browser

Mon
10
Aug
John Lister's picture

Microsoft: New Edge Browser Can't be Uninstalled

Microsoft has confirmed there will be no option to uninstall the Edge browser once the new version is on a Windows 10 computer. There is a workaround, but it's not worth the trouble for most users. The two versions of Edge are known by Microsoft as ... the "legacy version" and the "new version." The legacy version ran on Microsoft's own code, while the new version is based on Chromium, which is open source software that is also the basis of Google's Chrome browser. One big reason for the switch is to make it easier for both website and browser extension developers to make something that works ... (view more)

Wed
29
Jul
John Lister's picture

Microsoft Tackles Annoying Website Notifications

Microsoft is making two changes to make notifications less disruptive but still useful. The changes affects Microsoft's Edge browser and follow in the footsteps of changes made in Chrome and Firefox. The first change affects standard notifications ... which appear at the top of the screen. They bring information from a website even when the user doesn't have it open. For example, a video streaming site might display a notification when it uploads a new episode of a series the user has watched in the past. Browser makers have struggled to get the balance right between satisfying users who find ... (view more)

Tue
30
Jun
John Lister's picture

Windows Defender, Edge Update: Slow PCs, Errors

Current news floating around the Internet suggests that Windows 10 has developed a couple of bugs likely linked to recent updates, namely: slowed performance and confusing security scan messages. The good news is both problems can be solved to some ... extent. One problem is with update KB4559309 , which replaces the original version of Microsoft's Edge browser with a new version based on the same code behind Google Chrome. Details are still hazy, but some users have reported general slowdowns after the update regardless of whether they use Edge. This can affect apps, games and web pages. The ... (view more)

Wed
01
Apr
John Lister's picture

Edge Browser Gets New Features, Based on Chrome

Microsoft has unveiled a range of new features for its Edge browser. They include vertically arranged tabs, enhanced cut and paste, and warnings of potential password breaches. Edge has been somewhat light on new features recently as Microsoft has ... been concentrating on major behind-the-scenes changes. The browser used to run on Microsoft's own code but is now based on Chromium , the same open source code behind Google's Chrome. Microsoft hopes that will tempt over some Chrome users who should be able to use many of their existing browser extension tools in Edge. However, it's also adding some ... (view more)

Wed
26
Feb
John Lister's picture

Chrome Users: Update Now to Patch Critical Bug

Google has issued a critically important update to its Chrome browser due to a nasty zero day bug. The browser should update automatically for most users, but the bug is serious enough that it's a case of checking to ensure that the update has been ... successfully applied. The update fixes three security problems, one of which is a critical. It means hackers were actively exploiting the problem before Google fixed it - meaning the update process gave users a zero day head start on the bad guys (hence the term, ' zero day exploit '). Perhaps unsurprisingly, Google isn't saying much at all about ... (view more)

Tue
21
Jan
John Lister's picture

Microsoft Could Improve Google Chrome

The Chrome browser may soon put less drain on processors and battery life in Windows 10. Perhaps surprisingly, that's because of changes made by Microsoft rather than Google. The relevant tweaks were discovered by Microsoft as part of its work to ... rebuild the Edge browser that comes with Windows 10. Originally it ran on Microsoft code, but the new version of Edge is now based on Chromium. For those unaware, Chromium is an open source project, which is the basis of Google's Chrome browser. Microsoft found one cause of battery drain was disk caching during online video playback. In simple terms ... (view more)

Thu
16
Jan
John Lister's picture

Chrome to Block Third-Party Cookies

Google says it will block third-party cookies, which can track Internet users in ways they don't expect. But it could be up to two years before the block is fully in place. A cookie is a small text file placed on a user's computer by a website. The ... idea is the site can check for the cookie later on and customize the users' web experience. Examples of 'legitimate' cookie use would be an online store that holds items in a virtual 'shopping basket', and a movie theater chain's site 'remembering' a user's location to automatically show them local listings. The more controversial variant is third- ... (view more)

Fri
10
Jan
John Lister's picture

'Police Web Browser Scam' Dupes Users into Paying Thousands

An old Internet scam has got a new twist. The new scam makes it appear as if local police have taken over the web browser in order to "fine" the user for "illegal activities". The "police browser locker" scam is an example of what's dubbed scareware ... by preying on a user's paranoia (or guilt). It involves popup window from within the web browser, or an unexpected web page appearing and giving a bogus message demanding payment. A common form of this scam is the infamous Microsoft tech support scam stating that the computer has been infected with malware and the user needs to ... (view more)

Thu
28
Nov
John Lister's picture

Firefox to Fight 'Fingerprinting' Tracking

Mozilla is to block "fingerprinting" tracking in the Firefox browser. It's an alternative tracking technique to cookies and doesn't require any consent from users. Most people know about cookies, which involves sites putting a small file on a ... computer to either identify a user for future visits or track their online activity. In most cases cookies both legally and practically need consent from the user before they can be issued. Fingerprinting is a more creative technique that doesn't require consent and has proven harder to block. It's all based around the fact that a website is able to ... (view more)

Thu
07
Nov
John Lister's picture

Chromium-based Edge Browser to Launch January 2020

Microsoft's revamped version of the Edge browser will launch on January 15, 2020. It's based on the same code as Google's Chrome and will be able to run Chrome extensions. Designed as a replacement for the much maligned Internet Explorer, Edge ... debuted with the release of Windows 10 back in July, 2015. The original version was built from scratch using Microsoft's own browser engine, which is the component that turns a web page's code into what users actually see on the screen. The new edition isn't simply an update but rather a complete rebuild. It will now use code and ... (view more)

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