Microsoft Edge is a cross-platform web browser developed by Microsoft.It was first released for Windows 10 and Xbox One in 2015, then for Android and iOS in 2017, for macOS in 2019, and as a preview for Linux in October 2020. It doesn't seem that long ago that I tried Edge, but maybe it's been improved a lot since then. I'll take another look the next time I use that machine on Windows, and I'll give the Linux version of it a try sometime. Microsoft (I used to work there) has a long history of releasing unfinished software.
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Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) is currently in public preview. Graph drawing free program. Get started with the preview today.
Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows allows you to run containerized Linux workloads alongside Windows applications in Windows IoT deployments. Businesses that rely on Windows IoT to power their edge devices can now take advantage of the cloud-native analytics solutions being built in Linux.
IoT Edge for Linux on Windows works by running a Linux virtual machine on a Windows device. The Linux virtual machine comes pre-installed with the IoT Edge runtime. Any IoT Edge modules deployed to the device run inside the virtual machine. Meanwhile, Windows applications running on the Windows host device can communicate with the modules running in the Linux virtual machine.
Bi-directional communication between Windows process and the Linux virtual machine means that Windows processes can provide user interfaces or hardware proxies for workloads run in the Linux containers.
Benefits
You might choose to build a device that includes Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) as it comes with many benefits.
EFLOW enables customers for the first time to run production Linux-based cloud-native workloads on Windows IoT. Customers retain their existing Windows IoT assets plus benefit from the power of Windows IoT for applications that require an interactive UX and high-performance hardware interaction. There is no longer a need to choose between Windows or Linux; customers can now leverage the best of both platforms.
EFLOW provides the ability to deploy Linux IoT Edge modules onto a Windows IoT device. This opens a world of capabilities for commercial IoT as well as AI/ML with the availability of pre-built modules from the Azure Marketplace such as Live Video Analytics, SQL Edge, and OPC Publisher as a few examples.
As a developer, you may also choose to implement your own custom modules using the Linux distribution of your choice to address specific business requirements. Running Linux modules on Windows IoT becomes a seamless part of your solution.
In addition, Windows applications can easily interact with Linux modules running on the same physical device. A Windows process that provides UI or accesses cameras, sensors, or other hardware can seamlessly communicate with business logic or ML inferencing provided by a Linux module.
Additional Resources
- Get started with the preview today.
Use Microsoft Edge for Linux? If so, you may want to rush off and upgrade to the latest dev release.
Why? Well you know why since you read the headline first! đ
Yes, the latest dev builds of Microsoft Edge for Linux supports sign-in and sync using a Microsoft Account. This feature has been missing since Edgeâs Linux debut in the autumn of last year. The lack of bookmark and account info sync is the only thing keeping some users from using Edge as their default browser.
See:
Of course, there is a caveat to this news: you can only sign-in and sync using a personal Microsoft Account (sorry to any AAD users out there). If you donât already have a Microsoft Account youâll need to sign up for one first.
Microsoft Sync is enabled by default in Edge version 91.0.838.x and later. If you use an older build you may be able to enable the âMSA sign-inâ feature on the edge://flags page.
If you donât enable the MSA sign in experiment or youâre using an older build you will continue to see the âoh no! platform not supportedâ message when attempting to sign in:
Once done, just launch Edge, click the account button in the main toolbar, sign in with your details, choose what settings you wish to sync, and away you go. The sync (including settings) works between OSes. You can sync your Edge browser on Windows with your Edge browser on Ubuntu, and so on.
Linux Microsoft Edge Sync
Is Microsoft Edge the best web browser for Linux? Thatâs subjective and not what this article is addressing. Only you can decide what works for you based on your needs, your outlook, and your ideals. Not that these disclaimers are strictly necessity. Chances are no-one is reading a post about Edge if theyâre not not into it đđťââď¸ â but my point stands: this is news, not a recommendation.
That said, I have pitched my tent in the camp that prefers having a choice to not use something over no choice to use it all.
Linux Mint Microsoft Edge
*cough* Adobe *cough*