"our browser is so good, we have to offer bogus prizes to get people to switch to it!"
this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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One of the last things I used to respect about Microsoft was when they kept up the development of their own rendering engine, even as Chrome ran away with its popularity. IE6 was a monster, but for a time MS was doing a good job as an underdog by pushing standards compliance. Even if it wasn't as nice as Firefox, it was important to have more horses in the game of competing browsers rather than creating a monoculture around Chrome.
Needless to say, the Edge appearing in this contest is nothing like what I ever had hope for.
I used to use Edge at home, then ditched it. I used it recently at work and it is getting really enshittified. Now I'm between Cromite which works until suddenly the interface freezes, or Ungoogled Chromium which I haven't got to work on the work laptop (it works now on my home Linux so whatever).
Edge used to be so much better before today.
Edge before it adopted Chromium was an excellent browser - fast, standards compliant, rock solid. Adopting Chromium is basically them doing the absolute minimum to ship a browser at all without showing someone else's logo. We use Edge at work - Chrome and Firefox are also supported - and it shocking how many MDM policies we have to have to make Edge usable.
Try out Firefox. It works incredibly well
I do use Firefox as well, for non-work activities at home and in the office.
Or Librewolf, which is a fork from Firefox and removes the telemetry that Firefox collects.
That's too extreme for most people. A lot of people do want certain services to remember they logged in for example. Waterfox is typically the better recommendation - or, was. I'm less trusting of them after they chose to use Brave Browser code for an AdBlocker
This disease is simply testing AI systems on your browsing data. It's trying to collect data from your services and analyze it with AI. That's all. If something is offering you big rewards, free services, or discounts, it's probably using you as material for its services.
Awwww, silly little Microsoft is upset the browser monopoly isn't theirs
Native persistent pop-up that doesn't go away and stays on multiple tabs is truly the best way to advertisme your browser /s
They're just making themselves look trashy and desperate.
What might work is making their software better than everyone else's. But that requires effort and skill and managerial competence.
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Oh man, I needed that. A good belly shaking laugh.
Does Edge support Linux? Actually, never mind. I'm good.
Flatpak
Should you ever feel the urge to do something wild and stupid: yes, actually Microsoft offers an official Linux version of Edge.
Currently, for some inexplicable reason, Teams calls are broken on my Debian Trixie in all browsers except edge. I suspect foul play.
Use Ferdium. Works flawlessly.
That's crazy. It must just be super easy considering it's chromium now.
I have edge installed on my steam deck, I used it to play bf6 on game pass before they jacked up the price last year.
Yes but they do zero tests on the build, if it compiles, it ships. For example it crashes if you try to open a file dialog and the copilot button is not working and can't be hidden
Hey Microsoft, how about innovating instead? Edge is a Chrome engine browser like dozens of others out there. Why not write a new browser engine to give customers a choice? Or at worst, how about contract with Apple to license Webkit bringing a third solid choice for a browser engine to Windows. You're not going to out-Chrome Google Chrome browser, so stop trying.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and play the devil's advocate. Edge actually makes a lot of optimisations and improvements that are merged into upstream chrome. While Microsoft is the shady corp that is forcing the ai garbage and data collection, the Devs are actually very competent.
Edge has one huge benefit which causes me to use it across Windows, Linux and even android and that is extension support on all even mobile. No other chrome based android browser has mobile extensions and a competent or seamless sync both figured out. I like being able to check something on my phone and seamlessly pick it up on any other device.
I like Vivaldi's workflow but they have yet to add mobile extensions.
You want another version of IE?
Right now, Chrome is basically IE6. It rushes in standards with little compliance, bloats your memory, and everyone is forced to use it. All browsers are just skins, and if Google's recent Android moves are any indication, they'll likely close off source at some point so they can load it through with spyware.
In terms of making a bad situation slightly better, I'd be in favor of MS re-vamping their browser division. It has little to do with AI or murdering Palestinians though, so I doubt they will.
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Literally, one of the richest companies in the world and can't figure this out.
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We started to use ad blockers in the early 2000s because no one could trust they were the 999,999 visitor to the website.
It sounded (and stills sounds) scammy.
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Let me guess... Existing users are excluded from participating? Cause I ain't got no pop up banner anywhere. Or is cause I'm European?
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Microsoft is a very large lumbering giant that seems to lack a cohesive vision forward, especially on the consumer front. Every single piece of consumer facing software lacks a cohesive design language, and seems to be regressing in usability. No one is truly primed to replace them yet in either the corporate or consumer businesses however, something like the MacBook Neo can certainly take a few points of market share away from the standard consumer
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Eyo who's got a botnet? I have an idea
Wow, the days of dodgy toolbar extensions never truly went away. They just evolved to become part of your operating system.
The thing that actually baffles me about this is how this looks in the face of their next major competitor in the consumer market, Apple and their macOS.
macOS (or any other Apple product) has never (to my knowledge) had anything like this and it would be extremely out of character for Apple to suddenly change that. With all other manufacturers raising prices (including the Surface as of today) and the MacBook Neo directly competing with the mid tier PC laptops, this is what Microsoft decides to do?
At some point, one would hope that the average user starts to ask the question, can I have a computer that won't pull this bullshit on me? But I think unfortunately most typical users (especially anyone daily driving Edge) just think there's too much friction to move away from Windows, and so they stay, continuing to get fucked in the ass by megacorps.
But hey, I'm not in the running for a free car like them. Not like I'll install Edge onto my Mac or Arch Linux computer and sync my shit with OneDrive.
I'm ok with being broke but still using Opera.
Yes I know it's Chinese compromised. Yes I know all tech company bent the knee to Trump. I just prefer Opera because edge is crap, Chrome is bloated, and I've never liked Firefox.
Vivaldi. By the OG team behind Opera.
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