What strange moments we live in. Who would have thought that they would be writing an article about how Microsoft is the best thing that can happen to Google Chrome? A few years ago, the idea of Microsoft getting involved in an open source project would cause a mixture of laughter and fear.
You know … Microsoft, the open source enemy of a CEO who once said Linux was “a cancer that adheres in a sense of intellectual property to everything it touches.” The company that failed to make a decent web browser to save his life.
But believe it or not, I really think Microsoft’s involvement has made Chrome a much better browser.
Learning to love open source
First, Microsoft abandoned its dislike for open source a long time ago, and is now a platinum sponsor of the Linux Foundation, and by some metrics it is now also the world’s largest open source contributor.
Basically, ever since he abandoned his opposition to open source, and not only embraced it, but put his money where his mouth is, the idea of Microsoft being involved in an open source project is no longer a nightmare thing. It has already proven to be a valuable contributor to the open source community.
But how does this affect Google’s Chrome browser? Well, since Microsoft stopped using its own web engine, EdgeHTML, for its Edge web browser, and instead built a completely new version that is based on Chromium, it has been bringing a steady stream of fixes and new features to Chromium, And those have not only benefited Edge, but Chrome as well.
The last example of this is that Microsoft is finally fixing an issue where Chrome notifications were duplicated in Windows 10, and clicking the wrong one wouldn’t open the website that sent the notification in Chrome. He accomplished the impressive feat of being both annoying and Useless.
However, Microsoft sent a code to the Chromium project that fixes the problem. Although Microsoft solves a problem that affects its operating system it is not too surprising, there have been other instances in which Microsoft has made Chrome a better browser thanks to its contribution.
Give a helping hand
I’ve complained before how sick I am that Chrome is a huge consumer of RAM, and Microsoft has found a way to prevent it from gobbling up as much memory, while consuming less battery power when running on a laptop, by avoiding the Unnecessary disk caching when users watch videos.
A Microsoft developer also recently fixed a particularly annoying quirk in Google Chrome that can cause you to accidentally lose your current tab. And there are many other examples.
Granted, all of these fixes were primarily aimed at solving Chromium Edge, but the important thing is that they also improve a web browser that people really use.
For anyone who has been frustrated by Google’s use of Chrome, the fact that Microsoft has been making improvements to the browser is a strange development, but welcome.
I never thought I would celebrate Microsoft’s involvement in an open source project, but in this case, I am very happy to be doing that.
