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Chrome Firefox Microsoft Security The Internet Windows

Windows 10 Informs Chrome and Firefox Users That Edge is 'Safer' (venturebeat.com) 123

An anonymous reader shares a VentureBeat report:Microsoft has turned on a new set of Windows Tips that inform Chrome and Firefox users on Windows 10 that Edge is a "safer" browser. We reached out to Microsoft to find out how long this latest recommendation has been active. "This wave of Windows Tips for Windows 10 users began in early November," a Microsoft spokesperson told VentureBeat. If this sounds familiar, that's because Microsoft turned on similar Windows 10 tips back in July, warning Chrome/Firefox users about battery drain and then recommending Edge instead.
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Windows 10 Informs Chrome and Firefox Users That Edge is 'Safer'

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  • Safer this week (Score:5, Interesting)

    by OffTheLip ( 636691 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @03:23PM (#53317367)
    but over time the MSFT security track record is not so good. Thanks but I will pass.
    • To me, that's entirely beside the point. I manage a bunch of Windows 10 machines, and I've told the users to use Chrome (for a variety of reasons). Not Microsoft is going to send out a "tip" saying that Edge is "safer"?

      Fuck off, Microsoft. I don't want you to give my users tips. I have to set a policy for which browser people should use, and I don't need you undermining that with your propaganda.

      • Think of it like all the other Microsoft hints, job security for those that fix or repair machines for others.
      • Re:Safer this week (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Man On Pink Corner ( 1089867 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @04:42PM (#53318157)

        In the brave new world according to Microsoft: they're not "your users."

        Not anymore.

      • by rtb61 ( 674572 )

        But, but, but, you can use M$ edge in privacy mode http://betanews.com/2016/01/30... [betanews.com]. Even M$ treats that like a joke, privacy mode on a browser when the operating system itself will be spying on everything you do. Every file on your hard disk accessible by them, every web site you ever visit tracked, recorded and forwarded, every word you speak in front of the microphone, every image the camera can capture, no member of your family safe, their privacy stolen along with yours.

        Wait up, M$ has to provide pr

      • Unless you are a tyrant, they should be allowed to choose for them self what they want to use. Besides google.com, gmail and google+ says they should use Chrome, so it evens out...
        • Unless you are a tyrant, they should be allowed to choose for them self what they want to use.

          Nothing to do with being a tyrant. Businesses can decide what runs on business computers. But as a matter of fact, I don't block them from using Edge, I just tell the users to use Chrome instead. Which is exactly the problem here. Microsoft is telling my users that I'm lying, and telling them not to use the browser I'm telling them to use. That's seriously overstepping their bounds.

          Besides google.com, gmail and google+ says they should use Chrome, so it evens out...

          I'm not a huge fan of that either, but to be fair, it's very different. In one case, you have websites telling the people

  • Antitrust (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18, 2016 @03:24PM (#53317379)

    Remember when just bundling Internet Explorer with the OS was enough reason to provoke an anti-trust response?

    • Remember when that response was a governmental 'meh'?

      At least in the US.

  • Abuse? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by networkBoy ( 774728 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @03:24PM (#53317385) Journal

    Not actually sure, but could this be considered as an abuse of position (monopolistic activity)?

  • by Anonymous Coward

    It's impossible for MS browser to be "safer".

    Why?

    Because, they always have features intended for corporate IT deployments and similar which allow deep interaction with the underlying operating system. They cater to the needs of companies who think they need these kind of idiotic "features".

  • Can't find the video, but this kind of message has the same tone.

    The reality is that if you wanted to be statistically safer, in fact, you should use a Mac (if you can afford one) or a Chromebook.

  • I'm the most trustworthy bridge seller, you're safer buying a bridge from me. Believe me!

    • by fcis ( 4781213 )
      Hi Daniel, I hope my message finds you well. I know that this my sounds random, but did you write the .c3d file importer add-on for blender 3d software?
  • - Cure your acne
    - Find you a gorgeous sexual partner
    - Help you with your investments
    - Bring the news of the world to you

    All you need to do is Google It!

    Er, maybe that's not the message Microsoft wants to give.

  • "Edge" connotes the word edgy or edgier, which most would interpret as the opposite of safer.
  • by StandardCell ( 589682 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @03:37PM (#53317529)
    It seems that those peddling your average mainstream OS these days are hellbent on pushing their views of the world on what is largely an unsuspecting and technically ignorant user base. Use Android? We'll spy on you wherever you go and push a bunch of ads for something you already bought yesterday. Use Windows? We'll create self-doubt in your choice of software to push you into our domain where we can collect information on you, and push ads on your start screen unless you jump through dozens of technical hoops. Use MacOS? We'll collect anything you do in Spotlight so we can "make our product better" for you.

    Just like Farcebook and any other SaaS platform, the OS guys are trying real hard to squeeze a few extra dollars out of us users at the expense of users by making the user the product rather than the OS. That this happened with Edge in this case is merely another symptom of this greater problem. The /. crowd and people of similar technical capability can filter out this BS, but the average user will continually fall victim to this nonsense with no idea of the real consequences, both individually and for the overall browser market.
  • Show me what is evaluated to define "safer" and show me the metrics. Without that, "safer" is just so much hot air.

  • by Equuleus42 ( 723 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @03:40PM (#53317551) Homepage

    Here are CVE details for each browser:

    Edge: https://www.cvedetails.com/pro... [cvedetails.com]
    Chrome: https://www.cvedetails.com/pro... [cvedetails.com]
    Firefox: https://www.cvedetails.com/pro... [cvedetails.com]

    It looks like each of them has had their fair share of significant security flaws. Does anyone track how quickly flaws are patched for each?

    • by Anonymous Coward
      Edge 124
      Firefox 133
      Chrome 159

      Although if you just take code execution, arguably the most important ones.

      Chrome 2 (Yes, that's a two!)
      Firefox 53
      Edge 67
    • Based on a least-squares linear fit Next year's stats are going to be:
      Chrome 117
      Edge 221

      It doesn't look good based on Microsoft's trend

      • by Calydor ( 739835 )

        Wait, what happens to Firefox in the coming year to drop them to 0% market share?

        • Wait, what happens to Firefox in the coming year to drop them to 0% market share?

          Oh I thought they were at zero already so I left them out :-P

    • by jbn-o ( 555068 ) <mail@digitalcitizen.info> on Friday November 18, 2016 @06:09PM (#53318847) Homepage

      A major difference being that of those three only Firefox lets users see what's going on, alter the code, and share their improvements with others (even commercially). It's a lot harder to get away with spying and other kinds of subterfuge in software users are free to run, inspect, share, and modify. Subterfuge is trivially easy to do in proprietary software, thus proprietary software is never trustworthy and never safe to use. Furthermore, both Google and Microsoft work with government agencies (such as the NSA) to help their spying efforts. You're better off with even worse quality code that is free software than more featureful, less buggy, faster, or in any other way "better" proprietary software. Software can be improved to become technically better but only the copyright holder can free their proprietary software.

  • Windows 10, collect enough info on the average user, that within only 2 hours of use it can produce a reasonably accurate personality profile / dossier, in only that short amount of time. I like my privacy, i dunno, Private? :-D Go figure!
    • by Mascot ( 120795 )

      Any links to research backing up that 2 hour claim? Cause in my experience, the average user is still on the phone to their 10 year old nephew asking them "how do I get on the internets?" at the two hour mark.

    • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Just use Windows 10 to play dx12 games.
  • by bagofbeans ( 567926 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @04:02PM (#53317785)

    Splain to me. Is that the browser tracking can only work on Edge? Or Bing traffic is more likely?

    • by Comen ( 321331 )

      Easy! Many default features send data to Microsoft to improve your browsing experience. Even if you have Google as the default search provider they have features that offer suggestions, I assume this is sending data to MS. IT ALL ABOUT WHO OWNS THE DATA! INFORMATION IS POWER IS MONEY!

  • In related news, the author of umatrix and ublock origin has shown no intention of porting these products to edge.
    • by kruug ( 4451395 )
      Edge is starting to use Chrome add-ons, but they have to be submitted to the Windows Store. So, yet another place to update the app, and I don't believe they can be side-loaded like uBlock:O typically does.
  • The new Microsoft? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @04:14PM (#53317929)

    I love how just two days ago how some people were posting here: https://linux.slashdot.org/sto... [slashdot.org] how much better and open Microsoft is than it used to be. How they are such a better company.

    Sorry, this is the same old news- using their near monopolistic powers to put up messages about their competition. I guess this just follows after making sure dual boot is a disaster, locking out competing OS's on certain hardware, giving away near free licenses of their products to governments trying to break free of MS lockin by using Linux....

  • by Sipke van der Meulen ( 2907137 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @04:32PM (#53318091)
    Well of course it's safer: You can't use it on Microsoft's own admin webpages: (office 365 portal admin/ azure admin/ iaas portals ) Funny people, those MS guys
  • This is just one more example of the technological imperialism of Microsoft, and one more reason to never use it. What's next? Are they going to disallow Firefox and Chrome from being installed or executed?
  • It's amazing how often Microsoft reminds be to be thankful I turned down their generous offer and stayed with Windows 7.

  • by sizzzzlerz ( 714878 ) on Friday November 18, 2016 @04:46PM (#53318179)

    Lucky Strike cigarettes are healthier for your lungs!

  • When it crashes and keeps you off the internet you're perfectly safe,
  • This is misleading. Once you have at least 128GB of ram then most of Chrome's features are able to be loaded and then it becomes the safest browser. Edge may only be safer in situations where users have less than 128GB of ram...

  • Same as the old Microsoft

  • Do they have anything to make that claim?

  • I was going to get all riled up about how a company could make false claims like this.

    But then I remember that we are firmly entrenched in the "Post-truth" era. Pity that. I used to love it when facts and opinions and lies were three different things.

  • What goes around comes around. With persistent harassment campaign from Google to get people to install chrome they all need to fuck off.

  • First its not a tip, its a backhanded advertisement and they should be called out for it by the authorities IMO
  • will Windows 10 also inform its users that Linux and macOS are safer ?

  • Hackers will go after browsers that have an actual user base, because they want access to things like stored account or contact information. Why in the world would they bother with Edge? They would get very little return for their efforts.

    Actually, I'd guess that Lynx is the safest browser out there.

  • by iamacat ( 583406 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @12:36AM (#53320403)

    I grudgingly suffer through login screen, "working on updates" and various nag popups like trying Office 365 to run Steam games not available elsewhere. But who would want that just to do web browsing and basic productivity tasks? My "desktop" is $265 Intel Compute Stick running Ubuntu connected to $500 45 inch 4K TV. I can walk away for two weeks and come back to find things exactly as I left them, without any nag screens. My laptop is a Chromebook Flip that again does not aggregate me and that runs a decent selection of Android games and Ubuntu for when I need it.

    Microsoft also used to sell drama-free operating systems that ran a large selection of apps. Windows 2000 was about the pinnacle, though XP is Ok if you forget about activation issues. Windows 7 is decent from UI point of view, but quicky chews up globs of disk space in mysterious directories like WinSXS. Everything afterwards is just obnoxious.

    • winsxs is literally, Windows Side by Side (WinSxS). It is what gets you out of dll hell... you know, where each program needs its own special version of a particular dll. Those alternate (read not the latest) dlls all reside in winsxs while the most recent dll is out in the native filesystem.

      I am not saying this is a good idea or a bad idea, I am merely trying to remove the mystery for you.

      As an administrator, I have seen this folder grow beyond 10 gigabytes. As a security guy, all of those ancient dlls lay

  • I tried Edge. It does not display HTML consistently with other browsers. HTML5 menu objects and control buttons to not behave consistently.

        I've relegated Edge to a display platform for Youtube running in the corner while I use either Chrome or Firefox for meaningful work.

  • If I visit Google, or Gmail, or Gmaps, YouTube, or anything else, with a non-Chrome browser, the top of the screen will ALWAYS have "do you want to install Chrome?" nagware. You can dismiss it in your session scope, but next time you come back, so does the message.

    Why is that not a problem, and what Microsoft does is a problem?

    Is it better on battery tests? Yeah, it is. Is it safer? It very well might be - but we don't know, since we're all running ad-blockers on non-Edge browsers, so our experiences are an

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