Let’s get Windows and macOS builds done first, it says

Jun 14, 2019 07:36 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft announced in late 2018 that it’d switch Edge browser to the Chromium engine, the same one that’s being used by Google Chrome.

This decision technically allows Microsoft to convert Microsoft Edge from a Windows 10-exclusive browser to a cross-platform application.

The company has already confirmed Microsoft Edge would be released beyond Windows 10, and existing preview builds also allow the browser to be installed on macOS.

The migration to Chromium would technically allow the company to bring Edge to Linux as well, and given its efforts to get more involved in the open-source world, such a release wouldn’t be surprising at all.

Linux version possible in the long term

And after Microsoft suggested that it’s indeed considering a Linux version of Edge back in May at the Build developer conference, the Edge team now emphasizes this is “something we’d like to do down the road.” However, the priority right now is to get the Windows and macOS ready for users first and only then look into other projects.

“We don't have any technical blockers to keep us from creating Linux binaries, and it's definitely something we'd like to do down the road. That being said, there is still work to make them "customer ready" (installer, updaters, user sync, bug fixes, etc.) and something we are proud to give to you, so we aren't quite ready to commit to the work just yet,” the team said in a reddit AMA.

“Right now, we are super focused on bringing stable versions of Edge first to other versions of Windows (as well as macOS), and then releasing our Beta channels. That said, we love hearing the ask and especially love details if this is important to your test infrastructure or elsewhere in your development lifecycle so we can continue to validate and prioritize this work!”

Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 and macOS is currently available as preview builds shipped through Dev and Canary channels. Beta builds aren’t public just yet and there’s no ETA as to when the production version of the browser could go live.