Microsoft's Chromium Edge Browser Leaks For macOS, Linux Variant Likely Coming
Microsoft shocked pretty much the entire tech community when it officially announced that it would be abandoning its EdgeHTML-based Microsoft Edge browser in favor of an all-new version built on Google's Chromium engine. Microsoft has already issued Canary and Dev builds of the new Chromium-infused Edge, but it has until now held off on making builds available for macOS.
In fact, if you head on over to the Microsoft Edge Insider website while running macOS, you'll be greeted with a message that says "Coming soon to macOS, Notify me when it's available." However, notorious Microsoft leaker WalkingCat has uncovered direct download links for the macOS version of Edge.
Just like the current Windows versions of the Microsoft Edge Insider Preview, there are two channels currently available for macOS: the Dev Channel and the Canary Channel. The Dev Channel is updated on a weekly basis. The Canary Channel, however, is updated on a daily basis and is for the most part less stable than the Dev Channel. The Beta Channel is the most stable of all, but hasn't yet been opened up for testers on either Windows or macOS platforms. You can download the macOS version of Microsoft Edge using the following direct links:
Although it's nice to see that Microsoft is giving macOS so lovin', it looks as though Microsoft Edge might be coming to Linux as well. Neowinwas able to attend a session entitled "Moving the web forward with Microsoft Edge" and it showed that Microsoft is looking to potentially deliver Edge to Linux, Android and iOS.
Microsoft wouldn't definitely confirm that a Linux version would be offered, it says that it is currently "being evaluated."
In other Microsoft Edge news, it was announced yesterday that the browser will gain an Internet Explorer Mode for customers that needs backwards compatibility with that aging (and security-challenged) browser. Microsoft has also incorporated new tracker blocking features and "Collections" to gather snippets of text along with pictures, which can then be exported to Word, Excel or via email.
