Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

theregister.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

451–460 of 647 posts

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#451

Post by clnq »

duffyjp wrote: post #33
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.

Interesting, I had the same experience.

When 8 and 8.1 came out, I upgraded immediately because I thought I'd need to get with the times eventually. I suppose, in retrospect, 8 wasn't that bad. It had questionable design choices, but not anti-consumer design. Even Vista wasn't anti-consumer, it was just very unpolished. Perhaps it's easier to accept mistakes than it is to put up with malicious behaviour.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#452

Post by sclarisse »

firstlink wrote: post #375
marcosdumay wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't come with client consciousness. MS's deal with computer manufacturers makes them pay more if they want to not install Windows on all of the computers they sell. And when some decided to just sell computers, you know, unbundled, the way that maximizes consumer choice, they were framed as criminally enriching from piracy and lots of governments felt into them with all their rage. It's not the client's fault that…

> corrupt powerful people use violence to take down their rights. Sir this is a Wendy's. Or at least, a thread about start menu ads. Touch grass and gain perspective.

Sir, this is HN, where dismissive comments of this sort are generally viewed as unhelpful and unwelcome.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#454

Post by rafark »

GuB-42 wrote: post #421
bottlepalm wrote: post #78

It’s funny for what is essentially a ‘file manager’ Microsoft makes it hell to manage your files. My friends and family and constantly confused by the 10 different interfaces there are for file management. Desktops are a mess of of half trash files. The cloud integration the file explorer is a confusing mess. The UI for saving a file from Office is the absolute worst. I’ve had to help someone just save a file and it…

File management in Windows is, I think, the best for a consumer OS, on par with Linux (sometimes better, sometime worse, depending on your distro). Not because it is good, but because Microsoft can't keep up with the others when it comes to messing up file management. iOS: you essentially don't have files, just internal storage for apps Android: you have files, but they are making it really hard to access them MacOS:…

I have to disagree. There’s nothing like column view for windows. The “address” bar in the windows file manager is very useful, though. I’ll give you that. But other than that, I find Finder better. Finder also has tabs (I don’t know if windows copied this, I haven’t used windows since windows 8).

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#455

Post by surgical_fire »

dimgl wrote: post #443
surgical_fire wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 tr…

Can I play Valorant on Linux? I don't think Riot Vanguard works on it.

Never played Valorant.

A quick search tells me that the "anticheat" malware that comes along with this game is not supported to run with Proton.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#456

Post by alisonatwork »

ThatMedicIsASpy wrote: post #379
Dah00n wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely you must mean after Windows 7? Windows 8 was the beginning of the pile of poo that is Windows on the PC-playing-a-tablet and Microsoft just dig deeper and deeper with every new version down the awful tablet design they have going on.

I actually liked parts of it (W8) on my tablets. I chose windows tablets exactly because I know I get updates for years (except now with the TPM requirement for W11). I still use a Yoga 2 8" tablet (9yrs old) every day in bed. Even though I run Linux on everything else I haven't tried and or messed with it on a tablet. I do not consider my Steam Deck as a tablet - I do use it a lot as one but 99% of the time I enjoy…

I, too, loved Windows 8 and the small Windows tablets from that era. There are dozens of us! It was so cool to have such a tiny device that worked fine as a tablet, then be able to plug a mouse and keyboard and play games on Steam or write music in Ableton or code in the same IDE you'd use at work. Windows 10 was a step backwards in presenting a modern and touch-friendly UI to the user, and Windows 11 is even worse with all the screen real estate wastage from floating menus and rounded corners, plus the useless "recommended" section, ads and widgets.

Since the manufacturers all gave up on the 8" Windows tablet form factor, I think the only path forward is larger but skinnier tablets. Same trend as phones, alas. For a while my main computer was a 10" Lenovo, but now I've bitten the bullet and moved to a 13" Surface Pro. It's a great piece of kit performance-wise and reasonably tough (my screen is smashed up from backpacking/camping, still works) but it still feels less "cool" and cyberpunky than those cheap and cheerful tablets with a full OS on them used to be.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#457

Post by surgical_fire »

Night_Thastus wrote: post #271
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…

If it weren't for games, I'd swap over too. But having to swap between either physical computers or dual-boot is just asking too much for me. I like my convenience. Having one OS that does whatever I want is good. Linux is getting closer with stuff like WINE, but I play too much obscure, old, heavily modded, or just games that have issues as it is - and don't want to add the OS into the mix. I like not having to worr…

> but I play too much obscure, old, heavily modded, or just games that have issues as it is - and don't want to add the OS into the mix.

This is sort of my ballpark. Generally, I play new games on PS5. When I'm playing on the computer it's either something on RetorArch or an older PC game (case in point, I'm currently playing a modded Heroes Of Might and Magic III on Linux).

For older games, I found that it runs as well as on Windows, sometimes better. When I had a Windows machine, quite often I had to tinker with compatibility mode to get shit to run properly, while on Linux I've been having no issues.

You mentioned OldSchool RuneScape, and for that you can just install the Steam version directly. Seems to be fully supported by Proton with no issues [0]

[0]: https://www.protondb.com/app/1343370

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#458

Post by iphone_elegance »

JohnFen wrote: post #54

> As Microsoft puts it: “We are continuing the exploration of badging on the Start menu with several new treatments for users logging in with local user accounts to highlight the benefits of signing in with a Microsoft account (MSA).” What is Microsoft really thinking here? You have to go out of your way (and probably do a web search) in order to figure out how to install Win 11 without using a Microsoft Account. So…

most users enjoy interacting with helpful advertisements if you want to call them that

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#459

Post by FireBeyond »

dotty- wrote: post #134
irrational wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has a similar problem. On setup it wants me to set up siri, payment, etc. My options are to setup now or do it later. There needs to be a third option that I will never setup these things and never ask me again.

I don't think Apple recurringly hounds you to sign in when you hit "Do it later" though. I read "Do it later" here as a subtle reminder that "the option is not gone. You can do it later on your own in your system settings if you want", as opposed to "ok we'll ask you again later unprompted :)"

The big red circle on the System Settings app because I've not configured iCloud or similar begs to disagree.

It's not a model dialog, but it is a call to action that doesn't go away.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#460

Post by FireBeyond »

com2kid wrote: post #311
Nextgrid wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be surprised if some shitty Bluetooth headphones send a "play" command on connection, which then opens the default music player if no others are running, and by default the Music app has some Apple Music stuff (though as you say it can be disabled). While there should ideally be a toggle in the OS to be able to ignore play commands completely from bluetooth devices (to deal with such defective ones), but I…

> I wouldn't be surprised if some shitty Bluetooth headphones send a "play" command on connection, Bose's highest end headphones. > While there should ideally be a toggle in the OS to be able to ignore play commands completely from bluetooth devices (to deal with such defective ones), but I don't see it as outright malicious unlike putting spam in the start menul Windows does the "proper" thing here and starts playin…

Odd. Because my Bose NC700s don't do that under Ventura.
Post reply on HN