I mean, why though?

[Shibblet]

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/22/21449062/microsoft-edge-linux-preview-october-release

Microsoft wants to bring Edge to Linux?

Why?

Is there anyone here who is going to run out and try it?
If so, what for?

I mean, most Windows users don't even bother with Edge, let alone Linux users.

Can anyone give a good reason for Microsoft to do this?

[TheFu]

There are some people who are 100% Microsoft for everything, but being forced to use Linux. The world has all sorts of people.

[Shibblet]

There are some people who are 100% Microsoft for everything, but being forced to use Linux. The world has all sorts of people.

It's usually the other way around. I'm a Linux user, but at work, I have to use Windows 10.

I just have a hard time seeing anyone who uses Linux saying to themselves... "Man. This sucks! I wish I had the Edge browser instead."

[VMC]

I will defiantly try it out. I use it exclusively for Windows right now. No problems whatsoever. Don't assume your views are the same as everyone else's.

[Frogs Hair]

I have Edge installed , but it's not my default on Windows. Yet another Chromium based browser. Having used it I see no need to try a Linux version.

[poorguy]

I just have a hard time seeing anyone who uses Linux saying to themselves... "Man. This sucks! I wish I had the Edge browser instead."

That's funny. :lol: You made my day. :smile: Thanks

[zebra2]

I mean, why not though. This thread goes to the heart of linux desktop. Why are all of the programs I left behind in Windows not ported to Linux. What Microsoft is proposing is not harmful at all. On my Windows 10 partition I run nearly every program that I use on my Ubuntu partition. On my Ubuntu partition I do use proprietary software. So if I have this choice "Edge" in Ubuntu then thank you Microsoft. It opens the door to other programs that many linux users want like Adobe.

[TheFu]

I mean, why not though. This thread goes to the heart of linux desktop. Why are all of the programs I left behind in Windows not ported to Linux. What Microsoft is proposing is not harmful at all. On my Windows 10 partition I run nearly every program that I use on my Ubuntu partition. On my Ubuntu partition I do use proprietary software. So if I have this choice "Edge" in Ubuntu then thank you Microsoft. It opens the door to other programs that many linux users want like Adobe.

Perhaps. I'm not going to believe stuff just because they say it.


What Microsoft is proposing is not harmful at all.
We don't know that. Microsoft has a long history of doing harmful things to non-Microsoft OSes. They were well-known for "Embrace and extend", which has fractured many thriving areas of computing and software. Do no harm? I wouldn't say that about anything Microsoft does.

On my Windows 10 partition I run nearly every program that I use on my Ubuntu partition.
Windows 10 is a newer level of harm being done to people. Read the EULA. I did BEFORE allowing it to be installed. In the end, I couldn't install Win10 because the new terms were unacceptable. Obviously, much of the world bowed and is taking it, you know where. The clauses that I objected over was that anything on the computer or connected computers was fine for MSFT to look over and decide whether it was ok or not. My data isn't my data anymore with Win10 ... actually, with patched versions of Win7, Win8, and Win10 after a certain point that applies. MSFT attempted to apply updates to Win7 machines which included the new conditions.


It opens the door to other programs that many linux users want like Adobe.
Incompetent management. Adobe management has chosen features over security routinely for decades. In the 1990s, I worked with Adobe tools extensively. Earned my living from one in particular because I worked in electronic documentation and publishing. I saw lots and lots of security fails.
Flash wasn't the beginning of the failures. Adobe pushed newer tools attempting to replace flash, but those all failed. These days, adobe is in the internet tracking and DRM business. If you like DRM, be certain to support adobe. I recall when Adobe was at the top of the weekly list of new security failures in their software. https://blog.jdpfu.com/2010/06/30/why-are-you-still-using-adobe-tools

It is easy to believe that more options is always better than fewer options. I used to believe that too. Let people make up their own mind between the available choices. That's good. Except people don't. They use what comes with the system and only switch if required for some other reason. Outside of computing choices, I'm the same way. My vehicles aren't customized. My lawn mower isn't custom. I use what it came with. The already installed software, the default, is what people use. That's good and bad. Ubuntu has known this. The last 5 yrs, Canonical has clearly made some less-than-great default choices before some software was read to be the default. We've all felt the pains.

I remember what happened the last time Microsoft released a new browser that wasn't standards compliant. It was still being used about decade after EOL because lots of Microsoft shops created websites that wouldn't work with any other browser. Now they are stuck on that old system, which ripples throughout there IT infrastructure. More choices aren't always good. Microsoft has burned the entire world before. I don't trust them, regardless of attempts to be "nicer" the last few years. They were mean and nasty for 40+ yrs. They've destroyed many companies, many great products that competition made. I don't trust them when it comes to stuff like this. Before they pushed the Win10 EULA, I did have some trust of Microsoft. Since that change, everyone running Win8/Win10 has agreed to let MSFT do anything to their computers without any repercussions for failures, data deletion, and sharing that data with anyone on purpose or accidentally. Read the EULA.

Google's browser is attempting to embrace and extend too these days. HTTP2 is an effort in that direction. Saw that 2 of the techniques used by HTTP2 have new security issues last week. I looked into deploying it on my servers, but it was apparent that I'd need a custom web server setup, which I wasn't willing to do. "New" is the enemy of "stable" in my mind.

But perhaps your experiences have been different?

Sorry for the topic jumps all over the place. Few companies have the evil history of a similar level, IMHO. I need to go and find my happy place now.

[Tadaen_Sylvermane]

I will not touch it. I'm tired of everyone having to have their own thing. If I want a Chrome based browser... I'll use Chrome. Same with distros. I get sick of threads of this nature on various forums. "What's the best Ubuntu based distro?"... Ubuntu you moron.

[Shibblet]

What I am getting at with "Why?" is not necessarily that Edge is a "bad" product. It just doesn't seem necessary for Linux. In my opinion, it's a deliberate encroachment into our territory.

[sdsurfer]

"Reason for Microsoft to do this" is the same thing that drives All of Microsoft, widening the market share. I could see some value in cross browser testing for web apps, even though it would likely be different than native MS Edge because the underlying OS is different,. It's a real PITA firing up a VM just to test MS browser compatibility.

[poorguy]

The new Edge browser is Chromium based.

https://www.howtogeek.com/509148/microsofts-new-chromium-based-edge-browser-is-now-available/

[Geoff_Lane]

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/22/21449062/microsoft-edge-linux-preview-october-release

Microsoft wants to bring Edge to Linux?

Why?


Can anyone give a good reason for Microsoft to do this?

Guess, as with industry, completion drives development.

I hardly ever use Windoz so can't comment on Edge, Firefox is my browser of choice but appreciate it is competition with Chrome and the old IE that got Firefox where it is now.

Think with all programs the danger is too many bells and whistles that they may become overly complicated. For some obscure reason Firefox's latest incarnation for mobile devices has put the address/search bar at the bottom initially, it then seems to switch to the top. Guess some developer somewhere thought it was a great idea.

Geoff

[kurt18947]

I will not touch it. I'm tired of everyone having to have their own thing. If I want a Chrome based browser... I'll use Chrome. Same with distros. I get sick of threads of this nature on various forums. "What's the best Ubuntu based distro?"... Ubuntu you moron.

Mint users might take issue with your last statement. It's nice to have options.

[Shibblet]

The new Edge browser is Chromium based.

https://www.howtogeek.com/509148/microsofts-new-chromium-based-edge-browser-is-now-available/

LOL! This is an age old argument. If it's chromium based, so why not just use Chromium? That changes the argument to specific "features" that the web-browser has. In which case, what possible features could Edge have that Firefox / Chromium / Chrome / Brave / Opera / Vivaldi / Etc. doesn't?

[VMC]

LOL! This is an age old argument. If it's chromium based, so why not just use Chromium? That changes the argument to specific "features" that the web-browser has. In which case, what possible features could Edge have that Firefox / Chromium / Chrome / Brave / Opera / Vivaldi / Etc. doesn't?
You could make the same argument for Brave, Opera, Vivalda. Why use them instead of Chromium.

[Frogs Hair]

The new Edge browser is Chromium based. I see no argument in this statement so it really does come down to features. I'm using Iridium at the moment and in the past week have used Chrome / Brave / Opera / Vivaldi/Edge also.

[kevdog]

Perhaps you should be asking why not? If they want to release an Edge browser so be it. Linux I thought was all about choice.

[CharlesA]

Isn't it kind of asking the same question as "I wonder if anyone will use powershell now that's it's cross platform."

Some will, some won't.

I rarely use Edge, but I have to test against it at work. That means I will need to keep a separate install around for "old edge" and "new edge" to make sure stuff works as it should.

Though, I hope they stick to standards better since they are switching over to Chromium instead of an IE base.

[exploder]

If Microsoft provides the backward compatibility with IE then there could be a use case advantage for some users. The software ecosystem is slowly changing, Microsoft only dominates the desktop these days. Android, Mac OS and Linux are not going away and Microsoft knows this. To remain relevant their apps need to run on other platforms. Who would have ever thought you could use MS Office online running Linux? They are a business after all and other business's do rely heavily on their software. I don't imagine everyone jumping over to Edge but who knows?

[Frogs Hair]

Many people use Google docs,email,cloud and other services integrated with chrome so why not Microsoft services integrated with edge. It wouldn't be my first choice, but as a student Office 365 and MS services were a necessity for group project collaboration and file sharing.

[greatoffender]

As I get much older I have found that my privacy is very important to me so I do try my best to avoid "obvious' attempts at tracking, watching, etc. Edge + Bing is known to track your key stokes and I'm sure it goes deeper than that. A quick "non Google" search of the best privacy browsers will explain everything I have failed to include about Edge but... No, just NO!

[uninvolved]

I'll try it. I'll try it for the same reason I first started to use Linux - because I like to try new things and pick what works best for me.

[zebra2]

and thanks for all the fish.

+1
Its fish that smells a bit but I think I will give it a try also.

[iamjiwjr]

The answer has been passed down for ages - Follow the money.

[Shibblet]

The answer has been passed down for ages - Follow the money.

I always try to track the money... So, does that mean Edge will be tracking your MS Advertising ID on Linux? That's the only way to make money by giving a free (as in cost) browser out to a community that doesn't really need it.

I can't wait to see the FSF go ballistic on this one!

[grim192]

Choosing a Chromium based browser allows Edges's replacement to be a multiplatform browser

[monkeybrain20122]

For chromium based browsers I highly recommend Vivaldi, very polished and fast, better performance than Chrome or opera (opera is buggy on Linux, checkout their forums). But I still prefer Firefox as my default.

[isladlewis]

I personally love to use Windows 10 and I am using it in my personal and office system. Once I try to use Ubuntu in past but it was hard to use.

[Tadaen_Sylvermane]

As I get much older I have found that my privacy is very important to me so I do try my best to avoid "obvious' attempts at tracking, watching, etc. Edge + Bing is known to track your key stokes and I'm sure it goes deeper than that. A quick "non Google" search of the best privacy browsers will explain everything I have failed to include about Edge but... No, just NO!

I've gone the other way. I probably troll the news websites too much in my free time. The way I see it privacy of any kind is an illusion. If they want something, they will get it. I've said this before. Too many companies caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Costs them less to pay a fine than to actually do what they tell you they do. No real incentive for them not to when the payoff is pretty much a guaranteed homerun. By the time you've got your privacy locked (theoretically) then the internet has become almost unusable because your privacy addons block the majority of the content. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. No way to win.

[Shibblet]

I've gone the other way. I probably troll the news websites too much in my free time. The way I see it privacy of any kind is an illusion. If they want something, they will get it. I've said this before. Too many companies caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Costs them less to pay a fine than to actually do what they tell you they do. No real incentive for them not to when the payoff is pretty much a guaranteed homerun. By the time you've got your privacy locked (theoretically) then the internet has become almost unusable because your privacy addons block the majority of the content. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. No way to win.

Ultimately, you're being tracked no matter what you do. If your OS is not tracking you, then your browser is. And if your browser isn't, the web-service you are logged into is. And, if for some reason you don't use web-services, your ISP is tracking your usage. So, you can't use Windows 10, Google Chrome, and Facebook, without all three services tracking your usage.

Linux (as a general rule) at least leaves out the OS tracking. If you choose to use a browser like Chromium, Brave, or Vivaldi (and many of the DE Browsers like Konqueror) your tracking is minimized.

But it seems to me that Edge on Linux would be a way of "Maximizing" your tracking online. It's a way of connecting your to Microsoft's tracking without having to use Windows.

So, I will say it again... I mean, why though?

[Deep_Peasant]

Just thinking out loud, one word comes to mind, presence. They lost the mobile market, almost the console war, now ' the empire strikes back'.
Be everywhere, azure, xcloud, windows, browser etc. With the internet running on (l)unix, a whole pool of programming power in that realm
hanging around making free linux distributions and programs, android, apple, google being linux based, it is only a matter of convergence. The only
OS that has to be turned is Windows itself and making sure their pool of paid services is everywhere. Omnipresence. I think it will be 'easier' if the
underlying core of everything is (l)unix based. And of course if you have edge browser on linux it will probably very easy to run any of microsofts
services on your linux os without having to convert the linux adepts to windows. (Yes, I contradict myself, but my crystal ball can't see if windows
wil turn (l)unix) Their new philosophy is that whatever hardware or os you use it doesn't matter, they will be there also.

Tracking is a cat and mouse game which is peanuts compared whats at stake for the coming years I think. But that's another ramble I won't go
into for now 8-[

[Frogs Hair]

I mean, why though?


The only OS that has to be turned is Windows itself and making sure their pool of paid services is everywhere.

MS unpaid services as well, just like Google. Unpaid doesn't = free.

[ayesc0tty89]

I tried it on Windows 10, was nice and fast. I'd like to *try* it on Linux/Ubuntu too. :D

[Deep_Peasant]

MS unpaid services as well, just like Google. Unpaid doesn't = free.

MS wants to sell their products, hardware and services, as to a consumer. Google scrapes and profiles you for advertising, you're the product.
Slight difference in my opinion.


I tried it on Windows 10, was nice and fast. I'd like to *try* it on Linux/Ubuntu too. :D

And your current standard browser is?

[jdeca57]

The only reason not to use the Edge browser is that it would attain a large part of the market and then it would introduce features that were limited to their browser and then they could force websites to follow that standard and you would need to use Edge to go on the internet. That happened in the past. But it's unlikely now so it's a matter of taste. If you want to be tracked by MS instead of Google it really is up to you. And if you think Linux protects your privacy, well again that depend on your own behavior.

[Shibblet]

I've gone the other way. I probably troll the news websites too much in my free time. The way I see it privacy of any kind is an illusion. If they want something, they will get it. I've said this before. Too many companies caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Costs them less to pay a fine than to actually do what they tell you they do. No real incentive for them not to when the payoff is pretty much a guaranteed homerun. By the time you've got your privacy locked (theoretically) then the internet has become almost unusable because your privacy addons block the majority of the content. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. No way to win.

I agree with you. The problem is that everything we do online is tracked.

If you log into any web-service, (Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Etc.) that web service will track your usage while you are on their site.
Your ISP is tracking your usage.
Your cell provider is tracking your usage.
Even your OS is tracking your usage. i.e. Windows and OSX. Hopefully not Kubuntu Linux.

The primary problem I have with Edge, is that I don't want Microsoft to track my usage ON TOP of what's already being tracked. And I avoid that by using Linux, and Brave.
Microsoft Edge has no place on the Linux Desktop. The only saving grace is that it isn't being rammed down my throat the way Windows 10 does it.

[MartyBuntu]

I would never willingly participate with Microsoft if I can help it.
Anything they've dug into, is through subterfuge and sneaky manipulations.

They'll win a few battles, but not because I rolled over and died.