Microsoft Edge is getting out of control and this needs to stop

[Redaktion]

Microsoft just keeps adding new features to Edge, the default browser of Windows. Most of these are not only useless, they also hamper productive workflow by throwing the user into a bottomless pit filled with unwanted pop-ups, requests and subtle but not-at-all-welcome design changes. Additionally, they are peppered with what one can call outright privacy violations.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Edge-is-getting-out-of-control-and-this-needs-to-stop.728070.0.html

[Swizzy]

Microsoft have been doing this for years through their forced update shenanigans.

Any settings you show in those screenshots can reset themselves whenever Microsoft feels like it, even registry settings, or worse they simply remove them.

[Hunter2020]

Windows is dead.  I put my Win11 partition permanently offline while I go online with a second Linux partition.  I don't see how Windows can continue to be relevant into the future when ppl are forced to reign in its unwanted behavior...

[Mark0]

Oh goodie it is not just me!!! LOL!!!

I added "WINDOW", "MICROSOFT" and "UPDATE" to my LAN's Firewall "key word" filter blocking rules over 4yrs ago as I was distressed with the constant updates and feature changes.

(gee - how many times have you gone to 'wake up' an 'asleep' computer running a MiniSquish operating system to find the countless programs+windows+browser-tabs were ALL CLOSED because of a unwanted or asked for "update"???)

Sadly, my two Linix computers were installed with Passwords I can't recall. Will have to reinstall them. In the mean time I'll keep using my 2011 OSX. :)

[Johan]

I tried to use Edge because I thought it should give it a shot to be fair to yet another Chromium fork. I likewise encountered so much bloat that made Edge harder to use than Chrome.

The side bar and bing button in particular were the last straw. Only managed to use it a few months before it was intolerable.

[Neenyah]

No sleeping tabs for me, thanks. I do not want Edge to get loaded every time I turn my system on, either

Sleeping tabs are "sleeping" on an SSD to free up RAM so you can have hundreds of them open with plenty of free RAM. Very useful function.

Pre-loading? But I do not want cookies of websites that I'll never visit

Preloading is available in all browsers since about 2006. It's the first thing I disable upon new setup for the past 15 years at least.

Sorry, Microsoft. I like it when a link actually looks like a link, with "https" at the beginning and "html" at the end

That's not really true because you clearly have links formatted in your own article: imgur.com/xO19H1w

What that function does is exactly that - you can literally just copy/paste existing text with all its stylings, formatting and included links and it will look the same if that other site or app is supporting it. For example, I can copy/paste your whole article on Reddit (new, not old) as a post or as a comment and it will look identical in font size, italics, bolds, links will be formatted (and the same you used), same paragraphs, spacings and so on. There won't be any need to format it all over again. Say what you want but that's a damn fine function in Edge. Here, proof in video: imgur.com/2qLYvu3

[Logoffon]

Ah yes, another of those useless whining about whatever Microsoft does, as if they actively read craps like this.

Just buy a stock of them so you can do that in their shareholders' meeting, geez...

[Ben Turnbull]

My face when reading comments is just as informative as reading the article itself

: ]

[a lex]

I experienced this search bar too.
Every few days it just pops up on my desktop, stays always on top (not hidden behind windows) and is generally very obnoxious.
I selected to disable it and then closed it, but it keeps coming back...

[Greg]

Running Windows 10. Disabled all updates about 4 months ago. Avoid the Edge. My default browser is Firefox w/ad blocker. That makes working with Windows more or less tolerable. Can't move to Linux because I have a number of legacy apps not available for Linux.

[Null]

Well this article is just one of those written for the sake of content creation

MS has done incredibly good job with these new features,
Sleeping TABS  - Inactive tabs put to sleep is better for PC performance and RAM .. don't wanna go into other lethargic observations made by the writer... CIAO

[Neenyah]

Well this article is just one of those written for the sake of content creation

MS has done incredibly good job with these new features,
Sleeping TABS  - Inactive tabs put to sleep is better for PC performance and RAM .. don't wanna go into other lethargic observations made by the writer... CIAO

Yep. And the most funny thing is that almost all those features exist in all other existing browsers too - including Firefox - with just slightly different names for them. But nope, only Edge is bad, bad, bad 🙃

[0917]

almost all those features exist in all other existing browsers too - including Firefox

Do they, now? Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers, sure. But Firefox?

Have you actually used the thing?

[Neenyah]

almost all those features exist in all other existing browsers too - including Firefox

Do they, now? Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers, sure. But Firefox?

Have you actually used the thing?

I use both, yes. Firefox 114.0.2. Author of the article says for When Microsoft Edge starts:

I want to be greeted with something nice every time I launch the browser. Not with a landing page of a Microsoft partner

In Firefox same thing: Settings > Home > Homepage and new windows

Both can be changed in both browsers but the author complains only about Edge.


Then we have the author to complain about website preloading:

Pre-loading? But I do not want cookies of websites that I'll never visit

Firefox: about:config, search for "browser.newtab.preload" and you will see it being set to true by default.

There is no even setting to toggle/uncheck it off like there is in Edge, you have to go to about:config to disable it. But again, only Edge is being bad and is getting out of control, right...


Then again we have Sleeping Tabs in Edge, same is in Firefox but the author has his pick on Edge so he says:

No sleeping tabs for me, thanks. I do not want Edge to get loaded every time I turn my system on, either

In Firefox they are being called "Tab Unloading" and it's literally identical thing as "Sleeping Tabs" in Edge, more info here: Unload inactive tabs to save system memory in Firefox support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/unload-inactive-tabs-save-system-memory-firefox

Also Settings > General > Performance > "Use recommended performance settings" is essentialy the same thing as "Startup boost" and "Efficiency mode" in Edge.


The author has problems with this:

Does anyone on this planet actually like these pop-up menus?

In Firefox: Settings > Home > Browsing > "Recommend extensions as you browse" & "Recommend features as you browse" (both checked by default)


The author also complains about navigation errors and so on:

I do not need any help resolving navigation errors - or any help with shopping. I'll just have to disable all of this

But look at that in Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Security > Block dangerous and deceptive content (Edge will block it in identical way as Firefox, just a different name)


And so on, and so on... The author hates Edge and see no issues with other browsers having those same features (including Safari that he recommends with "Purchase the 15-inch MacBook Air, a laptop with no Microsoft Edge pre-installed, on Amazon USA" at the end of his article!!). Meh.

[1351]

@neenyah

I stopped letting Firefox update itself about four years ago. Perhaps Sergey did, too. After all, one of his other articles invites readers to "hop into the time machine by installing an older build of Firefox". You know.