With Windows 10 'Sets,' Microsoft takes aim at Chrome OS

During the last 12 months, Microsoft made some significant advancements in positioning Windows 10 as a viable Chrome OS competitor. With Windows 10 coming to ARM, and the introduction of Windows 10 S, Microsoft is journeying towards turning Windows 10 into a real Chrome OS alternative.

The recent announcement of a "Sets" feature coming to Windows 10 is yet another step forward in that journey, essentially lifting the tabbed experience Chrome OS is known for and bolting it onto Windows.

Sets + Edge > Chrome?

The tabbed browsing experience is a popular one. People love tabs in their web browsers, so why not bring that same experience to apps? This is what Chrome OS already nails, putting everything in a tabbed environment, whether it be a website, app, or progressive web app. More and more people on Windows are using their web browsers exclusively to do pretty much everything on their PCs,

Microsoft needs a true "lite" version of Windows

The problem with that is even on Windows people are choosing Chrome over Edge. If more and more people are using Chrome to do everything, Windows itself is being used less as a result. So, Microsoft needs to somehow get people to start using Edge, and what better way to do that than to tie Edge with Sets, making Edge a more convenient choice when switching between websites and apps on a Windows 10 PC?

Sets and Edge will work together, just like the Chrome browser and tabs environment do on Chrome OS. With Sets on Windows 10, the user will be able to switch between the apps on their PC and websites they're browsing, without having to switch windows or environments. This scenario only really works if the user is using Edge, so the Sets function itself is almost going to have to trick people into using Edge.

With Sets, every window will have a tabbed UI above it, with a plus (+) button for opening a new tab. The new tab experience begins with the familiar Edge Start page, and from there you'll be able to launch not just websites but locally installed apps on your device, directly from within the Edge Start UI. This is Microsoft's attempt at keeping users within Windows and Edge, instead of switching to Chrome.

What sets Microsoft's approach apart?

Google Chrome on Windows is a serious problem for Microsoft. Windows 10 S is the perfect example of this. Many people will scoff at the idea of Windows 10 S because it doesn't have Chrome. But if Microsoft can minimize the want for Chrome by making Windows 10 perform and behave better when using its own tabbed experience, then perhaps Microsoft can eliminate people's need for Google's browser.

Why Microsoft's new tabbed "Sets" in Windows could be a genuine game changer

Microsoft is essentially trying to keep people within its own platform, which is important as users opt for a more web-orientated workflow. Microsoft is essentially webifying Windows 10 with Sets by bundling websites, apps and more under the same tabbed windows. It's all about the efficiency of the user's workflow, with Sets enabling the ability to resume entire windows across PCs and multitask with ease.

So, now we have the Chrome OS tabbed experience on Windows thanks to Sets, along with Windows 10 S and Windows 10 on ARM. Microsoft isn't done with trying to compete with Chrome OS, however. We understand that there are even more changes and features in the pipeline that will further help Windows 10 along, as more and more people flock to using their web browsers as their one-stop-shops for everything.

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter: @zacbowden.

110 Comments

That is sad
Why?
Maybe because there are extensions in chrome which are must haves, need chrome on 10 S for sure, real barrier unfortunately
Somewhat sad, I agree. It seems like this is "just" a simpler replacement for taskbars + virtual desktops. That simplicity comes at the cost of flexibility however. Viewing two of those tabs side-by-side necessitates that the tabs be seperated, at which point the window-grouping is gone. With Sets, you either have window-grouping, or side-by-side viewing, never both. With taskbars + virtual desktops you can have it all... applications in the taskbar (same as tabs), window-grouping on a per virtual desktop bases (same as a tabbed window), and in contrast to Sets, still arange and view the windows however you want. It feels like Sets is a solution to a problem that Windows already solved some time ago. However, I can see how Sets might make it easier for MS to sell W10S to their target market (educators), particularly if the decision makers aren't flexible enough to learn a different approach from what they've already used in Chrome OS. I suspect that is what Sets are really about. More so than actually solving a usability problem, because on Windows, this problem is already solved... or at least I can't see anything fundamentally new that Sets brings to the table. Over time, this sort of thing (multiple implemnetations that attempt to solve the same problem) leads to what we call bloat.
It feels like Sets is a solution to a problem that Windows already solved some time ago.
It didn't real solve the problem before. Most users don't actually use virtual desktop. As such, they decided to put this together as an alternative. I think it's great; it gives Edge an edge (heh) against other browsers, and it makes it much easier to put all like tasks together. When I am looking into a specific research topic, I tend to have something like 10 browser tabs open, plus an app for note-taking, plus music playing. Being able to put all of this together and minimize it is very exciting to me.
People not using the solution doesn't mean the problem isn't solved. It just means people are ignorant of the solution. That probably also means the virtual desktop + task bar solution is not discoverable or intuitive, but that is, as far as I can tell, the only advantage Sets has.
How can this be of advantage for Surface Scribe?
What? Don't like the name?
surface courier will run on Sets.
Hummn. Scribe is only one syllable. Courier is 3.... I win😉
With all the praising of "Sets" that has gone on here lately, one would think it is a solution to world hunger...
Well, maybe it will lead to someone finding the solution to world hunger.... 🙄
...........
Let's get real. We all know several solutions to world hunger. World hunger isn't a math problem... It's a power, greed, stupidity, and selfishness problem... Those issues are damn near impossible to solve.
At 70 years and much travelled in the first and developing worlds, I see the cause as pollution, PEOPLE pollution, there are just too many people on this plant, hunger is just one of the symptoms. Back on topic: I am looking forward to these tabs and their use, but will they also make effective security even more difficult to achieve?
Well, we're NOT gonna do anything about the amount of people, so we're gonna have to find other ways of educating future generations to distribute resources more efficiently....
..........
I don't see why security would be an issue... Explain
Why did you use an ellipsis at the end? I'm waiting for more to the comment and nothing. Lame.
You're not used to it by now?
.........
Question is,, why don't you use ellipse at the end?... I need to know when your rude comments are over...... Lame.😉 🤓 😆 😂
Yeah and you coming down in comment section and calling people lame is very smart move.... bravo sir.... The guys just said he is not happy with some coverage, that's it. What's the big deal in it? like you guys always say if you don't like the article just skip it, if you don't like a comment just skip it. how tough is that?
Daniel is never gonna admit to being wrong......
These are opinionated articles, not facts.
This would be extremely helpful with my studies, seeing as I'm constantly switching between word, and PDF books viewed on Edge.... I would never even think of needing Chrome as it stands, so this will be that much better.
Yeah. This tabbed shell thing is actually looking sweet.
Terrific idea. MS thought of it first!😛
They thought of a lot things first, just to have someone else steal their thunder because they are incompetent marketing and selling the stuff.
Well, to be fair, KDE Plasma 4 had a "tabbed window shell". But that's long gone now for whatever reason.
So basically a taskbar goes to the top of the window and makes the windows a virtual machine in practice.
"What sets Microsoft's approach apart?"
That's a clever use of the word "sets" 😃
🤓🤓🤓🤓
It seems like Windows 10 S is doing well and as a result grown the education share of Windows in the US. Windows 10 S will likely do better internationally though.
What indication do you have so far that show W10S is doing well?
Windows 10 S doing well based on what? The last numbers in the US had ChromeOS at 59% share in K12. Internationaly ChromeOS grew 33% YoY where Google does not even market them. Curious what you are basing 10 S success on? BTW, until MS makes it more secure it is hard to see it gaining traction. It was easily hacked and Edge also has security issues with getting penetrated over and over again at Pawned 2017 this year.
I tried to use Edge, didn't really work out, we are not made for each other. I use Vivaldi as my main browser so I guess Sets will not be part of my workflow...oh well I don't really care :D
Edge if fine... The only reason I would see someone not using Edge, the default browser, would be old habit.
Or because like me, my favourites disappear on there own. Day 1 of using edge on android - import favourites from desktop Chrome to edge and watch them appear on both desktop and Android edge. Yay very excited. Day 2 - watch them slowly disappear from desktop edge while I am working then check Mobile and gone to. I would prefer to stick with Edge but I can't until my syncing works.
Actually Edge has NOT been secure and should be avoided. At Pawned 2017 Edge was basically hacked at will getting penetrated over and over again. I use Chrome and love it but really using any other browser besides Edge and you will be far more secure.
Or Google could pull their head out of their @$$ and make some UWP's.
@kingtigre Microsoft explicitly bars all web browsers from UWP. You can only use Edge in UWP. Have you ever wondered why there isn't a single third party web browser for UWP/Microsoft Store?
That's not what he's talking about....
@rodneyej But he is [talking about Edge]. Google's services are built around web technology. Edge HTML is still an immature technology (two years after "gold master"), and, judging by Edge, an incomplete implementation! As such, since Chrome's rendering engine is barred from Windows UWP/Microsoft Store Google cannot bring its services to UWP without major re-engineering or compromising on quality (since Edge HTML is not up to the job). Besides, why would Google give its competitor a leg up by actually bringing software to a platform that even Microsoft itself ignores! Google is on iOS because it needs to be there. Microsoft is desperately building a presence on iOS and Android because its long term consumer survival depends on it. What is notable is that Google is only on Windows in the form of Chrome and Apple is almost completely absent. This is wonderful news for us consumers because it means that Microsoft's hold over the computer world has slipped.
What I really wish Google would do is make Chrome a bit more touch friendly. Kill UWP. Microsoft's vision of a tablet OS is one that I want no part of. I love Windows 10 Pro. Windows 10 UWP is an unmitigated disaster. I don't want my desktop to be a tablet. I want my tablet to be a tablet. The only reason I have Windows-based tablets is that I got them for a song because no one wants them. I'd much rather have an iPad but they cost a lot more than my Windows tablets. I like my smart phone. I like my laptop. I'm no fan of tablets for anything other than entertainment (well, maybe I'm jaded because my primary experience with tablets has been with Windows 10 ;). The only reason I'm forced to use Edge is for touch. It's a slightly better choice for touch browsing than Chrome (though, I often find myself having to fire up Chrome anyway with touch because Edge simply fails for too many websites).
Not gonna happen. Google sole purpose of existence is to kill MS off. And everyone else who is their competitor.
Its not that Edge is a bad browser, it's just that I don't really use anything in the Microsoft Ecosystem. I simply prefer Google's own Ecosystem, though I'm happy that Microsoft is trying to make Edge better. As that means Google will continue improving Chrome on all it's platforms.
Edge is a bad browser and that's partly Edge's fault. It's just based on UWP and by now we know how unstable everything UWP is.
To me, that seems like a lot of basely statements. Since I use Edge, I'm wondering how you justify these claims.
Yeah, these two gotta be some Droid clones.
Oh that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Do this: close a tab on Edge using a mouse middle click. Notice how on Edge - and ONLY on Edge - the tab is closed the moment you press the middle button. Literally every other browser closes the tab when you release the middle button. This drove me so mad I just stopped using it. Right clicking anywhere in the address bar or any other text box shows the context menu with a delay. A lot of times the whole brower windows just freezes. These are on top of all the sloppiness in design. These design flaws are just ubiquitous in all UWP apps: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AiqmLTS7IYp8i9YIf-mJzc8SacK4ig It's facinating. If you look at where Microsoft started to go downhill with Windows, more often than not everything comes back to User Experience. 8 had a crappy UX. Before that, Vista. Windows 10 Mobile just straight up demolished what was considered award winning on WP8 and 8.1. UWP also suffers from the same issue: Microsoft just can't create good apps and exciting, consistent UX on its own OS. Have you seen the new Paint 3D? After the RibbonUI of Office matured and made its way to Windows on Windows Explorer and Paint, now we have to settle for some primitive buttons at the top...all effort in UX thrown away in one swipe. Microsoft doesn't know why their software just doesn't feel right. I know, and I've been yelling for years here and elsewhere.
close a tab on Edge using a mouse middle click. Notice how on Edge - and ONLY on Edge - the tab is closed the moment you press the middle button
That's the exact same way it works in Internet Explorer. I just checked both Edge and IE11 to make sure. I use this feature on Window 7 at work all the time and it's never bothered me.
Right clicking anywhere in the address bar or any other text box shows the context menu with a delay. A lot of times the whole brower windows just freezes.
I just tried this from my Edge browser in both the address bar and the text box that I'm typing this reply in. I can't replicate any of the issues you're describing.
By "only" I meant on browsers that are relevant today. I never used IE because it has become irrelevant for a long time. And I just checked again, and my friend checked again and his Edge froze after the right click!
I think that's why you hear "UWP is unstable" from many people. Maybe it works fine for the majority, but not for a sizeable minority. Let me ask you this: does the Task Manager open as quickly as it did on 7? Mine takes 30 to 45 seconds at times to open. Once I had to open a second Task Manager to close the first one!
@Devan " Since I use Edge, I'm wondering how you justify these claims." I often try Edge to see how it works. Every time I come up short and go right back to Chrome. Either Edge chews up far too many CPU cycles or it plain and simple doesn't work (for the longest time WIndows Central would not work on Edge and there have even been times when Microsoft's own websites failed outright on Edge but worked swimmingly on Chrome). Then there's the interface. Edge's interface is far too intrusive. Chrome 'gets out of the way'. Its interface is clean. It doesn't chew up large parts of the screen with useless features. Chrome also doesn't assault you with advertising and "news" the moment you open it. Websites are also optimized and tested with Chrome. If it doesn't work in Chrome it doesn't work on the web. If it doesn't work in Edge that's a minor problem because so few people actually use Edge.
What?
Google's ecosystem isn't as polished as MS's... You cra cra.
Just because I was curious to see what people were talking about I fired up Edge. Right away I notice two problems: #1 The search has been RESET to Bing! I always have Edge set to DuckDuckGo! #2 Edge opened with the "Start Page". I never allow Edge to open with Start Page. The moment I open Edge on any computer I disable that @$!@!# Start Page! Microsoft just reset my preferences without my explicit consent because I've been using this computer for more than a day and I've used Edge on numerous occasions! Bonus problem #3: With the Fc(k)U update it's impossible to disable "Show my feed" in Edge. It even shows up on "New Tab" now. PS I just fired up the "privacy" settings and got to my Bing search queries. They're almost all along the lines of 'how to disable cortana', 'remove feed from edge', 'download chrome', 'set google search engine as default in edge' :).
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH. Edge has just become extremely obnoxious and that's a shocker given that it was obnoxious before. It is IMPOSSIBLE to escape the Feed. IMPOSSIBLE. I despise that feed from the bottom of my heart. If I want news I will go and seek it out. I don't want to be bombarded with click-bait when I open my browser. If I want click-bait I'll seek it out. Microsoft has made a very recent change to Edge that is impossible to escape. Under no circumstances can you prevent the accidental exposure to the click-bait BS. Try it and please let me know if you succeed. I haven't yet! It's possible to set the Start Page to a URL so you can avoid it on start up. But, you cannot set New Tabs to anything that will prevent accidental exposure to click-bait. Microsoft has added the most obnoxious of links, even on a BLANK new tab page: Show top sites and my feed. It is not MY FEED. I HATE that feed and want nothing to do with it. It's such a shame because I actually liked the "show top sites" feature. It was somewhat useful. But, now it's been despoiled by "my feed". I really, really, really, really hope that Microsoft's UWP goes down the toilet. It's a bad addition to Windows and what Microsoft is trying to do with Edge is the worst. I want an alternative browser to Chrome that is backed by Microsoft. I want it to work. I'm fine with it being Edge. What I don't want is to be treated as an advertising target.
Oh, and clicking once on Show top sites and my feed doesn't show you that once. It permanently and instantly changes your settings so that you always get that !$SDFDLKKASU my feed BS on a new tab. Each and every time that that link is accidentally clicked you, as the user, have to go to the effort to hunt down the setting and disable it, yet again. Speaking of bad UX, that's bad UX. To turn something off you have to dig into a hidden setting. To turn it on, permanently you click an easy to click link? If that link were a temporary, one-time-only display of my feed it might be tolerable but this is plain and simple bad UX for the entire purpose of wasting a user's time with click bait and causing users to waste time on Microsoft-owned or directed advertising sites. Why is Microsoft becoming the obnoxious advertiser on the internet? Even if Edge were the perfect browser, this one "feature" is enough to render the browser useless.
Have you seen Chrome settings menu? I guess that's how the world works now.
I consider the benefits of Sets is that will make users easier to organize the Windows based on task, not for something for the purpose of Edge. The issues of Edge are website compability, functionality, and stability, not something related to the lack of "Sets". If Edge can't solve its core issue (especially website compability and stability), users will just use Chrome with "Sets" when necessary, and eventually, found they could just use Chrome without "Sets", and the concept is over. What's the difference between "Sets" for users and "Sets" for Edge? The difference is that if it's for users, it will consider all apps, solve all kinds of issues with different types of apps, and make sure they could work together. If it's for Edge, Edge will get highest priority, and all other apps' issue may not be fixed for a long time, eventually make the "Sets" not useful for users who use different kinds of apps.
Organization, and ease of multitasking.. Yes
Another desperate attempt by m$ to make windoze 10 and especially the awful edge, relevant. Like Bing, it's a waste of time. Windoze is over...Linux won, and even m$ admit that.
Awesome troll.. I'm sure you'll get quite a few ppl with that one :)
@Devan Hammack; I gave you a thumbs up on an absolutely "Awesome" comment. That might just be the comment to close out 2017.
That's your opinion. I never use Google. I never use Chrome. I'd never lower myself to that level.
You're telling me your life is so blank to where you came to WC to make a highly inaccurate trolling statement about how "Linux won"??? Linux?...
This is your brain on drugs, kids
@rodneyej 'highly inaccurate trolling statement about how "Linux won"' He may be a troll but he's not entirely wrong provided you broaden it to *nix won. Android can safely be included in the Linux family of OSes and iOS is a Unix. Between Android and iOS you have the OSes that run 99% of the world's 'smart phones', and, once the last remaining Windows Phones die it will become 99.9%. Smart phones get replaced every two years or so and when they're replaced they're replaced by more Android and iOS devices, NOT by Windows devices. Additionally, an entire generation is now used to meeting their computing needs with an Android or iOS-based device. Many people will be able to go months, if not years without using a Windows device. You only need a Windows device to do your word processing. And, even then, it's not Windows that you need but a keyboard and a mouse. ChromeBooks. MacBooks. Android folios. iPad folios. They all provide a keyboard. And, that's not about to change. Microsoft, as a company, is no friend to OEMs. They've got a long history of squeezing OEMs until it bleeds and in Android OEMs have found a partner that doesn't squeeze them on the licensing side of things!
You might want to double check what you bought at the weeds store yesterday, Paul.
Wow, you clearly found a whole new meaning for the word "deperate". Everytime the MS board look at the share prices they apparantly get more and more "desperate" (as desperate - Paul Hands definition)
why not just ban Chrome on Windows if Google thinks its so big now that it doesnt need microsofts reliance. close windows and force people to use windows products. i haven't used a google browser or any of their services besides youtube, and I'm doing fine. google has been eating away windows user base for decades.
That would be MS shooting themselves in their metaphorical foot.
@rodneyej; Absolutely, Microsoft would not have any tie-end to the enormous Android users who would prefer using Office instead of Google's Office Suite and could lose them for this very reason that they want to stay in one environment rather than crossing over. Which is the very reason with Qualcomm coming through they should be willing to build a WP or like device.Windows On Arms should bring numerous OEMs including Startups who want to put devices on the market. The main question I have is will Microsoft restrict support of devices to a given range not including handhelds therefore preventing someone from building a WP with the Snapdragon 835? I ask this because of the mindset seems to be so anti-consumer and yet pro-enterprise.
Looking at how this eventually killed WP/WM, better not mess up with google these days. Check out what they're currently doing with amazon over the youtube app.
Microsoft doesn't have to try to keep me from using Chrome. There's no universe where I would lower myself to using Chrome.
Just shows how the vision of Windows which MS carried so far is coming to contradict with their vision for Windows for future. Windows is a platform always known for its openness and giving other developers chance to develope their own applications and work as a platform. Now some apps like chrome and probably others like VLC etc have become even bigger than the platform itself. And MS has to mend its ways to accomodate that. They have to change their ways so that people don't stop using windows if the app is not there in windows anymore. Interseting.
The reason why some people use windows is the ability to look at multiple windows at once.
There still are some things to be seen. "workflow" is a nice word to say, but how are "Sets" going to approach some productivity advantages of the classic "window-styled work"? For example the key-bindings to changes fast between open apps, or having 2 or even 4 windows open on the same screen, etc. For the last one, I think Vivaldi has a similar feature to have many tabs opened side by side, so they can do something like that.
I think it's a good idea.
Convincing app developers is where Microsoft will really struggle.
Groupy on Windows Home/Pro
Is this cloud based mostly? Or entirely? Also this will go well on a small screen small form factor.
Newsflash: people have been using the web to do all sorts of stuff since 2000 and Windows is still around. I use Edge (mainly because it has the best touch experience), but it's far from perfect. How about putting more resources into just making the browser better?
This will fail because Edge is a fail, it's also microsofts attempt to make it appear as if more and more people are using Edge in the stats instead of chrome, but this will also fail because most people on desktop windows 10 don't even bother with those regressive store "apps" so they will still have no reason to use Edge. This is also another ploy to force people into the cloud OS where microsoft desperately wants everyone to go but nobody ever wants or asked for outside of the tiny fanboy circles etc.
While I think Nutella has made a mess out of a lot of Microsoft right now, I don't get the Chrome popularity. I far prefer Edge as it has developed now over Chrome.
@missionsparta FYI Nutella has a lot of racist baggage. People happily use it as a not-so-subtle reference to Nadella's heritage. As for his role at Microsoft: their stock price is up and climbing rapidly. As far as Microsoft is concerned he's doing a great job.
The guy is a nut, the Nutella name has absolutely ZERO to do with racism on any level.
Hey, look....another feature of Windows 10 that will be half baked and in a few years Microsoft will stop supporting it.
Only radical projects get cancelled, this is fairly easy.
Sits here with Firfox lol. In all seriousness, I see firefox as the superior browser in almost every regard, for me atleast. Edge is fine, but the lack of developer, and plug-in support, along with the fact it is slower than Firefox just shoves me away. I do use Bing, which I believe is VERY under rated. In my years of switching between Google and Bing, Bing has not only caught up, but exceeded Google in a moderate amount of regards. Is this to say Bing is perfect? No. But definetly a very viable alternative.
Google search is basically ads search. You probably have to go to the 5th or 6th page to get the natural search result. Even with Bing now you have to go to 2nd or 3rd page, but at least it saves you from overclicking.
As a ChromeOS user for about 5+ years now, I am glad to see MS trying to emulate some of its best features. I'm forced to use MS in my work environment and it's incredibly limiting compared to what I use at home (Chromebook). As I watched the video on Sets, I noticed all those things that ChromeOS does and has been improving on over the last 5 years. I've not used my home Windows PC in over a year. This is just my use case so it won't apply to everyone but part of what made me even look at ChromeOS was its simplicity. It's fast and it just works. I've had the same Chromebook for almost 4 years and in that time, my friends and family have gone through more than one Windows machine. Drivers, viruses and increased decline in performance among other things. I've had none of that on my Chromebook. It's still as fast as it was when I first got it. I've wiped it several times and I'm back running again in a matter of minutes. I've installed a new (larger) SSD and restored my image of the Chromebook again, in a matter of minutes. I can go to any ChromeOS machine and login and see everything I need. These features (some, not all) are just not there in Windows. Again, this is just my use case but I could easily do all of the things in that video in ChromeOS and then some. I don't have any driver issues, no viruses, no performace slow downs. We could debate privacy issues all day between Google and MS so save that argument. This is why I switched and haven't looked back. I do hope some of these features come to Windows since I have to use it for work. But anytime someone asks me about getting a new computer, I ask what they'll use it for and in nearly all those cases, a ChromeOS machine will meet their needs. There's a reason MS is looking to emulate ChromeOS features. As I said before, ChromeOS is not for everyone and it meets my set of needs. But as it grows in functionality (Android apps), it only checks off more boxes of user needs.
No Viruses?
How would you know as Chrome is in essence a glorified dumb terminal. I have had the same laptop for several years and granted most of issues i have experienced are windows update driver related. Generally malware writers go after the large % of a userbase. Chrome o/s as it stands is not worth the effort. It doesn't mean it's secure, it simple means it's a waste of time. In simplest terms your friends and family members don't know the basics of system maintenance. If they are switching or buying laptops / pcs every few years. A simple defrag tool on a mechanical drive, a decent anti virus, firewall, adblocker along with common sense goes a long way (not installing adware toolbars, downloading random programmes and allowing them to connect to internet and hog up bandwidth) etc. Heck just by adding ram and a ssd which costs about $100 or so bucks you can have the performance of a brand new machine. Even less if you are savy enough. But i would never recommend cheaping out on a ssd. You are just asking for trouble.
This is something I don't understand about Windows 10's Sets: how is this different from the taskbar and virtual desktops?
A virtual desktop is basically sets as if it were applied to just one window, and one group of applications per desktop. It is targeting the users of the tabbed experience, something more famililar to many I suspect than virtual desktops. If virtual desktops are so great, why aren't people using them.
I don't know if they do or don't, but I personally prefer virtual desktops. I use it constantly and I always use 3-5 of it.
For me, it's growing into using them more now that they are there,
I use chrome because it is the better browser. On my hardware chrome runs vastly quicker, and is far more responsive with many tabs open than edge is with 1. This sets feature should be not edge exclusive, and I don't see a reason why it should be.
It actually has no speed difference on my rig, but chrome usually crashes after opening the half dozenth tab. You should keep your w10 on the latest build and update to ensure stability of Edge.
They are doing the same thing Google did with microsoft phone so i understand and agree with no chrome.... chrome is terrible resource hog anyways. Having said that i will not get this since the moron running microsoft will cancel this and turn its back on their clients as soon as things get hard . Proof of this can be found from MS recent deeds. DO NOT GET NEW TECH FROM MS THEY ARE NOT TRUSTWORTHY. Wait for it to mature before getting anything from MS
Well for edge to become the primary broswer some things must be fixed (happy they will fix scrolling) but still the rendering isnt the best it just doesnt look as smooth as it does on Chrome and ofc if edge doesnt become an app itself to receive updates faster (so that it catches up to other broswer in a faster pace) i cant see edge succeding in the near future
Set will not work with win32 apps, so it will be useless for a lot of people, sure MS may sort that out at some point.
Just for a test, I am going to use the Stardock version and see if something like this would be of any use to me.
It won't work from the get go, which is another fail on Microsoft's part for not focusing on UWP. I've said time and time again, Microsoft's only path forward is UWP as it offers the most growth points. Focusing on ios and android is nothing but a short term stock price money grab.
and chrome does?
Well, there is a limit to everything. Put too many tabs and the entire thing becomes confusing. I personally do not like too many tabs on Edge. But I have seen people opening 20 different tabs at one time. I would like to have a way of grouping similar tasks. But then, will it not become a taskbar placed on the top?
But if MS does not fix the security issues with Edge what is the point? I mean at Pawned 2017 Edge was basically hacked at will getting penetrated over and over again.
As a member of various web developer groups, I consider it to be common knowledge that CSS-support in Edge is a problem. There seem to be many ideas that break when viewed in Edge. Things like transpareny effects. I never bothered to check, because "who cares", right? Also, reading here that people try to create more screen estate by virtual desktops and grouped tabs to switch back and forth to... have you considered an extra monitor? You can speed up your workflow by 34%.
"Microsoft is trying to keep people on their own platform". The irony is that Microsoft themselves have continued to push people to other platforms by focusing on solely on android and ios whilst negating UWP. They should have been focusing on UWP first and ios /android later. The most common reason people use chrome is for extensions, whereas the extension 'store' for edge is utterly barren compared to chrome and firefox. This is again partly due to Microsoft being so absorbed with short term gains through ios and android they did not see the bigger picture. If Microsoft had been more focused on their own platform and put more resources + coding hours across the board instead of quarter to quarter profit margins and over firing staff, they wouldn't be in this mess. The bugs in the fall creators update are a direct result of firing programmatic testers and relying on telemetry and analytics + insider feedback. Most of which has been left abandoned. Their marquee acquisitions (mixer, linked etc) do not have UWP apps, they lack CDMA engineering expertise as they over fired their engineers, as a result the elite x3 on Verizon has issues with basic features. I can type a million page book where Microsoft has gone wrong in the past few years after Steve Ballmer was ousted by the board due to Nokia D&S acquisition. and the potential consequences of their decisions to focus on quarter to quarter profits. Clock is ticking, theren't many short term growth points that can be utilised for quarter to quarter net profit increases. As it is not sustainable and when that happens, tough questions will follow. To mitigate these, Microsoft must focus on UWP and push out a handheld mobile device that fits into the pocket. There are 8.6 billion smartphones forecasted to be shipped between now and 2020.
Clever stuff. This is the sort of thing you would find yourself using daily
Yet another example of Edge failing where Chrome succeeds: today I took one of my Windows 10 tablets onto the local subway system (Toronto). I was trying and trying and trying to get onto the public wifi system and figured it was down when I couldn't. Even went so far as to restart and disable/enable the driver. Nothing helped. I had Edge as the default browser. On a hunch I switched the default browser to Chrome and, voila, success. As soon as I switched the default to Chrome I got the confirmation screen and got connected! Chrome was capable of loading the page where Edge failed miserably ;).
Don't you think Google had something to do with not allowing Edge to load the page? Edge also has some greater level of protection from phishing attacks that Chrome allows. Thus a login page may contain code Edge restricts.
How about they knock it off with all of this hokey baloney crap and just try to focus on making Windows 10 an excellent OS for PC. If I want to use a damned smartphone I will use a smartphone. Ditch the UWP filth, forget about Edge, forget about competing with Chrome browser, iOS and Android. As it stands now, Windows 7 is still superior, and they literally suck at everything they do. Windows 10 is still superior to Mac OS X and Linux, but not for much longer at the rate they are going. They're getting their a$$ kicked in every space because they have strayed off into gimmick land instead of doing what they've historically been good at. It seems like they have a death wish. They're being run from the top down by retarded monkeys desperately trying to mate with a football.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
Edge is useful and convenient. I always use it to download Google Chrome browser right before I unpin Edge from my taskbar and pin Chrome in its place.
I have never used Chrome and I do not anticipate to use it in the future as I do not want to support the evil Google empire.
The best thing about this plain horrible "innovation" is that you can turn it off.

Show more comments

Sets + Edge > Chrome?

What sets Microsoft's approach apart?

Windows Central Newsletter