Finally, Microsoft Takes a Step Back from the Windows 10 Cliff (Premium)

Just days after a new escalation of its Edge advertising efforts in Windows 10, Microsoft has backed off, pretending that it was just a test. The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview build no longer contains the offensive behavior.

Great.

But this was not just a test. Microsoft just took a step too far, and for once its user community rose up and stood up for what is right. The feedback was immediate and vocal. And overwhelmingly negative.

Sadly, Microsoft's quick reversal is not much of a win. The behavior I complained about earlier this week is horrible, but it was just the latest in a long line of examples of Microsoft disrespecting both Windows 10 and the customers who use it every day. Everything else that is still wrong about Windows 10 is still in the product and will move forward with version 1809.

In other words, the slippery slope I first warned about way back in 2012, when Microsoft quietly began its first sneaky advertising additions to Windows 10's predecessor, is still very much an issue. And has escalated over time. The ongoing and unnecessary compromises to Windows 10---rampant advertising, attempts at pushing users to Microsoft Edge, pre-bundled crapware, and more---continue unabated. There is no major software platform that is this hostile to its own users.

Yes, congratulations are still in order. I'm proud of the people who stood up to Microsoft. And happy that the software giant has taken one step back. While not completely unprecedented, this kind of turnaround is rare. And if you're looking for some further feel-goods, one might argue that this, combined with the lack of nonsense features in both 2018 updates to Windows 10 is perhaps the start of a positive trend.

OK, I'll give you that. But we can't forget the many steps Microsoft taken in the wrong direction with Windows 10. And that we still have lots of work to do to make this right.