Microsoft today announced the launch of a beta version of its upcoming Microsoft Edge browser, which is available today for Windows and macOS users.
Previously, the Microsoft Edge browser was available as a preview build, but Microsoft has now graduated to an official beta. Microsoft's beta channel represents more stable software than the preview channel.
Microsoft has said that its aim with Microsoft Edge is to create better web compatibility with better performance for customers while making sure there's less fragmentation of the web for web developers. During the preview period, Windows and Mac users downloaded Edge more than a million times, and Microsoft received more than 140,000 individual pieces of feedback to improve the browser.
Microsoft Edge for Mac is designed to be similar to the Microsoft Edge experience on Windows, but with "user experience optimizations" that are designed to make it feel more Mac-like.
The beta version of the Edge browser features new personalization options, such as tab page customization, dark theme support, and extensions from the Microsoft Insider Addons store or other Chromium-based web stores like the Chrome Web Store.
Tracking prevention has been added to protect users from being tracked by websites, built-in Microsoft Search for Bing, and Internet Explorer mode with Internet Explorer 11 compatibility.
Microsoft is also expanding its Microsoft Edge browser security program to the beta channel, offering rewards of up to $15,000 for the discovery of high-impact vulnerabilities.
The new Microsoft Edge beta can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft website. There's still no word on when the Edge browser will see a launch, but it's likely there will be a few more months of beta testing before that happens.
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Top Rated Comments
It's also worth mentioning, Chrome is bloated with a huge amount of non-standards, some of which Google utilises to give it an advantage over other browsers when using Google products. Use YouTube in Chrome, then try running it in Firefox - you'll see different behaviours.
I strongly discourage anyone from using Chrome, there are better browsers available - especially on the Mac. While I'm sure Microsoft will be carrying out data collection too, I trust Microsoft with my data a lot more than Google.
There is no proprietary features like the old IE days.
Its compliant with all current web standards.
These days, "web standards" are largely whatever Google deems worthy of pushing through the consortium. They 'conveniently' already have a working implementation, and the W3C has basically given up on a proper standardization process, instead calling HTML a "living standard". It's gotten a lot harder for Mozilla and others to compete.
(The story is more complicated than that, and Microsoft sure isn't innocent, but yes, losing a browser engine is a net loss.)
[doublepost=1566328447][/doublepost]Then your IT Department sux.
My team maintains a 10,000+ users network. Everyone uses Edge, no crashes or odd issues.