

Microsoft Releases Lightweight Office Taskbar Apps for Windows 11 (theverge.com) 53
An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft is starting to roll out lightweight taskbar apps for Microsoft 365 users on Windows 11. These taskbar apps will automatically launch at startup and provide quick access to contacts, file search, and calendar straight from the Windows taskbar.
The Microsoft 365 companion apps, as Microsoft calls them, are starting to roll out to business users of Microsoft 365 this month. The People companion provides a browsable org chart, as well as the ability to look up anyone in your company. You can also quickly start a Teams message or call with a contact, or email them directly.
The Microsoft 365 companion apps, as Microsoft calls them, are starting to roll out to business users of Microsoft 365 this month. The People companion provides a browsable org chart, as well as the ability to look up anyone in your company. You can also quickly start a Teams message or call with a contact, or email them directly.
Re:Launch at startup? (Score:5, Informative)
Haha, is it a bad sign that whenever this company releases a new feature, the first thing asked is almost always .. odd of course considering the 15,000 layoffs they just did -- Perhaps they let the wrong people go?
>how do disable it?
>is it mandatory?
>why are they doing this to me?
>is it time to switch to linux?
And yet, MSFT is booming
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And, more reason to not upgrade.
Any time I do a Windows install, once I'm at desktop, I use my "tools of choice" to remove or disable or uninstall what I don't want to be there.
It's my computer, and the operating system I chose... I chose to install the browser, and set it up the way I like... no company has any right to dictate how I use their product (I'll use my frying pan as a deep fryer if I so choose, I'll use Word 2016 however I want). If I bought it, it's mine... not theirs. If it's still theirs,
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This is for business users so the answer to all these questions is:
- Not your decision
- Not your decision
- Because you work in a business and you use the systems IT gives you.
- Not unless you can convince your CIO.
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>how do disable it?
Probably can't
>is it mandatory?
yes, or it will be soon
>why are they doing this to me?
Because they can and you let them.
>is it time to switch to linux?
Yes.
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Re:How do I turn it off? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How do I turn it off? (Score:4, Informative)
Windows 11 currently has a customizable search on the taskbar, task view can be toggled on or off, widgets can be toggled on or off, then you have other system tray icons and taskbar behavior. You can also select what programs will automatically start when you load Windows in the task manager. I am thinking the option to turn it off will be in there.
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I am thinking the option to turn it off will be in there.
You think too much. It will be there, until MSFT says it's not there anymore.
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"Use Microsoft Recommended Settings" will face-plant you every update until you accept these launching on startup. It gets tiring playing whack-a-mole with their bloated creep.
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Disabling auto-start stuff using task manager isn't 100%.
I use HiJackThis and Spybot for stuff like that.
Re: How do I turn it off? (Score:2)
Re: How do I turn it off? (Score:2)
Taskbar option is still there, but everything that would go down there now has an individual on/off toggle, because when there are a dozen of them, you probably don't want them ALL on.
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** Currently **
They have altered the settings in the past. Pray they don't alter it any further.
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How do I turn it off without installing Linux?
Turn it off and... ... buy a Mac? ... install *BSD? ... live a pre-internet lifestyle?
OK, that last one doesn't apply to you if you are reading this on /., but the other two may be viable choices.
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The obvious first question (Score:5, Insightful)
how do we disable this garbage?
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It's rolled out to business users. Before you install Linux you will need to convince your CTO why this is a good idea for the entire company to do so. For that I can just wish you all the best of luck, but it won't be enough.
No, that wasn't it. (Score:2)
And, they already have a "widget" system! Did MS forget that they already had things to use for this?
Lightweight Heavyweight (Score:2)
It'll never happen ... Re:Lightweight Heavyweight (Score:2)
... because what we now think of as "full heavyweight" will become bloated beyond what we can imagine and it will become the "new full heavyweight" and the current "lightweight" will bloat to something approximating the current "full heavyweight" but since it's lightweight by comparison, it will retain the monikor "lightweight."
In short: bloat creep. Or creepy bloat. Or both.
How many windows updates (Score:2)
It would be interesting to have a statistic on how many major feature updates out of all major feature updates for windows 11 have been in the category of "I'm a power user, there's some new garbage that just automatically starts in the background invisibly in the update, how do I turn it off?"
My guess is that this is going to be a significant percentage, if not outright majority.
Didn't they already have something like this? (Score:2)
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And let's not forget that Search is still there by default! Why add another thing to search your files with? How does that make sense?
Oh, wait, I may have figured it out. There have been layoffs. People may be trying to justify their jobs.
Enshittification (Score:2)
Yet more crap no one wants, no one asked for, yet will be thrust up people.
I'm looking forward to retirement where I'll be able to say sayonara to Windoze forever.
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*sigh* Rolling out new features or products is not enshittification. It's actually the exact opposite by definition. Enshittification is the reduction of existing features. Words have meanings, use them correctly, and not just the way you feel about them.
Disable = more important than doing it (Score:2)
Amazing how many people think it is totally OK to steal your screen real estate.
Totally fine if you can make it removable, but so few people actually do this.
My taskbar has (Things I do not want):
PC Manufaturer 'help' button I never push
Update alert for NVDA game drivers I neither use nor know how to load.
Intel Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise (No idea what this is)
One Note saying I am not logged in (Do not want to)
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Totally fine if you can make it removable, but so few people actually do this.
You've slid down the slippery slope :-)
It's totally fine if it's opt-in. The update could even display a tray notification with info on the new feature and how to easily enable it via a click, but, IMO, that should not be the default.
Where is the profit? (Score:2)
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The profit comes in the form of reminding companies that there's continuous "improvement" and it's worth continuing to invest hundreds of thousands every month maintaining Office 365 Business licenses.
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What? Me bloated? (Score:2)
Just what slowdoze 11 needs - more fucking Microsoft processes sucking up ram smd eating cpu cycles.
Fuck you, Microsoft. Even a brand-fucking-new speedy laptop with 32mb runs like shit with a few word documents open.
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Until you need to do something that only has a Windows program... sure, you can run it in a virtual machine... then, what's the point of installing *Nix.
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Is that directed at me or others?
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I'm not doing a great job at clearing up the ambiguity. Sorry.
I guess I could have just said, "That's a fascinating point! I'm stunned that I've never heard it before, because it seems so damn obvious now. Applause!" But if I had, I wouldn't have been able to pick a nit I have with people who act like not using Windows gra
Finally (Score:2)
Thank god, I've been waiting for years for this. Ever since Windows 7 I've been wondering why there can't be more lightweight apps running in my taskbar.
Maybe they'll finally bring XEyes, and maybe XBiff to Windows!
No (Score:2)
The only change they should be making to the taskbar is re-enabling the ability to place it horizontally on the left or right.
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