If you want to open Edge without actually wanting to open it, just accidentally click on one of the advertisements in the main menu or any info area widget. Those ignore the default browser and always open Edge.
My new work computer on both teams and outlook just open edge with any links too ignoring my default browser preference. My last one obeyed like a good computer.
There’s an edge redirector app you can get which redieects edge:// links to your default browser
one of the advertisements in the main menu or any info area widget
Okay, my biggest issue right with that has nothing to do with Edge.
Microslop promising to improve windows 11 and give users agency back.
5 minutes later...
I have an idea. Linux should start automatically everytime you boot you PC.
IDK that seems pretty invasive
Perhaps just GRUB and waiting for my input one extra time to confirm I actually want to use my PC at that time
Some senior VP obviously has his annual performance bonus tied to increasing Edge market share, and is pulling shit like this to artificially inflate the numbers.
Ditto for Bing, Copilot, etc.
Inb4 it runs in the bg putting up randoms websites in the background without any UI "agentically"
Oh wait...
I honestly might switch to Linux. I know people say that a lot, but gaming has been the only thing keeping me on Windows.
But I've also come to realize I just don't have that much free time to game any more. Most of my computer use is putting YouTube on in the background or web browsing. I still occasionally game, but Linux support keeps improving and even if I only pick Linux supported games... I still won't have enough time to play them all.
Flash a distro onto a usb and boot from that to test drive it and ensure your hardware is compatible - zero risk.
I recommend installing Ventoy on a USB stick, then putting some ISOs on there of various distros to try. Like CachyOS, Bazzite, or perhaps Kubuntu.
You can boot into them straight from the Ventoy USB stick without having to format the USB between new tests.
And if you end up liking one over the others you can install straight from the stick.
You can do it, I believe in you random internet stranger!
I game often, and 100% on Linux. Unless you're doing competitive multiplayer games with kernel level anti-cheat (read: rootkit malware), games run perfectly fine.
I switched to Linux a year or two ago. Pretty much every game I've played has worked fine. (Elden ring, guild wars 2, nioh2, pillars of eternity...)
Even non-steam stuff was basically click and go with Heroic launcher
Gaming works great on Linux now and often better. The only scenarios I can think of where things are majorly behind are competitive games with anti cheat that doesn't work on Linux and anything requiring peripherals with custom software, for example SIM racing. This means that the vast majority of games work great!
Mint guy here, since 6 months ago, best choice I have done. If you make some research, in few time you realiese you do not need Microsoft to live in the majority of the cases.
I prefer Firefox, so I was using that as default browser. Windows asked me every fucking time I started my laptop if I wanted to use edge as default. Sometimes it just went ahead and made the change anyway. Windows was consuming loads of my download data, fuck knows what for. Then the copilot stuff. Finally installed mint and feel like I got my laptop back.
Once I went Linux I loved computing again. I was getting angry at my PC every time I used it before due to backward ass idiot microslop decisions.
Is this…is this just an even worse active desktop?
Even non-techies know how and want to install a different browser, how many decades more will they try this pressure fueling of their shitty browser?
In fear of playing devils advocate a little bit:
Edge is not a shitty browser. Ad-infested, controlling, overwhelming, disrespectful, annoying yes. But not shitty.
It’s chromium-based so it’s quite fast and secure (unlike Internet Explorer that everyone loved back in the day) and it integrates well with the overall OS.
I wouldn’t use Edge, but it’s a decent default if you’re okay accepting Windows antics or too young to remember for how long Microsoft has been desperately trying to play catch up and failing.
It’s an opinion, don’t kill me. 😶🌫️
Edit: unrelated to the topic, but I’d like to thank everyone for not downvoting me for wrong think like what would happen on that other platform. Why is this community so nice? 😭
I'd argue that those behaviours are what make the browser shitty.
That’s also a fair point, in hindsight. I associate shitty to being insecure, slow, and borderline unusable. I have a middle of the road view on the privacy aspect because Chrome exists, it doesn’t care about your privacy but I think you’ll be hard pressed to call it shitty.
That said, I wouldn’t hold my breath and I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few months time Chrome comes with Gemini integrated by default. All your private data, straight to Google’s servers.
The OS should get out of my way as much as possible.
Just like government. This capitalist, privacy nightmare timeline sucks.
Why would my browser Downloader need to start again after I download other browsers?
No means no, Microsoft.
why stop at edge, open every single program at start up and also fill the screen with pop up ads while you are at it
At least it seems pretty easy to disable? From the way they’re talking about it, it’s just a single click on a big banner in the edge window. But still, come on microslop
When I bought a new gaming PC a few weeks ago (where I live the pre-builts that were assembled before rampocalypse are still at a reasonable price until the stock runs out), I asked if I could get it cheaper without the Windows 11 license. The sales guy said, "well, it's already installed." I told him, "I'm literally going to take it home and wipe it for Bazzite." He said, "good call, but seriously, they're practically giving these licenses away, so even if we could it would only take like $20 off the purchase price."
Kind of a bummer to waste that $20, but honestly the satisfaction of hitting "reformat" on a brand new, slop-infused, bloatware-infested, data-harvesting-ready SSD and watching it all vanish before I even used it was almost worth the money.
EDIT: Not to mention, I got back a significant amount of space. 15+ GB.
People are annoyed with this I was already annoyed back in windows xp when I originally switched to Linux.
"Funny" news that bring me back to the last time I decided to switch to Linux.
I updated windows 10 and when my PC booted I got a full screen to setup edge. I wasn't able to find any way to quit the screen. So I completed the set up and went to install Linux.
It's crazy how they believe they own the PC of their customers... I mean, it's in the name... Personal...
My Computer --> Computer --> This PC
Microsoft does not consider this your PC anymore.
It's amazing the level of contempt for the average user most tech companies have these days.
Bring back Janet Reno
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
