Forum Discussion
Dev channel update to 79.0.308.1 is live
josh_bodner I am really excited by all the developments coming to fruition with this new (Dev) build and those that are planned. It is so good that so many of the superb features from Classic Edge that are perhaps unknown or simply missed by casual users (many of whom believe they 'need' Chrome because they mistakenly think that it is a search engine and immediately install it without trying Edge,) are coming to Chromium Edge.
(I specialise in working with older people and assisting them to get the most out of their technology. I mourn the pure simplicity for the end user of 'the appearance' of having one OS that did everything - with Windows 10 running on PC and Tablet, and Windows 10 Mobile on phone, with Cortana in a pocket or in the car as a Satellite Navigation device - that mix made life so easy for people who really do not understand technology, but I understand its limitations and believe that Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile could never really be popular.)
I have been using Edge as my default browser with Microsoft Launcher on Android phones for several years, and I often set up the same system on my clients devices. It is really exciting to see how Android and now Chromium Edge are bringing the best features Microsoft can offer in synchronising data, fluent design, and ease of use to the masses, whether on Desktop, 2:1/Tablet or Mobile via Windows 10 or Android, or even Mac/iOS. I came late to this forum but it is so good to be able to share experiences and notify issues as the project continues before launch, and hopefully grows afterwards.
I have used Chrome, Firefox, Opera and other Chrome variants but I always disliked them. I liked the flexibility that Firefox gave the user, but often add-ons and features would crash. Opera had a slightly different feel, but to me Chromium Edge is going to provide a very different user experience that I hope will finally provide a viable alternative to Google's Chrome - without the need to be quite so heavily tied to Google - if the user so decides.
Thank you Graham-STMC, this is a great write up. We have been working hard to make the transition from both current Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome as easy as possible. I would love to get your feedback on our success so far. Many, even most, of our Insiders are technologically savvy and we are a little worried that we aren't getting enough feedback from the population of users that you work with. Thanks - Elliot
Thanks Elliot Kirk. . I have been making a few comments through the Feedback Hub in Windows 10 for several years based on my clients experiences. A few of them accuse me of dragging them screaming into the 21st Century, but once they realise the synchronicity that Windows 10 provides (across Android and somewhat on iOS too) they really like the system.
Most hate change, many aren't able to glance at a screen and recognise icons, (when faced with something new, they prefer to spend time reading everything on screen before they click anything,) and several experience genuine sense of fear that they might do something wrong and destroy their computer or lose their data.
So many people I work with, most of whom are aged between 55 and 90 (!) have been using Microsoft's products in offices and at home for years, whether its Office, Windows, Skype, or even mail apps, but they get very confused about what they are actually using to do each task. (And those using tablets from other manufacturers that don't run Windows 10 are sometimes utterly confused!)
The clear icons that were introduced with Windows 8 and the extensive labelling that has gradually been added to Windows 10 over the years is really helpful. I am really impressed with the Fluent Design standard as well, it is really helping to unify everything and keep things simple, whilst looking really good as well.
As part of this forum it is great to see the dedication and passion that is going into making the UI just right; the discussion about whether buttons should be rounded or square.. I believe they should be square because it's Edge, not Firefox or Chrome... and the recent observation that there was a slightly thicker line below the search box on the home and new tab pages shows a real dedication to detail that I totally approve of. The inclusion of built in PDF reading (and inking), Read Aloud and other features from Classic Edge into Chromium Edge is also extremely important for those that find using a browser difficult or confusing - it needs to 'just work.' New features such as 'Collections' need to be publicised widely - and perhaps even advertised on TV or in the press for older people to understand them.
People see things differently. I think it was a really good decision to keep a big blue or white 'e' as the icon for Edge, because it is easy to explain 'click the big 'e' to explore the Internet on Edge,' but by comparison some are confused by the icon for the Mail app - a couple of ladies I know that served as Air Hostesses on Concorde tell me that it looks more like the BOAC 'SpeedBird' logo than an envelope!