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Microsoft Edge is apparently usurping Chrome on people’s PCs
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2024
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Had to set up a new laptop for someone over the weekend and Jesus they just won't stop begging you not to switch.
Search for another browser in the URL/search bar, gigantic banner that pushes the actual search results off the page: "There's no need to switch browsers, Edge is safe, fast, etc etc etc"
Click the download button for Chrome's installer, a pop-up notification shows up: "Edge is built on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust and security of Microsoft" (fucking lol)
Go to switch the default browser in settings, another pop-up shows up again explaining that Edge is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I have to click either "Try Edge (recommended)" or "switch anyway".
Then I spend 30 minutes navigating their maze of a settings app to change a bunch of ad preferences, etc.
Then I spend another 30 minutes editing registry entries to disable Cortana, Bing search in the search bar, recommended apps.
God damn I'm glad I switched to Linux.
And if you need to use Microsoft Teams for work it will ignore your preferences and open links in edge by default, so you'll have to find and disable that, too.
Just found this setting earlier in the day, before seeing your comment. That was annoying and such an unnecessary grab on Microsoft's part.
And the same for a domain joined PC. Fresh install of Windows 11, open edge, find that you are already signed into edge on a Microsoft account that Windows helpfully created for you that mirrors your domain account.
You told edge that you do not want to transfer over your data. And it says okay but you'll notice a little blue hyperlink that says manage above that.
And if you click that it tells you all the stuff it's going to copy over anyway.
So you sign out of that and you untick all of the boxes and you close edge and you reopen it and you find that you are still signed in to your Microsoft account that was created for you with your domain credentials in Bing search and you have to sign out of that as well.
Edge has created an account for you, signed you in in two separate locations, and automatically set itself to ingest all of your account credentials and it does not even tell you what it has done unless you click through multiple paths to find it.
The game industry is going hard on “GaaS” or “Games as a Service.” Microsoft is going hard on “OS as a service” because, in the same way, they want your data or your money as you use the product
And then once a quarter as part of their "feature update" they'll ask if you're suuuure you don't want to change your default browser to Edge instead of your normal browser.
That's awful.
...my mum's laptop being unable to run W10/W11 was a blessing in disguise then. I'm glad that I don't need to manage this sort of junk.
O&O ShutUp10 is free and handles all this automatically.
Regional settings > English UK
Bam, most of that shit is taken care of