Chrome releases paused due to Corona virus - effects on Edge?

[adrianghc]

"Due to adjusted work schedules at this time, we are pausing upcoming Chrome and Chrome OS releases. Our primary objectives are to ensure they continue to be stable, secure, and work reliably for anyone who depends on them. We’ll continue to prioritize any updates related to security, which will be included in Chrome 80. Please, follow this blog for updates."

From https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/03/upcoming-chrome-and-chrome-os-releases.html

Will this have an effect on Edge as well? After all, I'd suppose you can't release Edge 81 to stable and move Edge 82 to beta if Chromium hasn't done the same.

[#2]

Actually they should be able to. each version of Chromium and Edge are only open to new features during the Canary channel, then few days before that version leaves Canary and goes to Dev, it will be feature locked. so Edge 81 has been feature locked for some times now, few weeks, only spending time in Beta channel for bug fixes. Microsoft can fix any possible bug in it and release it to the stable channel.

you can read more about it in here:
https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src.git/+/master/docs/process/release_cycle.md#Branch-Poi...

Microsoft Edge team is pretty active on the other hand, when Google is not. releasing Edge canary builds daily with new features. this gives them time to catch up and work on the Edge specific features that people requested and are posted in the top feedback list 🙂

[#3]

Yes, you are right about the new Edge-specific features on Canary and Dev. But as far as the Beta and Stable channels go, I assume Microsoft would only fix Edge-specific bugs on their own releases. They would try to get Chromium-specific fixes upstream to the Chromium codebase, but those would remain in limbo now as the Chrome team is only working on security fixes for Chromium 80 right now.
Sure, technically nothing would stop Microsoft from calling it a day on version 81 and releasing it to stable without the last fixes on the Chromium upstream codebase, of which there would otherwise still be a week left (I think). But since I think Microsoft does not want their Chromium code to diverge too strongly (or at all) from upstream and restrict most changes to Edge-specific code, I have the feeling they would not do that. Hence my inquiry.

[#4]

@adrianghc 

I don't know how they manage and merge Chromium changes to Edge but they must have the know how to fix the bugs in Chromium for their own Edge browser and prevent divergence. they already contributed back so much so they know how to work with Chromium.

there is no ETA when Google wants to come back to work.

Microsoft has their own customers and companies to deal with and take care of.

Google doesn't answer to Microsoft customers.

these companies gotta learn from Elon Musk, how the Tesla factory and SpaceX keep working, they even said they're going to make ventilators if necessary for others. in the time when Google engineers were "unavailable", they launched a rocket carrying 60 satellites, yesterday March 18, successfully. imagine if "Google" was in charge of it.

Google's excuse is they can't sync employee's time zones. Chrome 81 was supposed to be released 2 days ago. March 17.

anyways, i don't know what Microsoft is going to do, but for what it's worth I hope they use this opportunity to overtake Google. the world shouldn't think that if Google is unavailable then it's the end of the time.

[#5]

Well, it seems I was right: https://twitter.com/MSEdgeDev/status/1241055996379664384

I guess it remains to be seen if this means Beta will stay on 81 for now as well.

EDIT: It seems all Insider channels including Beta are exempt. https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2020/03/20/update-stable-channel-releases/

[#6]

Well, I don't think that is very true as Canary has not had an update since last Wednesday (3/18/20) which was "Version 82.0.458.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit)" and since they do not update on the weekends we will probably not see an update till Monday and that at this time since we have no word from the team is even certain to happen.........

Dennis5mile

[#7]

It does say in the announcement from yesterday that "preview channels (Canary, Dev, and Beta) will continue to update on their usual schedule". I'd say that is "a word".

[#8]

Really? Do you use Canary and if so, have you had any updates since last Thursday?? Oh wait, it was actually last Wednesday that we got the last update on... 3/18/20....

Dennis5mile

[#9]

It's not the first time Canary has gone a day or two without an update.

[#10]

I think on Monday we will get one. and it's interesting because it will only contain changes from Microsoft

[#11]

That is true, however given the current circumstances it would be nice to hear from this team on the matter. I have no problem waiting no matter how long, but it would be nice to be informed as to such...

Dennis5mile

[#12]

Yeah, my thoughts as well......

Dennis5mile