Microsoft needs to be friendly to Linux users to keep them from using rivals like Google Workspace - Edge for Linux could be worthwhile if it leads to years of subscription fees, even if users have no plans to switch to Windows. The company is now much more focused on services than Windows, and that means making offerings like Microsoft 365 and Windows 365 as accessible as possible. Internet Explorer effectively served as a deterrent to would-be Linux switchers as many IE-optimized sites wouldn't run properly on Linux browsers without significant effort, if they ran at all.įlash forward two decades and it's a different story. The company was notoriously antagonistic in the early 2000s, when CEO Steve Ballmer called Linux 'a cancer' on intellectual property and otherwise treated it as a threat to Windows. The release is symbolic of how Microsoft's relationship with Linux has changed over the years. This may be your browser of choice if you use Linux on a personal system but want the browser setup from your Windows PC at work. You unsurprisingly won't find an Internet Explorer compatibility mode (only Windows has that), but you can sync tabs, bookmarks, passwords and extensions. The feature parity is largely intact, at least. It's not clear what prompted the wait, although Linux has historically had little consumer PC market share. Microsoft was testing the Edge variant in its Dev and Beta channels for about a year, and it's arriving more than two years after the Mac and Windows versions. The Linux version has been a long time in coming. rpm formats) or through the command line using a Linux package manager. The Chromium-based browser is available either through Microsoft's website (in.

Ars Technica reports the software behemoth has finally released its first stable version of Edge for Linux. But I think having the choice to not use their browser is better than having no choice to use it at all.Yes, you read that correctly: Microsoft has officially released a web browser for Linux. Finally, run either of the following commands depending on the Linux distro you're using. Honestly, nothing Microsoft can do will ever be universally loved by Linux users. Then, launch a terminal and using the cd command, navigate to the directory where you've stored the package.

Well, those who advocate for it say it’s fast, compatible, supports Chrome extensions, and has solid privacy settings (though some of those are enabled by default so be sure to configure things to your tastes if trying it out). Mozilla Firefox is arguably the most popular web browser with Linux fans, with Google Chrome or vanilla Chromium second place. We’ve updated our guide on how to install Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other Ubuntu-based distros to walk through all the (very simple) steps needed. If you want a beta or dev build you can head over to the Microsoft Edge Insiders website to download a copy instead. If you don’t have Microsoft Edge Dev or Beta installed you can download the official stable release from the official Microsoft Edge website for Ubuntu (and related distros) or Fedora (and related distros):

Microsoft edge download for linux