Microsoft Edge Coming to Linux

Nov 07, 2019

Microsoft is bringing it’s new Chromium-based Edge browser to Linux.

For the longest time, any Linux user needing to work with a Microsoft browser had few options. There was always IEs4Linux, but that option tended to install out-of-date, buggy versions of the software. Users could also run a version of Windows within a virtual machine, but that meant actually running Windows.

All of that changes in 2020, when Microsoft Edge comes to Linux. In the State of the Browser: Microsoft Edge session at Ignite 2019, it was finally announced that Microsoft was, in fact, bringing their new browser to Linux.

The new Microsoft browser is built around the open source Chromium browser, but this won’t simply be a rebuild and rebrand. Microsoft plans on being actively involved as a contributor to Chromium’s open source development. That means any development work done for Edge could find its way to Chromium. So, even if users don’t opt to install Edge Chromium on Linux, if they use Chromium they will benefit from Microsoft-contributed work.

Of course, one looming question remains: Will Linux users give Microsoft’s browser a chance? Only time will tell. The official release of Edge Chromium for Windows and macOS is January 15. As of now, there is no definitive release date, nor any indication as to how Edge Chromium will be installed on Linux (be it official packages, snaps or flatpaks, or some other method).

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