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Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

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Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#201

Post by WalterBright »

deergomoo wrote: post #118

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

> My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus

Mine doesn't, because I don't plug it into the intertoobs. (I use a Roku box.)

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#202

Post by paulryanrogers »

austhrow743 wrote: post #191
afavour wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many of those browsers are Chromium based? Because if they are that’s still not actually an answer, they’re piggybacking off Google’s work.

How is it not an answer?

Perhaps because they won't be truly independent because of the cost to hard fork?

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#203

Post by WalterBright »

phendrenad2 wrote: post #133
deergomoo wrote: post #118

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

Maintaining browsers has become a significant undertaking, so complex that only well-funded corporate interests can afford to keep one patched and up-to-date with the latest web standards. It surpassed operating system complexity. It surpassed pretty much everything else too. So we can forget about it ever being truly "free" (and free from ads) unless we simplify the web somehow. I also don't think we're going to go…

> It surpassed operating system complexity

Gates understood that early on (that the browser would become the platform), hence giving Explorer away for free.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#204

Post by PeterisP »

themitigating wrote: post #164
greenshackle2 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. It's a fixed term loan. Not revolving credit. These 2 loans are mathematically equivalent: $35 at 0% APR, $4 fees, 6 weeks fixed term $35 at 123% APR, $0 fees, 6 weeks fixed term You could argue the high APR loan is worse because interest will be compounding if you miss your payments. But I'm guessing the Zip loan also has late payment fees.

But people are probably going to use it for larger amounts where that flat fee would equal a much lower apr.

An APR much lower than 123% is still outrageously high for purchases of $100 or $200 - but in any case, the browser should not get involved in this at all.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#205

Post by rmbyrro »

deergomoo wrote: post #146
iamstupidsimple wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But what can we do? Ads provide employment for tens of millions of people and fund literally billions of hours of content watched a year. Even if you agree most is trash, it's also allowed some really high quality stuff to flourish while being able to stay relatively independent. It's strongly tied to economic growth, and thus everybody's pensions are tied up in the success of advertising. It seems illogical it makes…

I am not against ads as a concept. If I’m getting something for free, I think it’s fair to say have a lot less say in what I see and when. What I am against is what seems to be a complete decline in any sense of taste and decency over the past 20 years, that means ads will be shoved anywhere if it can make a quick buck out of someone. I think it’s the interjection that really rubs me the wrong way. If the shop I was…

I'm in the same position. From their perspective, they're trying to make as much money as possible. Not saying it's OK, but that's the reality. In a sense, we developers are also trying to make as much as we can from the job market.

Not saying it's the same - it's not - but the motivations has some similarity.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#206

Post by Spivak »

krisrm wrote: post #187
post-it wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The TV will still need to update its certificates and work on corporate wifi, so there should always be a way to feed it your own certificate and MITM DNS. I think, anyway.

You'll have to pay extra for the "enterprise" TV ;)

I mean fine, I’ll gladly pay more just give me the option.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#207

Post by matt123456789 »

rightbyte wrote: post #179
deergomoo wrote: post #118

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

> My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains) Just wait until Google has pushed everyone into encrypted DNS like they did with HTTP ...

HTTPS can be implemented in a decentralized way without a single party having access to your sites visited. DNS-over-HTTPS is by its nature centralized. So is DNS. Your DNS provider has a list of all sites they’ve resolved for you, whether it’s encrypted over using TLS or not. Maybe that doesn’t go against your point, but I wanted to clarify that the two technologies have very different privacy implications.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#208

Post by behnamoh »

gregsadetsky wrote: post #159
behnamoh wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow! I was going to mention the same mini thread (started by me!).

If you can still edit your message on the older thread/page, you should link to this discussion (or post a new message). That way, the circle of life will be complete haha I’m kidding of course (you should still do it if you can/want) ;)

Sadly (but understandably) HN doesn't let me edit old comments. I guess the circle of life (read recursion!) can be complete here:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29355580

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#209

Post by afavour »

austhrow743 wrote: post #191
afavour wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many of those browsers are Chromium based? Because if they are that’s still not actually an answer, they’re piggybacking off Google’s work.

How is it not an answer?

Because no matter what their subscription price is it’s only reflective of the development work required to add features on top of Chromium, not of building a web browser. As such it’s not sustainable.

If it ever became a competitive issue Google could very easily close source Chrome. Then suddenly all these Chromium-based subscription browsers would be on the hook for all browser development, security updates included. And that would be enormously expensive. So their prices would have to go up. Would their business still be sustainable? It’s questionable at the very least.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#210

Post by skinkestek »

cutler wrote: post #103
winternett wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now web browsers are gonna become credit cards attached to your browsing history... Great job guys! :| Ugh, who ever would have thought 2021 would have come to this.

This is M$ we're talking about. Are you really surprised?

Haven't written MS that way for a while but it starts to feel like it is time for it again.
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