The EU will finally free Windows users from Bing
www.theverge.com
Windows 11 is about to be different in Europe.

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?

  • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    81·
    1 year ago

    That’s funny, I think this whole new bing with the AI is the first iteration of bing I like.

    • HidingCat@kbin.social
      10·
      1 year ago

      Yes, but it still shouldn’t be forced down users’ throats.

      There’s a lot I like about MS products (unlike the majority here), but I still dislike the way they integrate their services into their products. I’ll use what I want, thanks.

      • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        6·
        1 year ago

        Everything from Microsoft is literally just white noise to me at this point, so I don’t even know what they’re pushing or forcing down anyone’s throat. I’ve been using Linux for years.

        But I thought I’d give their new ai chat thing a whirl and really enjoyed using it.

      • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Same.

        I just wish the branding wasn’t so f****** imprecise.

        Like it’s called the new bing, It’s called Bing Chat It’s called Bing AI and it’s called co-pilot, but I don’t know what the difference is between any of those and I REALLY don’t care what the difference is, I just want to use that little sidebar thing.