Windows 11 will make it harder to switch from Microsoft Edge to an alternative browser

[pcnthuziast]

Bill Gates hasn't made decisions for Microsoft products since 2008. Your use of the phrase "quintessential soulless corporate tyrant" makes me think you are the type to exaggerate everything and not look up any objective data before forming an opinion. The guy has been giving out piles of money to charities. Bill Gates and his wife have given over $36 Billion to initiatives aimed at eradicating infectious diseases and reducing poverty. Whether he is a genuinely good or bad person is up for people who actually know him to form opinions on and not for those of us who only know about him from what the media has told the public.

How's the view from your high horse?

 

[Mauley]

For the first time ever since my 20 years in computing I can say that I will be using Edge as my main browser having switched from the likes of Firefox. It does what I need it to do, no issues.

 

[mrSister]

How rich of Google to complain about MS forcing first party apps when they have been doing exactly the same on every Android phone with all the Google Apps bloatware you can't even uninstall.

 

[Fearghast]

Edge is actually a pretty good pdf viewer... I'll fight you on this.

Try to open any PDF that contains active elements or advanced formatting ... you will switch to decent PDF viewer pretty quickly.
Edge is the worst PDF viewer I have even seen, even Firefox has better built in PDF viewer.

The only reason I use Windows is gaming -> if Valve or others solve this issue, it's bye bye Windows for me.

 

[Shadowboxer]

Linux game support is no where near good enough for me to switch. So I’m stuck with Windows ugh. But yeah I won’t be using edge no matter how good it is.

 

[Geralt]

"Settings -> Apps -> Default Apps and setting it as default" Is that so difficult it worth writing a whole article about it? Is Win 11 even out yet?

For you and me it is simple, but not for my wife.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Edge is actually a pretty good pdf viewer... I'll fight you on this.

Why fight over a comment that tells us it's pretty good? All that tells me is that it offers basic PDF viewing capabilities which probably weren't even implemented by Microsoft but already native to the Chromium browser. And if you changed your opinion.fro. pretty good to the best I still wouldn't argue. Use what you like. I despise Microsoft so I will never use the Edge browser for anything.

 

[Nobina]

It is clear Microsoft doesn't care about it's image as long as it gets as many people as possible to use their junk. Windows 10 was forced and now it's gonna be Edge. A chunk of people won't bother switching and that's how Microsoft gets their market share.

 

[HyperPete]

As already stated, Microsoft tried this with IE 4.0 and was forced to patch the OS to permit OEMs to choose what browser would be bundled with the operating system.

I'm not sure that is the same thing as locking down the default browser. The more tightly integrated with the OS it becomes, the less likely they will be required to change it.

In fact I am completely surprised that they have not chosen to use a/the web browser as the file browser. Eliminating a dedicated file explorer and using the web browser would be a "good" way for them to insist it remain embedded, integrated and default (in my personal opinion.)

There will always be people who object, and people who find, create, and or sell workarounds, however.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I'm back to play devil's advocate here.

Back when MS was under fire from the EU for not offering browser choice, there were many browsers. Safari, Firefox, chrome, IE etc. But in 2021, I'm hearing less and less about what browser someone is using. Why do I think that? We've started to make fun of Firefox, and edge is just basically "Chrome."

I don't think people care anymore is my point.

Now, is MS shady for how they are doing this? Probably. But I really doubt the moms and dads will care when they can look at Edge and say, "this looks like Chrome", and be able to use it that much easier. I've personally used them all and have settled on Edge. There really isn't anything "better."

We'll see what happens...

 

[TheBigFatClown]

I'm back to play devil's advocate here.

Back when MS was under fire from the EU for not offering browser choice, there were many browsers. Safari, Firefox, chrome, IE etc. But in 2021, I'm hearing less and less about what browser someone is using. Why do I think that? We've started to make fun of Firefox, and edge is just basically "Chrome."

I don't think people care anymore is my point.

Now, is MS shady for how they are doing this? Probably. But I really doubt the moms and dads will care when they can look at Edge and say, "this looks like Chrome", and be able to use it that much easier. I've personally used them all and have settled on Edge. There really isn't anything "better."

We'll see what happens...

Thanks for your "opinion". What makes it superior to all others given that it's DNA is 95% Chromium anway?

 

[HyperPete]

I've personally used them all and have settled on Edge. There really isn't anything "better."

Darn, I'm usually the devil's advocate.

I must strongly disagree with this statement. I recently retired from my position with my state as a network security specialist. I did, amongst other things, Cybersecurity and Identity Access Management.

The problem with Edge, in my personal opinion, is that it does not offer the same security features as (some) other browsers. Look at the built-in security options in Vivaldi, Firefox, and Brave, for example. Should one choose to use them, they provide much stronger protection than Edge can.

I realize that the average person just uses their browser as it is cofigured after installation but the average person also clicks on links in emails from unknown or suspicious sources, or plugs a thumb drive they find somewhere into their computer to see what's on it. (Trust me, I know we did a "test" at work by leaving thumb drives around the building with a script to report system details of the users that did so. Results were amazing!)

So, in my opinion, Edge is inferior to (some) other browsers.

 

[thelatestmodel]

Linux gaming support should be pretty good by the time Windows 10 support is ended, time to drop M$ for good.

It's gathering pace for sure. If DCS World and MS Flight Sim 2020 ever get to the stage where they run well on Linux, then I'll be running Linux full time on all my machines.

Ditch Windows if you can, Linux is the way.

 

[JAI Kanas]

MS has been so frustrating in their attempts to force me to use “edge” that I have complained to both FTC and FCC. What happened to the Justice department efforts in the 90s. They are truly evil.., this taking over your computer randomly and changing your browser at will and of course eating up ram and memory for unwanted MS apps and games programs is just outright theft.

 

[JonathanSteadman]

This is ****in stupid I want to use Firefox not Ms Edge. Thanks Microsoft for making it harder to switch. .

 

[JonathanSteadman]

Linux gaming support should be pretty good by the time Windows 10 support is ended, time to drop M$ for good.

Agree linux is just better you can use Firefox . Also linux is still good at gaming due to proton.

 

[UseYourLoaf]

This is ****in stupid I want to use Firefox not Ms Edge. Thanks Microsoft for making it harder to switch. .

They haven't made anything harder yet, there's no release candidate so no worries.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

It's gathering pace for sure. If DCS World and MS Flight Sim 2020 ever get to the stage where they run well on Linux, then I'll be running Linux full time on all my machines.

Ditch Windows if you can, Linux is the way.

Apparently DCS works quite well, not sure M$ will be too enthusiastic about making FS2020 work though.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Thanks for your "opinion". What makes it superior to all others given that it's DNA is 95% Chromium anway?

If it's the same it won't matter what one you get. Thought it was obvious.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Darn, I'm usually the devil's advocate.

I must strongly disagree with this statement. I recently retired from my position with my state as a network security specialist. I did, amongst other things, Cybersecurity and Identity Access Management.

The problem with Edge, in my personal opinion, is that it does not offer the same security features as (some) other browsers. Look at the built-in security options in Vivaldi, Firefox, and Brave, for example. Should one choose to use them, they provide much stronger protection than Edge can.

I realize that the average person just uses their browser as it is cofigured after installation but the average person also clicks on links in emails from unknown or suspicious sources, or plugs a thumb drive they find somewhere into their computer to see what's on it. (Trust me, I know we did a "test" at work by leaving thumb drives around the building with a script to report system details of the users that did so. Results were amazing!)

So, in my opinion, Edge is inferior to (some) other browsers.

Moms and dads don't think like that.
They want something that works first, and as long as they know Windows comes with security measures they're happy. The last thing they will do is look around for a another browser theirs already does. And of course MS is going to improve the security and features. That's just how software works.

Chrome has been king for a reason. Fast, easy to use andsupports extensions like Firefox did. And thanks to open source everyone wants (when it's convenient it seems), Edge is on track to replace it. I don't remember people advocating to stop using it. You'd be lucky to find eople that are even aware of the browsers you mentioned. They are more likely to use what comes with Windows and/or what their friends and family are using. Just like phones where I would imagine a LOT of people will use the stock browser, stock media player, stock image gallery etc.

Point being, Moms and Dads are simple folk.
But, should MS it harder to switch? No.

The story is out so now we just wait and see how it plays out.

 

[zulu53]

Maybe Win11 is just the stalking horse for Win365? If they can make it unattractive enough they can sell Windows10 with the Windows11 UI (it is nicer than Win10 in my opinion) as Windows365; for the masses. Their experience with Office365 and business users ("yes, we are changing out minds, yet again and selling stand-alone Office21" etc. etc.). Personally I don't see them not selling standalone Office and standalone Windows 10 (the last windows os) well into the next decade with Azure keeping them afloat. The real question is the hardware OEM's - will they force MS to give the buyer the choice of OS (Windows10 OR Windows11 OR Windows365) preinstalled like they had to do with Windows 10 when it first came out?

 

[Alfatawi Mendel]

Didn't the EU impose a fine of billions of euros on MS for exactly the same shenannigans some years ago? Of course that was before they sneaked through the CETI trade agreement.
Maybe now, the EU and its 450million citizens will be legally liable to MS if it blocks this c.rap.

 

[Markoni35]

Satya Nadella is completely gonna ruin Microsoft and Windows. They need to remove him from that position before it's too late.

 

[Dimitrios]

Edge is actually a pretty good pdf viewer... I'll fight you on this.

I gotta admit even though I hate MICROSOFT'S browsers I agree with this 100%. This is coming from a person that has used FIREFOX since it first debut. Tried other ones but still love FIREFOX.

I think I got FIREFOX from a PC tech magazine CD demo.

 

[hwertz]

Time for another anti-trust lawsuit.
For those who don't recall, one of the several big issues with the previous anti-trust lawsuit was exactly this kind of thing, using the Windows OS to try to shove IE down people's throats; in European Untion, beside a large fine, they also were required to have a prominent browser choice screen. The anti-trust agreement may have expired, if not it's pretty likely this directly violates the EU anti-trust agreement.