Microsoft has gone too far: including a Game Pass ad in the Settings app ushers in a whole new age of ridiculous over-advertising

I've never actually seen an ad in Windows... Like, literally ever. The worst I've seen is Windows trying to trick me into making edge my default browser.

If I believed all the articles on Lemmy, every part of the OS now has embedded ads, and the OS itself is recording everything I ever do against my will and without my knowledge.

Should I point out the irony of this complaint being posted on a site with ads every other sentence and doesn't even show what the windows ads looks like?

It's a valid complaint and all I just laughed as I scrolled past all the blank "ad here" blocks to read the article.

Lemmy: why aren't people using Linux? It's so easy

Also Lemmy: webp huh?

It is bullshit, and people will complain while continuing to use Windows so why should Microsoft care?

I wholeheartedly believe that all forma of unsolicited or public advertising should be completely banned. Nothing good comes from it, it is only a nuisance to everyone.

If you order the shit soup, don't act surprised if it tastes bad.

These people are CHOOSING to use Windows. They need to just STFU and use Linux or enjoy the shit soup they keep ordering.

Tbh me switching to Debian (using the KDE desktop experience) is feeling better and better, my PC runs over 3x faster, I have way more control over my own device, and everything works better than ever!

They haven't gone overboard with THIS one, because they already went way the fuck overboard years ago and never got back on board

Man I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and make my next machine a linux one

Microsoft went too far in 2001 when they included a new online activation feature in Windows XP which spearheaded the future of drm and enshitification. They've been one-upping themselves ever since. All the most recent stuff is just more icing on the shit cake.

I updated my work laptop, and they put their shitty copilot button on the bottom right and TURNED OFF MY SHOW DESKTOP BUTTON.

nothing more to add, just wanted to vent with people who may understand my rage with windows lol

People are abusing Google's ad distro platform to get malware onto people's machines. I see Microsoft signed up for the same firestorm of possibilities.

Microsoft, stop. My computer can only be so switched to Linux.

What's next Microsoft? Replace the windows os loading windows page with a 30s ad? Or have defender uninstall apps if a competitor pays enough? Maybe capture a screenshot of my screen every 3 seconds for AI analysis?

I switched to Linux Mint Debian edition when the Reddit thing happened. I'm glad I did before Windows got this bad.

The thing that irks me the most is that those things work. They'll see a little complain from the most vocal ones, and that's it. The revenue will increase, their shareholders will be pleased, the OS will be worse, and we'll have no viable alternative.

Unless governments start to regulate the hell out of tech companies, it's only downhill from there.

Edit: about Linux, it's not viable if you're outside IT or rely on commercial software. That's a debate for another post.

If comsic desktop gets a perfect launch, it wouldn't be an over exaggeration to say, some amount of people will switch

I've managed to de-google completely and mostly de-microsoft, but I use cloud streaming (shadow) for gaming and anything else that's more than my shitty laptop can't handle and there's no way to use Linux on the cloud part. Only thing I can't do anything about yet, and doubt that'll change anytime soon or at all.

Our office uses windows, and egde feels like malware to me

Microsoft is so confident in its desktop marketshare that they allow themselves to push the overton window on what users will tolerate.

The only competitor they can lose users to is Apple. And even then not everyone can afford an Apple computer, especially in the rest of the world

Microsoft has gone too far:

Just now, with this?

Guys, I'll switch in a heartbeat to a Linux OS if any one you can recommend a stable OS that works on a Surface Go 2. It should support its touchscreen, of course, and a Surface Pen. Plus, a FOSS alternative to Journal would be stellar

Hopefully they'll end up with an incredible amount of user telemetry telling them that they've created the least adopted version of Windows in the history of the company.

That's what Windows 11 deserves, they need a punch in the face from users.

Joke's on you, Microsoft.

First of all, I already have Game Pass, so you don't get any new sales.
Second, if I open the settings app in Windows 11, it just straight up crashes. (Can access the other tabs, e.g. through desktop customisation. But if I go to the front page, it crashes.)

It was broken by the update that supposedly added some other ads. But I've not seen them! I had to disable the "recommendations" in start menu because it made the start menu not work at all (due to the aforementioned crash, same deal).

This actually really sucks, though. Windows Store apps do not update themselves, Xbox services stopped working (due to being unable to update WS games), and I don't know if Windows Update works or not. I guess I need to reinstall when I get arsed to.

I hope they don't show an ad on my doctor's operating table computer while he's performing surgery on my heart and watching through a camera image. 😱

Win11 becomes a less and less appealing switch day by day... When I can no longer hold into Win10, I think I'll just have to jump ship to Linux.

Win10 is already quite privacy poor, but Win11 is straight up intolerable.

They are behaving as if someone promised them to outlaw FOSS operating systems.

Solution is easy - just don’t use windows

Microsoft already knows that people keep windows around either because they want multiplayer games or are scared of linux.

Are you going to have to deal with a full-screen ad when you’re trying to open File Explorer eventually?

I was literally reading this sentence when the whole page grayed out and a window asking me to subscribe popped up.

If windows becomes an advertising platform, isn't MS forced to open it to competitors lest they are misusing their power?

I know that this expression desensitises people to something serious, but it describes Microsoft - the "it"/corporation - perfectly: rapist mentality. It shows how eager Microsoft is to disregard consent, users saying "no, I don't want it", and to force itself over the users as long as it gets some benefit out of it.

Including new obnoxious advertisement slots into an already released product - one that you paid for - is only a result of that mentality.

I use edge and subscribe to gamepass, so the ads is gone, right?

I got the "It's time to upgrade to Windows 11" message on my Windows 10 laptop. It's getting aggravating.

I know ExplorePatcher and Startallback can stop ads on Start menu. is there any viable solution for this Settings app ad?

You will take it and you will like it.

I never get any of these things in my install. Is this a home edition thing only maybe? Genuine question, not trying to be a smartass.

So, does PiHole work against this threat? I don’t believe I’ve seen an ad on Windows 11 yet on my desktop, but it’s firmly behind a PiHole and never leaves the house (because desktop)… so either I’m lucky, missing something, or it’s working.

I mean, I basically just boot it up to game and backup CDs to FLAC and such, so maybe I’m just missing things.

And Yes, as someone who has used linux since 1995, I know I can probably do those things in Linux at this point, but I couldn’t when I set it up and since it’s working I’ve got other things higher on my list to do.

I think this community exists only to complain about Microsoft. Not sure I ever see anything else.

You guys complain but you never actually switch to Linux. :)

If you truly cared about being a technological slave, you would learn Linux tomorrow. But just like someone stuck in a abusive relationship, you hang around despite the horrible treatment because you are afraid to leave what's comfortable.

"Too far" is what they're looking for. In other words, "How much bullshit can we cram down their throats before they'll spend an absurd amount of money on a disposable Macbook or spend their days becoming a sysadmin so they can use Linux?" Doesn't seem that they've found that line yet. They're still looking.

this is definitely the worst thing ever /s