The app automatically installs Bing Visual Search and includes code to decrypt cookies saved in other browsers, Rivera said, and it also brings a “free” geolocation web API to the system.

The developer discovered “many” nasty tricks Microsoft integrated in Bing Wallpapers, which include trying to change the browser’s settings and set Edge as the default system browser. If the default browser isn’t Edge, the app will open the default browser after some time asking to enable the previously installed Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome extension.

  • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    They are trying so hard to push everybody to linux. The only thing that has kept me using windows is game development tool chains, but even that isn’t gonna be enough to keep me on windows much longer.

              • Kaboom@reddthat.com
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                30 days ago

                He’s saying they should work on the engine instead of pandering. I feel like that’s a reasonable request, especially from a backer

                • TSG_Asmodeus (he, him)@lemmy.world
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                  30 days ago

                  instead of pandering

                  Seriously do you guys read what you’re writing after you write it? Is there no moment of introspection where you go “Huh, so they’re helping a minority group that is currently being attacked by powerful members of our society… by being inclusive. I wonder if that is a net good, and that helping people under attack is a sign of strength and not ‘pandering’?” or do you skip to “People I don’t like are openly accepted by others, and their acceptance is abhorrent to my backing of their” (checks notes) “video game engine. I must rage at this horrible injustice!”

                  The sheer volume of queer people who’ve made the games you play would cause you to froth at the mouth. Those same queer people can’t even be out anymore without being shot at a gay bar by some fanatic, or walk down the street and not get assaulted. The humanitarian actions of a company that accepts donations is not reliant on checking with each backer to ask if they’re okay helping people. Fuck them if they aren’t.

                  I think you should take a look in the mirror and think, really think, about if a company helping people is in any way abhorrent to you, and what that says about you. Because I know that you know someone impacted by the opposite of that help, and you know their lives improve every time someone who isn’t queer, or a visible minority, or a woman, steps out and says “No, fuck this, we’re helping these people.”

                  You can be that person.

            • Ganbat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              30 days ago

              So… one article that explains the situation as “Godot said something inclusive, bigots got angry, started harassment campaign,” and another full of dog whistles?

              Bruh, you a fuckin clown.

              • tekato@lemmy.world
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                29 days ago

                I didn’t read the articles, and don’t care about how they frame the issue. This is for the guy who asked what I was talking about.

                Bruh, you a fuckin clown.

                Perfect.

                • TSG_Asmodeus (he, him)@lemmy.world
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                  29 days ago

                  I didn’t read the articles, and don’t care about how they frame the issue. This is for the guy who asked what I was talking about.

                  So you… posted articles you didn’t read in support of yourself, but you won’t defend them?

  • TrueStoryBob@lemmy.world
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    28 days ago

    Every time I see stuff like this it makes me slightly glad they got laughed out of the smart phone game. Can you imagine if a Microsoft mobile OS became a serious third between Android and iOS? I mean, those two aren’t great by any stretch of the imagination (and are probably doing or planning similar shit), but Microsoft is just going gloves off at this point.

  • dan@upvote.au
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    29 days ago

    Why do people need an app for wallpapers? Just find some nice photos on Flickr, DeviantArt, whatever, save them all to a folder, and configure the OS to change it once per week.

    Reminds me of the “free smileys” and “free mouse cursors” apps from the 2000s. I thought we had evolved past that.

  • 𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘@infosec.pub
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    30 days ago

    Haven’t we already categorized windows as malware and Microsoft as a malware company? We really shouldn’t be surprised that they put out another piece of malware. It’s their MO.

      • red_pigeon@lemm.ee
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        30 days ago

        I’m not a windows fan boy, in fact I haven’t used one in years, and have no intentions to.

        But this is a weird way of thinking about MS shenanigans.

        • Hate it or like it, windows update is still an update to your system, to fix security vulnerabilities even. I wish they had implemented it in a user friendly way. But it is NOT a thing that disrupts you with ill intent as you mentioned here.
        • That is a task manager running some process. But no indication on what the process is !
        • Enabled by default is an horrible design decision no matter who does it. I agree on that. But this is NOT unauthorised access. You signed up for it when you decided to use windows.

        Again I don’t like MS. Hate them for their bad decisions, but don’t hate them by misrepresenting them.

        (My comment is only about this screenshot posted here)

        • RunawayFixer@lemmy.world
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          29 days ago

          An example of ill intent on Microsoft’s part: https://mashable.com/article/windows-10-upgrade-snafu-analysis

          If you haven’t used windows in years then you might not know how bad it has gotten, but … it’s bad. Windows update is not just for security updates, it’s also there to change users default browser to edge, their search engine to bing, trick them into using onedrive (too bad if the synced files get corrupted), old features get disabled for no good reason, it hijacks other browsers to show messages and change browser settings, …

          All those things are definitely not for security, but rather a way for Microsoft managers to meet KPI, for example: they want more users of a new application, so they remove the old way of doing things and boom, their quarterly report looks prettier. And to top it all off Microsoft doesn’t test updates properly anymore in house, so it’s the customers who are life testing that shit. And because those users have to keep updating windows for security, Microsoft has them over a barrel.