this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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Hey Microsoft, how about innovating instead? Edge is a Chrome engine browser like dozens of others out there. Why not write a new browser engine to give customers a choice? Or at worst, how about contract with Apple to license Webkit bringing a third solid choice for a browser engine to Windows. You're not going to out-Chrome Google Chrome browser, so stop trying.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and play the devil's advocate. Edge actually makes a lot of optimisations and improvements that are merged into upstream chrome. While Microsoft is the shady corp that is forcing the ai garbage and data collection, the Devs are actually very competent.
Edge has one huge benefit which causes me to use it across Windows, Linux and even android and that is extension support on all even mobile. No other chrome based android browser has mobile extensions and a competent or seamless sync both figured out. I like being able to check something on my phone and seamlessly pick it up on any other device.
I like Vivaldi's workflow but they have yet to add mobile extensions.
You want another version of IE?
Right now, Chrome is basically IE6. It rushes in standards with little compliance, bloats your memory, and everyone is forced to use it. All browsers are just skins, and if Google's recent Android moves are any indication, they'll likely close off source at some point so they can load it through with spyware.
In terms of making a bad situation slightly better, I'd be in favor of MS re-vamping their browser division. It has little to do with AI or murdering Palestinians though, so I doubt they will.
As a web developer, I would happily support current chrome over literally any version of IE. It’s not even a contest.
The majority of standards are properly implemented in chrome, and it tends to be edge cases that are not. Whereas for IR you needed IE specific “hacks” to do a number of everyday things.
Of course they’re implemented properly in Chrome. They wrote those standards, and pushed them through without review. Hence why technologies like WebRTC and simple gradients had about 8 half-working implementations in Chrome, while the later IE team put a hand up and said “Hang on, let’s implement this the right way and agree on a spec.”
The way you describe IE-specific hacks was true up through around IE9. Once they got to Edge, they retired importance of major versions and insisted people auto-update their browser, getting companies off the idea of retaining an old browser for “compatibility”.
They were doing the right thing for a short time before the end. I suppose a lot of people didn’t even see that period.
I'd need a reason to use Edge. If it used a different browser engine, that would be a compelling reason.
Did you use IE when it was still around? Edge is their “new” offering, because of how terrible their own engine was. Moving back to their own engine would be a step backwards.
Literally, one of the richest companies in the world and can't figure this out.
They might with a built in ad blocker 🙃
Thats the description of both Vivaldi and Brave browsers, which also haven't out-Chromed Chrome. Both are Chrome engine with built in ad blockers.
Exactly, the average person using installing browser add-ons. They want a lightweight, simple browser from a familiar brand that just works. Adblocking alone isn't enough to convince Average Joe to switch, when they don't even know that adblockers exist.
they tried that with Edge 1.0
Writing your own rendering engine that works exactly like chrome, has the same features and preferably no exploits is not something you or even a big company can whack out in a week or so. You need to support js, css, html, hardware acceleration, https, certificate checks, support notifications, location, camera and mic, video play and a whole lot of other features you take for granted. A modern browser is light years away from the first browsers that came out around 2000.
Yeah and the only good thing about it back then was the PDF viewer tbh
Bro yapping about something he knows fuck all about. MS has contributed a ton to upstream Chromium, from page rendering improvements to improved efficiency for battery consumption.
Not about to listen to supposed expertise from a comment that begins with "Bro yapping", lmfaooo
No need to trust. They gave very concrete references that would be easy to check.
Ok boomer