Click bait avoided, a prerelease build of Windows suggests some kind of general advertising in the start menu beyond promoting ads.
The article also calls this a “leak.” Is it really a leak if it’s in the insider Windows build that Microsoft makes freely available to anyone who wants it?
It’s datamining a hidden feature. I’d call that a leek.
No.
Sounds like we need to start developing ad-blockers based directly within the OS.
Those exist. Use dns based adblockers. You can pick from a variety of services already out there or run your own with pihole.
Yeah, though … those don’t always work and it is entirely possible to break them if they become overly “pesky” for the corporations.
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If I implement my service to use the same underlying IP address for the primary service/critical access that I use for advertising services (e.g., I put a load balancer and have Windows Advertising integrated with Windows Update via the same IP addresses), you can’t block the IP without breaking Windows Update.
That’s worse for other ingrained systems, e.g., a news app that actually has to send you content could do this instead of using separate IPs for the advertising service, and then if you want to use their service you have to accept the advertising packets.
If you’re relying on DNS for your blocking as well, it’s entirely possible to distribute the IP address information without ever involving DNS by syncing up the appropriate IPs out of band on some built in IP addresses hard coded in the binary (plenty of things do this sort of thing already for security purposes, they want to minimize the risk of a local DHCP server handing out some garbage DNS record and sending you a virus via their update mechanism).
I could go on.
Do yourself a favor and learn a bit more about how this shit works lest you look like an idiot.
Don’t be a dick; especially if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Thanks.
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DNS based ad blockers (I run one, it’s great, highly recommend) can’t block something if the address is both legit and also serves ads. For instance, if MS used the same domain name for updates and windows key validation as it does for ads, you’d quickly run into an issue. Especially if (please don’t read this MS), they required validation on every boot, then replied with a payload combination of a the ads and a “yea you’re legit and can boot”.
Also, MS could easily (and has) coded some processes to not lookup DNS addresses in things like LMHOSTS or HOSTS, they could just as easily bypass DNS itself. They certainly have plenty of public IPs they could have a process submit to the network stack.
I’m pretty sure you can turn these off with local group policy. And if you can, I’m sure someone will make a script to do it for you.
Personally, I set up AD for my own devices a long time ago, when I got pissed off about Windows 10 rebooting my PC while I’d stepped away to eat dinner and killing everything I had open. So I also use it to set group policy to turn off things like this. But this is far overkill for the average person.
Or literally just use the existing option in the settings menu that has been there since Windows 10 to turn this shit off.
All of this is clickbait.
Until it turns itself back on during an update. Or hey implement another version that has its own off switch buried somewhere, etc.
It’s bloat and hassle.
You shouldn’t have to do maintenance on a brand new Windows install. Set preferences and install apps? Sure. But expecting everyone to go through a checklist of shit to turn off? Nah. That’s user hostile and so tedious.
Checklists and debloating procedures like that can feel like something an expert would do. And can feel like what a good computer user should do, but that’s a limited mindset that is a niche among all Windows platform users.
Warning, car analogy:
Imagine if you bought a new car and had to scrape a bunch of advertisement decals off it. And you have to remove unneeded features like spoilers that are dragging you down. Oh, and randomly in the middle of the night the dealer tracks your car down and applies new decals that you will want to scrape off your windshield when you get a chance.
Other than the dealer sneaking up in the middle of the night to reapply decals, that is sadly exactly what buying a new car is like.
Or, well, at least from what I’ve seen and heard from others. Who has money these days for new cars?
Setting preferences is exactly what this is, though.
Having to tell your computer that “My preference is no bloat and marketing.” is a sad state of affairs though.
My whole point is these things shouldn’t need to be configured. Because the bloat and marketing shouldn’t be part of the OS like this.
I’ve worked with a Linux installation that had plenty of bloat and marketing by default too, I spent a fair bit of time combing through it turning off stuff I definitely didn’t want. Whether it “should” or “shouldn’t” doesn’t change that it is.
But updates can and do reset them.
Group Policy really helps - I don’t think I’ve had an update reset a policy… Yet.
Imagine depending on a company giving you the privilege of turning off ads in the operating system you paid $100USD for.
MS can get bent, I’m sick of advertising. Read the news, ads, watch any video without Adblock, ads, go out in public to enjoy a day out with my family, ads on every road and square foot of space. Now they want to put ads on the main menu of an operating system I only use to for relaxation and entertainment, but they were oh so kind to give me the option of turning them off for now. I’m not waiting for them to decide to remove the option, I’m going to remove myself from the equation.
I already gave these greedy bastards my money, I just want some peace and quiet while I relax, but that’s too much to ask for these days.
Think of the corporations!
Clicking a checkbox in a settings menu is so complicated, though!
Simpler to install Linux, a whole new operating system, and try to figure out how to either run your Windows apps there or find new equivalent applications to use.
Additionally, there has been an option in the settings menu since Windows 10 to disable Microsoft fucking with the start menu and settings “app” like this.
I would be shocked if it doesn’t also handle whatever this shit is.
I miss the xda of old, where shitty clickbait articles and ads didn’t rule the front page.
It’s really upsetting seeing the internet transform into this commercialized capitalistic thing that used to be fun.
Now I want to continue this by saying there are still communities and places that have kept true to the free and open internet and not all of it has been commercialized. And there are always fun and exciting projects happening, recently I’ve been looking at i2p, it’s similar to Tor but designed to be self contained and not for browsing the open web instead something called eepsites similar to onion sites.
ActivityPub gives me hope for the future of the Internet. I was able to completely replace Reddit with Lemmy after the exodus last year. I never used Twitter, but Mastodon seems like an alternative that’s gaining popularity.
The one that seems the hardest to replace is YouTube, since hosting and serving video is very expensive, and many creators have come to rely on monitization.
I’m not sure about I2P being an alternative to the clearnet. It helps prevent censorship, sure, but I don’t see how it provides anything that you can’t do on the clearnet already, other than anonymity. It’s also much harder to set up than Tor for non-tech savvy people. Anyone can already host any website they want on the clearnet.
ActivityPub really does feel like the future, or at least the one I hope for, it’s been very refreshing and exciting and it gives me much the same feeling as the internet did when I was new.
Video does require a lot of storage unfortunately, and of course it makes sense that creators want money for what they often do. The closest would be that each creator or group setup their own PeerTube, however that comes with cost and administrating, which is not something most would want to do.
I2P is definitely more complex. Unless I2P gets implemented on consumer routers I don’t see it becoming really popular, and most things on the internet do not need truly need anonymity even with VPN companies that like to advertise otherwise.
Yeah, used to be my go-to website for flashing custom ROMs.
Wonder if there’s an alternative nowadays, not counting Telegram or Discord channels.
xdaforums.com, looks like the original forum was split from the “news” website
I feel when the clickbait is this bad, sharing the article should come with a new title.
Damn did I chose a right time to move my gaming pc to Linux 😂
It’s always a good time to switch :)
Cool. I switched to Linux and no longer care about Microsoft’s BS. This continues to just reinforce that I made the correct decision.
It’s honestly hard to find a reason not to switch anymore. I switched myself recently and once I get more comfortable with it, I am putting Linux on my kid’s computer as well.
My kids have never used a Windows computer. Android and Linux are all they know.
Welcome!
I’ve been a linux user for maaaaany years but always dual booted to windows for gaming. Got a new pc recently and this time I ditched the windows partition. Gaming on linux has come a long way the last few years and will only get better. Feels good man.
It’s great to see Linux getting better support for games. It still doesn’t support many titles, but it’s good to see progress.
I made the switch between Windows 8.1 and 10, but I appreciate the welcome anyway 😂
Based and open source pilled.
You do realize nobody but other Linux users care about this, right? In so tired of seeing people introduce Linux like none of us have ever heard about it.
We are aware of the other operating systems, thank you.
This is a comments section. And I commented. Sorry you don’t like it, but you’re welcome to scroll on by.
I hope whatever OS you use works well for you. Even if it’s Windows.
Since Google is failing at Ads, my cousin Pedro is opening a brand new Taco and Ads shop! Need tacos and the knowledge of gods? Why not right? It’s better than my uncle’s engine, coffee, bananas and ads stand. Or my neighbor’s “Ads apples and diapers are us”.
It’s open season on delivering ads. I only learned about my fictional cousin from the bottom of an almond milk carton. He was missing, now he’s got ads for you.
“we respect your privacy, so please accept the cookies from our 1542 partners”
Someone mentioned while I was gaming yesterday and we were discussing Windows 11 and he said “just get an add blocker” and it blew my mind. Like why support a company that thinks “this” is the future? When there are alternatives.
Bro, you really should get an ad blocker.
As for windows ads, every single one I’ve seen referenced so far can be disabled in under a minute by toggling a setting.
Ha, this click bait article won’t snag me! I’ve been paying attention the past 4 years; there IS ALWAYS something worse on the horizon. Only a fool would suspect otherwise these days.
clickbait?
Yes.
Not exactly? But spoiler: It’s even more ads! This time as search results.
it’s like I once read: the best advertisement for Linux, or any other system, is Windows
Turtles?
I like turtles.
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