The blog post reads in part that Microsoft will open-source “the core components of Chakra as ChakraCore, which will include all the key components of the JavaScript engine powering Microsoft Edge.”
The Company says that they expect the ChakraCore to be used in enabling cloud-based services in as far as Internet of Things (IoT) is concerned. Arguing that the technology offers, the “best-in-class JavaScript execution” in addition to providing “dependable performance, reliability, and scalability.”
The blog post further reads the following about Microsoft’s plans with the Edge browser: “We’re investing more than ever in improving Chakra, and are excited to team up with our community to drive further improvements. In addition to the public, several organizations have already expressed interest in contributing to ChakraCore – among many others; we look forward to working with Intel, AMD and NodeSource as we develop this community.
This move by Microsoft may be interpreted as another attempt to revamp Edge browser usage. Currently, the browser has found it an uphill journey as it tries to compete against Google Chrome and Firefox browser. Chrome browser is currently the leading browser in the market, followed not so closely by Mozilla’s Firefox. Firefox in itself has been losing ground to Chrome.
One can also speculate that by open-sourcing key parts of the Edge browser, Microsoft is also encouraging more developers to come on board and start creating extensions. Judging by Chrome’s success with its numerous extensions, and Edge’s (or Internet Explorer for that matter) failure with its very few extensions.
This move could very well be what Microsoft needs to grow the popularity of its latest browser. Something that was touted by Microsoft as the browser that will make people turn away from the increasingly popular Google Chrome browser. However, the browser has registered little traction in becoming a favorite browser among end users.