Microsoft to have New, Light-Weight Browser in Windows 10, Not IE: Report

Microsoft is reportedly working on a separate browser codenamed Spartan for Windows 10 other than the standard Internet Explorer.

Windows 10 Release Date and Editions: Microsoft Reveals Wide Range Of Devices To Run The New OSWindows Blog

It looks like Windows 10 is going to be the much-needed change, after all. New reports are hinting at a new browser in the upcoming desktop OS that looks and feels more like rivals Chrome and Firefox.

Amid other new features, this one is going to be one of the most intriguing additions to the Windows 8-successor. The news comes directly from a Microsoft Student Partner lead and developer of the modern version of VLC, Thomas Nigro, who tweeted Microsoft's plans of an entirely new browser for Windows 10.

Ok so Microsoft is about to launch a new browser that's not Internet Explorer and will be the default browser in Windows 10. Wow.

— Thomas Nigro (@ThomasNigro) December 18, 2014

Adding more weight to Nigro's comments, ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley added citing anonymous sources that the new browser is codenamed "Spartan". Foley also clarified that Spartan is not the next iteration of IE 12 and the new browser will be Microsoft's Chakra JavaScript engine and Trident rendering engine, and not WebKit.

According to the report, Windows 10 will actually ship with both Spartan and IE 11. The Internet Explorer will be there for backward-compatibility while Spartan will be the prominent choice for both mobile and desktop versions.

Microsoft is set to show off the new browser during its 21 January event. Sadly, the sources added that Spartan must undergo several changes before being functional.

Microsoft has named its new browser 'Spartan' only for internal use. It is likely to give the browser a new name before the launch. The new browser will hopefully be ready for general release when the software giant rolls-out Windows 10 later this fall.

With a new browser for Windows 10, Microsoft is taking a sensible step towards creating a new brand image for its OS as well as overcoming the poor reputation its IE browser has earned over years. If the company can actually compete against the likes of Google Chrome, there is a fair chance it may be able to win back the users it has lost to the emerging Chrome OS.