Thoughts On Microsoft Edge Browser and EdgeWebView?

crypticus

crypticus

Well-Known Member
Most of us use android phones and using google services, or even on iphones some people use mainly chrome, beucase this way, we can sync bookmarks and passwords between pcs and phones. And i like the way it works so easy. Most of us also don't like extra softwares/browsers on our systems. This is where edge problem begins. We all know edge browser is pain in the a$$. When we block it, it finds another way to come back. When we remove it, it just appears in next reboot... The only permanent solution is to remove it and disable or remove windows update for now... Or like me using scripts at start to remove it every reboot.

Now new era is starting, everything is being actively transfered to cloud. Now there is EdgeWebView, UXPWebViewAdobe, WebViewAndroid.... Mainly WebView lets software developers to integrate HTML pages to apps, softwares etc by a API.... Now even Office C2R downloads and installs EdgeWebView, so we can assume that we will be able to integrate webpages to powerpoint and word documents.... Big companies have their own WebView API, like adobe has its own, they already moved their help documents to cloud so only way to use help button is to be connected to internet and have their UXPWebViewAdobe API installed on your system. (By the way its the most stupid move they ever did since you may work on offline environment and need help anyways, thats why autodesk semi transferred their help to cloud... smarter... but whatever its not the case right now) Since EdgeWebView is being actively forced on your system with windows update, edge update and office update. you will have it on your system incase you remove it like me at every reboot.

But removing or blocking it, is not a solution we have to use it? because in the future, modern apps will use webview. why? because it lets microsoft to remotely update their help documents, tutorial videos etc on settings app. So no more major updates, easy cloud doc updates for them.... So if you remove edgeview, you won't get those features. Also since there are lots of small developers building apps/softwares they will also use edgewebview, because why not? it already installed on everyone's system....

You can remove edge but you will use edgewebview on windows 11 or even windows 10 or 8.1 because lots of softwares will depend on it.

So we need edgewebview but what about edgebrowser? Does it worth the effort to block or remove it? Or should we embrace it and use it as main browser? Switching browsers should be easy but google services still be needed for most of portable devices even on tv's... What about you guys?

edit:
here is the "Microsoft Edge Configurator" tool i made, hope this helps who were in pain like me.
1.png


There are 2 methods to block edge or webview installing back. folder restriction is not rock solid but it can be applied to whatever product you want. Permition to run method is rock solid but it applies to both of the products. so if you want to keep webview use folder restriction method only.

credit is given inside tool and also thanks from here to abbodi1406 for everything.
 

Attachments

  • Microsoft Edge Configurator.rar
    1.8 MB
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In the end it's gonna depend on what apps you use. Enterprise clients have no choice, they follow apps, apps follow MSFT.
For average users, will Edge really be worse than Chrome? I think it's a wait and see.

IE11 is really old, but we're only now getting into "you need Edge/Chrome to run XYZ app/site". We need a few more years to see if this lock-in really forces users to keep it around. You and I are looking from opposite ends of the bell curve. That's fine when users have enough information to base a good decision.

For the average users, outlook is cloudy (pun intended).
 
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if im honest, not a fan of either, rather have an OS without any built in browser so i can add my own different one. or am i having another braint fart moment, and forgotten theres a m$ Os without a pre-intergrated browser ?
 
pointless for me to say anything because apart from getting it off my chest there is a group of computer users ms constantly ignores and saying anything will just get me wound up to the point of turning green.

cant vote as there isnt an option for me "just disable both in Features and get on with life".
if disabling in features or removing isnt an option find or create an Edge/WebView Killer script.

im more pizzed off with winsxs 3rd party publisher drivers languages and keyboards in an en-gb image, keep all that crap outside an image and install on demand only. the rest inside i can deal with one way or another. if i can have a cd for over 20 years then keeping an os install disc isnt going to be difficult.
 
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Clanger said:
cant vote as there isnt an option for me "just disable both in Features and get on with life".
if disabling in features or removing isnt an option find or create an Edge/WebView Killer script.
Click to expand...

Amen Clanger, Amen totally with you there
 
Its not possible for me to give up on chrome, since i have android phone and my synced services are just to easy and good to leave behind.
phonesettings, appsettings, drive, maps, mail, passwordsync.......

i think i will just remove edge browser at start and keep edgewebview for modern app html support if needed.... because i don't think we can block it from installing back or disable it as a feature....

i believe there will be better scripts in the future when windows 11 final comes out. probably by abbodi since now office c2r also installs edgewebview etc he will update his scripts for office and edge i hope
 
Voted to remove Edge, keep the WebView if part of the OS needs it, otherwise will try without that as well, until proven necessary.

Btw wasn't the HTML content inside a Windows OS and some 3rd party applications, previously rendered by the IE HTML engine (+IE Frame, check the component descriptions), thus nothing basically changed, except the name?
Or I'm missing something and now it's different as it's more visible, would like to know.
My conclusion was that WebView is more visible just because they are using an external/open source...source, while before they did the usual flat-merging of everything and used their own, IE engine.
 
I don't know for sure either but they approach it like it's something new. (as they do with everything) both microsoft and adobe is in this hype right now.

forums.creativeclouddeveloper.com

Embedded webview

Add support for embedded browser / web view. Use Case Xanthar is a graphic designer who is creating graphics for a medical imaging company. He’s created a plugin that pulls in x-rays he receives, adds a layer of vector graphics over them and then exports the artboard to SVG in an HTML page on...
forums.creativeclouddeveloper.com forums.creativeclouddeveloper.com

Build web apps in WebView | Android Developers

developer.android.com developer.android.com
 
Yeah, after a brief glimpse, it still sounds exactly the same as the IE HTML engine, just of course a newer, potentially better version.
Here is some info on the previous, IE-based one, easy to find more if needed.
 
I think it's a bad idea to remove WebView, HTML engine or whatever Microsoft might call it. Just like Android, programs will use this. And from what I understand Microsoft is gradually killing IE engine and replacing it with Edge WebView.

I'm referring to the future with Windows 11. In Windows 10 and earlier I don't think it's so much of a problem for you to remove this. At least so far.
 
AeonX said:
I think it's a bad idea to remove WebView, HTML engine or whatever Microsoft might call it. Just like Android, programs will use this. And from what I understand Microsoft is gradually killing IE engine and replacing it with Edge WebView.

I'm referring to the future with Windows 11. In Windows 10 and earlier I don't think it's so much of a problem for you to remove this. At least so far.
Click to expand...
after reading some articles and experiencing some new apps, my final thought on this matter to keep it too.. but fck the edge browser tho not gonna keep that one.

btw guys i changed my name on forum and everywhere its this one now
 
i added microsoft edge configurator tool i made to the thread nuhi if its ok for you. i can share as bat file if sharing exe is inapporiate

While creating this tool i understood that, after removing microsoft edge chromium via ntlite only thing you need to do to block future installs or updates is to integrate this reg entry to your windows. live or iso doesn't matter it will work.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe]
"Debugger"="Blocked"

But this will also block WebView installs and updates.... since browser and webview both uses MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe
 
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I tested by installing CU again, it seems block option even blocks CU return edge... it was not installed back.
 
Yeah, image file execution options are an old way for blocking/rerouting binaries.
For me if at least one more component was returned, and many portions are by installing a cumulative update - meaning one needs to rerun remove reinstalls anyway, it's all the same if Edge was blocked or not, also there is that negative that WebView is not updated.
However, this workaround is useful to have in mind and I trust some will find it useful, thanks for sharing.
 
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