this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2024
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Windows 11 is getting out of hand with its push for advertisments, frankly - remember the recent full-screen pop-up to persuade users to install Edge or other Microsoft services? Then another advertisment was placed in the Start menu, and now Microsoft has finally worn my temper thin - with a new Game Pass ad coming to the Settings app.

This will likely arrive in the July update for Windows 11, or at least it’s almost certain to do so. It was present in the latest preview update Microsoft just released for the OS (and quickly paused due to a bug, but that’s another story). It’s also worth noting that the ad has been present in earlier test versions of Windows 11.

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[–] [email protected] 235 points 5 months ago (8 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They should, but that's never going to happen unless political lobbying is made very illegal (like life ruining and business bankrupting illegal, not slap on the wrist, cost of business illegal)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Life sentence. Solved.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (1 children)

We should be able to charge them for ad time. You want to paint an advertisement on my car you have to pay me. Why should it be any different when you want to put ads on my work computer screen when I'm working with clients?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

I get what you're saying but that still gives them unsolicited permission to post ads in the first place.

I want an operating system, not an ad system that also happens to be an operating system

[–] andrew_bidlaw 23 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And it's not like w11 is free, the price of a PC with Windows installed comes with its' license's costs. It's not told to the consumer so they won't even know they are using a product they paid for, for them it's what a clean basic PC looks like. And that's what prevents many to care about it the same way they can be frustrated by a paid streaming plan with ads. To take is as a given, and shifting the Overtone's window of fucked up services even further.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I don't like solving things with regulation, because that's always a victory in one battle making the enemy stronger for all the following ones.

But doing this EU-style, like browser choice, only with operating systems, can be a solution.

People love cheap and easy things. That's how social media won over normal web. Seeing the choice between "install Fedora for freeeeeee" and "install Windows for 20$" significant amount will choose the former.

[–] andrew_bidlaw 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

At the very least, the price of OEM OS should be disclosed before one buys it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Doesn't quite cut it.

Now if there's no other option or if the variant with Linux is labeled as "other" or "no OS", and listed separately, normies still choose Windows 99% of cases. Sometimes they pirate it.

They should have a clear choice in the store from a few OSes with details. Summaries with screenshots will do.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

if i cant grafitti the walls why can corporations?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Because they own that wall. The owner of a wall (or poster space for that matter) can do whatever.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And what do we get to own? Nothing... My OS.. My.. bandwidth.. My RAM? Nope.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Oh I own my computer, and I don't get ads as a result. It's not impossible. A Linux DE does not have ads and your browser can block them with various methods.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea 2 points 5 months ago

Yup. If you use Windows, you need to accept what Microsoft does, because they control the OS. If you use Linux, you only need to accept what the software you install does, and there are a lot of options to select from.

Feel free to complain when Microsoft does something stupid, but don't expect Microsoft to do anything about it. If you want control, use something that preserves that control.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

sounds like time for even more grafitti to cover their ads

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Especially in a paid service, like why do I pay for these services if you're still going to advertise, track, or datamine? I know the answer is greed, why profit off of one option when you can profit off of all of them, but I, the consumer, am fed up with the customer abuse.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Shit, I’m a web developer and I’m fed up with all the ads, tracking and stalking that goes on. It’s so ingrained like “why not use Google for analytics?” or “just host it on Amazon.” 90% of the services we use at work I refuse to use at home (and go as far as outright blocking them).

[–] sugar_in_your_tea 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Exactly.

Fortunately, my company doesn't put ads in our product because it's essentially a B2B product and customers pay a lot to use it, and our product being unusable could cost individual customers potentially millions if it blocks their day-to-day activities (we deal with regulations). We do use spyware though (e.g. fullstory), which makes sense given that lens, since being able to solve problems before they report them has a lot of value for our customers. If we did anything unethical, I would push back and potentially quit, since I'm not interested at all in manipulating customers (ads, dark patterns, etc).

I don't think the tools we use to catch issues in the field make ethical sense in other contexts though. So yeah, I block a lot of the stuff we use in our product, and we don't do anything to actively counter blocking in our app either (if you block it, you don't get the pre-emptive bug-fixing).

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You probably agreed to all of this in the billion page TOS so it's no unsolicited.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

A regulatory change would obviously need to prevent them from hiding that kind in intentionally too long legalese TOS. It has to be a clear single acknowledge, not obfuscated or bundled with functionality.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

But how will the wealth addled convince us pleblians to spend money on worthless garbage? Or convince us that we're ugly and not good enough so we buy their products? Oh the humanity!

In all seriousness, advertising has had way too much of an influence on our culture and it needs to be properly regulated. I'm sick of being negged by beauty product ads.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

SoMeBoDy HaS tO tHiNk Of ThE sHaReHoLdErS!!!!!