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Microsoft starts testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu

entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
61,358
Just a test for now.

How do you feel about this?

Microsoft says it's starting to test ads inside the Start menu on Windows 11. The software maker will use the Recommended section of the Start menu, which usually shows file recommendations, to suggest apps from the Microsoft Store.

"This will appear only for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel in the US and will not apply to commercial devices (devices managed by organizations)," says Microsoft in a blog post.

The app promotions can be disabled in the Settings section of Windows 11, but it appears that Microsoft will enable these by default. Microsoft is seeking feedback on the changes, so it's possible the company could decide to ditch these ads in development builds of Windows 11 if there's enough feedback that suggests they're not going to be a popular addition.
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www.theverge.com

Microsoft starts testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu

The first ads in the Windows 11 Start menu will look familiar.
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
 
Valkerion

Valkerion

Member
Oct 29, 2017
7,345
You want people to pay for the OS. That means you don't need ads. Even considering it is pretty dang offensive imo.
 
Xyer

Xyer

Avenger
Aug 26, 2018
7,485
I paid like $200 for my windows 10. No way in hell I'd want ads for that. It'll eventually be a permanent part of the OS.

Microsoft being Microsoft. What a vile company.
 
j7vikes

j7vikes

Definitely not shooting blanks
Member
Jan 5, 2020
6,075
Finally. I hate having to wait for ads I like them to hit as close to the start as possible. Hopefully my devices one day can sense when I'm getting ready to turn them on and can start the ad even before I start.

One can dream.
 
JohnnyToonami

JohnnyToonami

Member
Dec 16, 2018
5,552
Earth
They already have ads. I've gotten popup ads to resub to Game Pass months after I stopped and I just got a popup ad a few weeks ago telling me to check out whatever the fuck that new AI thing is they have. Both times it took me out my whatever I was doing in fullscreen. Trash ass company.
 
Diablos

Diablos

has a title.
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,710
Let's put an ad ticker right by the clock while we're at it.

for fucks sake
 
JLP101

JLP101

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,772
How bad do things have to get before people start switching to Linux based OS? or are too many programs reliant on windows?
 
NullPointer

NullPointer

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,249
Mars
Been a dev in the MS ecosystem for nearly 30 years and this is exactly the kind of thing that will make me exit the entire Windows/MS world for open alternatives.

OS Software should be for the users and their needs, not a scheme for captive eyeballs in the service of ads and dark patterns.

For fuck's sake. Stop ruining every last thing in the service of next quarter's earnings.
 
RPGam3r

RPGam3r

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,745
I've been thinking about ads lately.

I wish they tracked me more, like actual tracking not whatever halfass tracking they do now.

Advertising should know that at this time of year I'm stocking up on various types of hardwood charcoal. Advertising should know that I like romance manga and be constantly feeding me new releases/preorders.

But no, I constantly just see a bunch of bullshit.
 
HylianSeven

HylianSeven

Shin Megami TC - Community Resetter
Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,407
Linux looking extra good lately, it just sucks that while many people could probably switch to Linux and miss little to nothing from Windows, I know there's a lot that would not be able to make that switch be it for things like Photoshop, certain games, or something else.

I know you can turn the ads off, but already when Win11 has already been enshittened from 10, putting ads just makes things worse.
 
Gay Bowser

Gay Bowser

Member
Oct 30, 2017
17,787
Gross.

It'd be one thing if Windows was free, but it's not.

The annoying thing is that there's actually a lot to like about Windows 11, but it's like they can't keep getting in their own way with shit like this. Like they want a bunch of people to stick to Windows 10.

NullPointer said:
Been a dev in the MS ecosystem for nearly 30 years and this is exactly the kind of thing that will make me exit the entire Windows/MS world for open alternatives.

OS Software should be for the users and their needs, not a scheme for captive eyeballs in the service of ads and dark patterns.

For fuck's sake. Stop ruining every last thing in the service of next quarter's earnings.
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It actually irks me, quite a lot, that Apple introduced ads into App Store. And that's in the App Store, and that's still bad.

I remember a presentation where Steve Jobs explained Apple's philosophy on ads like this: "We make devices that we want to use, and we don't want ads. So we can't get there." And I actually don't think that was just marketing BS. I think one of the secrets of Apple's success is that it did have somebody at the top who was willing to be uncompromising on things like this, who actually did really give a shit about the user experience and had the pull to keep shit like ads from happening.

Ads are a deliberate corruption of the experience in service of profit. When Google shows a "recommended" ad result above what's actually the most relevant result, that's making their search worse. I get why a company like Google might need to operate this way; they need to generate revenue and it seems unlikely that many people would pay a subscription to use a search engine (though some do!). But there's no excuse for ads in a paid product like Windows or an iPhone.
 
Akira86

Akira86

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,620
so what is this, banking on passivity and that maybe a billion users won't turn this feature off, so they automatically make millions just by flipping a switch?

Microsoft sucks so much.
 
chrominance

chrominance

Sky Van Gogh
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,959
Man, Recommended was actually vaguely useful in the Start Menu, though more because Microsoft took a hatchet to the thing and destroyed a bunch of useful stuff with the Windows 11 upgrade (listen, I liked those damned Metro tiles, even if the Windows 8 implementation was horrid; the "Pinned Apps" panel is a terrible replacement). It would highlight apps you recently installed, which is a nice feature. Now I have to turn it off because Microsoft wants to shit it up with ads.

I actually don't mind Windows 11 for the most part but what the hell with this change.
 
Shoot

Shoot

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,716
Reminds me of this. I had it pop up recently when I was setting up my new PC. The desperation was shocking.
www.theverge.com

Microsoft’s new Windows prompts try to stop people downloading Chrome

The prompts appear on the Chrome download page.
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
chromedownloadprompt.jpg

8qTMWBQ.jpeg

Microsoft has never been a fan of Windows users downloading Chrome instead of using Edge, but the company has now stepped up its campaign to keep people using its built-in browser. Windows 10 and Windows 11 have both started displaying new prompts when people navigate to the Chrome download page, in an effort to discourage people from installing Google's rival browser.
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We've been able to confirm at least one prompt on a Windows 11 PC, and it appears these new prompts are also appearing for some Windows 10 users, too. These aren't pop-ups or prompts you'd typically find inside a website, either. They're rendered natively by Edge, and other websites aren't able to display similar prompts.

That makes these a little different from the messages that Google displays when you're running Edge and use its online services, which appear within webpages when you visit services like Google Search and Gmail. Google uses these to try to encourage users to switch to Chrome over Edge.
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Snormy

Snormy

I'll think about it
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
5,157
Morizora's Forest
Outside of gaming I haven't found too much that I can't workaround without too much hassle with initial setups and stuff using mac or linux. I've yet to update to W11 and now I want to even less. That said, I run multiple OS for different things anyway and my windows OS is mostly for entertainment because I expect stuff like this.
 
MrBS

MrBS

"This guy are sick"
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,303
Disgusting

.... any points for viewing ads? Asking for the MS Rewards thread I swear
 
mentok15

mentok15

Member
Dec 20, 2017
7,607
Australia
linkboy

linkboy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,799
Reno
thisismadness said:
Don't worry, they're working on "fixing" that too.

www.neowin.net

Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

Microsoft appears to be blocking even more apps for customizing the user interface in Windows 11 24H2. Users noticed that ExplorerPatcher joined the recently blocked StartAllBack app.
www.neowin.net www.neowin.net
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Unlike StartAllBack and ExplorerPatcher, which rely on legacy Windows code to tweak the user interface in Windows, Start11 uses its own code to do its software magic. Therefore, removing the Windows 10-era taskbar from Windows 11 version 24H2 should not break Start11 or prevent you from getting to the latest release once it is available.
 
WardFail

WardFail

Banned
Jul 30, 2022
536
United States
Microsoft can continue to eat dicks. They need to make Windows Home free if they want to pull this shit and leave Pro and Enterprise folks out of this.
 
Daphne

Daphne

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,742
The thing is, you can disable them for now, sure. But this is merely the introduction. Microsoft has been slowly squeezing their OS into being a marketing, customer data collection and sales platform for decades now. Introducing the Microsoft store, integrating skype, xbox and onedrive, Edge, Cortana and now co-pilot, making you use a microsoft account to install Win 11 (unless you jump through loopholes, which they keep closing, to get in with a local account), selling you on office365 subs. Extending the amount of tracking they do of you with all kinds of "conveniences" for you. Ads have already appeared elsewhere; this is merely an extension that will solidify until they remove the option to disable it.

But they have such a grip. I really wish regulators would go after them for their integrations. An OS should be for the user, not exploiting the user.
 
Gambit61

Gambit61

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,257
thisismadness said:
Don't worry, they're working on "fixing" that too.

www.neowin.net

Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

Microsoft appears to be blocking even more apps for customizing the user interface in Windows 11 24H2. Users noticed that ExplorerPatcher joined the recently blocked StartAllBack app.
www.neowin.net www.neowin.net
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

yo wtf, the only reason I started using StartAllBack is because the default explorer always crashes on me even after fresh installs. Also don't like how they keep changing the context menu.
 
Android Sophia

Android Sophia

The Absolute Sword
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
6,187
NinjaLooter said:
I use Edge primarily. I actually think it's better.
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There was a short time when Edge was kinda nice. But it's loaded with so many little things you have to turn off now just to get a decent browsing experience that I can't recommend it. Shopping, shopping notifications, Microsoft Rewards, Discover, co-pilot, etc.

It's an extension of what we're seeing with Windows 11 in general. Some nice features and a lot of intrusive marking stuff being included all across the operating system. Like ads being included in the start menu.
 

Super Craig

Member
Oct 27, 2017
660
Android Sophia said:
There was a short time when Edge was kinda nice. But it's loaded with so many little things you have to turn off now just to get a decent browsing experience that I can't recommend it. Shopping, shopping notifications, Microsoft Rewards, Discover, co-pilot, etc.

It's an extension of what we're seeing with Windows 11 in general. Some nice features and a lot of intrusive marking stuff being included all across the operating system. Like ads being included in the start menu.
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Glad I'm not the only one that's noticed this. I've just switched to DuckDuckGo for now.
 
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