Edge on Linux

Iron Contributor

Hello,

I work on IT industry and I often use linux distros.
The main requirements for the browser is a support for various types of operating systems, like MacOS, Linux and Windows, because I need to sync my bookmarks, passwords and history between different platforms to continue my current tasks.
If Edge will not be available under linux, I will not change my current browser.

So, is there any chance to see Edge as native application on Linux?

I know, that at this moment there is no support for office and similar applications created by microsoft, but you could use shortcuts for web version (office online, one note online, etc).

You are doing a grat job and edge for android rocks, but no support for linux is dissapointing.


47 Replies

As everyone said, it will be really great. I am trying to move from chrome to edge. I work on linux at work, and on windows at home, and I want to share the passwords and bookmarks between the browsers. chrome let's me do it today, edge does not....

@rgrosberg"As everyone said, it will be really great. I am trying to move from chrome to edge. I work on linux at work, and on windows at home, and I want to share the passwords and bookmarks between the browsers. chrome let's me do it today, edge does not ...."

 

Like you, I have one foot in Windows and one foot in Linux.  I refuse to use Google Chrome, so Firefox is my primary browser, and will remain so until Edge Chromium is ported to Linux. 

 

As a Microsoft Edge Team representative (see above) pointed out at the Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session last June, the port is "something we'd like to do down the road", but Microsoft is not "quite ready to commit to the work just yet". 

 

All we can do is keep raising the issue.  I'm glad you did, and I hope that others help keep the issue alive.

+1 For Edge for Linux and from Snap packages...
+1 for Linux support as well (installation through Flatpak would be great). Also love the Win 10 & Android version of Edge. Mac version is very promising for a beta as well :)
It appears that there is nothing preventing Linux community to embrace Edge insider browser and add it to their Distros.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-linux-developers-we-want-your-help-to-bring-edge-browser-...

maybe they are waiting for the stable release?

@InYourHead  

 

Neowin reports today ("Microsoft's Edge browser is officially coming to Linux soon", Rich Woods Nov 4, 2019 18:34 EST) that Microsoft is developing Edge Chromium for Linux:

 

"Microsoft has teased Edge coming to Linux a couple of times since then, and today, it's finally official. During its State of the Browser session at its Ignite 2019 conference in Orlando, the Redmond firm finally said that there's a version of Edge coming to Linux. As for the timeline, it's the most familiar for those that follow Microsoft: it's coming soon."

 

Finally.

@HotCakeX  "It appears that there is nothing preventing Linux community to embrace Edge insider browser and add it to their Distros."

 

It is not that simple. EdgeChromium is has not yet been adapted to the Linux kernel; EdgeChromium is Microsoft-branded and that requires licensing; and EdgeChromium, like Google Chrome, is semi-proprietary, so licensing is an issue for those elements of the browser that are not open source.

 

It is not as if anyone can just grab EdgeChromium code and run with it, as is often the case under typical FOSS licensing.

 

Porting EdgeChromium to Linux is up to Microsoft, not distro developers or the Linux community.   That is why we are raising the question with Microsoft.

@tomscharbach 


@tomscharbach wrote:

@HotCakeX  "It appears that there is nothing preventing Linux community to embrace Edge insider browser and add it to their Distros."

 

It is not that simple. EdgeChromium is has not yet been adapted to the Linux kernel; EdgeChromium is Microsoft-branded and that requires licensing; and EdgeChromium, like Google Chrome is semi-proprietary, so licensing is an issue for those elements of the browser that are not open source.

 

It is not as if anyone can just grab EdgeChromium code and run with it, as is often the case under typical FOSS licensing.

 

Porting EdgeChromium to Linux is up to Microsoft, not distro developers or the Linux community.   That is why we are raising the question with Microsoft.


True, there is no Github page with the source code of Edge Chromium

@Elliot Kirk  Is there any chance you could ask the development team about the status of porting EdgeChromium to Linux as a Snap or Flatpak (at a minimum; native ports would be a plus), and a rough time frame for the port?

 

The reason I'm asking is that I will be working primarily in Linux for the next few weeks (so won't be using Windows much), and that brought the issue to mind again.  A Linux port would be of great value to those of us who use both Windows and Linux regularly because it would allow us to sync favorites/bookmarks without making a weekly/monthly ordeal of the process.

 

I think that EdgeChromium is developing into a solid browser (and one that I would like to make my daily driver), but I'll continue to use Firefox as my daily driver until EdgeChromium is cross-platform between Android/Linux/Windows.  Life is too short to want to coordinate favorites/bookmarks between Edge/Firefox on a regular basis.

+1 for a Linux distro from me.

 

At my place of work, we develop web applications on Ubuntu dev machines for use on our (offline) company network. Most of our end-users are on Windows 10 with Microsoft Edge and will soon be bumped to Edge Chromium.

 

It would help us all out tremendously if we can develop on our Linux machines and test our applications in the same browser our end-users will use, without needing to set up and maintain a full Windows VM just for this.

@InYourHead 

I have started using new Edge and it's awesome. I use it everywhere except my Linux PC. Which kind of pain. As my history and other things not in sync.

 

If MS really want their browser takes over other browser then this is must step to do. After Linux support, a lot of user will leave Chrome anyway. As it's built upon chromium source.

 

I would wait to for Linux version. I can't see anywhere MS confirm that they will give Linux support.

@PushpendraKumarG

Spoiler

@PushpendraKumarG wrote:

@InYourHead 

I have started using new Edge and it's awesome. I use it everywhere except my Linux PC. Which kind of pain. As my history and other things not in sync.

 

If MS really want their browser takes over other browser then this is must step to do. After Linux support, a lot of user will leave Chrome anyway. As it's built upon chromium source.

 

I would wait to for Linux version. I can't see anywhere MS confirm that they will give Linux support.


Linux support added 5 weeks ago to the Top feedback list

 

https://aka.ms/MSEdgeTopFeedback

 

Planned

Make Edge available on Linux

5 weeks

 

 

@InYourHead

O Chromium nasceu no Linux e foi portado, bem como seus demais derivados, como o Edge não tem uma versão para Linux?

Estou aguardando ansiosamente pela versão para este SO para poder sincronizar minhas informações, pois no Windows já adotei o Edge como navegador padrão.  

@Idalino I'm just counting on Microsoft to push Edge for Linux. Otherwise there will be no point to use it further since no interoperability.

I want this time MS to win :) Never liked before :D

I'm 99% sure that Edge will be released for Linux.
it's on the top feedback list with a "planned" status: https://aka.ms/MSEdgeTopFeedback
it was mentioned on a video released by Edge team on Twitter, a user asked the same and one of the developers replied: "soon".

@InYourHeadi agree with you, i would definitly love if edge were on linux

@InYourHead  It seems to me there are really only 3 distributions to publish to.  You have Debian based, Red Hat and BSD.  Even if they only do Debian and Red Hat and maybe a source to compile, everything will be covered.  It seems like most people used Snapd now over Flatpak, but I'm unsure of that.  I know my system can use both to install.  I know I'm waiting for Edge Linux to come out so I can get off of Chrome.

@Kevin_CT  "It seems to me there are really only 3 distributions to publish to.  You have Debian based, Red Hat and BSD.  Even if they only do Debian and Red Hat and maybe a source to compile, everything will be covered.  It seems like most people used Snapd now over Flatpak, but I'm unsure of that.  I know my system can use both to install."

 

Microsoft is keeping distribution plans under wraps at this point (see @MissyQ's response on the Edge on Linux: Package Formats? thread, for example) but I suspect that @TheVetDev's observation in that thread ("I would assume they will be snap first since Microsoft and Canonical have such a tight relationship and code, teams, and powershell are already snaps maintained my Microsoft.") is right -- Microsoft is most likely to release a Snapd version starting out.   

 

I'm okay with that, because Solus supports both Snapd and Flatpak.  If and when Microsoft releases a Linux version, I'll test it.  I have no idea whether Microsoft intends to deliver anything in deb, rpm or eopkg.  I guess it doesn't make much difference, so long as Microsoft releases Snapd and Flatpak versions.  Most distros support one, the other, or both.

@tomscharbach 

I suppose I would prefer an AppImage. But ah well.

Ideally, it will end up in the AUR. 

@cacarr-pdxweb+1 for AppImage or Flatpak, because snapd is kind of tied to Canonical (though I sort of understand the reasons to use this format).