Microsoft starts bundling Windows 11 with its 'PC optimizer' app in some regions
Microsoft starts bundling Windows 11 with its 'PC optimizer' app in some regions
It looks like Windows 11 is getting a new stock app, at least in some regions. Microsoft is now publicly testing a Windows 11 build where the PC Manager app comes bundled with the OS.
PC optimizers are not a new concept, and they have been around for quite a while. Nowadays, many consider them unnecessary, but having an official program made by Microsoft that is capable of (allegedly) speeding up your PC may sound quite appealing.
However, Microsoft's PC Manager has already raised quite a few eyebrows when customers caught it recommending some questionable optimizing techniques, injecting affiliate links, and shamelessly claiming your PC needs repair if Bing is not set as the default search engine. Yikes.
This is the same kind of thing I'd expect when a once nice android app gets bought out by a company like tencent.
Bundle a battery manager and RAM optimizer bs in the file browser or something, fill it with ads, maybe they could have microtransactions for some of the "features".When Oxygen Not Included was purchased by Tencent, they added some data-mining functionality (as far as I know, opt-in for in-game content, so not the worst, but still). I'd have been less-willing to buy a copy if I'd known that it'd wind up down the road having that happen to it.
I'm a little concerned about the broader prospect of software from one entity being sold to someone, then down the line, that entity going under, and in an always-online world, being a conduit for new updates with less-desirable software with the access granted the earlier one. This wasn't historically a problem when software was sold offline on physical media.
For Android, at least there's some level of app isolation, but on the PC, apps aren't isolated.
Permanently Deleted
Only possible with anti-libre software, never nice.
Yea, I'm still stuck on Windows at work for the foreseeable future as I don't control that too much.
Otherwise, for personal stuff that I do control, they really can get fucked.My wife had never used any desktop OS other than Windows before, but I switched her to Pop!_OS and it's gone fine. Certainly not any worse than between 2 Windows versions, but at least now there's no bullshit and things are actually customizable. (Her words)
So does it disable telemetry, remove Edge, remove all the crap from the start menu, and stop presenting Web results in start menu search?
"reduce ads and pop-up interruptions,"
But not theirs, only others where they don't get paid for it.
To remove all the crap from your OS, first install the crap, then install more crap to remove the crap that you installed. Except it doesn't actually remove it, it just becomes part of the crap mass that users never wanted in the first place.
It actually does the opposite unfortunately (tells you errors that youre not using edge etc).
Cool idea MS. If only you had access to the OS itself to prevent it from gradually slowing down and littering the system with junk. Since we can't fix Windows (Only the maker of Windows can do that!), let's make a dedicated band-aid app to fix Windows.
Maybe whoever is working on Windows will get the message and fix those problems that your tool was built to fix.
Funny thing that my Android phone and Linux desktop don't need antivirus, don't accumulate junk in registries or system folders, and don't require dedicated optimization tools.
Although I agree in general, the antivirus complaint isn't really fair. Windows was by and large the largest install base, especially in the corporate sector. It only makes sense it became the most targeted. Scam apps and that's do exist on Android and Linux, they're just mitigated other ways. For now.
I see it more as a distribution problem. It’s unrealistic to expect users to download software and verify that the sources are trustworthy. Having some kind of store with developer accountability goes a long way to preventing malware. That, and sandboxing.
It’s always possible to write malware for any platform. It’s not entirely a fair comparison.
'Antivirus' is a cope. Anti-libre software bans us from removing malicous source code.
This PC optimizer app screams of the early adware PC optimizer apps.
Unfortunately, it's Microsoft to blame for it being slow in the first place.
reduce ads and pop-up interruptions
Or they could just .. Idk .. Not put that shit in there in the first place?
Or we could not infect our devices with anti-libre software. Don't beg them.
And PC Optimiser in other regions.
Oh so they're just straight up including malware with windows now. Cool.
Removing the middle-man, very efficient.
Windows is malware, anti-libre software.
Remove anti-libre software, Windows, to optimise infected devices.
Your PC is optimized after making the default search engine Bing and browser Internet Explorer
Lots of options besides Microsoft.
“Some regions” = China.
Something MS should've done decades ago. Why should the user have to clean up and optimize their PC? It only needs that because your OS is dirty and inefficient, so it should be on you to fix it.
Same argument for AVs being built-in. If it's unsafe to use your OS on the internet that's a failing on your part and you should see to it that doesn't happen.
I agree with the philosophy, but not with the approach.
If you own/make the OS, and you know that the registry can get orphan entries which slow down the system, don't wait for the user to open an "optimisation app" to clean that up. Just make sure the registry is cleaned transparently and in the background.
This seems to me like a tactic to get less tech-savvy people to accidentally set Edge as their browser and ensure their Ads and Microsoft's tracking is working as the mothership mandates. Worst part is we have evidence to think I'm not being the slightest bit cynical here...
"Gammy you tool! You used this OS on the internet? You're such a failure, get out of my face. It's on you to fix it, and see that it doesn't happen again."