This doesn't really answer how IE is "more of a browser" than anything derived from Chrome. You are right that a Chromium monoculture is bad for the future of

This doesn't really answer how IE is "more of a browser" than anything derived from Chrome. You are right that a Chromium monoculture is bad for the future of web standards. Google does try to make sites look like applications, and on Chrome OS, it doesn't distinguish them too well, but they are still HTML/JS and do not reach into the OS like ActiveX did. But ActiveX as it was implemented and presented with IE was horrendous. Binaries with access to the full system (and a "kill bit" hack needed to protect users from bad ones), doing things like local applications but not manageable like local applications, and security responsibilities handwaved by cryptic dialogs and warnings end users typically don't read or understand and everyone blames the IT department for. It's a shame Edge didn't take off. That was practically IE without ActiveX and it was quick if you wanted a basic browser experience, kinda like how Chrome used to be when it was first around.