Time passes and Windows 10 is showing its benefits, dropwise, yes, we will have to wait longer until final versions to see its full potential. Today we specifically want to talk about Project Spartan, or what is the same, the browser with which Microsoft wants to clean up the bad image that Internet Explorer has and launch itself directly to compete against big names like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
After a while with Windows 10 Between us in the form of prior technique (for developers) it is time to see where the guys from Redmond are going, in this article we will review the current (public) state of Spartan and its most characteristic functions.
First of all I want to talk to you about the design, and it is that as we see it adapts to the simplistic and plain aesthetics of Windows 8, an aesthetic that in Windows 10 is taken a step further, in Spartan the buttons are the basic and necessary, we find ourselves with the typical unified search bar, where we can write both URLs and searches; the page control buttons (previous page, next page, reload); the navigation tabs and a couple more buttons with functions such as reading or writing mode in web pages that we will now comment on.
Features that make Spartan stand out over Internet Explorer
In Spartan we now have functions that Internet Explorer does not have natively, we make a compilation for you:
Reading Mode: With this function (which has been present in other browsers such as Safari for a few years) we will be able to read web pages more comfortably, select the relevant content or "body" of the page and present it to us on a white background and without distractions so that we can practice reading it without great discomfort.
Writing on web pages: This mode allows us to freeze the web page to draw, write or even edit it, for example to be able to share it later or highlight something to those around you.
Cortana: The Microsoft virtual assistant is present in this browser, Cortana will help us from the address bar by offering us suggestions based on their knowledge about us and even helping us obtain more information about what we have selected (in the case of selecting the name of a restaurant , Cortana will show you data related to this on the side, such as your phone number).
Prediction and preloading of web pages: This new browser will try to predict the next web that we are going to visit and will load and download its content partially while we are still on the previous web, in this way our browsing experience will be improved due to greater speed when loading web pages. This, however, is a function that also exists in other browsers such as Opera, where when searching in the browser, it preloads the best results.
SmartScreen filter: Something that in Windows 8 we already have at the system level, a security barrier that protects our system from dangerous files by preventing their execution, this protection measure will be integrated into the browser to avoid falling into malicious pages and even downloading and executing of infected or risk files.
Adobe Flash Player: An interesting move by Microsoft, Flash Player is a well known plugin for its reputation related to security (negative) and for making websites load too heavy content and slow down; In Spartan we can disable it individually on the pages we want, in this way we can speed up the loading of the web pages we want and even protect ourselves against possible threats that use this software.
Conclusion
Microsoft's new browser has many goals to pass, to be at the level of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox it must progress faster and include some function that can attract new users, users that being already established in a stable browser will not change. to Microsoft for the simple fact that it is new, users who demand new functions or at least the substantial improvement of existing ones.
In general, the performance of Spartan in the previous technical version is acceptable, nothing special, and quite stable, although the occasional closure is reported and especially when making use of the "writing on web pages" function. It has also been verified that for now the browser does not have support for extensions, something that will prevent its customization (although it positively makes it more secure by disabling any of its own software in it). Fortunately Microsoft still has time ahead to refine, polish and solve all these bugs and deficiencies, once Windows 10 is officially launched we will take care of doing a comprehensive review of Spartan to see how it has evolved and what options it has in front of its already established and tough competitors.