News: Software News

Thunderbird email support won't be extended for older Windows and Mac systems

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 18:41:51 +0000

Users of the open source email client Thunderbird who still run it on old versions of Windows or Mac will no longer get updates for the program from next month onward.

The team behind the email client announced that support will end as scheduled. This means that this month's Thunderbird 115.15.0 release was the last major release for those platforms.

Here are the details:

This affects Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and macOS 10.14 or earlier.
Thunderbird 115.15 is the last major release for the listed operating systems.
Thunderbird ESR 128 won't run on the systems anymore.

Thunderbird 128, the latest version of the client, is only compatible with Windows 10 and 11, macOS 10.15 and higher, and Linux.

Mozilla extends Firefox support, Thunderbird does not

Mozilla faced the very same issue for its Firefox web browser, but it decided to extend support. Thunderbird uses Firefox code, which explains why the makers of both products had to find an answer for the same question.

Mozilla decided to extend support. Firefox users who still use one of the listed operating systems will receive support for another six months at the very least.

The Thunderbird team offers three reasons for its decision to end support:

Usage is lower. About 11 percent of Firefox users use Windows 7 or Windows 8 / 8.1. For Thunderbird, the number is 6 percent.
The Thunderbird team has fewer resources available and extending support would take away resources needed elsewhere.
Microsoft ended support for these operating systems.

Clearly, Thunderbird's project team is much smaller than the Firefox development team. That is a valid argument. Six percent seems like a large number nevertheless. While there are no public usage numbers for Thunderbird, even a low figure such as 10 million users would mean that 600,000 are affected by the decision.

Thunderbird will continue to run after support ends, but the email client won't receive updates anymore. This includes security updates. There is also the chance that issues and bugs may cause certain features of the client to stop working.

This may not happen overnight, but since technology moves on, it seems likely that some features will stop working in the future.

Thunderbird users who cannot switch systems at the time may be able to access the email accounts on the Web. As far as email clients are concerned that support Windows 7 or 8, there are few. Postbox supports Windows 8 only, while MailSpring appears compatible with Windows 7.

Do you know of other email clients? Let us know in the comments down below. (via)

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

A concept designer's 'Windows 12.1' illustration demonstrates the minimalistic Start menu we've been begging Microsoft for on Windows 11 with less AI chaff

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:42:49 +0000

What if Windows 12 was everything you could have wanted in Windows 11 from Microsoft? A next-gen concept.

What you need to know

While Microsoft remains mum about its next-gen operating system, a concept design echoed avid Windows users' dreams for the OS in a new illustration dubbed Windows 12.1.
The concept features a minimalistic Start menu featuring essential apps with an interactive layout and functions.
The File Explorer features a sidebar with icons for easy navigation, and the taskbar adopted Apple's Dock-style for MacBooks.

As you might already know, Microsoft will discontinue Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. This decision is despite numerous pleas from concerned users, including a petition from a public interest group asking it to reconsider its decision and extend its support for the operating system.

The petition indicates that sending Windows 10 to the Microsoft Graveyard could lead to the "single biggest jump in junked computers ever," ultimately hurting its environmental and sustainability goals. Admittedly, Windows 10 continues to dominate the market share despite Microsoft's blatant attempt to lure users to upgrade to Windows 11 using full-screen multipage popup ads.

Microsoft's stringent system requirements for Windows 11 and flawed design elements are among some of the reasons preventing users from upgrading to the newer OS. The company has made it difficult for users to run the OS on unsupported devices, citing security reasons. It recently sealed the TPM 2.0 loophole, again preventing users from installing Windows 11 on unsupported devices.

Windows 12? What say you Microsoft

Microsoft has remained relatively mum about Windows 11's successor — presumably Windows 12. But perhaps it has bigger fish to fry with Windows Recall's security nightmare and the CrowdStrike fiasco that affected up to 8.5 million Windows devices.

I would assume that Windows 12's system requirements would be more critical and even require a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit) as the company continues to ship next-gen AI features to its Windows operating system.

AR 4789 is a concept designer well known for skillfully illustrating a utopia where the Windows Phone still existed running Windows 12. While things remain relatively quiet on Microsoft's front, AR 4789 recently conceptualized what Windows 12 (actually Windows 12.1) would ideally look like (via Beta News).

Two minutes into the 8-minute YouTube video, the clean interface and Fluent Design across the apps sold me on the entire concept. You can play games or even browse the web while installing the operating system on your PC.

Windows 12.1 also features a minimalistic Start menu, often called "comically bad" by Windows 11 users. The menu slims the clutter and only focuses on important apps with an interactive layout and functions. I didn't spot any ads, either.

The File Explorer is seemingly leaner and cleaner. It is fully equipped with a sidebar for easy navigation and drag-and-drop support. The taskbar also adopts Apple's dock style on Macs, leaving more screen real estate for other functions and uses.

As expected, Microsoft's headliner in its AI campaign, Copilot, also appeared in the concept. However, based on the concept presentation, it didn't seem like an important part of the operating system since the designer didn't dwell much on it other than highlighting its key functionalities.

Interestingly, a poll on Windows Central's website revealed more than half of polled readers didn't use the AI tool completely. Microsoft announced its plans to pump the brakes on shipping new Copilot experiences earlier this year. Instead, it indicated that it would use the time to improve and enhance existing ones. However, the company unveiled its next wave of Copilot experiences earlier this week with Copilot Pages and Copilot agents.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Microsoft improves Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025 hardware and driver compatibility testing

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:39:53 +0000

A few days ago, Microsoft seemingly revealed the release date for the Windows 11 24H2 feature update. However, after widespread reporting of the shared date, the company edited out that information and replaced it with something more non-specific.

Microsoft may have a reason to do so, or it could well be coincidental that the company will release a refreshed version of HLK (Hardware Lab Kit) for Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025. The initial HLK for the two OSs was published in March. Microsoft says this refresh is to address test Errata that were present in the original March HLK.

For those wondering, HLK essentially helps hardware vendors ensure compatibility and fulfill the driver certification process. Errata, in the context of HLK, essentially refers to bugs or issues that may cause the certification test to "fail" on perfectly compatible hardware or drivers.

The Windows HLK comes under the gambit of the WHCP, or Windows Hardware Compatibility Program. It is a test framework designed to aid hardware vendors and Microsoft partners in testing and ensuring the proper compatibility of hardware and drivers on Windows 11 and 10, among others, such that they can receive the WHQL or Windows Hardware Quality Labs certification.

In case you are unsure whether your PC is compatible with 24H2, Microsoft is not altering the system requirements for the new version, though devices running very old processors will no longer be able to bypass the requirements.

In its new Tech Community blog post about the announcement, Microsoft has explained how the Refreshed HLK will work:

Microsoft is pleased to share that we will release a refreshed HLK for Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 to[sic] in October.

This release of the HLK will contain fixes for test Errata which will help keep the overall test quality high while helping reduce triage time for known test issues. The refreshed version of the HLK will replace the RTM version that is available on the HLK download site. Partners can submit to WHCP using either the RTM version of the HLK for Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 or the refreshed HLK so long as passing results can be obtained (waivers acceptable).

More information regarding the errata has been shared too. The company has added that it is moving to this servicing model for HLK so as to ensure regular compatibility checks for drivers and hardware without the need for depending on Errata, which is certainly a good thing:

Errata that are fixed in the refreshed version are expected to be expired 90 days after the release of the refreshed HLK. As we transition into this servicing model, which maintains overall test quality and reduces dependency on errata, we acknowledge that the refreshed HLK may not address all scenarios. If any errata remain relevant after using the refreshed HLK, please contact CSS for assistance.

You can find more details about the new HLK Refresh Release for Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 here on Microsoft's official Tech community website.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Microsoft releases Edge 129 with deprecated CryptoWallet and OS requirement changes

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:39:01 +0000

Microsoft Edge 129 is now available in the Stable Channel. The latest major feature release introduces some feature changes, updates to the operating system requirements, security changes, and more. For example, the controversial CryptoWallet feature is now deprecated, and Microsoft Edge on macOS now requires version 11.0 and newer.

Here is the full changelog:

Fixes

Policy updates to allow wildcards. The documentation for the following policies were inaccurate and were corrected. These policies support wildcards (*) in URL patterns when being configured: ImagesAllowedForUrls, ImagesBlockedForUrls, InsecureContentAllowedForUrls, InsecureContentBlockedForUrls, PopupsAllowedForUrls, PopupsBlockedForUrls.

Feature updates

Update to Microsoft Edge supported operating systems. The minimum supported macOS version is increased to macOS 11. Users on older versions of macOS will no longer receive Microsoft Edge updates. For more information, see Microsoft Edge Supported Operating Systems.

Deprecation of the CryptoWallet feature. To improve end user experience, the CryptoWallet feature and the CryptoWalletEnabled policy is deprecated. The CryptoWalletEnabled policy will be obsolete in an upcoming release.

Web developers can check out new website compatibility changes, such as the deprecation of non-standard declarative shadow DOM serialization and the includeShadowRoots argument on DOMParser. More details about those changes are available here.

If you want to know more about the latest Microsoft Edge version, check out Dev updates for version 129. They include every bug fix and small change Microsoft has implemented over the course of the last several weeks:

Finally, the update contains three Microsoft Edge-specific security patches: CVE-2024-43489, CVE-2024-43496, and CVE-2024-38221. Two of them allow for remote code execution in specific scenarios, and one is a spoofing vulnerability.

In addition to releasing Edge 129 in the Stable Channel, Microsoft pushed Edge 128 to the Extended Stable Channel. The update contains everything new in Edge 127 and Edge 128.

To update your Microsoft Edge installation, head to edge://settings/help.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Microsoft launches a new browser extension performance detector for Edge

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:37:33 +0000

If you use a modern browser, you might have a number of browser extensions installed. While they can be very helpful for things like detecting shopping discounts or remote watching videos with friends, sometimes these extensions can adversely affect the performance of your browser and, indeed, your entire PC.

Today, Microsoft announced it is launching a new feature for users of its Edge web browsers. It is called an extension performance detector. This feature will begin rolling out to people who get the Edge Canary 130 release.

In a blog post, Microsoft stated:

Edge will start alerting you about slowdowns if extensions persistently impact your browsing experience. Clicking the alert will reveal more information about your extensions and the impact that each has on page loading speed. We will even give you the opportunity to disable the extension of your choice right there.

Microsoft adds that this new tool will mostly not alert Edge users. It will only go off if an installed browser extension causes persistent performance issues when using Edge.

If you don't get the latest Canary Edge builds but still want to try out this new tool, you can launch it at edge://flags/#edge-performance-extension-detection in a new tab or window. You can then select the Enabled option. You will then have to restart Edge to get the extension performance tool to start working.

Since this new tool is still being developed, people who use it in the Canary channel or get the tool early can send their feedback or questions to Microsoft. Just go to Settings and more (…) > Help and feedback > Send feedback. Also, if you are a developer of Edge extensions, you might want to check out this support page. It offers advice and hints about how to optimize an Edge browser extension for the best possible performance.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Microsoft's new Windows App for remote desktop access is now generally available

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:36:44 +0000

Back in August, Microsoft announced it would make its new Windows App for connecting to remote desktops generally available this fall. As it turns out, that GA release is happening today, a few days before the official first day of fall.

In a blog post, Microsoft announced that the app is now officially available for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and web browsers. It is also available for Android devices, but that version is still labeled as a public preview.

The new Windows App was designed to give both end users and IT admins a more unified user experience for any platform. It allows users to connect to remote, local, and cloud PC services such as Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box, and others.

Microsoft also says the new app allows users to customize their home screen and use features like device redirection, Microsoft Teams optimizations, support for multi-monitor setups and dynamic display resolutions. It is also supposed to offer users a quick way to switch accounts in the app.

Microsoft has also made some improvements to the Windows App now that it has reached general availability:

Device and app actions: Simplify device management with a variety of integrated actions unique to supported solutions.

Support for Windows 365 Frontline Cloud PCs: Enjoy extended compatibility for specialized use cases.

In-app feedback: Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop users can easily provide feedback within the app.

Account switcher for Microsoft Entra ID: iOS and macOS users can take advantage of easy account switching when using a Microsoft Entra account.

Relayed Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Shortpath: Experience improved connectivity and performance for remote sessions. For more information, see Relayed RDP Shortpath for public networks now available.

There have been some negative reactions to the new app's name before today's GA launch. Some people believe it will be harder to search for the new app with the Windows App name, and others feel it will be more difficult to offer tech support for some customers who may not be as experienced with PCs as others.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Upgrade your system to Fedora Silverblue 41 Beta using these simple commands

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:35:58 +0000

Earlier this year, I wrote an editorial recommending that people try out Fedora Silverblue 40 instead of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS due to the paradigm shift in operating system architecture in Silverblue. One of the big benefits of atomic updates, which Silverblue uses, is the ease of upgrading the system.

With the recent release of Fedora Silverblue 41 Beta, you may be wondering if it's possible to do an in-place upgrade, and the answer is yes, here's how.

The very first thing to do is to check for updates, you can do this through Software or use the following command in the Terminal:

rpm-ostree upgrade

After you have installed any updates, you'll now need to reboot before proceeding with the rest of the commands.

Once your system is rebooted, you'll need to do the rest of the upgrade process in the Terminal, so open that and type in:

ostree remote refs fedora

You should see the following line in the output:

fedora:fedora/41/x86_64/silverblue

To back up your current version, you can pin it to the GRUB with the following command:

sudo ostree admin pin 0

To remove the pinned deployment use following command (2 corresponds to the entry position in the output from rpm-ostree status😞

sudo ostree admin pin --unpin 2

Next, you just need one last command to rebase your system to the Fedora 41 branch, here it is:

rpm-ostree rebase fedora:fedora/41/x86_64/silverblue

Once done, you can reboot your system and start using Fedora Silverblue 41 Beta. If anything goes wrong, you can pick the pinned entry from the GRUB menu (press ESC during the boot sequence to access the GRUB menu), your system will then boot into that saved state and in the Terminal you can type the following command to rollback permanently:

rpm-ostree rollback

Let us know in the comments if you found this guide useful. Have you already tried out the Fedora 41 Beta? How are you finding it?

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Real-time Linux is officially part of the kernel after decades of debate

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:35:02 +0000

Now you can run your space laser or audio production without specialty patches.

As is so often the case, a notable change in an upcoming Linux kernel is both historic and no big deal.

If you wanted to use "Real-Time Linux" for your audio gear, your industrial welding laser, or your Mars rover, you have had that option for a long time (presuming you didn't want to use QNX or other alternatives). Universities started making their own real-time kernels in the late 1990s. A patch set, PREEMPT_RT, has existed since at least 2005. And some aspects of the real-time work, like NO_HZ, were long ago moved into the mainline kernel, enabling its use in data centers, cloud computing, or anything with a lot of CPUs.

But officialness still matters, and in the 6.12 kernel, PREEMPT_RT will likely be merged into the mainline. As noted by Steven Vaughan-Nichols at ZDNet, the final sign-off by Linus Torvalds occurred while he was attending Open Source Summit Europe. Torvalds wrote the original code for printk, a debugging tool that can pinpoint exact moments where a process crashes, but also introduces latency that runs counter to real-time computing. The Phoronix blog has tracked the progress of PREEMPT_RT into the kernel, along with the printk changes that allowed for threaded/atomic console support crucial to real-time mainlining.

What does this mean for desktop Linux? Not much. Beyond high-end audio production or replication (and even that is debatable), a real-time kernel won't likely make windows snappier or programs zippier. But the guaranteed execution and worst-case latency timings a real-time Linux provides are quite useful to, say, the systems that monitor car brakes, guide CNC machines, and regulate fiendishly complex multi-CPU systems. Having PREEMPT-RT in the mainline kernel makes it easier to maintain a real-time system, rather than tend to out-of-tree patches.

It will likely change things for what had been, until now, specialty providers of real-time OS solutions for mission-critical systems. Ubuntu, for example, started offering a real-time version of its distribution in 2023 but required an Ubuntu Pro subscription for access. Ubuntu pitched its release at robotics, automation, embedded Linux, and other real-time needs, with the fixes, patches, module integration, and testing provided by Ubuntu.

"Controlling a laster with Linux is crazy," Torvalds said at the Kernel Summit of 2006, "but everyone in this room is crazy in his own way. So if you want to use Linux to control an industrial welding laser, I have no problem with your using PREEMPT_RT." Roughly 18 years later, Torvalds and the kernel team, including longtime maintainer and champion-of-real-time Steven Rostedt, have made it even easier to do that kind of thing.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

What's new on File Explorer on Windows 11 2024 Update (version 24H2)

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:53:28 +0000

The updated version of File Explorer brings several improvements, and here's what you need to know.

File Explorer is also getting some improvements as part of the Windows 11 version 24H2. In this updated version of the file manager, Microsoft is rolling out changes to the context menu, tabs system, file management for archive formats and ".png" files, and a few other tweaks.

In this guide, I will show you the new changes to File Explorer in the latest version of Windows 11.

File Explorer new changes for version 24H2

Starting with this feature update, you will notice these changes on File Explorer.

Compression wizard

In version 23H2, Windows 11 introduced the ability to open and extract many archival formats (such as Tar, Tar, and 7z), and starting with the release of version 24H2, File Explorer is getting a wizard to create archival formats.

The wizard includes support to create 7zip, Tar, and Zip files, so there's no option to make ".rar" archival, nor is there an option to work with encryption.

You can invoke the "Create Archive" wizard by right-clicking the file, selecting items, and then clicking "Additional options."

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

This will allow you to create a Zip, 7z, or TAR file.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

If you choose the 7zip option, the compression methods include:

LZMA2.
Store.
Deflate.
BZip2.
LZMA1.
LZMA2.
PPMd.

For Tar (GNU, POSIX pax interchange, Restricted POSIX interchange, and POSIX ustar), the compression methods include:

BZip2.
Gzip.
xz.
Zstandard.

Finally, for Zip, the compression methods include:

Store.
Deflate.

The wizard even lets you retain the hard and symbolic links.

Also, as part of the extraction process, when a file conflicts with a file using the same name, File Explorer will automatically output a dialog box to skip or replace the conflicts for all the files.

Although you will have to click on "Show more options" to access the legacy version of the context menu, the modern version finally has labels for "Cut," "Copy," "Rename," "Share," and "Delete."

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

I know the icons actually describe the action, but it can also be confusing for some users. I admit this happened to me many times.

Thumbnail previews changes

Another minor update with File Explorer is happening with the thumbnail previews. While hovering over a group of tabs, the preview will now show the name of the tab in focus and the number of tabs in that particular instance of File Explorer.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

PNG metadata support

As it turns out, the original version of File Explorer never included support for viewing and editing metadata for ".png" files. However, you can now view and edit starts, descriptions, keywords, and more.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Home page section revamp

On the "Home" page, File Explorer is updating the sections within the page. In this new version, the "Quick access" section remains unchanged, but instead of different sections for "Favorites" and "Recent," Microsoft is combining these sections and creating tabs.

Furthermore, there is a new "Shared" tab that will show files that were shared with you, and if you use a business account, you will also be able to review comments in the files.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

If the tab doesn't have anything to show, you will notice an icon with a message explaining why you're not seeing any files.

As part of the Share interface changes, if you have an Android phone connected to the Phone Link app, it will appear as an option to share the content directly to your phone.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Furthermore, if you have an Android phone connected to the "Manage mobile devices" experience, you will able to access the phone storage as if you were connecting the device using a USB cable.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

You have to make sure to turn on the "Show mobile device in File Explorer" toggle switch on Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage devices.

Other recently added features

In addition to these improvements, Microsoft recently made some changes available not only on version 24H2, but they are also available on version 23H2.

For example, in previous versions, File Explorer included the ability to drag and drop files in the address bar to relocate the item outside the original folder to a new location within the path. The feature was suddenly removed, but it's now coming back as part of this feature update.

For the tab system, you can now right-click a tab and choose the "Duplicate tab" option.

In addition to these changes, Microsoft is also rolling out some under-the-hood and performance improvements.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

GNOME 47 "Denver" arrives with customizable accent colors and enhanced UI

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:51:41 +0000

The GNOME project has just released the latest version of its GNOME desktop, GNOME 47 "Denver". This is a pretty big update with the introduction of accent colors, various system enhancements, new open and save file dialogs, and improved Files, Settings, Web, and Calendar apps.

Aside from those changes, there are some smaller improvements such as a refreshed Disk Usage Analyzer, refreshed Wait cursors, vector tiles in Maps by default, improved app recommendations in Software, and public transport routing in Maps.

The headline feature in this update is support for accent colors. If you've used Ubuntu since it switched to GNOME, you may have already tried accent colors. This feature is now native to GNOME, instead of being bolted on after by Canonical. There are nine accent colors going right across the color spectrum for you to make GNOME your own.

GNOME 47 is going to be an important update for you if your computer has a smaller screen. It comes with optimizations for icons and interface elements so that everything looks better on lower-resolution displays. On these screens, GNOME will automatically scale icons to appear larger and more visually accessible.

One of the most common actions people do on their computer, no matter whether they're on Windows, Mac, or Linux is to interact with open and safe file dialog windows. In GNOME 47, users will see brand-new file dialogs that have a more complete set of features. The new dialog windows let you zoom the view, change the sort order in the icon view, rename files and folders, preview files, and more. These new dialogs also look and behave the same way as what you'd expect when opening the Files app, for example. the locations in the sidebar are consistent, and the search returns the same results in the same order.

One of the first Linux distributions that will ship with GNOME 47 will be Fedora 41, which is due to be released next month. Ubuntu 24.10, which is also due out next month, will also ship with GNOME 47. you can find the full release notes here.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Surface Laptop 7 gets big firmware update with many improvements

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:50:30 +0000

The Surface Laptop 7 has received a big new firmware update. It mainly focuses on resolving various issues and bugs, such as boot failures when USB-C ports are disabled, image distortion when waking up from sleep, better monitor compatibility, and more. Here is the official changelog:

Addresses a potential issue that prevented the device to Wake-on-Power (automatically start when they're reconnected to power) when connected via Dock3.

Fixes the issue of boot failure that occurs when USB-C is disabled using the SEMM tool.

Enhances the detection of certain Dell monitors when connected to a Targus docking station during power cycles.

Improves the identification of monitors connected via USB-DP when the USB-C port is disabled using the SEMM tool.

Resolves an issue with the Wake on LAN (WOL) feature that caused the system to automatically power on after being shut down.

Enhances the overall display experience by preventing the system from flickering and providing maximum resolution of the monitors connected to the Surface USB-C Travel Hub.

Addresses the issue with image distortion after the system wakes from Sleep mode.

Improves system stability which caused a bug check or system hang during sleep mode or transition between power states.

Addresses the problem that caused the occurrence of a black screen when trying to restart your device.

The complete list of new drivers in this update is available here.

Here is extra information about the release:

Supported Configurations	Surface Laptop 7
Supported Windows Versions	Windows 11 version 24H2 and newer
Update Size	453 MB (manual installation only)
Additional Steps	The update does not require extra steps
Known Issues	The update does not contain any known issues
Device Supported Until	June 18, 2030

You can download the latest firmware update for the Surface Laptop 7 from Windows Update. Alternatively, Microsoft provides an offline package, which you can download here.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Microsoft might just have delayed Windows 11 24H2 update release slightly

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 07:06:20 +0000

Earlier today, we published a report about the release date for Windows 11 version 24H2 that Microsoft had seemingly confirmed in a blog post about improved Copilot data protection. As per the post, the company was officially looking at October 8, 2024, as the release date for the annual Windows 11 feature update.

However, following such reports, the company has added an "Editor's note" to the original post that denounces this information. It says:

Editor’s note 9.18.2024 - The dates conveyed below are for our regular monthly servicing updates for supported versions of Windows 11 and unrelated to when Windows 11, version 24H2 will be generally available.

Aside from the editor's note, Microsoft has also edited parts of the article out that specifically had the mention of the "annual Windows 11 feature update release".

Here is what the original post stated:

When will this happen?

The update to Microsoft Copilot to offer enterprise data protection is rolling out now.

The shift to the Microsoft 365 app as the entry point for Microsoft Copilot will align with the annual Windows 11 feature update release. Changes will be rolled out to managed PCs starting with the optional non-security preview release on September 24, 2024, and following with the monthly security update release on October 8 for all supported versions of Windows 11. These changes will be applied to Windows 10 PCs the month after. This update is replacing the current Copilot in Windows experience.

Here is the revised version:

When will this happen?

The update to Microsoft Copilot to offer enterprise data protection is rolling out now.

The shift to the Microsoft 365 app as the entry point for Microsoft Copilot is coming soon. Changes will be rolled out to managed PCs starting with the optional non-security preview release on September 24, 2024, and following with the monthly security update release on October 8 for all supported versions of Windows 11. These changes will be applied to Windows 10 PCs the month after. This update is replacing the current Copilot in Windows experience.

If we were to speculate, perhaps Microsoft may have plans to delay the 24H2 general availability for a bit as there could be some issue, or maybe it is simply not ready to put a date on it yet.

The situation is quite similar to the recent Control Panel deprecation news where the company edited out mentions of deprecation of the feature after Neowin spotted it and shared the news. Hence, it looks like Microsoft has made a habit of speaking too much or too soon, lately.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

What's new with AI on Windows 11 version 24H2 (2024 Update)

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:23:20 +0000

If you're not into AI, you probably won't like this guide.

Windows 11 is getting its third feature update, and this new version isn't like any other, since it introduces a slew of new AI innovations we have never seen before.

As part of version 24H2 (2024 Update), the operating system introduces the new Windows Copilot Runtime, which makes it possible to run many of the AI features, such as Windows Recall, Live Captions, Auto Super Resolution, Voice Clarity, Studio Effects, and other AI features for some of the inbox apps.

In this guide, I will dive into the AI features expected to become available as part of the Windows 11 2024 Update.

What AI changes are coming to Windows 11 2024 Update

In this feature update, Microsoft is adding nearly a dozen features powered by AI, most of which work locally without an internet connection.

Windows Copilot Runtime

Let's start with the Windows Copilot Runtime, which is basically the heart of AI on Windows 11. It's a "layer" in the operating system that integrates more than 40 different AI models capable of running locally on the device.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Some of these AI models include Phi Silica, a Small Language Model (SLM) from Microsoft that offers many of the benefits found in large language models (LLMs). In addition, you will find models like Screen Region Detector, Optical Character Recognizer, Natural Language Parser, and Image Encoder.

(Image credit: Microsoftq)

As part of this integration, the company is also making available the Windows Copilot Library, which is a collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that allows developers to integrate AI capabilities into their applications easily. This library is always ready, passively running on the computer to enable the new AI features.

Although there are some AI features, such as Copilot, that are cloud-dependent, the Windows Copilot Runtime enables many of the features to run locally without sending any data to the cloud.

Windows Recall

Recall is perhaps the most anticipated and controversial feature coming to Windows 11 (version 24H2). The feature constantly takes screenshots of anything you're doing and uses multiple AI models running on-device with the help of an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) to record (literally). The feature then analyzes the content and context and stores everything on the device inside the new Windows Semantic Index.

Whenever you need to find something, you can launch the "Recall" app to search with natural language or use the timeline slider to scroll back in time. As you select the snapshot, the screenray will make it easier to interact with the content and copy text or images.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

You can also use the available controls to open the application or website, share, delete, or open the snapshot with the Snipping Tool.

The feature requires storage to store the snapshots and the index database. The default storage allocation is 25GB for a computer with a 256GB hard drive, and the allocation will increase depending on the size of the storage drive.

In the Settings app, the system adds a new "Recall & snapshots" page to control the feature state, storage, and filters to exclude websites and apps for participating in the Recall experience.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

It's important to note that Windows Recall won't track websites when using InPrivate or Incognito on Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, and you can use the filters settings to exclude certain websites you don't want the feature to track.

Although the feature can be useful in many cases, it's still controversial because it fails to gain users' trust. There are many questionable security and privacy concerns, some of which Microsoft has acted quickly to address.

Sure, according to the company, its approach to Recall follows the most rigorous security guidelines, such as using the Microsoft Pluton security processor, Windows Hello authentication, and device encryption using BitLocker, but there are a lot of things that don't feel right.

For example, Windows Recall doesn't moderate the information it finds during the snapshot process, meaning that any sensitive information will become instantly searchable.

When the company first unveiled the feature, the Recall data was stored on-device unencrypted for anyone to grab, but new changes to the feature will encrypt this data and require authentication to use the app to search any using Windows Recall.

You can learn more about Windows Recall in this article that I wrote detailing how the feature works.

Windows Studio Effects

Windows Studio Effects is a collection of features that uses the NPU to apply special effects on the webcam or microphone. This feature isn't entirely new, but now, starting with version 24H2, Microsoft will start making it broadly available for compatible devices.

As part of the effects, depending on the support available on the device, you can access Background Blur, Eye Contact, Auto Framing, Voice Focus, Portrait light, Creative filters, and Voice Focus.

You can access the features from the Quick Settings flyout using the "Studio effects" page and turning on or off the feature you want to use.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

You can also control these settings from Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Camera. Select the camera from the list, and the available features will appear in the "Camera Effects" settings.

Background effects include standard and portrait blur. Eye Contact connects your eyes to make it seem you're looking at the camera, and you can choose the standard or teleprompter mode.

Automatic framing zooms and crops the field of view to keep the person centered on the screen. Portrait light improves the lighting condition to improve viewability in low-light environments. Creative filters add fun animations and flares, and Voice Focus filters background noise during video calls.

The effects available on your device will depend on the peripherals and capability of the NPU.

Live Captions

Live Captions is another feature that has been around for some time on Windows 11. With the release of the 2024 Update, the feature is now powered by AI and includes live translations.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Live translation is an accessibility feature that aims to help anyone understand audio through automatic transcription and translation from any audio source on Windows 11. For example, live translation will work to translate a YouTube video or voice call.

Voice Clarity

Microsoft is also adding Voice Clarity, a new feature that uses AI to analyze and remove real-time background noise during conversations or recordings.

The feature works automatically, so there is no setting to manage it. Originally, this feature was reserved for Surface devices, but it'll be available as part of the 2024 Update without an NPU.

Since this feature will be available on devices without an NPU, it indicates that not every AI feature will require hardware for existing computers.

Auto Super Resolution

This is another highly anticipated feature. Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR) is a feature that will use on-device AI to upscale games to improve frame rates and image quality.

The feature works similarly to NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, and Intel XeSS, but Auto SR upscale games automatically without the need for developers to update their games.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

When the feature is turned on, Auto SR will process the upscale process to the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) rather than the GPU (Graphic Processing Unit). As a result, you will not only experience a better gaming experience but also energy efficiency.

The setting is available through the "Graphics" page, and you can turn it on globally on the computer or per application.

If you launch a game, and it's compatible with Auto SR, the system will show a toast notification letting you know that the support is available, with an option to turn it on from the Settings app.

Microsoft has also created a website with Qualcomm to list the games compatible with the ARM version of Windows 11. The page also shows whether the game is also compatible with Auto Super Resolution. However, at launch, less than a dozen games will be supported, including Borderlands 3, Control (DX11), Dark Souls III, God of War, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, and The Witcher 3.

It's important to note that Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR) is not the same as Super Resolution (SR), which usually refers to the upscaling technologies from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.

In relation to the Auto SR feature, Microsoft, in collaboration with Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, also created the new DirectSR, a new technology that allows game developers to integrate existing upscaling AI technologies into a single set of APIs instead of manually integrating each technology.

Restyle Image for Photos

The Photos app now includes a new "Restyle Image" feature that uses on-device AI to help you change the style of any photo using different photographic techniques, similar to filters you are used to using on phones.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

You can even use the text prompt to describe and instruct Photos on how you want to change the background and other parts of the image.

In addition, Microsoft is also bringing the "Image Creator" from the Paint app to Photos to convert a text prompt into an image with AI. This particular feature uses the Copilot AI technology to use the cloud to create images using the OpenAI DALL-E language model.

Cocreator for Paint

In addition to the "Image Creator" feature, the Paint app is adding "Cocreator," a new feature that scans your drawing and helps you create your artwork.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

You can use this feature with a text prompt and use the slider option to adjust the creativity intensity.

This particular feature uses a diffusion-based algorithm to draw a high-quality image with minimum effort on your part.

At least initially, Cocreator will be a feature for Copilot+ PCs.

Copilot app

In the Windows 11 2024 Update, the software giant is changing the Copilot AI integration with a new app instead of the side panel that slides in from the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

The app is actually the Copilot.Microsoft.com version of the chatbot AI wrapped around an app frame. The experience introduces a new design similar to the ChatGPT web interface with a left-side panel for your prompt history and other options, such as starting a new conversation, plugins, and notebook.

You can still change the conversation style with the option at the top of the page.

As a result of these changes, you can no longer use Copilot to change settings, the "Copilot" button is no longer part of the System Tray, and Microsoft is also removing the "Copilot" setting from the Settings app.

The company also plans to update the Copilot intelligence with OpenAI GPT-4o, which can process text, images, audio, and video as input and output.

Since Copilot relies on the cloud to analyze and process responses, it's a feature available to everyone, and it's not exclusive to Copilot+ PC.

Copilot suggestions

Although the Copilot app can no longer be used to change system settings, Microsoft is also introducing "Copilot suggestions."

Copilot suggestions will appear on applications when the chatbot AI knows it can be helpful. For example, in the Settings app, you may find suggestions at the top of the page to fix problems, enable features, and more.

On File Explorer, hovering over an image can bring up a Copilot prompt interface. You can use this prompt to ask questions about the image and take action, such as removing the background, creating a different image, or resizing it.

If you receive an email, you may see a toast notification with a suggestion to summarize the document attachment and more.

Important: The Windows 11 2024 Update has become partially available on June 18, 2024, for Copilot+ PCs, but it won't include all the intended features, including Windows Recall, as it has been postponed until further notice. In September or October, the feature update will become more broadly available for existing devices. As a result, some of the new features and changes may not be available to everyone on day one. Also, some features (especially AI features) may require new hardware to be available.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Microsoft Edge will borrow "a table of contents" from Google Chrome's playbook to declutter its settings and improve navigation in October 2024

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:19:04 +0000

Microsoft wants to revamp Edge's Settings page to enhance its navigation and user experience.

What you need to know

Microsoft wants to make Edge less bloated by decluttering its Settings page.
The company intends to add a new quick-access panel on the landing page for Edge Settings for easy accessibility and navigation.
Microsoft intends to compress its long list of Edge Settings options by grouping them into subsections like a table of contents in a book.

Recent updates

This article has been updated to reflect avid tech enthusiast Leo Varela's (Leopeva64 on X) chronological findings about the subtle changes Microsoft has been testing on Edge's Settings page to improve its user experience and navigation.

Microsoft Edge is arguably one of the best Windows 11 browsers. However, users have often placed Microsoft under fire for making the software bloated with "unnecessary" features that might not be useful in the everyday use case.

As it happens, Microsoft might be on course to fix some of these issues. As first spotted by Leo Varela on X, Microsoft is seemingly revamping Microsoft Edge's Settings page, making it more organized.

On the Microsoft 365 roadmap website, the company registered the anticipated changes under an entry titled: Microsoft Edge: Elevating top settings and improving settings page navigability. The company further details the steps it intends to take to make Microsoft Edge more user-friendly, including the addition of a new quick-access panel on the landing page for Edge Settings.

The panel will feature the most commonly used actions in the Settings menu for easy accessibility and navigation, allowing you to make changes and tweaks to your Settings configurations with fewer clicks. As highlighted in the entry, the changes are expected to start rolling out in October 2024 — but as is often the case, these plans may be subjected to change.

Microsoft also plans to bring one-click shortcuts for the most common options to Microsoft Edge's Settings submenus, including System and Performance or Appearance.

Finally, the tech giant also intends to compress its long list of Settings options by grouping them into subsections — similar to a table of contents you'd find in a book.

Browser wars continue...

Google Chrome on Windows (Image credit: Chris Wedel | Android Central)

Comparing Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome's Settings pages, it's apparent that the latter seems well put together and easier to navigate. Admittedly, for less tech-savvy users, it might be a tad difficult to identify the exact location of a specific setting in Google Chrome. However, it features a search bar with suggestions to meet this specific need.

On the other hand, Microsoft Edge presents its Settings page in a cluttered manner, forcing the user to navigate through the page before identifying the specific option they are looking for. Similar to Google Chrome, Edge also features a search bar to make the process less daunting.

Comparing Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge's Setting Pages side-by-side.

Microsoft Edge Settings Page(Image credit: Windows Central | Kevin Okemwa)

Google Chrome Settings Page(Image credit: Windows Central | Kevin Okemwa)

To this end, these are much-welcomed changes to Microsoft Edge's user experience and might perhaps present a new avenue to lure or get users to make it their default browser in Windows 11, potentially giving Google Chrome's dominant market share a run for its money.

Thanks for the tip, Leo Varela!

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

MSN Weather gets a feature that sends out alerts about unusual local weather trends

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:13:13 +0000

In your part of the world, you might have recently encountered days with long hot or cold periods, lots of rain, or even no rain. Are these big dips and rises really unusual? Microsoft now has a new feature in its MSN Weather service that is supposed to show how current weather trends compare to historical weather events.

In a post on the official Microsoft Bing blog, the company says MSN Weather now has what it calls the Climate Insights Engine. It uses decades of previous data about the world's temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind to compare the current trends in local areas to see if there are any changes from the norm.

If something in your local weather patterns does break from historical data, MSN Weather will send out a notification to you. Examples of such a notification could include if your local low temperatures are much lower than normal or if you have gone through a long period of little to no rain.

The Climate Insights Engine also has something Microsoft calls a Trendbuster, which predicts if a current local weather trend will finally end.

This is just the latest addition to the MSN Weather app and service, which has been named the most accurate global forecast provider by the ForecastWatch assessment company for the last two years.

In recent months, the service has been adding AI-based features that have made more accurate forecasts for global rain and clouds, along with better long-term weather predictions up to 30 days in advance.

Earlier this summer, Microsoft started testing changes to the pre-installed weather app in Windows 10 and 11. These included adding a Fluent-like design to the app's home page top bar, a new light theme, and a new Weather maps section with some new controls.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Intel releases new graphics driver with Frostpunk 2, GoW Ranarok support and more

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:12:38 +0000

If you have a computer powered by Intel's recent graphics (integrated or discrete), you can download a new non-WHQL driver with optimizations for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, Final Fantasy XVI, Frostpunk 2, and God of War Ragnarok.

Release highlights for version 32.0.101.6077 include the following:

Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for:

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Final Fantasy XVI

Frostpunk 2

God of War Ragnarok

Here are the fixed bugs:

Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics Products:

The Last of Us Part I (DX12) may experience corruption on certain reflective surfaces during gameplay.

Age of Empires IV (DX12) may experience corrupted lines on certain textures during gameplay.

Known bugs in driver 32.0.101.6077 non-WHQL include the following:

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

Diablo IV (DX12) may intermittently crash while toggling Ray Tracing settings during gameplay.

Doom Eternal (VK) may exhibit intermittent flickering corruption in the game menu and during gameplay.

Blender may experience application crash while rendering certain benchmark scenes.

Topaz Video AI may experience errors when exporting videos after using some models for video enhancements.

Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

Enshrouded (VK) may experience an application crash during gameplay.

Diablo IV (DX12) may experience an application crash with ray tracing settings enabled.

Horizon Forbidden West (DX12) may experience color corruption during gameplay.

Fortnite (DX12) game may crash while performing Alt + Tab operations

SPECworkstation3.1 may exhibit system instability while running certain workloads.

PugetBench for Davinci Resolve studio V19 may experience errors intermittently with benchmark preset set to Extended

Intel 32.0.101.6077 non-WHQL is available for systems with the following processors and graphics cards running 64-bit Windows 10 and 11:

Discrete GPUs	Integrated GPUs
Intel Arc A-Series (Alchemist) Intel Iris Xe Discrete Graphics (DG1)	Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) Intel Core 14th Gen (Raptor Lake Refresh) Intel Core 13th Gen (Raptor Lake) Intel Core 12th Gen (Alder Lake) Intel Core 11th Gen (Tiger Lake)

Download the 32.0.101.6077 non-WHQL driver here. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Fedora 41 beta drops Python 2 and adds new Miracle spin

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:10:34 +0000

The beta version of Fedora 41 is now available for all of its different editions, including Fedora Workstation, Fedora Server, Fedora IoT, Fedora Cloud, Fedora CoreOS, Fedora Spins, and Fedora Labs. All you need to do to try out the beta is head to the download page of your desired edition and then look for the Show Beta downloads toggle. Then, version 41 should be available, complete with a checksum file to ensure the veracity of the ISO file.

According to Fedora Magazine, beta releases are code-complete and closely resemble what you can expect in the final release. By grabbing the beta, you can test out the things you care about to ensure they work, and if not, you can report them and have them fixed by the time of the final release. Not only will you benefit Fedora users, but these tweaks will be pushed upstream to improve Linux in general.

There are quite a few notable changes coming in Fedora 41. One big change for developers is that Python 2 is being dropped, meaning software needs to be updated to support Python 3. There is also a new spin available called Fedora Miracle, which uses a tiling window manager built on the Mir compositor library.

Here's a full list of changes provided by Fedora Magazine:

Valkey replaces Redis

As Redis recently changed to a proprietary license, we have replaced Redis with Valkey. All software shipped by Fedora is open source and free software, in line with our Freedom foundation. If you are currently using Redis, see How to move from Redis to Valkey for migration help.

Goodbye, Python 2!

Starting with Fedora Linux 41, there will be no Python 2 in Fedora, other than PyPy. Packages requiring Python 2.7 at runtime will need to upgrade to a new version, or be retired also. Developers who still need to test their software on Python 2, or users of software that cannot be updated, can use containers with older Fedora releases.

Proprietary Nvidia driver installation with Secure Boot support

Although it can’t be part of Fedora Linux, we know that the Nvidia binary driver is pragmatically essential for many people. Previously, Nvidia driver installation had been removed from GNOME Software because it didn’t support Secure Boot, which is increasingly-often enabled by default on laptops. This change brings the option back for Fedora Workstation users with Secure Boot supported. This is good news for folks who want to use Fedora Linux for gaming and CUDA. The change also helps Fedora stay relevant for AI/LLVM workloads.

DNF 5 is here

In Fedora Linux 41, the dnf package management command will be updated to version 5. (DNF5 and bootc will be available on image-based Fedora variants such as Atomic desktops and Fedora IoT.) The new packages will make it simpler to build and update bootable container images based on these variants.

DNF and bootc in Image Mode Fedora Variants

In Fedora Linux 41, the DNF package manager will be updated to version 5. This release is faster, smaller, and better. (Pick all three!) You won’t need to change habits — the command is still just dnf, and the basic syntax isn’t different. As one might expect with a major version, there are some incompatible changes. See the DNF 5 documentation for details.

RPM 4.20

Under the hood, our lower-level package management tool is RPM, which also gets a new release, bringing new features for Fedora development. Users won’t see a direct impact immediately, but this update will help us make the distro better overall over time.

Reproducible-builds progress

A post-build cleanup is integrated into the RPM build process, making most Fedora packages now reproducible. That is, you can re-build a package from source and expect the package contents to be exactly identical. If this is interesting to you, check out Fedora Reproducible Builds for more.

New fedora-repoquery tool

Fedora-repoquery is a small command line tool for doing repoqueries of Fedora, EPEL, eln, and Centos Stream package repositories. It wraps dnf repoquery separating the cached repo data under separate repo names for faster cached querying. Repoqueries are frequently used by Fedora developers and users, so a more powerful tool like this is generally useful.

KDE Plasma Mobile Spin

KDE Plasma Mobile brings the KDE Plasma Desktop to a flexible, mobile format in Fedora 41 as a Spin. This promises to work on both phones, tablets and 2-in-1 laptops.

LXQt 2.0

LXQt in Fedora will be upgraded to v2.0, which notably ports the whole desktop to Qt 6 and adds experimental Wayland support.

New “Fedora Miracle” spin

The Miracle window manager is a tiling window manager based on the Mir compositor library. While it is a newer project, it contains many useful features such as a manual tiling algorithm, floating window manager support, support for many Wayland protocols, proprietary Nvidia driver support, and much more. Miracle will provide Fedora Linux with a high-quality Wayland experience built with support for all kinds of platforms, including low-end ARM and x86 devices. On top of this, Fedora Linux will be the first distribution to provide a Miracle-based spin, ensuring that it will become the de facto distribution for running Miracle.

If you want to try the beta, head to the download page of the version you want and click the toggle mentioned earlier to download the beta ISOs. Make sure you only run it on a non-primary computer so that you don't lose any important stuff. The final version of Fedora 41 is currently targeted for October 22, but this could change.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Microsoft reveals Windows 11 24H2 release date for all PCs. Is your system ready?

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 07:40:56 +0000

Earlier this month, a Microsoft senior official confirmed that Windows 11 24H2 was not yet generally available for all eligible systems in response to a report we published. While that may have been disappointing from the perspective of an enthusiast, the good thing is it should not be all that long before we get the next feature update.

In its recently published blog post about improved Copilot data protection, Microsoft confirmed when Windows 11 version 24H2, the 2024 annual feature update for Windows 11, will be released.

Microsoft wrote:

The shift to the Microsoft 365 app as the entry point for Microsoft Copilot will align with the annual Windows 11 feature update release. Changes will be rolled out to managed PCs starting with the optional non-security preview release on September 24, 2024, and following with the monthly security update release on October 8 for all supported versions of Windows 11. These changes will be applied to Windows 10 PCs the month after.

Thus it looks like Windows 11 24H2 will be out as a preview towards the end of this month as a C-release and the official general availability for all compatible systems will be on October 8th 2024 via the monthly Patch Tuesday.

It is noteworthy that Windows 11 24H2 is already available for Copilot+ devices and the October 2024 Patch Tuesday will bring to the remaining compatible systems. For those who may not be familiar, Copilot+ PCs (both Arm64 and AMD64) have a minimum criteria of 40 NPU TOPS.

If you wondering whether your PC is compatible with 24H2, Microsoft is not altering the system requirements for the new version, though devices running very old processors will no longer be able to bypass the requirements.

The October 8 2024 Patch Tuesday update will also see another major change. The company announced yesterday that Quality Updates will now be pushed during the initial provisioning (OOBE) on Intune-managed devices.

Besides these changes, Microsoft has also introduced a way to deliver cumulative updates via checkpoints, although it is causing trouble at the moment leading to MSU install failures.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Microsoft's Dev Home 0.18 Preview is out with File Explorer source control integration

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 07:39:41 +0000

Microsoft continues to update its Dev Home app which is targeting developers. While it is still labeled as a preview, the new 0.18 version is now out for Windows 11. It includes, among other things, a new File Explorer source control integration feature that's been labeled as an experiment for members of the Windows Insider Program in the Dev and Beta channels.

Here is the changelog:

Welcome to version 0.18 of Dev Home! In this release, we focused on adding File Explorer source control integration, code health, and quality improvements! Check them out:

Accessibility fixes

Narrator should now read out content when the "committing changes" dialog appears on the Virtualization feature management page in Windows customization.

Environments cards now have a higher contrast.

Changes

File Explorer source control integration is now available as an experimental feature in Windows Insider Program Dev and Beta channels. You can register repository folders using Dev Home to see source control content in File Explorer, such as branch name, status, last change message, etc.

When enabling an experimental feature, you can now navigate directly to where that feature lives

Project Ironsides has been renamed to Dev Diagnostics.

The WSL extension should now use your default terminal to launch and install distros.

Bug fixes

You should now be able to add a standard user account to the Hyper-V Administrator group when elevating using a separate admin account.

Navigating away from the dashboard should no longer crash Dev Home.

You can now create multiple Hyper-V VMs at the same time in Environments.

Errors have been fixed when creating a WSL environment.

Windows customization should now respect Dev Home's theme.

The SSH wallet widget should now update when the config file changes.

You can check out the full changelog and also download the Dev Home 0.18 app from its GitHub repository. The app is also available in the Microsoft Store and Windows 11 version 23H2 has the Dev Home app prebuilt by default.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

What's new with printers on Windows 11 version 24H2 (2024 Update)

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:56:02 +0000

Check out the new improvements that Microsoft is rolling out with the next version of Windows 11.

Although the Windows 11 2024 Update (version 24H2) focuses on AI features, the feature update also ships with non-AI-related improvements, such as changes for the printing experience.

As part of version 24H2, Microsoft is introducing the new Windows Protected Print (WPP) mode that ditches third-party drivers in favor of a new universal print platform that provides additional security improvements. In addition, this feature update introduces a new "Additional printer settings" section with options to rename and pause print jobs.

In this guide, I will show you the changes that Windows 11 version 24H2 is adding to the print experience.

Disclaimer

Important: The Windows 11 2024 Update has become partially available on June 18, 2024, for Copilot+ PCs, but it won't include all the intended features, including Windows Recall, as it has been postponed until further notice. In September or October, the feature update will become more broadly available for existing devices. As a result, some of the new features and changes may not be available to everyone on day one. Also, some features (especially AI features) may require new hardware to be available.

Windows 11 2024 Update new printer changes

As part of the 2024 Update, Microsoft is rolling out some significant changes for printers, including the new Windows Protected Print mode experience, and new options to change the name of the printer and pause print jobs directly from the Settings app.

Windows Protected Print mode

Windows Protected Print (WPP) is a new driverless mode in the operating system that introduces a new universal print stack that allows you to set up a printer without having to install third-party drivers and applications.

In other words, once the feature is enabled, connecting a printer will work without additional installations or configurations.

Since hackers have been launching increasingly sophisticated attacks on Windows's printing system (for example, Stuxnet and Print Nightmare), the new Windows Protected Print mode also focuses on improving security by implementing the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) for printing, which eliminates the need for third-party drivers, which can be vulnerable to exploits (especially old drivers).

It also restricts the functionalities accessible to the print spooler, enforces stricter controls on what code can be loaded during the printing process, and allows the XPS rendering to happen under the user's account instead of the system account.

The only caveat is that the new universal driverless print feature only works with Mopria printers, such as the Brother PJ-773, Canon DR-S130, Dell B3460dn, Epson AM-C400, HP DesignJet Smart Tank T858, and many others. The list of compatible printers is at mopria.org.

If you want to enable this feature, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, and click the "Set Up" button for the "Windows protected print mode" setting.

(Image credit: Windows Protected Print Mode)

As part of the setup process, the new feature will remove third-party drivers available on your computer. If you have a printer that's not compatible, you won't be able to use it until you disable the feature.

Starting with version 24H2, you have to configure this mode manually, but Microsoft plans to enable it by default in future releases of the operating system.

Pause print jobs from Settings

After upgrading to the Windows 11 2024 Update, you will notice that the printer properties page has been updated to include a new option to pause print jobs directly from the Settings app without having to open the Print Queue app or other methods.

If you ever have to stop a printing process, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, open the printer's properties, click on "Additional printer settings," and click the "Pause" button.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

You can always click the "Resume" button to resume printing from your computer.

Rename printer from Settings

In the past, if you had to change the name of a printer, you needed to complete this configuration from the legacy Control Panel, but starting with version 24H2, Microsoft is porting the feature into the Settings app.

If you must change the name of the printer, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, open the printer's properties, click on "Additional printer settings," and click the "Rename" button in the "Rename your printer" settings. Confirm the name and click the "Save" button.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

If you have a Copilot+ PC or another ARM-based device, Microsoft has confirmed that printers should work on these computers. Furthermore, the company even recommends Mopria-supported printers when available.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Microsoft explains why it'll push Windows 11 Patches right at the initial Setup on Intune

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:32:20 +0000

Microsoft has announced that it is introducing a new way to push Windows 11 Quality Updates on Intune-managed devices. The company says that the upcoming October Windows update for Windows 11 versions 22H2, 23H2 and 24H2, will be automatically downloaded and installed during the initial Out of Box Experience (OOBE) provisioning and configuration. The company says that such a feature was "one of the top customer requests."

It writes:

With the upcoming October Windows update, all Windows 11, version 22H2 and higher, devices that are enrolled with an MDM, e.g. Microsoft Intune, will automatically download and install quality updates during OOBE. This will apply to all MDM-enrolled devices, regardless of whether they’re pre-registered with Windows Autopilot or not.

The updates will be applied before the user reaches the desktop, ensuring that the device is fully patched before logging in.

For those wondering what Microsoft means by "Quality Updates," these are essentially meant to signify the Patch Tuesday updates that are released every Tuesday bringing mainly security fixes but also adding new features.

For example, the tech giant released September 2024 Patch Tuesday updates last week under KB5043064, KB5043050, KB5043051, KB5043083 for Windows 10; KB5043076, KB5043067 for Windows 11 22H2 and 21H2; and KB5043080 for Windows 11 24H2; and alongside these, it also released the OOBE update (KB5043939), but for version 24H2 only.

The company also published a Setup update (KB5043353), and a WinRE update (KB5043355) as well, also for version 24H2.

Microsoft has also detailed how the new update process during OOBE will work:

The new experience will look like this:

After the device connects to the internet and checks for updates, if there are available quality updates found, the device displays a message on the updates page stating that updates are available and being installed.

The device then downloads and installs the quality updates in the background, while showing installation progress.

Once the updates are installed, the device restarts and continues to the desktop. The user then signs in to the device and the device completes enrollment.

Due to this upcoming change, Microsoft says that the initial setup will take longer due to the downloading and installation of a Quality Update. As such, it recommends the extension of the validity period of temporary access passes (TAP) when enrolling.

You may find more details about the new change here on the Tech community blog post on Microsoft's official website.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Microsoft shares what to do when Office apps like Outlook give msls70.dll error

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:31:48 +0000

Microsoft has resolved two issues related to Outlook, Word, and other Office apps. The company has fixed a Gmail account sync problem on Classic Outlook. It has also resolved the typing-related bug which would lead Office applications to crash.

Aside from these, Microsoft has also confirmed that it is investigating a new problem related to missing msls70 DLL file error when the app is launched. It says:

After recent updates when users start Outlook, Word, or other Office Applications they may see the following error:

“The required file msls70.dll cannot be found in your path. Install Microsoft Outlook again.”

Microsoft currently is still investigating the problem and as such there is neither a fix nor a workaround for the problem. The tech giant recommends users to use OWA (Outlook on the Web) or the New Outlook to access their email.

The company has also detailed how users should open support cases for the problem. As Microsoft is still collecting information on the issue, it encourages affected users to discuss the issue on a Microsoft forum thread it has linked. The company is probably closely monitoring it to understand the bug better.

It says:

The Outlook Team is investigating this issue. We will update this topic when we know more about fix status. In the meantime, please use OWA or new Outlook to access your email.

For those that have support cases open, please collect the two sets of Office Logs below and share them with your support engineer.

Close all Office apps, and then zip up the logs in this directory and add to your support case:
Logs: %temp%/diagnostics.

Download the Office Deployment Log Collector, extract it to a folder, run it, and then add the zipped-up logs to your support case, Download Microsoft 365 Apps Deployment Log Collector from Official Microsoft Download Center.

For further discussion about this issue please go to the Answers forum thread Most of our users are getting repeated msls70.dll error in Outlook.

You may find more details on the problem on its support article here on Microsoft's official website.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Microsoft cut Windows 7 support on Edge, but Mozilla says "enough" Firefox users are using it to extend support to March 2025: "Backporting security fixes is already getting increasingly painful due to the divergence"

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:27:09 +0000

Mozilla is extending Firefox support for legacy versions of Windows and macOS until March 2025.

What you need to know

Mozilla announced its plans to extend Firefox support on unsupported operating systems until March 2025.
The company will offer two ESR (Extended Support Release) releases, including 115 for unsupported operating systems and 128 for Windows 10 and newer.
Mozilla argues "enough" Firefox users are still running unsupported operating systems, including Windows 7, prompting its decision to extend support for Firefox on old devices.

While it's apparent Microsoft is moving forward with its plans to cut support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, users can continue running Firefox 115 on unsupported devices, including Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, and macOS 10.12 to 10.14 as Mozilla has extended its support and will continue pushing important updates until April 1, 2025. Firefox 115.21 will also continue receiving updates until March 4, 2025.

For context, Firefox 115 is the last version of the browser that will run on the highlighted unsupported operating systems. This means attempting to install Firefox 116 on these unsupported operating systems will be futile.

In case you missed it, Mozilla announced its plans to extend Firefox's support on these unsupported operating systems in July. Before Mozilla announced the extended support, the company shipped Firefox 115 without mentioning whether it would run on unsupported operating systems, leaving concerned users in limbo about updating the browser.

Mozilla planned to cut support for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 in September 2024, but it changed its plans. The company offers two ESR (Extended Support Release) releases, including 115 for unsupported operating systems and 128 for Windows 10 and newer.

Cutting support for Windows 7 would have allowed Mozilla to clean up the code base and relieved it of the responsibility of maintaining newer libraries that aren't necessarily supported on pre-Windows 10 releases. Interestingly, Mozilla claims enough Firefox users are running Windows 7, prompting it to extend support for the operating system. Microsoft's Edge browser and Google Chrome already cut support for Windows 7, perhaps giving Mozilla a competitive edge with an untapped market share.

According to Mozilla:

"Continuing to support it past October isn't going to be free (backporting security fixes is already getting increasingly painful due to the divergence which naturally happens over time as an ESR goes further into its lifecycle), but there's still enough users there that we felt it was worth doing for now at least."

To this end, it remains unclear whether Mozilla will extend Firefox's support for these unsupported operating systems beyond the highlighted dates.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

AMD releases new preview driver with Frostpunk 2, God of War Ragnarök support, and more

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:24:40 +0000

AMD has released a new non-WHQL preview driver under version 24.20.11.01. It adds support for three games, expands HYPR-Tune support, and fixes multiple bugs. Here are the update highlights:

New Game Support

Frostpunk 2

God of War Ragnarök

The Sims 4 DirectX 11 Update

Expanded AMD Radeon Boost Support

FINAL FANTASY XVI

Expanded HYPR-Tune Support

HYPR-Tune support allows HYPR-RX to enable in-game technologies like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2.

Support has been added to automatically configure AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 with frame generation in:To compare the difference between Anti-Lag 2 On and Anti-Lag Off, hold the right CTRL key.

Black Myth: Wukong

Creatures of Ava

God of War Ragnarök

Support has been added to automatically configure AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 in:

Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT

Fixed bugs in the update include the following:

Intermittent driver timeout or application crash while playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Intermittent driver timeout or application crash when loading into certain maps while playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon RX 5700 XT.

Intermittent driver timeout or application crash during certain cutscenes while playing FINAL FANTASY XVI on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon RX 6600 XT.

Overly dark shadows or desaturated colors may be observed while playing Black Myth: Wukong when Global Illumination is to Medium or higher.

Intermittent in-game corruption may be observed while playing Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition Record & Streaming and HDR enabled.

AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition may unexpectedly initiate upon system wake from sleep mode.

Audio and video may intermittently become out of sync while recording using the AV1 codec in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.

Finally, here are the known issues:

Intermittent performance when entering certain areas while playing DayZ.

Intermittent driver timeout or crash may be observed while playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. Users experiencing this issue can disable Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in the Windows default graphics settings as a temporary measure (Settings -> System -> Display -> Default Graphics Settings).

You can download AMD's latest preview driver from the official website. Keep in mind that the release is a non-WHQL one, so it may be less stable than public WHQL updates. As usual, the driver is available on supported AMD graphics cards in 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 systems.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

Microsoft fixes classic Outlook unable to sign-in or add Gmail account due to IMAP

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 08:14:39 +0000

Yesterday we reported about a "Final Notice" mail Microsoft has been sending out to Outlook users before they lose access to Outlook email on certain third-party apps that do not have Modern Authentication.

Microsoft has fixed a synchronisation issue wherein a user was unable to sign in or add a Gmail account to classic Outlook. A "this browser or app may not be secure" message would be shown to the user upon sign-in failure. Otherwise, a "we weren’t able to set up your Google account with IMAP. You may need to make changes to your Gmail settings" message would be displayed.

The company wrote:

When you try to sync a Gmail account in your Outlook profile or add a Gmail account, you may get one of the following errors.”

“The browser or app may not be secure.”

Adding a Gmail account to Outlook, you may get this error:

“We weren’t able to set up your Google account with IMAP. You may need to make changes to your Gmail settings.”

Microsoft explained that the issue was a result of IMAP not being enabled on a user's Gmail account. IMAP or Internet Message Access Protocol allows a user to access their email from anywhere and any device. It wrote:

This error above can also occur if you do not have IMAP enabled for your Gmail account. Google is in the process of removing that control, but it is still there in account settings for some users.

Microsoft has shared that a fix for the problem has been deployed alongside the build and version numbers:

The Outlook Team released a fix that changes the sign in to open another browser window which addresses the issue. The fix is now available in the following channels and builds:

Beta Channel: Version 2404 (Build 17531.10000)

Current Channel Preview: Version 2404 (Build 17531.10000)

Current Channel: Version 2404 (Build 17531.10000)

Monthly Enterprise Channel: Version 2407 (Build 17727.10000)

Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) – TBD

Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel - TBD

The company has also shared how users can switch back to the Current Channel from an Insider Channel in case they had done so to work around the issue:

If you temporarily switched to an Insider Channel to workaround the issue you can use the same steps to switch back to Current Channel.

Set a registry key that enables a toggle in the backstage - Switching between Microsoft 365 Apps for Business/Enterprise, Current, Preview and Beta Channel (Office Insider) without re-installing. Go to "Method 2: Registry: InsidersLabBehavior".

Run a registry key that switches directly - Use a registry command to install Microsoft 365 Insider on Windows devices. After you run the registry key, restart Outlook then select File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.

You may find more details about the issue in this support article on Microsoft's official website.

Source

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Forum etiquette: A post that interests you enough for a comment, also deserves a reaction.

News: Software News

Thunderbird email support won't be extended for older Windows and Mac systems

Mozilla extends Firefox support, Thunderbird does not

A concept designer's 'Windows 12.1' illustration demonstrates the minimalistic Start menu we've been begging Microsoft for on Windows 11 with less AI chaff

What if Windows 12 was everything you could have wanted in Windows 11 from Microsoft? A next-gen concept.

What you need to know

Windows 12? What say you Microsoft

Microsoft improves Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025 hardware and driver compatibility testing

Microsoft releases Edge 129 with deprecated CryptoWallet and OS requirement changes

Microsoft launches a new browser extension performance detector for Edge

Microsoft's new Windows App for remote desktop access is now generally available

Upgrade your system to Fedora Silverblue 41 Beta using these simple commands

Real-time Linux is officially part of the kernel after decades of debate

Now you can run your space laser or audio production without specialty patches.

What's new on File Explorer on Windows 11 2024 Update (version 24H2)

The updated version of File Explorer brings several improvements, and here's what you need to know.

File Explorer new changes for version 24H2

Compression wizard

Context menu update

Thumbnail previews changes

PNG metadata support

Home page section revamp

Other recently added features

GNOME 47 "Denver" arrives with customizable accent colors and enhanced UI

Surface Laptop 7 gets big firmware update with many improvements

Microsoft might just have delayed Windows 11 24H2 update release slightly

What's new with AI on Windows 11 version 24H2 (2024 Update)

If you're not into AI, you probably won't like this guide.

What AI changes are coming to Windows 11 2024 Update

Windows Copilot Runtime

Windows Recall

Windows Studio Effects

Live Captions

Voice Clarity

Auto Super Resolution

Restyle Image for Photos

Cocreator for Paint

Copilot app

Copilot suggestions

Microsoft Edge will borrow "a table of contents" from Google Chrome's playbook to declutter its settings and improve navigation in October 2024

Microsoft wants to revamp Edge's Settings page to enhance its navigation and user experience.

What you need to know

Recent updates

Browser wars continue...

MSN Weather gets a feature that sends out alerts about unusual local weather trends

Intel releases new graphics driver with Frostpunk 2, GoW Ranarok support and more

Fedora 41 beta drops Python 2 and adds new Miracle spin

Valkey replaces Redis

Goodbye, Python 2!

Proprietary Nvidia driver installation with Secure Boot support

DNF 5 is here

DNF and bootc in Image Mode Fedora Variants

RPM 4.20

Reproducible-builds progress

New fedora-repoquery tool

KDE Plasma Mobile Spin

LXQt 2.0

New “Fedora Miracle” spin

Microsoft reveals Windows 11 24H2 release date for all PCs. Is your system ready?

Microsoft's Dev Home 0.18 Preview is out with File Explorer source control integration

What's new with printers on Windows 11 version 24H2 (2024 Update)

Check out the new improvements that Microsoft is rolling out with the next version of Windows 11.

Disclaimer

Windows 11 2024 Update new printer changes

Windows Protected Print mode

Pause print jobs from Settings

Rename printer from Settings

Microsoft explains why it'll push Windows 11 Patches right at the initial Setup on Intune

Microsoft shares what to do when Office apps like Outlook give msls70.dll error

Microsoft cut Windows 7 support on Edge, but Mozilla says "enough" Firefox users are using it to extend support to March 2025: "Backporting security fixes is already getting increasingly painful due to the divergence"

Mozilla is extending Firefox support for legacy versions of Windows and macOS until March 2025.

What you need to know

AMD releases new preview driver with Frostpunk 2, God of War Ragnarök support, and more

Microsoft fixes classic Outlook unable to sign-in or add Gmail account due to IMAP