Microsoft is making it harder to switch default browsers in Windows 11

lenkite 2021-08-19 11:02:15 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Well since Apple gets away scot-free and legions of Apple fans defend Apple's policy to the death, one can fully understand why Microsoft is going this route. They can always point to Apple being the deeply-admired trend-setter for removal of choice.

You can use any browser of your choice if its a Microsoft Edge theme.

You can always switch operating systems if you don't like this after all.

ChuckNorris89 2021-08-19 11:08:03 +0000 UTC [ - ]

It always baffled me how Apple is allowed to limit its users to only browsers based on its proprietary engine and nobody bats an eye but everyone throws a fit when Microsoft pushes Edge.

Not trying to defend either, it's just the double standards feel puzzling to me.

akudha 2021-08-19 11:38:23 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Apple removes headphone jack. Others follow suit, shamelessly, after mocking Apple. They make repairing their devices near impossible, others follow. And on and on.

aNoob7000 2021-08-19 13:06:56 +0000 UTC [ - ]

I agree with you that Apple should be held to a different standard on their iPhone platform, but Microsoft Windows came up during a different era and is basically a monopoly on the desktop.

Right now, Apple's smartphone market share in the USA is only 50%. Microsoft's Windows is probably at 80%+ of the desktop market.

pomian 2021-08-19 12:25:47 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Can you no longer use Firefox under the new Mac OS? Or iOS? (I haven't had to troubleshoot anyone's new-er Mac for awhile. It used to be a staple energy drain on time resources, but everyone I'm exposed to, is trying not to upgrade.)

touristtam 2021-08-19 13:55:45 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Works fine on MacOS (BigSur) https://github.com/johnste/finicky

As for iOS: yes stuck with safari as default.

ahtaarra 2021-08-19 16:52:30 +0000 UTC [ - ]

As a user concerned with the influence Google has over the web, forcing WebKit is something I can accept on iOS even though popular browsers on iOS, in my view, don't seem to be as feature-rich as their Android counterparts.

A worse offence is having a platform so locked down that clearing opened apps from the recents menu has to be done one by one instead of having a simple single "clear all" solution the alternative to which is using a 'tweak' which would necessitate having a jailbroken phone which would, in turn, involve connecting the phone to a computer to get jailbroken on each restart or a more convoluted method.

Another widely-known issue: when using apps with an alternative store like AltStore without jailbreak, you either need to connect to a Windows/MacOS or use some tweak to have on-device signing enabled within every seven days unless you have a Apple Developer subscription.

Moreover, iOS has "slide to poweroff" but there is no convenient way to restart[1]: Xiaomi copied the UX and even made it better by needing less steps. Even simple changes requiring steps so radical (perhaps not as radical as flashing a 'custom ROM' but is IMO less rewarding than the latter) and regular maintenance is telling.

1. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201559

javchz 2021-08-19 13:27:52 +0000 UTC [ - ]

In iOS or ipadOS browsers like chrome or Firefox are just visual skins of safari. The TOS for devs, doesn't allow them to use their own engine, only a webview

pomian 2021-08-19 16:28:06 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Thanks. What's the point of a Firefox skin? Except as a sign of political protest?? That closed iOS app world is becoming more frustrating. I assume it is not worth the effort for Firefox to build a new Apple approved app, because it may be pulled with any new Apple rule or policy, and Apple may not want Firefox period?

aNoob7000 2021-08-19 13:09:02 +0000 UTC [ - ]

I'm running the latest version of Firefox on a Mac mini with M1 processor.

They are talking about iOS.

Geenirvana 2021-08-19 09:22:41 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Frustrating for the tech user. Very frustrating for the none tech user.

Probably intentional, as when someone does not understand something, there is a good chance it will be ignored.

I'm all for having the ability to make fine-tuned changes to settings, but these need to be under some kind of advanced dialog in my opinion.

This UI change shows no indication (for example) what a .svg file is, or what a .shtml file is. How on earth can a none tech user know what these mean when by default file extensions are hidden on Windows.

I work with many people who simply do not know what file extensions are.

GekkePrutser 2021-08-19 11:07:05 +0000 UTC [ - ]

I won't use edge for this reason alone. Perhaps it's not a bad browser but I don't want to reward Microsoft's behaviour.

I use it at work on my Mac as it's our official browser at work (after significant pressure from Microsoft) but for personal use I greatly prefer Firefox. It's a much better browser anyway.

toivo 2021-08-19 09:02:50 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Windows 10 will be the last windows I use.

moss2 2021-08-19 16:07:06 +0000 UTC [ - ]

I smell an anti-competitive lawsuit in the air.

SunlightEdge 2021-08-19 06:52:35 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Its an obvious move from M$ - I'm wondering: 1. What if M$ just blatantly made it so hard to switch default browsers and didn't care about being sued (they could battle it out in courts with google etc. for years and just pay a big fine at some point). Its hard to say for sure but that big fine might be cheap in comparison.

2. Doesn't do anything about mobile - Be interested in the search market - phone vs PC split here.

3. Technically interested in how M$ try to make it harder. Google etc. can always throw in a solution too (e.g. making users re-install their browser and tick the make main browser etc.)

mikeyla85 2021-08-19 08:21:10 +0000 UTC [ - ]

I remember the 90s

perryizgr8 2021-08-19 09:28:09 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Makes sense. Since apple is allowed to disallow any other browser in ios, why should MS restrain itself? I'm sure if apple actually gets some anti-trust action, MS would go back on this.

GekkePrutser 2021-08-19 11:10:23 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Apple doesn't have a de facto monopoly on the mobile OS market. They have a small majority in the US but everywhere else they're much lower. There's no one big player that dominates the market.

Microsoft does on the desktop market. Like 95% . This is why antitrust rules were applied to them before and hopefully will be again.

bpye 2021-08-19 11:01:47 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Apple do let you change the default now, but the engine must be the same.

ChuckNorris89 2021-08-19 11:06:16 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Basically only reskinned versions of the Apple browser are allowed. How is that any better?

2021-08-19 10:42:22 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Jyaif 2021-08-19 06:40:48 +0000 UTC [ - ]

They stand to earn hundreds of millions more per year with Bing from this small UI change.

Recent history has shown that there are no significant drawbacks to behaving this way, so from Microsoft's point of view it would be stupid not to do it.

llampx 2021-08-19 08:18:58 +0000 UTC [ - ]

I'm happy for any competition to google in the search space, when many search engines have turned into frontends for google, and many browsers have turned into frontends for Chrome.

heurisko 2021-08-19 08:50:45 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Microsoft's Edge is also a frontend to Chrome.

I would also prefer competition that is based on giving better search results, rather than abusing the fact that you own the operating system.

richev 2021-08-19 06:20:28 +0000 UTC [ - ]

Old habits... :/