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Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

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Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#151

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

I typically respect Apple products, but they also shove ads in the settings app...

Does “Sign up for iCloud” count as an ad? It’s a core (albeit optional) feature, included with the product the user has bought.

The same could be said of Fitness+, or any of their other services. Yes, it’s “advertising”, but sits pretty inoffensively on the spectrum.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have seen a reminder once about time running out to buy an AppleCare warranty, which I appreciated. What other ads have you seen in Settings?

iCloud storage subscription when your phone is running low on space. See this mini thread from a few days ago on the same topic -- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29291166

Wow! I was going to mention the same mini thread (started by me!).

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But what can we do? Ads provide employment for tens of millions of people and fund literally billions of hours of content watched a year. Even if you agree most is trash, it's also allowed some really high quality stuff to flourish while being able to stay relatively independent. It's strongly tied to economic growth, and thus everybody's pensions are tied up in the success of advertising. It seems illogical it makes…

I am not against ads as a concept. If I’m getting something for free, I think it’s fair to say have a lot less say in what I see and when. What I am against is what seems to be a complete decline in any sense of taste and decency over the past 20 years, that means ads will be shoved anywhere if it can make a quick buck out of someone. I think it’s the interjection that really rubs me the wrong way. If the shop I was…

Yeah, the TV thing just rubs me the wrong way. TV channels have ads, which is why I avoid them, but TV menus is too much.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#154

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

Maintaining browsers has become a significant undertaking, so complex that only well-funded corporate interests can afford to keep one patched and up-to-date with the latest web standards. It surpassed operating system complexity. It surpassed pretty much everything else too. So we can forget about it ever being truly "free" (and free from ads) unless we simplify the web somehow. I also don't think we're going to go…

> What might work is a browser funded by massive numbers of small user donations. That's the Firefox model.

That's not the Firefox model at all. Firefox development done by the Mozilla Corporation is primarily funded by search engine partnerships. Donations to the Mozilla Foundation (which owns the corporation) fund other initiatives instead, and are a much smaller amount.

https://old.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/a98gmi/donations_t...

https://old.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/ow9k0y/is_there_a_...

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#155

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

Maintaining browsers has become a significant undertaking, so complex that only well-funded corporate interests can afford to keep one patched and up-to-date with the latest web standards. It surpassed operating system complexity. It surpassed pretty much everything else too. So we can forget about it ever being truly "free" (and free from ads) unless we simplify the web somehow. I also don't think we're going to go…

I’m currently beta testing two paid browsers and I’m about to be trying a third. We are seeing a bit of a golden age for software right now where it seems a certain subset of the population has become not only comfortable paying for it, but also paying realistic (read not subsidized) pricing for it. I’m not saying this will ever be mainstream per se, but I am suggesting that enough people may be interested to make the model a sustainable alternative.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#156

I cannot stand how everything with internet access is just becoming a vehicle to shove ads down everyone’s throat. This web browser wants to sell me credit deals. My expensive TV has banner ads in the menus (well, it did until I blocked about two dozen domains). An increasing amount of apps are sending “offers” I never requested via push notifications on my phone. My belongings are not a fucking corporate billboard.

Maintaining browsers has become a significant undertaking, so complex that only well-funded corporate interests can afford to keep one patched and up-to-date with the latest web standards. It surpassed operating system complexity. It surpassed pretty much everything else too. So we can forget about it ever being truly "free" (and free from ads) unless we simplify the web somehow. I also don't think we're going to go…

A new HTML/JS/CSS standard should be defined based on lessons learned implementing past browsers. Such a standard would make it easy to implement a browser.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#158

Hey, Microsoft, it's not your fucking job to serve ads. It is not your fucking job to be the middleman for payment transactions. Your only job is to provide an operating system.

The problem is we don’t pay for the operating system anymore.

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iCloud storage subscription when your phone is running low on space. See this mini thread from a few days ago on the same topic -- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29291166

Wow! I was going to mention the same mini thread (started by me!).

If you can still edit your message on the older thread/page, you should link to this discussion (or post a new message). That way, the circle of life will be complete haha

I’m kidding of course (you should still do it if you can/want) ;)

Re: Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge

#160
Just recently I was setting up Windows 10. One of the first things it asked for is an email account or you can create one. Ugh. I remember the days when you didn't need an email account to setup an OS. Also Windows 10 has many nagging notifications if you are not logged in to Microsoft services.
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