Microsoft's Big Hidden Windows 8 Feature: Built-In Advertising

By Asrokhel
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Grand Master

Phouchg

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There are no ads in Windows 8. The ads are in the FREE apps that Microsoft bundle with the OS. The apps that you can remove from your start screen and replace with others if you see fit.

Well, why there haven't been (and aren't, I'd say) ads in Paint, Notepad and Calculator (Sound Recorder, WordPad, Disk Cleanup, Magnifier - you name it - Windows is loaded with basic functionality) then? Where's the difference? They're all free apps Microsoft bundles with the OS. I can remove them from Windows Features and replace with whatever other notepads and calculators are there; bound to be a sh*tload of them.

Grand Master

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Well, why there haven't been (and aren't, I'd say) ads in Paint, Notepad and Calculator (Sound Recorder, WordPad, Disk Cleanup, Magnifier - you name it - Windows is loaded with basic functionality) then? Where's the difference? They're all free apps Microsoft bundles with the OS. I can remove them from Windows Features and replace with whatever other notepads and calculators are there; bound to be a sh*tload of them.

Because those apps are part of windows. Tell me, what happens when you click Help > About (well, File > About now it's got the ribbon) in paint? I'll tell you... it comes up with a version info box for Windows 8... because they're part of the OS. The metro apps are merely pre-installed store apps, entirely separate from Windows and just pre-installed for convenience. The main reason being that they can be updated through the app update mechanism without requiring an windows update based OS patch.

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siah1214

Posted
Posted

Well, why there haven't been (and aren't, I'd say) ads in Paint, Notepad and Calculator (Sound Recorder, WordPad, Disk Cleanup, Magnifier - you name it - Windows is loaded with basic functionality) then? Where's the difference? They're all free apps Microsoft bundles with the OS. I can remove them from Windows Features and replace with whatever other notepads and calculators are there; bound to be a sh*tload of them.

I'll pass your feedback on to Microsoft so they can make sure that there are ads in these in Windows 9, for consistency sake.

Grand Master

MikeChipshop Member

Posted
  • Member
Posted

Well, why there haven't been (and aren't, I'd say) ads in Paint, Notepad and Calculator (Sound Recorder, WordPad, Disk Cleanup, Magnifier - you name it - Windows is loaded with basic functionality) then? Where's the difference? They're all free apps Microsoft bundles with the OS. I can remove them from Windows Features and replace with whatever other notepads and calculators are there; bound to be a sh*tload of them.

and those apps still don't have adverts.

Think of the Metro apps as being more like things like WLM, which has always had ads.

A lot of tinfoil needed around here.

Grand Master

Phouchg

Posted
Posted

Because those apps are part of windows. Tell me, what happens when you click Help > About (well, File > About now it's got the ribbon) in paint? I'll tell you... it comes up with a version info box for Windows 8... because they're part of the OS. The metro apps are merely pre-installed store apps, entirely separate from Windows and just pre-installed for convenience. The main reason being that they can be updated through the app update mechanism without requiring an windows update based OS patch.

Ok, I'll find something else. Say, Windows Media Player. Is also installed for convenience in some versions of Windows (EC has even ruled that it isn't part of OS), receives out-of-band updates, can be installed and removed at leisure, has version separate from OS version. Or maybe Metro - ads, Desktop - no ads, because Desktop doesn't have an ad platform cleverly integrated?

In short, stop pulling wool over eyes with what is part of OS and what isn't. Is it authored by Microsoft? Is it installed from Windows DVD without me being able to choose if I want them or not? Then it's part of OS. Microsoft wants to cash in on people's gullibility and should be sued by EC for doing so.

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