Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft this week warned business and educational customers running Windows 10 to start replacing the old and original Edge browser on their PCs with the latest Chromium-based version starting July 30.
First to get the forced swap will be machines in educational settings, Microsoft said, citing back-to-school scheduling for prioritization. (Many K-12 schools, along with colleges and universities, say, “We will share a business timeline at a later date,” Elliot Kirk, senior program manager with the Edge team, wrote in a July 30 blog post. of the company .)
According to Kirk, PCs with Windows Update will automatically update to Chromium Edge. “This update will not affect devices in education and business updated by Windows Update for Business (WUfB) or by Windows Server Update Services (WSUS),” he said.
Microsoft first tackled the idea of automatic swapping in mid-January, along with the public launch of the first stable channel release of Chromium Edge. Then, he established firm guidelines for PCs that would forcibly replace the legacy Edge with the new edition. In short, Windows 10 Enterprise, Education and Workstation Pro would be left intact, just like Windows 10 Pro systems joined to an Active Directory (AD) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) domain; those updated using WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) or WUfB (Windows Update for Business); and those controlled using tools like Intune and SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager).
Although many assumed that Microsoft would quickly begin exchanging new edge for old edge after its January letter, the company did not do so until early June. Then, when Microsoft announced the start of the exchange, it made clear that its original plans had not changed.
A careful analysis of Kirk’s post, as well as some recently reviewed support documents, point to a slightly different lead / slowdown in the Edge swap. Kirk made it clear that any device with the Windows Update service would be eligible, including those running, for example, Windows 10 Education or even Windows 10 Enterprise, which under the above rules had been immune by virtue of their SKU (maintenance unit stock).
Organizations that want to hinder this effort can use the Blocker Toolkit for Edge-to-Edge released in December 2019. The kit, which can be downloaded directly from here in .exe format, blocks Windows Update delivery of the new Edge. It does not prevent students or workers from manually obtaining the chrome based edge. This support document, last revised on June 30, covers the Toolkit.
Kirk from Microsoft confirmed that most of the other elements of the exchange are still in place. Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) will remain intact, he said, as will the choice in place of the default browser on the PC. (In other words, the new Edge will not suddenly declare itself as the default over, for example, Chrome or Firefox already configured.) And the Legacy Edge will not be physically removed from the system, but will be hidden, and any attempt will call it by launching Chromium Edge.
After Windows Update pushes the new Edge to a PC, the service will shortly update the browser to the “latest version currently on the market,” Kirk said. Microsoft updates Edge around the same time as Google does Chrome, approximately every six to eight weeks, with security updates issued as needed between each release.
By the time Microsoft begins this new Edge exchange, it will likely start with Edge 84, slated to launch around July 21.
Tags Chrome rim Microsoft
