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Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

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Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#91

Post by wink »

moss2 wrote: post #35
frob wrote: post #4

Windows is just full of hostile, anti-user patterns these days. I've considered building a windows box just to have a gaming rig multiple times over the last few years, but every time an article like this or their crusade against Chrome reminds me that Bill Gates is still the same anti-trust monster he was in the 90s.

You don't need Windows for gaming any more. Ubuntu 22.04 comes with graphics drivers. Steam has Steam Play and Lutris has a huge library of install scripts, so everything is handled for you. The one thing you will need to do occasionally is experiment with different Wine distributions. This means you will need to right click on your game and select the distribution from a drop-down box. Exhausting, I know.

If by "gaming" you mean "be able to play a selection of games you might or might not be interested in, in varying states of support and performance", then yes - absolutely true.

None of the games I've played recently even are on Steam, so no, your answer is misleading at best.

And no, I've not tried it recently on my main machine but I've tried it often enough that my summary is still: Feel free to try it, but many (or most) of us still have to stick with Windows even if we don't like it.

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#92

Post by netsharc »

jeltz wrote: post #13
jabroni_salad wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you might find that it mysteriously reappears

Source? You may very well be correct but I would like to see a source for such a claim.

Windows has had a mechanism called Windows Resource Protection[1] for a long while now, if you delete notepad.exe (I guess nowadays that file isn't even deletable), after a few seconds it will reappear again. If you delete edge.exe (or whatever it's called) or replace it with a copy of, let's say firefox.exe, the WRP will see the file has been removed/modified and restore it, because somewhere inside C:\Windows there's a backup copy of the files..

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Resource_Protection, previously Windows File Protection, introduced in Windows 2000.

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#93

Post by noahjk »

trollied wrote: post #5

The title is a little clickbaity - the behaviour can be changed: “ Ultimately though, if this experience isn't right for you, you can turn off this feature the first time it launches in Microsoft Edge, and then in Outlook settings at any time after that. ” Having said that, Microsoft seem to be entering another phase of baiting antitrust regulators.

> Microsoft seem to be entering another phase of baiting antitrust regulators

On the "FedEx Accused of Largest Odometer Rollback Fraud" post, llimos says "When did we move to a "do whatever you think you can get away with" model of society?" [0].

Like light_hue_1 says in response, "Because the cost of fraud is far too low and it's now factored into business plans." That seems to be exactly what is happening here too. It's honestly disheartening.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36492496

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#94

Post by hospitalJail »

The final straw for me and Windows was when I took the time to remove some annoying feature, cortana or edge, can't remember.

Then an update replaced my work.

It wasnt some 'uninstall program', but a multi-step process that involved registry editing.

I don't feel like I have control over Windows.

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#95

Post by CrimsonRain »

e-shrdlu wrote: post #85
postalrat wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well at least Microsoft allows you to install other browsers. Apple only allows skins for their mobile browser.

Are you saying all ios browsers are just safari with a different UI?

Yes and it is common knowledge!

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#96

Post by Bootvis »

e-shrdlu wrote: post #85
postalrat wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well at least Microsoft allows you to install other browsers. Apple only allows skins for their mobile browser.

Are you saying all ios browsers are just safari with a different UI?

Yes, they must be because Apple doesn't allow a Javascript JIT engine to be released in the app store.

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#97

Post by LegitShady »

I’m one of the dinosaurs who still uses Skype to talk to some non-computer people who haven’t moved away from it.

Skype similarly gets worse and worse each update. They removed the ability to have multiple windows, they made links open in some kind of in-Skype browser I can’t find a setting a to turn off, they added a weather widget which is dumb.

Thankfully the weather widget exists, though, because their new in app browser doesn’t have any way to close the in app “window” it opens - no x, nowhere to click to close it. The only way I’ve found to close it is to click the weather widget which loads into the same space and that has an x to close it. I bet they’re getting tons of positive numbers about weather widget use from users just looking to close the shitty in app browser. I don’t know if it even counts as a dark pattern - I can’t tell if the Skype designers are this incompetent or actually hate the few users left still on that shitty platform. Maybe they’re purposely trying to get Microsoft to shut it down by making it worse every update?

Every second I use skype I want to get away from it, I just have to convince a handful of people to move as well, or I guess let them know they won’t be able to reach me through there and give up talking to them.

I noticed the outlook link handling thing on my personal machine and figured out how to turn it off but damn that was annoying. I’m not going to be annoyed into using edge - I won’t be tricked into it either. Every time this happens my willingness to go along with this gets smaller and smaller. I have a bunch of paid Microsoft licenses - windows, office365, etc. Once gaming off windows matures a little more I think its time to move away from this abusive shit.

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#98

Post by mihaaly »

SpaceL10n wrote: post #70

I changed it back to use default browser. It took all of 60 seconds to google the answer. They totally should take a calculated risk like this in order to gain more market share. Exercising control over software defaults rarely causes users to abandon a product entirely. The pain of changing the default back is much less than the pain of finding a new tool. Microsoft will not lose Outlook users by doing this. They wi…

They should NOT try this manipulative approach as what remains in the heads is the attitude they employ towards their users: ignoring them! If this was the one and only one of their dirty attempts it may have been gone unnoticed but their attitude they allow themselves is approaching of a scumbag through the repeated user hosility and ruining usability, proactively wasting the time of the very people they live on.

There may be many who does not care but growing number of people on the grid - who they ask advice from - will spread the dirtball reputation of Microsoft, reaching a lot of people, fortunately.

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#99

Post by amackera »

SpaceL10n wrote: post #70

I changed it back to use default browser. It took all of 60 seconds to google the answer. They totally should take a calculated risk like this in order to gain more market share. Exercising control over software defaults rarely causes users to abandon a product entirely. The pain of changing the default back is much less than the pain of finding a new tool. Microsoft will not lose Outlook users by doing this. They wi…

They also reinforce their reputation of using dark UI patterns hostile to their paying customers.

This type of thing doesn't come for free, IMO. There's a cost to this, even if they don't pay it in the short term.

Re: Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default

#100

Post by hospitalJail »

david422 wrote: post #24
moss2 wrote: post #14

Glad I uninstalled Windows and use Ubuntu on all my computers

I did this many years ago, ran into a bunch of issues and switched back. Tried again maybe 4 (?) years ago and have stuck with it - everything is pretty smooth for my purposes now. I do run into some random issues sometimes - like display drivers randomly resetting. That seems to be the biggest one.

Pick your poison.

My USB wireless mouse randomly disconnects on Linux. Unplugging and replugging fixes it.

My sound is flaky on windows + Microsoft dark patterns.

Maybe I'll find a hardware solution to the mouse thing.

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