Posted on 03/20/2018 2:33:47 PM PDT by dayglored
Grab some popcorn: Redmond has asked for feedback
Microsoft’s about to test a new feature of Windows 10 that will force users to employ its Edge browser under some circumstances.
Revealed in the announcement of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17623 for Skip Ahead, the change means “we will begin testing a change where links clicked on within the Windows Mail app will open in Microsoft Edge”.
Microsoft’s justification for the change is that Edge is the best, most secure browser on Windows 10.
But the change will reportedly override users’ preference for default browser.
While that’s naughty in lots of ways and makes Microsoft’s efforts to boost its browser’s market share pretty lame, this change won’t have a massive effect because Windows Mail isn’t a big deal. A firm named Litmus tracks email client use and in its analysis of the email market in 2017 found Outlook has six per cent of the email client market, Outlook.com has four per cent and Windows Live Mail had one per cent market share. Windows Mail didn't get a mention. That means it is behind even Yahoo! mail’s two per cent market share not in the same postcode as the 28 per cent share for the iPhone’s email client, 26 per cent for Gmail, and even the five per cent market share for Samsung’s mail client.
And of course the change also applies to a Preview, meaning there’s a decent chance this “feature” won’t ever make it into a proper version of Windows 10.
Microsoft’s post is also peppered with calls for feedback: The Register imagines few comments Redmond receives will be positive. ®
nice article here.
that consent decree has expired.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/long-antitrust-saga-ends-for-microsoft/
Interesting (to me ) side bar - I was testing with a bunch of hacks on an installer protocol called 98lite.
Developed by Shane Brooks.
As MS was telling the court it couldn’t “de integrate” IE from Windows, 98lite did just that an then some.
Using 98lite I ran a 486 DX100 with Win98 without IE and a lot of other MS stuff. The OS footprint was less than 38mb.
We had to modify the shell to make it back to Win95 ( which of course, broke EULA )
Those were wacky days...
“Microsoft updates are nasty viruses.”
indeed. which is why i disable updates on all my client’s PCs and I update only once a year or so manually.
And use a program called WSUS update offline:
updates are first preloaded by the download part of the program and then later applied offline to each PC to be updated without having to go through the nightmare of hoping every PC’s MS update program works (usually not), and then watching i spend hours downloading all the updates each time.
Furthermore, WSUS update offline downloads and applies ONLY security updates and NOT the rollups, which include security updates as well as whatever viruses MS wants to install.
unfortunately, it’s a bit tricky to use, namely, the MS update service must be re-enabled in Automatic mode (but with Windows Updates disabled from the control panel), plus it makes a temporary user account/loginID for when applyin updates and then deletes the account when its done, so you really can’t tamper with it once you’ve started it to apply updates or it can leave a real mess.
now that rite thar is credentials 'nuff for a lot of folks here.../smile
“we will begin testing a change where links clicked on within the Windows Mail app will open in Microsoft Edge”
I'm more worried about Google taking over the world than Microsoft. But you Lunixtics keep trying.
I still use Mozilla Firefox
maybe Microsoft feels like it’s falling behind in the ‘spying on it’s users’ game..
Not my headline. Yeah, it’s a little overstated and breathless.
I’d agree that Google has the advantage at present.
Trying to do what? I don’t think MSFT is trying to take over the world. They seem content to continue shooting themselves in the foot from time to time. They’ll be around for quite a while yet. I don’t expect Windows to get beaten in the market. The only company that can kill Windows is MSFT.
Nothing says old like an .aol address.
lol (which also says old)
Thunderbird has always been my default email client.
I don’t like the Microsoft Edge browser.
Yes, the new NoScript for Firefox is nice, and I miss that on Brave. But Firefox has gotten so bloated and slow (I’m on 58.0.2) and it seems like you have to put up with an update a day, I’ve generally switched to Brave. I also have IE, old Seamonkey, and Chrome on the machine for specific uses.
When I used to travel a lot, I’d boot Puppy Linux from a DVD while on the road. Now I just use my Kindle Fire while on rare trips.
MS getting too big for their britches. I hope this bites them in the ass. I hope something does.
Courtesy Flat Earth ping to Phil.
I’ve had trouble paying some of my bills on line with IE and when I switch to Edge, the payments go through. When I call the companies to complain about not getting payments completed and confirmed, they ask what I’m using and then they suggest Chrome or something else..A real nuisance and pain in the derriere....
I only use Windows @ work, where there's a global, 24/7 team in place to support it. At home, it's Mac and Linux only.
< /virtuesignalling>
“we will begin testing a change where links clicked on within the Windows Mail app will open in Microsoft Edge”.
Are you using the Windows Mail app? It's Microsoft to Microsoft. They're not forcing Edge for everything. They're just locking down link handlers within their own application.
GMTA, I read the article and thought the exact same thing. Don't think we're both wrong here.
On my Surface Pro, the Edge browser just started opening links in new windows, not just a new tab in the same window. Other than that Edge seems ok.
That's MSFT. Take a swell product like CS and figure a way to frig it up.
I'm a big lover of Classic Shell. A bunch of my Win 7 stuff looks like XP due to CS. Something I have to constantly remind myself when helping a fellow Win 7 user on the phone.
Win 7 users, we are legion :)
I never liked Internet Explorer, I like Edge even less.
Coming off a Unix based experience, I used and liked Netscape because there wasn’t much of a choice on Irix, Solaris and the DEC systems.
I have noticed of late that my browser (Firefox) has been experiencing slowdowns that also appear in Opera and Chrome.
When you look under the hood there are some things that Microsoft inserted in the latest patch that deliberately slows down these browsers and you have to unwind the inatallation of those DLL’s
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