Goodbye Internet Explorer.

[Workingman]

Microsoft is finally killing it in August 2021 and the older version of Edge is going in March 2021. Microsoft's new version of Edge will be based on chromium, the underlying software to Google Chrome and its clones. So, what's to do?

If you go with it the new Edge it will be able to access more features, including those intended for Google Chrome, and it will also have an Internet Explorer mode allowing access to legacy apps so you will still be able to use those apps in a limited way - for a while. Other options will be to try Firefox of Chrome or any of their many clones so all is not lost, in fact not much will have really changed for most of us.

Whichever way you go there will be pros and cons, things you will like and things you won't, it will be a 'suck it and see' exercise for many. A search engine is your friend when looking for alternatives.

[Suff]

Yes, for me it is a bit dire. I've used IE since V3 and have become extremely comfortable with it. Especially the ease, without cloud sign on or special apps, of controlling and sharing bookmarks simply in the windows system.

None of the mainstream alternatives appeal. Chrome? Hate the thing, Firefox is the nearest but it always feels clunky. Another problem with Firefox is that it is crippling on resources for older machines, they simply can't cope. Opera? It is like living in a bohemian world, fine if you embrace it but not quite the world you live in.

I guess I'll be running unsupported IE for quite a while until MS starts listening to what people do and don't like instead of dictating. I'm using the new edge right now for some things and IE automatically redirects to the new edge for any page which reports that it does not support IE. It works a bit better than having to open Firefox every time a page refuses and copy the URL, but as I don't like Edge it is also fairly irritating.

The new edge is Fast. In some cases a bit faster than chrome. It still doesn't float my boat, the other irritants are much larger, such as not being able to set the open url for a new tab. Maybe someone will fork Edge Chromium and make it better.

[Workingman]

Maybe someone will fork Edge Chromium and make it better.

It's a hope, I suppose.

I have used Opera since the start simply because I can make it work my way. The latest version is based on Chromium and with only three extensions I have it to my liking.

Google can stick Chrome where the sun don't shine due to its need to know everything about me and Firefox, even at its basic, is a resource hog, which by the time I have all the add-ons to make it usable it is like driving a Morris Minor 1000 on cross-ply tyres when everyone else has a hot hatch with turbo.

[Workingman]

I have been playing with the new Edge all morning and my goodness it is bad! It is worse than some of the more pathetic Chrome clones out there. Even with loads of extensions it is still very definitely Microsoft centric to work 'their' way. It is certainly not for me.

[Suff]

No WM, it is not for me either.

We seem to be moving to a world where everything is written for phones and those with the power of a PC can just suffer.

Perhaps it will go full circle.

[Suff]

OK so Edge now has an "Edge case" for me.

I'm working on my work machine which means I'm not on my workstation much and with the heat I'm keeping it off. Which means my 8 tabs I habitually keep open keep getting closed when I close IE.

If I enable extensions from other sources, I can load the open multiple url's extension. Job done...

It might get a bit more use.

[Suff]

Since I have IE, locked down on my work machine and Chrome, which is difficult with IE sites, I have been playing with Edge.

First I found that I could add a policy which overrides the stupid default new tab URL, like in IE. That worked. Then I found Bookmark Sidebar, which gives me bookmarks, control over where I open new bookmarks, can change the default URL of the new tab page, decide which side I want the bookmarks on and has a fly in option on mouse over for the bookmark bar.

The only thing I can't do is custom change the size of the bookmark bar. It's a bit of a PITA, but I can live with that. It has a premium version and I suspect additional features are there. I don't use sync options on browsers or their add on's so that nice little feature is not of interest to me.

Seems that I might be able to retire IE after all. Pity that Microsoft is so determined that I can't have what I want that I must look to an external extension to do it for me.

[Workingman]

Pity that Microsoft is so determined that I can't have what I want that I must look to an external extension to do it for me.

And that is an issue with Chrome, Chromium and Firefox as well.

The bare bones versions are crap and need loads of extensions to make them work 'your way'. The extensions web store is massive and you could be there for days just trying to find something that suits. I tried for bookmarks for Chrome and no mater how many times I hit the end of the page it just kept scrolling more bookmark extensions.

There used to be a way to get into the 'works' and change some things of these browsers using the xxxxx:// prefix but now a whole lot of the pages are hidden and not even available in developer mode.

I use Opera and only have two operating extensions, one for bookmarks and one for tabs, the other three allow my AV to ad block, stop phishing and protect internet banking. I would use those three no matter what the browser was.