I mean, why though?

[Shibblet]

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/22/2...ctober-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. You made my day. 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/wh...ng-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.