1. you can use host file to block ads... that's the only good alternative, which also means you can just use another browser or use AdFender and make it work with windows Edge but some apps don't like the proxy thing so it's not something I would recommend. host file is good and it blocks things, what else do you want?
Yeah using host blocks everything everywhere, you can't choose what sites or not. but it's fine, it works fine and if you don't want ads you should try it. it's not like it does anything special, they are just many lines on host folder. if you don't trust the .bat file they give you, well you can do it yourself. Open notepad as admin, (or notepad++ which makes easier to add and delete and replace all these lines) then you go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
go to
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt
select all with
ctrl + a then you right click copy and paste on a blank space after all the lines Hosts have by default.
and that's all.
2. Help? why do you even need help, Edge is a simple browser, some people even complain about how simple it is. good is you aren't forced to use Edge, but it imports favorites from user/favorites but as a "Windows Store" app, the settings goes to
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\MicrosoftEdge\User\Default\Favorites
But you can do it inside Edge, create, delete, move, why do you need to see any help for that?
and if you want to massively move folders and files to one folder to another and delete massively, well, you can find the folder of favorites yourself (which I just gave you the path) But let's be honesy, most users don't need to see that kind of path, they don't need to move 100 favorites inside a folder to organize things.
3. "no help" again? oh wow...
Well they kind of said that, about albums and tags and such.
But like you mention it's "ONEDRIVE", if you go to OneDrive you can see how you can tag and make your albums and all.
Maybe you didn't hear this but Windows is a service now and they will eventually deliver this kind of stuff on the Photos apps.
I mean Photos app don't even have OneDrive photos to be shown by default, and they don't grab albums I have created, or Tags. so yes, it's incomplete but I can still do things on OneDrive site, for when everything is available and easily accesible through photos app.
But only because it doesn't do things now, it doesn't mean they will never do those things Microsoft talked about.
Again, go to OneDrive and check stuff yourself, everything is there, but it's not in photos app yet. so they just need to released someday.
Just like extensions which will give an AdBlocker eventually.
it's WIP, like it or not, now Windows 10 is not a complete thing and it will keep evolving. July 29th was just a stable release everyone can get, but it's just the beginning not the ending.
4. Well, some people will find good in Cortana, some people think it's amazing and useful. but you can ignore it and be good. like you said, for some people it doesn't add anything important, not a problem with that.
5. well like I said, Edge browser is simple, too simple some would say. but sometimes
you need to click and do more effort to find what you want. change Edge homepage to Bing? well... that's easy as just....
wait, you say there is no help? but
Change your home page - Windows Help -
shows you otherwise.
I know it's easier to complain, and complain more about anything, but sometimes a Bing search is not hard to do, for example type: "how to show libraries windows 10" and you will see a nice gif showing you that. and that's just a small way to get things done on Windows 10 if you don't know about them.
And of course the "you can switch browsers" is not a problem with Windows, you need to find what's best for you or what is less complicated for you. other browsers would have adblock or extensions to download videos easily (this is why I have a portable firefox on my computer), and easier way to manage your favorites, or anything. anything that makes your life easier and better would always be the best.
If you can't wait for Edge to get features and be cool like other browsers, then there are other alternatives.