Microsoft has just released the version 105 of its Edge browser on the Stable channel. The main new feature is WebAssembly support for Edge’s Enhanced security mode for 64-bit versions of Windows.

For those unfamiliar, WebAssembly is a new binary-code format designed to bring almost native performance to web applications. It’s designed to be a complement to Javascript, though Microsoft Edge’s Enhanced security mode actually disables just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation to reduce the surface attack when browsing the web.

“The WASM interpreter is new and doesn’t fully support all WASM features yet,” explained Johnathan Norman, Security research and engineering lead at Microsoft on Twitter. “Performance is acceptable for most use cases but you obviously would not use it for online gaming,” he added.

The WASM interpreter is new and doesn’t fully support all WASM features yet. So please report issues when you notice them via the Feedback button. Performance is acceptable for most use cases but you obviously would not use it for online gaming. 2/

— Johnathan Norman (@spoofyroot) September 1, 2022

Microsoft Edge 105 also brings improvements to the Cloud Site List Management experience for the browser’s IE Mode. IT Admins can also configure session cookie sharing between Microsoft Edge and IE mode on their site list in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

If you’re using Google Chrome, Chrome 105 was also released earlier this week, and new features include Windows controls overlay for Installed Desktop Web Apps. Developers can now use this feature to place custom content in the title bar area of installed PWAs, which will help them look more native.

Tagged with Microsoft Edge