back to article Canary-build Microsoft browser blocks Microsoft extension from inflicting Microsoft search engine

There's at least one browser out there unwilling to accept Microsoft's attempts to fiddle with search settings, and it's made by... Microsoft. The Canary build of Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser has taken great exception to the Microsoft Rewards extension. The latter is a nifty little thing that earns the user …

  1. DJV Silver badge
    Happy

    Microsoft's inability to talk to other bits of Microsoft has been known to clobber things badly in the past. First time I've heard of it becoming an advantage!

    1. Zippy´s Sausage Factory
      Meh

      Ah yes... I remember the release of IIS that wouldn't serve pages to Internet Explorer, but was perfectly happy talking to Netscape...

      To be fair though, this extension really feels sleazy, even if it isn't quite malware (yet). Although I have this nagging feeling wondering whether Microsoft are considering whitelisting their own extensions and preventing users from uninstalling them in the next release. Now that really would be sleazy.

    2. Stuart Castle Silver badge

      I had an HTC tytn II, with Microsoft’s god awful

      Active sync software. Software that would not run under vista. Some would say that’s an advantage, but I had to use vista on my work pc (we were evaluating it for deployment) and I needed software to sync my phone at work, so it was a massive pain in the arse..

  2. mark l 2 Silver badge

    Occasionally Microsoft search results are better than those provided by Google, but I will choose which search engine I want to use, not be forced to switch by some extension that is installed. Plus come on MS change the name from Bing to ANYTHING else. I just can't take it seriously with a name like that.

    Its the same with the word brexit, it makes me cringe when I hear news readers and politicians saying it, as it was clearly a word made up to try and sound trendy.

    1. Rich 2 Silver badge

      Better than Googlies, you say?

      "Occasionally Microsoft search results are better than those provided by Google"

      Quite frankly, my 3 year old son browsing through a Thomas The Tank Engine story could provide better search results than Google. Google stopped producing usable (never mind "good") search results about 10 years ago.

    2. DJV Silver badge
      Facepalm

      "change the name from Bing to ANYTHING else"

      Yeah, but given Microsoft's incompetence, they might attempt to change it from "Bing" to "Crosby" but accidentally leave the "r" out.

      1. Kevin Johnston

        Re: "change the name from Bing to ANYTHING else"

        As long as they include Stills, Nash and Young I'm fine with the name change

    3. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

      They nicked it anyway from "Grexit". A minor delight, however, has been both journalists and politicians occasionally calling it "Breakfast" instead, especially on Radio 4's "Today" programme for some reason (on the air 6am-9am). Google offers me a compilation of these on video, dated 2017, but of course there have been more afterwards:

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      "I just can't take it seriously with a name like that."

      Like Google or Yahoo! or Duck-Duck-Go are anymore serious than Bing? Google is a misspelling of googol, Yahoo! is an embarrassment with or without the !, and Duck-Duck-Go is a children's game. Bing actually seems like the most serious of the lot,

      1. gobaskof
        Thumb Up

        Re: "I just can't take it seriously with a name like that."

        As a weirdo Duck-Duck-Go user that hates Microsoft the only thing I have to say is.. Good point.

        1. NanoMeter

          Re: "I just can't take it seriously with a name like that."

          But Duck-Duck-Go use the Bing engine for search...

      2. steelpillow Silver badge
        Unhappy

        Re: "I just can't take it seriously with a name like that."

        "Alta Vista?" - No, it'd never catch on.

      3. steelpillow Silver badge

        Re: "I just can't take it seriously with a name like that."

        Not really why I now tend to use Startpage.

        1. Hans 1
          Headmaster

          Re: "I just can't take it seriously with a name like that."

          Startpagina

    5. TheVogon

      Duck Duck Go primarily uses Bing.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Evidently, MS developers feel the need to protect themselves...

    Hence the Bing-cancelling switch in the registry that was references in the article about searches going awry in Windows start menu days ago. It greatly speeds up the menu....

    Don't know if Google's one still have this freedom, or have been totally brainwashed into worshiping the Moloch Of Data fully, and sacrificing their own data to it too...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Did no one else spot the irony...

    that the Canary is revealing a problem? Time to evacuate the mine...

    1. steelpillow Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Did no one else spot the irony...

      That'll be the data mine...

      Boom! Boom!

  5. John_3_16
    Mushroom

    M$ always looking to pick customer's pockets...

    Canary blocking spyware used by Edge as some kind of test by M$ makes sense. Possibly an experiment to learn how to inject it or protect it from being noticed or removed. Using Firefox with all telemetry turned off (I hope :D) & the Duck Duck Go to privatize my search results. Occasionally use Yandex when I need a wider search. Being a Russian search engine I expect them to have everything M$ & Google have. Trust my browser, apps & AV to protect my privacy there. Bing, Google & even Yahoo have made changes that reduces the usability of their search results & displays. It is a shame that we, as Americans, are reduced to using software from across the big pond to get the results we want. Greed & power hunger seem to blind all politicians & mega-corps on this side. Little people always in a race to stay a step ahead. God bless.

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