It's no secret that Microsoft has struggled
Internet Explorer was basically a security-riddled disaster and was eventually retired for that very reason. The company's next attempt was Microsoft Edge, but unfortunately, it never gained much traction in the market and the company never did a lot with it.
What they did do, however, was rather innovative, and their most recent move may have made the Redmond giant relevant again in the world of browsers. They created a new Chromium-based Edge browser. It's essentially Google Chrome under the hood, and as such, it can use the full range of Chrome extensions, but Microsoft took pains to add some unique features and capabilities to it that makes it...more.
Microsoft says this about support for Legacy Edge
Our new modern browser, Microsoft Edge, debuted over a year ago and today can be found on hundreds of millions of devices. Last August, we announced that Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop application support would end in March 2021 as part of this transition to the new Microsoft Edge Chromium. Today, Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop application support officially ends, and it will no longer receive future security updates.
Additionally, we announced that the now out-of-support Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop application will be removed and replaced with the new Microsoft Edge when customers apply April’s Windows 10 cumulative monthly security update (or “B” release). For more details and an FAQ, please see our announcement blog post.
What's up for Chromium Edge
While we'd hesitate to say that it's better than Chrome, it is a distinctly different product at this point. Over the past several months, it has enjoyed rampant growth and increased adoption, recently surpassing Mozilla's Firefox in terms of market share.
Make no mistake, it still lags behind Apple's Safari, and far behind Google Chrome, but as of now, Chromium Edge is the third most popular browser on the web.
Back in January 2020, Microsoft took the step of pre-installing Chromium-based Edge on all devices that shipped with the Windows 10, October 2020 update. Now though, they're upping the ante further, and the next time you install a Windows 10 update, you'll automatically be upgraded away from legacy Edge and to Chromium-based Edge.
My perspective
There's no point in trying to fight it or make any effort to hold onto Legacy Edge, the company formally ended support for it last month. Not that it was around long enough that many custom applications were developed for it, but even if your firm did something like this, your best bet is to simply upgrade your app and enjoy the new capabilities of Chromium Edge.
And Stan March yells... "Oh my god, they killed Kenny!"
By Denis Wilson
Thanks for reading this short post. For more tips on thriving with small business technology, check out the other blog posts at DWPIA Blogs. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
I am also a published author and speaker on cloud computing, work@home, and cybersecurity. I work extensively with business and professional associations to provide small business technology education programs.
Contact me if you would like me to speak to your association
