Microsoft announced it would be rebuilding Edge on Windows 10 by using Google’s Chromium engine, but not everyone is happy with the decision. In a recent blog post, Mozilla CEO Chris Beard writes that he believes the move is “handing even more of online life” to Google.
Beard essentially says goodbye to EdgeHTML and addresses the business, social, and future implications of Microsoft’s decision. Additionally, not only does Beard appear to strongly go against Microsoft’s choosing of Chromium, he points that it could also possibly have an impact on Firefox market share. Beard mentions Microsoft’s former dominant share on browsers in the early 2000s and suggests that it could now happen again with Chromium and go on to make Google even more powerful.
“Making Google more powerful is risky on many fronts. And a big part of the answer depends on what the web developers and businesses who create services and websites do. If one product like Chromium has enough market share, then it becomes easier for web developers and businesses to decide not to worry if their services and sites work with anything other than Chromium,” writes Beard.
From the social perspective, Beard believes that Mozilla exists just to compete with Google to ensure a good internet for everyone. With EdgeHTML exiting the market, that means a browser engine is hitting the dust, effectively giving consumers one less browser to choose from.
“We compete with Google not because it’s a good business opportunity. We compete with Google because the health of the internet and online life depend on competition and choice. They depend on consumers being able to decide we want something better and to take action,” Beard said.
Naturally, Beard points to the progress that Firefox has made in the past 18 months and reminds consumers that it “holds its own when it comes to speed and performance.” Unfortunately, Google Chrome is still the most popular browser as of right now. According to NetMarketShare, Chrome desktop currently shares a 63 percent lead in the overall market. Internet Explorer is second with an 11 percent lead, followed by Firefox in third with 10 percent.
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