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Comment by JTon | Hacker News Reader

So some MS apps are calling Edge specifically instead of the user's default browser. This seems less egregious than many users here are suggesting. Am I wrong?

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Most links in Windows are hard-coded to open Edge specifically instead of respecting the user's default browser preferences. For example, if you search from the Start menu it always opens in Edge with Bing. If you click a link from an email in the Mail app, it always opens in Edge. If you click a link anywhere in the built-in documentation, it always opens in Edge.

I'm sure you can image why this is annoying and user-hostile. You've just clicked on an ordinary-looking link, but instead of instantly opening a new tab in your favorite browser you have to wait for a new browser to load and dismiss the "do you want to set Edge as your default browser?" prompt, after which you get your page in a browser you never use with none of your extensions/settings/privacy features.

For example, clicking on a news article from the "News and Interests" panel force-open in Microsoft Edge while there is absolutely no valid reason why it shouldn't use the default web browser.

This is frustrating, and I'll simply turn off the panel instead of using it.

> These “web experiences”, as Microsoft calls them, feature links to online news, weather, and other resources. Links sent to the device from a paired Samsung or Android devices are also affected.

So this is related to the garbage MS pushed earlier in the year (or was it last year?) where a news & weather widget suddenly appeared on your dock out of nowhere.

Now if you click on a link from that thing (and probably other locations, sibling comments mention web results from the search and cortana), it opens them in Edge instead of opening them in your actual web browser.

This is not "we're bundling a local web application developed specifically for edge so we're linking to that specifically to make sure it doesn't break", this is "we're wilfully and specifically bypassing the browser you configured to handle web pages when opening web pages".

It opens all internet hyperlinks anywhere in the operating system in Edge, from debug information to help forums to faqs, and also any Cortana responses that contain web links and web searches from the built-in non-user-configurable search bar.

On top of that, whenever Edge opens, it tries to set itself as your default browser, and excises all your other browsers from the desktop and dock.

That was already the case -- the new behaviour being claimed here is that they have disabled previously known methods to intercept the Edge-specific calls.

It should also be noted that almost every element of the windows UI which launches a browser does it using the Edge-specific scheme, so there is a substantial need to do this kind of interception if you are not an Edge user.

The title makes it seem like HTTP(S) links are Edge only, which is probably why people are reacting the way they are.

At the same time, If I said I want all web links opened in Firefox and an MS app is forcing me to use Edge, well that's pretty shitty.

I've had no issues using Windows since the XP days they made some missteps but it did what I wanted. Windows 11 is forcing me off Windows. I'm slowing switching to Linux Full time.

Honestly wish I could just have Windows 7 as my OS forever.

Yes. microsoft-edge:// is a specific scheme, not http.

It's completely unacceptable.

Then, when you go and use the competitor's search engine or video hosting platform you get multiple banners inviting you to install their browser (or it's flat out installed as a hidden checkbox in a popular utility's installer!).

Then, disgusted by these dark patterns and practices, you install an alternate browser that's not safari on your iOS device. Wait...

yeah this is nearly a non-story

It's a complete non-story because what many of the other commentors are failing to consider is that various browsers have subtle incompatibilities. Additionally, things that worked previously can break in future releases. It would become necessary for Windows developers or whichever team is responsible to then conduct extensive compatibility testing across a variety of browsers in perpetuity for the lifetime of the OS.

If you want to use a browser other than Edge that's fine. Most of us do. But that's on you, not the Windows team. Microsoft has a long history of caring deeply about compatibility even when they aren't the party responsible for breaking something. Perception is everything to the average user.

The same argument could be made to block any kind of third-party app that could replace a native feature. Why is it so unreasonable to expect a platform vendor to test compatibility with third party software running on their platform? It is the primary reason why the platform exists!

If I search for something in the start menu, and the OS insists on giving me a Bing search, it seems completely reasonable to expect that Bing, which is already supported in other browsers, can open in other browsers.

It just isn't what you're describing at all. Clicking on something in the weather widget, for example, opens a public page like this one, with Edge.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/today/

That page has to work with browsers other than Edge because it's a public page. Someone else is dealing with that requirement already.

MS is forcing Edge in places where none of what you're calling out is true.

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