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I started my machine for the first time in a couple of months yesterday; I mostly use it for gaming. The taskbar “Search” box had a new “fun” little icon repre

I started my machine for the first time in a couple of months yesterday; I mostly use it for gaming. The taskbar “Search” box had a new “fun” little icon representing whatever search item they wanted to advertise to me today. Had to find windows “tips” site to work out how to turn it off… Not as egregious as “full screen game adverts on login screen by default” though.

baal80spam 3y ago
> The taskbar “Search” box had a new “fun” little icon representing whatever search item they wanted to advertise to me today. Had to find windows “tips” site to work out how to turn it off… It boggles my mind how people don't find it absolutely infuriating. I watch quite a lot of streams and people always have 3 things enabled that I personally would disable instantly: - huge searchbox taking a good 1/3 of the taskbar (I've yet to see anyone use this control for initiating a search) - the playful icon in this huge searchbox (you mentioned it) - Weather widget in the taskbar (just why?) I assume that vast majority of Windows users just don't care.
- blooalien 3y ago
  > "I assume that vast majority of Windows users just don't care." Most of them it's not so much that they don't care as it is that they've been literally brainwashed their entire lives to believe that Windows holds the top market position because it's somehow "superior" to other operating systems. They really truly believe the decades old Ballmer FUD about other operating systems. It's impossible in their minds that Microsoft gained such a stranglehold over the PC operating system market through completely unethical, borderline illegal means, and no amount of well-documented historical fact can change their minds about it. It's very nearly a literal cult.
  - johnnyanmac 3y ago
    It's really not that complex for me: I work in games, lots of game development tools only work in Windows and/or have horrible, undersupported Linux ports at best. I have no allegiance to Microsoft, I can still rotate around to Linux. but it's no surprise I end up mostly in Windows. now with all that said, on topic: I haven't seen this search fun icon nor really any ads on W11. Don't know if that's because I opted out of any personalized targeting or whatnot, but I wasn't nagged much once I got everything installed and customized my toolar.

baal80spam 3y ago

> The taskbar “Search” box had a new “fun” little icon representing whatever search item they wanted to advertise to me today. Had to find windows “tips” site to work out how to turn it off… It boggles my mind how people don't find it absolutely infuriating. I watch quite a lot of streams and people always have 3 things enabled that I personally would disable instantly: - huge searchbox taking a good 1/3 of the taskbar (I've yet to see anyone use this control for initiating a search) - the playful icon in this huge searchbox (you mentioned it) - Weather widget in the taskbar (just why?) I assume that vast majority of Windows users just don't care.

blooalien 3y ago
> "I assume that vast majority of Windows users just don't care." Most of them it's not so much that they don't care as it is that they've been literally brainwashed their entire lives to believe that Windows holds the top market position because it's somehow "superior" to other operating systems. They really truly believe the decades old Ballmer FUD about other operating systems. It's impossible in their minds that Microsoft gained such a stranglehold over the PC operating system market through completely unethical, borderline illegal means, and no amount of well-documented historical fact can change their minds about it. It's very nearly a literal cult.
- johnnyanmac 3y ago
  It's really not that complex for me: I work in games, lots of game development tools only work in Windows and/or have horrible, undersupported Linux ports at best. I have no allegiance to Microsoft, I can still rotate around to Linux. but it's no surprise I end up mostly in Windows. now with all that said, on topic: I haven't seen this search fun icon nor really any ads on W11. Don't know if that's because I opted out of any personalized targeting or whatnot, but I wasn't nagged much once I got everything installed and customized my toolar.