Stable Version

Copper Contributor

Good, I have installed the Stable Version that is hanging around the internet, does this work 100% and will it update automatically? 

26 Replies

The stable version hasn't been released yet. At least not the official version. The "Beta" channel just opened up a few days ago which is considered the most "stable" of the three insider (beta browsers) channels.

 

https://www.microsoftedgeinsider.com/en-us/download/

@Baezs 

Hi & welcome,

I don't want people being confused.  So, I have a request & a question...

Please, be explicit in telling what you mean by "hanging around on the internet".

Where are you (& or others) seeing this so-called "Stable Version"?  Where is this term showing?  I have been beta testing for MS for many years, Operating Systems & other products and have not, until now, here, seen this term applied.  Who or where is using this phrase, especially, at this point in time in regard to Edge Chromium when we are a long way from DONE?

Cheers,
Drew
thVY64FD02.jpg


You're probably gonna need the Canary version if you're looking for stability and things to work.
even Beta that is officially released is literally a broken browser with bugs and missing features.
experience shows that the Edge insider channel that is updated most regularly is the most stable one.

@Drew1903  "Where are you (& or others) seeing this so-called "Stable Version"?  Where is this term showing?"

 

The so-called "Stable" release is a leaked, bootleg version that has received relatively widespread discussion.  Do a internet search for "Edge Chromium Stable" and you'll find the articles.

 

"I have been beta testing for MS for many years, Operating Systems & other products and have not, until now, here, seen this term applied.  Who or where is using this phrase, especially, at this point in time in regard to Edge Chromium when we are a long way from DONE?"

 

"Canary", "Dev", "Beta" and "Stable" are terms Microsoft adopted from the Chromium Project, which uses those terms to describe build levels.  Microsoft has not used that terminology in the past (for example, Windows Insider builds are code-named -- 20H1 -- and build-named, but branched only in the sense that Microsoft releases different builds to various "rings" -- "Skip Ahead", "Fast", "Slow"), so it is not surprising that if your experience with testing software is has been confined to Microsoft products, you have not run across the term "Stable".

 

In the Open Source (e.g. FOSS) development world, "Stable" is a term used to define builds that are released to the general public for use (not testing) and are supported.   

 

Obviously, that is not the case here -- the so-called "Stable" version has not been released by Microsoft and is not supported.   The so-called "Stable" version of Edge Chromium is a leaked build, almost certainly of a version that was put on Microsoft servers in order to test delivery/upgrade mechanisms in-house.  According to what I've read about it, the "Stable" version of Edge Chromium "replaces" Edge Classic, no doubt in the same way as the "Edge Replaces Edge" unintended release and boondoggle did.

 

Two things to note: 

 

(1) Anyone who is installs the so-called "Stable" version is doing so at their own risk.  I won't go so far as to call such people "fools", but I'm tempted because installing bootleg, unsupported software defines "foolish". 

 

(2) If Microsoft follows Chromium Project conventions, there will always be a "Stable" version, but that version will change over time (see description of how FOSS development uses the term, above) as new builds are promoted to "Stable" (that is, released and supported) status.  "Stable", in terms of version, is (like "Canary", "Dev" and "Beta") a relative term.

 

Welcome to the world of open-source software, Drew.

@tomscharbach 

Yes to all, Tom.  And it's , also, why I wrote a note in here a moment ago, (just before reading this note from you) warning Folks to stay the heck away from this 'Stable Version'.   It's trying to portray itself as some finished non-beta version... come on, people, WE ARE NOT ANYWHERE NEAR THAT STAGE, YET:exclamation_mark:  It's some leaked piece of rubbish, DO NOT USE IT!

When (new) Edge is done & non-beta as in GA meaning General Availability, meaning to & for everyone not, just Insiders, anymore.


Cheers,
Drew
thVY64FD02.jpg



@Baezs 

"have installed the Stable Version"

Now that I know my hunch & instincts were correct, uninstalled that, immediately!

Edge Insider Channels are available HERE & nowhere else!  Don't touch anything else from elsewhere.

Cheers,
Drew
thVY64FD02.jpg



I purposely took one of my old laptops (not used anymore almost not usable due to age) and downloaded it, installed it, than deleted it to test it from WalkingCat's site. When deleting it informed me I was deleting an insider version (with the questionnaire of why I'm deleting it) which seem to be an old version of Edge Dev. So it's just a bootleg (hack) of Dev version made to look like a stable version. The uninstaller was the giveaway.

 

It reminds me back in late 1997/early 98 when warez pirates on IRC were taking Windows 95 and somehow modifying the name a bit to Windows 98  claiming it was a "leaked pre-stable release of Windows 98" when it was nothing more tha a hack up of Windows 95 made to look like a leaked version of Win 98 even though Windows 98 was closed source. It happens a lot and like others said I would stay clear of it and only download Edge Canary, Dev, and/or Beta.

Tor is infamous for doing this with Firefox (Mozilla' being fine with it) as they simply took Firefox ESP and replaced the name Firefox with the the Tor name over it and declared it "The Tor Browser" when it's nothing more than Firefox ESP. Most people using Tor don't know they're using Firefox ESP lol.


They still do. one of the most popular one is called Wzor (.net). that guy has a Twitter account too and publishes his own homebrew version of Microsoft products. I don't know how some people can trust those distros..they can easily embed a backdoor.

I think Tor is infamous because of the darkweb stuff, otherwise it's something like VPNs, but more secure. Tor has its own browser though for Android (last time i checked it was still in Beta phase).

@Anthony "Tor is infamous for doing this with Firefox (Mozilla' being fine with it) as they simply took Firefox ESP and replaced the name Firefox with the the Tor name over it and declared it "The Tor Browser" when it's nothing more than Firefox ESP. Most people using Tor don't know they're using Firefox ESP lol."

 

I don't use Tor or have any interest in the Tor browser, but I think something needs to be said:  The Tor browser is an independent browser based on Mozilla's Firefox ESR branch.  It is not Firefox ESR with the name changed and that alone.

 

The Tor Project takes Firefox ESR code and changes/adds patches to the base code to (a) enhance anonymity, (b) enhance privacy and security in a number of ways, (c) in most recent iterations, embed various Tor extensions directly into the modified browser.  The Tor browser also changes a number of Firefox preferences from the default configuration.  The details are readily available in Tor Project documentation about the browser if you are interested in the details.

 

What Tor is doing (developing a specialized branch/fork of existing open source code to meet specific needs) is common in the world of open source software (the branching and forking from Star Office to OpenOffice.org, then to Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice is a good example), and (in general, with limitations) freely permitted under open source licenses so long as the branched/forked code remains open source rather than proprietary.   

 

The Tor browser branch/fork of Firefox ESR is not at all similar to the situations you describe. 

Unlike the previously leaked beta versions, this time the stable leaks come straight from Microsoft servers, so they are safe.
more information:
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Discussions/Is-the-new-tab-page-randomly-popping-out-the-know...
Tom, IMO, at this point in time, no matter the source, they are leaked, premature and absolutely NOT recommend, at all!

Cheers,
Drew

Sent from Windows Phone

@HotCakeX "Unlike the previously leaked beta versions, this time the stable leaks come straight from Microsoft servers, so they are safe."

 

The so-called "Stable" version does come from Microsoft servers (as the article from the trade press that I linked to indicated) and it may well be "safe".

 

But I'll stick with what I said, if it is all the same to you:

 

"In the Open Source (e.g. FOSS) development world, "Stable" is a term used to define builds that are released to the general public for use (not testing) and are supported.

 

Obviously, that is not the case here -- the so-called "Stable" version has not been released by Microsoft and is not supported. The so-called "Stable" version of Edge Chromium is a leaked build, almost certainly of a version that was put on Microsoft servers in order to test delivery/upgrade mechanisms in-house. According to what I've read about it, the "Stable" version of Edge Chromium "replaces" Edge Classic, no doubt in the same way as the "Edge Replaces Edge" unintended release and boondoggle did."

 

The fact that the so-called "Stable" version on Microsoft servers is Version 77.0.235 (apparently, an earlier Dev version) and the released Dev version is Version 78.0.249.1 (Official build) dev (64-bit) lends credence to my suggestion that the so-called "Stable" version was put on Microsoft servers in order to test delivery/upgrade mechanisms in-house. The so-called "Stable" version is outdated and was clearly not intended for release, in any event.  It isn't a version that offers anything to anyone beyond Microsoft in-house staff.

 

@Drew1903 "Tom, IMO, at this point in time, no matter the source, they are leaked, premature and absolutely NOT recommend, at all!"

 

I don't suggest otherwise, and never have suggested otherwise.  Leaked versions of Microsoft's (and other developer's) software in development are discovered all the time, and distribution/use of leaked versions is often illegal.  It is, in addition, often foolish, as is the case here.  What is gained by installing a weeks-old version of Edge Chromium, by definition less stable and less complete than officially released Canary, Dev and Beta versions available legally?

 

As I noted in the earlier comment, "Anyone who is installs the so-called "Stable" version is doing so at their own risk."

 

@HotCakeX @Drew1903   As far as I am concerned, enough said, at least by me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah it's best to stick with the insider channels that are Canary, Dev, Beta. When it goes stable or live stable, it goes stables. I get more out of Canary than any of the versions because of it's frequent updating and starting point of test features so for now I'm using Canary.

@tomscharbach 

@Drew1903   As far as I am concerned, enough said, at least by me.

Tom, try to remember I have been saying the same as you, agreeing with you & supporting what you have said, about this.  Was never me saying use leaked stuff nor would I ever.

Cheers,
Drew
thVY64FD02.jpg



Don't forget that this is an intentional move by Microsoft putting that version of Edge insider on their servers, calling it stable and making it public for everyone to download. I'm not getting into the why though.
would be foolish to think that Microsoft did it by accident. thinking like that = saying Microsoft can't keep their servers secure.

@tomscharbach - I had Tor Browswer for a short time. The Onion Network is unstable at best. It's basically a world of overdramatization (on youtube), piracy and teens seeing too many 90's hacking movies and thinking they're in the Matrix or something. When I would check out any chat forums or chat rooms they were mostly filled with pervs and pedos. Why I dropped it, I found it pointless to use.

Anyhow When I went to the "about" part of the browswer it would refernece it back to Firefox ESR. Not on the desktop browswer (anymore...I think) but on the app it still does. Yes, it does add it's own "codec" and all that stuff built on top of Firefox ESR that suppose to make the user more secure and "hidden" but it's not as as secure as people think. The FBI used a security issue/bug in FireFox ESP that was being used by Tor and nailed a lot of illegal activity. Firefox went through the roof with that. Most users htink Tor is it's own source engine browswer not knowing it's sourced off Firefox/Gecko.

Anyhow...I download Tor for Andorid browswer an hour ago to see, and if I put in about:firefox it comes up with the about page of "Firefox ESR 60.0.8".

Here's that link about the FBI bust and Mozilla reaction to it: https://thehackernews.com/2016/05/fbi-tor-firefox.html?m=1

@Anthony  I don't know that the Tor developers or their clientele are good, bad or indifferent.  Probably a mix of good, bad and indifferent, as is usually the case with human beings.  In any event, that is not a question at issue in my response to you.

 

My only concern was to correct a statement you made in your earlier comment "... they simply took Firefox ESP and replaced the name Firefox with the the Tor name over it and declared it "The Tor Browser" when it's nothing more than Firefox ESP...", which I believe to be factually inaccurate.

 

I suggested only that (a) Tor developers did not simply rebrand Firefox as Tor (as your comment suggested), but instead developed a fork/branch of Firefox ESR code to meet the needs of the Tor Project; (b) the Tor Project's fork/branch of Firefox ESR code followed more or less standard practice in the Open Source community; and (c) the use of Firefox code almost certainly conformed to applicable licenses, which often includes the requirement that the revised fork/branch refer to the code from which the fork/branch was developed.**

 

I don't think we have an argument, or should allow one to develop.

 

=================

 

** See, for example, the reference in Edge Chromium: "This browser is made possible by the Chromium open source project and other open source software."  The references link to The Chromium Projects and to a list of licensed open source software used in Edge Chromium to date.   That's standard practice under Open Source licensing, and I assume (without knowing, because I've never used the Tor browser) that Tor does something similar.

 

 

@tomscharbach Well this is where we have to agree to disagree. I see it as Tor having taken Firefox ESP (not the Quantum engine itself) and building upon it (or on top of it might be better put) with Mozilla support. Tor developers adding their own "added security/privacy" bells and whistles to it and tied in the opening screen that logs you into Tor Network (which with some reg key changes can be disabled so that the browser can be used without having to access the Tor Network.) Usually when a new stable version of Firefox ESP comes out Tor follows up with a new stable upgrade within a week or so. The change log for Tor 9.0a5 even states "update Firefox to 60.0er" and "This release features important security updates to Firefox." https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-90a4

Even the .exe of Tor in it's browser folder is called firefox.exe (unless they changed it, I last used Tor in May, 2019 but no longer keep the browser on my computer) and all firefox extensions work on it. For me it seems more like Firefox ESR is built off of Quantum engine (formerly Gecko) while  Tor is built on top of Firefox ESR which itself is built off of Quantum, and Tor stamping (slowly over time) their name over it (here and there) since it's all open source. Where as Opera based/built their browser since 2013 directly off of Chromium (or Edge is now doing like you mentioned...building directly off of Chromium) instead of say Opera or Edge building on top of Chrome stable which in itself is built off of the Chromium engine. Although I believe Chrome is still mostly closed source (where as Chromium is open source). 

There's is...or was...I don't know if it's still in talks of Firefox (Mozilla) merging Tor into their regular Firefox browser as a specialized window of it's own (like the inprivate window but in Firefox case it will open up a private tab that connects you to the Tor network) and adding in the rest of Tor's originally add-on security/privacy codec.  https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/mozilla-firefox-tor-mode-likely-to-start-as-a-browser...

Tor developers are hard to say. On one side they talk about freedom of speech and allowing people to view websites in private without being monitored or restricted but on another side users have noticed Tors lack of interest in taming or shutting down onion sites known to buy, sell, trade illegal stuff and Tor seems to be anti-NSA to the point of absurdity.

I used Firefox Nightly on/off over the years, but I never clicked with Firefox. Back in the early days of Netscape I used Netscape before IE 1.0 came along and after that I used IE into 2015 before switching to Edge. I use just Edge now and occasional Google Chrome Canary and once in a blue moon I'll download that day's current built version of Chromium (blue Chrome icon) to see if a bug I found in Edge/Chrome Canary is also found in the original Chromium. 

@Anthony 

Let's have this (wait for it) repeated one more & wishfully, last time.  To keep it simple & 100% focused on the critical point.  We waited a while for the Beta Channel.  At a later date there will be a Stable Channel (at which time Canary ends & is promoted to Dev whilst Dev is promoted to Beta; clear as mud, yet?)  Anyway...

Here is the one nutshell caveat to live by, at all points in time:

--> Download, install & use ONLY Edge C (Official Insider) Channels ONLY from HERE:exclamation_mark:  <--

Cheers,
Drew
thVY64FD02.jpg