By now a lot of information has been revealed regarding Microsoft’s latest offerings in the form of a new Surface laptop and new basic stripped-down operating system, Windows 10 S.
Designed for simple operation and security that’s geared towards use in an educational environment by students and teachers, Windows 10 S tries to keep everything basic. It does this by restricting the sort of programs and applications that can be installed on any laptop running 10 S by allowing only those that are listed in the Microsoft Windows Store.
Unfortunately this means that Google Chrome – currently the most popular browser used online – isn’t going to be available for download and use here.
Security trip-up
Microsoft has stated regarding usable browsers in Windows 10 S that “Windows Store Apps that browse the web must use HTML and JavaScript engines provided by the Windows Platform.” That’s where Google’s browser runs into a brick wall – Chrome’s coding doesn’t utilize the two engines mentioned. And with 10 S being very strict on only allowing Windows Store apps to be downloaded, Google will need to reconfigure their browser to work with HTML and JavaScript.
But even then there’s the sticking point wherein Windows 10 S has locked in Microsoft’s own Edge browser as the only default useable for the operating system. While other browsers that are listed on Windows Store (and thus using HTML/Java) can be opened at the user’s discretion, priority defaults remain on the Edge.
But that’s not all. Microsoft’s own Edge browser is also given some strict limitations within 10 S. The default search provider used is Bing, and cannot be switched out for any alternative such as Google search.
Possible compromise
While the situation for the Chrome browser on the Windows 10 S isn’t quite ideal, creator Google has been known for taking reconciliatory steps.
For example, the iOS version of the Chrome browser forgoes the Google Blink engine. Instead it uses WebKit which is similar to the Apple Safari browser, yet still feels like browsing on Chrome. From this line of thought, Google can undertake a similar solution in order to have their browser pass muster on Microsoft’s security safeguards.
However, Microsoft is also quick to explain that any Windows 10 S user who wishes to be able to freely use their browser of choice without restriction can simply upgrade their basic operating system to the beefier Windows 10 Pro, for a $49 fee. Now they can surf using Chrome to their heart’s content. This is similar in principle to the Windows 10 S’ rival basic OS platform ChromeOS, as well as Apple’s iOS.
