Windows 8 has built-in advertising

[whatthefunk]

Wow. Even more reason to avoid Windows 8 like the plague.

http://hothardware.com/News/Microsofts-Big-Hidden-Windows-8-Feature-BuiltIn-Advertising/

http://hothardware.com/newsimages/Item23251/Windows_8_Ad_01.jpg

http://hothardware.com/newsimages/Item23251/Windows_8_Ad_02.jpg

A new low for Microsoft. Unity's Amazon search results look pretty uninvasive compared to this.
Thoughts?

[mamamia88]

not surprised at all seeing how they did the same with the xbox dashboard. ubuntu amazon search is horrible as well imo but at least they have the excuse that the os is free and they need to recover some of the cost. windows 8 retails for $70 a pop. no excuse for this

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

in unity you can turn the amazon thing off, it is more of a integrated shopping feature than an add system,based on the above screen-shots in windows 8 you get useless adds completely unrelated to the task at hand

[weasel fierce]

The future of commercial software is subscription based and advertisement driven.

[AllRadioisDead]

To be honest, I use Windows 8 as my daily driver and I didn't even notice the ads until I read that article. They're way off on the right side of the app and not visible in the default view.

Just because the Amazon shopping integration isn't "as bad" as Windows 8 doesn't make it okay.

[MdMax]

So, you 1st have to pay for Windows 8, and then you have to pay again with ads ? That's pay-ware and ad-ware combined.

Do their customers have a way to disable the ads and the tracking ?

[LarsKongo]

Hosts-blocking those 3rd party adservers should solve the problem. :P

[rai4shu2]

Adblock would work if we assume that Microsoft isn't serving the ads from their own servers. There's also the possibility of tracking, involved (as the article states).


I haven't been able to find any information on whether or not Microsoft's tracking the ads you are clicking on, but if that is indeed the case, we'll find out soon enough. Unlike Windows 7 and earlier, your entire Windows 8 account can be tied to an e-mail account, so it would be rather easy for Microsoft to track things on a personal level - much like how Google does with its search engine, e-mail and so forth. This alone gives good reason to be concerned.

[Osirez]

Completely ridiculous! Why do have to pay $70 for Win8 and then be smacked in the face again by ads? At what point do you "own" your desktop Microsoft?

[sffvba[e0rt]

Completely ridiculous! Why do have to pay $70 for Win8 and then be smacked in the face again by ads? At what point do you "own" your desktop Microsoft?

I would suggest you read the EULA. You don't own any software from Microsoft.


404

[Wim Sturkenboom]

I would suggest you read the EULA. You don't own any software from Microsoft.


Hey listen, most of us ain't lawyers so the EULA could just as well have been written in Latin :)

I do read eulas (both closed source and open sopurce) but understanding them is another story ;) Trying to understand them is just a total waste of time.

[evilsoup]

I would suggest you read the EULA. You don't own any software from Microsoft.
Assuming you live in a jurisdiction where EULAs are enforceable.

[mike acker]

it should be evident to most of us by now that the marketing and market research are a priority in the commercial software business

over time I reached the conclusion that I had no idea what my Win7 box was actually doing

now that i've switch to Linux I wonder why I didn't do it earlier

it was the Ubuntu/Live CD that let me try out Linux. we could look at helping people get these. when you tell someone to "burn an ISO image" you know what happens: you get the confused look :confused:

but if you tell them to play a CD :-)

[deadflowr]

Assuming you live in a jurisdiction where EULAs are enforceable.

EULAs are enforceable anywhere Microsoft sells its product.
If you live in an area that doesn't enforce the EULA, Microsoft won't sell their product there, and the product is to be considered contraband.

[vasa1]

... the EULA could just as well have been written in Latin :)

Num Me Vexo? ;)

[evilsoup]

Every time the issue has been brought to court in an EU country, that I've heard of, EULAs have been dismissed as not binding. So far as I can tell, they would only be binding if you agreed to the EULA before buying the software - it would have to be printed on the outside of the box in a physical shop, or spelled out before you bought it online. Since most Windows computers are preinstalled, most people won't have actively agreed to it.

It's entirely possible that things have changed since I looked this up two years ago, of course.

[KiwiNZ]

Every time the issue has been brought to court in an EU country, that I've heard of, EULAs have been dismissed as not binding. So far as I can tell, they would only be binding if you agreed to the EULA before buying the software - it would have to be printed on the outside of the box in a physical shop, or spelled out before you bought it online. Since most Windows computers are preinstalled, most people won't have actively agreed to it.

It's entirely possible that things have changed since I looked this up two years ago, of course.

During the first running of a PC preinstalled with Windows the purchaser must tick agreement to EULA in order to proceed with initial set up.

[KiwiNZ]

Storm in a tea cup, the Ads which I have never seen on my Windows 8 machine are said to be in Apps. There are tens of thousands of Adv supported Apps in Android and IOS. Developers do need to, I dunno, let me see........eat

[MisterGaribaldi]

I will be standing in the virtual queue on Tuesday, waiting to buy Google's Nexus 4.

Hopefully, in several months, I'll have a System76 laptop, and with the exceptions of running Office 2007 by way of Crossover Office, and various little fiddly bits like MP3 and Flash support, etc., I am going to stay as clear of anything proprietary and commercial as possible.

[LillyDragon]

The advertisements only seem to be in metro Apps; I doubt Windows 8 will somehow integrate them into other programs like freeware applications not from the app store, or into games on Steam, so this won't affect me if I upgrade to Win8 anytime soon. :P (But I already have Windows 7, so no need. XD) If it's one more way for approved app devs to tick up extra cash without you even doing anything on your part, then no worries.


Hopefully, in several months, I'll have a System76 laptop, and with the exceptions of running Office 2007 by way of Crossover Office, and various little fiddly bits like MP3 and Flash support, etc., I am going to stay as clear of anything proprietary and commercial as possible.

From what I remember of Ubuntu 12.04's install process, it gives you the option of installing Flash and MP3 codecs during the installation. (Assuming you have the network configured while running the live CD.) When I also installed Ubuntu onto my cousin's laptop, it gave him that option and made things a lot easier on him. =P

[rai4shu2]

Every time the issue has been brought to court in an EU country, that I've heard of, EULAs have been dismissed as not binding. ...

Whether the terms of an EULA is unconscionable is probably an issue quite apart from the fact that copyright law does not permit you to own their software. You might own the medium on which the software is distributed, but that isn't (legally) the same thing.

I think sometimes lawyers live in some overlapping parallel universe where pots of gold at the end of rainbows exist and where "intellectual property" isn't an absurd contradiction in terms.

[Linuxratty]

Completely ridiculous! Why do have to pay $70 for Win8 and then be smacked in the face again by ads? At what point do you "own" your desktop Microsoft?

They have always owned it..You are just renting Windows.
But yeah,that being said,this is indeed a new low and a lot of people won't know this till they have already shelled out their dough.

[alexfish]

I would suggest you read the EULA. You don't own any software from Microsoft.


404
$70 for Win8
and you don not own .0000% . or in real terms ZULCH for x$
I find that amazing.

Why did you agree to the "Eula" , because if you do not click agree then , 70$ is gone.

Your loss , how thick is that.

Stick to Ubuntu. at least you won't lose 70$.

PS. what is Amazon , it be a very long river according to history. Internet has different terminology for English. they have done the same to Scrabble.
They have so many two letter words that mean Jack **** now't. **la , la, la

Have Fun

Alex

[King Dude]

I actually did not know about the advertising. I haven't tried Windows 8, so that might be why.

Still, I don't like advertising on any operating system. It makes it look trashy, and sucks up a certain amount of resources to display. Honestly, if it wasn't for the hardware compatibility in Windows 8 I wouldn't bother getting it and would just stick with Windows 7.

[Uncle Spellbinder]

I'm not the biggest Windows fan by any stretch of the imagination. This is all being so overblown, in my opinion. Windows 8 is not advertising. People make it sound like there are ads on the login screen or taskbar, for cryin' out loud. There are no built-in ads. These ads appear in the Metro Apps only (from what I've read and seen personally). Not a big deal at all, really. As pointed out earlier in the thread, many Android apps are ad supported.

Again, just to clarify...Windows 8 is NOT advertising. Only Metro apps.

[cyberhood]

Developers do need to, I dunno, let me see........eat
+1
Wanna start up a "Save the Starving Microsoft Developers" charity with me?

[cariboo]

I'm not the biggest Windows fan by any stretch of the imagination. This is all being so overblown, in my opinion. Windows 8 is not advertising. People make it sound like there are ads on the login screen or taskbar, for cryin' out loud. There are no built-in ads. These ads appear in the Metro Apps only (from what I've read and seen personally). Not a big deal at all, really. As pointed out earlier in the thread, many Android apps are ad supported.

Again, just to clarify...Windows 8 is NOT advertising. Only Metro apps.

This is the Cafe, the truth is very elastic here. :-D

[rai4shu2]

+1
Wanna start up a "Save the Starving Microsoft Developers" charity with me?

:confused: (not sure if sarcasm)

But seriously, some people require more than food. Some people actually require standards and principles to consider themselves truly alive.

[sffvba[e0rt]

Again, just to clarify...Windows 8 is NOT advertising. Only Metro apps.

Ah, so it isn't Ubuntu that is serving you Amazon results to your searches, it is only Dash.

Makes sense now.


404

[Uncle Spellbinder]

I'm not the biggest Windows fan by any stretch of the imagination. This is all being so overblown, in my opinion. Windows 8 is not advertising. People make it sound like there are ads on the login screen or taskbar, for cryin' out loud. There are no built-in ads. These ads appear in the Metro Apps only (from what I've read and seen personally). Not a big deal at all, really. As pointed out earlier in the thread, many Android apps are ad supported.

Again, just to clarify...Windows 8 is NOT advertising. Only Metro apps.
This is the Cafe, the truth is very elastic here. :-D

Point taken. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/unclespellbinder/Animated/icon_lol_zps859982c7.gif

[Grenage]

I think the true horror is that the term 'apps' made it to the PC desktop.

[MisterGaribaldi]

+1
Wanna start up a "Save the Starving Microsoft Developers" charity with me?

"Even used shoe leather will help these poor, indigent, starving code wranglers."