All of these Windows 11 changes are part of key tweaks that Microsoft has to make to its operating system to comply with the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act, which comes into effect in March 2024.

Alongside clearly marking which apps are system components in Windows 11, Microsoft is also responding by adding the ability to uninstall the following apps:

  • Camera
  • Cortana (already removable and thrown in the trash)
  • Web Search from Microsoft Bing, in the EEA
  • Microsoft Edge, in the EEA
  • Photos

Only Windows 11 users in the EEA will be able to fully remove Microsoft Edge and the Bing-powered web search from Windows Search. Microsoft could easily extend this to all Windows 11 users, but it’s limiting this extra functionality to EEA markets to comply with the rules. “Windows uses the region chosen by the customer during device setup to identify if the PC is in the EEA,”

Microsoft will allow EEA machines to remove the Bing results, so Google could provide its own search results here and effectively become the default if a user has uninstalled Bing. “If the user has more than one search provider installed, Windows Search will show the last one used when opened,”

So possibly search engines like ddgo and others may be able to develop an integration to be able to be used in the windows search menu.

But no nice things for outside the EEA.

Now I hope that when uninstalling edge, it won’t auto reinstall back like the f piece of s omen software which installs itself because I have an hp display.

Also what would happen if a user, who has no idea what they are doing, uninstalls edge without having another browser available?

    • @reksas@lemmings.world
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      37 months ago

      Once windows 10 becomes unuseable, I will switch to linux no matter what. Considering they are already testing the waters about subscription for OS, there is nothing they will stop for.

      I wouldn’t be surprised if they completely started preventing regular users from having administrator rights to their own computers and you would either have to buy more expensive licence or just contact some ms support ai and beg it to do what you need admin rights for. Most users most likely wouldn’t even notice or care since you dont need administator account to do things majority of people use computers for.

    • @9up999@lemmy.ml
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      -277 months ago

      Yeah yeah. Good for you. Some people need work done you know. “Linux is free, if you don’t value your time.”

      This Linux and Firefox shilling on Lemmy is out of hand.

      • @Railcar8095
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        7 months ago

        “Linux is free, if you don’t value your time.”

        This is at least 10 years obsolete. Use Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora… 95% of users can have the system ready without even opening the browser or terminal even once.

      • @mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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        87 months ago

        I’m sure many people on Lemmy have hated closed source software for a long time. At this point you’re walking into a hospital and complaining about vaccines!

        Or maybe I should use a religious example, perhaps Saint IGNUcius would approve?

      • @techgearwhips@lemmy.world
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        47 months ago

        How am I shilling, you dope? I said what I did for MY personal experience. I never once said other people have to use it. In fact I would never recommend Linux to non tech savvy family members, unless they only do light shit like web browsing.