Fedora-Asahi Linux runs on Apple's ARM-based computers. Specifically, you can now run the distro on all Apple M1 and M2 series MacBook, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and iMac devices. 

Mac Pros are not currently supported but will be in a future Fedora Linux 40 release, which also is expected to deliver OpenGL 4.x and Vulkan support as well as full Apple M1/M2 graphics support.

Programmers from the Fedora Project and Ashai Linux have worked toward this Linux release for years. As Asahi founder and project lead Hector Martin explained, "The Fedora Asahi project started in late 2021, and work began in 2022 alongside the Arch ARM release."

It all started with a plan "to bring full Linux support to Apple Silicon machines, across all distributions," said Martin. "Much of our initial work focused on the kernel and bootloaders, which can be shared between distros." Now, we finally have a full-fledged M1/M2 Linux distribution for daily use.

The Remix is based on Fedora Linux 39, which was released in November. This distro uses the Linux 6.5.6 kernel. 

For the desktop, Fedora Asahi uses the KDE Plasma 5.27 Long Term Support (LTS) desktop environment as its default environment. The developers said it gives you "a buttery smooth desktop, with absolutely no tearing or glitching, just like on macOS." Not a KDE fan? You can use GNOME 45 as your desktop instead. 

Both desktop options employ the Wayland window system by default. For compatibility with legacy X11 applications, it incorporates XWayland. It also comes with OpenGL 3.3 support, featuring GPU-accelerated geometry shaders and transform feedback. Thus, Fedora Asahi Remix 39 boasts the world's first certified conformant OpenGL ES 3.1 implementation for Apple Silicon, a milestone in graphics support for these devices.

This new Linux distro uses a custom Calamares-based wizard to set it up, ensuring a seamless initial user experience. 

Thanks to an innovative integrated Digital Signal Processor (DSP) open-source project, speakersafetyd, this version significantly boosts audio quality. The Rust-based userspace daemon provides a safe and balanced sound profile with full loudness and dynamic range while maintaining efficient battery usage. This is a big deal because M1/M2 Macs don't come with speaker firmware, meaning all the audio work must be done in software. Fedora Asahi uses the new Pipewire 1.0 streaming software to integrate audio and video. 

For users with server workloads or those interested in headless deployments, Fedora Asahi Remix also offers a Fedora Server variant. Furthermore, a Minimal image is available for those who prefer to customize their setup from scratch.

Fedora Ashai Remix 39 installation is straightforward. The Fedora Project also provides an issue tracker for reporting bugs, a Discourse forum for user support, and a Matrix room for talking with fellow users.

As with any new project, there are still some bugs. Even so, this release is a giant step forward in bridging the gap between Linux and Apple silicon hardware.

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The features are not new, as they have been announced previously by Google. When Google released Chrome 120 in early December 2023, it included information about proactive Safety Checks in the release notes.

Proactive Safety Checks

Safety Checks is a security feature of the Chrome web browser. Up until now, Chrome users had to run Safety Check manually from Settings > Privacy and Security > Safety Check.

It would then check passwords for leaks, flag extensions that Google considers dangerous or make sure that the browser is up to date.

When the change lands, Chrome will perform the checks automatically from time to time. Anything that Chrome finds while performing checks is highlighted in the main menu of the browser.

Google explains: "Safety Check for Chrome on desktop will now run automatically in the background. You'll get proactively alerted if passwords saved in Chrome have been compromised, any of your extensions are potentially harmful, you’re not using the latest version of Chrome, or site permissions need your attention. These alerts will appear in the three-dot menu in Chrome so you can take action."

Safety Check will also check if site permissions have been given to sites that were not visited in a long time. Google does not specify the exact time in the announcement. It says that the check will list permissions such as location, notifications or microphone and that users may revoke these then if they want.

The "check now" button is replaced by a "Go to Safety Check" button once the change lands. It loads a new page, chrome://settings/safetyCheck, that highlights the last scan results.

As far as privacy is concerned, it is unclear how often Safety Check runs and how often Chrome reports back to the mothership. There is no option to turn this off.

Memory of Tabs on hover

When you hover over a tab in Chrome, you see a thumbnail of the site in question. Soon, you will also see the memory usage of the tab when hovering over its tab.

You can enable the feature right now already in Chrome Stable, or wait for it to land automatically in the coming weeks. Check out the linked guide for instructions to do so. Note that this activates an experimental flag in the Chrome browser.

Google mentions Memory Saver in the announcement. The feature will free up RAM from inactive tabs in the browser to improve overall performance.

You find the option to enable Memory Saver under Settings > Performance, or by loading chrome://settings/performance directly.

There you also find an option to exclude some sites from this. These sites will never be put into sleep by Chrome.

Save Tab Groups and sync them

Tab Groups are a useful feature of any browser. You may use the feature to add multiple sites to groups. These groups can be collapsed and expanded on the tab bar, which helps with manageability.

A new change is rolling out in the coming weeks that adds a "save group" option to the Tab Groups menu.

The save options enables support for the syncing of Tab Groups between devices. This requires that you are signed-in to Chrome and have enabled synchronization in the settings.

Now You: what is your take on these changes?

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In less than two years, Microsoft will draw the final curtain on Windows 10 after a successful 10-year run.

That news shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The end date is right there on the Microsoft Support document that lists "products retiring or reaching the end of support in 2025." The schedule is defined by Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy, which is documented on the Microsoft Lifecycle page: "Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10, and all editions will remain in support with monthly security update releases through that date."

When a Windows version reaches its end-of-support date, the software keeps working, but the update channel grinds to a halt:

[There] will be no new security updates, non-security updates, or assisted support. Customers are encouraged to migrate to the latest version of the product or service. Paid programs may be available for applicable products.

That part in the middle sounds encouraging, doesn't it? "Customers are encouraged to migrate to the latest version of the product or service." Unfortunately, that's not a supported option for customers running Windows 10 on hardware that doesn't meet the stringent hardware compatibility requirements of Windows 11. If you try to upgrade one of those PCs to Windows 11, you'll encounter an error message. And Microsoft is adamant that it will not extend the support deadline for Windows 10.

If you're responsible for one or more Windows 10 PCs that fail Microsoft's Windows 11 compatibility tests, what should you do? You have five options available.

Option 1: Ignore the end-of-support deadline completely

You could do nothing at all -- just continue running your unsupported operating system and hope for the best. That's a bad idea, one that exposes you to the very real possibility that you'll fall prey to a security exploit. I don't recommend this strategy. If you're intent on doing so, consider installing the free 0patch agent to deal with any security issues that aren't addressed by Microsoft. That option is free for personal use, but for business or enterprise use, you'll need to pay for 0patch support at a rate that equates to a few dollars a month.

Option 2: Buy a new PC

Microsoft and its partners would like you to replace that unsupported hardware with a brand-new PC. If Windows 12 arrives in mid-2024 as expected, you might even be tempted by a shiny new laptop or gaming PC, which runs that next-generation operating system. But throwing away a perfectly good PC seems wasteful, and it's not an option if you're hanging on to Windows 10 because you have mission-critical software that won't run on the new OS.

Option 3: Ditch Windows completely

You could keep your old hardware and replace Windows 10 with the flavor of Linux you prefer. If you've got the technical know-how and experience to manage the transition, that option is worth considering. But for the overwhelming majority of consumers and businesses that have existing investments in Windows software, it's not a realistic alternative.

The final two options are more attractive.

Option 4: Pay Microsoft for security updates

You remember the official support document that I quoted earlier? The one that says there will be "no new security updates" after Windows 10 reaches its end-of-support date? It turns out that's not exactly true. Microsoft will indeed continue developing security updates for Windows 10, but they won't be free. Microsoft announced in December 2023 that it will offer Extended Security Options (ESUs) for Windows 10; these subscription-based updates will be available for up to three years. How much are these paid-for updates going to cost? Microsoft doesn't say, promising only that further details will be available "at a later date".     

Option 5: Upgrade your old hardware to Windows 11

That pesky compatibility checker might prevent you from upgrading your Windows 10 PC the easy way, but there are indeed officially supported ways to install Windows 11. You just have to jump through a few technical hoops.

You can find all the details in a Microsoft Support bulletin titled "Installing Windows 11 on devices that don't meet minimum system requirements." That document packs a lot of FUD into just a few paragraphs: 

Installing Windows 11 on a device that does not meet Windows 11 minimum system requirements is not recommended. If you choose to install Windows 11 on ineligible hardware, you should be comfortable assuming the risk of running into compatibility issues.  

Your device might malfunction due to these compatibility or other issues. Devices that do not meet these system requirements will no longer be guaranteed to receive updates, including but not limited to security updates.  

The following disclaimer applies if you install Windows 11 on a device that doesn't meet the minimum system requirements:

This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11 - these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren't covered under the manufacturer warranty.

[emphasis in original]

Don't be fooled by the language in the bulletin. As I've noted before, the document really doesn't say that Microsoft is going to cut off your access to updates; it simply says your PC is no longer supported and you're no longer "entitled" to those updates. That word is a tell on Microsoft's part, disclaiming legal responsibility without actually saying what it will do.

The installation instructions that allow you to bypass the compatibility check are in a separate support article: "Ways to install Windows 11." To perform an upgrade, you need to create the following registry key values:

• Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup
• Name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU
• Type: REG_DWORD
• Value: 1

You still need a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), but even an old TPM 1.2 chip will do. If your PC doesn't have that hardware, it's probably more than 12 years old and maybe you should replace it after all.

If you don't want to mess with the registry and you're willing to do a clean install, just create a bootable Windows 11 installation drive and use that option, which bypasses the compatibility checker completely. You'll need to restore your data files from a backup or from the cloud, and you'll also need to install your software from scratch, but that's no more difficult than setting up a new PC.

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The new Windows 11 23H2 images are now available for download with the latest December patches and fixes for Narrator during the initial setup (also known as OOBE or Out of Box Experience). You can download a Windows 11 ISO from the official website or via the Media Creation Tool app. For those unfamiliar, the latter can download ISO files or write them directly to your USB drive for clean installations or in-place upgrades.

Starting December 19, 2023, a new file is available to create an installation media to update to Windows 11, version 23H2. The new media does not encounter this issue and contains the December 2023 security update. It is available for download at the Software Download page for Windows 11 in the section “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices”. Guidance on installation can also be found at this site.

Note that the Narrator bug was only affecting the initial setup experience—it would work as usual after setting up a computer or getting to Windows 11 version 23H2 using Windows Update.

Fixed Narrator in Windows 11 ISO files joined a few other issues Microsoft recently resolved in its operating system. Those include broken Wi-Fi connections after installing the latest updates and all sorts of weird bugs with printers. Microsoft resolved the Wi-Fi bug with the Known Issue Rollback system, which does not require any action from end users. Fixing the printer problem, however, requires more effort: you must download a new troubleshooter from the official website and run it on affected systems.

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Earlier this month, Microsoft launched the stable 120 version of its Edge web browser. Along with the launch of Edge 120, the company has also officially released a major user interface redesign of its Edge DevTools. Today, in a blog post, Microsoft went over some of the changes and improvements it has made to the Edge DevTools app.

The development team started working on the redesign almost two years ago, because they knew that the app was getting "visually and conceptually overwhelming". The goal was to simplify the UI of the app so that it would be easier to learn and use.

Some of the design elements were put in earlier versions of DevTools, including a new Welcome tool, along with a More tools button so developed can open tools in the app more easily. The app also got an update so developers could move tools between the top and bottom toolbars.

However, the biggest new addition to Edge DevTools was added with the Edge 120 Stable update. It's called the Activity Bar. Microsoft stated:

First, each tool is now represented by an icon. Tool names still appear when there’s enough space to fit them, and on hover. The right-hand side of the Activity Bar is also a lot less noisy than before. Previously, DevTools would sometimes display up to 7 icons on the right-hand side. The error, warning, and issue icons now appear on the corresponding tool icon, and we’ve reorganized the customize, feedback, and settings icons into only two menu items.

The Activity Bar can be set up in the traditional horizontal position, but developers can also switch it so it becomes a vertical bar that's placed on the left hand side.

Microsoft is also renaming the ability to open a second tool next to one that's open to Quick View. Like the Activity Bar, Quick View can be used vertically as well:

With Quick View, you can use both the Elements tool and the Console tool at the same time for example. And now, if you have more horizontal space available, you can make Quick View appear vertically, to the right of the current tool. Just click the Dock Quick View to the right button in the toolbar.

The new Edge DevTools redesign should also make it easier for users to open, close, and move tools around. More info on the update can be found at Microsoft's support page.

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Today, via a blog post, Microsoft announced that Teams is now being used by over 320 million active monthly users worldwide. The blog added that "tens of millions more people adopted Teams this year" although a specific number was not announced. In addition, the blog post stated that over 2,000 apps are now available to download from the Teams store along with "over 145,000 custom line-of-business (LOB) apps built by enterprises."

Going forward, Teams and Microsoft 365 will support the use of Microsoft's Copilot generative AI assistant, which became generally available on November 1. The blog post says that enterprise users can extend the use of Copilot in Teams through the use of plugins. The blog post states:

A powerful way to create a plugin is to use Teams message extensions, which can retrieve external data, analyze and summarize information, and allow users to take actions via Adaptive Cards in Teams. Developers can now create message extensions using Teams Toolkit for Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code. For existing message extensions, make sure app manifests are updated.

The use of Microsoft Graph connectors can also be used to extend the use of Copilot, Microsoft says that in the spring of 2024, Lucidspark's virtual whiteboards and Lucidchart's intelligent diagramming will use Microsoft Graph connectors. The blog post states:

Information such as the content of Lucid canvases, the date the Lucid document was created or modified, the author, and other relevant fields will be ingested via Graph connectors to surface rich insights to users. Content ingested from Graph connector data will be linked in Copilot's references, allowing users to link back to the original Lucid whiteboard or diagram.

Not mentioned in the blog post was that the European Union began a probe in July of Microsoft's bundling of Teams in Microsoft 365 in 2023 for alleged anticompetitive rule violations. Microsoft responded by offering Teams on its own as a separate subscription in October, but this move reportedly may not be enough to keep the company from avoiding a possible fine from the EU.

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The company has included several new Intel processor models, both from desktop and mobile lineups. You can find the details about that in our dedicated article.

However, Microsoft has made no changes to the AMD list. While it can be argued that no new AMD processor has been publicly available since the last update back in July-August, it is still surprising considering that Microsoft added several newly released Intel CPUs from the Meteor Lake lineup that were announced a week after AMD unveiled its Ryzen 8040 and 8050 series. Much like Meteor Lake, these new Ryzen APUs also feature Neural Processing Units (NPUs), which are dedicated AI hardware processors meant for accelerating AI-based tasks and the upcoming next-gen Windows.

Hence, this also means that Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, which is AMD's first mobile processor with the 3D V-cache, is still not on the list, even though there are systems out there with this chip, and yet, Intel unannounced parts like the Core i9-14900HX, Core i7-14700HX and i7-14650HX, are already on the list.

What's even more surprising, perhaps, is that the AMD list still mentions the Ryzen 3 5380U despite the lack of acknowledgment from AMD about such a part existing, and yet processors that have been announced are yet to appear. A likely explanation for this could be that the certification procedure for eligibility has not yet been completed for these parts.

Moving on from x86 to Arm, the Qualcomm list of Windows 11-compatible processors also remains unchanged.

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Version 121 of Mozilla's Firefox web browser, released yesterday, has changes that affect Linux, Windows, and Mac users differently.

Unusually, this release has three different new features on the three main platforms it supports, and all of them depend on the configuration of your local machine.

There are some changes that affect everyone, though. Billed as an accessibility feature, it's now possible to tell the browser to always underline hyperlinks, regardless of the page designers' wishes. In the integrated PDF viewer/editor, a new trashcan button makes it easier to delete objects added to the document. Webmail users can set Firefox as their email client, and under the hood there are also changes in rendering that may affect web developers.

Windows wonks get more efficient video

On Windows machines, Firefox will now automatically install Microsoft's own version of the new AV1 video codec. We described the format thus:

AV1 is a relatively new codec that has a lot of people excited, in part because it's royalty free, but also because it's exceptionally space efficient.

Various tests have shown AV1 to be anywhere from 20 to 40 percent more efficient when compared to popular web streaming codecs, including H.265.

Mac mavens get the power of voice

On macOS, Firefox 121 now supports Apple's Voice Control feature. Voice Control appeared in macOS 10.15 "Catalina" in 2019 and allows macOS to be controlled using spoken commands. Although this is a valuable accessibility feature for those with disabilities affecting the use of their arms or hands, it's also useful if your arms work but are busy, for instance while working in a wet or messy environment, and being able to drive Firefox this way could be very handy.

(As an aside, Voice Control is one of two entirely separate macOS features that can turn spoken words into text, alongside the older and separate macOS Dictation functionality which has been around for a decade or more. This is oddly parallel to the situation over on Microsoft Windows, which also has two separate and independent speech-driven interfaces: Windows Speech Recogition, which works in Windows 10 and 11, and the newer Voice Access introduced in Windows 11.)

And penguin pesterers get native Wayland support

Firefox is the go-to web browser on most Linux distros, and here, if you are already running a Wayland-based desktop, Firefox 121 will render direct to Wayland without using the XWayland server.

Wayland is the next-generation display server protocol for Linux (and FreeBSD) desktops, which has gained major ground this year. Even version 5 of the Raspberry Pi OS uses it by default. Now Firefox natively talks the Wayland protocol to your compositor, a feature that has been around for a while but was turned off in most distros.

This is not purely a performance enhancement. It means better handling of trackpad and touchscreen gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom, sharper less blurry text on hi-DPI displays, and better handling of different DPI settings if you have more than one display and use different scaling factors on them.

In theory, though, it should offer faster rendering and less tearing. We attempted to benchmark it on Ubuntu 22.04.03, using the built-in snap-packaged version of Firefox, but the browser repeatedly crashed. However, in fairness, we had to force-enable Wayland because of an elderly GPU which needs version 390 of the Nvidia binary driver, so this isn't a supported or recommended config, and we don't think it reflects on Firefox at all.

Don't panic. If you're using a traditional X.org-based desktop, such as Xfce, Unity, or MATE – in fact, basically anything other than recent versions of GNOME and KDE Plasma – or any of the distros that doesn't use Wayland, such as Linux Mint, then the new Firefox will still render to X11, the same as ever. ®

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Microsoft has received reports of an issue in which some Wi-Fi adapters might not connect to some networks after installing KB5032288. We have confirmed this issue was caused by KB5032288 and KB5033375. As reported, you are more likely to be affected by this issue if you are attempting to connect to an enterprise, education, or public Wi-Fi network using 802.1x authentication. This issue is not likely to occur on home networks.

The beauty of Known Issue Rollback is that it does not require uninstalling updates or downloading extra files or patches. Microsoft can undo the damage remotely and deliver the necessary fixes to affected systems (consumer and non-managed devices) in about 24 hours. The company says you can speed up the process by restarting your computer.

Things are slightly different on the enterprise side, and users with managed devices must install the Group Policy called "Windows 11 22H2 KB5032288 231029_032011 Know Issue Rollback" to mend their Wi-Fi. You can download the Policy from the official Windows Health Dashboard website. More information about Known Issue Rollback is available here.

The problem with broken Wi-Fi connections affects systems with Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2 with KB5032288 and KB5033375 installed. It does not affect home networks, and the scope of the damage is limited to enterprise, education, or public Wi-Fi access points with 802.1x authentication. Windows 10 users are also immune to the issue.

In case you missed it, Microsoft recently fixed another Windows bug that was causing weird printing bugs and unsolicited app installs. However, that one requires more effort—you must download and run a troubleshooter utility to get everything back to working.

Source

According to a message published on the official Windows Health Dashboard website, the problem might occur after installing KB5032288, the latest non-security update for Windows 11 versions 23H2 and 22H2. Luckily for "regular users," home networks should continue operating as usual, immune to the latest bug. In addition, the problem should not affect systems running Windows 10—only the most recent Windows 11 versions were hit.

Microsoft has received reports of an issue in which some Wi-Fi adapters might not connect to some networks after installing KB5032288. As reported, you are more likely to be affected by this issue if you are attempting to connect to an enterprise, education, or public Wi-Fi network using 802.1x authentication. This issue is not likely to occur on home networks.

Interestingly, the problem allegedly lurks inside the update that resolved one of the most annoying long-standing bugs in Windows 11, so an attempt to fix File Explorer popping on the screen out of nowhere may result in your laptop not connecting to a Wi-Fi network on your work or university.

Microsoft says it is investigating the situation to see whether KB5032288 is to blame. The company plans to provide an update when more information is available. Meanwhile, universities and other establishments recommend that affected customers uninstall KB5032288 to mend broken Wi-Fi connections. Microsoft, on the other hand, asks users to send their feedback using the Feedback Hub app and attach additional telemetric data using the "Recreate my problem" option.

If you care enough and want to help Microsoft resolve the situation, check out this post to learn how to send detailed feedback to the company. Alternatively, you can undo the update as described here.

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Patrick Brosset
@patrickbrosset@mas.to                                                       Follow

AVIF support is coming to Edge, starting with version 121.

#avif #webdev #edge

December 19, 2023 at 4:09 AM ·  · Web · 0 · 11 · 13

It took Microsoft quite a while to deliver AVIF support in Microsoft Edge—the first traces of this image format were spotted in February 2023. For reference, Chrome became AVIF-compatible in 2020 when Google released Chrome version 85. Firefox received AVIF support in October 2021, and Safari joined the party in September 2023 in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura.

You can already try AVIF support in Microsoft Edge by downloading the latest Beta release from the official website. Head to this website to check if your browser supports AVIF. If not, the website will fall back to the JPEG format.

AVIF image format was developed by the Alliance of Open Media. The initial specification saw the light of the day on February 19, 2019. AVIF uses the AV1 codec and the HEIF container to deliver better compression efficiency and image quality. In other words, AVIF pictures take less disk space and display more details with fewer artifacts. Windows 10 and 11 already support AVIF—it was added in Windows 10 version 1903, which was released in the first half of 2019.

Microsoft plans to release Edge 121 in the Stable Channel on the week of January 25, 2024. Other changes in version 121 include a reworked update experience, with the latter moving from the browser's settings to the "Browser Essentials" section in the sidebar. Microsoft says that should improve discoverability.

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Long before Facebook existed, or even before the Internet, there was Usenet. Usenet was the first social network. Now, with Google Groups abandoning Usenet, this oldest of all social networks is doomed to disappear.

Google declared:

Starting on February 22, 2024, you can no longer use Google Groups (at groups.google.com) to post content to Usenet groups, subscribe to Usenet groups, or view new Usenet content. You can continue to view and search for historical Usenet content posted before February 22, 2024, on Google Groups.

Some might say it's well past time. As Google declared, "Over the last several years, legitimate activity in text-based Usenet groups has declined significantly because users have moved to more modern technologies and formats such as social media and web-based forums. Much of the content being disseminated via Usenet today is binary (non-text) file sharing, which Google Groups does not support, as well as spam."

True, these days, Usenet's content is almost entirely spam, but in its day, Usenet was everything that Twitter and Reddit would become and more. 

How it all started

In 1979, Duke University computer science graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived of a network of shared messages under various topics. These messages, also known as articles or posts, were submitted to topic categories, which became known as newsgroups. 

Within those groups, messages were bound together in threads and sub-threads. For example, a discussion about the best NFL quarterback of all time would have threads, that is, discussions, defending Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, etc. 

Does that sound like the online news forums of the online services of the 80s and 90s, such as CompuServe, GEnie, or Prodigy, or, more recently, Reddit and its subreddits? It should. Usenet was the model they were all based on. 

In 1980, Truscott and Ellis, using the Unix to Unix Copy Protocol (UUCP), hooked up with the University of North Carolina to form the first Usenet nodes. From there, it would rapidly spread over the pre-Internet ARPANet and other early networks. 

These messages would be stored and retrieved from news servers. These would "peer" to each other so that messages to a newsgroup would be shared from server to server and to user to user so that within hours, your messages would reach the entire networked world. Usenet would evolve its own network protocol, Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP), to speed the transfer of these messages.

Usenet, today

Today, the social network Mastodon uses a similar approach with the ActivityPub protocol, while other social networks, such as Threads, are exploring using ActivityPub to connect with Mastodon and the other social networks that support ActrivitiyPub. 

As the saying goes, everything old is new again.

Indeed, much of the vocabulary we use today to talk about using the net springs from Usenet. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) files, for example, started on Usenet as summaries of information about a newsgroup so the members wouldn't need to repeat the basics for newcomers. 

Also: I fact-checked ChatGPT with Bard, Claude, and Copilot - and this AI was the most confidently incorrect

Other phrases aren't as much fun. Flame and flame war, for instance, also started on Usenet. We've always been, I'm sorry to say, mean to each other. At the same time, we've also tried to be kinder to each other. The concept is called netiquette. Then, as now, it's always been more honored in the breach than in practice.

Spam also got its start on Usenet. While we all know Monty Python came up with the term, the first major commercial use of spam dates to 1994 when husband and wife lawyers Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel started posting ads for their immigration law services on Usenet. Mea culpa later, they would say my early articles about the Internet gave them the idea. I'm sorry!

Early on, Usenet was valuable for more than just enabling people to talk with each other. Linux, for instance, got its start from a now-famous message to the comp.os.minix newsgroup: 

Linus Benedict Torvalds

Aug 25, 1991, 4:57:08 PM

Hello everybody out there using minix -

I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons) among other things).

Usenet was never an organized social network. Each server owner could -- and did -- set its own rules. 

Mind you, there was some organization to begin with. The first 'mainstream' Usenet groups, comp, misc, news, rec, soc, and sci hierarchies, were widely accepted and disseminated until 1987. Then, faced with a flood of new groups, a new naming plan emerged in what was called the Great Renaming. This led to a lot of disputes and the creation of the talk hierarchy. This and the first six became known as the Big Seven. Then the alt groups emerged as a free speech protest. Afterward, fewer Usenet sites made it possible to access all the newsgroups. Instead, maintainers and users would have to decide which one they'd support. 

If that sounds like the kind of splitting up that happened after Elon Musk started after he put his stamp on Twitter, you're right it is.

Over the years, Usenet began to decline as discussions were replaced both by spam and flame wars. Group discussions were also overwhelmed by flame wars. While Elon Musk can claim that unlimited free speech is a virtue, it actually ends up with endless floods of vile messages. 

In many ways, Usenet is a warning about how social networks can go bad. All the same, problems we see today on social networks appeared first on Usenet. 

Many Usenet newsgroups, the so-called binary groups, don't have discussions at all. Instead, they're used to share files. Some of these files are legal, others… less so. More users probably use these groups to pirate movies, games, and the like than use the discussion groups for conversations. 

There have been attempts to reform Usenet. For example, after years of no oversight whatsoever, the Big 8 Management Board was created in 2020 to manage the groups themselves. Little has changed, though.

If, going forward, you want to keep an eye on Usenet--things could change, miracles can happen--you'll need to get an account from a Usenet provider. I favor Eternal September, which offers free access to the discussion Usenet groups; NewsHosting, $9.99 a month with access to all the Usenet groups; EasyNews,  $9.98 a month with fast downloads, and a good search engine; and Eweka, 9.50 Euros a month and EU only servers. 

You'll also need a Usenet client. One popular free one is Mozilla's Thunderbird E-Mail client, which doubles as a Usenet client. EasyNews also offers a client as part of its service. If you're all about downloading files, check out SABnzbd.

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It is worth noting right off the bat that Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge will not affect regular customers and their home computers running Edge (those have other things to complain about). MDAG for Edge is a special security feature designed for Microsoft Edge for Business, not home users.

Application Guard uses hardware isolation to ensure untrusted websites open in a contained environment and without access to corporate networks and their data. IT Admins can define lists of trusted websites and environments, with everything else considered untrusted and potentially unsafe. Clicking such a link opens a new window with a notification that Application Guard launched the website in a safe environment. You can learn more about MDAG for Edge here.

From the official documentation:

Microsoft Defender Application Guard, including the Windows Isolated App Launcher APIs, will be deprecated for Microsoft Edge for Business and will no longer be updated. Please download the Microsoft Edge for Business Security Whitepaper to learn more about Edge for Business security capabilities.

Of course, MDAG for Edge deprecation does not mean that the company is willing to leave its customers unprotected. The feature is still available, plus Microsoft has plenty of other security measures for its browser. You can learn more about them in the Microsoft Edge for Business Security Whitepaper (PDF).

As a reminder, Microsoft also deprecated Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office. In late November, the company published the notification, letting users know that MDAG for Office is no longer in development. Other deprecated features include the legacy console mode, the old Speech Recognition app, Steps Recorder, and more.

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Firefox 121 Stable and Firefox ESR 115.6 are the new versions of the Firefox web browser. All development versions of Firefox are also updated. Firefox Beta and Firefox Developer move to version 122 and Firefox Nightly moves to version 123.

Firefox for Android follows the versioning of Firefox Stable.

Executive Summary

• AV1 hardware encoding support on Windows with Microsoft's AV1 extension.
• Wayland is the default on Linux, which adds all sorts of improvements.
• The native macOS voice commands are supported.
• The new release addresses security issues in the browser.

Firefox 121.0 download and update

All new Firefox updates are available via the browser's built-in updating system. The update is installed automatically on most user systems in the coming days.

Firefox users who don't want to wait for this to happen can install the update manually. Once released, which happens on December 19, 2023, it can be installed directly from within Firefox.

Just select Menu > Help > About Firefox to run a check for updates. Updates found may be installed directly from the page.

Firefox 121.0 major changes

Wayland Compositor the default on Linux

Firefox uses Wayland Compositor instead of XWayland by default on Linux. Mozilla notes that this "brings support for touchpad & touchscreen gestures, swipe-to-nav, per-monitor DPI settings, improved graphics performance and more.

One limitation is that Picture-in-Picture windows require an additional click or a tweak. The PiP window does not stay in the foreground by default. The issue is discussed extensively on Bugzilla.

Full Extensions support on Firefox for Android

While this has been launched last week, it is still a major development for Firefox on Android. Firefox Stable is no longer limited to a selection of popular extensions. Developers may create extension for the mobile version of Firefox and all Stable users may install them.

This is a major development for Firefox and it could have a positive effect on the browser in the long run. A core reason for that is that it is the only major web browser that supports extensions on mobile.

AV1 Support on Windows

Firefox users on Windows may install the AV1 extension from Microsoft to enable hardware decoding. This is done by visiting about:support, scrolling down to the Media section and activating the "install extension" link next to Av1 there.

This launches the Microsoft Store page of the AV1 Video Extension. You may then install the extension from the Store to add support for hardware decoding in Firefox.

Restart Firefox and recheck the Media section after installation to confirm that hardware decoding is now supported.

Hardware decoding reduces the load on the processor, which may result in performance improvements.

Other changes and fixes

• On systems with macOS, Firefox 121 introduces voice control commands. The commands allow macOS users to interact with their computer using voice. You can, for instance, say "scroll down" or "click done" to get the computer to execute the commands. Apple's support page offers information about the feature.
• Firefox has a new "always underline links" option, which will underline all links that you encounter while using the browser.  You can enable this feature in Settings > General > Browsing > Always underline links.
• A new floating button in the PDF viewer adds an option to PDF documents to delete elements from it.

Developer changes

• Firefox supports the lazy loading of iframes in the new version.
• The text-wrap property was updated with two new values. Balance is used for short content blocks, stable to make sure that editable content does not reflow during editing.
• The :has() selector is now supported.
• The text-indent CSS property supports each-line and hanging property values now.
• The Promise.withResolvers() method is now supported.
• Data.parse() was expanded to support new date formats.
• The sendOrder property of the WebTransportSendStream interface is now supported.
• WebAssembly now supports tail call optimization via new return_call and return_call_indirect alternatives to the call instruction.

Enterprise changes

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Microsoft Edge allows opening links and images in new tabs by right-clicking them and selecting the corresponding option, dragging them to the tab strip, or pressing them using the middle mouse click, which is not available (unless configured) on laptops or tablets. Super Drag and Drop will add a fourth option: just click a link, a portion of text, or an image and drag it a little sideways, upwards, or downwards to open it in a new tab.

Dragging highlighted text will initiate a web search in a new tab, and, to our big surprise, it even respects your default search engine, neat!

Edge Super Drag and Drop is turned off by default, and getting it to work requires enabling a flag on the edge://flags page:

1. Go to edge://flags/#edge-super-drag-drop and set the flag to "Enabled."

    

   
2. Restart the browser.
3. Go to Settings and navigate to the Appearance section.
4. Scroll down and toggle on the "Enable Super Drag and Drop" option.

    

   

Interestingly, unlike Mouse Gestures, Edge's new Super Drag and Drop option does not let you configure website exceptions. The only available customization is a toggle to open tabs in the background (stay on the current page) or foreground (go to the new page). If you think Super Drag and Drop needs the exception list, share your thoughts with Microsoft using the feedback feature (Alt + Shift + I)

You can download Microsoft Edge Canary, Dev, and Beta from the official Edge Insider website. Preview builds are available on Windows 10, 11, macOS, and Linux.

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Quality updates released for Windows 11 this month FINALLY (yes, all caps) fixed one of the most infuriating File Explorer bugs in the operating system: coming to the foreground and stealing focus when doing completely unrelated things. Changing something in Settings, opening a notification, browsing the internet, and even playing games could cause File Explorer to appear on the screen for no reason. It seemed random, and it was nearly impossible to predict or replicate.

File Explorer by itself is kind of a trainwreck with its slow performance and other issues (luckily, almost every update brings File Explorer-related fixes), but this bug had me on the verge of going back to Windows 10 for quite a while. And I am not the only one—a quick search on Feedback Hub will show you dozens of frustrated users complaining about the same issue.

Microsoft resolved the bug in Windows 11 preview builds long ago, and it is finally available for all users in the Stable Channel. It took Microsoft more than a year to release the bugfix to all users, but it is better late than never. From the changelog for KB5032288 released as an optional non-security update on December 4:

This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. When you do not expect them, they appear in the foreground.

So here is a valid reason to install available Windows 11 updates as soon as possible. Users can finally work and play in peace with File Explorer in the background.

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Linus Torvalds has been working on Linux for 32 years, longer than many software developers have been alive. Surprisingly though, Linux, Torvalds’ earliest “hobby project,” arguably gains in importance each year, despite its age. It’s rare for any software to remain relevant for a few years, much less a few decades. In the case of Linux, its ongoing relevance isn’t an accident. Instead, it’s a testament to some key lessons Torvalds has learned and applied for years. He shared some of those lessons at the recent Open Source Summit in Japan.

Among those lessons: figuring out how to collaborate with others and motivate contributors to ensure Linux keeps evolving. These are central to Linux’s success and, indeed, all successful software projects.

Working with the Linux community

“People seem to think that open source is all about programming,” Torvalds stresses, “but a lot of it is about communication.” For a demographic sometimes characterized as geeky hermits more comfortable with ones and zeroes than social engagement, this is an interesting insight. “People are hard,” he says, but “code is easy.”

No software—and certainly no open source software—is ever just a lone programmer in front of a computer. In the case of Linux, “We rely on literally thousands of people every single release,” says Torvalds. Complicating things, “We have a thousand people involved and they’re not the same thousand people.” Maybe half of those people will “send just one patch, and a lot of them never show up again.” Managing those thousands who return, as well as welcoming the thousands who “have something small they wanted to fix that they cared about,” takes a great deal of social skill.

To do this well requires more than just software development talent, Torvalds goes on. “Maintainers are the ones who translate,” by which he means “the context, the reason for the code.” It’s hard because “people relationships are hard.” Maintaining parts of the Linux kernel, or any significant software, requires “a certain amount of good taste to judge other people’s code,” which can be partially “innate,” he says, “but a lot of it just takes practice…[over] many years.”

For these reasons, “It’s hard to find maintainers [and] it’s much easier to find developers.” Writing software isn’t as hard as incorporating software into larger, functional systems. That takes people skills, not just coding. So how have Torvalds and the Linux kernel community managed to interweave younger developers and their ideas with more established people and practices?

Rust never sleeps

Despite the seeming perpetual youth of Linux adoption, the Linux kernel community hit AARP status a while back. During the next few years, some within the Linux kernel community will be 60 years old. A few will be 70. That’s a demographic you’d expect to be maintaining Cobol, not an operating system that continues to be the heart of modern application development. With that age also comes experience and adeptness at separating hype from substance and consistently delivering exceptional code.

It’s not just the gray-haired set that ensures Linux marches on. As Torvalds tells it, “One of the things I liked about the Rust side of the kernel was that there was one maintainer who was clearly much younger than most of the maintainers.” Certain areas of the kernel, like Rust, help attract new, younger talent. “We can clearly see that certain areas in the kernel bring in more young people,” he continues. Drivers are another prominent example.

Torvalds isn’t swayed by some of the hype around Rust (“Rust has not really shown itself as the next great big thing”), but he’s still a fan, and not just for its technical merits. “Rust was one of those things that made technical sense, but to me personally, even more important was that we need to not stagnate as a kernel and as developers.” Rust has challenged Torvalds and the Linux kernel community to consider new approaches to old problems (and new approaches to new problems). It’s a way of feeding Linux’s fountain of youth and relevance.

This approach has worked for Torvalds for more than 30 years with the Linux kernel. Here’s to another 30 years of figuring out the social interactions that fuel great software systems, and how to encourage younger developers to bring their insights to evolving systems.

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To mitigate the issue, Microsoft published KB5034510 with the Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool. It can help users and IT admins fix the bug and get rid of the symptoms described above. Microsoft says running the utility will restore the correct printer metadata (names, icons, and more), remove the incorrect HP LaserJet M101-M106 printer, and uninstall the HP Smart app (if incorrect metadata is present).

You can download the troubleshooter from the Microsoft Download Center:

• x86 systems: PrintMetadataTroubleshooterX86.exe
• x64 systems: PrintMetadataTroubleshooterX64.exe
• ARM32 systems: PrintMetadataTroubleshooterArm32.exe
• ARM64 systems: PrintMetadataTroubleshooterArm64.exe

If your system is affected, download the file matching your architecture and execute it as Administrator. Microsoft recommends running the troubleshooter using the elevated Command Prompt:

1. Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and then select Run as Administrator.
2. In the opened command prompt, type cd /d “[path_to_downloaded_tool]” and then press Enter.
3. Type the name of the file appropriate for your device from the list below (for instance PrintMetadataTroubleshooterX86.exe) and then press Enter.

Affected systems will return the "Troubleshooter completed successfully" message. Microsoft says a user-initiated troubleshooter in the Windows Settings app will be available in the coming weeks.

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Copilot is an AI-powered intelligent chatbot that you can now find on almost every product and service that Microsoft has to offer, and it's a new digital assistant that appears in the Taskbar of Windows 11 that replaces Cortana.  

Microsoft has created Copilot to assist and make you more productive using simple and natural prompts. However, the capabilities will vary depending on the application. For example, on Windows 11 or the web, you can ask any question about virtually any topic using natural language, and the chatbot AI will be able to provide a comprehensive answer. However, on Windows 11, the chatbot can help you change system settings and other tasks without having to drill into different screens to configure a specific feature.

You can't get answers on apps like Paint and Photos, but you can use the technology to perform tasks, such as creating images with AI and removing or blurring the background of a photo with a single click. 

On Microsoft Edge, you also have access to Copilot, but unlike the version on Windows 11 and the web, you can access features like Compose to help you spark creativity in creating content and more.

It's important to note that when I talk about Copilot, I'm referring to the actual product and not to a single integration (such as Copilot on Windows 11) since the same chatbot AI with more or less capabilities is available across different products, such as Windows 11, Microsoft Paint and Photos apps, Microsoft Edge, Snipping Tool, and on the web.

In this how-to guide, I'll share some interesting things you can do with Copilot. Of course, this is in addition to the chatbot's ability to get comprehensive answers to virtually any question.

Microsoft Copilot skills you have to try

On Windows 11 and across many of the different Microsoft products, you can use the AI assistant to help you tackle your daily tasks with ease and efficiency, boosting your productivity, unlocking your creativity, and enhancing your understanding of information.

Change system settings on Windows 11

Although it's available with limited capabilities, Copilot can help you manage the system settings with a simple prompt. Instead of opening the Settings app and configuring a specific feature, you can ask the chatbot to change certain settings.

To change system settings, open Copilot (Windows key + C) from the Taskbar, click on the box, compose, and submit the prompt:

• Start focus session.
• Enable do not disturb.
• Turn on Bluetooth.
• Enable dark mode. 
• Set volume level (number).
• Mute volume.
• Change wallpaper.
• Snap windows.
• Manage devices.
• Take a screenshot.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Since this feature is still limited, you can ask to change any configuration. If the assistant can't complete the task, you may receive written instructions on proceeding with the changes.

As with any technology, this skill is expected to improve over time. In the future, new advances should allow the assistant to change more settings and perform more complex tasks.

Launch applications on Windows 11

If you're already interacting with Copilot, instead of reaching for the Start menu, you can ask the assistant to launch virtually any app you have installed on the computer. 

To launch an app, open Copilot from the Taskbar, click on the box, compose, and submit the prompt: For example, "Open Word."

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Since the chatbot can make more sense of natural language, you can use different variants of the action as long the action is clear. For instance, launch Excel, start Microsoft Edge, open Firefox, etc. (You can also have to confirm the prompt to launch the app.)

Use voice to interact with Copilot

Another Copilot skill you're probably not using is voice. Instead of typing the question or the action you want, it's possible to use natural language with voice. 

To use voice to interact with chatbot AI, open Copilot, click the microphone button, and ask a question for Copilot using voice.

(Image credit: Mauro Hucualk)

An interesting part of the feature is that Copilot will answer questions using voice.

Image search on Windows 11

You're not limited to text and voice prompts. You can also upload images to Copilot to learn more information.

To upload an image to Copilot, drag and drop the image into the search prompt, compose the question you want to know about the image, and click the "Submit" button.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Alternatively, you can click the "Add an image" button in the bottom-left corner of the prompt box, paste the link to the image, or use the available option to select an image from your computer.

Once you receive the answer, you can continue asking additional questions.

Remove background and create AI images in Paint

Copilot is not only available from the Taskbar. Microsoft is integrating it into many of its products, such as in the Paint and Photos app.

The company isn't adding a Copilot option per se in the Microsoft Paint app. Instead, it's building AI features that use the Copilot technologies. For example, it's now possible to remove the background of an image with a single click, and there's a feature known as "Cocreator" that allows you to create pictures with AI. 

To remove the background of an image, open Microsoft Paint from the Start menu and open an image from the File menu (Ctrl + O). Click the "Remove background" button from the "Image" tools, and the feature will scan the picture and remove the background automatically.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

If you only want to remove part of the background, use the selection tool, select the area, and click the "Remove background" button from the "Image" tools.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

To create an image with Cocreator, pen Microsoft Paint from the Start menu and click the "Cocreator" button. In the prompt box, compose a description of the image you want to create. The secret to using this feature is to provide as many details as possible to get a more accurate result. 

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Use the available settings to choose the style for the image. The options include Charcoal, Ink Sketch, Watercolour, Oil Painting, Digital Art, Photorealistic, Anime, and Pixel Art.

Once you're done with the description and selecting the style, click the "Create" button. The AI will create four variants of the image that you can choose from to add to your Paint project. 

It's important to note that you must be signed with your Microsoft account in Pain to use the feature. Also, since running the AI model costs energy and money, you only get 50 tokens to create images.

Background blur, remove, replace in Photos

The Photos app also integrates several AI features, including the ability to remove the background of an image, which is similar to the feature available in the Paint app. It's also possible to add blur to the background of a picture, and you can replace the background entirely.

To blur the background of a picture, open the Photos app, right-click an image, and choose the "Edit" option. In the editor, click the "Background" button and the "Blur" option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

When performing this action, the feature will scan the image to identify and blur the background. You can also use the available setting to control the blur intensity. The brush tools allow you to blur the image manually.

To remove the background of a picture, open the Photos app, right-click an image, and choose the "Edit" option. In the editor, click the "Background" button and the "Remove" option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

When performing this action, the feature will scan and remove the background automatically.

To change the image background, open the Photos app, right-click an image, and choose the "Edit" option. In the editor, click the "Background" button and the "Replace" option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

When performing this action, the feature will scan, separate the main objects, and replace the background with a solid colour, which you can change to any value. The brush tools allow you to remove the background manually.

Summarize web pages with Copilot on Edge

On Windows 11, Microsoft Edge also has a dedicated Copilot experience, which, among other functionalities, is capable of summarizing web pages to make the content faster to digest while doing away with the jargon.

To summarize content with Copilot, open Microsoft Edge and open the website with the content to analyze. Once on the page, click the "Copilot" button from the top right, and in the prompt box, request the chatbot to summarize the content. For example, "Summarize this page."

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Since the integration of Copilot on Windows 11 is heavily tied to Microsoft Edge, you can also open "Copilot" from the Taskbar and ask the assistant to summarize the web page. For example, you can query the chatbot to "Summarize the current tab open on Microsoft Edge."

After you complete the steps, the chatbot will analyze the page and create a summary of the content.

Compose content with Copilot on Edge

The version of Copilot on Microsoft Edge also comes with "Compose," which allows you to quickly create different types of content (such as emails, articles, ideas, or paragraphs). You will find this feature helpful in crafting professional emails, cover letters, and similar content.

To compose content with Copilot, open Microsoft Edge, click the "Copilot" button from the top right, and click the "Compose" tab.

In the "Write about" section, type the details of the content to create. For example, "Write a cover letter for an AI research position at Google, and highlight that I have over five years of experience working on Microsoft."

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

The version of Copilot on Microsoft Edge also comes with "Compose," which allows you to quickly create different types of content (such as emails, articles, ideas, or paragraphs). You will find this feature helpful in crafting professional emails, cover letters, and similar content.

To compose content with Copilot, open Microsoft Edge, click the "Copilot" button from the top right, and click the "Compose" tab.

In the "Write about" section, type the details of the content to create. For example, "Write a cover letter for an AI research position at Google, and highlight that I have over five years of experience working on Microsoft."

Continue selecting one of the available tones, including "Professional," "Casual," "Enthusiastic," "Informational," and "Funny," in the "Tone" section.

In the "Format" section, choose one of the available formats, including "Paragraph," "Email," "Blog post," or "Ideas." Continue selecting the length options, including "Short," "Medium," or "Long," in the "Length" section.

Finally, click the "Generate draft" button and preview the result at the bottom of the page.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Once you complete the steps, copy the content to the word editor to further tweak the text, check for mistakes, and make it yours.

Organize tabs on Microsoft Edge

As part of the Copilot capabilities available on Microsoft Edge, you can also use the chatbot to help you organize your tabs in the browser. 

To organize your tabs, open Microsoft Edge, and when you have a bunch of tabs open, click the "Copilot" button and type the following prompt: "Organize my tabs." 

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Finally, review groups by clicking the "Group tabs" button.

Also, you can use the "Turn on vertical tabs" prompt to enable vertical tabs. 

Extract text from images with AI on Snipping Tool

The Snipping Tool also includes AI enhancements that allow you to extract text from screenshots.

To extract text from images, open the Snipping Tool and take a screenshot of a picture with the content you want to extract. Click the "Take Actions" button to analyze the image to detect any available text. 

The feature will give you the "Copy all text" option to copy a piece of text in the image, or you can select, right-click the selection, and choose the "Copy text" option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Once in the clipboard, you can paste the text on any application.

In addition to extracting text, the Snipping Tool can also help you redact sensitive information, such as email addresses and phone numbers. You can use these steps to learn more about the AI features available with this app.

Access Copilot on the web 

Finally, since Microsoft refers to Copilot as its AI technology, you probably didn't know it's possible to access the chatbot from the dedicated web application. 

To access Copilot on the web, you have to open Copilot.Microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft account. In this experience, you can interact with chatbot AI virtually in the same way you can on Windows 11, Microsoft Edge, and Bing Chat. The only difference is that you won't be able to change system settings on Windows 11 and won't have access to other specific features like Compose and Insights on Microsoft Edge.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

If you don't want to access the chatbot from the side panel on Windows 11, you can install the web version as a web app on your computer. To install Copilot as a web app, open the chatbot website, click on the "Settings and more" (three dots) button, choose "Apps," and select the "install this site as an app" option. 

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Finally, click the "Install" button to use Copilot (web) and a regular app.

Copilot on Microsoft Shopping (extra)

Furthermore, you can also use Copilot to shop online since the company has also integrated its chatbot into its Microsoft Shopping experience. 

When shopping online, you can interact with Copilot to speed up finding products or the perfect gift for that person using a starting query and continuing with follow-up questions to help you narrow down ideas to find the best product at the best price.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

You can use these instructions to use Copilot on Microsoft Shopping.

Microsoft is also working on bringing plugins to extend the functionality of Copilot, but it's still a work in progress, and it's not yet available (at least not to me). 

You can think of plugins as gateways allowing the chatbot to interface with other third-party services. For instance, you may one day be able to ask Copilot to book a hotel room or order a pizza, and then the chatbot will complete the process automatically.

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Microsoft did introduce new Telemetry almost silently. The only reference is found under "new policies".

Windows 11 users who run Microsoft Edge may enable support for the operating system's visual effects in Microsoft Edge. The feature is available as an experimental flag at the time of writing. Users need to enable it manually before the change becomes visible in Edge.

Microsoft introduced the Mica design when it launched Windows 11. Microsoft Edge did support it previously, but Microsoft pulled it after users started to report performance issues related to the design.

Enabling Windows 11 visual effects in title bar and toolbar in Microsoft Edge

Here is a step-by-step guide on enabling the visual facelift in Microsoft Edge. Please note that this is only having an effect on Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system and not any of the other systems Edge is available on.

1. Select Menu (three dots) > Help & Feedback > About Microsoft Edge.
2. Install any update that is found. The version needs to be at least 120.0.2210.77.
3. Load edge://flags/#edge-visual-rejuv-mica in the address bar of the Edge web browser.
4. Change the state of Show Windows 11 visual effects in title bar and toolbar to Enabled.
5. Restart the browser.

Edge applies the visual effects of the Windows 11 operating system automatically.

Microsoft describes Mica in the following way: "Mica is an opaque, dynamic material that incorporates theme and desktop wallpaper to paint the background of long-lived windows such as apps and settings."

Note: if you notice performance issue after enabling the design in Microsoft Edge for Windows 11, repeat the steps outlined above but set the state of the feature to Default or Disabled. This restores the original design in Edge.

Verify that the Mica design is enabled

Here is how you can verify that visual effects of Windows 11 are supported by Microsoft Edge:

1. Load edge://settings/appearance in the address bar of the Edge browser.
2. Scroll down until you find "Show Windows 11 visual effects in title bar and toolbar (Preview)".
3. There is a toggle that determines if the feature is enabled or not.

If you do not see the option, Mica is not enabled in Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft provides a description of what the setting does in Edge on Windows 11: "Adds Mica effect to the title bar and toolbar backgrounds when using the default theme. This functionality depends on your device and Windows settings. We're still working on this feature, so you may experience some performance issues."

Closing Words

Microsoft relaunched support for Windows 11's Mica design as a preview in Microsoft Edge 120. The company admits that users may experience performance issues after enabling the feature. Users who enable the feature and notice these issues may disable it again to restore the status quo.

Now You: do you use Microsoft Edge regularly or sporadically? (via Windows Area)

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Microsoft has yet to comment on the situation. Still, it does not seem like another blown-out-of-proportion report. Some universities have already published their advisories, recommending customers roll back KB5033375.

The University of New Haven openly blames the latest Windows update for breaking wireless networks and suggests uninstalling it (spotted by Windows Latest):

A recent Windows update released on 12/12/2023 has caused users to not be able to connect to the wireless networks. This update is known as KB5033375. Please click here to learn how to uninstall this update and be able to connect to ChargerWiFi on your windows computer.

The University of Brunel London published a similar article on its website:

If you have a Windows 10 or 11 laptop, and recently downloaded a Microsoft update, you may have difficulty accessing the WiFi on campus. If you have exams next week which require you to use your laptop on campus, please follow the instructions below to uninstall the update.

Another university in Belgium experienced the same problem, and a local "IT guy" said turning off 802.11r (a standard that enables a seamless transition from one access point to another) resolved the issue. You can find more information on the official Microsoft Community forum.

As a reminder, here is how to uninstall a Windows update in Windows 11:

1. Open Settings and Click "Windows Update."
2. Go to the "Update History" section and check if your system contains the update you want to uninstall. Look under the "Quality Updates" section.
3. Click "Uninstall Updates."

    

   
4. Click "Uninstall" next to the problematic update.

Are you experiencing Wi-Fi issues on your system after installing the December 2023 Patch Tuesday updates? Let us know in the comments.

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We also noted that about a year after the launch of Mosaic, one of the browser's co-creators, Marc Andreessen, left NCSA to form a business. With the help of former Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark, he created Mosaic Communications Corporation, which was later renamed Netscape Communications Corporation after the NCSA objected to the use of Mosaic in the company name.

On October 13, 1994, Netscape Communications Corporation issued a press release announcing its plans to release what it called the Netscape "network navigator", starting with a beta version. On December 15, 1994, 29 years ago this week, Netscape Navigator 1.0 was released for Windows 3.1, Macintosh System 7.0 and UNIX X Window System.

Netscape Navigator 1.0 included what would become standard features on other web browsers such as loading images and text from a web page at the same time, support for the popular JPEG image format, hierarchical bookmarks, and a generally improved user interface.

One interesting thing about Netscape Navigator 1.0 was that it was the first web browser designed for commercial use. While individuals were still allowed to download the web browser for free, along with academic and non-profit groups, businesses were asked to pay to use the browser. In Netscape's press release for the launch of version 1.0, it stated:

Netscape Communications also announced today that it is setting the single-user price of its Netscape Navigator for commercial use at $39. The pricing -- which includes a 90-day warranty, 90-day online or phone support, and diskette or CD -- makes it readily affordable for commercial users, giving the largest potential number of users access to commercial strength, supported technology.

The company also released a set of server products for businesses who wanted to offer services on the internet, called Netsite:

The Netsite server line includes the Netsite Commerce Server with integrated security as well as the Netsite Communications Server(TM). The Netsite Commerce Server, incorporating Netscape Communications' Secure Sockets Layer(TM) (SSL) based on RSA Data Security technology, is the first secure server software available for the Internet. When paired with Netscape Navigator or other Internet browsers supporting SSL, the Netsite Commerce Server lets users take advantage of such commercial services as online publications, financial services and interactive shopping.

In case you are wondering, a Windows PC had to have at least 4 MB of RAM, at least 5 MB of free hard drive storage space, and a modem that could handle speeds of at least 9600 bps, although having a model with either 14,400 or 28,800 bps speeds was recommended.

The launch of Netscape Navigator 1.0 jump-started the World Wide Web revolution, even more so than the launch of Mosaic. Netscape Communications launched Netscape Navigator 2.0 in September 1995 which added even more features familiar to web browsers today, including support for JavaScript and animated GIF images.

About a month beforehand, Microsoft finally launched its first answer to Netscape, with Internet Explorer 1.0 browser in August 1995. However, it was pretty bare-bones in terms of features. Version 2.0 launched in November 1995, which included support for JavaScript.

For a little while, it looked like Netscape Communications could become the next big tech company, with its browser becoming a huge hit just as personal computers and internet connections slowly started to show up in every home and business. It even launched an IPO in August 1995 that made it a publicly traded company.

However, Microsoft's aggressive push to develop and release Internet Explorer, combined with issues with future versions of Netscape's browser, saw the company's fortunes turn. But that' is a story for another day.

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Microsoft Teams - Performance improvements for Safari and Firefox browsers in the works and more

If you want to access Teams meetings on Apple's Safari or Mozilla's Firefox web browser, the good news is that Microsoft will be adding some improvements for those browsers with a preview in January 2024, and a full rollout in February:

The latest Teams meeting experiences will be available for Teams on the web in Safari and Firefox browsers - including performance improvements, refreshed pre-join, updated meeting stage, and the updated meeting toolbar. (for anonymous join only)

Another new feature coming to Teams on the desktop, web, and Mac versions will offer calendar notifications in February:

Users can now triage the calendar notifications in their Activity Feed and will get notifications for meeting invites, updates, cancellations, and forwards (if the user is the meeting organizer). These notifications will show up as unread in the Activity Feed pane and will display the details when a user clicks on it.

The mobile versions of Teams will gain access to the previously released AI-based Intelligence Meeting Recap in February:

Intelligent recap is now available on Teams for iOS and Android, so users can access AI-generated meeting notes, AI-generated tasks, and name mentions, and easily browse the meeting recording by speakers.

Finally, Teams users on the web and desktop will be able to "use team tags to @ mention groups of people within shared channels" in February.

Microsoft OneDrive on the web will soon add templates for files

The Microsoft 365 roadmap also added a new upcoming feature for OneDrive on the web that will roll out in February that should help with people creating Office app files from OneDrive:

We're refreshing the file creation experience in OneDrive for Web which you initiate by clicking the “Add new” button. Soon, clicking the “Add new” button in OneDrive will give you the option to create a blank file or choose from a selection a high-quality, beautifully designed Word, Excel and PowerPoint templates to jumpstart your work.

As always, the Microsoft 365 roadmap listings are not set in stone, so features and their rollout dates are subject to change. Come back in seven days for another look at the roadmap.

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This is interesting on many levels, but I suspect that the change has less to do with Microsoft wanting to cull legacy technologies from Windows—something Apple does a much better job of with the Mac and its other platforms—and more to do with the growing regulation of Big Tech. But whatever the reason, this change mirrors the aggressive manner in which Microsoft added new features to Windows 11 this past year as well. Where Microsoft giveth, Microsoft also taketh away.

For those unfamiliar, deprecated features are those features that Microsoft is no longer developing, either because they’ve been replaced by newer functionality or because they are no longer needed. What happens from there varies by feature, but Microsoft will typically stop installing deprecated features by default while keeping them available optionally for some time. But they will eventually be removed from Windows for good.

We have of course written about some of the recently deprecated features: Microsoft deprecated the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) in October, Computer Browser, the Webclient (WebDAV) Service, and Remote Mailslots in November, followed by the Windows Tips app a few days later and Steps Recorder and Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office after that. And in December, it’s deprecated two more features, Windows Speech Recognition (WSR, which has been replaced by the more modern Voice access) and now Legacy Console mode.

But these are just the tip of the 2023 iceberg: Microsoft also deprecated the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) in January, Cortana and several other features in June, TLS 1.0 and 1.1 and AllJoyn in August, WordPad in September, and VBScript and Timeline (for Entra ID accounts) in October too. Most—oddly, not all—of these changes can be found on the Deprecated features for Windows client page on Microsoft Learn. But it’s a super low-profile way to reveal this kind of information, especially when it happens so often now.

Anyway, this is all healthy and good: Aside from the support issues Microsoft faces, Windows is bogged down by too many legacy features, any one of which could attack vectors for hackers. And so cleaning up Windows in this way benefits us all by making it simpler, more modern, and more secure.

I guess I’m going to have to start checking that page more often.

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What is new in Microsoft Edge 121 Beta?

Here is the official changelog:

Enable organizational branding in Edge for Business. Enable your organization's branding assets from Entra onto profile-related UI for profiles signed in with an Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory) account. You can add your organization's details such as name to the profile pill, name and brand colour to the profile flyout, and logo to overlay the Edge for Business taskbar icon. This branding can help users more easily differentiate between multiple profiles and browser windows.

 

Default organizational branding can be enabled by admins through the following policies:

 

• OrganizationalBrandingOnWorkProfileUIEnabled
• [OrganizationLogoOverlayOnAppIconEnabled]

 

Admins will need to have "company branding" assets configured in the Microsoft Entra admin center for branding assets to be applied to this feature.

 

For more information, see Microsoft Edge for Business and Add company branding to your organization's sign-in page.

 

Microsoft Edge migrates the updates experience into Browser Essentials. Getting alerts on available Edge Updates will come from Browser Essentials instead of the Settings page for better visibility and experience. Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.

 

New typosquatting checker policies. The built-in typosquatting checker warns users if it appears there is a mistyped popular domain name which could land users on a malicious webpage. Administrators can control the availability and configure website typo protection by using the PreventTyposquattingPromptOverride and TyposquattingAllowListDomains policies.

Microsoft Edge 121 also adds the following policies:

• EdgeDisableDialProtocolForCastDiscovery - Disable DIAL protocol for cast device discovery

• NativeHostsExecutablesLaunchDirectly - Force Windows executable Native Messaging hosts to launch directly

• RelatedWebsiteSetsEnabled - Enable Related Website Sets

• RelatedWebsiteSetsOverrides - Override Related Website Sets

And obsoletes the following:

• SendMouseEventsDisabledFormControlsEnabled - Control the new behavior for event dispatching on disabled form controls

You can download Microsoft Edge 121 Beta from the official Edge Insider website. Release in the Stable Channel is scheduled for the week of January 25, 2024.

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