6 ms·
> Looks like someone made a boo-boo it’s simply based on the user agent, w/e string matching they do is too strict they aren’t checking for actual JS/WebASM co
by nerdponx 4y ago
> Looks like someone made a boo-boo it’s simply based on the user agent, w/e string matching they do is too strict they aren’t checking for actual JS/WebASM compatibility or anything like that.
Microsoft has repeatedly engaged in malicious anticompetitive behavior. Without any additional information, I therefore think it's rational to place a high prior probability on this being malicious anticompetitive behavior. The data itself might be consistent with either an accident or malicious anticompetitive behavior. In that case, the prior dictates the posterior.
- scarface74 4y ago[flagged]
- capableweb 4y agoThis is what I see on Windows 11 + Firefox: https://imgur.com/a/aqzU2jr https://imgur.com/a/aqzU2jr Seems to be recommending Edge to me, or Chrome.
- scarface74 4y agoOkay. So Microsoft is now being anticompetitive by not recommending a minor browser. But it is recommending it’s biggest competitor?
- capableweb 4y agoI don't think this particular instance might be anti-competitive, but I don't know their reasons for blocking Firefox Nightly in this case. I'm just jumping into the conversation to tell you that "You saw the part about it not even recommending Edge" was/is incorrect, as it does recommend Edge.
- yjftsjthsd-h 4y agoMore like "this guy has a long history of bullying others by pretending that they're out of spec, and now hes' saying someone is out of spec; what are the odds that it's an honest mistake?"
- scarface74 4y agoWhy go after Firefox then and not Chrome? Do you also think they worry about competition from IBM cloud?
- tanseydavid 4y agoFor me, Chrome goes straight into a redirect loop when I follow this link.
- Lio 4y agoBecause Firefox allows full ad blocking and Chrome doesn’t. Chrome is sponsored by another surveillance advertising company, Firefox is not. Chrome is market dominant and hard to hurt, Firefox is small and easy to hurt.
- hinkley 4y agoYou’re comparing the behavior of a 10 year old with the behavior of grown adults. The guy who bullied your friend in college is probably still a monster today. And here you have a company full of people who were older than that (including grad and doctorate students). If he says the sky is blue you look up. It’s probably cloudy.
- scarface74 4y agoI’m about the same age as MS so I’m going to push the analogy. I was 26 in 2000. I hope to God I’m not the same person at 49 after 6 jobs, one failed marriage (and a 12 year current successful one), going through the real estate crash where I lost my shirt, etc. I really hope I’m not the same person I was in college in 1996
- mulmen 4y agoAh yes the “it will be different this time I promise” defense. Microsoft didn’t get divorced or have six jobs or even study ethics as an undergrad. It’s a corporation. Made up of the same kind of people at the same points in their careers as it has always been. In other words I get older but Microsoft stays the same age.
- hinkley 4y agoExactly. Once the interview process selects for the same sort of people, the wheel turns all on its own.
- scarface74 4y agoYou really haven’t been paying attention to the change in strategy over the past decade when Microsoft was focused on “Windows everywhere”?
- mulmen 4y agoI have seen them change strategy, at least superficially. I just don’t believe they have changed their nature.
- hdjjhhvvhga 4y agoWell, the guy is still stalking me and using all possible dark patterns and weasel language to make me do what he wants, and if I don't agree, he will do it anyway by abusing the fact that I need to stay secure.
- dcow 4y agoThen why is it FF nightly only?
- kornhole 4y agoIt is a matter of configuration in their black box. I am using Librewolf and cannot login to Teams with that either. I have similar problem dropping links in Teams to URL's on my own server. MS blocks them, and I always have to tell people to copy the URL and paste it into a different browser such as Firefox.
- pluc 4y agoOn Android, with FF installed and using a Work profile for all the Microsoft bullshit, both Outlook and Teams won't let me click on links because "there's no compatible browser installed" :D
- imachine1980_ 4y agoFururologist here, Librewolf and firefox nigthly is probably 0.01 porcentaje of users, is probably lore we don't test this we say it doesn't work use something we test it, yes they should say is your browser but the avrege client is old man who doesn't understand what they download and don't wat to use opera from 2000 more than this, is better say use some of this
- anonuser123456 4y agoOr it’s just a bug.
- pluc 4y agoNever attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
- bacchusracine 4y ago>Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity People this smart don't get to claim this level of stupidity. As others have said already, their reputation precedes them. Never underestimate the value of a good (or bad) name.
- DangitBobby 4y agoA very useful policy for malicious people.
- anonuser123456 4y agoIn my experience, malicious people with high competency cover their ass with giant fig leaves. They don’t let it hang in the breeze.
- jameshart 4y agoThis represents a basic misunderstanding of how public companies work. Microsoft has been subjected to multiple lawsuits and judgements and fines and consent agreements regarding its practices in this area. Microsoft has been burned by this kind of thing in the past; we probably don’t even know half of the legal rulings that Microsoft is subject to that this potentially violates. My high prior probability would be that there are actually a bunch of lawyers in Microsoft whose job it is to ensure that they have training and processes in place precisely to prevent this sort of thing happening, not that Microsoft has a secret team trying to find ways to sneakily block other browsers.
- luckylion 4y agoMicrosoft had blocked Skype web from being accessed by Firefox for years. I doubt anyone over there cared about it, it did make larger waves a few times. They no longer do though, or maybe Firefox has stopped identifying itself on the features they are testing.
- nimbius 4y agoAgreed. All the big players in fact have a vested interest in encumbering Firefox releases as this browser still provides the ability to use poweful adblocking, which directly affects ad revenue.