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Windows will let european users uninstall many system components such as Bing or Edge soon (blogs.windows.com)

submitted 7 months ago by albert180@feddit.de to c/europe@feddit.de

86 comments fedilink hide all child comments

geteilt von: https://lemmy.world/post/8371095

Long post and well worth the read, but the interesting part to me is this:

Windows operating system and apps

Customers using Windows have always used a combination of operating system functionality as well as apps, but now Windows will clearly identify operating system functionality in places like Settings, Start, and Search:

Settings > System > System Components will show notable operating system components.

Start menu’s All Apps list has been renamed to All and operating system components are labeled with “system”.

Under Search, search results will show operating system components labeled with “system”.

All apps in Windows can be uninstalled. Of course, apps can always be installed again from the Microsoft Store and internet. Settings > Apps > Installed apps continue to show all the apps installed on the PC and we’ve added the ability to uninstall:

Camera

Cortana

Web Search from Microsoft Bing, in the EEA

Microsoft Edge, in the EEA

Photos

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[-] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 125 points 7 months ago

So, they went to the trouble of keeping a different set of functionalities just for Europe instead of unshittifying Windows for everyone. Wow.

[-] vmachiel@lemmy.world 64 points 7 months ago

So it must be worth a lot of money to force al of that stuff on users right?

[-] Sigmatics@lemmy.ca 29 points 7 months ago

Nobody would be using their ad-bloated software otherwise

[-] vmachiel@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

Is it that bad now? I don’t use windows products in my private life, only at work. And I don’t find things that bad over there, but maybe that’s because it’s windows for business

[-] notepass@feddit.de 25 points 7 months ago

Your business sysadmins will have gone through the trouble of getting rid of any bullshit. My companies windows installs are more chill than default win11 versions.

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[-] ShaunaTheDead@kbin.social 17 points 7 months ago

You can use Linux for free which has never been shittified.

[-] zerofk@lemm.ee 11 points 7 months ago

How quickly they forget. Canonical added Amazon ads to Ubuntu 10 years ago. They walked it back after huge backlash, but don’t believe that any corporate-backed Linux is immune to “shittifying”.

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[-] trollercoaster@feddit.de 8 points 7 months ago

Linux distributions and/or components have been, and will be, shittified repeatedly. Not as badly as commercial operating systems, but pretty bad anyway.

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[-] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 8 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Hmm... but the registry hooks for those uninstalls must be in there even if the option isn't surfaced in the UI right?

Maintaining different UI options is one thing, maintaining completely different OS versions is another... and it seems like it would be prohibitively complex and expensive to do that.

Probably all you'd need is for someone with the EU version to export a backup of the relevant parts of their registry, and distribute that so anyone who wants to can have the same uninstall options. The trick would be keeping it that way through Windows updates.

[-] Treczoks@kbin.social 7 points 7 months ago

Well, they are no longer allowed to milk victims in the EU thanks to good laws. That does not mean they cannot exploit those who are not protected.

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[-] Dekkia@this.doesnotcut.it 94 points 7 months ago

"system components" is a weird way of spelling forced bloatware.

[-] madis@lemm.ee 15 points 7 months ago

Well... dependencies can still exist, which would justify the "system" marking. For example, different programs' WebViews depend on Edge nowadays, though maybe it is possible to isolate having that rendering engine without having the full browser program.

[-] redeven@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago

Microsoft already has a webview software that deals with that, which afaik already also comes with Windows, and is independent of Edge.

Edge, the browser proper, is in no way a dependency of anything else.

[-] demosthememes@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 7 months ago

This came about from the Netscape v MSFT browser wars; where MSFT tried to argue that because IE was bolted directly into the OS, it therefore had to come preinstalled without asking & could not be uninstalled. The court ordered them to unbolt it & bundle it as a separate install - just like other browsers.

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[-] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 79 points 7 months ago

Why yes, Microsoft, I do live in Europe, why do you ask?

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 57 points 7 months ago

You know... I'm something of a European myself

[-] JoeKrogan@lemmy.world 65 points 7 months ago

I'd like to see this on android too. That shit is the worst. I know we can root and remove it or disable it. It should not be there in the first place and it should definitely be removable.

[-] superbirra@lemmy.world 24 points 7 months ago

fyi a lot of preinstalled crapware can be uninstalled just by using adb, no need to root

[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 15 points 7 months ago

It shouldn't need to be removable through adb either.

How many regular users do you think would be capable?

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[-] kautau@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

The big issue here is that it’s both the carriers and the manufacturers who make money off the crapware that’s preinstalled. Many Android phones are generally cheaper by hardware spec compared to iPhones specifically because someone is making money of the preinstalled crapware.

[-] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 17 points 7 months ago

Don't kid yourself, phone cost exactly as much as the company selling them can charge. They don't lower the price because they are making money off the crapware. It only increases their profits.

Android phones are cheaper than iPhones because people are willing to pay more for iPhones.

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[-] lichtmetzger@feddit.de 47 points 7 months ago

Uninstalling Windows entirely has improved my sanity immensely.

[-] bilboswaggings@sopuli.xyz 19 points 7 months ago

I would too if anti cheat worked on Linux

[-] TheHobbyist@lemmy.zip 10 points 7 months ago

I'm glad to see it improving lately, together with proton, but it's not ideal yet, for sure.

For people who want to follow the progress of anticheat on Linux: https://areweanticheatyet.com/

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[-] albert180@feddit.de 8 points 7 months ago

Same

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[-] SimonSaysStuff@lemmy.world 32 points 7 months ago

If the EU could force them to allow us to fully disable tracking as well, that would be great.

[-] b9chomps@beehaw.org 32 points 7 months ago

We’ll be updating Windows 10, version 22H2 and Windows 11, version 23H2 PCs in the EEA to be compliant by March 6th, 2024.

Not just Win11, but Win10 as well. Nice.

[-] notepass@feddit.de 7 points 7 months ago

Well, they kind of have to I would guess.

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[-] Nobody@lemmy.world 30 points 7 months ago

"I'm from the government and I'm here to help" is a very good thing when the government gives a shit about the people it governs.

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[-] AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip 26 points 7 months ago

"Let" more like forced by the eu

[-] krigo666@lemmy.world 18 points 7 months ago

Wish they would also do that with Win10.

[-] Chup@feddit.de 15 points 7 months ago

That step they don't have to go makes me think with Windows 12, the whole process will likely start from 0. They will try to implement everything again, waiting for courts or politics to take some decisions after years.

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[-] Kissaki@feddit.de 18 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Windows uses the region chosen by the customer during device setup to identify if the PC is in the EEA. Once chosen in device setup, the region used for DMA compliance can only be changed by resetting the PC.

Uuh. I hope I have that set to my actual location despite using en-US as display language.

Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure it should be correct.

I hate when apps use your format settings instead of display language to decide the language they display. Having to reset the Windows installation would be a much bigger hassle though.

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[-] Mopswasser@feddit.de 10 points 7 months ago

Can I please pay full price on just Windows without any “telemetry”?

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[-] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 8 points 7 months ago

Bing is a sytem component now?

[-] AMillionNames@sh.itjust.works 5 points 7 months ago

Cortana and Microsoft Bing are going right out the window, Microsoft Edge will have to stay as a necessary evil to deal with moronically designed websites. Hear, hear!

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this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2023

556 points (99.1% liked)

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