Mozilla Says Microsoft Went Too Far With Windows 10

[Avus]

I am wondering which browser and search is defaulted in Firefox OS?

 

[obababoy]

Haha check out this article about windows 8.2 ...you'd think Toms would get rid of irrelevant and totally wrong articles like this.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/microsoft-windows-8-start-menu-sku,25348.html

 

[ubercake]

When Mozilla is worried "...this needlessly forces users into trying products they may not want" (e.g. Edge browser) they sound like a company that doesn't want to do things to compete. If they try it and don't like it, they can switch their default browser no problem.

 

[braneman]

Has anybody here looked into the privacy stuff about windows 10? I mean they aren't even agreeing to aggregate your personal information and make it anonymous before they sell it to advertisers. It also has a lot of really scary things that it collects form you by default, even connecting to random unsecured wifi connections by default, and sharing your wifi password with your contact list by default. Not all of these things can even be turned off either.

 

[xenol]

I believe when Windows was trying to open up a link, it asked which browser I wanted to use. And even if I went straight for Firefox (Which was kept on my task bar), it should've known it was no longer the default browser and ask if it would like to be it.

In other words, Microsoft may have changed a setting, but they weren't really forcing Edge on me.

 

[mattji104]

Google chrome was still my default after install.

 

[ubercake]

Has anybody here looked into the privacy stuff about windows 10? I mean they aren't even agreeing to aggregate your personal information and make it anonymous before they sell it to advertisers. It also has a lot of really scary things that it collects form you by default, even connecting to random unsecured wifi connections by default, and sharing your wifi password with your contact list by default. Not all of these things can even be turned off either.

Really no different than apps you agree to use on your cell phone as well as your cell phone's OS agreement. Have you ever checked that out?

 

[Vlad Rose]

That would be Mozilla's fault if the little “Set as default web browser” isn't an option in their browser. I just upgraded to Windows 10 last night and when I opened Chrome, the button was there. They're just looking for excuses for losing market share at this point.

 

[jerm1027]

Really Mozilla!?? Your complaining about such a minor issue!?

Just because your browser isn't the default browser doesn't mean it won't be used. I personally use Mozilla Firefox for 50% of my browser time and the rest goes to edge.

Plus, I see lots of people that use Firefox exclusively but have IE as default...

Don't you hate when a new piece of software tries to install other bits of software you just don't care about, like adding toolbars, or changing your default search engine? It's kinda like that, except they don't ask or inform you. In most other cases that would be outright malicious. I think it's a valid complaint, especially if it puts a competitor at an unfair disadvantage - it is anticompetitive. Microsoft has already been charged and fined for antitrust in the EU for this very same antic.

 

[salgado18]

and Edge is pretty decent.

I personally use Mozilla Firefox for 50% of my browser time and the rest goes to edge.

I have been a chrome user for like a zillion years. I am kinda liking edge.....

Edge is very quick , been using it.

You are all proof that Microsoft's strategy works, and that Mozilla should be worried.

 

[jaber2]

People who choose FireFox would know how to make the changes in the settings.

 

[Urzu1000]

Long time Firefox user and Mozilla supporter here. The first time you launch your favorite web browser (usually by clicking the shortcut) Windows asks you if you want to change the default browser to that.

They're just making an issue out of nothing here. I think Microsoft is pretty lousy most of the time, but in this particular case - Mozilla needs to relax.

 

[kiniku]

Microsoft builds 99.5% of the house and Mozilla expects its permanent place as the door in perpetuity.

 

[wiyosaya]

BTW: Mozilla was not completely correct.

If you choose Express Settings during the upgrade, Edge becomes your default browser. If you revert to Microsoft's recommendations...Edge becomes the default. (That should surprise no one.) But if you choose the Customize options...which I always have...you can turn off the default browser selection, and use whatever your current browser is.

Another thought. The default browser selector shows ALL your installed browsers. So you can turn off the "make this your default browser?" permanently in all of them where it's needed...and just do it here. That makes more sense, and will work better for us once we get used to it.

Nice to know this. Even though I could figure it out, I, for one, do not like having something foisted on me. I've not yet upgraded to 10, but it is on my list of things to do for the PCs I have at home.

In my opinion, the default should be to preserve existing settings. I know other technically astute commenters do not see it as a big deal, however, as I see it, it is this kind of behavior that has gotten M$ into trouble in the past. In this context, I see it as them getting an unfair boost for edge - even if it is a better browser, and if there is some sort of monetary boost for M$ to be doing this, then I see this as just one step short of coercion. As one other commenter said, the people who will be the most bothered by this are those who are not technically astute - like my father-in-law.

 

[shloader]

Ah jeez, here we go again. Microsoft kinda does have a damn good excuse regardless where they do this in the world. So they wanted to insure people would start out with a browser not infected with an excessive amount of toolbars and spyware. In this day and age it's not an unreasonable assumption. I had Firefox before the update. I went through the motions to set it back as default. I didn't feel any butthurt over the matter. You make my default browser... but don't try to force yourself as my default advocate.

 

[wiyosaya]

I think that this argument would be valid several years ago, when the average user didn't even know what a browser is, let alone that there are alternative ones. Nowadays, even the most casual user is aware of at least Chrome and Firefox. And they use these browsers mostly because other people keep telling them that they are better than IE.

You obviously have not met my father-in-law. He completely fits the definition of the "most casual user" in every sense of the terms, but has absolutely no idea what a browser is even though he uses one.

 

[ubercake]

I don't know many casual users that care which browser they're using or who know they can install a different browser.

 

[TechyInAZ]

Edge is very quick , been using it.

Same here, I've been using it exclusively and it's super fast.

 

[ubercake]

There are much bigger issues. Like the data mining of users. Have you read the official list of data that gets collected and transmitted to MS? Passwords (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), emails (!!!!!!!!!!!!), instant messages (!!!!!!!!!!), your name, address, EVERYTHING.
Why isnt anyone complaining about that? Are they all braindead? Nobody has learned anything from the last 2 years?
Unbelievable...

Anyone using a smart phone has already fallen victim to these tactics. Why no animosity toward Apple and Google???

 

[zanny]

The default Windows 10 browser is created by Microsoft? This is an outrage.

Mozilla just needs to make their own OS. Fire with fire and all that.

They did. Its literally called FIrefox OS. Its for phones. You probably haven't seen it since they are only selling phones in South America and Asia predominantly, but it actually has a few million users now.

 

[captaincharisma]

that only happens if you use the express settings. i avoided that and was able to keep all my default settings

 

[blazorthon]

Haha check out this article about windows 8.2 ...you'd think Toms would get rid of irrelevant and totally wrong articles like this.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/microsoft-windows-8-start-menu-sku,25348.html

Let's say the topic of Windows 10's origins ever comes up in a discussion. That page would be relevant. They keep all of the old pages because they do get used once in a while.

Besides, the article wasn't "wrong" at the time. That was the information available then and that fact alone is worth keeping.

We don't burn historical texts on alchemy and such just because we know they're wrong. A bit of a stretch, but I think it gets the point across.

 

[Rhinofart]

I have been a chrome user for like a zillion years. I am kinda liking edge.....

Haven't you been told like a QuadraZillion times to quit exaggerating? ;0)

 

[jaber2]

off topic but did you notice its still an E for edge? so they didn't need to make much of a design for their new browser

 

[theking2]

It seems that Mozilla got scared of a faster, reliable, user friendly browser. They shoudl focus there efforts getting a better browser.

Let call an open letter to Mozilla to stick what they used to be best at. Making a browser. (I've switched to opera long time ago)