THE same old Microsoft -- the one we all know -- has not changed. Earlier today we saw Godot's latest article about "C# progress report" -- an article that talks about "Visual Studio and VSCode" (pretty much the same thing; the latter is the openwashing ploy).

"Having leveraged other people's code for a proprietary Web browser that lets Microsoft spy on Web users, it now adds another layer of malice to it."It says upfront: “This work was kindly sponsored by Microsoft.” So Godot is paid by Microsoft now, but only to serve Microsoft's agenda. No wonder it outsourced the code to GitHub and is now working to enhance Microsoft's proprietary software with surveillance (telemetry is their euphemism of choice) embedded in it. Some of these projects, Qt included, are going in the wrong direction. They're wrongly assuming that the world will forever stay imprisoned by the monopoly and therefore they make a strategic alliance with this monopoly. Look closely enough and you'll always find that Microsoft pays them to do it; they sell out.

Speaking of monopoly and abuse thereof, Microsoft is being incredibly malicious again. Having leveraged other people's code for a proprietary Web browser that lets Microsoft engage in cyber-espionage (it spy on Web users, logs keystrokes etc.), it now adds another layer of malice to it. Did anyone not see this coming? SlashGear called it "nagware" [1] and the earlier (The Verge) article that everyone seems to link to says "Microsoft’s forced Windows updates just sank to a new low" (prior headline was "Microsoft is forcing Edge on Windows users with a spyware-like install"). [2]

"Edge is really getting nasty with people who want to use another browser," Ryan explained in our IRC channels. "It just won't take no for an answer. It's basically like a rapist." ⬆

Related/contextual items from the news:

1. Microsoft Edge has reportedly come close to being intrusive nagware





2. With Edge, Microsoft’s forced Windows updates just sank to a new low

   
   
   If I told you that my entire computer screen just got taken over by a new app that I’d never installed or asked for — it just magically appeared on my desktop, my taskbar, and preempted my next website launch — you’d probably tell me to run a virus scanner and stay away from shady websites, no?
   
   But the insanely intrusive app I’m talking about isn’t a piece of ransomware. It’s Microsoft’s new Chromium Edge browser, which the company is now force-feeding users via an automatic update to Windows.
   
   Seriously, when I restarted my Windows 10 desktop this week, an app I’d never asked for...