In a parallel universe where the Computing Editor is Superman, Microsoft Edge is decidedly my Kryptonite. I can't really explain at this point why I despise Microsoft's web browser so easily. All I can say is that I would never use it if there was an alternative.

Having said that, I can also tell you exactly why Edge is not for me. That's because every time I review the best gaming laptops, most of which use Windows 11 these days, Microsoft absolutely insists that I use their homegrown browser instead of Google Chrome, which is my preferred choice.

It's not the first time, of course, that the Big M puts me to shame at every turn if I have the audacity to try to download a web browsing competitor. I was just sent an Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED, which is a great little laptop that is a great little laptop. It's a cute looking little laptop, but within the first 30 minutes of setting it up, Microsoft had me clutching it around my back as I started the Chrome download process.

As The Verge recently pointed out, if you want to download Chrome or Firefox without sticking with Edge as your default browser, you may have to go through an extra circle of shame. According to the site, a poll appears asking certain users why they don't stick with Edge.

If you try to download Google Chrome from Microsoft Edge, you may see the on-screen poll in the latter browser's Action Center and be asked a borderline question about why you are abandoning Edge.

The poll begins with the message "We love having you!" and continues with the question "Can you please take a minute to tell us why you are trying another browser?" The following choices cover options such as "Can't search Google easily," "Can't access Google Docs," or simply "Too slow."

When I recently downloaded Chrome on this new Zenbook, this poll didn't really pop up, but it certainly seems to show up for other Windows users who don't want to use Microsoft Edge.

When it comes to the best web browsers, Chrome is not without its flaws. That said, I appreciate that Chrome has recently received some major upgrades (most of them beneficial), and I'm a big fan of the new download tray. However, I am a habitual Chrome user; Chrome has been my go-to browser for a decade and I have no intention of changing at this point. [Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome and has the added trust of Microsoft. I'm not going to start using Edge anytime soon, and your new excessive poll is not going to change that fact.