Microsoft confirms that the new Chromium Edge browser will come to Linux
The new Microsoft Edge web browser that Microsoft is working on currently will also come to Linux.
When Microsoft unveiled the first development version of the upcoming Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser it was made available for the company's Windows 10 operating system only. Soon thereafter, versions for earlier versions of Windows and macOS started to emerge.
Microsoft never confirmed nor denied that the new browser would also be made available for Linux distributions. One indicator that Linux support was in the works was that Linux was listed on the experimental flags page that users could open using edge://flags.
Microsoft removed these traces from the builds eventually and it remained unclear whether Linux versions of Microsoft Edge would become available officially.
The company finally confirmed yesterday at its Ignite 2019 conference that the new Microsoft Edge will be available for Linux after all.
The new Edge is "fully cross-platform" according to Microsoft, which the company confirmed when it listed Linux as one of the supported operating systems for the new Microsoft Edge browser.
The Chromium-based browser supports all supported Windows platforms -- server and client included -- as well as macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux.
The first stable version of Microsoft Edge will be released a day after support for the company's Windows 7 operating system ends. Enterprise customers and businesses may extend the support period for up to three years but the new Edge will install fine on home versions of Windows 7 as well, even if they are no longer supported.
Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden who attended the Ignite 2019 conference posted a photo of the presentation sheet on Twitter.
Here are all the platforms the new Microsoft Edge is compatible with. Linux coming later. pic.twitter.com/k5k0slsfAK
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) November 4, 2019
While Microsoft confirmed that the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser will come to Linux, it failed to provide additional information. It is unclear which distributions Microsoft plans to support officially or if it will be made available in a specific format, e.g. snap.
Another thing that is not clear yet is when the first Linux version of the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge will be released.
Microsoft plans to release the first stable version of the new Microsoft Edge web browser on January 15, 2020 for Windows and macOS.
Are you excited about Microsoft Edge coming to Linux?