A New Web Browser from Microsoft – “Project Spartan”

With Windows 8 triggering a less than stellar approval from PC users worldwide, many are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Windows 10, which is set to be available to the public in the summer of 2015.

Along with an improved interface, more user friendly apps, and a brand new office suite, Windows 10 will also be accompanied with a brand new web browser which has been codenamed “Project Spartan”.

While Internet Explorer (IE) has been Microsoft’s web browser since 1995, it is no surprise that many PC users have strayed away from its use. Most notably due to the security vulnerabilities that became apparent in 2008 which pushed many IE users away and into the hands of competitors such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. A vast amount of the spyware, adware, and computer viruses across the web are made possible by exploiting flaws in IE’s security, sometimes requiring nothing more than visiting a malicious webpage in order to spread.  Despite updates which have attempted to rectify IE’s security holes, IE is still experiencing a steady decline in use, and a decline in customer confidence.

As a result of not being able to shake off the negative image, plans to phase out their legacy browser in favor of Project Spartan have been made apparent by Microsoft. Project Spartan will be the primary way for Windows 10 users to access the web.

But just how different is Project Spartan from Internet Explorer? Spartan will use a new “Edge” layout engine which was forked from the engine that Internet Explorer currently runs on. Also, Spartan will be optimized for mobile use, which is an area where IE fell quite short in comparison to Google Chrome.

Furthermore, a report from Anandtech revealed earlier this year that Project Spartan’s Web-rendering engine, which largely determines the speed at which a page loads, was significantly faster than the one powering Internet Explorer.

Something new that will be available with the Spartan browser is the addition of a digital voice assistant named “Cortana”, which is intended to rival Apple’s Siri, and Google Now. It has been revealed that Spartan will include a number of useful features that will involve Cortana.

If Microsoft plans to win back the confidence in its users that has been lost through the perils of Windows 8 and Internet explorer, a brand new web browser for the new operating system is a good place to start. While digital voice assistants, speed, and mobile use are all great, little has been mentioned about any improvements in security that Spartan may have over its predecessor.

After all, the security flaws in IE are what drove most users away in the first place. Perhaps there is something else that can be done to ensure secure internet browsing, no matter what internet browser you choose to use?

That is where BrowseControl comes into play. The power of internet restriction software has been proven to keep the PCs on any network safe from the dangers that lurk on the internet. Having the option to eliminate the possibility of browsing to malicious websites with BrowseControl might actually outdo any security update that Microsoft has on the horizon for either of its web browsers.