A few weeks ago we reviewed what Microsoft Edge was and what set it apart from its predecessor Internet Explorer (see our prior post What is Microsoft Edge?). Today we are continuing the discussion but focusing more on the relationship between the new Edge browser and website design.

Quick recap:

1. It is only available on Windows 10.
2. Users can “write” notes on pages and share them with others using Web Note.
3. Content can be tagged for future reading as part of a Reading List.
4. There is a Reading View which eliminates certain elements of a page while focusing on the textual content a user wants to read.
5. It is faster for both display of web pages and searches using keywords.

For developers:

For the first time it seems Microsoft worked closely with the web development community to build a new browser that can handle new coding techniques. Yes Edge is a “modern browser” and up-to-date with new code and established Internet standards. That means that any websites using new code will have no problem displaying properly on Edge. Thanks to Edge replacing IE, there is no more need to worry or adjust good code for browser compatibility with Internet Explorer.

We mentioned in many other posts that Flash (a type of coding) was on its way out and new websites should not be built using Flash. Saying this, Edge is able to render Flash coding just fine but also gives its users the ability to disable it.

For users:

Edge is what we call in the industry an “evergreen browser” which means it automatically updates to newer versions. Users won’t have to upgrade as their PC will do it for them. That also means that users will no longer get stuck with an older browser version. Again this is a great advantage for website design as developers no longer need to worry about coding a site for older versions.

Once Internet Explorer is completely faded out, websites should be able to utilize the newest code available and also properly display on all major browsers (Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari).

At BWC, we ran numerous tests with websites we designed and found so far no compatibility issues with Edge. So far this is great news for developers, website owners and Internet users.

Cortona (Microsoft’s virtual assistant which started on Windows Phones 8.1) will also work with Edge though Microsoft said they are continuing to work on the integration of the two to provide an even better user experience.

Mobile devices:

This month Microsoft announced that some of Windows based-smart phones (not all) will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 and benefit from the Microsoft Edge browser though we personally have not been able to experience it yet. Microsoft also said that all new Windows operated smart phones will have Edge as their default browser. Mobile users will be able to tap on HUB to access the Edge’s functions such as the popular Reading List.

Again Edge is good news for website design as it eliminated the many issues its older “cousin” Internet Explorer used to have …

… and for this we thank you Microsoft!