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No one asked Microsoft to port its Edge browser to Linux. Indeed, very few people asked for Edge on Windows. But, here it is. So, how good -- or not -- is it?

The Linux-based Edge browser preview is currently available for use with 'Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and openSUSE distributions,' the announcement indicated. Microsoft Edge browser running in Linux Features of Edge browser Even though Edge is based on Chromium, it has its own set of features such as collections, immersive reader mode, Bing search integration, dark mode, web capture (screenshot tool), and a variety of different New Tab page layouts. Microsoft Edge for Linux is now a thing, so in this post we show you how to install the browser on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and any related Linux distributions. As it’s based on the same foundation as Google Chrome, you can use Chrome extensions in Edge. Oct 21, 2020 The hard sell for Linux users is that it's a proprietary browser from Microsoft. Before you judge it based on those two criteria alone, I suggest you install it and kick the tires. In the end, you. Apr 18, 2021 The new Microsoft Edge web browser on Linux After initial reluctance and uncertainties, it seems that Microsoft is finally going to bring the new Edge browser to Linux. In its annual developer conference Microsoft Ignite 2019, the session on Edge Browser mentioned that it is coming to Linux.

First, you should know that the experts always knew Edge would run on Linux. Today's Microsoft Edge isn't the one that first shipped. This model, which went into beta on Windows last year, is built on the open-source Chromium codebase. Besides being the foundation for Google Chrome, Chromium is the bedrock that almost all web browsers, with the exception of Firefox, are built on these days. So, bringing Edge over to Linux isn't anything as difficult as, say, bringing on-premise Microsoft Office to Linux.

Now, the first beta of Edge on Linux is here. The new release comes ready to run on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and openSUSE Linux distributions. It should run on any Linux using DEB or RPM packaging. Microsoft is planning to release weekly builds, just as it does with the Dev Channel builds for other platforms.

To get started, users can download and install a .deb or .rpm package directly from the Edge Insider site. This also configures a system to get future automatic updates. If you don't trust Microsoft that much, you can also install Edge via Microsoft's Linux Software Repository for Microsoft Products. More detailed instructions are available on Microsoft's Edge-on-Linux blog post.

This initial release is meant for developers who want to build and test their sites and apps on Linux. It's not meant for ordinary users. This preview does come with the key web platform and developer tools features. These include core rendering behaviors, extensions, browser DevTools, and test automation features. These should work just as they do with Edge on macOS and Windows.

Some end-user features and services aren't fully enabled. In particular, the initial release only supports local accounts. It doesn't support signing in to Microsoft Edge via a Microsoft Account or Azure Active Directory (AAD) account. Therefore, you also can use features such as syncing your settings and bookmarks, which require you to sign in to a Microsoft service. These features will appear in a future beta.

Since I've been benchmarking web browsers since Mosaic rolled off the bit assembly line, I benchmarked the first Edge browser and Chrome 86 and Firefox 81 on my main Linux production PC. This is a Dell Precision Tower 3431. It's powered by an 8-Core 3GHz Intel Core i7-9700. For graphics, it uses a built-in Intel UHD Graphics 630 chipset. On this, I run my favorite Linux desktop distribution, Linux Mint 20. For networking, the system uses a 100Mbps internet connection via a Gigabit Ethernet switch.

Lion os x bootable usb. JETSTREAM 2

First up: JetStream 2.0, which is made up of 64 smaller tests. This JavaScript and WebAssembly benchmark suite focuses on advanced web applications. It rewards browsers that start up quickly, execute code quickly, and run smoothly. Higher scores are better on this benchmark.

JetStream's top-scorer -- drumroll please -- was Edge with 136.971. But, right behind it within the margin of error, was Chrome with a score of 132.413. This isn't too surprising. They are, after all, built on the same platform. Back in the back was Firefox with 102.131.

KRAKEN 1.1

Using Edge Browser On Linux

Next up: Kraken 1.1. This benchmark, which is based on the long-obsolete SunSpider, measures JavaScript performance. To this basic JavaScript testing, it added typical use-case scenarios. Mozilla, Firefox's parent organization, created Kraken. With this benchmark, the lower the score, the better the result.

To no great surprise, Firefox took first place here with 810.1 milliseconds (ms). Following it was Chrome with 904.5ms and then Edge with 958.8ms.

OCTANE 2.0

Octane 2.0, Google's JavaScript benchmark, is no longer supported, but it's still a useful benchmark thanks to its scenario testing for interactive web applications. Octane is not Chrome-specific. For example, it tests how fast Microsoft's TypeScript compiles itself. In this benchmark, the higher the score, the better.

On this Google benchmark, Edge took the blue ribbon with a score of 52,149. Right behind it in second place was Chrome with 51,389. Then, way back in last place, you'll find Firefox at 37,405.

WEBXPRT 3.0

The latest version of WebXPRT is today's best browser benchmark. It's produced by the benchmark professionals at Principled Technology This company's executives were the founders of the Ziff Davis Benchmark Operation, the gold-standard of PC benchmarking.

New Edge Browser On Linux

WebXPRT uses scenarios created to mirror everyday tasks. These include Photo Enhancement, Organize Album, Stock Option Pricing, Local Notes, Sales Graphs, and DNA Sequencing. Here, the higher the score, the better the browser.

On this benchmark, Firefox shines. It was an easy winner with a score of 272. Chrome edges out Edge 233 to 230.

HTML 5 WEB STANDARD

You'd think by 2020, every browser would comply with the HTML 5 web standard, which became a standard in 2014. Nope. You'd be wrong. This 'test' isn't a benchmark. It just shows how close each browser comes to being in sync with the HTML 5 standard. A perfect score, which none got, would have been 550.

Here, Chrome and Edge tied for first with 528. Firefox scored 511.

FINAL RESULTS

Oddly, Edge, which turned in a poor performance when I recently benchmarked it on Windows, did well on Linux. Who'd have guessed?

That said, I can't see myself moving to it. No, it's not because I'm still mad at what Microsoft did to Linux as revealed in the Halloween documents of 1998. It's that Chrome is more than fast enough for my purposes and I don't want my information tied into the Microsoft ecosystem. For better or worse, mine's already locked into the Googleverse and I can live with that.

Honestly, I don't see any compelling performance reasons to switch from Chrome or Firefox to Edge on Linux. I've been happily using Chrome for years now across platforms, and I won't be changing. If you're happy using Firefox or one of the others, go ahead and stick with it. There's no compelling reason to switch to Edge.

That said, Edge is a good, fast browser on Linux. If you're a Windows user coming over to Linux or you're doing development work aimed at Edge, then by all means try Edge on Linux. It works and it works well.

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When Microsoft announced plans to rebase its Edge browser on Chromium the chance of a dedicated Linux build went from pipe-dream to inevitability.

Chromium’s cross-platform codebase makes it the ideal foundation on which to build out a modern web browser. Three years since rumours first began swirling, Microsoft Edge for Linux is not only confirmed but it’s almost ready for testing.

Being the impatient sort we installed the Microsoft Edge Developer build on Ubuntu 20.10. This post will stop short of being a “review” per se (you’ll hear throughout this post: this is not a stable build) but I’ve included lots of screenshots and some general thoughts about how well the browser integrates with the default Ubuntu desktop.

Microsoft Edge for Linux Developer Build

Did I ever think I’d be writing a post about Microsoft’s flagship web browser being available for Linux? Heck no! And yet, here we are!

Many teeth have been gnashed over the point and purpose of a Microsoft-made web browser on a Linux platform. Some see Edge’s arrival as the latest bouquet in Microsoft’s blooming relationship with Linux and all things open source, but others? Well, they smell suspicion…

For their part Microsoft says its “motive” in bringing Edge to Linux is simply about making its technologies and services available to more users. Yes, even if they don’t run its Windows software (which is, after all, just one product/service in its portfolio).

Microsoft’s heavy presence in business, enterprise, and (increasingly) developer communities also plays a part. People who have to use Microsoft services at work get the chance to use the tech they’re familiar with and/or sync’d up with at home, on their Linux laptop, if they want.

But is there anything to interest casual Linux users too?

Edge is more than a Chrome clone; Microsoft had imbued Edge with custom touches and novel feature integrations. While many of these may sound superfluous to power-users they do, on other systems, round out the browser’s feature set.

Or to put it another way: Edge is a mass-market, all-user browser. It’s not aimed exclusively at any one audience, be that web developers, power users, or computer noobs.

So some of its “Added Value” may sound minor, trivial, or frivolous. Take Collections, for instance. This is essential just a souped-up bookmarking tool that lets you save content — not just web links — directly to the browser for future use.

You can create multiple collections in Edge, rename them, add notes to them, and export all of that data to other services (or copy of the links to the system clipboard).

On to integration. The Edge app launcher in the Ubuntu Dock does have a small right-click quicklist. This offers fast access to options to open a new window, a new incognito window, or quit the browser.

Sadly the Edge browser (like other Chromium browsers) does not use the system title/window bar by default. Edge draws its own window bar on Linux, with its own window control icons.

While the pale-grey bar Edge wears is not terribly distracting (unlike Vivaldi’s gaudy red window frame) some kind of GTK inheriting/colour detection (even if only an option) would be welcomed, I’m sure.

And Microsoft Account sync does not work in this build — but if you read this site regularly that will not be a surprise.

The good news is that many of Edge’s other features — yes, snarkypants, it does have some! — are present.

We’ve already touched on Collections, but there’s also an ‘immersive reader’ mode; integration with Bing; optional dark mode; web screenshot tool; and a variety of different New Tab page layouts (ranging from cluttered to calm);

You can install Chrome extensions on Edge easily. The first time you visit the Chrome Web Store using the browser it asks if you want to enable Chrome extension installs.

While I can’t vouch for the entirety of Chrome’s extension catalogue, all of the extensions I tried (yes, including the omg! ubuntu! one) worked as expected, as you can see above!

For an early version of Edge for Linux the browser feels fairly robust. It didn’t crash once during my test. Everything I asked of it, it did. From HD YouTube playback, to translating a Portuguese web page, to letting me play web games.

The app is fast to open and responsive in use. If Microsoft can maintain the friction-free feel it could win some new fans. Firefox isn’t slow, but a Chromium-based backend just feels so much faster in use (to me, anyhow).

Download Edge for Linux Dev Build

Want to try things out for yourself? We have a guide on how to install Edge on Ubuntu.

Edge Browser On Linux Operating System

It’s not yet clear when Edge for Linux will go stable, but Microsoft has formally announced that it’s in developer preview. You can Linux builds on this Microsoft repo page.

Ms Edge Linux

If you jump on Edge for some early-bird testing just keep in mind that it is development software. It’s not finished. It’s not stable. Heck, it’s not even fully functional. Ergo, don’t get irate about any issues you encounter!