(only tangentially related) what does 'driver' mean in windows lingo? I thought it was hardware-related stuff but I'm probably wrong.
this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2024
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Some people are saying this is good, but Microsoft recently changed my default search engine to bing "In case it was accidentally changed or changed by another program". I have zero faith they won't abuse this, they are becoming ever increasingly pushy about using edge and switching to bing.
It doesn’t seem like your computer, does it? It’s like you’re a user in their enterprise.
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Posts like these reveal how many reads the article.
This is a good thing done by Microsoft. They make sure that 3rd party software can't change the default browser without the user knowing.
They will get prompted with the choice screen showing all installed browsers. And when they make their choice, even Edge wouldn't be able to prey people into clicking a button that makes it the default instead.
In principal, the change is good for reasons you mentioned. However microsoft has :
- bypassed any default screens in the past, allowing edge to be set default without user input.
- has added very annoying screens when changing default applications asking the user multiple times if they are sure.
- has added special protocols for applications and set edge as default browser to bypass default application settings in all office applications ( outlook, teams, word, ... ).
They just can not be trusted with this, they have proven this in the past...
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The "choose the default app" modal has special code that makes it say "HEY BTW EDGE EXISTS CLICK HERE" If the modal is for choosing your default browser. It is absolutely about control.
Hahahahahaha, right, right. Hahahaha
And I did read the article. No, this is MS continually pushing users into Edge.
"Kolbicz believes this change may be to comply with Europe's Digital Markets Act (DMA)" (emphasis mine).
"BleepingComputer contacted Microsoft about the lockdown of these Registry keys in March, but they said they had nothing to share at this time."
The dma only speaks about easily changing the default application. It has nothing to do with this.
What the dma did allow was the "complete" uninstall of edge in windows 11.
The only thing that is left behind i noticed is the edge webview component for webview & webview2
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I’m not sure that a protection against changing the default browser with third party programs (maybe without the user knowing) via the registry is the evil thing being depicted here.
The way I read this article is that this is a move for compliance with the new digital markets act and I’m not seeing the maliciousness.
Willing to be wrong, I haven’t used Windows regularly for like 20 years.
That's one take, except even the article notes that's a weak argument.
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Google gets to do this on Android. Apple gets to do this on iOS.
The unfortunate reality is that MS is catching up to the bad apples in bad behaviour.
sdfasdfadsf
Microsoft is the OG. The other two are just imitators. The only reason Microsoft happens to step carefully. Was a little thing that happened in the late 1990s. That all penalties were largely waived for. But still it frightened them enough to behave better for a short while.
Google has long since surpassed anything MS dreamed of doing.
Edit: to be clear, this article is that they're blocking programs other than the control panel from changing the default browser.
Meanwhile, in Android, I've set Newpipe as the default app for YouTube videos. I have every single url for YouTube set to open in Newpipe. Still opens all YouTube video links in the YouTube app.
So Google is selling license for code and technologies. They've shown no ownership of in a competitor's product? Google is actively funding litigious troll shell corporations who shown no actual harm to harass and drain competitors resources? Google is creating and using secret apis for themselves. Breaking the ones for third parties in order to hold them back?
I'm not saying Google's good Or anything. Not defending them in any way. But they've got a long way to go before they reach Microsoft level. Microsoft is literally the reason why before going public. Google had the motto of don't be evil.
Presumably one can still set default in settings. I'm not giving up Firefox yet.
Shocking. Never expected this behavior from such a helpful and heart warming company like Micro~.sft /s
Luckily I've changed my default OS to Linux
Lol .... you can bypass the Windows restriction by deleting the System32 folder
Instructions unclea---
Microsoft hates this one simple trick
Classic
This is the way
So the fix is to manually set your default browser. No more can programs do it for you.
I mean, it's not hard, and it stops most malware from doing it.
It's still going to artificially inflate Edge's numbers from tech illiterate users that don't know how to change it. There's a significant number of users out there that will put up with Microsoft shitting down their throat before bothering to expend the few minutes it would take to learn how to change the settings themselves. The few that do try to figure it out will find Edge directing them to Bing which will make every effort to convince them not to do it. Meanwhile, Edge will steal all their bookmarks and tabs from Chrome, in order to further encourage users to just give up and use Edge.
It's all calculated "dark patterns" shit, and it works. Microsoft counts on these people being so easy to corral.
And you can bet your ass after they implement this, they will push an update that "accidentally" resets the default back to Edge for everyone. Just to "clear the board".
it stops malware from doing it
There are many different ways to prevent that apart from straight up removing the functionality. Another tactic Microsoft uses is trying to convince you there is only ever one way to secure the system and they "have no choice" if they want to keep their users safe.
It's like saying the only way to keep a plane from being hi-jacked is to handcuff every passenger to their chair. It's bullshit.
Other browsers can still point to the settings panel (ms-settings:defaultapps) where you see your default program association, you just need to change it yourself.
This is a good change security-wise. All other modern OSes do it, Microsoft is simply catching up.
Are tech illiterate people intentionally using 3rd party software to change their default browser? Genuinely asking because I have always manually set my default on a new device.
The install wizard of Firefox/Chrome/etc. presumably counts towards "3rd-party software" here...
The web browser would offer to do it for you. Know it can't. The Unser knows has to navigate through the settings.
I won't be surprised if Microsoft still makes it possible for edge to change the default without the user going into the settings.
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No they're not. And the tech literate people that will see that they can disable this protection and continue as normal.
Microsoft doesn't always do good things, but I think this is fine. If you open firefox it'll ask you if you want to set your default browser, and it won't regedit for you. It will open up the proper windows menu that lets you set firefox as the default.
Not letting malware change your settings by default is a GOOD thing. It is also a good thing that advanced users can disable the feature.
The only bad thing about the story is the lack of transparency. Having to find out about it by breaking tools is bad. It would be better if they had a changelog for these updates that say what they do so admins can see if their tools will be affected.