Microsoft has a new web browser in the works, according to a new report. ZDNet reports, citing more than one source, that Microsoft is building a new browser, codenamed Spartan, which is separate from Internet Explorer.
Spartan, according to the report, would be part of Windows 10. Mary Jo Foley reports:
Spartan is still going to use Microsoft’s Chakra JavaScript engine and Microsoft’s Trident rendering engine (not WebKit), sources say. As Neowin’s Brad Sams reported back in September, the coming browser will look and feel more like Chrome and Firefox and will support extensions. Sams also reported on December 29 that Microsoft has two different versions of Trident in the works, which also seemingly supports the claim that the company has two different Trident-based browsers.
However, if my sources are right, Spartan is not IE 12. Instead, Spartan is a new, light-weight browser Microsoft is building.
Spartan would apparently be available for both desktop and mobile devices. It’s hard to imagine it any other way at this point. Windows 10, Foley says, will ship with both Spartan and IE 11, which would be more for backwards compatibility than anything.
Spartan will likely be called something else, as that’s just its codename. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft offers it on other platforms like iOS and Android. My guess, based on its strategy with other products, is that it will.
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