Every time Microsoft does something (e.g. WSL2) that makes me think "maybe using Windows wouldn't be so bad" they counter with something that really puts me off (e.g. Ads in Windows, constantly trying to shove their browser down my throat, etc.).
Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
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Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#12It's important to me the distinction that it's ads for Microsoft services. I dislike that as much as anyone else who hates ads, but it is distinctly different than just general advertising.
It is still mental and visual pollution. I switched from Windows to MacOS 2 years ago after being a long Windows holdout and damn, MacOS is nice and the Mx series of CPUs/GPUs are also incredibly fine.
Apple’s products aren’t perfect at this either, but they’re at least much easier to control. You basically just have to disable notification permission for TV. News is spammy also, but not strictly advertising Apple’s junk, it’s just regular attention spam.
Meanwhile in the App Store guidelines:
> 4.5.4 Push Notifications must not be required for the app to function, and should not be used to send sensitive personal or confidential information. Push Notifications should not be used for promotions or direct marketing purposes unless customers have explicitly opted in to receive them via consent language displayed in your app’s UI, and you provide a method in your app for a user to opt out from receiving such messages. Abuse of these services may result in revocation of your privileges.
Not a great look, and it tells you that Apple is willing to compromise on their principles to make a buck. Here’s hoping your privacy isn’t worth selling out too.
Windows is cramming their tabloid-news-by-MSN into the operating system in multiple places and making it a lot harder to get rid of, so for now macOS is still the better of the two. But I‘m not happy with either of them.
Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#13It's important to me the distinction that it's ads for Microsoft services. I dislike that as much as anyone else who hates ads, but it is distinctly different than just general advertising.
It is still mental and visual pollution. I switched from Windows to MacOS 2 years ago after being a long Windows holdout and damn, MacOS is nice and the Mx series of CPUs/GPUs are also incredibly fine.
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Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#14I am not upgrading from Windows 10. These newer releases are turning the OS into an ad-serving platform, which is unfortunate because the user is essentially paying for the OS. Microsoft is trying to have its cake and eat it too.
If I'm paying for the product, I don't expect to be flooded with ads.
Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#15It's outrageous that once a great OS builder, is now resorting to pushing it's subscription services through it's OS. Imagine MacOS and iOS showing in menu ads, I hope Apple never stoops to this level.
Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#16I use Ubuntu for work, but my gaming rig runs windows. I went through all of the applications I use on my windows pc the other day and they're all available on linux now. With proton getting as good as it is, app availability on linux, and with the annoying occasional ads coming through my windows os, I'm starting to think I won't upgrade to windows 11 when 10 stops being supported.
Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#17It's important to me the distinction that it's ads for Microsoft services. I dislike that as much as anyone else who hates ads, but it is distinctly different than just general advertising.
That is (sort of) the status quo bias fallacy
Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#18I use Ubuntu for work, but my gaming rig runs windows. I went through all of the applications I use on my windows pc the other day and they're all available on linux now. With proton getting as good as it is, app availability on linux, and with the annoying occasional ads coming through my windows os, I'm starting to think I won't upgrade to windows 11 when 10 stops being supported.
Only thing keeping me on Windows is the anticheat software employed by games like MWII.
Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#19It's outrageous that once a great OS builder, is now resorting to pushing it's subscription services through it's OS. Imagine MacOS and iOS showing in menu ads, I hope Apple never stoops to this level.
Apple’s nearly there.
Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu
#20It's outrageous that once a great OS builder, is now resorting to pushing it's subscription services through it's OS. Imagine MacOS and iOS showing in menu ads, I hope Apple never stoops to this level.
In my day-to-day usage, ads in the core user interface in iOS are worse than in Windows.
Windows ads can be disabled pretty easily.
iOS App Store ads cannot be disabled at all and are often for utter trash.
The Microsoft Store is entirely optional, and app installs/updates can be entirely handled via winget/chocolatey (or installs in some other form). The iOS App Store cannot be avoided for installing apps or for manually updating apps, and its ads are more akin to forced ads in the Windows Update settings pane.