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posted by martyb on Friday August 20 2021, @12:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the tigers-never-change-their-stripes dept.

Windows 11 Is Making It Absurdly Difficult to Change Browsers
In a page ripped right out of the '90s, Microsoft reminds us that it's still engaging in the browser wars.

[....] there have been plenty of chances to dive into the OS to see what's next from Microsoft. And there's evidence of the same old story. Namely, Microsoft wants to make it hard for you to use a browser that isn't Edge.

The Verge reports on how convoluted the new process is to change the default browser in Windows 11. Like in Windows 10, you'll get a prompt when you click on a web link asking you to choose an app. But unless you specifically tell the system that you'd like to switch browsers, it will assume you're okay with Microsoft Edge as the default.

[....] It gets worse: if you don't remember on the initial pop-up, you'll have to dig into the settings to change the default app for every specific file type. This can get tedious! It means you'll have to tell Windows which app should open an HTM, HTML, PDF, SVG, and XHTML fileā€”and that's only a sampling of the file types that a browser can open. Additional screenshots show Windows 11 still nags the user to try Microsoft Edge when switching browsers.

From the same people who brought us IE 6, the bane of web developers everywhere, now comes Edge — the browser with the swirl toilet flushing icon.


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  • (Score: 2) by vux984 on Saturday August 21 2021, @09:24PM

    by vux984 (5045) on Saturday August 21 2021, @09:24PM (#1169401)

    Actually this is ALREADY in windows 10.:
    Settings - Apps -> Default Apps, scroll to the bottom past the option to set "email", "maps", "music", "web" ... and there are three "advanced" options:

    Choose default apps by file type --> to get a list of filetypes and the option to set the app for each
    Choose default apps by protocol --> to get a list of protocols and the option to set the app for each
    Set Defaults by app --> displays a list of apps, select one, click manage, get a list of filetypes and protocls supported by the app* and gives you the ability to set them all.

    This last option makes it pretty easy, select firefox, select manage then select everything supported by firefox to go to firefox.
    When I click Firefox it lists:

    .htm, .html, .pdf, .shtml, .svg, .webp, .xht, .xhtml, HTTP, HTTPS, MAILTO

    most are set to Firefox, .html is set to Visual Studio Code, .pdf is set to acrobate reader DC, .svg oddly is set to Edge, .webp oddly is set to chrome, and MAILTO is set to Outlook.

    I doubt I've ever clicked a locally saved .svg or .webp file or I'd have pointed them at something else by now.

    ** I'm not clear how it "knows" what file extensions and protocols a given app supports, to create the list. A database?

    I admit I generally liked the "shortcuts" in windows 10 to switch all the handlers for "Email" or "Web" or web or "Video" but it never caught everything, and you still needed to go into the more advanced panels even to switch fairly common stuff like PDF. (or remap it via the right-click menu -> Open With -> tick "Always" method). At any rate, if this is what counts as "Absurdly difficult" then just give up at life, I don't know how you operate a can opener or tie your shoes.

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