Has anyone installed Ms Edge on Solus yet? It's very cool and fast, have web pages read out to you in different languages and voices and handy extensions. You don't need an .eopkg file, just download the latest .deb version and open it with the extractor. Copy the folder "msedge-dev" to somewhere on your home directory. Make a link to %home%/msedge-dev/msedge and you're done. Have fun :-)
Microsoft Edge (linux ver)
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xarai001 I've been using Edge on Windows, Android and iOS for many months, and on Solus for several weeks. The Dev version for Linux is the same version as the Windows 10 Dev version, but a few features available for Windows are not yet available for Linux.
I like Edge a lot, and I am considering making it my default across all the platforms when a stable version is released for Linux.
Rather than attempting to "roll-my-own" and taking on the task of maintaining the package as a new Dev version is released each week, I installed Edge using a Flatpak version that will go into the Flatpak stable repository with the Stable version of Edge for Linux is released.
If you want to install the Flatpak:
(1) Check to see that Flatpak is installed (it should be, unless you removed it).
(2) Install the Flathub BETA repository via the terminal, using these commands:
flatpak remote-add flathub-beta https://flathub.org/beta-repo/flathub-beta.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub-beta org.godotengine.Godot
(3) Install Microsoft Edge via the terminal, using this command:
flatpak install com.microsoft.Edge
To stay current, the Flatpak version needs to be updated weekly using the terminal command:
flatpak update
When the stable version of Edge is released, it will update monthly.
Prior to installing Edge on Solus using the Flatpak, I tested Edge on a Ubuntu 20.10 computer dedicated for testing Edge. I have not noticed any performance degradation using the Flatpak on Solus.
Disclaimers: I am not associated with or contributing to the Flatpak project. I have been an active participant in the Microsoft Edge Insider program since April 2019.
Something I noticed.. I have another laptop that I routinely install new distros on for fun. Maybe 6 months ago I had MXLinux installed and installed the .deb version of Edge.
I vividly recall that features that are not available now were available then. I am absolutely certain I synced in my bookmarks.
Any idea why this functionality is gone?
And literally as I write this I realize that Google stripped Chrome APIs from Chromium. But I have to ask... if that is the reason that bookmarks no longer sync in Linux, why hasn't that affected Windows and other versions of Edge as well?
I'm quite confused about this.
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jrsilvey I'm not quite sure that I understand. Microsoft released Edge-Linux on October 20. Sync was not then available on Edge-Linux. Microsoft first introduced MSA sign-in and sync on Edge-Linux three weeks ago. What in the world were you syncing to last October?
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jrsilvey And literally as I write this I realize that Google stripped Chrome APIs from Chromium. But I have to ask... if that is the reason that bookmarks no longer sync in Linux, why hasn't that affected Windows and other versions of Edge as well?
Edge sync is not related to Google in any way, shape or form. Microsoft went to a lot of effort to unGoogle Edge before releasing the initial test versions in April 2019, and nothing has changed in that respect since. Edge uses the MSA to sync, just as Edge Classic did since 2016.
That is what I figured.. The Chromium Edge experience is really focused on giving the Microsoft walled garden experience that Google Chrome gave.
That leaves me confused still though. Why could I sync in my bookmarks when I was using Edge on Linux when using the .deb version a few months ago when the software first became available on Linux? I'm absolutely certain I did.
My roommate is in the Windows Insider and Edge Insider program and he downloaded the Edge Beta on flatpak and the bookmarks sync wasn't available.
It's a minor discrepancy but I just didn't understand why that had changed or what caused the sync feature not to work.
Could it be something about the Collections feature?
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jrsilvey That leaves me confused still though. Why could I sync in my bookmarks when I was using Edge on Linux when using the .deb version a few months ago when the software first became available on Linux? I'm absolutely certain I did.
I have no idea what you were syncing or how. Edge syncs through the user's Microsoft Account on Microsoft servers. I know for a fact that sync on Edge-Linux was not available until March 23, and at that point it required a flag to be set. The flag is no longer needed in the two most recent versions.
jrsilvey My roommate is in the Windows Insider and Edge Insider program and he downloaded the Edge Beta on flatpak and the bookmarks sync wasn't available.
"When" might be a relevant question, because only the last three Dev versions of Edge-Linux support sync at all, and sync required that a flag be set on the March 23 Dev version. Your roommate should check to see if he is on Version 91.0.845.2 or higher. If he cannot sign in to his MSA and sync using the current version, he might want to contact Microsoft Edge Insider Support.
I have only seen one report in the MEI forum concerning sync failure with Edge-Linux, and I think that problem was a user-setting problem, although I did not explore it.
jrsilvey Could it be something about the Collections feature?
I doubt it. Collections syncs through a user's MSA, as I understand it, although I don't use that feature so I'm not certain.
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Ah.. My apologies. It wasn't sync. I imported the bookmarks manually onto Edge from my other browser when I was using Edge on MXLinux.
I don't have Edge on my Solus system and was operating from memory.. your post helped me recall what had happened.
So.. not a sync issue, but still completely perplexed why such a basic function as importing bookmarks wasn't available when I tried to help my roommate use the feature a week or two ago. Whenever he clicked on the settings page to import his bookmarks the page was completely blank.
I'll check with him tomorrow and see if it has been resolved.
Thanks very much for your response by the way.
jrsilvey So.. not a sync issue, but still completely perplexed why such a basic function as importing bookmarks wasn't available when I tried to help my roommate use the feature a week or two ago. Whenever he clicked on the settings page to import his bookmarks the page was completely blank. I'll check with him tomorrow and see if it has been resolved.
Settings>Profiles>Import Data is not yet enabled in Edge-Linux, apparently. I just checked and got the same blank screen. I have no idea what the hang-up might be or when it will be resolved. I'll report it in the morning, although I imagine that Microsoft has it on a list someplace.
It took a little work but we finally got it done. Great teamwork. high fives
Thanks very much.
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jrsilvey Just to follow up, I reported the problem to Microsoft and found out some additional information from the MEI forum.
Import was working when Edge Dev was released on Linux, but stopped working when 90.0.818.6 was released on March 9, and has remained broken since. Forward progress in a backward direction.
I have no timetable for resolution, but if I get any information, I'll let you know. Obviously, Edge is useless for new Linux adopters if bookmarks/favorites can't be imported.
I dont want use anything from Microsoft
elfprince where I work all the gmail and google stuff is integrated into a MS sharepoint system, it's just a giant layer of grime. Microsoft observes my productivity and sends me CREEPY emails (MyAnalytics) about when the lulls in my day occur, so I should try to stay productive even though I've switched tasks.... that's spooky to me. Like HAL.
My interest in Edge is to compartment this spooky google/sharepoint beast to one of their own browsers and not taint the Firefox. But I honestly don't know if I'd be winning the battle or losing it?
First, some other people do.
Second, these kinds of comments don't elevate the conversation. They do nothing other than provide the people that may want to use these products or may have to use these products a really bad first impression of the Linux community.
This kind of attitude is extremely off putting. It is desirable to have companies such as Microsoft and Google providing open-source software to Linux users because it can increase adoption and allow companies considering a switch to an open-source model or running Linux as an OS to do so.
Businesses will not be able to make that switch without having access to tools such as the Edge Browser, Visual Studio, etc. Individuals won't want to make that switch without having access to things like Spotify, Google Photos, etc. Imagine how many more individuals would adopt our platform if there were a Linux version of software such as Adobe Creative Cloud or Microsoft Office?
I am an open-source activist and political organizer. I've already made these comments at length in the Microsoft-Edge-Linux Flatpak forum post. I canceled my Microsoft Office 365 account last month. I run a version of Nextcloud to keep all of my data private. I suggest everyone switch to services such as LibreOffice, GIMP/Inkscape/Blender, & Signal App and ending their use of proprietary software and platforms that actively sell your data.
Do I use Microsoft Edge? No.
Do I actively support Big Tech designing Linux products in order to assist in increased Linux adoption? Yes.
I get where you two are coming from. Seriously, I do. However, without a full fledged open-source/Linux ecosystem (mass adoption of Linux phones & laptops, private clouds, etc) the best tool at our disposal is gaining access to official Linux releases of software like this in order to make the switch to Linux easier for people who may not want to learn command line anything but would make the switch if the programs they needed were available and the OS they used were simple to learn, secure and reliable.
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brent My interest in Edge is to compartment this spooky google/sharepoint beast to one of their own browsers and not taint the Firefox. But I honestly don't know if I'd be winning the battle or losing it?
I'm curious about why you don't create different users, one for business use and the other for personal use. Wouldn't that create sufficient segregation of your working and personal environments?
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jrsilvey I think you are blowing this a little out of proportion? I/we made a couple of sincere statements and case closed. We did not go on and elaborate and so on. I know full well that many people are 'stuck' with having to use MS and Google products. And many actually like using them. That is ok. I do reserve the right to speak my mind, and do not like being censored. This is a free forum. Take it easy please.
tomscharbach "I'm curious about why you don't create different users, one for business use and the other for personal use. Wouldn't that create sufficient segregation of your working and personal environments?"
I am doing exactly that with separate browsers. PITA, yes, and I may bail for convenience, but it feels right, right now. If I bail, then on to users/containers. Great question. I just blunder forward
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jrsilvey The Import Data issue is supposedly fixed as of Dev 91.0.852.0 ("Fixed an issue where edge://settings/importData is sometimes blank."). I tested it this morning. Import from .html and .csv files is now enabled again. You might let your roommate know if he is interested. I note for the record that this is limited import, not nearly as extensive as is permitted in Windows 10 versions.