I know, Microsoft Edge is still haunted by ghosts of IE past, and for that reason alone most people stay a full barge-pole length away from Window’s default browser. But thanks to some upcoming changes, it might stop sucking so bad.
The latest beta version of Edge, now available to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring, brings two significant additions: extensions, and pinned tabs. I’d argue that beyond just displaying the internet, they’re two of the most important browser features you can get.
Extensions means Adblock and LastPass (both apparently coming to Edge), which on their own improve my internet experience tenfold. In Edge’s case, extensions should open a whole world of possibility, because it should be relatively straightforward for developers to port some of Chrome’s thousands of useful extensions.
Pinned tabs sound like a tiny change, but for anyone working with limited screen size on a laptop, they’re invaluable for keeping work stuff straight from Facebook.
Even if there’s no chance in hell you’re ditching Chrome for Edge—for the record, I’m firmly in that camp—consider this: Internet Explorer is the browser of choice for people who don’t care what they click on, who don’t understand what a popup is—in other words, your parents, the exact people who need Adblock the most.