More ads in Windows 11 Start Menu could be the last straw for some users
- Reference: 1681757108
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/04/17/microsoft_windows_start_ads/
- Source link:
The software vendor has for months been playing around with putting ads – or at least in the case of the Start Menu, notifications – about its services in the operating system as well as the [1]Bing search engine, PCs, and other products.
Talk of such notifications in the Start Menu began [2]circulating in November 2022. In March, with the [3]KB5023778 preview build, Microsoft began sending them out to a few users, with the promise the practice would be more widely deployed in the following months.
[4]
With the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build [5]23435 that was dropped into the Dev Channel late last week, the company is "continuing the exploration of badging on the Start menu with several new treatments for users logging in with local user accounts to highlight the benefits of signing in with a Microsoft account (MSA)," Amanda Langowski, principal product manager for the Windows Insider Program, and Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post.
[6]
[7]
And it's all about signing up for a Microsoft account, with messages stressing such advantages as the ease of backing up the device, personalizing the security settings, and accessing data from anywhere. Also, an account means getting Microsoft 365 – and all the cloud-native benefits – for free.
[8]Compatibility mess breaks not one but two Windows password tools
[9]Microsoft mucks with PrtScr key for first time in decades
[10]Microsoft deigns to fix five-year-old Defender bug that slowed Firefox
[11]Microsoft wants to stick adverts in Bing chat responses
Langowski and LeBlanc reiterated that Redmond uses the Dev Channel to try out various concepts to get comments. They could also find some feedback from users on [12]Reddit , many of whom are not happy about the idea.
"This is what a monopoly is like adding in things to trick and inconvenience you," one user wrote. "Whoops I just pushed an update that sets your browser to Edge, have ads as notifications and Teams and OneDrive unable to be removed from the system."
They added: "Honestly I want them to continue adding this … because the more they do it the more likely Windows will drive people elsewhere like the Chromebooks, Linux... etc. Legacy software will only keep people around for so long, enterprise will probably stick around for a long time but average consumers can do other things."
[13]
"The moment I see ads in the OS that I can't disable I'm out," another wrote. "Tech is supposed to empower us, not capture us."
That said, opinions about this are not universally negative. Having a couple of ads pop up on occasion is better than the alternative, one user noted.
"Thinking realistically, every software I use with the notable exception of Windows and DaVinci Resolve switched to a subscription model. If Microsoft doesn't do that and pushes its OneDrive and 365 subs via the task bar every now and then I'm personally okay with that. Better than paying $$$ every month just to use the OS."
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Others noted that there have been ads in both Windows 8 and 10 that hawked OneDrive, so what Microsoft is doing with Windows is nothing new and surprising, they said. And the ads are inevitable, another wrote.
"With how weak the public is these days I honestly don't see enough people making a fuss long enough for anything to be done, and this is going to become a norm," they wrote. "It probably won't be as bad after they figure out the kinks, but it's gonna stay here forever with how people are." ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/30/microsoft_wants_to_stick_ads/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/08/windows_tests_ads_in_windows_11/
[3] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/march-28-2023-kb5023778-os-build-22621-1485-preview-d490bb51-492e-410c-871f-50ad01b0f765
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZD3BgZI7Vk6jTLqyZQRmJgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2023/04/14/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-23435/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZD3BgZI7Vk6jTLqyZQRmJgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZD3BgZI7Vk6jTLqyZQRmJgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/14/microsoft_laps_compatibility/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/13/microsoft_snipping_tool_default/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/11/microsoft_defender_firefox_fix/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/30/microsoft_wants_to_stick_ads/
[12] https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/12jxi9b/microsoft_is_slowly_rolling_out_ads_in_the/
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZD3BgZI7Vk6jTLqyZQRmJgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZD3BgZI7Vk6jTLqyZQRmJgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I wouldn't lend much credence to that comment. It more than likely was written by an MS employee or shill. This is the internet after all.
P.S. There are quite a few start menu replacements, free and paid. Openshell comes to mind although I've not tested with Windows 11, works great with Windows 10. No ads, thus flipping the bird at MS.
I don't know their reasons for using Windows, but I'm gonna assume they have a reason of some sort (and not knowing about Linux, as unlikely as that is, is a reason for people). And I agree with them; in a dichotomy between Ads and Subscription, I'll take the ads.
That said, it isn't a dichotomy, and if you have the option (that is, no specific reason to stick with Windows as opposed to a reason to change), then change. Heck, there's a ton of drop in Linux options, or even try a Mac (has it's own semi-subscription issues, but at least the "subscription" lasts a good long time with their current support windows). With any luck saner heads at MS will prevail since I don't want to have to teach my parents about the new ads and that they haven't been hacked.
I also agree with EvilGardenGnome, with the minor objection that Microsoft really don't care about whether your Mum or mine has to figure out if they've been hacked, or how the new Start menu works or whatever.
They only really care about whether corporations will put up with this, and I think most of them will.
The one I work for (for example) has about 80,000 workstation licenses and I can't see them ever ditching Windows for Linux not matter how inconvenient Windows gets.
I mostly agree, but the problem still is that a) Apple isn't much better than Microsoft when it comes to their business practices and b) Linux is still missing a lot of applications many people rely on, and for some of them there still aren't even any sufficiently capable replacements available. (Which is why I, even though most of what I do I do on Linux, I still need Windows VMs on some of my Linux machines and one Windows PC, even if just for the one or two Windows applications I still need which require a real GPU...)
Unlike some, I don't actively hate windows, but ads will definitely drive me more towards linux.
Dear Microsoft employees
Given how aggressively Windows 11 pushes offline accounts, you should assume that if someone has a local account, it's because they actively sought it out.
(I mean, we know you know and it really chafes your cheeks, so why don't you piss off.)
Win 10 forever
This sort of garbage is precisely why my new PC (due for delivery later this week) will be running Win10. And the TPN will be disabled to avoid a sneeky unwanted upgrade to 11.
LOL
Not very original, didn't Ubuntu do this first?
I believe I've already given this response to a similar previous article but, for the sake of completeness I feel moved to restate it here. This:
Dear Microsoft
Fuck off
Yours with extreme prejudice.
AC
You don't have to use the native start menu - there are better alternatives
Between Start11 and ueli (ueli.app) I never, ever see the native start menu, and I have no desire to. They're both better than the functionality it provides. Yes, Start11 will cost you $6 (or $3 each for 5), but that's trivial for the peace of mind, and ueli is free.
Of course the plebs are going to have to use the native start menu, but El Reg people have options.
Nice operating system you have there...
"Microsoft began sending them out to a few users, with the promise the practice would be more widely deployed in the following months."
Promise?
Looks like more of a threat to me!
"Thinking realistically, every software I use with the notable exception of Windows and DaVinci Resolve switched to a subscription model. If Microsoft doesn't do that and pushes its OneDrive and 365 subs via the task bar every now and then I'm personally okay with that. Better than paying $$$ every month just to use the OS."
This person does know that there are other operating systems out there other than F***ing Windows, don't they? Who on earth would keep paying Microsoft every month for using Windows?
I know, some enterprise customers probably still would, for now!