7 ms·
> In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows system components use the default browser to open links. That shows such complete and utter contempt for the wis
by helsinkiandrew 3y ago
> In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows system components use the default browser to open links.
That shows such complete and utter contempt for the wishes of their users. The user has actively selected a browser as the one they want to use by default, but windows only uses it in the EEA because they were forced to.
As it will be used by EEA system components, there's presumably no technical/compatibility issues that would stop the rest of the world using it to.
- skummetmaelk 3y agoLet's see what the people always screaming about how the EU only cares about fining American tech companies who do nothing wrong will respond to this.
- danuker 3y agoThe manipulators mostly reach for low-effort high-exposure interventions. They wouldn't actually engage in honest debate.
- whatwhaaaaat 3y agoI think mostly people condemn the eu for its attempt at censorship. The eu would actually have to have a big tech company consumers actually interface with in order to fine them -besides just hardware.
- cyanydeez 3y agoThey have a suspicious lack of coup attempts in the last decade.
- ChadNauseam 3y agoIs the idea that it would have been really good if the person who organized the insurrection also had the ability to censor people who disagreed with him?
- cyanydeez 3y agoAre you paying attention to their current argument about why it was legal to conspire to overthrow the government?
- whatwhaaaaat 3y agoAre you paying attention to how ridiculous that sounds? I voted for Biden and this sort of hyperbole makes me think some of what trump says is right.
- cyanydeez 3y agoThe hyperbole of Trump claiming his conspiracy is covered by the first amendment? That's basically fact. Perhaps you derailed somewhere. Free speech is not absolute unless you are the king.
- whatwhaaaaat 3y agoOk man whatever you say. I’m just saying while you think you’re making some major point here it’s just pushing people away because it sounds so ridiculous.
- Spivak 3y agoI think the stance is that while what the EU does is good for the consumer it's annoying as hell for American tech companies to be assessed billion dollar fines all the time. If the punishment was "comply in 180 days or we'll suspend your business charter" I think you'd see a lot more support.
- NeoTar 3y agoIf they obeyed the rules to begin with they wouldn't be fined. It's literally a calculated risk by the big tech companies that the cost of compliance will be less than the profits during the time of non-compliance.
- danuker 3y agoSadly it pays off. The biggest ones are the worst. Windows has been rewriting boot loaders and bullying smaller companies with SmartScreen Application Reputation. Android has forced everyone through FCM (or suffer degraded experience). Apple adds software glitches if you replace iPhone parts. Where are the regulators? Asleep, underfunded, or being paid off to close their eyes. And then, these companies get to write the laws through lobbying because of their scale.
- matkoniecz 3y agoNot sure why the proposed alternative is better to anyone at all.
- seszett 3y ago> If the punishment was "comply in 180 days or we'll suspend your business charter" The punishment is generally "comply in 180 days [actually it's usually measured in years] or we'll fine you". And they often don't comply, and then get fined and sometimes end up complying. Why would your proposal be better?
- tempodox 3y agoBecause the fines are just priced in as cost of doing business. They don't actually change anything.
- xg15 3y agoI hope someone manages to write a crack or something that enables the same behaviour in non-EEA locales, if only to see what mental gymnastics MS will engage in to explain why that would be bad for users.
- martin_a 3y agoHow are they going to implement it anyway? Based on the location you provide while setting Windows up? IP lookup? I mean, there needs to be a safe way, so I invite everyone to become European for this patch. :-)
- pjerem 3y ago> there's presumably no technical/compatibility issues that would stop the rest of the world using it to. There never were an technical issue in defining the default browser. It's something that worked on any OS since nearly 30 years, including Windows. It's 100% disrespect.
- xg15 3y agoNot to mention that MS already went out of their way and spent considerable technical effort to not have the system apps respect the default browser setting - such as introducing a separate URL scheme for "edge-only" links, then later patching the scheme registry so that no other app could register itself as a handler for that scheme. It was never a technical issue, on the contrary.
- beembeem 3y agoCorrect, merely a money issue. Incentives are in the wrong place here.
- dark-star 3y agoNot completely correct. In the past there were technical issues opening "system service sites" with any other browser, because ActiveX controls only worked in Internet Explorer
- tempodox 3y agoComplete disrespect for the end luser is nothing new with Microsoft.
- coffeeling 3y agoI feel like there are two Microsofts. There are parts that make some honestly good software. And then there are parts touched by Bing and MSN, and they're some of the most hideous, dark patterny piles of user hostile garbage. Win11 search, widgets. Edge. Now Skype. They just ruin things that might otherwise even be great. Edge has a bunch of good ideas going on the UI but it hates user choice so much it just feels bad to use.
- _fat_santa 3y agoI have to ask a really basic question: Why does Microsoft have such a vested interest in users using Edge over competitors? I get the argument: "it's their browser, of course they want people to use it" but for me that answer isn't satisfactory. What is the financial motive to go through all the trouble of pushing Edge? The only reason I can think of is "your data" but even then, what sort of data might MS want to extract from your browser that they can't get from the underlying OS?
- bengkoang 3y agoJust see chrome current intention now? What purpose they promote chrome crazily in the early days. It's to monopolize and becoming the dominant player which control how the policy of interneting favor to their ads activity
- readams 3y agoDefault Bing and Microsoft integration. So ad revenue.
- arkx 3y agoYour web browsing habits reveal a lot more about you than your desktop habits.
- WirelessGigabit 3y agoHave you used Microsoft Edge recently? It is a dumping ground for all things that Microsoft wants to try in a way that is easier to do than sending A/B testing out via Windows Update. * Collections * Shopping * Browser Essentials * Website scanning * Outlook integration * Games integration * ...
- waffletower 3y agoMicrosoft is unwilling to evolve ethically as a company on this point. They don't understand that we remember who they are, and you don't have to use the wayback machine to remind yourself: https://www.theringer.com/tech/2018/5/18/17362452/microsoft-antitrust-lawsuit-netscape-internet-explorer-20-years https://www.theringer.com/tech/2018/5/18/17362452/microsoft-...
- 1vuio0pswjnm7 3y agoWith Github. Microsoft now controls much of the world's open source code. Wonderful.
- kyriakos 3y agoIt also shows how the EU keeps mega corps in line while other government bodies allow companies to get away with these things.