Is Microsoft working on an entirely new web browser, codename “Spartan”?
Microsoft is working on an entirely new web browser, which will be more light-weight, support extensions and feel similar to Chrome or Firefox, apparently.
According to ZDNet, the development of the browser – codenamed “Spartan” – is completely separate to the teams currently working on future versions of Internet Explorer. Windows 10 on desktop is expected to ship with both Internet Explorer and the new browser – to give users a choice and to maximise compatibility. It will also be made available for mobile and tablet.
On the technical side, apparently the browser will still use the same major components of Internet Explorer, in the form of the Chakra Javascript engine and Trident rendering engine that turns code into websites.
Interestingly, much how Microsoft’s Siri-style voice assistant is named Cortana, after a character in Halo, this project also carries a possible Halo-inspired name – Spartan is the name given the super soldiers in the game.
Whilst this is all of the detail that exists at the moment, we can perhaps expect to hear more later in January when Microsoft is expected to officially announce the consumer version of Windows 10.
