Via a new Microsoft 365 roadmap entry update, Microsoft has confirmed that WebUI 2.0 is heading for Edge settings and it is expected to bring a performance boost to the browser. The entry, under feature ID "419809" says:
Microsoft Edge: Edge Settings Improvements
Edge Settings is migrating to WebUI2 to boost page responsiveness and introducing a series of minor visual and content upgrades to improve overall usability and utility. This includes optimizing for concise wording of individual settings, simplifying the number of pages and reorganizing content, and creating a cohesive user interface.
Whether you feel it or not, Microsoft says that it has been steadily working to improve the performance of its Edge browser. Back in May earlier this year, the company put up some numbers claiming that the Browser Essentials UI was 42% faster and the performance claims grew even more impressive at 76% if the system was a relatively low end one, a device with no SSD and having less than 8 GB of memory.
Alongside those announcements, it also debuted WebUI 2.0 so as to address some of the slow responsiveness of the UI as a result of JavaScript rendering delay. The primary goal Microosft had in mind with WebUI 2.0 was to make browser UI "very fast" while also acknowledging the advantages of JavaScript. It wrote:
- Could we maintain the developer productivity that JavaScript frameworks have given us while generating code that renders UI fast?
- Could the browser be its own best customer?
- How fast could we make things if we removed that framework and built our UI just by using the web platform?
The answers to these questions are Yes, Yes, and Very Fast.
The new feature entry is not surprising as Microsoft did say it was "in the process of upgrading components of the Edge user interface to WebUI 2.0." Therefore, we are likely going to see more such entries in the coming months additional parts of Edge get the WebUI 2.0 treatment.