Once again, Google has made Microsoft ‘bend the knee,’ so to speak. According to a report from Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, Microsoft is having to rethink and ultimately shutter its current EdgeHTML development in favor of a Google-inspired alternative by adopting Chromium technology for the future of Windows 10 browsing.
Codenamed Anaheim, this new web browser for Windows 10 will replace Edge as the default browser on the platform. It’s unknown at this time if Anaheim will use the Edge brand or a new brand, or if the user interface between Edge and Anaheim is different. One thing is for sure, however; EdgeHTML is dead.
For those of us still left with the bitter taste of defeat in our mouths after the Windows Phone and Android battles, the news of Microsoft now adopting the Chromium open source project as its flagship browser technology, may feel like piling on.
However, the reality for most Windows 10 users is that Edge is currently a subpar experience to other modern day browsers, many of which who have already adopted Chromium open source code.
As Bowden alludes to in his report, Microsoft’s new Anaheim project should be seen as a net positive for Windows 10 users and Microsoft fans. Using the Chromium open source code allows Microsoft’s browser team to start off their efforts on par with current modern browsers without having to reinvent the wheel as they were doing with Edge.
As it stands, Microsoft has been using the Chromium source code for its Edge browser on Android.
While the ‘why’ of project Anaheim’s adoption of Chromium is answer by the limited share it’s gained in the browser market, the ‘how’s’ remain as giant questions marks. Despite all of its shortcomings, Edge was battery frugal and performed excellently in pinch to zoom on Windows 10 and the reality is that some Chromium powered browsers are less than performant on Windows 10.
With the recent news of Microsoft’s mysterious Windows Lite OS, the unveiling of project Anaheim beings to put the company’s future development in to focus.
As a reminder, this is news based on sourced reporting and Microsoft has yet to confirm or deny any news related to it. We’ll update accordingly as more information is gathered.
