this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
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Last week, I turned on my PC, installed a Windows update, and rebooted to find Microsoft Edge automatically open with the Chrome tabs I was working on before the update. I don’t use Microsoft Edge regularly, and I have Google Chrome set as my default browser. Bleary-eyed at 9AM, it took me a moment to realize that Microsoft Edge had simply taken over where I’d left off in Chrome. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 9 months ago (1 children)

installed a Windows update, (...) and I have Google Chrome set as my default browser

It's subtle but if you look closely and read between the lines you can see what the real issue is.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago

He doesn't use Arch btw

[–] [email protected] 49 points 9 months ago (1 children)

And again, install Linux and be done with this shit. Fuck Windows, fuck everything about Microsoft, don't use their crap

[–] [email protected] 19 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Having switched Linux for over two decades now, I find the current state of Windows to be extremely weird. Why do people tolerate such abuse? Is it that the gradual degradation conditioned people to accept it? Sort of like the proverbial frog in the boiling water?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

People stick to what they are used to, and don't notice the enshittification. Windows users will happily tell you that Windows "just works", and that Linux is "too hard", because that's what they heard for years and never bothered trying for themselves.

Now, Linux overwhelmingly "just works", and using Windows is a constant fight with the OS. Instead of the problem Linux used to have where everything assumed you understood Unix already and new how to make good user decisions, Windows assumes you're a brainless moron and makes decisions for you without bothering to ask you or even tell you.

Even the fact that you have to install Linux scares people, because people are used to Windows coming on their computer, and in many cases don't even realize that Windows and the computer they are running it on are totally different things.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 9 months ago

Firefox is your friend.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's hilarious. Why would you use chrome instead of edge though? At least with edge you cut out google, with chrome you give data to both.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I'm having trouble parsing this so i might be commenting on something that isn't there.

Current edge is a chrome re-skin with some addons, I'd put good money on it not being google free.

If you care about data going to nefarious places you probably shouldn't be using either.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (3 children)

If you're using windows you're already giving Microsoft data so may as well

Edge uses chromium not chrome, I would hazard a guess there's much less data harvesting going on in base chromium given it's open source and people can see exactly what they collect

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Everyone in this thread is complaining about Chrome. They should be complaining about MS.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 9 months ago

Can't we do both?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Chrome's singular purpose of existence is to give Google an avenue to vacuum up user data - both directly and through corruption of the web standards. Edge doing this crap is merely like giving a pig a clown hat. Fuck em both.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Two ways to avoid this problem: switch to linux, switch to firefox, preferably both

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (4 children)

This behaviour is why I roll my eyes when the edge fanbois are all like "iTs AlL cHrOmE aNyWaY".

Fuck any company that uses their power to try trick people into using their software, yes including google.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago (5 children)

“iTs AlL cHrOmE aNyWaY”

This is why I use Firefox.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Wait, Edge fanbois are real??

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

No one who enjoys the Internet should be using Chrome for anything.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Pretty crazy to think they got broken up in the late 90s/early 2000s for simply including IE in a fresh Windows install (im probably over simplifying but still). Yet these days they're pulling this kind of shit

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

You aren’t really over simplifying that much. IE was installed, but on first launch it loaded a website called BrowserChoice.eu where you could pick a different browser to install. It would change the default browser setting and remove IE shortcuts. The order of the browser’s was randomised similar to the way an election ballot usually is.

Microsoft set it up to comply with an EU decision in 2010, only on devices sold in the EU. However, it was only required until December 2014, so Microsoft quietly discontinued it in an update. The functionality was never included in Edge.

Edit: the 90s-00s anti-trust stuff with Microsoft and IE wasn’t just about IE being the default in Windows. It was also because they forced Apple to include it on Mac OS as the default, otherwise they’d stop developing Office for Mac. They also stipulated that Apple couldn’t develop their own competing browser and Safari wasn’t born until later.

Ironic that Apple went on to do the same thing with Safari, and more importantly the WebKit engine, on iOS. Plus now trying to force its competitors to either continue using Webkit, or maintain two seperate versions of their apps. One for within the EU and one for everywhere else

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

LOL This is what happens when you run closed source garbage. Nothing is in your control.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (15 children)

I’m slowly just migrating away from windows as much as I can because Microsoft is being so pushy with this nonsense. Like, they keep trying to get me to log in to a Microsoft account that doesn’t exist, they keep changing settings and asking for more permissions, they keep reinstalling stuff I’ve ripped out purposefully, and from the way they’re talking it seems like it’s just going to get worse. Stuff like putting cloud run python functions in to Excel just sounds like they’re testing tech to push more and more functions off the device and in to their centralized processing centers.

I’d consider apple but I don’t have “spend 3x as much money on the same hardware” money TBH, and really I don’t have any guarantees they won’t do the same thing Microsoft is doing.

I’ve got an older laptop that I’m slowly rebuilding my work flow in mint Linux and once I’ve got that working I’ll set it up on my main computer and be done with windows for the foreseeable future.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I thought I had heard the worst of it. But it's their platform. They keep inventing new ways to screw their customers.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Funny how the EU council considers iOS to be a big problem but not Microsoft’s behavior around Edge. Both need to be corrected, but only one has seen any action - and it ain’t Microsoft.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Accordingly to The Verge, "EU regulators have “tentatively concluded” that Bing and Edge aren’t dominant enough for the DMA regulations".

I agree that both need to be corrected though. The issue is Microsoft's behaviour being unacceptable. It also creates a nasty situation, where other corporations might argue "you allowed Microsoft to do it, so allow us too, otherwise you're being unfair."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's horrible. Also normal.

And sad because none of those two things should even exist, much less dominate the market.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Sounds like Microsoft. They did this all the time with Firefox before.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Microsoft Edge is actually good, so I sure hope the team building it isn’t about to resort to more tricks to get Chrome users to use it.

No. No it is not.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Edge also copies all the extensions you have in Chrome.

I use Edge as "that browser with full tracking and no privacy that government sites require", so it still was a dick move... had to disable them all 😒

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (4 children)

It's so easy to switch to Edge, you don't even have to try! Literally!

Microsoft Edge is actually good, so I sure hope the team building it isn’t about to resort to more tricks to get Chrome users to use it.

Given Microsoft's track record....

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

To be fair, chromium aside, edge did start as a nice browser, but as with all MS products, they end up getting riddled with more and more bullshit over time.

Just use Firefox.

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