Its happening, folks! All roads led to this. And we now have official confirmation that the same engine that powers Google Chrome will now power the Microsoft Edge web browser.
Multiple reports hinted at such a scenario, and it has come to pass.
As good old Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President, Windows explained in the official announcement, moving to the Chromium engine would bring several benefits — not just to Microsoft, but to the rest of the industry as well.
That’s because the Seattle based company would be able to make significant contributions to the open source project.
“Our philosophy of greater participation in Chromium open source will embrace contribution of beneficial new tech. We recognize that making the web better on Windows is good for our customers, partners and our business – and we intend to actively contribute to that end.”
Well, that’s one way to put it.
Good thing is that this transition will not be a disruptive switch for users of the Microsoft browser, as chances are that the user interface and the Edge name will be retained. In other words, nothing major will change on the outside for regular users.
But under the hood, things will sparkle.
Not only on Windows 10, but other operating systems and platforms as well.
Yes, your read it right.
Microsoft Edge will be making appearances on older version of the OS, the supported ones at least like Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Not just that, a macOS variant is also in the works.
Basically, switching to Chromium means Microsoft can bring to all platforms Google Chrome is available on. And this will go a long way in solving one of the biggest problems with the Edge browser — its small footprint due to limited availability on other platforms.
At least, now there is hope that it will launch on all popular desktop and mobile platforms.
As for when that will happen, the next major update to Windows 10 is a solid bet.
A preview version of the Chromium powered Edge is due out in January. But Microsoft will need to be Johnny on the spot here, as support for Windows 7 is, obviously, ending in about a year from now, in early 2020.
