Microsoft first revealed its new browser plans back in January. Known as Project Spartan initially, Microsoft is revealing today that the company will use the Microsoft Edge name for its new browser in Windows 10. The Edge naming won’t surprise many as it’s the same moniker given to the new rendering engine (EdgeHTML) that Microsoft is using for its Windows 10 browser.
I liked the name Spartan, but alas.
While Redmond makes another attempt at a browser the rest of us can install Vivaldi, which actually does interesting and useful things while performing very well.
After the Visual studio announcement, I wonder if we’ll be seeing Microsoft Edge running on the Ubuntu Edge soon. XD
I agree, Spartan sounded better.
Naming a web browser “Spartan” is idealistic but doomed, as web browsers are fated to bloat. In a few years the jokes would be endless (picture a photoshopped obese Spartan).
You mean like Microsoft being on the Edge of a cliff?
So, will Edge support Opus in the audio tag?
Edited 2015-04-29 21:08 UTC
It’s kind of like Adobe Edge, but on the other side!
(Edge is branding for Adobe products for making various HTML5 things.)
Why is it that the codenames for products are far far m more creative and interesting, then the released product names? Marketing needs to learn a few things from their developers or whomever names the projects or from Linux distros. I would have loved for Whistler and Longhorn to have been the official names, we know Metro was changed due to a lawsuit, but Project Spartan screams fit, fast, and tone, while Edge makes me thing of a cliff, does not sound as fun, feels like they are trying to hard be edgy and just does not roll of the tongue nearly as nice (oddly, makes me think of Edge of Tomorrow).
Spartan was 1000x better than Edge imo. Leave it to management to get in the way of good ideas.
Microsoft sells globally, not just to native English speakers.
Non-English speakers could be confused by odd digraphs, consonant clusters, unfamiliar phonemes, silent letters etc.
For example, “Whistler” manages to pack in at least 3 of those problems (one of them twice!) in just 2 syllables. (At least, it’s two syllables for people who know and can reproduce the pronunciation in English. It could be extended to three or four syllables by people having trouble with the consonant cluster and trailing r.)
Even “Spartan” could be a problem with regards to pronunciation (e.g. the sp consonant cluster for Spanish speakers, “rt” for many East Asian language groups).
And who knows if there’s some brand out there already using this pre-existing word, just like Metro?
PS Although “Edge” of course suffers from similar problems: Pre-existing word, silent letter, odd letter combo.
Edited 2015-04-30 17:30 UTC
Good point. I know some words translate poorly, like that computer that meant “doesn’t work” in Spanish… My only counter would be words with no translations that are used such various internet jargo and company names, people seem to be able to say, so why not that a a regular word that translates well in meaning? I think Edge might have been labeled that so that the icon might look similar to IE so people will click on it and find what they are looking for.
What better to name their browser after a member of Apple’s Fav Rock Band eh?
Spartan was has been said far, far better (IMHO)