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Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

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Re: Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

#11

Unfortunately, I think ads are going to get worse before they get better. The huge hotness in marketing right now is using AI and the trove of data to write personalized ad copy for every recipient. Right now it's expensive enough that not a ton of people are doing it, and the ones who are are only targeting a small niche of people, but I expect that the economics will improve quickly. Given Microsoft's full dive int…

I'm convinced marketing is one of the most harmful professions to society. Yes, some amount of marketing is important, so people know who you are and what you do. But the number of times our marketing department asked for creepy spyware tracking in order to "better serve our customers" makes me sick to my stomach.

Re: Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

#12
Only when I am getting paid, must I use Windows. The inefficiencies of Windows is passed to my customer.

At home, for all of my work, I use Fedora.

Poor ancient companies using Windows/Microsoft services. They were too slow to adjust to Microsoft's turn to anti-consumer behavior. Now fortune 50 employees are subjected to Microsoft clickbait.

Re: Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

#14

Considering retail for the OS is $199 I find it insane the way Microsoft is pushing such a dystopian freemium model on their users. When you buy a new computer with Windows, the manufacturer pays Microsoft for that license too (obj not the same cost as a retail one, but a cost nonetheless) Meanwhile essentially every version of macOS is free (gotta go back a few years to find retail upgrade copies, which are still fa…

> Meanwhile essentially every version of macOS is free

If that was true I could download a macOS version to run in my VM. Rather macOS is unavailable, the only way to get a valid license is to buy a machine running MacOS. Which isn't that different from buying a Windows PC.

The only reason no money changes hands from OEM to Apple is that Apple makes both the OS and the hardware, and they don't have a reason to pay money to themselves.

Windows upgrades used to be a big thing, but have been effectively free for the last 8 years.

Re: Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

#16
I'm more upset that the Notification thing on the left taskbar side in Windows 11 seems to have a mind of it's own - sometimes it displays the weather, othertimes the NVDA stock price, now it displays that in 4 hours Spain plays against France in Euro 24.

I just wish it displayed the weather, but it seems to ignore my configuration or I have skill issues.

Re: Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

#17

Considering retail for the OS is $199 I find it insane the way Microsoft is pushing such a dystopian freemium model on their users. When you buy a new computer with Windows, the manufacturer pays Microsoft for that license too (obj not the same cost as a retail one, but a cost nonetheless) Meanwhile essentially every version of macOS is free (gotta go back a few years to find retail upgrade copies, which are still fa…

In Europe there is no reason to pay $199. You can buy a second hand Windows 11 Pro license for $10. Office Pro for $25.

Despite what many will say, it's completely legal, EU highest court ruled that companies can't forbid the transfer/re-sale of legitimately owned software licenses.

Re: Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

#18
post #8

Considering retail for the OS is $199 I find it insane the way Microsoft is pushing such a dystopian freemium model on their users. When you buy a new computer with Windows, the manufacturer pays Microsoft for that license too (obj not the same cost as a retail one, but a cost nonetheless) Meanwhile essentially every version of macOS is free (gotta go back a few years to find retail upgrade copies, which are still fa…

MacOS does show advertisements for the iCloud services.

I think… in settings? Once below Apple ID, if you’re not signed in, and once by iCloud. There also are AppleID and iCloud direct integrations, which can be thought of as advertisements. And if you are using iCloud and there’s not enough space, you’ll see a banner on every app that uses iCloud (except Finder) that hey, there’s not enough space.

I think this is an advertisement, but it’s for a service people might actually want, that doesn’t necessarily cost money, and only asks for money when needed for functionality. It’s also a first-party ad.

Re: Microsoft's Weather app now shows more ads

#19

Unfortunately, I think ads are going to get worse before they get better. The huge hotness in marketing right now is using AI and the trove of data to write personalized ad copy for every recipient. Right now it's expensive enough that not a ton of people are doing it, and the ones who are are only targeting a small niche of people, but I expect that the economics will improve quickly. Given Microsoft's full dive int…

I'm convinced marketing is one of the most harmful professions to society. Yes, some amount of marketing is important, so people know who you are and what you do. But the number of times our marketing department asked for creepy spyware tracking in order to "better serve our customers" makes me sick to my stomach.

This is true, but I also think software technology corporations play a huge role in accelerating the destruction of society. I'm having a hard time being convinced this boring dystopia we're in right now is all that much better than when we didn't have huge software companies destroying society (mostly Facebook and Google).

I'm a software engineer (of course) but the way corporate software is going is bleak. FOSS sometimes feels like the only light we have. Social media destroyed society, made everyone confused and neutered.

Sorry, slightly off topic rant. But day by day I get increasingly frustrated with where the software industry is going.

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