Rumor: Microsoft is going to introduce a new browser with Windows 10

Microsoft plans to include a new browser with the release of Windows 10. It is therefore not a new version of Internet Explorer, but a browser that, according to rumors, should feel more like Firefox and Chrome.

The rumors come from ZDNet, which usually has reliable sources. According to Microsoft insider Mary Jo Foley, the unreleased browser is codenamed Spartan and uses the existing Chakra javascript engine and Microsoft’s Trident render engine already used for Internet Explorer. Spartan, whose final name has not yet been decided, is to become a ‘lightweight’ browser.

With Spartan, Microsoft wants to make a browser that has similarities with Firefox and Chrome, the ZDNet sources say. For example, there should be support for plugins or extensions. Despite the new browser, the development of Internet Explorer seems to be continuing. With the release of Windows 10, version 12 of the browser should probably come out, although ZDNet states that the new OS will initially ship with Internet Explorer version 11.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is also said to be working on a compatibility mode for the Trident render engine, Neowin reports citing its sources. This would be built into Internet Explorer 12 and therefore likely to appear with the release of Windows 10. When prompted for compatibility mode, an older version of the Trident engine is used that requires more of the hardware. Should compatibility mode not be needed to render the page correctly, the newer and faster version of Trident can be used. This new version will probably also be used for Spartan.

On January 21, Microsoft will show the consumer version of Windows 10. Then a number of new features will be demonstrated. It is still unclear whether the new browser will also appear on the scene: according to ZDNet, it is not certain whether Spartan is already functional enough to be shown.