July 29, 2015

Microsoft Edge released with Windows 10

MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. shipped the EdgeMicrosoft's Chromium-based web browser — the default on Windows, replacing Internet Explorer. browser on July 29, 2015 with Windows 10 — replacing Internet ExplorerMicrosoft's long-running web browser — bundled with Windows for decades before Edge replaced it. as the default with a new rendering engine (EdgeHTML).

What it was for

Microsoft EdgeEdgeMicrosoft's Chromium-based web browser — the default on Windows, replacing Internet Explorer. was MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.'s clean break from IEInternet Explorer — Microsoft's browser that dominated the web in the 1990s and 2000s.'s legacy: faster updates, modern standards, and integration with Cortana and Windows 10. It never fully displaced ChromeGoogle's web browser — built on Chromium and the most widely used browser worldwide., but it ended the era of IEInternet Explorer — Microsoft's browser that dominated the web in the 1990s and 2000s. as default and set up MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.'s later move to ChromiumGoogle's open-source browser project — the foundation for Chrome, Edge, and other modern browsers..

Companies

  • Microsoft

Why it's here

EdgeMicrosoft's Chromium-based web browser — the default on Windows, replacing Internet Explorer. marked MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.'s attempt to leave Trident and IEInternet Explorer — Microsoft's browser that dominated the web in the 1990s and 2000s. compatibility baggage behind.

Why it mattered

It showed even the Windows default browser could be rebuilt from scratch for the modern web.

What it solved

IEInternet Explorer — Microsoft's browser that dominated the web in the 1990s and 2000s.'s reputation and technical debtThe future cost of quick shortcuts in code — shortcuts that slow development until refactored. made it untenable as the face of Windows browsing.

Media

  • Microsoft Edge
    ImageMicrosoft Edge

    Microsoft Corporation, MIT, via Wikimedia Commons

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