1. Microsoft Edge is a Dark Pattern Nightmare
Internet Explorer was never going to win the default browser wars. Still, at the very least, it always felt like a baseline, the bottom rung on the ladder that helped everybody climb toward a better system. Microsoft Edge overtook IE back in 2015, expecting it to be a better Chromium-based browser than Chrome. But few made the switch, and over the years, Microsoft’s default internet browser has felt desperate, clawing, and practically malignant. You can’t go into Edge and Bing to search for a new Internet Explorer without being clawed at by popups that say, “You don’t need to download a new browser.” Click on the provided link, and you’re shown a list about how Edge has copilot, has a built-in VPN, yadda yadda.
It’s chock-full of dark patterns. Edge automatically tries to keep you from downloading Google Chrome. It doesn’t work for other browsers like DuckDuckGo or Firefox, but even after you’re done, it’s way more annoying to set the app as default.
Oh, and that’s another thing…
