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Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

theregister.com

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Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#31

Post by belter »

pwinnski wrote: post #24

Most people will sign up for a Microsoft account, or already have, and so won't even see these ads. But let's say you use Microsoft Windows, but don't want a Microsoft account. You're going to leave Windows over this? And go where? Wait, is 2023 the fabled Year of Linux on the Desktop, at long last? I haven't used Windows in many years, and I'm not trying to defend Microsoft here. Still, the framing of this piece see…

The Desktop Experience on Linux is years ahead of Windows. Only users who have to use apps non available on Mac or Linux use Windows.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#32

Post by dustedcodes »

Marsymars wrote: post #20
websap wrote: post #15

It'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 man…

> ads in the core user interface in iOS

I have never seen any ads anywhere in iOS. I'm utterly confused by this comment?

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#33

Post by duffyjp »

beembeem wrote: post #14

I 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.

I've literally never touched a single PC running Windows 11. I've normally been an early adopter-- I even used Windows 8.0 and 8.1 but I just have zero interest in Windows 11.

I earn my living on a Mac, do my photography hobby on a Mac-- Windows exists (for me) only for games, and Linux is closer to parity every day.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#34

Post by pwinnski »

belter wrote: post #31
pwinnski wrote: post #24

Most people will sign up for a Microsoft account, or already have, and so won't even see these ads. But let's say you use Microsoft Windows, but don't want a Microsoft account. You're going to leave Windows over this? And go where? Wait, is 2023 the fabled Year of Linux on the Desktop, at long last? I haven't used Windows in many years, and I'm not trying to defend Microsoft here. Still, the framing of this piece see…

The Desktop Experience on Linux is years ahead of Windows. Only users who have to use apps non available on Mac or Linux use Windows.

Of course! I don't disagree. And yet here we are at 69.43% desktop market share[0] for Windows for March 2023, decades after I started hearing about how this year, for sure, was going to be the Year Of Linux On The Desktop™.

Most people don't seem to be using the best possible desktop experience. Their desktop is decided by an employer, or whatever is pre-installed, or who knows what. But an ad in the start menu doesn't seem like it's likely to budge that number much.

0. https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide...

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#35

Post by mschuster91 »

wlesieutre wrote: post #12
bhouston wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> Not a great look, and it tells you that Apple is willing to compromise on their principles to make a buck.

I think they're holding a good balance here. For example, I do enjoy an alert from the burger slinger down the road when they put up a sale - but I had the choice between opting in or not.

Meanwhile, on Android you don't have the choice, all you can do is mute notifications from that app in the future (and lose out on important notifications) or remove it entirely.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#36

Post by taftster »

belter wrote: post #28
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to use Ubuntu at work and the experience made me hate it to the core. My experience: Gnome it ships with is too opinionated with no basic configuration options without installing 200 extensions which may or may not work, no option to turn off the touchpad when an external mouse is pugged in, no hibernate option because z-ram or something, no fractional scaling because "pixels aren't fractional" to quote Gnome d…

Only Chuck Norris could use Windows...

Ostensibly, yes.

But in practice, Chuck Norris compiles his own personal fork of Linux by hand.

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20110818104209/http://dearandroi...

[2] https://snipe.net/2009/07/16/if-chuck-norris-had-designed-li...

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#37

Post by Marsymars »

dustedcodes wrote: post #32
Marsymars wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 man…

> ads in the core user interface in iOS I have never seen any ads anywhere in iOS. I'm utterly confused by this comment?

I consider the App Store in iOS part of the core user interface. (As mentioned in my top-level comment, apps can't be installed or manually updated without using the App Store.)

See https://www.macrumors.com/2022/10/22/apple-announces-more-ap...

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#38

Post by Marsymars »

alistairSH wrote: post #29
Marsymars wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 man…

...ads in the core user interface in iOS... Where are you seeing ads in the main UI? I occasionally see a small ad near the top of "Settings", usually for an Apple service. I don't recall ads on the home page or lock screen, or in the main Apple apps I use (Camera, Photos, Files, Health, Fitness, Watch).

See my reply to other child comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35615479

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#39

Post by jmclnx »

I have not used Windows at home at all. I always liked Text based interfaces and at home went from DOS/DESQview to UN*X. But these days I have surrendered and use X most of the time.

But I think M/S only cares about Corporate Accounts, which is where the big bucks is. If I remember correctly, Corporate Windows builds do not have any of this crazyness.

So, I guess this is just to squeeze as much as the can from private people and to get private information they can sell.

Due to this, I have recommended my relatives on old Windows machines to move to MACs. I would suggest Linux or a BSD, but I do not need the headache of training/supporting them :)

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#40

Post by surgical_fire »

spicyusername wrote: post #10

The only reason I use Windows in 2023 is for video gaming. Every other non-gaming PC I own is running Linux. Windows has become inferior to Linux in every other way. More upgrade headaches, worse resource utilization, worse desktop environment, more crashes, data collection, and now embedded ads. These technology companies have really demonstrated over the past few decades that they are unable to maintain reliable pr…

> The only reason I use Windows in 2023 is for video gaming. Every other non-gaming PC I own is running Linux.

It was the same for me until a month ago. Thanks to the recent developments of WINE and Proton, gaming on Linux has been reliable enough that I could switch entirely to Linux and not look back. Couldn't be happier about it.

Unless you only like to play the most recent AAA releases, I suggest you give it a try.

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