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Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

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Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#171

Post by Dylan16807 »

ikeboy wrote: post #147
Dylan16807 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When it's installed automatically it doesn't have the same intent behind it that justifies changing the setting.

Windows isn't installed automatically. Let me lay out the analogy more explicitly. I install Firefox, and specifically choose for it not to be my default. I later download an updated version and choose default settings in the installation. Firefox then sets itself as the default browser; it overwrites my previous choice in favor of the default. I install Windows. I specifically don't set explorer as the default. I in…

Right, neither should be doing that in the case of an update. Firefox when updated in the normal manner doesn't make itself the primary browser. Windows 10 is behaving badly.

Firefox will only change things if you specifically get a Firefox installer, where it thinking that's your intent is understandable.

Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#172

Post by notsony »

Animats wrote: post #74

I am writing to you about a very disturbing aspect of Firefox 38.0.5. Specifically, that the update experience appears to have been designed to throw away the choice your customers have made about the Internet experience they want, and replace it with the Internet experience Mozilla wants them to have. When we first saw the Firefox upgrade experience that strips users of their choice by effectively overriding existin…

I don't care about Mozilla or Firefox. I used to, but not anymore. Two reasons why.

First, copying Chrome's UI.

Second, forcing Brendan Eich out.

These days Mozilla comes across as a bunch of whiners and activists rather than a technology company. Maybe Rust will be successful but I don't want to be part of an ecosystem where straight talking and free thought is banned. Do you want to submit a pull request and be told not to use gendered pronouns or avoid using certain words because it makes people feel unsafe? That's the kind of world Mozilla occupies.

Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#173

Post by afro88 »

smacktoward wrote: post #148
KeytarHero wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Firefox doesn't revert you to defaults You mean besides that time Firefox reverted everyone's search engine to Yahoo?

It only switched your search engine if you'd never changed from the original default (Google). If you had ever switched the search box to use a different engine, FF continued to respect that.

Not changing from the default is as much a choice as changing to something else. They shouldn't have changed it for updates, but for new installs.

Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#175

Post by reilly3000 »

The core of this all is defaults. If somebody makes an experience with defaults that benefit themselves, that feels like America to be for better or worse. The important part, the crucial part is that they remain choices. While we could and do fight for a web with defaults that don't mean profits to big companies, shouldn't we also work to ensure that we have choices in the first place? When picking a platform are there choices you don't get to make?

Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#177

Post by skrebbel »

[deleted] wrote: post #176

[deleted]

I'm not sure you completely understand what all this is about. It's not about whether Windows 10 is any good, its about the default privacy and browser settings.

I really (really) like Windows 10, but it really annoyed me that the same privacy settings that Windows 8 defaulted to "off" were suddenly defaulted to "on" in Windows 10.

Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#178

Post by zurn »

DanBC wrote: post #29
solidangle wrote: post #24

It's absurd that you have to press on a button called 'Customize' (which is really scary sounding for non-experts) to get any privacy in Windows 10. If users are brave enough to press this button they get a list of nondescript options that barely explain what kind of data is sent to Microsoft. Microsoft should show always show all the privacy options to users and they should explain the pros and cons for each setting…

To be fair if your attacker is the NSA you're fucked no matter what MS does. Most people need better security to protect them from the US companies slurping all their data.

NSA attacks most people. It's just selective about who it targets for special treatment after going through everyone's stuff.

Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#179

Post by foiboitoi »

tn13 wrote: post #141
joe_the_user wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what? That doesn't mean they are obliged to comply with whatever you think is "the right thing"®. Yes they are. Those who own one or another monopoly-type chokepoints are required to do the right thing in the sense of not abusing their monopolies. ISP are required to connect you to the real internet rather than a walled-garden simulation, Airline are required to not to hold their passengers ransom for more at inte…

Yes, and is Apple required to open their platform to porn apps ? This is USA where private property rights are supposedly important despite government's attempts in other direction.

The "they can do what ever they want with their private property" argument doesn't matter. This isn't about what they can do, it's about what should be done.

No nothing should be required of these organisations. But their products serve humanity. They SHOULD have a sense of moral obligation to do the right thing. As should we the people have the responsibility to hold private monopolies to high standards so as that they help most people (not just shareholders).

Re: Open Letter to Microsoft’s CEO: Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Choice and Control

#180

Post by lqdc13 »

smacktoward wrote: post #148
KeytarHero wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Firefox doesn't revert you to defaults You mean besides that time Firefox reverted everyone's search engine to Yahoo?

It only switched your search engine if you'd never changed from the original default (Google). If you had ever switched the search box to use a different engine, FF continued to respect that.

Unless you do the "refresh firefox" thing that shows up every time you have 5 addons installed.

The above experience is on the developer edition of firefox, as I haven't tried it on the normal stable release.

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