Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge rollout begins today

Despite starting the browser wars, Microsoft hasn't been a true competitor in a very long time. Microsoft adopted an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" policy last year when it announced that a Chromium-based version of its Edge browser was in development. Now, that browser is leaving beta and going mainstream.

Microsoft confirmed this week that the browser would roll out this week through the notes for a piece of software specifically designed to block it. More on that later.

Microsoft says that Windows 10 Home and Professional systems running Windows 10 version 1803 or later will see the new version of Edge show up automatically. If you're part of an Active Directory domain-or a domain managed by an administrator-you won't get the upgrade until your domain administrator decides they're ready.

If you administrate a network not joined by a domain or simply don't want Chromium Edge, Microsoft's blocker tool will let you prevent automatic installation, though home users may need to engage in more hackery to make that work.

You may not see this new version of Edge, complete with its cool new logo, immediately. Rollout starts today.

The release of Chromium-based Edge brings an end to a long struggle for Microsoft to build and maintain its own browser. The struggle started when European lawmakers sued Microsoft for monopolistic practices. Then, Netscape died out. Firefox and laterGoogle's Chrome browser swooped in to pick up the slack (with a little help from Opera). With Windows 10, Microsoft introduced Edge, a brand new browser meant to compete with the big two. By then, though, both had become entrenched. These days, people open Microsoft's browser to download one of the other guys. If you work for a company that uses IE-dependent apps, you might still be using IE11 daily.

To some degree, Microsoft will always need to have its own browser. At least now it seems like the company is ready to admit that the other guys might be onto something.

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