The CEO and co-founder of Vivaldi, Jon von Tetzchner, called out Microsoft in a blog post today, saying that it's too hard for users to change their default browser on Windows 10. The article also complains about the fact that upon upgrading to Windows 10, the default browser is automatically changed to Microsoft Edge.
Von Tetzchner says that he has a 72-year-old friend that was upgraded from "Windows 8 [sic] to Windows 10" without her consent. Her default browser was changed to Edge, "even though she had no interest in using it." Being a non-technical user, she was unable to change it back.
He then laid out a sort of mission statement for all technology companies:
Our goal as technology companies should be to provide great software to our users. At the same time, we should accept that some users prefer software created by other companies. It is our responsibility to be fair to the users, and this is what should drive the technology industry forward. Stripping users of their ability to choose or forcefully limiting their options stalls progress. Focusing on building great products is what should drive us to excel.
Indeed, von Tetzchner isn't alone in raising these concerns. Many users have complained about the challenges in changing the default browser that Windows 10 provides. This also isn't the first time that Vivaldi has called out Microsoft. After Microsoft said that Edge is the only browser that allows you to pin and preview tabs, both Vivaldi and Opera had some snarky comebacks, as their browsers do the same.
The blog post closes by telling Microsoft that it's time to "do the right thing" and "stop stealing the default browser", suggesting that the company start competing on its merits.
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