Microsoft’s revamped Edge is officially ready to roll – and good for everyday usage – with the release of the full beta version of the browser for Windows and macOS.
In a blog post, Microsoft explains that while the new browser is still in preview, with this fresh beta release, “Microsoft Edge is ready for everyday use”, or effectively good to go.
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Previously, preview versions of Chromium-based Edge have been delivered in Canary and Dev flavors which represent a very early testing version, and a relatively early build respectively.
Canary is updated on a daily basis, so has very fresh changes, whereas Dev is updated on a weekly basis – and the new Beta channel will be provided with major updates every six weeks (along with occasional bug or security patches here and there).
In other words, all the truly shaky stuff that might crop up in Canary or Dev should have been fully weeded out for beta, and you’ll be left with a reliable browser. One that’s good for everyday use, as Microsoft notes.
Grab that beta
The new beta supports 14 different languages, and comes with tracking prevention (enabled via a flag). You can download the beta build here.
Edge preview builds have been downloaded in excess of a million times, by all accounts, and Microsoft further stresses the contributions it has made to the Chromium engine, with over 1,000 Chromium commits made.
We’ve certainly seen the evidence of Microsoft trying to push forward with Chromium – and therefore not just the new Edge, but also Google Chrome and other Chromium browsers.
This includes recent moves such as planning to improve laptop battery life when playing back video, along with better integration with Windows 10, and much more besides.
On a broader level, all of this is part of Microsoft’s big drive forward on the open source front, which has been ongoing for some time now.
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