Microsoft Pulls OneDrive Update That Would Quiz You Before Letting You Quit (arstechnica.com) 34
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Modern versions of Windows have become more annoying as time has gone on, pushing additional Microsoft products and services on users who are just trying to turn on their computers and get something done. Often, as we've covered, these notifications and reminders ignore or actively push back against user intent -- prompting you to sign up for Microsoft 365 if you already said no, or trying to make you use Edge or Bing after you've already installed Chrome. Microsoft took another step down this path this week when it began testing a new addition to the Windows OneDrive app that would force users to explain themselves when quitting the app. Initially spotted by NeoWin, the survey took the form of a drop-down menu, not unlike the ones you sometimes see when you try to unsubscribe from marketing or fundraising mailing lists.
Until you chose an answer from the drop-down, the "quit" button would be grayed out, preventing you from actually closing OneDrive. This was an escalation from the previous behavior, which would ask you if you were sure before allowing you to quit but allowing you to actually click the "quit" button without interacting with any other menus. The old prompt was an explanation; the newer one was an imposition. For its part, Microsoft told The Verge that the new prompt was a test that was only rolled out to a subset of OneDrive users and that the change has been reverted as of a couple of days ago.
"Between Nov. 1 and 8, a small subset of consumer OneDrive users were presented with a dialog box when closing the OneDrive sync client, asking for feedback on the reason they chose to close the application," reads Microsoft's statement. "This type of user feedback helps inform our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of our products."
Until you chose an answer from the drop-down, the "quit" button would be grayed out, preventing you from actually closing OneDrive. This was an escalation from the previous behavior, which would ask you if you were sure before allowing you to quit but allowing you to actually click the "quit" button without interacting with any other menus. The old prompt was an explanation; the newer one was an imposition. For its part, Microsoft told The Verge that the new prompt was a test that was only rolled out to a subset of OneDrive users and that the change has been reverted as of a couple of days ago.
"Between Nov. 1 and 8, a small subset of consumer OneDrive users were presented with a dialog box when closing the OneDrive sync client, asking for feedback on the reason they chose to close the application," reads Microsoft's statement. "This type of user feedback helps inform our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of our products."
The backlash (Score:2)
The backlash must have been strong with that one. Meanwhile my Windows 7 machines just keep humming along until they eventually get replaced with Linux.
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More likely they saw active uninstalls rather than actual criticism. That would require effort to read.
Anything that causes me agita just gets uninstalled. I have to say the previous article made me familiarize myself with other solutions to the problem. A rare Linux contender was found that works with your own storage space. I used to do this with rsync to ssh before I got free Onedrive working for the Borg. Something that actually takes care of it without my intervention and doesn't involve someone e
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I want to know in what way the backlash worked. It might help me in complaining effectively about the dozen other things in Windows 11 that infuriate me.
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It might help me in complaining effectively about the dozen other things in Windows 11 that infuriate me.
Only a dozen? You gotta pump those numbers up!
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Same.
I guess they got enough information (Score:2)
In other words, enough colorful variants of "I don't want your fucking POS, fuck off!"
We just saw this yesterday (Score:4, Informative)
Just like OneDrive, this story won't quit https://it.slashdot.org/story/... [slashdot.org]
Re:We just saw this yesterday (Score:5, Insightful)
That is the story about the behavior being discovered. This is the story about Microsoft reacting to the previous story.
Mindfucking, full on brainwashing.... (Score:2)
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Microsoft, I suspect, is another one of those companies like apple with such ridiculous stockpiles of cash its effectively immortal. Short of a government breaking it up or the european regulators hitting them with a mindbendingly huge death fine, I suspect they'll be around for a while yet.
quitting Comcast is still much more of an pain the (Score:2)
quitting Comcast is still much more of an pain then what they planed for this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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quitting Comcast is still much more of an pain then what they planed for this https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
And there is always the old America OnLine from the floppy disc and CD install days. They were a nightmare to even find out how to leave.
I'm confidant (Score:3)
I'm confidant Microsoft still copies your files so that the NSA, Microsoft, the FBI and you, can't lose them.
I like OneDrive. (Score:2)
What do you guys use instead of OneDrive for cloud storage? I pay for MS Office so I get a handy 1TB (for each family member!) which I can use to keep my photos backed up. You can also store other files, something amazon's storage recently stopped allowing.
Re:I like OneDrive. (Score:4, Insightful)
What do you guys use instead of OneDrive for cloud storage? I pay for MS Office so I get a handy 1TB (for each family member!) which I can use to keep my photos backed up. You can also store other files, something amazon's storage recently stopped allowing.
I have two backup drives, that I own and can put my hands on. It's a local cloud.
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It's a local cloud.
That sounds more like fog.
At any rate, fog has numerous advantages but disadvantages too, like being susceptible to fire or a single theft. Remote access isn't as good either.
Re:I like OneDrive. (Score:4, Insightful)
It's a local cloud.
That sounds more like fog.
At any rate, fog has numerous advantages but disadvantages too, like being susceptible to fire or a single theft. Remote access isn't as good either.
True - and as I recall, the cloud is perfectly secure, and immune to problems.
It appears that all the problems of data compromise would have been avoided if we only stored all data on the cloud. ;^)
Those banks and stores and financial institutions that have given almost all of humanity's personal data (don't doubt that for a moment) shoould have just stored everything in the cloud. Oh... Wait...
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I tried that, but it seems I can access that backup drive from my phone on the other side of the world. I don't think your solution meets the brief.
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I tried that, but it seems I can access that backup drive from my phone on the other side of the world. I don't think your solution meets the brief.
Indeed! What's the drive name?
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Not sure if it helps with storage of terabytes, but I use Seafile and replaced Google Drive with it. Run my own storage and seafile server on a VPS. Has decent clients for Windows, Linux and Android and it is open source.
https://www.seafile.com/ [seafile.com]
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Nextcloud, hosted on my own server.
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Re: I like OneDrive. (Score:2)
I use Google Drive. I pay a couple bucks a month for 100 GB in the cloud. Every few years I back up my photos locally. I kinda assumed that is what everyone was using.
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What do you guys use instead of OneDrive for cloud storage?
Depends on what you're looking for.
For starters, this is a bit of a leading question. The issue most people had with the OneDrive prompt wasn't its existence, or even its integration. The majority of complaining folks would likely tell you, "if Onedrive works well for your use case, rock on, no need to change". The problem stems from the fact that Microsoft moved away from merely making Onedrive *available*, and made it something that users had to be extremely careful to avoid using accidentally...and then
Let's be clear about Microsoft's language (Score:4, Informative)
The Microsoft statement says, "...a small subset of consumer OneDrive users were presented with a dialog box when closing the OneDrive sync client, asking for feedback on the reason they chose to close the application..."
When there is no way to avoid providing such feedback, Microsoft is not "asking" for it. They are DEMANDING it.
Re: Let's be clear about Microsoft's language (Score:2)
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They always use that language, especially when things go wrong and people lose data. The trouble is when you're a global empire with billions of people using your stuff, a "small subset" might include hundreds of millions.
A Preview of Things To Come (Score:1)
I am inescapably reminded of a James Davis Nicoll (Score:2)
where the last poll option is frequently "I object to this poll"
New PCs are the worst for useless prompts (Score:2)
However I'd forgotten how annoying MS-Windows is. Every day since the replacement, some MS-Windows thingy wants to be helpful and say have you tried this?
Well, FU Microsoft! I just want to do my workday and get paid, not learn more about MS-Windows! I mean I click the don't ask me again box, (if it has one!), but their are dozens of these idiot things.
At home I use Linux
When will they get sued into oblivion (Score:2)
This is clearly an anti-trust issue. When will they be sued into oblivion over this?
If not by some government (the EU or US), why not by some competitor which obviously gets hampered by this. This is downright anti-competitive behavior.
Why ask why ask why? (Score:2)
Oh my god leave it in. I love responding to "why did you close or uninstall this".
Because it's crap I don't want.
I wish Google Play asked me why I just uninstalled a game I only installed 20 minutes earlier.