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Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

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Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#91
post #78
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over the last couple of years I've been coming round to the fact that microsoft aren't necessarily a major problem now, compared to google and amazon at least. Doesn't take much to put the shields back upto full. I just don't understand why people run windows. Maybe I just use computers wrong, having been on linux for the last 20 years, but my family (who I refuse to help with IT needs) are all far happier on chromeb…

> I just don't understand why people run windows. I've used Linux for about the same time and honestly, I understand it completely. I would switch, were it not for muscle memory and for the fact that at least 50% of my work involves systems-level development for Linux (mainly embedded stuff, so a lot of cross-compiling). In the last five or six years I've come to dread the Linux desktop and its constant churn of rewr…

Or you could just use a window manager that doesn’t change? I’ve had the same desktop env for over a decade and nothing has changed at all. In contrast with windows and osx where we literally cannot opt out.

Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#92
post #80
post #20

This, and every other screw-up in the same vein, is why those of us old enough to remember the Halloween documents don't buy the whole "new Microsoft" thing. Want to get me to try Edge? Great -- instead of a passive-aggressive ad, try telling me how it's better than Firefox and why I'd like to use it instead. What will it get me? Better privacy? Better performance? Better development tools? Cynically, it's amazing th…

The Windows division has never really been part of the "New Microsoft", it seems from the outside.

Microsoft didn't buy Github out of the goodness of their heart. They also didn't buy it because of it's significant revenue, a couple hundred million is probably a marketing budget to Microsoft, not something that drives the bottom line. Microsoft also didn't buy it to score appearance points with the socially conscious dev community that populated most of Github, although it was a nice PR story for a bit. You could say the ICE thing has driven all that goodwill away.

Microsoft bought Github for the data set. To mine code to train models to write code to put developers out of business. Microsoft is coming for all of your jobs. They aren't investing billions in AI research and Open AI for philanthropy. The sooner people realize this the better.

Sure it's tin-foil, but it's a hill I am willing to die on.

Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#94

I think Microsoft has every right to suggest their own browser. Chrome does it. Firefox does it. You have to opt out of the reminder. So you have to opt out of Start menu ads. Big deal. Can we focus on something slighty less trivial please?

> opt out of Start menu ads. Big deal.

Yes, yes it is.

Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#95
post #91
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I just don't understand why people run windows. I've used Linux for about the same time and honestly, I understand it completely. I would switch, were it not for muscle memory and for the fact that at least 50% of my work involves systems-level development for Linux (mainly embedded stuff, so a lot of cross-compiling). In the last five or six years I've come to dread the Linux desktop and its constant churn of rewr…

Or you could just use a window manager that doesn’t change? I’ve had the same desktop env for over a decade and nothing has changed at all. In contrast with windows and osx where we literally cannot opt out.

I do, but that doesn't help much. I don't really have a choice about GTK applications, for example -- I'm going to get the GTK 3 open file dialog and the colour picker with every GTK 3 application.

Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#96
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, but Google would be more than happy to put the later on their main search page. Not really any different. Microsoft controls Windows and uses it to advance corporate goals. Google owns their search interface and uses it to advance their corporate goals.

What does Google have to do with any of this?

>"Still using Edge? Why not just get the original -- Google Chrome is here'

Is something Google would totally do. They've been pushing Chrome with the search home page for years.

Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#97
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, but Google would be more than happy to put the later on their main search page. Not really any different. Microsoft controls Windows and uses it to advance corporate goals. Google owns their search interface and uses it to advance their corporate goals.

What does Google have to do with any of this?

People are complaining about Microsoft pushing Edge on Windows. Google pushes Chrome on google.com all the time. Frequently with some negative comment about your current browser. They may be less negative now than what I remember, haven't looked at one in forever.

Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#98
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Microsoft doing shady stuff again. Seems anything but shady? On the start menu in full sight and just explicitly suggesting their browser over Firefox. Doesn't even claim anything about either browser, just suggests theirs! Seems as honest and upfront as any advertising could be? 'Try our band of coffee' effectively.

It's certainly shady, given that they own both the product they're advertising and the medium they're advertising it through. I don't expect that I'll be able to get them to give me a top spot for an ad saying "Concerned about Microsoft's tracking policy? Mozilla Firefox is here", or "Still using Edge? Why not just get the original -- Google Chrome is here'.

This seems pretty common, and I've not heard anyone consider it a problem before. For example radio stations commonly run promos for their own shows while not accepting ads for shows on other stations.

Do you consider that shady too? If not, how do to you distinguish the Microsoft case?

Re: Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu

#99
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, but Google would be more than happy to put the later on their main search page. Not really any different. Microsoft controls Windows and uses it to advance corporate goals. Google owns their search interface and uses it to advance their corporate goals.

What does Google have to do with any of this?

They push chrome on their search home page. Same thing really.
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