Microsoft doing shady Microsoft stuff again
Microsoft doing shady Microsoft stuff again
215 comments
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My Linux firefotz browser never gives this error.
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Satya, stop trying to make Edge happen. It's not going to happen.
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For those contemplating a shift to Linux, this site lets you kick the tires on different distros.
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Or you can simply use Linux Mint or Zorin OS if you really can't stand with a new UI
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The "app" is called Windows. :)
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miss those vague error messages, not.
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If you use Solid works at work you'll be welcome with More retarded ones like:
Error occurred.
An item in your assembly needs to be saved X 1000 consecutive windows saying the same thing even if you hit cancel or don't show again.Solid works is phaking regarde...retarded.
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MBAs
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So, as with many other people. this stuff is certainly pushing me into Linux.
That said, is there no chance of the EU restarting their probes towards them with all the dark patterns they've been using to push people into Edge?
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My day job is to fight ONE aspect of shady MS stuff. I don't have time or money at home to fight ALL of MS's shady shit at home.
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"oopsie reawwy sowwy uwu"
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I laughed at Microsoft a lot when they basically made Windows 10 beg people to try edge.
You tried to change your default and it was like, this isn't recommended! And you're like, idgaf change the default, and Windows is like, are you sure? Yes! But edge can save battery power. Are you really sure?
Fuck off edge. Change the default.
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Are you sure?
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That means nothing
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@herseycokguzelolacak Just like how clicking any web links (be it from the shitty widgets menu or from windows search) that open the browser, open as edge:// links which force opening on Microsoft Edge even if it's not your default browser. This sucks but at least I can uninstall Edge easily from the settings (maybe because I am in the EU)
Seriously considering switching to Linux lately!
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Microsoft needs to hire a psychologist or something. Their senseless nagging on forcing shit down our throats doesn't psychologically work the way they think it does.
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Except it does work. Its easy to forget that most users dont really know or care that much about their browser or care what their laptop is doing.
They just click things until something with search bar comes up.
The tech savy people are not their biggest customer group so they can risk annoying some people as long as they know they are getting more people in to their enviroment than they are loosing their users.
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As opposed to silently changing your default browser?
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Reminds of that kid that trips over and eats a class colleague's entire banana
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"Banana"
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Can I run Windows 7 in a VM if I am forced to use 10 or 11 somehow?
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You can
- run your favorite flavor of Arch on your bare metal
- use Aero theme plasma with KDE
- legitimately install VMware Workstation Pro, since it's free now.
- run windows 7 in a VM with extended kernel patches. (bonus points for making your windows VM immutable)
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Hm, I'll see what I can do about that. I have a Value Village rescue PC that will soon be set up.
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Maybe try ReviOS? It's a "playbook" file you run on a clean Windows 11 install that strips out all of the telemetry and junk, and mostly "just works". The only big potential pain point, imho, is not getting automatic driver updates from Windows Update.
I just installed CachyOS with virt-manager running ReviOS in a virtual machine. For my needs, it's amazing. Arch Linux allows for easy updates to the latest versions of software and CachyOS further improves it with optimized, pre-compiled packages, which is particularly relevant for a smooth gaming experience. (Outdated packages aren't a good mix with new games, and the optimized packages improve performance.)
The only "big" challenge I've had with Windows is getting videoconferencing working smoothly (my webcam is flickery), but that's not a big deal. Zoom in Linux works great, and Teams/Zoom both work well in browser (in Linux). So, most of my work stuff is in the VM, but I have Zoom and a separate browser (for Teams meetings) installed in Linux.
This setup requires a bit of technical skill; you need to be able to find and follow guides. (Ex. I needed to troubleshoot why I couldn't change the VM resolution, and the fix was to download a set of VM tools in Windows.) If you have light technical skills to search for and read guides, it shouldn't be too challenging.
(I use Arch, by the way.)
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Yeah, it's called the Mint version.
/j
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Seriously this!
Win7 in a VM work great in Linux. But what you SHOULD do is just install Linux Mint and use it for a week.
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The problem obviously being that it is not the browser they want you too use, so they create "a problem".
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Microsoft Edge encountered an error: Microsoft Edge is not the default browser. We reset your default browser to Microsoft Edge to resolve the problem
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I hate that Windows is like this
It would be better if people didn't need to worry about switching.
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Would it work to just delete edge.exe and rename firefox.exe to it?
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Nope. Not that simple. Windows will complain left and right and "repair" it self. Their are ways to fully remove edge how ever.
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Oof. So that's why Windows 10+ has almost 400 background services and is so slow.
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There is no end on Microsoft nagging:
- Trying to install Firefox.
- Windows: Why would you need another browser? You already have a browser. Use Microsoft Edge.
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That's why i completely nuked Edge when i was still on windows 11. Including WebView. I simply did not give a fuck if anything used edge.
When i installed (fedora) linux for the first time, i was like:
wait... this really does only what i tell it to! holy shit!
And i never looked back. (And i distrohopped over time. I am currently using arch, and testing NixOS in a VM via virt-manager. If i find it to be good enough, i'll copy the config and install on my host, alongside arch. And slowly, i'll nixify my pc.)
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I did the same thing until I switched to Geruda Linux a few weeks ago. Neat arch based distro that is optimized for gaming. When I bought a laptop I explicitly chose the DIY Framework laptop so I didn't have to purchase Windows and have been running Fedora on that for years without issues.
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Nix made me love my computer. I have everything I want and if anything goes wrong I just rollback. After a taste it's the only OS that feels right
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nix>>>
although have you considered gentoo?
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I've been using Firefox for over a decade, and Windows has never complained about it. What are you talking about?
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I think this started with Windows 10, don't know which version though. A couple examples from the net:
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Install MSEdgeRedirect to solve this problem.
I also recommend O&O Shut Up 10 and StartAllBack to disable ads/AI/bloat and restore removed Start menu functionality (like vertical taskbars). Also, always build the ISO in Rufus so you have the option to disable the Microsoft account requirement.
Alternatively you could* switch to Linux.
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Or, if you must stay on Windows, you could switch to Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC, which is Windows 11 without the shitware and with ten years of guaranteed updates. The Mass Grave has the details.
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They say that Stockholm syndrome is fake because of bad data. Windows is the proof that it's true.
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There is a possible version of windows that is good and that people want. It's a just a shame that Microsoft isn't interested it making it.
As someone who grew up on windows, I'm willing to stay with it for as long as I can make it like that version. I don't want Mac, and Linux doesn't support enough (still, but maybe one day)
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I mean, if the alternative is vanilla Chrome, it hardly matters at this point. They're both so loaded with tracking your computer will dent the floor, and they have basically the same capabilities.
Obviously FF is better, but what I'm saying is, statistically, for the vast majority, this is only pulling folks off of Chrome.
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The worst part is, firefox isn't better any more, it's a bloated mess. I was a firefox user for over a decade and finally ditched it last week.
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I mean it goes back and forth so much. I remember when Firefox was the king of browsers 15 years maybe 18 years ago. It then got so loaded with shit that Chrome was the only way to go for about 10 years or so now at this point I think it's pretty much a wash between the two. If nothing else you can use a lighter browser. I personally prefer Chrome because then I can use it on my phone my tablet my computer and have access to all of my tabs as access to all of my searches everything between the three devices.
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because then I can use it on my phone my tablet my computer and have access to all of my tabs as access to all of my searches everything between the three devices.
You can do that with Firefox. If you use Android you can also run uBlock in the mobile version of Firefox, which is why I'll never use Chrome again.
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Unfortunately, I feel this way too. It is easier and more productive for me atm. I would like to get away from Google but it works seamlessly with everything I use.
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What I meant is there are tons of alternatives to Google-branded Chrome, that are basically Chrome underneath but at least stripped out. Including ones with browser sync across devices.
I am using DuckDuckGo for mobile/desktop sync at the moment. But mostly Cromite (or Firefox) on desktop, and only because Cromite sadly isnt available on iOS.
It's not a wash anymore though, it's not even close. Plain Chrome tracks you so much it definitely eats CPU doing so, no matter how many extensions you install.
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I remember my Firefox browser got hijacked so badly, that I had to never install it again on one of my computers, because it would pick up the extension I guess that was left behind in app data or something? Anyway, I was afraid to touch it, long after it was cleared.
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I love how in their minds this is going to be a win. Like there are going to be all these people out there who just quietly accept that they'll use Microsoft Edge from now on, and also in addition not form any kind of revision to their brand impression of Microsoft going forward.
I am sure there are some people who just kind of don't give a fuck about computers who that will be accurate for, but I feel like it's a much smaller minority than Microsoft seems to think that it is.
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I am sure there are some people who just kind of don't give a fuck about computers who that will be accurate for, but I feel like it's a much smaller minority than Microsoft seems to think that it is.
You're definitely overestimating the size of your own bubble. The vast, vast, vast majority of people won't even notice, forget caring or actually doing anything about it.
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https://radar.cloudflare.com/reports/browser-market-share-2025-q1
Check "Market Share by OS" and switch it to Windows. Every one of those 67.359% of people who is using Chrome had it downloaded to their computer on purpose instead of just clicking "Internet" and getting Edge. Obviously they feel strongly enough to do that, so I don't see how they would be amenable to losing all their bookmarks and settings and just going with Edge when one day their OS tries to trick them into it.
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The people who wouldn't notice wouldn't have changed their browser.
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I am willing to bet there will be A LOT of people. I am a very tech savvy person, and I use edge on my work computer for many things (single sign on). My default search engine changed to bing, and I ended up using bing by accident for a while. And then for a while longer cause I was too lazy to change the setting.
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Stupid is as stupid does.
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Most users I know can’t distinguish Edge from Chrome any longer. I have to ask them to look for the Copilot symbol to differentiate the two.
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All of that but then also that they will buy out any competition so you can care and notice, but fuck you.
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That app was your other browser. And the problem was that it made itself your default browser. But no worries. We fixed that right up for you.
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Translation.
We found a problem and its that you made the Wrong choice.
Set Microsoft edge to default browser
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It's not your choice, it's Spacer's Choice!
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Windows: The top choice when you want someone else to control your computer.
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I just love it when I click on a link in Teams and it opens in Edge
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Obviously it's not technically possible for a Microsoft program to open links in a different browser than their own. It's really hard to code that sort of cross compatibility. At least when your company name is Microsoft.
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A post about Windows being shit? On Lemmy? I wonder what the comments are going to be about. Maybe someone will have found an alternative system to use.
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Have you tried TempleOS by chance?
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Or PonyOS
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Have you heard about our lord and savior Terry Davis?
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Switched to Ubuntu completely this year and I think it's finally ready. There are still issues, there are always going to be issues, but at least I get to choose which apps I want to use.
Windows 11 is just objectively terrible. It's Microsoft turning your power bill into their profit.
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New 3400$ laptop this year. I've had it for 5 months.
Sometimes the display driver wigs out and my cursor is permanently glitched until reboot.
Other times my browser is so sluggish until I close and restart it.
Sometimes my keyboard and mouse cut out, and I get repeated keystrokes for a few seconds or a brief period where it ignores my key presses.
I have so many more complaints about windows but I'd probably reach a character limit.
You know it's bad when I boot my manjaro Linux desktop for the first time in months and the first thing I notice is how fast everything is to load.
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Something I've noticed, and it's consistent enough that I suspect that microsoft does it on purpose, there's a 50/50 chance that your windows instal will either be fine forever without problems, or plagued with constant issues that get worse with every update. 2 identical machines with the same install media can produce very different experiences.
I use linux now, and I no longer do tech support, so I'm glad I don't have to deal with that shit anymore.
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You're absolutely right, but there's a bit more to it than that.
As someone who deployed Windows professionally for years and was a power user at home, let me supply some additional details,
Windows has become business software through and through. It can run fine enough if you go with a basic install and minimal tweaks through only the standard channels (like Group Policy) and this is probably what those people always loudly claiming "well I never have an issue!" are doing and then they'll accuse you for bringing it on yourself from deviating from this.
But what everyone should understand, especially them, is that this is not how normal people use their computers and it's utter bullshit that Microsoft continues to restrict people into this box. Most businesses don't need hardly anything aside from Office and perhaps one or two industry specific applications, an overwhelming number of these being SaaS these days anyways. Normal people on the other hand use a wide variety of software for their businesses and hobbies in a wide array of configurations and what's more, we enjoy personalizing our experiences on top of it, as we should! This unsurprisingly leads to more instability that Microsoft simply doesn't want to take responsibility for.
People still complain about not being able to move the taskbar from the bottom of the screen and Microsoft apologists will say, "but it's such a small thing!" And well, it is and that's kind of my point; it's a bellweather. I bet it's a simple fix, they could do it, they could please people and provide further usability but they just don't have to. How long has it gone unaddressed now? You want to play Call of Duty, you cretin? Lick our boots! And don't even get me started on the whole SecureBoot/TPM 2.0 DRM lockdown issue.
I use Arch BTW and here's my quick pitch for that. It really is a good distro for people of moderate or above skill level. I slowly built it out over time, bolted on each carefully selected piece of software from the repository, reading the wiki and making configurations as I went. In doing so, I gained a better understanding of Linux in general and my system in specific so on the rare occasions something does break, I don't feel as clueless addressing it. The reason we all start to sound like cult-like zealots after awhile is because we've established a personal relationship with our computers; it is my friend again. It's hard to understate the actual palpable relief that comes from cutting out a bloated, malicious corporation from that chain of trust with a machine we use in our daily lives.
It's time to end Microsoft. Reach out, be helpful and welcoming in the Linux community. They're losing balance, they've overplayed their hand on 11 and over-invested in AI and while I doubt we'd be lucky enough to be truly rid of them, we can see them suffer some real damage.
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Funnily enough, I got an email from MS plugging their Copilot shit.
I don't give a fuck about what I'm subscribed to, I give a fuck about the link to unsubscribe from it.
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I got this email from Microsoft a month ago
I have never had a Windows PC, I use Mac (I want to use Linux but I'm still waiting for Asahi Linux to have a driver for DisplayPort over USB-C), my photos are backed up and synced on iCloud already.
I don't use any Xbox thing, I don't have an Xbox; My Microsoft account only exists for one purpose and reason: Minecraft made me migrate my account.
Also isnt not having an unsubscribe button illegal?
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Hmm is that illegal (missing unsub link) in this case?
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"An app caused a problem". Let me guess, that app was called "Edge", and it was just pissed to be ignored.
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I think the app was "Firefox" and it was also set as the default.
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You mean the error of the Firefox app was to set the browser default anywhere but Edge?
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@herseycokguzelolacak Interesting. What was the app?
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not mine, found it in the internet
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Love seeing love for Linux, but my Macs have never once complained about me using Firefox. Safari is there if I want an objectively worse Internet that does a couple things Firefox does via paid extensions but are free in Firefox. But if I use Firefox, macOS does not care.
I think the lesson is, as long as you’re not choosing Windows, you are choosing well. If you have to use Windows at work, that’s fine. So do I. But you don’t have to use it at home too.
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Apple users are already locked into the whole vertical stack. The friction in that ecosystem comes from trying to use other hardware. Every design choice in the ecosystem serves to keep users corralled. They aren't installing apps from outside the app store because Apple ensured that the thought never occurs to them in the first place. The tech stack of an Apple user is a continuous, gapless monolith made of glass and brushed aluminum. Unblemished by third-party vendors, it keeps them safe, serves their every need, just works and has "designed by Apple in California" stamped on the bottom. The Apple devotees even think they're unique and "creative". They freely open up their wallets for that feeling. They would gleefully volunteer to get fucked sideways with a MacBook Air™️ -- as long as it will be Apple doing the fucking.
Meanwhile, in Redmond, Microsoft roots around desperately in the same bag of dirty tricks they've been using for decades looking for something, anything, that will give them a fraction of that brand cohesion and devotion from users. They continue to not get it, it will continue to not solve their perpetual identity crisis, and half their user base will still not even know what their browser is called.
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Apple stuff only works well with other Apple stuff
They are also very antirepair
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Disagree. Apple is another evil. Period. They might be better than Microsoft, but thatvdoes not make them good in any way.
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Why has OP's post been downvoted to begin with?
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Some Lemmy clients make it insanely easy to accidentally down vote things without even noticing you did it.
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Voyager when you want to move back to your feed is a good example of this
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Can confirm.
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Playing devils advocate here. If there was a bug when chrome/Firefox/whatever tried to set the default browser, wouldn't the most logical action to reset the default back to edge, instead of leaving it in a weird bugged out state?
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How would something so simple bug out? It wouldn't be impossible I guess, but the chance that it isn't Windows' fault seem really slim
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I manage a ton of consumer Windows devices and have seldom seen this message. It also hasn’t ever appeared on any of the multitude my own Windows devices that I’m using for hours every week.
I have also seen this message with regard to other file associations like .PDF, certain image formats, and archive formats.
Microsoft has plenty of dark patterns to try and loop users back into Microsoft Edge, but I don’t think this is one of them.
Edge just happens to be the “constant” in an ocean of variables because it ships with the OS and is integrated into so many other facets. The broken .PDF association also defaults back Edge, Image formats to Photos, Archive formats to the Explorer archive utility. I’m sure .txt would scale back to Notepad.
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Likely that the browser they were pointed at went missing (executable moved or something), or was crashing at launch, and this is just Windows saying "I can't find the default you wanted so I am falling back to Edge, otherwise a lot of stuff is going to be broken".
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I disagree with this assessment. If the default association suddenly disappears, I want it to prompt me the next time what I want to use as default instead. Not arbitrarily set a default for me that I do not agree with.
Luckily I run linux now (Arch btw) since last summer.
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I agree, that would be my preference too.
But Windows isn’t built for advanced users, it’s a mainstream OS built for the average consumer. What you and I might see as “taking control away from the user”, the general population might see as “one less confusing choice” if only they had a clue.
I’m glad you’ve finally found your home with Linux :) There are still too many frustrated Windows power users who still don’t know how much better they could have it. I use a bit of everything, btw. Platform agnostic with more Windows/MacOS experience only because the nature of my job demands it.
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miss the golden days of antitrust actually antitrusting
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I got an email advertising Windows 11 features. It was a mandatory service email they would not let me unsubscribe from.
What is wrong with these people?
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Mark spam?
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Please don't run end of life software... (I'm assuming you are on Win10)
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I switched to Linux and now, I'm in the mildlysoothing category
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Last time Microsoft tried something like this, they got the shit slapped out of them by federal antitrust regulators:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp.
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Ah, the Golden Age of the USA... with a functional judicial system... I feel nostalgic
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"Shit slapped out of them" is a bit of a exaggeration
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Your employment was removed
Your work caused a problem with your default job setting, so it was reset to Microsoft Copilot.
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As an aside, what web browser is everyone using these days? Chrome is obviously out. Firefox seems to be fucking up as of late. Opera? DDG?
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Firefox is fundamentally fine; a lot of the recent-ish news about it has been sensationalist (and it wouldn't be surprising to find that Google or Brave LLC were seeding it, honestly, though I'm totally speculating).
The AI stuff is just them exposing the DOM to an LLM of your choice, if you want to, to stay competitive with the other browsers. If the telemetry is an issue for you even when you've changed your settings, use a fork like LibreWolf.
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Librewolf for me
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Zen
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What was the problem? It was set to not Microsoft Edge.
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M$: Whoopsie ¯( ´ _ `)_/¯
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Micro-suffer
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This obviously sucks. But what led to this situation? Either it's forced on you at work, or you spent money on it, set up an account with e-mail and some other form of real life credentials, im- or explicitely agreed to all sorts of "telemetry", and now you're here.
There's a non-profit, free and libre alternative right there for the taking. It is private by default. They spent decades on making the process of installing it as convenient as possible, not to speak of the OS itself. Switch to Linux now.
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lolol sheesh
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man that sucks lol
215 comments
In EU you can uninstall Edge completely.