Microsoft Edge Games Panel Raises Concerns Over Internet Explorer Repeat
When Microsoft launched its new Edge browser, it was only too happy to finally distance itself from the dinosaur known as Internet Explorer. It started with a completely new web browser engine that ended up falling flat on its face. By building on a Chromium foundation, however, Microsoft found some freedom to develop new features exclusive to its browser. It seems to have gone to the extreme, though, and Microsoft Edge is now poised to wear Internet Explorer's crown, and not in a good way.
Internet Explorer Baggage
To be fair, the Internet probably owes a great deal to Microsoft's browser. Although Netscape preceded it, Internet Explorer's ubiquity and integration with Windows (some would call it a monopoly) helped democratize the Web and make it available to regular computer users. It was, for years, the only way most people got accesso to the Internet, and the Internet almost became synonymous with the browser's iconic "e" logo.
That, of course, is history, and Internet Explorer eventually became more of a liability than an asset. As Internet standards evolved, IE was left behind because of Microsoft's inability to quickly iterate over its development. Part of that had to do with the software's bloat, and it seems that the tech giant is about to repeat history.
Games Galore
Even when it still used the company's propriety new edgeHTML engine, Microsoft Edge was pretty light on its feet in comparison to the likes of Google Chrome. Switching to a Chromium base freed the company to focus on adding new features to distance itself from its rival. Some of those may have made sense, but others are starting to annoy some Edge fans.
One of the most recent controversial new features is a Buy Now, Pay Later scheme that would have been perfectly fine as an optional add-on. In addition to a browser arguably having no business getting involved with this kind of financing system, some have complained that it seems to have made Edge noticeably slower. This is just the latest in a number of features related to shopping, one of Microsoft's key advertising points for Edge.
Now Microsoft is apparently adding games to its Edge feature list, though it is making it optional. Reddit user Leopeva64 shared screenshots of the HTML5 games you'd be able to select from a sidebar, most of which are of the casual board, card, and puzzle games. Why you'd want to have that as part of the browser is anyone's guess, but Solitaire did become one of the biggest time black holes in computing history.
On their own, there is theoretically nothing wrong with having these features just a few taps away. The problem is when they are baked into the browser itself. Even if optional, this new addition still adds code that needs to be carefully maintained and checked every release. Conversely, every bug fix for these features will require new Edge releases, as well. In an age where add-ons and browser extensions have become the norm, some users fear Microsoft is regressing and, as a result, putting Edge at risk of suffering Internet Explorer's fate.