It's not unusual for operating systems to ship with a browser pre-installed, with most people just downloading their preferred browser at the earliest opportunity. But a new build released to members of the Windows Insider Program shows that Microsoft wants to disrupt that process.
Windows 10 version 1809 prompts users to give the Microsoft Edge browser a try before installing Chrome or Firefox. The message that appears claims Edge is "the faster, safer browser designed for Windows" and offers two buttons: a bright blue one that launches Edge and a grey one that says "Install anyway." That kind of passive-aggressive styling has become all too common in pop-ups that want you to sign up for newsletters, download specific apps or do whatever else the person who set up the pop-up wants you to do. Now it's being used to trumpet Edge, too.
The prompt also echoes the Internet Explorer bundling that got Microsoft in trouble nearly two decades ago. The company wasn't stopping people from installing other browsers then, either, it was just establishing Internet Explorer as the default option for anyone who used Windows. Now it's trying to intercept people before they install Chrome or Firefox without actually preventing them from installing those browsers. Suddenly the "annoy them" strategy has become more akin to standing 1,001 feet away because it means a restraining order isn't technically being broken.
