14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla is one of the companies that have already announced plans to bring their apps on Windows 10, and the new Firefox app should arrive very soon if development goes according to plan, but the firm isn’t really satisfied with the way Microsoft treats other browsers in its new OS version.
Jared Wein, software engineer at Mozilla, has explained in a blog post that Microsoft made changing the default browser in Windows 10 a really difficult task for the majority of users because every time somebody clicks the “make the browser default” option, they are now provided with a message telling them to go to Settings > System > Default apps and change it manually.
“Obviously, this message isn’t that helpful. First, users who click on a button to ‘Make Firefox my Default Browser’ now get a dialog telling them what to do instead of doing it for them. Secondly, the message is given in a prompt that blocks interaction with the rest of the computer until the OK button is clicked. Combining this second issue with the lengthy list of steps that the dialog provides makes the situation even worse, as the user will have to memorize this 3-step process before clicking OK,” Wein adds.
To make sure that they are making it easier for users to change the default browser in Windows 10, Mozilla contacted Google, and instead of sticking to this default behavior, they are bringing the settings screen up every time a user clicks the make default button.
Edge is the default browser in Windows 10
Is Microsoft doing this on purpose to make sure that more people use its new Edge browser? Very unlikely, but there’s no doubt that the company should take all these complaints into account and make it easier for users to switch to Chrome or Firefox if they really want to.
“The default browser situation on Windows 10 is pretty bad. There is more work that we can and should do in the Windows 10 upgrade experience to retain users (the default upgrade changes the default browser to Edge),” the Mozilla engineer continues.
Edge is Microsoft’s big bet for the browser race in Windows 10, and it is available on all devices running the new OS as a universal app for PCs, tablets, laptops, and smartphones.
