Forum Discussion
UI
Around 63% of the world's browser users agree with you. A majority of people who post here may like Fluent better, but keep in mind that they represent a vast minority of the only 6% of users who use Edge. So we're talking about a subset of a subset of a subset.
vovchyk If you ignore phone browsing and just consider desktop PC's the picture will look quite a bit different.
vovchykI think that is an oversimplification of design preference. The huge popularity of Chrome over other browsers stems from its ubiquitousness on Android devices and their prevalence in the market. That is not going to change by Edge changing its look and feel. Microsoft needs differentiators to attract users otherwise just use Chrome. I for one would stop using Edge, if it was basically a Chrome clone.
I'm curious. Could you please elaborate more on how Google is unwilling to follow web standards? I personally feel Blink is the only engine that quickly adds support for a new feature. See https://caniuse.com/#search=inputmode and Chrome's score on https://caniuse.com.
amazingcaio I was a little overzealous with my claim and realize it only muddled the point I was trying to make. I have removed that portion from my comment. Additionaly, in all fairness to Google I can find no credible source to support it.
- Well that raises the question - if you stopped using Edge because it was a Chrome clone, what would you use? There are only three viable engines out there: Gecko, Webkit and Blink (which descended from Webkit).
I have never had a problem with HTML5 on Chrome or Firefox or any modern browser. Keep in mind that it is the engine itself that renders HTML5, so all the Blink browsers (Chrome, Vivaldi, Opera, now Edge, etc) should be expected to behave the same, as would all Gecko browsers (Firefox, Pale Moon, etc), as would Webkit browsers (Safari, or any browser available on iOS).
The hard reality is that with only 6% of market share, it is no longer financially rational for Microsoft to be sustaining its own separate browser engine. As (full disclosure) a holder of Microsoft stock, I think this is a brilliant decision. Nadella is doing everything right that Ballmer did wrong. Edge is an albatross, regardless of the vocal protestations of a tiny minority. Edge is mostly used on Windows to download Chrome and be closed forever. These metrics are not lost on Microsoft. A decision like this will allow a fraction of the staff to create a more valuable and compatible product. They can bundle it with the operating system as an afterthought, give a majority of people a browser they are instantly familiar with, and focus more on the areas where they do provide value; namely, business enterprise.vovchyk I don't disagree that given its current market share this is the correct path for MS to take financially. I do disagree that the reason for this has anything to do with the aesteic of the browser itself. I'd written out a lot more but I feel I'm starting to digress from the purpose of this forum so I'll stop with that. Needless to say, I'm a fan of the MS app look (Office, OneNote, Windows 10, etc.) and hope they continue that with the new Edge.
And to answer your question, I'd most likely switch to FireFox if Edge became a Chrome clone.
- Maybe I have the unpopular opinion, but I actually really like the new inteface. I don't want to clutter my navigation/address bar or tab bar with more icons like others have mentioned. I wouldn't mind those things being optional, but I really do like the lean/minimal look compared to stable edge which has a few more buttons in the way of my browsing experience. In my opinion the browser should do what it can to get out of the way and let the content of the web be the focus of why I'm using the browser in the first place. The browser just needs to be good at letting me interact with the web. I'm all for the idea of Microsoft hopefully steering Chromium in the right direction when it comes to web standards.
I felt the combined/tabbed History/Downloads/Favorites on Edge Stable was convenient, but felt a bit cramped. I only ever interacted with it in a sidebar, and maybe would have felt better about a full page. I think having those things along with Settings and Extensions and such in a single easy to switch between interface would be nice, but not as a sidebar like it was in Edge Stable.
