Years after we all jumped ship from Internet Explorer to Firefox and Chrome, we don't really want to go back to a Microsoft browser, do we? While buggy and slow when it first appeared, Microsoft Edge has been given a continuing stream of new features and updates that make it worthy of your consideration now. Below are nine of our favourite additions that make it a worthy replacement for your current browser.

We're in the last few months of 2018, and Adobe Flash's expiration date feels just within reach. That's not just wishful thinking, either — Adobe has stated it will officially end support for the ailing web plugin in 2020.

All is fair in love and browser wars. In a bid to claw back some much-needed market share, Microsoft is implementing a rather cheeky "feature" in its Edge browser. When users attempt to download Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, they are now confronted with a pop-up window warning them that Edge is "faster" and "safer". No, really.

You hate it as much as I do: that little box that appears whenever you visit a news site or blog, asking for permission to bug you with notification boxes for stuff you don't care about. Instead of throwing up your hands in defeat and learning to live with the annoyance, you can stop sites from bothering you altogether. Here's how.

Following a public preview program, Microsoft has released everyone's favourite tool for downloading Chrome to mobile devices. Microsoft Edge is now available through the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. As you'd expect from a modern mobile browser, it delivers Favorites, Reading List, New Tab Page, Reading View, and Roaming Passwords so you can maintain some continuity when you switch from between your desktop and mobile devices.

Anyone who has demoed a technology product or service onstage knows the terror of that moment. You know the one. That time just before you launch into your well rehearsed demonstration where you hope the technology doesn't let you down.

Spare a thought then for Michael Leworthy from Microsoft's Azure Migration Team. While showing off Azure's Site Recovery tech, Everly proved what many people already know - Edge's primary purpose is downloading Chrome.

One major advantage Firefox, Chrome and other browsers have had over Edge is a rich extension ecosystem. In comparison, Microsoft has struggled -- massively -- to compete in this area. To be fair, it had to win people back to Edge first, which it's managed to somewhat accomplish. And while extensions for the browser are still thin on the ground, the steadily growing collection now has over 70 options.

There aren't many, but Microsoft Edge does feature a selection of third-party extensions to add some functionality to the new web browser.

Unsecured web browsers are a key vector used by malware distributors and threat actors. So, it's unsurprising that browser developers are constantly looking for ways to protect users. If you're a member of Microsoft’s Enterprise business service and are in the Fast Ring test group then you'll get access to Windows Defender Application Guard. This is a sandbox that keeps the browser window isolated from the rest of your computer's resources.

This year’s Pwn2Own competition resulted in Microsoft Edge being hacked five times with Google Chrome remaining pristine. The hacks on Edge used new zero-day exploits, delivering tens of thousands of dollars to the competition winners.

Many of us spend most of our time on the web, but all too often browsing sessions can descend into a sprawling mess of memory-hogging, audio-playing tabs that bring your computer and your productivity to a shuddering halt. It doesn't have to be that way. These extensions and tricks can bring some simplicity back to your browsing.

You may be so well used to Chrome or Firefox that Microsoft's new browser Edge may not be on your radar. It probably should be though, because it was built for Windows 10 and includes a bunch of great new tricks that other browsers don't have. No matter what your experiences with the old Internet Explorer was like, Edge is still worth a look. Here are 5 reasons to give Microsoft's new browser another chance.

Last month, Microsoft launched a bug bounty program for the Edge web browser that focused on finding remote code execution vulnerabilities. The company has now expanded this program, offering hackers and researchers monetary rewards for different types of security flaws that they find. Here's what you need to know.

I almost feel sorry for Flash. Kicked to the curb by Chrome and then Firefox, it won't be long before Microsoft turns the screws. Not that you have to wait for Redmond to get its act together -- you can turn it off right now and get a nice performance boost.

Last week, we reported that Microsoft Edge Browser's InPrivate mode was still keeping track of users who didn't want their browsing history to be recorded. It's a disconcerting discovery considering the Edge browser launched last year and the flaw was only found recently. It would seem Microsoft has now fixed the problem.

Microsoft's Edge browser needs all the help it can get if it wants to remain relevant in a market where Chrome and Firefox dominates the scene. After sourcing feedback from developers, the company has revealed that it is adding support for a number of web technologies on Edge. Here are the details.

Private browsing mode is a now a common option offered by web browsers so that users can surf the net without any record of the websites they visited being stored. But Microsoft seems to have missed the point of private browsing mode on its Edge browser. It would appear that Edge's InPrivate browsing mode still keeps tracks of websites a user visits. Here's what we know.

Microsoft is open sourcing Chakra, the JavaScript engine powering its Edge web browser. The open source version of the engine is called ChakraCore. It'll be landing on the company's GitHub page next month and here's what you need to know about it.

It used to be this sort of event could only occur in an alternate reality, yet here we are and Microsoft has announced that Chakra, Edge's JavaScript engine, will be open-sourced as of January next year.