ BAD!
I didn't RTFS after "MICRO$HIT" because everything they do is bad and wrong, now mod me up for my insightfulness.

Re:Business as usual

[mark-t]

For subjective definitiions of "all devices", I suppose.

Where I work, all the developer workstations are Unix-based desktops (usually Linux, but some FreeBSD).

uhmm..... yeah....

[Heebie]

I have to wash my hair... so... yeah... like... I think I'll be avoiding that or something... yeah.

The Stampede Begins!

[newdsfornerds]

I bet a few thousand chumps will download that crap.

Lack of extensions cripples Edge from the start

[Noishkel]

That's the thing that got my right out of the gate with Edge. The fact that they have never been able to open up access to any real significant pro privacy extensions. And I imagine they will never do so given that every single one of these POS tech companies have bought fulling into monitizing everything you do.

Re:Lack of extensions cripples Edge from the start

[110010001000]

Agreed...that is why I stick with FF. At least it is open source.

Re:Lack of extensions cripples Edge from the start

[Noishkel]

well personally I went to Waterfox now that Quantum strips out the ability to use classic theme restorer as well as a few other 'legacy' add-ons. I just flat out HATE the new visual design. And my real work house extensions I use for privacy work just as well as they always have. Privacy badger, cookie autodelete, u-block, etc.

Re:Lack of extensions cripples Edge from the start

[modmans2ndcoming]

Did you bother looking at the extensions? LastPast, uBlock, pocket....a bunch of other stuff that people use I guess.....They have all the stuff people actually care about and keep the hakz0r crap out of the store.

Take My Money Now Microsoft!!!!

[dryriver]

You can have it all if you promise not to make software anymore.

Re:Way better than FF for Android

[thereitis]

Why don't you quit trolling this story, AC.

Re:Way better than FF for Android

[corychristison]

I have been using FF Beta on Android since it's been available. No issues here.

I don't think I've ever used Chrome on Android. Google already tracks all the apps I use, I don't need them tracking my web browsing history, too.

Is that a warning or advertisement?

[CFD339]

I'm not sure if I should be alarmed that this is now available for use outside the already damned places it was before.

Remember, Microsoft browsers are the number one browsers used to download other browsers.

Re:Is that a warning or advertisement?

[tsa]

Downloading other browsers is the only thing they're useful for.

Great news!

[Miles_O'Toole]

That's like announcing popcorn that causes ungovernable episodes of explosive diarrhea will be available at all your local supermarkets.

Re:Great news!

[SeaFox]

Well, it wouldn't be the first time such a product was so easily found.

Really?

[kurkosdr]

Gotta love all the "No Micro$hit stuff on my phone" crowd. None of them mentioned any problems with the browser itself, but let's bash Microsoft because we are in neckbeardia (Slashdot) and therefore it's the cool thing to do. IMO Edge's problem is the lack of adblocking capabilities, which means you 'll have to tolerate heavyweight javascript from ads draining your battery and ad banners clashing with poorly-made mobile CSS. Chrome has the exact same problem. I use Brave Browser in my Android phone, but it doesn't have tab sync functionality between devices. Still, I am always on the lookout for something better (with ad blocking and tab sync).

Re:Really?

[tsa]

Microsoft has done so many terrible things in the 1990s and 2000s that they deserve at least twenty years more of MS bashing. You are probably too young to have lived through that hellish period.

Re:Really?

[OneHundredAndTen]

Gotta love all the "No Micro$hit stuff on my phone" crowd. None of them mentioned any problems with the browser itself, but let's bash Microsoft because we are in neckbeardia (Slashdot) and therefore it's the cool thing to do.

It's not cool. It's the least that MS deserves, after decades of abuse and obnoxiousness.

Re:Really?

[modmans2ndcoming]

one word.....uBlock Origin....its there, its fully supported.

Re:Really?

[spire3661]

Do you remember the time that Microsoft tried to outright kill Linux by funding SCO? WE DO. For fuck's sake you are on a site that for over a decade had Bill Gate's face mocked up as a Borg.We have some some shit here, more than you could imagine. Dont be such an ignorant ass.

Re: Really?

[kurkosdr]

On Chrome for Android? I meant Chrome for Android obviously.

Re:Really?

[JohnFen]

let's bash Microsoft because we are in neckbeardia (Slashdot) and therefore it's the cool thing to do.

It's not that it's "the cool thing to do". It's that the history of abuse coming from Microsoft is so long and bad that avoidance is the only rational stance to take.

If someone punches you every time you see them, it's not remotely irrational to expect that the next time you see them, they're going to punch you.

Re:Really?

[cheesyweasel]

Edge's problem is that it's not open source, it's developer tools look like they were written by high schools students, its security is the worst of major browsers, its support for web standards (particularly MediaSource and things like that) is still no where near that of chrome and firefox.

Re:Really?

[ChunderDownunder]

It gets better with every 6 month release. the Fall Creators Update was almost usable! :)

I think the main problem is the release cycle. Few are interested in the Insider program and to gain any traction they need more regular updates. Whereas Firefox and Chrome users see an update every 6 weeks.

Re:Really?

[JThundley]

There's this really cool new browser that has both of those features on Android, you should try it. It's got kind of a funny name though, I don't know if it'll ever get popular. It's called "Firefox".

Why FF is my favorite Android browser

[Cajun Hell]

I don't even know why Mozilla even bothers with FF for Android

I don't know their motive, but from a user point of view, the reason FireFox is the best mainstream browser for Android, is that it can run all the usual extensions (except for some recent API changes). So there's no ads and a lot of the slow-down-your-computer-by-running-lots-of-weird-javascript goes away.

That said, the API change has been a little rough and I've lost a few other non ad/privacy related extensions that I like, but maybe they'll get updated or replaced later. Even with the API change "scandal" it still utterly crushes and embarrasses Chrome, though.

Chrome-for-Android isn't anywhere near in the same league, and is hopelessly crippled. From my PoV, the only way I would be able to stand Chrome on Android, would be if I fanatically loved looking at ads all the time. I guess there are people like that.

That's particularly disappointing, because the non-Android versions of Chrome and Chromium have all the usual extensions. It's only on Android that Google crippled Chrome. And people aren't screaming about it. I just don't get it, and I find it utterly mysterious that people flame Firefox on Android, since it's the one that doesn't overwhelmingly suck. The web in 2017 needs filtering.

Anyone who has tried Edge for Android: does it block ads? Can you make it block ads without running a proxy?

Re:Way better than FF for Android

[tsa]

Yeah right.

Thanks, MS

[OneHundredAndTen]

I guess you have a fairly good idea where you can stick it.

Re:Edge

[Bing Tsher E]

I use Edge for logging onto Facebook. That is to say, I hardly ever use Edge. But sticking my vestigial Facebook account on Edge quarantines the whole mess off on an obscure area of my PC.

Awesome!

[kelemvor4]

Just what nobody wanted.

Screw that

[Billly Gates]

I want IE 6 on my Android .

It would help my massochism porn fetish great perfect right there in bed

It's close enough

[HalAtWork]

EdgeHTML aims for compatibility with WebKit anyway so it might as well just use WebKit.

'Microsoft has stated that "any Edge-WebKit differences are bugs that we’re interested in fixing."'

https://blogs.windows.com/msed...

Crack open the sparkling wine

[DrXym]

I'm not sure who'd want to use Edge given that it's a bit crap but yay?

No Thanks

[CrashNBrn]

Edge still isn't as functional (or stable) as either Firefox nor Chrome on the Desktop, although it does have a few interesting ideas/implementations.

On Android I already have Firefox Nightly (some addons available), Firefox Focus (built-in ad & tracker blocking), Chrome Canary and Chrome.

It's well worth your time to install at least one additional browser, so that Android will give you a choice of how to open a given external URI every time.

Re:No Thanks

[modmans2ndcoming]

How is it unstable?

I use it every day on my Windows 10 device and have no issues at all.

Also, Edge on iPhone and Android is just a wraper of features around the native HTML/JS engines on the devices.

ok I guess....

[roc97007]

If you're using Edge, this is good news.

But, why are you using Edge?

Is the iOS version still just a front end

[rsilvergun]

on the iOS browser? I remember Firefox on iOS wasn't really Firefox back in the day because Apple wouldn't let you publish apps that themselves ran apps and a browser counted as such. The want to make sure you don't use it to do an end run around their store's 30% cut.

Re:Way better than FF for Android

[denis-The-menace]

I find FF on Android slow too.

Maybe it because it needs to contact DoubleClick first:

https://reports.exodus-privacy...

Who in their right mind

[cmaurand]

Would install the security hole that is IE on a Linux device?

I just have one question...

[JohnFen]

Why?

Re:Way better than FF for Android

[Desler]

The deprecated UIWebView is slower but WKWebView uses the same Nitro javascript engine as Safari.

Re:Business as usual

[Desler]

He meant “all devices that matter.”

Re: Way better than FF for Android

[thereitis]

Sorry, I don't work for Mozilla but I do know that a proper software complaint should include some specifics like what version you're using, on what hardware, what site(s) you see this problem. If all you're going to do is whine without providing any evidence then you're just trolling as far as I'm concerned.

Edge is Windows exclusive

[tepples]

On desktop, Edge is exclusive to Windows.

My laptop runs Debian 9 "Stretch". Compared to the Firefox ESR that I currently use or the Chromium that I use for a few sites that don't run well in Firefox ESR (such as Discordapp.com), Edge would cost more, as I'd have to buy a Windows license, and it would use a lot more RAM, as I'd have to run Windows in a virtual machine.

Windows 10 S

[tepples]

why are you using Edge?

I personally am not. But the following applies to another class of users:

Windows 10 S blocks installation of applications from outside the Windows Store. The Windows Store Policies ban web browsers other than EdgeHTML wrappers. Therefore, for a user of a PC that came with Windows 10 S, installing another browser costs $50 for the upgrade from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro.

Re:Business as usual

[mark-t]

Yeah, I know what he meant.

The ones "that matter" is what is subjective.

Yay!

[Shogun37]

It's the Uwe Boll of browsers! For EVERYONE! Now we can all smear rat excrement all over our hard drives!