Serendipity35

Mashable reports that Mozilla, the company behind the web browser Firefox, is accusing Microsoft of discouraging users from changing default applications in Windows 10 because it has changed the way to set preferred applications for Internet browsing, calendar and other apps.

The process is a bit longer than before. For example, in previous versions of Windows you were asked what browser you wanted to be the default the first time you use a browser different from the built-in one. One click of yes or no was all you had to do.

In Windows 10, if you click yes, you’re taken to a settings page where you’ll have to manually designate a different browser as default.

I don't see it as a major headache, as even this Mozilla video explaining how to do it makes it seem pretty straightforward.



Still, it is not as simple or obvious as before and it might cause some people to just leave the default as Microsoft's browser. This was a big issue back in the early days of the browser wars when Microsoft was pushing Internet Explorer on every machine that went out with Windows on it. Microsoft's new Edge browser launches with Windows 10 and they obviously want people using their own apps rather than third party alternatives.

Mozilla is a nonprofit which promotes free open-source programs on the web, so the two companies core missions are not very similar.