You may have heard some talk about Microsoft’s new version of Microsoft Edge. Originally, Microsoft Edge would only work on Windows 10. The new version, now based on Chromium, can work on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 plus on the Mac OS, iOS and Android.

Is Chromium the same as Google Chrome? Not exactly. Chromium is a free and open-source software project from Google which first appeared in 2008. What does the term “open-source software” mean? When the code for a software program is available to anyone to use and modify, that is called “open-source.” In the case of the browser Google Chrome, Google took their own open-sourced Chromium and modified it with added features, etc. Thus, Google Chrome and Chromium are not the same thing.

Google Chrome is not the only browser based on Chromium. The Opera browser is based on it, too. Again, Opera adds features of its own which are not found in Google Chrome.

Now, Microsoft comes along, scraps its original Microsoft Edge and changes it to one based on Chromium. Why did they do this? Because the code for the original Edge wasn’t being accepted by website builders and many websites just didn’t work correctly in the old Edge.

Are Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge the same now? No. They are both based on the original Chromium but there are differences. Should you use Chrome instead of Edge or vice versa? I use them both. There are features I like about both of them. The one thing I would say is that the word on the street is Microsoft doesn’t track and store as much information as Google. For that reason, I often lean towards the new Edge.

I’m developing some videos on the new Microsoft Edge and you’ll see them in the near future. To get you started, here’s one on changing the home page. (Note: if you haven’t yet subscribed to our YouTube channel, please do so after watching this instructional video.)