Earlier today, the Microsoft Edge team took to Twitter to bravely take user questions from the masses. As it turns out, there were many, many good questions asked. Of course, many of the responses from the Edge team were rather predictable falling into (a) Working on it (B) Expect in the next build (C) It's on the backlog.
One thing is certain, building a browser from the ground up is not trivial.
Microsoft Edge Q&A Summary
- Browser extensions will be in the Universal Store
- No ETA on browser extensions but they "a priority."
- Extensions are being considered for mobile, but priority for now is desktop
- Edge updates can go through the Store, but Windows Update is being used so often they are using it…for now
- Reading List syncing is coming soon
- There is DLNA-style streaming coming for Edge to a smart TV
- Scrolling improvements with mouse coming real soon
- Right clicking the back or forward buttons is coming soon
- Favorites syncing should be in one of the next builds
- Fullscreen option is in the backlog
- Web notes for mobile are something they are interested in (I have mentioned that inking likely won't be with the Lumia 950 XL at launch)
- Still no plans to port Edge to other platforms, nor plans to open source any of it
- Edge will be coming to the Xbox One
As you can see, Microsoft is wanting to do a lot with Edge, but alas many of the functions important to you are just 'coming soon'. It will be interesting to see how the Edge team delivers on these features.
All eyes are on Microsoft's October event where we expect to see a preview of an updated Edge with a hopeful November launch.
For now, you can browse our collection of questions and answers from today's marathon session!
Mircosoft Edge Dev Twitter Q&A Highpoints
Q: Will it be possible to stream content (video) dlna-style to a smart tv, from Edge, like it is in metro IE on Surface RT?
A: Great question... We're working on it! Look out for a preview build soon. [Tweet]
Q: Consistently seeing this behavior where scrolling is choppy.Tried on multiple machines and same issue, touch scrolling works fine
A: We've got some great improvements to mouse wheel scrolling coming soon! [Tweet]
Q: Will MS edge MOBILE get extension support just like its desktop counterpart?
A: Our primary focus is Desktop support right now, but we're definitely not ruling out Mobile. Baby steps :) Additional considerations (UI, performance, etc.) on mobile. We are interested in this down the road. [Tweet]
Q: Is there en ETA for {object|web} rtc?
A: ORTC support is coming to Insider builds very soon - watch the blog for more! [Tweet]
Q: Is a Fullscreen/windowsless/tablet/F11 mode coming to Edge?
A: This is on the backlog [Tweet]
Q: Any plans to open source or port Edge to other platforms?
A: Not at this time [Tweet]
Q: Not sure if this was asked, but will WebNotes be coming to Edge on Windows 10 Mobile?
A: Glad to hear you'd like to make Web Notes on mobile! :) It's something we're interested in for the future. [Tweet]
Q: When will edge receive updates like other apps? Updating only through OS builds is not a step in the right direction
A: We're investigating for the future - need to be thoughtful as EdgeHTML platform is an OS component But can (and do) update the app asynchronously. Current WU cadence is faster than ever, & we are investigating alternatives [Tweet]
Q: Will the upcoming extensions be distributed via an "Edge Store" or via the Windows Store?
A: Extensions will be in the Windows Store [Tweet]
Q: Is edge gonna support .ogg files soon
A: Currently low priority. [Tweet]
Q: Is Reading List syncing between devices coming? Pretty vital for the feature to really be useful
A: Yes :) we are working on it! More news soon in a future build [Tweet]
Q: It would be great to have 'Start InPrivate browsing' added to the Edge jumplist.
A: Yep, agreed! This item is on our backlog. [Tweet]
Q: Hello again, do you have any plan to add 'speed dial' shortcuts on the opening page (on mobile), pls? Thanks again.
A: No immediate plans, but please submit the feedback via the Windows Feedback tool! [Tweet]
Q: Every time I save pictures on mobile, it asks for a location. Can it be set to download/save to downloads folder by default?
A: Good feedback. We know some users like it, but it also can slow you down. Please post in the Windows Feedback app [Tweet]
Q: Is there any taskmanager been created just like Chrome has ? It's good to know which tabs are giving me troubles on RAM and CPU
A: This is a request that we've logged, and will be considering for future work. [Tweet]
Q: Why can't open multiple instances of Edge across multiple desktops? Doing so jumps you back to Desktop 1
A: Requires some work, but yes we're working on opening new windows on the right virtual desktop [Tweet]
Q: Hello there, maybe any progress on text reflow on mobile, pls? Thanks.
A: No current plans. We increase text size like some other browsers rather than reflow which changes page layout [Tweet]
Q: When can we expect to see support for right clicking the back or forward buttons to go back/forward multiple pages
A: We are working on it. Expect this feature to be in a future flght [Tweet]
Q: Will edge mobile be able to use sites with drop down list? Currently it just refreshes when selecting a choice
A: Yes, that's a bug :( Fix coming in a preview update. [Tweet]
Q: Can you import an option to delete cache and other things when I close Edge? Result: Edge is clean at start
A: Yeah, we definitely hear you. This feature is already on our backlog. [Tweet]
Q: Why doesn't Edge remember the monitor it was closed on in a multi-monitor setup? It launches in the primary no matter what
A: It requires work to make sure it can properly remember which monitor it was last on. It's currently on our backlog [Tweet]
Q: Who was the very 1st person to come up with the idea to develop Microsoft Edge?
A: Polling the room, the consensus is that this was Al Gore. [Tweet]
Q: Will there ever be a custom font feature for reading view for those with disablitites or for those who just likes custom fonts?
A: Good one. We've talked about custom font options, but no current plans. It's something that's on our backlog. [Tweet]
Q: Do you plan improving tearaway tab functionality? Can't drop to another screen, leaves empty tabs behind, etc
A: Yes:) Expect to see more about this in a future build [Tweet]
Q: Any chance that you'll add the feature where you click on a word and have Cortana define it in mobile version?
A: That's on our backlog :) [Tweet]
Q: Is there a way to close Web Notes without the page refreshing? It highly discourages me from using them
A: We're investigating how to best address this and it's currently on our backlog. [Tweet]
Q: Can Edge delete history on exit like IE can? Nothing I've tried seems to work.
A: Yeah, we definitely hear you. This feature is already on our backlog. [Tweet]
Q: Browsed a webpage (spam ad) which went into a loop of stay on this page and wouldn't close..comes back even after force restart
A: Yup, a fix for the alert loop is being released soon! [Tweet]
Q: Paste and go, save as... simple thing like that that add to productivity. When will that be added?
A: Soon :) We are working on it! (expect it in a future build) [Tweet]
Q: Why Edge doesn't have the "save as" or "save page as"?
A: We're working on Save as. Keep an eye out for future updates. [Tweet]
Q: PDF reader is too basic. no page numbers, pen input. Plans to improve?
A: Page numbers, page fit options and zoom are coming to a future update! We're still investigating inking for PDF [Tweet]
Q: Am I doing something wrong or does Edge currently not sync favorites across devices using the same Microsoft account?
A: We're working on syncing! Keep an eye out for future updates. [Tweet]
Q: My SurfacePro3 misses gestures since the upgrade. Plans to bring them back?
A: Assuming you're referring to swiping back/forward to navigate, we're working on bringing those back! [Tweet]
Q: Any plans to support drawing on PDFs since 8.1 Reader can and Edge is the default PDF viewer?
A: We are investigating this for a future update! [Tweet]
Q: Will it be possible to have multiple instances of Edge open? It would be useful for us virtual desktop users.
A: You can open a new window with Ctrl+N. Working on better shell integration for opening new windows. [Tweet]
Q: When should we see extensions? and any plans on bringing Edge to other platforms like Android?
A: No cross-platform plans at this time - we're focused on Windows 10. No ETA for extensions but we're hard at work! [Tweet]
Q: Are you bringing Edge to Xbox 1? Will it have the same features as Win10? I am missing lot of functionalities on current browser.
A: Yes, Edge will be coming to Xbox One [Tweet]
