For most people, these days, Microsoft two browsers – Edge and Internet Explorer – are just not good enough. Most people prefer using Chrome, followed by Firefox at a far distance. Other mainstream browsers such as Safari, Opera, and Vivaldi as also pretty popular.
In a move to place the Edge browser have the edge over the competition, Microsoft in the latest Windows 10 Insiders Build began to sort-of arm-twist users into dropping Chrome and Firefox in favor of the Edge browser. As we featured in this article here.
That move has backfired as there has been an outcry by users complaining about why Microsoft want to deny them the right to choose their browser of choice. To be fair, it is not like Microsoft has disabled the installation of Chrome and Firefox or any other browser in the new Windows 10 Insiders Build. The company introduced a new feature that by default promoted the use of the Microsoft-built applications on Windows 10.
If you dig deep into the settings of that Build, you will find that when it comes to apps installation. The default setting is on ‘Show me app recommendations’ instead of ‘Install apps from anywhere.’ With the former, when you try to install Chrome or Firefox, Windows will keep bombarding you (read discourage) from installing other browsers and strongly remind you that you have Edge built-in your OS and customized to work with the OS.
I think the reason why Chrome and Firefox appear as the main focus is because they are the most popular browsers. Installing even the less popular ones like Opera and Vivaldi should be met with such resistance from Windows 10 itself.
As stated, this move has led to an outcry among users, and it now appears Microsoft will no longer support the feature going forward. In fact, the company is reported to be working on the update to undo the ‘tinkering’ it did with the ‘apps installations settings’ so that things work as they have always done. No arm-twisting users to keep using Microsoft’s own apps.