3 ms·

I hate this, though it is a kind of poetic justice for the way Windows 10 fights tooth and nail to keep you from switching your default browser away from Edge.

jdmichal 7y ago
What exactly do you mean by "fights tooth and nail"? I had to reinstall my laptop a few months ago, and the experience was "navigate to Firefox download site, download, install, set default browser"... Same as it has ever been.
- pluma 7y ago
  Off the top of my head: * when switching default browsers, Windows suggests you give Edge a try instead * at some point I got a Windows notification suggesting that I try Edge instead of the browser I was using IIRC they used to nag users more in the past but I think the notification I got also included an option to not be reminded again.
  - gamblor956 7y ago
    Literally every Google website tries to get me to download Chrome whenever I use firefox or ie. Every. Single. Time. 2 attempts from Microsoft... not so bad.
    - pluma 7y ago
      I agree that two attempts isn't so bad. I think most users are upset because the notifications happened a lot more frequently in the past and using notifications from the OS for ads comes across as pretty slimy (because you only expect the OS to tell you when something important happens).
      - WorldMaker 7y ago
        iOS, at least, sends just as many "Tips" notifications that also border on being ads for Apple and trusted third party applications, and I've never seen anyone near as harshly complain about "ads in iOS".
- Causality1 7y ago
  The Bing search results beg you not to install it, then on the Default Apps menu Edge gets a "recommended for Windows 10" label unlike the other options, THEN if you try to select something else you get a popup that says "Before you switch, try Microsoft Edge-it's new, it's fast, and it's built for Windows 10." and a "Check it out" button in a bold black box, with "Switch anyway" in light grey-on-grey text underneath. It's scummy and it's insulting.
- iggldiggl 7y ago
  And some things ignore your default browser and force-launch Edge anyway (see https://www.ctrl.blog/entry/edgedeflector-default-browser.html https://www.ctrl.blog/entry/edgedeflector-default-browser.ht... for more details and a workaround).
ocdtrekkie 7y ago
As a Chrome user, you might not realize this, but Microsoft's behavior here is no worse than how incessant Google is about trying to get you to switch to Chrome, and this started like a decade before Microsoft got more aggressive about Edge marketing. Microsoft's behavior is arguably only trying to match parity with the competitor who has bullied them behind the dumpster in the schoolyard for too long. Every single Google page has popups about switching to Chrome. Sometimes Gmail has had both one on the bottom and one on the top at the same time.[1] Besides the general breakage for anyone not using Chrome, as seen in the article, Google's just constant advertising for Chrome in every single one of their products is obscene, and no matter how many times you click "No thanks", it comes back. I don't want to say "No thanks, Google". I want to say "F--- off, Google". [1]Actual screenshot of repetitive popup behavior in Gmail: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoEPgo2V4AA4Ql5.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoEPgo2V4AA4Ql5.jpg:large
- Causality1 7y ago
  I'm a Firefox user, and I also hate the way Google abuses its power with Chrome. It hits a little closer to home, though, when it's the OS itself telling you how to use your computer and not just a website.
  - ocdtrekkie 7y ago
    I just see that as each company operating from their respective positions of strength. Or in antitrust terms, using the market they're dominant in to improve their standing in another market. I also would argue that the difference between operating system, web browser, application, and website has increasingly blurred, as we have browsers that are the whole OS, apps that actually are embedded websites, websites that act like apps, etc. I think bright lines between various areas of the user's vision are largely gone, particularly on any OS or app which arbitrarily downloads updates from the web anyways. (This might be a subtle ad for "get Linux if you expect your OS to be yours and do what you tell it", I suppose.)
    - Causality1 7y ago

jdmichal 7y ago

What exactly do you mean by "fights tooth and nail"? I had to reinstall my laptop a few months ago, and the experience was "navigate to Firefox download site, download, install, set default browser"... Same as it has ever been.

pluma 7y ago
Off the top of my head: * when switching default browsers, Windows suggests you give Edge a try instead * at some point I got a Windows notification suggesting that I try Edge instead of the browser I was using IIRC they used to nag users more in the past but I think the notification I got also included an option to not be reminded again.
- gamblor956 7y ago
  Literally every Google website tries to get me to download Chrome whenever I use firefox or ie. Every. Single. Time. 2 attempts from Microsoft... not so bad.
  - pluma 7y ago
    I agree that two attempts isn't so bad. I think most users are upset because the notifications happened a lot more frequently in the past and using notifications from the OS for ads comes across as pretty slimy (because you only expect the OS to tell you when something important happens).
    - WorldMaker 7y ago
      iOS, at least, sends just as many "Tips" notifications that also border on being ads for Apple and trusted third party applications, and I've never seen anyone near as harshly complain about "ads in iOS".
Causality1 7y ago
The Bing search results beg you not to install it, then on the Default Apps menu Edge gets a "recommended for Windows 10" label unlike the other options, THEN if you try to select something else you get a popup that says "Before you switch, try Microsoft Edge-it's new, it's fast, and it's built for Windows 10." and a "Check it out" button in a bold black box, with "Switch anyway" in light grey-on-grey text underneath. It's scummy and it's insulting.
iggldiggl 7y ago
And some things ignore your default browser and force-launch Edge anyway (see https://www.ctrl.blog/entry/edgedeflector-default-browser.html https://www.ctrl.blog/entry/edgedeflector-default-browser.ht... for more details and a workaround).

ocdtrekkie 7y ago

As a Chrome user, you might not realize this, but Microsoft's behavior here is no worse than how incessant Google is about trying to get you to switch to Chrome, and this started like a decade before Microsoft got more aggressive about Edge marketing. Microsoft's behavior is arguably only trying to match parity with the competitor who has bullied them behind the dumpster in the schoolyard for too long. Every single Google page has popups about switching to Chrome. Sometimes Gmail has had both one on the bottom and one on the top at the same time.[1] Besides the general breakage for anyone not using Chrome, as seen in the article, Google's just constant advertising for Chrome in every single one of their products is obscene, and no matter how many times you click "No thanks", it comes back. I don't want to say "No thanks, Google". I want to say "F--- off, Google". [1]Actual screenshot of repetitive popup behavior in Gmail: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoEPgo2V4AA4Ql5.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoEPgo2V4AA4Ql5.jpg:large

Causality1 7y ago
I'm a Firefox user, and I also hate the way Google abuses its power with Chrome. It hits a little closer to home, though, when it's the OS itself telling you how to use your computer and not just a website.
- ocdtrekkie 7y ago
  I just see that as each company operating from their respective positions of strength. Or in antitrust terms, using the market they're dominant in to improve their standing in another market. I also would argue that the difference between operating system, web browser, application, and website has increasingly blurred, as we have browsers that are the whole OS, apps that actually are embedded websites, websites that act like apps, etc. I think bright lines between various areas of the user's vision are largely gone, particularly on any OS or app which arbitrarily downloads updates from the web anyways. (This might be a subtle ad for "get Linux if you expect your OS to be yours and do what you tell it", I suppose.)
  - Causality1 7y ago