Microsoft released a major update dubbed “Threshold 2”, also known as Windows 10 1511. The update was a major one and not only attempted to fix the bugs but also introduce some new features along with it. Microsoft Edge has been evolving gradually from the Project Spartan we had seen before the release. The new update brings to table Microsoft Edges rendering engine to EdgeHTML 13 which has already been previewed by Windows Insiders for the last couple of months.
EdgeHTML 13
It might be evident for those who have been keenly observing the Microsoft Edge change log as they may see that the updates have helped the edge browser to achieve a score of 117 points as opposed to the Internet Explorer 11. The new Edge browser has been promptly treated to an update in the below mentioned areas:
CSS
CSS Mutability Pseudo Classes (read-write and read-only), CSS Range Pseudo-classes (:in-range and :out-of-range), CSS initial Keyword and CSS unset keyword.
Now File APIs can be appended with a [download] attribute.
The following user inputs will be now supported,
1.Input type=text selectionDirection
2.Input type=time
3.Input type=datetime-local
4.<meter> element
5.Oninvalid event handler, for both element document and window
6.Mouse lock/Pointer lock
Graphics
The change log in graphics will now support Canvas ellipse, canvas blending modes, Extended srcset and sizes, <picture> element and SVG external content.
Tools and Web Components
Restoring support for docking the F12 Developer Tools and enabling <template> element.
JavaScript Engine
The EdgeHTML has incorporated many major improvements and new features in Chakra, the JavaScript engine that powers Microsoft Edge. Essential features like asm.js are enabled by default. These updates have helped the Microsoft Edge to score by a wide margin the highest scoring desktop browser when it comes to the Kangax ES6 compatibility table.
The new major functions in Chakra include
1.ES2016 Async Functions
2.ES2016 Exponentiation operator.
3.asm.js is now enabled by default.
4.ES2015 Classes now enabled by default
5.ES2015 Destructuring now available behind the Experimental JavaScript features flag.
Unifying the Windows Ecosystem
The update also incorporates some welcoming changes like the inclusion of same version of EdgeHTML to all the Windows 10 devices, be it the PC’s, Windows 10 Phones or even Xbox One. This feature imparts a much needed consistency across all the devices and thus enriches the browsing experience.
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