Microsoft will remove Edge browser, replace it with open-source avatar
What's the story
In a news that will affect virtually no one, Microsoft is sending its existing Edge browser to the scrap heap.
That's the former software leader giving up on browsers for the second time and retiring its EdgeHTML rendering engine to embrace Google's open-source browser project Chromium.
An April 13 security patch will remove the legacy Edge browser and replace it with the Chromium-based one.
Open-source
April 13 security update will install Chromium-based Edge browser
Although the April 13 security update that commits these changes to Edge is optional, Microsoft recommends installing it since it contains important security updates.
Those who have updated Edge on their own will only have the older version removed with Tuesday's update.
However, this update doesn't apply to those who have installed the latest version of Windows 10, which comes pre-loaded with Chromium-powered Edge.
Tall claims
Microsoft claims new Edge more secure than Google Chrome
The support for Edge Legacy ends on March 9, 2021, so if you have critical applications dependent upon it, use this link to update to Chromium Edge.
Microsoft has also put up a nifty guide for web administrators to transition their dependencies smoothly to the new avatar of Edge.
Microsoft claims that the new Chrome is more secure than Google Chrome on Windows 10.
Pleasant surprise
Microsoft changed attitude towards open-source movement manifests in latest move
This move comes as a paradigm shift in Microsoft's stance on open-source projects and browsers as a whole. More than two decades ago Microsoft saw browsers as an existential threat to its business and was investigated for eliminating Netscape.
Microsoft's recent embrace of open-source movement came across as a pleasant surprise and saw it transition Edge from a proprietary to an open-source foundation.
Chromium Edge
Similar to Google Chrome; Packs improved search and productivity features
The new open-source version of Edge was released in April 2019 for public testing. The first stable version surfaced next year, in January 2020. Now, Microsoft will be making it mandatory to Windows 10 users exactly two years since its initial release.
Although it resembles Google Chrome, the new Edge will bring features, such as vertical tab arrangement, improved search, and productivity-focused Collections feature.