"There are workarounds"
Yeah, it's called Firefox, with NoScript and Ublock Origin.
Microsoft will forcibly push users off Internet Explorer and onto Edge next month, depending on the websites they visit. Users will find that after they download and install the latest version of Edge, version 87, if they open one of a 1,000-plus websites declared to be “incompatible” with Internet Explorer, the page will …
No idea if this is common, but my employer (large US outsourcing corp), has now announced they are banning the use of Firefox on company machines. :-(
For years we were IE11 + Firefox (officially supported by the company).
This changed to IE11 for legacy only, then Firefox or Chrome for everything else.
We are now Edge primary (Chrome version), plus Chrome. Both are managed via company policy,. although so far you seem to be able to add whatever extensions you want. i.e. uBlock etc.
Firefox users are okay for the moment, but they've been told Firefox will be auto removed from the new years onwards, so they need to move to Edge or Chrome before then.
The reason for dropping Firefox, is apparently lack of control by the company. i.e. through policies etc.
The company wants to push out a mandatory extension (we don't know what it does yet), and apparently Firefox lets users disable any extensions they want, with no way to stop them via policy. So goodbye Firefox :-/
Portable apps --> Firefox portable
The NHS, way back in 2007 when I started there, did the same. Banned anything other than IE. And the cockend engineer I was forced to sit next too kept looking over my shoulder and commenting "You're not allowed to use Firefox" he really was a cunt. I had to explain, which, shockingly he was unaware, that Firefox was actually more secure. Also pointed out "It's not installed". It wasn't, it was the USB version :)
A few years past when he finally shut the fuck up about it.
Back then, their security was shocking. Considering I had to point out to the 3rd line engineer why WEP was insecure "But it's 128 WEP". Doesn't matter, even back then it could be cracked in 5mins. There was enough traffic flowing over the network during the day that all the people in the flats over the road, with a decent aerial, would of been on it in mins. Not only could they then snoop on all the traffic (patient data etc), they'd have free Internet, especially at night. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a knowitall engineer, far from it, but when you work with arrogant arses it does get annoying and you have to point these issues out.
the simple answer is to DISABLE IE (I have renamed it to make sure!) and disable all updates..
then use a good AV like Avast, (did you know AVG is now owned by them??)
also regular use of CCleaner - the old version 5.41.6446 still works, the newer ones are rumored to be hacked...
I have been using this for the last 5 years...
Support?? google , seven forums, and HP still have it too... :)
https://www.itpro.co.uk/microsoft-windows/31819/two-thirds-of-businesses-not-prepped-for-death-of-windows-7
An operating system should work between you and the hardware to make life easier for you, not take over. I think the reason people are still complaining is not at all that they are bigots, but that Microsoft are still high-handedly taking over and doing what they want you to do, not enabling you to do what you want to do
What configuration options are missing from edge? It allows me to install ublock, let's me install things from the chrome app store, the developer console looks fully featured and I've been able to configure it to start up as i like.
Saying that, i have a laptop from a client and edge is locked down like a bastard (no "open in new tab" for specific links, some sites banned, no opening the dev tools) but that's the client, not edge.
"What configuration options are missing from edge?"
I assume what was meant was that you can't configure which browser it forces you into. If you try to open certain sites in IE, it instead opens them in Edge, end of story - you can't configure it to instead open them in Firefox or any other browser. The problem isn't with the options that may be available in the browser you're forced to use, but simply with the fact that it forces you into that specific browser.
I don't see why MS would release a tool that redirects IE to Firefox. If the user has firefox installed they can make it the default browser if that's what they want. I've just installed it, it asks to be default.
I don't see the issue. There are two groups of IE users. Those who like IE (bear with me, they presumably exist) for whom Edge is the logical replacement, and those who have to use IE for certain corporate reasons, they don't get to pick what browser they use.
The "unconfigurable" complaint is just slagging MS off because they're MS. People know that always goes down a storm on here, irrespective of the actual arguments.
"It also means that if you specifically designed your website to work with Internet Explorer, something that used to be common during the browser wars, it’s time to rebuild it to work on Chromium"
NO! do not redevelop your website to work on Chromium. Make it so it works across all browsers. I don't want to be forced to have to use a specific browser just because some developer wants some shiny shiny feature only available on Chromium based browsers
I persuaded another convert to Linux Mint last night. Old AMD A8 based laptop - I'll grant, a bit of a turd - but a fast one. It had had it's mandated free "upgrade" to Win 10. Nagging popups to install, followed by flashy videos to beg you to use it. And damn slow to process those updates.
Edge is just a bloody browser, not the second coming. The only reason you want me to use yours over a competitor is because slurp.
Said user flattened the machine with Mint last night. I quote "It's installed. Never realised Linux could be so straightforward. Wish I'd done it sooner". No better advert than a happy customer.
Still trying to persuade people the benefits of Pi-hole for DNS filtering esp. if you live in Microsoft land. It is shocking just how much traffic even the default filters kill - roughly 27% of requests after 6 months usage. One step at a time.
Why go through compatibility layers and bad graphic drivers with expensive GPUs when you can run games natively? That's true for many other applications.
Why should I spend a lot of time trying to get the same result from my photo processing workflow on Linux where the tools I use don't exist - from camera utilities down to printer drivers and utilitiles - and everything between (photo editors and their plug-ins) - trying to find alternatives usually with little support for uncommon cameras or lenses, and often having to renounce to specific functionalities? Sure, if all you use is Facebook you can go with Linux.
People use applications, only nerds love operating systems and spending more time to get applications running that actually running them.
It's an old banger of a laptop - it'll be used for web browsing, video playback, maybe some emulation. Really, unless you desperately need MS or Adobe, is the application base that limited? For average user LibreOffice and GIMP go a long way (accepting there's a learning curve on any complex application). Games support is really the only area where it's a bit weak. Steam / Proton by no means perfect is getting there.
'Slurp'... Laughable. Google is the king of Slurp, followed by Facebook, Apple. Microsoft barely qualifies. Hell, Windows lets you turn the telemetry off, try doing that in Android.
At least you're a Linux evangelist, because the Apple guys say the same sort of thing while putting up with whatever the Empire gives them.
P.S. Pi-holes are cool.
Presumably these settings won't work in 87?
In Edge -> Settings -> Default browser you can control the Internet Explorer compatibility.
'Let Internet Explorer open sites in Microsoft Edge' -> choose from 'Never', 'Incompatible sites only (recommended)' or 'Always'.
There's also a bunch of registry keys you can play with - search for 1FD49718...