Here’s What’s Really Happening with Windows 10 (Premium)

Yesterday, Microsoft revealed its plans to further force Windows 10 users to use its Edge web browser. How you respond to this news will vary. But I'd like to also discuss why Microsoft is doing this.

Here's what happened.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced three Windows 10 Insider Preview builds. Those testing Redstone 4 in the Fast ring got a new build, 17123. Those testing Redstone 5 in Skip Ahead also got a new build, 17623. And those in the Slow ring picked up build 17120, which had hit the Fast ring three days earlier.

There's a lot to be said here, given that Microsoft has never released three separate builds like this before. But the key takeaway is obvious: Redstone 4 development is winding down and could be completed as soon as next week. And the development of Redstone 5, the next Windows 10 version that will ship in September, is heating up.

Speaking of heating up, the release notes for Redstone 5 build 17623contained the following blurb, buried under a section about "general changes, improvements, and fixes." (Microsoft, for some reason, also adds the text "for PC" as if mobile were an ongoing development concern. This kind of laziness should be pointed out since much of what's wrong with Windows 10 these days can be traced back to this kind of thing.)
"For Windows Insiders in the Skip Ahead ring, we will begin testing a change where links clicked on within the Windows Mail app will open in Microsoft Edge, which provides the best, most secure and consistent experience on Windows 10 and across your devices. With built-in features for reading, note-taking, Cortana integration, and easy access to services such as SharePoint and OneDrive, Microsoft Edge enables you to be more productive, organized and creative without sacrificing your battery life or security. As always, we look forward to feedback from our WIP community."
The responses I saw to this change, presented as it is as a benefit, were immediate and predictable.

The sycophantic pro-Microsoft crowd, faced with a hard-to-defend policy, chose instead to criticize those, like myself, who chose to stand up for choice instead of everyone's favorite corporation and what I see as its increasingly user-hostile policies. We are, after all, petulant children. How dare we.

My own reaction was typical, for me. Righteous indignation communicated with my characteristic and sarcastic humor on Twitter. You can almost watch how I process this information in real time if you follow the tweets.

Paul Thurrott on Twitter:
For the love of
Paul Thurrott on Twitter:
Windows 10's Mail app forcing you to use Edge for clicked links is too much. This is what the bad old Microsoft would have done. You're better than this.
Paul Thurrott on Twitter:
I'm going to go the car wash and wash all this Edge off of it.
Paul Thurrott on Twitter:
We want people to use our product. Should we:

a) Make a better product

or

b) Not give them a choice and ram this inferior product do...

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