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Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

toastytech.com

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Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#71
One of my computers has Windows 10 (I know it is getting close to end of support... in theory, they will support it since lots of companies still sit on it).

Microsoft still tries to add back Edge as the default browser after every patch. They always reset your setting silently (how is this shit even legal?)

Also IMHO nowadays they are pushing updates much more often and those constant updates slow down the computer to a crawl - they do this because they try to force you to upgrade. Seriously the amount of updates nowadays is incredible - and as an user you simply cannot disable windows update due to multiple dark patterns (e.g. windows ignoring the settings in the windows update menu... + you you cannot disable the service since there is another service that turns it on). Windows keeps downloading patches when you do something else - every few days the computet becomes unusable and requires a restart.

To add insult to in injury: windows 11 requires computers with this new bios, so even if you gave up and wanted to pay microsoft their extortion money... you cant, since the new Windows wont work on your older computer.

Seriously due to updates every few days random services take 10% of processor time, or updates eat all internet bandwith.. even when every windows update is turned off.

The only solution is to use hard to audit programs from the internet that can disable updates completly. [Downloading such things is nor very safe... so I dont do it]

Yes I scanned the computer for trojans - its the updates that make it slow.

My old machine used to play doom and browse websites randomly slows down every few days because they use a dark pattern of patches that try to convince you to throw away a perfectly fine computer and buy windows 11. Which wont even work.

So I wonder what is a safe way to disable windows updates? It makes the computer behave normally (e.g .if it has no connection for 3 weeks of behaves ok for 3 weeks. Connect to inetenet - updates...)

Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#72
post #17

All of these practices feel fairly benign compared to what microsoft is doing now. At the time they merely shipped the browser with the OS. I don't think this would even raise an eyebrow now. They were also accused of adding new features only in IE which forced websites to deal with incompatible browsers. /s of course this is a problem developers do not need to deal with anymore! The Microsoft we are dealing with now…

Flash was an “internet standard”???

Adobe claimed that it could have gotten Flash working on the original iPhone in 2007 if Apple had allowed it.

When Flash did finally come to mobile in 2010, it required 1GB of RAM and a 1Ghz CPU on Android and then it barely worked and wrecked hell on the battery.

The original iPhone came with 128MB of RAM and a 400 MHz CPU. An iPhone with those specs didn’t come out until 2011.

Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#74
post #17

All of these practices feel fairly benign compared to what microsoft is doing now. At the time they merely shipped the browser with the OS. I don't think this would even raise an eyebrow now. They were also accused of adding new features only in IE which forced websites to deal with incompatible browsers. /s of course this is a problem developers do not need to deal with anymore! The Microsoft we are dealing with now…

> deprecating flash

How quickly people forget the security nightmare that was Flash at the time. Every other week it was some new exploit that allowed rootkits to be installed straight from flash ads.

Adobe couldn’t keep up and was actively encouraging folks to move to HTML5 based web animations or Air/Flex runtimes for local app development and animation.

IOS never supported flash. That is not the same as “depreciating” it.

Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#76
post #45

Old greybeard moment: I remember all of this and how people on newsgroups (Usenet) defended Microsoft, said that the IE integration in the OS was a technical requirement and not an MS tactic. It clearly was a deliberated tactic to retain power, just like Chrome is today (even if they look less evil)

I’d love to know whether the act of integrating your web browser and your file browser did in fact have any engineering-level benefits or if it was more like a big mess of impedance mismatch.

It probably allowed their engineers to code the design bits in an easier language (imagine, HTML vs C++!), allowing them to iterate and customise the design more quickly.

It's probably in the same vein as how phone apps that need a new feature quickly may decide to simply start a WebView.

Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#77

It's so much worse now. Ever tried installing a different browser on Win11 now? Edge tries to dark pattern all your info with 10 sneaky popups when you first open it. Then on Chrome's website Edge will show a popup indicating that Edge is better, and you should use Edge instead. Then setting Chrome to be default is also a pain, as you have to do that manually for each file type and protocol now.

I was coming here to comment on exactly this experience. The banner ad for Edge that was inserted onto the chrome download page tried selling me on Edges privacy and/or security while doing something that essentially violated both.

Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#78
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It gives me a known, unchanging environment that I can rely on to serve my needs day in and day out. My computers are tools, and the operating system is subservient to its administrator who is absolutely not Microsoft. I do not appreciate my computers reinstalling their operating systems every damn week without my knowledge nor permission. Been working this way since Windows Update has been a thing, and I've never be…

What locks you in to windows? Programs? Corporate compliance? Familiarity?

1. Bigger battery life 2. Decent PDF reader such as STDU, music player such as foobar2000 - if running all of these under Wine the battery life is going to become even less 3. If the computer is not needed to be connected to the Internets even occationally, there is no better option than W7.

Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#79
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is disabling OS updates a sensible decision?

It gives me a known, unchanging environment that I can rely on to serve my needs day in and day out. My computers are tools, and the operating system is subservient to its administrator who is absolutely not Microsoft. I do not appreciate my computers reinstalling their operating systems every damn week without my knowledge nor permission. Been working this way since Windows Update has been a thing, and I've never be…

>My computers are tools, and the operating system is subservient to its administrator who is absolutely not Microsoft.

And you think this administrator is you rather than some botnet master taking advantage of your unpatched system? :-)

Re: Microsoft forced people to install their browser (2010)

#80
post #17

All of these practices feel fairly benign compared to what microsoft is doing now. At the time they merely shipped the browser with the OS. I don't think this would even raise an eyebrow now. They were also accused of adding new features only in IE which forced websites to deal with incompatible browsers. /s of course this is a problem developers do not need to deal with anymore! The Microsoft we are dealing with now…

Maybe I'm nuts, but the start menu's web search results seem to ignore default browser settings and only open in Edge. Event better: I had a period of time where Edge would freeze before showing any content. So clicking a web result from start menu would just open an empty, unresponsive window. Windows would then tell me the window is unresponsive and ask if I want to kill it. Classic Microsoft quality. It's like tha…

> Maybe I'm nuts, but the start menu's web search results seem to ignore default browser settings and only open in Edge

You’re correct on that, Microsoft created a new link type ‘microsoft-edge:’, so that no matter what browser you use. Query’s from the search bar always get sent to Edge. They pulled a very similar move with Outlook where it now opens all links in edge, instead of in the users default browser. But for now, you can still toggle that setting back.

If you want windows searches to open in your default browser, you have to use https://github.com/rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect

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