[UPDATE: Windows 10 TOO!] Microsoft forces Edge to be the only option for Windows 11 apps & widgets (Antitrust? What Antitrust?)

[rcmaehl]

Summary

Microsoft has recently made a change to Windows 11 in build 22494. This change forces Edge to be the only option for Search, News, and other Windows 11 apps.

 

Quotes

Quote

Windows 11 build 22494 appears to prevent links associated with the Microsoft Edge browser from being handled by third-party applications. Typically, https:// links get handled by whatever default browser is set... But there are ways to register a custom protocol handler. Microsoft did just that when it created the microsoft-edge: URI scheme. By prefixing certain links as microsoft-edge:https://example.com instead of https://example.com, the company can tell Windows to use Edge... instead of the system's default browser. Microsoft is not doing this for all web links. It applies the microsoft-edge:// protocol to... News and Interest, Widgets in Windows 11, various help links in the Settings app, search links from the Start menu, Cortana links, and links sent from paired Android devices. Clicking on these links will... open in Edge regardless of the default browser setting. But since Windows 11 build 22494, released last week, [this] no longer works. This is on top of Microsoft making it tedious to change the default browser on Windows 11 from Edge. The Register has asked Brave and Mozilla whether their respective link interception implementations for the microsoft-edge:// URI scheme still work. A Mozilla spokesperson confirmed the Windows change broke Firefox’s Edge protocol workaround. “People deserve choice,” the spokesperson said. “They should have the ability to simply and easily set defaults and their choice of default browser should be respected. We have worked on code that launches Firefox when the microsoft-edge protocol is used for those users that have already chosen Firefox as their default browser. "Following the recent change to Windows 11, this planned implementation will no longer be possible.” Windows will force the use of Edge even if you delete it, opening an empty UWP window and presenting an error message rather than falling back on the default browser. "Microsoft’s use of the microsoft-edge:// protocol instead of regular https:// links is in itself an antitrust issue," Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment. 

 

My thoughts

They really shouldn't have done this. This is just the default browser antitrust case with extra steps. The existing solutions were elegant and didn't require reacting to edge opening, simply just replacing what handled the request. Hopefully, user backlash will revert this. Unfortunately, per Microsoft, you need to be enrolled in the dev builds yourself to give the backlash. 

 

Sources

XDA

Ctrl Blog

Beta News

The Register (quote source)

[Lightwreather]

Eh.

At this point, I'm kinda numb to Microsoft's/Google's antics.
But yes, it is annoying for people who don't intend to use edge

[RejZoR]

Every time Microsoft does this s**t I just hate Edge even more. I was already pretty neutral about it at some point and I even thought it was somewhat decent. Now after 3rd time they did this extra crap I hate it with burning passion and Edge has become just a download tool to get Firefox. Remember IE? This is Edge now. Then I don't touch it ever again. Go eat s**t Microsoft. It's crap like this that makes people really hate your stuff. It just makes them look impatient and desperate. Instead of making it cool and all that they always decide to force it on users with some scummy methods.

[Dedayog]

15 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

Summary

Microsoft has recently made a change to Windows 11 in build 22494. This change forces Edge to be the only option for Search, News, and other Windows 11 apps.

 

Quotes

 

My thoughts

They really shouldn't have done this. This is just the default browser antitrust case with extra steps. The existing solutions were elegant and didn't require reacting to edge opening, simply just replacing what handled the request. Hopefully, user backlash will revert this. Unfortunately, per Microsoft, you need to be enrolled in the dev builds yourself to give the backlash. 

 

Sources

XDA

Ctrl Blog

Beta News

The Register (quote source)

Didn't we go through this all before a few Windows ago?

[jagdtigger]

And ppl wonder why i think MS is just as shady as fb and alphabet and simply cannot be trusted with any private info.

[suicidalfranco]

gee i wonder where the "their platform, their rules" mob squad is at now.

MS needs their shitty practices to be defended folks!

[Fasterthannothing]

Well since Edge is no longer "their" browser and is built on the back of Chrome it sounds like it's going to be very murkey waters since technically their setting another browser technology other than their own.  But on the other hand there is so much software that just doesn't work right on anything except the chrome browser engine and as someone in IT who has to tell users to try it on Chrome or Edge about a million times a day for Microsoft web software this will make my life easier. 

[GuiltySpark_]

I get how this is bad but.. i'm struggling to care. I guess I just don't do anything in 11 that would launch Edge to begin with?

[TempestCatto]

Seeing news like this makes me evermore excited to be switching to Linux. Linus and Luke's series about switching to Linux as their daily driver came out at a perfect time, imo. I'll just follow along with them and see how it goes, and make my own informed decision on what flavour to choose after the conclusion. 

 

But I will say, Microsoft is really trying to copy Apple for shitty business practices, eh?

[AkIonSight]

Another Thing, Microsoft has also removed the ways Things like EdgeDeflector work, so there is no legal way to change it

another day of thanking god that I use linux

More info:

https://github.com/da2x/EdgeDeflector

https://github.com/da2x/EdgeDeflector/issues/141

https://github.com/da2x/EdgeDeflector/issues/141#issuecomment-966402781

 

[RejZoR]

35 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

gee i wonder where the "their platform, their rules" mob squad is at now.

MS needs their shitty practices to be defended folks!

It doesn't work this way. Apple's enforcing of shit actually makes sense to a degree and isn't annoying because everyone WILLINGLY wants to be there. Whatever Microsoft always tries turns into absolute vomitfest. Also Microsoft doesn't have that luxury with Windows. You can't shill your OS as this open platform for 30+ years and suddenly you want to become Apple with tightly integrated and closed ecosystem. It just doesn't work that way and Microsoft's garbage "S Mode" or "Windows 10 S" is a testament to that. It's the most useless OS in existence. Only apps you can download and use are from Microsoft Store and saying their store is total garbage ever since it was introduced with Windows 8 back in 2012 would be an understatement. After 3 years of using iPhone I absolutely can't say the same for their offering... And we all know what happens when OS doesn't have apps. It's how all mobile OS died off.

 

What's even more funny is that Microsoft gives no one any incentive to use their store. Not even software vendors to officially host their stuff. You have few sprinkled here and there and that's it. There is bunch of questionable "companies" that host stuff there and even charge for them. Like for example something basic as 7-zip. That's published by some GNUStudio I never heard of or know it's related to Igor Pavlov (the actual author of 7-zip) and they charge 10€ for what's otherwise free. Microsoft seems to be totally fine with it and this is something that is suppose to instill confidence into using their trash app store? LOL, not a chance.

[Lightwreather]

1 minute ago, RejZoR said:

"S Mode" or "Windows 10 S"

Now windows 11 SE

[Helpful Tech Witch]

2 minutes ago, J-from-Nucleon said:

Now windows 11 SE

um... windows 10s only allows store apps.

Win11se, which is diffrent, in that is wont really be for consumer aimed devices, just schools, will be able to run standard aplications (as I understand it), not just the UWP store apps

[wanderingfool2]

1 hour ago, rcmaehl said:

Unfortunately, per Microsoft, you need to be enrolled in the dev builds yourself to give the backlash. 

For myself, until it's actually in a build that like a RC build (or released to the public) then I don't really think it's too much of a news worthy thing.  Could it be that this is how it works, yes, and it could be decently bad...but at the same time we are talking about a public dev build, and not a public build where a new protocol is being added in.

 

Another issue I could see is that it's also meant to prevent OS "issues" that turn out to be browser issues...i.e. someone searching and it uses a non-default browser, but returns in a different way so that it breaks the Windows GUI or something similar.  Not saying I necessarily agree with it, or think that's the idea behind it...but I could see how it could be a thing.

[bcredeur97]

They will make the argument that Apple does this on iOS and google does it on ChromeOS

 

windows is becoming not what it used to be. It’s all about being a service now and taking configuration away and moving that to the Service provider (in this case, Microsoft themselves) 

 

and you just purchase (or pay monthly for) a service that you like or go open source if you’re a nerd. 

[nurax1337]

2 hours ago, RejZoR said:

Edge has become just a download tool to get Firefox

You can even use the new Microsoft Store (default in Win 11, now rolling out in Win 10 aswell) or - even better - WinGet via Terminal (= CMD / Powershell)

[Giganthrax]

Well, that's a pretty major reason for me not to switch to Win11 anytime soon.

 

Dunno why MS does this stuff. Surely, Edge isnt such a major product for them that they have to resort to these measures to make people use it.

[nE0n1nja]

I'm already using Edge and I'm really satisfied with it, but this is a crappy move. Windows used to be about customization and freedom of choice. I guess that's starting to change now.

[emosun]

Yet another reason to enjoy windows 7

 

Anyone running windows 10 shouldnt complain though as they should be used to terrible forced implementations by now. Were talking about people who are fine with ads in the UI ffs. Lol

[pythonmegapixel]

1 minute ago, Giganthrax said:

Dunno why MS does this stuff. 

The simple explanation is that they know 90% of users will just put up with it. They've done such an effective job of establishing themselves as a near-monopoly in the PC operating system space that a good chunk of users can't switch away from it, and of those that can, most can't be bothered with the hassle.

 

1 minute ago, Giganthrax said:

Surely, Edge isnt such a major product for them that they have to resort to these measures to make people use it.

Edge is a very major product for them for the same reason that Windows is: it's something that they can get a lot of people to use, and then start forcing in unpopular changes that people have no choice but to accept. They did this with Internet Explorer, introducing proprietary technology that encouraged developers to develop only for IE, and then everyone had to use IE for all kinds of enterprise applications.

 

1 minute ago, nE0n1nja said:

Windows used to be about customization and freedom of choice.

It was never fundamentally about customisation and freedom of choice. It was about whatever makes Microsoft the most money.

 

This isn't even the first time Microsoft have forced their users' hand like this. Remember that lawsuit in the late 90s about - you guessed it - forcing browser choices on people?

 

2 minutes ago, nE0n1nja said:

I guess that's starting to change now.

I disagree: it's been getting worse for many years at this point, which is impressive considering it was pretty bad to begin with.

[Vishera]

3 hours ago, suicidalfranco said:

gee i wonder where the "their platform, their rules" mob squad is at now.

MS needs their shitty practices to be defended folks!

My PC my rules!

I don't use Windows 10,nor 11 because they are full of BS i don't want.

[Cool Dude 101]

This is just dumb. We should be able to choose what browser we want, weither it be Firefox, Chrome or Edge, we should be the ones to chose, not Microsoft. Shame on you Microsoft. Do you want windows 11 to be like windows 8, A failure. 

[NumLock21]

I'm confused as to what the fuss is about since I'm running on Win11 and I can use the default browser of my choice which is FireFox.

So one of the articles says, news stories or search results you type in will open up in Edge instead of your default browser. I don't see what's the problem here. I would prefer that it opens up in Edge so that it does not affect my current browsing session, just in case that link I've clicked on somehow causes my entire browser to crash. It will be just Edge that's crashing and all I have to do is close off Edge and clear all data, while my actually browsing session using FireFox is still intact. BTW I never used the search or use that stupid widget for news stories. I just used my default browser and go to the news sites or whatever that is I want to visit and it will always open up with my default browser, by doing open link in a new tab.

 

In Win11 the default app, it has more options for each specific web extension, and they all have to be changed to the default browser you want to open it with.

[akio123008]

4 hours ago, J-from-Nucleon said:

for people who don't intend to use edge

About this though, "people who (don't) want to use browser X", I don't see the point. Why do(n't) you want to use a specific browser?

 

Any browser except firefox is basically chrome at this point, it all looks the same, it all runs the same, it all feels the same. 

 

I get you might have one browser with all your preferences stored/accounts logged in etc, but when you do like a quick search, or click a link someone sent you, I couldn't care less if it opens in chrome, firefox or edge.

[NumLock21]

1 hour ago, Cool Dude 101 said:

This is just dumb. We should be able to choose what browser we want, weither it be Firefox, Chrome or Edge, we should be the ones to chose, not Microsoft. Shame on you Microsoft. Do you want windows 11 to be like windows 8, A failure. 

You can chose the browser you want to use. if not, then you won't even be able to install it in the first place.