Just got a new laptop and didn't bother installing Chrome. Is it this new laptop or is Edge snappier? Also, we're all used to mocking Bing but it seems a lot better than the crappy 2025 version of Google.
You've got a new laptop and you're surprised that it's quicker than your old one?
Edge is - finally - decent these days. Like most browsers (aside from Safari and Firefox, and anything on iOS), it's just Chrome in different pants.
Can't say as I agree with you about Bing though. If I had to ditch Google I reckon I'd be looking at DuckDuckGo.
I use Edge on my work and home laptops, but with Google set as the default search engine/homepage.
Still use Chrome on my phone though.
DuckDuckGo largely uses Bing I thought?
Yes, I much prefer Edge over Chrome at the moment. Seems to use less resources and doesn't try as hard to get you to log in to a Google account. I do also use Chrome for the stuff where I need to log into one of several Microsoft/Google 'domains' so I can bundle that stuff together as I like the profile stuff in Chrome but generally I'm on Edge. Still not loving Bing so use Ecosia which largely picks up Google results but without the AI shit
I got a new pretty decent laptop last year for photo editing so loads of Ram, decent processor etc.
Chrome was so slow it was virtually unusable, constantly hanging and crashing. I assumed it was my rubbish Internet, but then I tried Edge and all the problems went away. Couldn't believe the difference so tried Chrome again and still unusably slow.
Now Chrome is uninstalled and I use Edge with Ecosia and like it very much.
I use Edge on my work and home laptops, but with Google set as the default search engine/homepage.
This
I use Edge on my work and home laptops, but with Google set as the default search engine/homepage.
Another who does this, can't stand Bing but Edge is good. Still use other browsers occasionally
Use Edge occassionally when i need to access my office365 subscription stuff, works well for that. Usually Firefox as that just works and has great provacy and ad-block plug-ins. Hate DuckDuckGo as the search is not really good enough and use google with max privacy as mush as possible. Sometimes use Chrome when i have different Office365 IDs running in parallel browsers, but it is a resource hog. I should probs use Edge for that scenario.
Edge at work because they the seem to insist it's the only browser that is supported for many of our web apps.
Edge at home is the very first application that gets removed. Don't even need it to download a replacement browser. Doing so stops some of the unwanted ads and intrusion in Windoze, cos Microsoft hard code it to Edge, and not you default browser.
Brave for me, or Firefox+Ublock for the time being, since Chrome/Chromium blocked the addons that are best not discussed here.
The second thing that goes is all the intrusive AI nonsense.
Can Edge host those extensions which do that action that shan't be mentioned to sections of websites which corporations have paid for to intrusively divert your attention to their products?
Brave for me, or Firefox+Ublock for the time being, since Chrome/Chromium blocked the addons that are best not discussed here.
Chrome scuttled uBlock Origin with good reason. There is a 'Lite' version now.
wasn't brave recently revealed to be a bit of a scam, as in not the secure privacy browser it claimed to be.
I am trying to ween myself away from google at the moment, been trying Firefox this week, and there are still flaws there.
google trying to log me onto everything with my google account is just too annoying, I can turn it off in chrrome but not in firefox, so I want an alternative search engine as well, duckduckgo was pretty poor when I tried it as a search engine 6 months ago.
Can Edge host those extensions which do that action that shan't be mentioned to sections of websites which corporations have paid for to intrusively divert your attention to their products?
Yes.
wasn't brave recently revealed to be a bit of a scam, as in not the secure privacy browser it claimed to be.
I quite like edge. It’s ok, for a Microsoft product. Biggest fly in the Microsoft ecosystem is MS Authenticator, which appears to be the work of the devil. MS have also recently removed its ability to sync passwords from desktop edge to IOS / safari seamlessly. Their workaround being to install edge on iOS. To which my response is the collapsed motto of the Sirius cybernetics complaints department.
^ huh. peter thiel aside, there's no compulsion to sign up to the brave rewards, and from my experience it seems like a quick browser that doesn't serve :cough: many ads. have been using it on desktop and android for a few months.
tbf peter thiel is a **** and i'm disappointed to learn he's involved.
I use Edge on my work and home laptops, but with Google set as the default search engine/homepage.
This, currently.. but Edge's propensity to reset your search engine back to Bing every time it updates is severely testing my allegiance.
This, currently.. but Edge's propensity to reset your search engine back to Bing every time it updates is severely testing my allegiance.
Interesting, can't say I've ever had that - been using Edge for a couple of years now. It may help that I disable the Edge update services in services.msc.
The best thing I can say about it is it just works, well enough that I don't really think about which browser I'm using. Whereas Chrome seemed to require so much RAM and CPU to function that I thought my PC was taking off
We use Edge on work Windows laptop and no issues even on a 4+ year old HP EliteBook G6. Like others, Google is still my default search though.
Safari only on my personal MacBook though.
Fun fact to impress the ladies at parties: Microsoft earned 12 billion from Bing last year, 55 billion from Office, and 24 billion from Windows. Probably won't be long before Bing overtakes Windows.
that mentions changing the Group Policy
You'll need a Pro or Enterprise edition of Windows to change GPOs, it won't work on Home. (Also, I suspect that GPO hack only applies to the old Edge, before it changed to use Chrome's engine.)
Fun fact to impress the ladies at parties: Microsoft earned 12 billion from Bing last year, 55 billion from Office, and 24 billion from Windows. Probably won't be long before Bing overtakes Windows.
Windows desktop or Windows total including servers?
Windows desktop or Windows total including servers?
That's a good question. I suspect that it's not a simple thing to separate Windows itself from other parts of the business. Also, I misreported Windows as 24 billion, should be 23.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-microsoft-makes-its-billions/
Perhaps Mark could provide us with stats and correlations on browser used and number of posts complaining about the forum. 😋 The last time I used Edge for STW it was colourful. However Edge or Firefox is my choice for gov.uk that won't work without cookies.
