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Comment by scarface74 | Hacker News Reader

The business model follows from these fundamental differences: a platform provider has no room for ads, because the primary function of a platform is provide a stage for the applications that users actually need to shine.

Please tell Microsoft this. Windows 10 and Skype are both littered with ads. But I guess this is what happens when operating systems become commoditized. All of the other major operating systems are either free for anyone to install (Linux) or freely avallable to OEMs (Android/ChromeOS) or bundled with hardware (Apple's operating systems).

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> Windows 10 and Skype are both littered with ads.

I keep reading this on HN, from a Windows 10 box with no ads. And I've searched! Where are the ads?

Either I accidentally installed Windows 10 No Ads Edition, or you're spreading baseless FUD.

Windows 10 being "littered with ads" might be an overstatement, but I remember seeing plenty of them in start "menu". AFAIR the start "menu" in Windows 8/10 is by default filled with bullshit pseudo-ads like tiles with crap newsfeeds, tiles linking to Windows Store games you really should play, Xbox games ads, etc.

I always aggressively clean up the start "menu" whenever I get on a new Win8/Win10 instance, so at the moment I don't have one near me to tell you exactly what the ads were.

So far, just for Windows, I've had ads:

  1. On the lockscreen
  2. In my start menu's tilebar
  3. In my start menu's search results
  4. In my start menu's program list
  5. In Explorer, for OneDrive
  6. In Edge, on a "blank" page
  7. In toast notifications

And that's just what I remember offhand; I'm certain there's even more.

They are constantly trying to sell subscriptions to O365 and One Drive.

They also sell third party ads in Skype - their included messaging app. Can you imagine Apple selling ads in iMessage?

> They are constantly trying to sell subscriptions to O365 and One Drive.

There is exactly the same argument against Apple trying to sell iCloud.

WRT ads in MacOS Skype. I can't seem to find them (I am not a seasoned Skype user though). Is it Windows+Skype specific?

Straight from Microsoft....

https://support.skype.com/en/faq/fa10942/why-are-there-adver...

Occasionally, you may see advertisements for other companies in Skype (if you're using the free version of Skype). Advertisements help keep Skype free for millions of users, and these advertisements will not disrupt your Skype experience in any way.

Skype is bundled with Windows as the default messaging platform just like iMessage for the Mac.

I wonder whether someone within Microsoft deliberately made Windows 10 often fail to upgrade itself to the version containing ads.

Microsoft could return to charging for Windows (via OEM installs and fleet licenses); or just leave it free as the "best way to experience Live/365/Azure".

I'm almost sure they charge OEMs but they charge less than they use to for low end computers to compete with Chrome OS and people are keeping computers longer. They also gave Windows 10 away to anyone who had at least Windows 7.

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