Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome • Hacker News Board

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#41

Post by dgellow » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:32 PM UTC

prepend wrote: post #16

JCWasmx86 wrote: post #4

> “‘I hate saving money,’ said no one ever. Microsoft Edge is the best browser for online shopping.” This is really cringe

I don’t like this new form of writing, I’m not sure what it’s called. It’s not just informal, it’s cringy. I especially hate funny error messages as they just frustrate me. It’s ok when Reddit has a funny image because they can’t show my video game forum, but it’s infuriating when Microsoft shows a “whoops, what happened” when it just failed to sync the last 30 minutes of my work document.

I call it “fellow kids writing“. It feels really patronizing when used in a serious context.

On the opposite, I started using Discord recently and they manage their funny tone very well, but it is used consistently through the application. And it stays informative.

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#42

Post by easton » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:33 PM UTC

Humorously, using tools built into Windows 10 and 11 now, you can open a PowerShell window, type winget install Google.Chrome, and never open Edge once if you don't want to.

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#43

Post by 0x0nyandesu » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:33 PM UTC

tapoxi wrote: post #37

0x_rs wrote: post #30

I heard some people having a decent time with Edge in the past with some features implementations. Not that I would use it myself, but I'm firmly convinced these childish plays only ruin whatever good work was done on it. Who on Earth would continue using a browser that has such hostile behavior and dark patterns all over the place e.g., buy-now-pay-later at browser level? It's so hard to trust Microsoft anyway, I'm…

Outside of requiring a newer PC I don't think Win11 is a trainwreck at all, I was auto-upgraded to it a few weeks ago and it's been fine. Auto HDR is neat for games and there's been a UI refresh, other than that it's basically Windows 10.

Every windows since 7 has been a train wreck by my standards. The amount of times I've had a system update just clear my windows profile is objectively abysmal and yet every HN thread someone will go and defend them.

No one cares about HDR. How about some decent data retention?

I get better frame rates in Linux running wine than I do in windows 10 since the 2020 updates.

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#44

Post by N19PEDL2 » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:33 PM UTC

maltalex wrote: post #14

Jyaif wrote: post #3

Additional ideas for Edge's PMs: silently corrupt Chrome's binary at download time, and mark the website and the binary as dangerous.

How about just creating an icon with the Chrome logo that opens Edge?

I bet that many people would not notice that they are actually using Edge.

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#45

Post by 0x0nyandesu » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:35 PM UTC

maltalex wrote: post #21

fsflover wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Microsoft hasn't been in the news as much, at least not regarding privacy matters. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12305598 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9976298 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10053352 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10144733 ...and many more.

You're proving my point. The sources you linked are the eff, a techie's personal blog, arstechnica, and forbes. With the exception of forbes they're all tech niches. Now look at mainstream media. CNN alone has 230K results for google privacy [0]. How many results for microsoft privacy ? 16k [1] [0]: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Acnn.com%20google%20pr... [1]: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Acnn.com+mic…

You're being intentionally obtuse. Google is a search engine product and a company. Microsoft is just a company. It stands to reason more people would search for the former.

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#46

Post by rob74 » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

tapoxi wrote: post #37

0x_rs wrote: post #30

I heard some people having a decent time with Edge in the past with some features implementations. Not that I would use it myself, but I'm firmly convinced these childish plays only ruin whatever good work was done on it. Who on Earth would continue using a browser that has such hostile behavior and dark patterns all over the place e.g., buy-now-pay-later at browser level? It's so hard to trust Microsoft anyway, I'm…

Outside of requiring a newer PC I don't think Win11 is a trainwreck at all, I was auto-upgraded to it a few weeks ago and it's been fine. Auto HDR is neat for games and there's been a UI refresh, other than that it's basically Windows 10.

"requiring a newer PC" is a bit of an understatement - Windows 11 is the first version that will actively refuse to run unless the hardware meets its "compatibility" requirements, and from what I heard, it's quite picky...

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#47

Post by Cthulhu_ » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

sofixa wrote: post #39

I hope Margrethe Vestager is paying attention, this bullshit is getting egregious. Microsoft not only deserve a fine, but a thorough breaking up into multiple separate entities.

I mean they were already thoroughly whipped and fined, forced to add a browser choice window, then made to pay a fine again after this browser choice window 'accidentally' didn't work anymore. Time for another fine? I mean I have no clue where that money ends up at, I like to think it goes into IT subsidies, but still.

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#48

Post by pc86 » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

nojito wrote: post #35

0x_rs wrote: post #30

I heard some people having a decent time with Edge in the past with some features implementations. Not that I would use it myself, but I'm firmly convinced these childish plays only ruin whatever good work was done on it. Who on Earth would continue using a browser that has such hostile behavior and dark patterns all over the place e.g., buy-now-pay-later at browser level? It's so hard to trust Microsoft anyway, I'm…

How is this any different than what google does in google app?

Where did they imply it was different?

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#49

Post by mc32 » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:38 PM UTC

Microsoft has had a good few years of building up their reputation after their self inflicted blemishes from the IE integration fiasco as well as their EEE mode of operation.

Now they are throwing away their good will with smarmy tactics --why? for some short term gains?

They were passing Google reputation-wise, of late, but these moves undercut their work of the last few years.

It seems they see Google, FB, even Apple, etc., eating this cake (using market to undercut competition) and can't stand the temptation. I can only hope the DOJ will find some will to take on tech and do something about their behavior, but I am not holding my breath.

If only companies would have principles they could stand on and we could count on.

Re: Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

#50

Post by userbinator » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 2:39 PM UTC

That browser is so 2008! Do you know what’s new? Microsoft Edge.

Newer is not always better... if only Microsoft (and the rest of Big Tech) would go back to 2008 or even earlier, when they were far less controlling.

Browsers detecting specific sites and acting differently on them, unless specifically requested to do so by the user, should be prohibited. Ditto for operating systems detecting specific applications. There needs to be a word for the equivalent of net neutrality, but applied to software and environments in general.