The new iVentoy software takes the underlying concept of running and installing multiple operating systems from a single USB device to the network level. The developer describes iVentoy as an "enhanced version of the PXE server".

A PXE server is a allows clients in a network to be booted from a server before installing operating systems on the clients.

Both applications, Ventoy and iVentoy, support the same core functionality; this includes booting directly from disk images without extraction, cross-platform support, Mac address filtering and management, file injection support and more.

There are significant differences between Ventoy and iVentoy. First, while Ventoy is open source, iVentoy's source code has not been released at this point. Second, iVentoy is available in a free-for-home edition and also as a commercial edition.

The home version may not be used in commercial environments or with commercial intent, is limited to a maximum of 5 clients, and does not support ARM64. The Pro edition lifts the client limit, allows commercial use and supports ARM64. It is available for $49.

iVentoy supports the x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI and ARM64 UEFI modes at the same time and over 110 different versions of Windows, WinPE, Linux and VMWare at the time of writing.

The iVentoy application is available for Linux and Windows currently. Since it is new, Windows SmartScreen may throw a warning.

The application is offered as a zip file that contains the Linux and Windows editions of it. The getting started documentation explains all basic steps to start using the software. After downloading iVentoy, users need to copy one or multiple ISO images to the ISO directory. Directories may be used for classification, but neither the filename of the ISO images nor the directory may contain spaces or non-unicode characters.

Running the Windows version opens a small interface with an open link button. Activation of this opens the web interface. Linux users may run sudo bash iventoy.sh start from Terminal and load http://127.0.0.1:26000 afterwards to display the web interface as well.

The last steps involves configuring the server IP and the IP po0l before activating the green button in the interface to start the PXE service.

Additional information on using iVentoy, including using it for auto installations, is provided on the official website of the project.

Closing Words

iVentoy could make things a lot easier for network administrators who need to deploy operating systems regularly on network devices. (via Deskmodder)

Source

On Windows 11, the Windows Terminal is a modern shell that replaces the legacy Windows Console Host to run Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Linux commands (through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)) from a unified experience, and in this guide, you will learn the steps to get started.

When Microsoft first released the Terminal, it was available as an optional download, but since the rollout of version 22H2, it's now the default command line experience for Windows 11. Unlike the legacy experience, the Windows Terminal includes many improvements, from a modern code base to new features like tabs and panes, profile support, and the ability to customize virtually every aspect of the experience without modifying the configuration file manually.

This how-to guide will walk you through what you need to know to get started using and configuring the Windows Terminal on Windows 11.

Windows Terminal getting started guide

These instructions will teach you the basics of navigating the Windows Terminal, including essential commands. In addition, this guide will walk you through the settings and the options to customize the experience, including the steps to create and delete profiles and back up the settings.

Getting around 

The Windows Terminal navigation is not much different than navigating a web browser. The app includes controls to manage tabs, and a menu to access the Settings, Command Palette, and the different profiles.

Tabs

To create a new tab with the default console, click the "+" button from the top right. To duplicate the tab, you can also use the "Ctrl + Shift + N" keyboard shortcut or the "Ctrl + Shift + D" shortcut. However, to open a new tab with another console, you can open the main menu and choose the profile from the list.

(Image credit: Future)

In the same way, you can use the "Ctrl + Shift + W" keyboard shortcut to close a tab. 

Finally, you can also use the "Ctrl + Shift + 1 through 9" keyboard shortcut to open a profile in a new tab, depending on the position of the profile in the main menu. For example, since Windows PowerShell is the first profile by default, you can open this profile using the "Ctrl + Shift + 1" shortcut.

Panes

On Windows Terminal, a pane is a way to have multiple windows inside a single tab, allowing you to work with different applications simultaneously. 

To create a new pane, hold the "Alt" key and click the "+" button to open another instance of the default console. If you have to have Command Prompt and PowerShell in the same tab, hold the "Alt" key, open the main menu, and choose the profile.

(Image credit: Future)

You can also use the "Alt + Shift + Plus key" keyboard shortcut to create a vertical pane or the "Alt + Shift + Minus key" shortcut to create a horizontal pane. Also, the "Alt + Shift + D" shortcut allows you to create a duplicate pane of the current tab. It's even possible to use the "Split Tab" option from the tab right-click context menu to create a new vertical pane.

Similar to closing a tab, you can use the "Ctrl + Shift + W" keyboard shortcut to close a pane.

Command Palette

The Command Palette is available from the main menu or using the "Ctrl + Shift + P" keyboard shortcut, and it's a feature that allows you to run commands, open settings, and perform other tasks without remembering the specific commands or keybindings.

(Image credit: Future)

For instance, to run a palette command, use the "Ctrl + Shift + P" keyboard shortcut, scroll or use the search box, and choose the action to run it.

Settings

The Settings is the place that allows you to customize virtually anything about the Windows Terminal, including behaviors, features, and appearance.

To access the Settings, open the main menu next to the tabs and choose the Settings option. You can also use the "Ctrl + Shift + ," keyboard shortcut.

You can always use the "Ctrl + Shift + Space" shortcut to open the Terminal menu or the "Ctrl + ," keyboard shortcut to open the Settings page directly.

(Image credit: Future)

Inside Settings, you will find six sections, including Startup, Interaction, Appearance, colour Schemes, Rendering, and Actions. 

(Image credit: Future)

Then there's the "Profiles" section that includes the "Defaults" page, which houses the global settings that will apply to every profile. 

Also, the "Profiles" section lists the available profiles with their respective settings alongside the option to create and customize additional profiles.

Startup behavior settings

The Startup page includes the default startup settings.

To change the default command application that should open when launching the Windows Terminal, open Settings > Startup, choose one of the available profiles (Such as Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell) from the "Default profile" setting, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

To change the default terminal application, open Settings > Startup, choose the application from the "Default terminal application" setting and click the Save button. 

(Image credit: Future)

For example, if you selected the "Windows Console Host" option, then when opening Command Prompt, it will open in the legacy console. However, if you choose the "Windows Terminal" option, the terminal application will open Command Prompt.

In addition, the "Startup" page includes the settings that allow you to decide whether the terminal should launch automatically when the operating system starts, the default size, and other launch parameters.

Customize appearance

The Windows Terminal includes two ways to customize the look and feel of the experience, including the "Appearance" and "colour schemes" settings.

Change theme

The application theme defines the colour the main colour, which can be dark, light, or custom.

(Image credit: Future)

To change the Windows Terminal theme, open Settings > Appearance, and choose the colour mode (light, dark, system mode) from the "Application theme" setting. On this page, you can also turn on the "Use acrylic material in the tab row" toggle switch to enable the mica material for the frame of the application. Once you complete selecting your settings, click the Save button.

Change colour scheme

The colour scheme defines the colours that apply to the elements, including test, cursor, background, foreground, selection, etc.

To change the Windows Terminal colour scheme, open Settings > colour schemes, choose the available schemes, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

The page includes several colour schemes, including Campell, Campell PowerShell, One Half Dark, One Half Light, Retro, Solarized Dark, Solarized Light, Tango Dark, Tango Light, and Vintage.

Create custom scheme

Alternatively, you can click the "Add new" button to create a custom scheme. While on the page, under the "colours" section, click on each colour and choose the replacement colour.

(Image credit: Future)

Once you're done, click the "Rename colour scheme" settings, confirm a descriptive name, and click the Accept rename button.

(Image credit: Future)

If you want to apply the new scheme, click the "Set as default" button and then the Save button.

In the case you don't need a colour scheme anymore, click on the scheme, then the "Delete colour scheme" button, and confirm the deletion.

Change and create actions

The "Actions" page includes the commands, actions, and tasks you can run from the Command Palette. By default, the Windows Terminal includes a long list of actions you can modify or create new ones.

To modify a terminal action, open Settings > Actions, hover over the action, and click the Edit button. Using the left menu, choose the action, and using the setting on the right, select the shortcut to run the action. Finally, click the Accept button to apply the changes.

(Image credit: Future)

To create a new action, click the "Add new" button from the "Actions" page. Using the left menu, choose the action, and using the setting on the right, select the shortcut to run the action, and click the Accept button to apply the changes.

(Image credit: Future)

To run the action, refer to the steps to use the Command Palette instructions outlined earlier in this guide.

Profiles

The "Profiles" section includes all the profiles with their respective settings alongside the option to create and customize additional profiles.

You can manage these settings in two ways. You can change the settings on the "Defaults" page that will apply to every profile defined in the application. Or you can change the settings on each profile individually.

Change default settings

To change the profile settings globally, open Settings > Defaults. On the page, the most important settings are the "Starting directory" and "Run this profile as Administrator."

The "Starting directory" is the path the application will start by default. For instance, if you always move directories as soon as you open the app, consider adjusting this setting. Click the "Starting directory" setting, clear the "Use parent process directory" option, confirm the path, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

You can also configure the Windows Terminal to always run elevated, and to do this, you need to turn on the "Run this profile as Administrator" toggle switch and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

Under the "Additional settings" section, you will find two settings, including "Appearance" and "Advanced."

On the "Appearance" page, you can customize various visual elements. For instance, you can choose the default colour scheme, font properties, cursor shape, background image, control transparency, and more. 

(Image credit: Future)

If you want to specify a default background image, click the "Background image" setting, click the Browse button, choose the image, click the Open button, select the background properties (stretch mode, alignment, and opacity) as necessary, and click the Save button. (You can also check the "Use desktop wallpaper" option for the current background as the wallpaper for the Windows Terminal.)

(Image credit: Future)

If you are not using a background image, you can add opacity and acrylic material to the background using the "Transparency" settings. The "Background opacity" setting makes the desktop background visible through the Windows Terminal, while the "Enable acrylic material" applies a semitransparent blur to the window.

In the case you want to undo a specific setting, you can click the "Reset inherited value" button next to the setting to apply the default values again and click the Save button.

On the "Advanced" page, if you're getting with the Windows Terminal, you don't need to change any of these settings.

Change profile settings

You can have each profile with its own settings alongside the default settings. 

To change a profile setting, choose the profile from the left navigation pane. On the page, you will find similar settings to the ones available on the "Defaults" page, including the "Starting directory" and "Run this profile as Administrator." 

However, you'll also find some settings specific to the profile. For example, you can use the "Name" setting to change the display of the profile. You can use the "Command line" setting to specify the location of the executable that launches the application. And you can hide the profile from the main menu, among other options.

To change the profile name, open Settings, click on the profile name from the left pane, click the "Name" setting, confirm the new name for the profile, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

To specify the path for the command tool executable, open Settings, click on the profile name from the left pane, click the "Command line" setting, click the Browse button, then select the executable (such as diskpart.exe), click the Open button, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

Create new profile

On Windows Terminal, you can create profiles for the different applications with custom settings and personalization.

To create a new Windows Terminal profile, open Settings and click the "Add a new profile" option from the left navigation pane. On the page, you will find two ways to create a profile, including creating a new empty profile or duplicating an existing one and updating its settings.

If you want to create a profile from scratch, click the "New empty profile" button, click the "Name" setting, confirm the new name for the profile, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

To specify the application to run in the profile, click the "Command line" setting, click the Browse button, select the executable (such as cmd.exe), click the Open button, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

To specify the root directory to run the app, click the "Starting directory" setting, clear the "Use parent process directory" option, confirm the path, and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

Optionally, you can also customize the appearance of the profile with a custom colour scheme, font, cursor shape, background image, and more. (You can refer to the previous instructions outlined above to customize the experience.)

Delete profile

You can always delete those Windows Terminal profiles that are no longer needed on the system. 

To delete a profile, open Settings, choose the profile from the left navigation pane, and click the Delete profile button (and the Yes, delete profile button to confirm).

(Image credit: Future)

Backup settings

Although the Windows Terminal doesn't include a backup feature, every configuration (settings, profiles, appearance, etc.) is stored in the "settings.json" file, which means that backing up this file allows you to protect your settings and quickly transfer your settings to another computer.

To back up the settings.json file, open Settings and click the "Open JSON file" button in the bottom-left corner of the navigation pane. Alternatively, you can use the "Shift + Control + ," keyboard shortcut to open the settings.json directly with the default text editor. Once the settings file opens in the text editor, you can click on File, choose the Save As option, confirm a descriptive name for the file (for example, my_wt_settings.json), and click the Save button.

(Image credit: Future)

Alternatively, you can copy the "settings.json" file from the %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminalPreview_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState path. 

To restore the configuration settings, open Windows Terminal > Settings and click the "Open JSAON file" button in the bottom-left corner of the navigation pane. Open the settings.json file with Notepad or any other text editor, use the "Ctrl + A" keyboard shortcut to select everything from the file, and use the "Ctrl + C" shortcut to copy the content to the clipboard.

In the settings.json file, use the "Ctrl + A" keyboard shortcut to select everything, hit the Delete key to clear the file, and use the "Ctrl + V" shortcut to paste the settings from the backup and use the "Ctrl + S" shortcut to save and restore the settings. Finally, restart the Windows Terminal to complete the restoration.

Source

Existing users may select Menu > Help > About Tor Browser to check the installed version. The browser runs a check for updates when the Help page is opened and may download the latest version and install it, if an update is available.

Downloads are also provided on the official Tor Browser website.

Tor Browser 12.5

Accessibility has been a key focus of the update. Users of the browser find a new circuit display in Tor Browser 12.5. Tor Circuit lists the nodes of the connection from the browser to the target website.

Tor, by default, connects to three servers in different countries to help users stay anonymous while using the Internet.

A click on the new Tor Circuit button, situated on the left side of the site address, displays the details of the connection. Tor Browser displayed the information in the site information panel previously, which meant more clicks and less visibility for the feature.

The new display features flags, which helps identify locations of servers at a glance. The panel has also been updated for better compatibility with screen readers according to the blog post on the official site.

Existing users may also notice the new site icons for onion sites. Nowadays, access to onion sites is no longer exclusive to the Tor Browser. Applications like Brave support onion services as well and to take this into account, new icons were created to better reflect the diverse nature.

The third and final major change in Tor Browser, as announced on the official blog of the Tor Project, is an improved connection experience.

The team identified that some users of the browser found it difficult to connect to Tor when they navigated away from the startpage of the browser. A new Connect button is displayed in all tabs now next to the bookmarks button in the browser's address bar.

Tor Browser will also connect automatically when users configure a bridge in the Connection settings. The connection status is now also highlighted in the top right corner of the browser window if there is no established connection to the network.

The team notes that it completed the review of the browser's accessibility and started to implement fixes for issues that were discovered during the review. It is seeking testers that have access to screen readers and other assistive technologies.

The full post that lists the entire changelog of the Tor Browser 12.5 release is available here.

Now You: do you use Tor Browser? (via Born)

Source

What you need to know

• An app called DisplayBuddy allows you to control the brightness of your external monitors through the system tray.
• Windows 11 does not support this functionality natively, though some monitor manufacturers, such as Dell, have similar apps.
• DisplayBuddy is available for $6.99 through the Microsoft Store, and you can try it for free.

Every once in a while, I come across a Windows 11 app that makes me ask why Microsoft hasn't baked the same functionality right into the OS. The best example of this is EarTrumpet, an audio app that's vastly superior to Microsoft's own offering. Today, Twitter us @kid_jenius flagged another must-have app. DisplayBuddy allows you control the brightness of external monitors without having to use hardware buttons.

The concept is so straightforward that I was surprised it isn't built into Windows 11 directly. But with the best monitors supporting a variety of connection types, such as DisplayPort, USB-C, and HDMI, adjusting brightness can get a bit tricky. The fact that DisplayBuddy recently added support for LG Ultrafine displays is evidence of that. If it was easy to do, a developer wouldn't need to add support for specific brands and monitor families.

(Image credit: Future)

Using the app is simple. Once you install it and go through a brief setup process, you can access the app through the system tray. Clicking on the Display Buddy icon brings up an interface full of sliders for your various displays. 

The makers of the app state that it has been tested on monitors from LG, Dell, Acer, BenQ, and other brands. DisplayBuddy worked well with my Dell monitor in my brief testing, but I can't say how it will do with other monitors from first-hand experience.

DisplayBuddy is available through the Microsoft Store for $6.99, but you can also try it for free as part of a trial to ensure compatibility with your displays.

Source

Recently, Microsoft announced it was removing several File Explorer folder options on the Windows 11 Dev channel as it outlined nine such folder options. In its Build 23481 blog post, the tech giant stated:

We are removing a handful of old settings under Folder Options in File Explorer as part of an effort to clean up the number of settings for File Explorer. Many of these are legacy settings that have been around for ages and are not being regularly used by people on Windows 11.

The following settings will no longer appear under Folder Options in File Explorer:

• Hide Folder Merge conflict.

• Always show icons, never thumbnails.

• Display file icon on thumbnails.

• Display file type information on Folder tips.

• Hide protected OS files.

• Show drive letters.

• Show popup description for Folder and Desktop items.

• Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in colour.

• Use sharing wizard.

However, this appeared to have not gone down too well with the community as with the latest Dev build, the company notes that it is rolling back the changes due to the feedback it has received. In the Build 23486 blog post that was released earlier today, Microsoft said:

Thank you to all the Windows Insiders who gave us feedback on the Folder Options changes in File Explorer that removed a handful of old settings in Build 23481. We’ve rolled back this change. As is normal for the Dev Channel, we will often try things out and get feedback and adjust based on the feedback we receive.

For those who do not wish to update to the latest Dev build yet but want to have those Folder options, you can check out this article here.

And in case you missed it, Windows 11 Beta channel users also received a new build today. The new build brings new Network settings options and also fixes a compatibility issue related to the registry.

Source

This website lists various services that currently support the protocol. Not all browsers support Passkeys, we will use Gmail and Microsoft Edge in the tutorial below. You will also need to install the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23486 (or later) that is available for Dev Channel users.

How to create a Passkey in Windows 11

1. Open your desktop web browser and go to a website that supports Passkeys. e.g. Gmail.

2. Sign in to your account using your password.

3. Head to your account settings, and enable sign in via Passkey. Refer to our guide to learn how to create a Passkey for your Google account.

4. The website will use your Windows Hello credentials for creating the Passkey. This can be your PIN, or biometric options such as your fingerprint ID, or your face (if you're using the camera to sign in).

Note: You can use Passkeys saved on your mobile phone too, when you use the QR code to sign in on your PC, the website will create a Passkey and save it on your computer.

The Passkey that was created is stored securely on your computer, and is available across browsers in Windows 11. It is not transmitted to the website, and since a password is not involved in the authentication process, Passkeys are resistant to phishing attacks. Try signing out of your account, and log in again, this time use the Passkey option, to be precise you may have to select “Windows Hello or external security key”.

You will be able to log in to your account using Windows Hello by using your computer's fingerprint scanner, or webcam or by entering the PIN manually.

I tested the created Passkeys in Edge and Chrome, they worked fine, but they did not work in Firefox which is odd, considering that the browser does support it in the Stable Channel of Windows 11.  You may use the Passkeys in apps for online services too, providing that they support it.

What if you want to access the account on another device? For example, you may want to use your account to access your email inbox on your phone. That's quite simple, just login to the website on your desktop browser and create a new Passkey, this time select the "use another device" option, which will display a QR code that you can scan with your phone's camera. This process saves the Passkey on your mobile device, so you now have 2 keys, one on your phone and one on your PC. This may seem tedious, but since Passkeys aren't synchronized between devices or the server (Apple iCloud Keychain is an exception to this), this is the only way to store Passkeys on multiple devices. Speaking of which, iOS 17 will automatically create a passkey for your Apple ID on your iPhone, that's quite convenient.

I lost my device, what do I do to access my account? Don't panic, just sign in with your password normally, and you can remove the Passkey from the lost device remotely. Remember, Passkeys do not replace passwords, so don't worry about losing your account.

How to manage Passkeys in Windows 11

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Click on the Accounts tab in the sidebar.

3. Select Passkey Settings.

This page lists the Passkeys that you have saved on your computer. You may use it to search for any Passkey. Currently, the only option that is available is to delete the saved keys. This may be useful if you want to share the computer with someone else.

Source

Here is the change log:

• New! This update improves several simplified Chinese fonts and the Microsoft Pinyin Input Method Editor (IME) to support GB18030-2022. You can enter and display characters from conformance level 1 or 2 using the additions to Microsoft Yahei, Simsun, and Dengxian. This update now supports Unicode Extensions E and F in the Simsun Ext-B font. This meets the requirements for level 3.
• New! This update adds many new features and improvements to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. For more information, see Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
• New! With this update, you can now authenticate across Microsoft clouds. This feature also satisfies Conditional Access checks if they are needed.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the on-screen keyboard. The issue stops it from opening after you lock the machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a scheduled monthly task. It might not run on time if the next occurrence happens when daylight savings time occurs.
• This update addresses an issue that affects all the registry settings under the Policies paths. They might be deleted. This occurs when you do not rename the local temporary user policy file during Group Policy processing.
• This update affects the Desktop Window Manager (DWM). It improves its reliability.
• This update addresses an issue that affects .msi files. A minor update is not installed. This occurs when you use the EnterpriseDesktopAppManagement configuration service provider (CSP) to distribute the .msi file.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Spooler service. It stops working. This issue occurs when you print using a certain workspace.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a tib.sys driver. It does not load. This occurs when HyperVisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI) is enabled.
• This update addresses an issue that affects NCryptGetProperty(). When you call it with NCRYPT_KEY_TYPE_PROPERTY, the system returns 0x1 instead of 0x20. This occurs when the key is a machine key.
• This update addresses an issue that affects HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. You can now set and maintain the correct default permissions for this directory path. When the permissions are wrong, the Start menu, search, and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication fail.
• This update addresses an issue that affects those who enable the “Smart Card is Required for Interactive Logon” account option. When RC4 is disabled, you cannot authenticate to Remote Desktop Services farms. The error message is, “An authentication error has occurred. The requested encryption type is not supported by the KDC.”
• This update addresses an issue that affects HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. You can now set and maintain the correct default permissions for this directory path. When the permissions are wrong, Start menu, search, and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication fails.

You can find the full blog post here.

Source

Released in June 2023, or just a few hours earlier at the time of writing, MidJourney 5.2 introduces a range of powerful features and improvements that enhance the quality and creative control of generated images.

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of using MidJourney 5.2, highlighting its benefits and providing clear instructions to help you make the most of this cutting-edge tool.

Midjourney 5.2 is out now - Image courtesy of Nicolas Neubert

What is new in Midjourney 5.2?

MidJourney 5.2 introduces a series of remarkable features that revolutionize AI image generation.

Let's take a closer look at each of these features.

Discord-compatible "Outpainting"

With the introduction of Midjourney 5.2, users can now zoom out, alter the image's aspect ratio, and even modify the prompt during the zooming process. This is similar to Adobe Firefly's Generative Fill feature.

This feature injects a new level of excitement and simplicity into the image generation experience, empowering users to unleash their creativity and explore a multitude of visual perspectives.

Don't like the generation? Try the new ''Inpainting''

Another exciting addition in MidJourney 5.2 is the enhanced "inpainting" feature. This advanced capability takes image generation to new heights by either creating something entirely new or reconstructing unsatisfactory or missing parts of an image.

By intelligently filling in gaps or completing missing areas, the "inpainting" feature produces visually captivating and cohesive compositions, further enhancing the quality of the generated images.

Below, is a comparison between Midjourney 5.1 and Midjourney 5.2 ( 5.1 on top, 5.2 on bottom).

Midjourney 5.2 adds further details to your generations with the same prompt - Image: Midjourney

You're undecided? Use the new ''Remix''

MidJourney 5.2 also brings forth an improved remix feature, offering a substantial enhancement in aesthetic quality and coherence.

This upgraded feature enables users to combine multiple AI-generated images into a single composition, resulting in visually stunning and harmonious outputs.

Artists, designers, and individuals seeking to create captivating visual content will find this feature to be a powerful tool for unleashing their creative potential.

Better NLP

Understanding user intent and accurately translating prompts into high-quality images is a fundamental aspect of any AI platform. MidJourney 5.2 addresses this by augmenting its natural language processing capabilities.

The platform now exhibits an improved understanding of the meaning behind user prompts, ensuring that the generated images closely align with the intended vision, resulting in more satisfying outcomes.

Mini tools with giant functions

MidJourney 5.2 introduces additional mini tools that further enrich the user experience.

The higher variation mode enables users to generate images with even greater diversity and creativity, providing an expanded range of styles, colour schemes, and compositions to explore.

Additionally, the prompt analyzer tool assists users in analyzing their prompts, offering valuable insights for generating more accurate and contextually relevant images.

You can now analyze your prompts with the release of the Midjourney 5.2 - Image: Midjourney

How to use Midjourney 5.2

To take advantage of MidJourney 5.2, you can simply add the "--v 5.2" parameter to the end of your prompt.

This directs the model to utilize the latest version, enabling you to generate AI images with the enhanced features and improvements brought forth by MidJourney 5.2.

Alternatively, you can access the MidJourney settings by employing the /settings command. Within the settings menu, look for the option labeled "MJ Version 5.2" and select it.

This ensures that you are using the MidJourney V5.2 model for your breathtaking generations.

Now you: Do you think this AI generation tool that is driving everyone crazy could be the basis for a new understanding of art?

Source

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1906 and Build 22631.1906 (KB5027311) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.1906 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.1906 = New features off by default.

The new build fixes a compatibility issue related to the registry, gets redesigned Windows Security (Firewall) notification, allows hiding the time and date on System Tray, and more. The full changelog is given below:

Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.1906

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• You can now hide the time and date in the system tray. You can turn this on by right-clicking on the system tray clock and choosing “Adjust date and time”.
• When right-clicking on the network icon in the system tray, we’ve added the option to diagnose network problems.

[Lock screen]

• We have updated the network flyout on the Lock screen to align with Windows 11 design principles.

[Networking]

• Added support for bridging adapters via command line via netsh.

[Windows Security]

• We have updated the Windows Security (firewall) notification dialogs that match the Windows 11 visuals.

[Settings]

• We have added links to advanced properties for network adapters and internet properties under Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings.

• We have added a way to view Wi-Fi passwords for your known networks via Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi and “Manage known networks”.

• Based on your feedback, we have added additional options to the Data Usage page that allows for daily and weekly data limits. The page will also now show how far a data limit has been exceeded.
• We added the ability to join Bluetooth Personal Area networks under the Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices. This option will appear for paired devices like Phones that are sharing internet over Bluetooth.
• Right-clicking on a Win32 app in Start, or searching for the app, and choosing “Uninstall” will now take you to the Settings to uninstall the app.
• The settings page for wheel devices such as the Surface Dial has been updated to better match the Windows 11 design principles.

Fixes for BOTH Build 22621.1906 & Build 22631.1906

• This update addresses a compatibility issue. The issue occurs because of unsupported use of the registry.

You can find the official blog post here.

Source

Here is the change log

What’s new in Build 23486

Passwordless Improvements

Microsoft believes that the future is passwordless. Passkeys will allow you to replace passwords when you sign into a web site or application that supports them. Passkeys represent a future where bad actors will have a much harder time stealing and using your credentials when signing into a web site or application. Passkeys are phish-resistant, recoverable, and faster for users.

Enroll and use passkey to sign into apps and websites: We are improving the passkey experience for Windows users. They can now go to any app or website that supports passkeys to create and sign in using passkeys with the Windows Hello native experience. Once a passkey is created, users can use Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, PIN) to sign in. In addition, users can use their phone to complete the application logon process.

Create and Sign in using passkeys saved on your Windows device:

• Go to a website that has enabled passkeys on Windows (Example: bestbuy.com, ebay.com, google.com).
• Create a passkey from your account settings.
• Sign out of your account and sign-in using your passkey.

Sign in using passkeys saved on your phone:

• Go to a website that has enabled passkeys from your mobile device (Example: bestbuy.com, ebay.com, google.com).
• Create a passkey from your account settings.
• Go to the website on Windows and sign in using your passkey saved on your mobile device.

Manage passkeys saved to your Windows device: We are giving users a fundamental control over how they can manage the passkeys saved to their Windows device. They can now view and delete passkeys saved for their favorite apps/websites from Windows settings.

• Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys.
• You are presented with a list of all passkeys saved to your Windows device.
• You can now search and delete any passkey from the device.

Special Instructions:

On Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, if you see the browser’s passkey UI, choose “Windows Hello or external security key” to get the Windows native experience. Try Google Chrome Canary for the latest experience there. As Microsoft Edge is Chromium-based, experiences in Chrome Canary will roll up into Microsoft Edge as well over time.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Passkey.

Changes and Improvements

[File Explorer]

Thank you to all the Windows Insiders who gave us feedback on the Folder Options changes in File Explorer that removed a handful of old settings in Build 23481. We’ve rolled back this change. As is normal for the Dev Channel, we will often try things out and get feedback and adjust based on the feedback we receive.

[Dynamic Lighting]

New Effects are now available for Dynamic Lighting via Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting. Check out Wave, Wheel, and Gradient.

[Emoji]

Unicode Emoji 15, which began rolling out with Build 23475, is now available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

[Settings]

• We are improving the user experience when changing time zones, including cases of low confidence in location data. It displays a non-dismissible notification for accepting or rejecting the change and prompts the user for confirmation before adjusting the time zone.
• We are also improving the user experience while changing the time zone via Settings > Time & language > Date & time. If location settings are disabled, a warning is now shown to the user, urging them to enable location settings to ensure accurate time zone adjustments. This warning provides helpful information to the user, helping them understand why their time zone may not be correct and guiding them towards resolving the issue.

Warning if location services are disabled on the Date and Time settings page.

Fixes

[Dynamic Lighting]

We fixed the issue where on first boot after installing recent builds and connecting a device, the “Use Dynamic Lighting on my devices” toggle is off in Settings and device LEDs may not turn on automatically.

[Input]

We’re rolling a fix for an issue where a blank window whose title is “Windows Input Experience” appears after resuming the device from the sleep.

[Network]

Fixed an issue where the login screen was crashing in the last couple flights when trying to connect to certain types of networks.

[Task Manager]

• Fixed an issue causing Task Manager crashes for some people.
• Fixed an issue where focus wasn’t getting set correctly to search if the Task Manager window was small enough that search was collapsed to an icon.
• Fixed alignment of Task Manager icon and name in the title bar.
• Right clicking the empty space in the Details page (aka so no process is actually selected) will no longer show the option to create live kernel memory dumps.
• Fixed an issue where the live kernel memory dumps weren’t being cleaned up by Storage Sense.
• NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11.

Known issues

[Dev Drive]

There might be variable performance on different hardware. If you notice slower performance on your machine, please file feedback!

[Search on the Taskbar]

• [NEW] After changing your Windows display language, the search box on the taskbar may continue to display in the previous language for a short time before changing to the new language you selected.
• Text scaling may not work in the search flyout.

[File Explorer]

[NEW] In some cases, the context menu background in File Explorer may appear transparent.

• Insiders may experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or attempting to close the window during an extended file-loading process.
• Thumbnail loading performance in Gallery for dehydrated cloud files and memory usage in large collections are known issues we are focused on improving. Please capture Performance traces in Feedback Hub for any performance-related issues. Rebuilding your Indexer can help if thumbnails are missing for cloud files; Search for “Indexing Options” and look in Advanced settings to find the rebuild tool.
• The count shown for selected files in the details pane may be extremely large.
• Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer Home that began rolling out with Build 23475:
• File Type icons are displayed in place of file thumbnails for ‘Recommended’ section (applicable to Enterprise users).
• Insiders signed in with an AAD account and try to navigate the Recommended section on File Explorer Home with the tab key on the keyboard may experience an explorer.exe crash.
• When navigating from another group to the Recommended section using a keyboard, focus does not appear on the group header or files appropriately.
• Files display file extensions with the Show file extensions setting disabled.
• Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer address bar that began rolling out with Build 23475:
• Windows Insiders may notice missing craftmanship polish with the modernized address bar and search box. The team greatly appreciates the use of Feedback Hub to help call out important details to address.
• Users might experience lost keyboard focus and missing keyboard shortcuts. The team implemented improved tabbing with keyboard shortcuts that will be available soon.
• If “…” shows in the address bar path, selecting it will crash explorer.exe.
• Insiders will have issues with the following commands on recommended files in File Explorer that began rolling out with Build 23403:
• Clicking on the Share command will currently bring up the Windows share sheet (non-OneDrive).

[Notifications]

The copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts (first introduced in Build 23403) is currently not working in this build. A fix is coming in a future flight.

[Dynamic Lighting]

• [NEW] Using Wave and Wheel effects can result in typing not working in certain apps.
• All-device settings changes are not propagating to per-device Settings.
• Device icons are missing from the device cards in Settings.
• Switching user accounts can turn off device LEDs.

[Windows Ink]

• Users can’t use handwriting to erase text in Microsoft Edge.
• The address box in Microsoft Edge might not work correctly.
• Windows Ink does not convert handwriting to text into the main content (e.g., Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) in Microsoft 365 applications.
• Search boxes in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.
• Comment fields in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.

You can check out the entire blog post here.

Source

Today, in relation to Windows Hello, the company has announced that a new full-screen greeting will be displayed from now on. This notice will ask users whether they wish to continue using Windows Hello via facial recognition or fingerprint sensing. The prompt will also simultaneously inquire if users want to keep their fingerprint and face data on their PC.

If a user chooses not to continue with Windows Hello, they will find an option to change their sign-in options and delete their data. In a support article announcing this new change, Microsoft has described it in detail. The company has also provided a screenshot of the full-screen notice that will greet users on both Windows 11 and Windows 10 respectively:

Summary

After signing in to your Windows device, you might receive a full-screen notice stating, “Choose if you want to keep signing in with your face or fingerprint.” It comes with the question, “Do you want to keep storing your face or fingerprint data on this PC?”

To continue, you will need to select one of the two options available and then select Next:

“Yes, sign in with my face or fingerprint. Keep storing my data so I can sign in to this PC with Windows Hello face or fingerprint recognition.”

“No, change how I sign in. Take me to settings where I can remove sign-in options and delete my data.”

Windows 11

Windows 10

Microsoft says this was introduced around a week ago on June 13, which seems to coincide with the recent Patch Tuesday updates on both Windows 10 (KB5027215) and Windows 11 (KB5027231). And in case you missed it, compatibility updates were released too on the same day.

You may find more details on Microsoft's website in the knowledge base support article under KB5028763.

Source

What you need to know

• Microsoft just released Windows 11 Build 23486 to Insiders in the Dev Channel.
• The update adds support for signing in with passkeys on apps and websites using the native Windows Hello experience.
• Microsoft also backtracked on its previous plans to remove select legacy File Explorer features.

Microsoft just released Windows 11 Build 23486 to Insiders in the Dev Channel. The update includes several improvements to the passwordless experience on Windows 11, such as being able to log in to websites with passkeys through Windows Hello.

But perhaps more important than what Microsoft added in the build is what the update's change log specifies is no longer being taken away. Microsoft will no longer remove a group of legacy File Explorer features that it previously said were on the way out.

"Thank you to all the Windows Insiders who gave us feedback on the Folder Options changes in File Explorer that removed a handful of old settings in Build 23481. We’ve rolled back this change. As is normal for the Dev Channel, we will often try things out and get feedback and adjust based on the feedback we receive," said Microsoft.

As noted by the company, the Dev Channel is a place to experiment with new ideas and feature sets. When Microsoft announced its plans to remove select legacy File Explorer features, I noted that the company could change its mind.

Microsoft was going to remove the following features, but will now leave them in:

• Hide Folder Merge conflict.
• Always show icons, never thumbnails.
• Display file icon on thumbnails.
• Display file type information on Folder tips.
• Hide protected OS files.
• Show drive letters.
• Show popup description for Folder and Desktop items.
• Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in colour.
• Use sharing wizard.

Moving back to what's new; here's Microsoft's summary of the improvements to passkeys. The Windows Blog post goes into depth on how to set up these features:

Enroll and use passkey to sign into apps and websites: We are improving the passkey experience for Windows users. They can now go to any app or website that supports passkeys to create and sign in using passkeys with the Windows Hello native experience. Once a passkey is created, users can use Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, PIN) to sign in. In addition, users can use their phone to complete the application logon process.

Manage passkeys saved to your Windows device: We are giving users a fundamental control over how they can manage the passkeys saved to their Windows device. They can now view and delete passkeys saved for their favorite apps/websites from Windows settings.

Windows 11 Build 23486: Changes and Improvements

File Explorer

• Thank you to all the Windows Insiders who gave us feedback on the Folder Options changes in File Explorer that removed a handful of old settings in Build 23481. We’ve rolled back this change. As is normal for the Dev Channel, we will often try things out and get feedback and adjust based on the feedback we receive.

Dynamic Lighting

• New Effects are now available for Dynamic Lighting via Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting. Check out Wave, Wheel, and Gradient.

Emoji

• Unicode Emoji 15, which began rolling out with Build 23475, is now available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Settings

• We are improving the user experience when changing time zones, including cases of low confidence in location data. It displays a non-dismissible notification for accepting or rejecting the change and prompts the user for confirmation before adjusting the time zone.
• We are also improving the user experience while changing the time zone via Settings > Time & language > Date & time. If location settings are disabled, a warning is now shown to the user, urging them to enable location settings to ensure accurate time zone adjustments. This warning provides helpful information to the user, helping them understand why their time zone may not be correct and guiding them towards resolving the issue.

Source

What you need to know

• Windows 11 Build 22631.1906 and 22621.1906 just shipped to the Beta Channel.
• Build 22631.1906 adds the option to hide the time and date in the system tray.
• The network flyout on the Lock screen has also been updated to align with Windows 11's design language.

Microsoft just released a pair of Windows Insider builds to the Beta Channel. Build 22631.1906 has new features on by default while Build 22621.1906 does not. Build 22631.1906 adds the option to hide the time and date in the system tray and the ability to right-click on the network icon to summon a shortcut to diagnose network problems.

Following the update, the network flyout on the Lock screen will align with Windows 11 visually.

Here's everything that's new, as listed by Microsoft:

Build 22631.1906: Changes and Improvements

Taskbar & System Tray

• You can now hide the time and date in the system tray. You can turn this on by right-clicking on the system tray clock and choosing “Adjust date and time”.
• When right-clicking on the network icon in the system tray, we’ve added the option to diagnose network problems.

Lock screen

• We have updated the network flyout on the Lock screen to align with Windows 11 design principles.

Networking

• Added support for bridging adapters via command line via netsh.

Windows Security

• We have updated the Windows Security (firewall) notification dialogs that match the Windows 11 visuals.

Settings

• We have added links to advanced properties for network adapters and internet properties under Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings.
• Link to advanced properties for network adapters in Settings.
• Link to advanced properties for network adapters in Settings.
• We have added a way to view Wi-Fi passwords for your known networks via Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi and “Manage known networks”.
• View Wi-Fi passwords for known wireless networks in Settings.
• View Wi-Fi passwords for known wireless networks in Settings.
• Based on your feedback, we have added additional options to the Data Usage page that allows for daily and weekly data limits. The page will also now show how far a data limit has been exceeded.
• We added the ability to join Bluetooth Personal Area networks under the Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices. This option will appear for paired devices like Phones that are sharing internet over Bluetooth.
• Right-clicking on a Win32 app in Start, or searching for the app, and choosing “Uninstall” will now take you to the Settings to uninstall the app.
• The settings page for wheel devices such as the Surface Dial has been updated to better match the Windows 11 design principles.

Source

According to Microsoft, the problem appears when users try to check Effective Access permissions in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog for shared files or folders. Clicking the "View effective access" button can result in Windows displaying a "Computing effective access..." message without query results. In addition, File Explorer will continue taxing the CPU, even after closing the Advanced Security Settings dialog.

After installing updates released on May 9, 2023 or later updates, you might be unable to view Effective Access in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog for shared files or folders. On affected devices, when the "View effective access" button is selected, you will receive the message "Computing effective access...." but the results of the query might not be displayed and explorer.exe might continue to use CPU after the Advanced Security settings dialog is closed. This issue is unlikely to be experienced by consumers using Windows devices in their home.

Fortunately, the bug is easy to mitigate and is unlikely to affect "regular customers" using Windows 11 PCs in their homes. Microsoft says you can temporarily resolve the issue by restarting your computer or signing out and then back in. Note, however, that just locking Windows will not fix the problem.

The bug affects Windows 11 client versions 21H2 (the original release) and 22H2. It may also pop up on systems running Windows Server 2022. Microsoft is already working on resolving the bug and promises to release a permanent fix later this month.

In case you missed it, Microsoft recently removed several legacy folder options from File Explorer in the latest preview build from the Dev Channel. You can learn more about this upcoming change here.

Source

"Over the last 30 years, there’s been a major push for web developers and content-creation tools to make their products accessible. But the reality is many PDFs are still inaccessible," Google said in a blog post.

As the name suggests, the tool is meant to pull text content from PDFs with the help of optical character recognition (OCR), a process that converts an image of text into a machine-readable format. After that, the extracted text can then be read aloud by the browser's built-in screen reader. The tool builds on top of an existing feature that is used to get descriptions of unlabeled images in the Chrome browser.

Google said that the text-to-image tool will be available in the Chrome browser on ChromeOS. It added that Chrome's reading mode, which is currently limited to ChromeOS, will be rolled out to all computers in the coming months.

The announcement was made at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) education technology conference in Philadelphia where the company is making an official presence. For its education customers, Google has introduced a new app hub where admins can find apps that can connect with Google for Education tools and Chromebooks. Admins can also use the hub to license apps easily and manage them from the Google Admin console.

Admins can leverage new device management tools to customize how students and teachers access websites and apps. For instance, ChromeOS Data Controls allow them to set up rules to prevent copy and paste from specific websites, screen capture, and printing.

The search giant has also introduced some new education features in Google Meet such as Q&A, polling, and tile pairing which allows two people to be highlighted simultaneously whenever one of them speaks. For instance, a video presenter can be paired with a sign-language interpreter. Also, for Education Plus customers, Google has increased the number of maximum attendees to 1,000.

Source

Aside from that, this release does not contain any new game-related support, but there are still plenty of known issues to be wary about. Find the full changelog below:

FIXED ISSUES:

Intel® Arc™ Graphics Products:

• iTunes* may experience an application crash during launch
• A blank screen or error may be observed in certain applications when embedding content using WebView2*

KNOWN ISSUES:
 

Intel® Arc™ Graphics Products:

• System may hang while waking up from sleep. May need to power cycle the system for recovery.
• GPU hardware acceleration may not be available for media playback and encode with some versions of Adobe Premiere Pro.
• Topaz Video AI* may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.
• Some users may experience a crash in F1 23 when changing the XeSS presets. Intel® and the developer are aware of the issue and a fix will be coming in a future game patch.
• Streaming Dota 2* using XSplit Broadcaster* may exhibit corruption in Game Capture mode.

Intel® Iris™ Xe MAX Graphics Products:

• Driver installation may not complete successfully on certain notebook systems with both Intel® Iris™ Xe +Iris™ Xe MAX devices. A system reboot and re-installation of the graphics driver may be required for successful installation.

Intel® Core™ Processor Products:

• Total War: Warhammer III* (DX11) may experience an application crash when loading battle scenarios.
• Call of Duty Warzone 2.0* (DX12) may exhibit corruption on certain light sources such as fire.
• Conqueror's Blade* (DX12) may experience an application crash during game launch.
• A Plague Tale: Requiem* (DX12) may experience application instability during gameplay.

INTEL® ARC™ CONTROL KNOWN ISSUES:

• Using Arc Control Studio capture with certain games may incorrectly generate multiple video files.
• With Intel® Arc Control installed, systems may experience slightly higher than expected power consumption during system sleep or hibernate.
• May observe “could not stop Highlights” notification when stopping Auto-Game Highlights.
• The Camera on-screen preview may incorrectly persist when switching between Desktop and Overlay modes.
• The “Connector” type in the Display page may incorrectly show DP* when using an HDMI* display connection.

Intel® Arc™ Control Performance Tuning (BETA):

• Intel® Arc™ Control Performance Tuning is currently in Beta. As such, performance and features may behave unexpectedly. Intel® will continue to refine the Performance Tuning software in future releases.

You can download the driver by heading over to Intel's official website at this link. The driver is compatible with Intel Arc discrete graphics cards alongside Intel 11th, 12th, and 13th Gen processor Iris Xe Graphics.

Download for Windows 10 and 11 .exe format (610 MB)
View: Release Notes (PDF) | Intel Website for Detailed Description

Source

The fullscreen prompt displays the message "Choose if you want to keep signing in with your face or fingerprint" and gives users the options "yes, sign in with my face or fingerprint" or "no, change how I sign in".

Here are two screenshots of the two fullscreen prompts. The first screenshot shows the Windwos 11 prompt, the second the prompt on Windows 10 devices.

Windows 10 or 11 users who select "Yes, sign in with my face or fingerprint" and then Next are returned to the Windows desktop. They agreed to continue signing in with biometric authentication.

Windows users who select "No, change how I sign in" and then Next are taken to the Settings application where they may change sign-in preferences.

Microsoft notes that Windows 10 and 11 users will see the fullscreen prompt in two cases:

• When they have not signed-in to the Windows device in over 365 days using Windows Hello with either fingerprint or face recognition, and have installed the June 13, 2023 cumulative update or later.
• When the device was upgraded to a later version of Windows 10 or Windows 11 recently.

The second case refers to upgrades from an earlier version of Windows 10 or 11, e.g. Windows 10 version 21H2, to a later version, e.g., Windows 10 version 22H2. It seems the more likely case, considering that the other case requires that users have not signed in to the device in a year using Windows Hello.

Microsoft does not explain why it made the decision to implement the fullscreen prompt in Windows 10 or 11 devices. Is it a refresher to let users know that they may choose different sign-in options? The motivation for designing the prompt is not revealed.

Windows 10 and 11 users may open the Settings application via Start > Settings, and go to Accounts > Sign-In Options to configure Windows Hello and other authentication methods and preferences.

The option to sign-in automatically to Windows is also available.

Now You: how do you sign-in to your systems? (via Deskmodder)

Source

Apple patches actively exploited vulnerabilities in iOS, macOS, iPadOS and watchOS

The first of the 2 critical security issues was a kernel level bug. The issue, which has been tracked as CVE-2023-32434, could have allowed a malicious app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple says the problem affected iPhones and iPads that were running on older versions of operating systems that were released before iOS 15.7 and iPadOS 15.7.

The bug patched an integer overflow with improved input validation. The Cupertino company credited three security researchers from Kaspersky; Georgy Kucherin, Leonid Bezvershenko and Boris Larin for finding and reporting the bug to Apple. These zero-day exploits were revealed by the Russian cybersecurity firm's report on Operation Triangulation.

The other security issue is related to WebKit, the browser engine used by Safari and other apps. The bug tracked under CVE-2023-32439 was reported by an anonymous researcher. The release notes for the update indicate that the security issue could allow web pages with malware to execute arbitrary code, and that the type confusion issue was addressed with improved checks.

Apple has acknowledged that both issues may have been actively exploited in the wild. It is strange that Apple did not patch the security vulnerabilities via the Rapid Security Response system. It was designed for this very purpose, to quickly address bugs that may be exploited by hackers.

The above-mentioned fixes are included in macOS Ventura 13.4.1, iOS 16.5.1 (available for iPhone 8 and later), iPadOS 16.5.1 (iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 5th generation and later).  The company says the kernel issue also impacted its Apple Watches, it has patched the vulnerability in watchOS 9.5.2 for the Apple Watch Series 4 and later, and watchOS 8.8.1 for the Apple Watch Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, Series 7, and SE.

Remember the bug that prevented Apple's Lightning to USB 3 adapters from working in iOS 16.5? Apple has managed to fix the issue in iOS 16.5.1.

iOS 15.7.7, iPadOS 15.7.7, macOS Big Sur 11.7.8 and macOS Monterey 12.6.7 released

Apple has also released updates for older devices to address the above security issues. The new software update also ships with a third critical fix for another bug that the company says was also actively exploited by threat actors.  This WebKit vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2023-32435, and was also discovered by the three experts from Kaspersky. Apple notes that the bug may allow processing web content to arbitrary code execution. The memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management. The company has released the iOS 15.7.7 and iPadOS 15.7.7 updates for the following devices: iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Air 2, iPad mini (4th generation), and iPod touch (7th generation).

The security fix for the kernel level issue mentioned earlier is also included in macOS Big Sur 11.7.8 and macOS Monterey 12.6.7, while the Safari 16.5.1 update ships with a patch for the other WebKit issue (CVE-2023-32439).

Source

What is new in Microsoft Edge Dev 116.0.1923.0?

The official release notes contain the following:

Reliability improvements:

macOS:

• Fixed browser crash when clicking on the Share option from the Workspace Invite dialog.

WebView2:

• Fixed CoreWebView2Frame.ExecuteScriptAsync hangs forever if the frame's destroyed while script is executing (#3124)

Other changes and improvements:

• Re-added Reset sync data from Microsoft servers option for MSA.
• Clicking on URLs in saved passwords now opens in a new tab.
• Fixed erase button on the stylus pen not working in PDF.
• Fixed current members not listed in Workspace.
• Fixed PDF fillable form contains old values when starting a new session.
• Fixed unable to use the scrollbar when the mouse cursor is at the edge of the screen.

Android:

• Fixed Read aloud select and read not working.

WebView2:

• Fixed no scrolling possible at HTML input fields of type "time" and HTML Select (#3512)

Enterprise:

• InPrivateModeAvailability policy now supports on iOS and Android.
• Fixed managed iOS devices can’t complete downloads to OneDrive.
• NewPDFReaderEnabled policy can now be used for WebView2.

Microsoft Edge Dev is available for public testing on Windows 10 and 11, macOS, Linux, and Android. You can download it from the official website and run it alongside the stable release or another preview channel. If you want to test early Edge updates, be sure to send your feedback to Microsoft by navigating to the Menu > Help and Feedback > Send feedback or pressing Shift + Alt + I

Edge 116 will be available for testing in the Beta Channel starting on the week of July 18, 2023. Release in the Stable Channel is scheduled for the week of August 10, 2023.

Source

Fast forward a few years to 2022, an Edge Dev channel update made the transition from darker themes to lighter themes and vice versa much smoother when toggled between the two. And later on in that same year, Microsoft added dark theme to window mode context menus.

Microsoft is moving on from there as the company will soon be adding more darker Dark theme option to Edge. Browser enthusiast and leakster, Leopeva64 on Twitter, has revealed that the Redmond giant is now testing a new Dark theme on the Canary channel. "In Edge Canary Microsoft is testing a full black background for the tab strip, toolbar, favorites bar, vertical tabs and sidebar" writes Leopeva.

The leaker has also provided screenshots of the new theme. The Dev and the Beta channels still possess the current Dark theme. The Canary screenshots are below while the Dev and Beta are on top:

Perhaps Microsoft might offer both options simultaneously so users who prefer the darker tone can choose it, though this is entirely our speculation here, and the Edge development team could completely replace the current Dark theme with the upcoming darker one.

In case you are wondering how to enable the current Dark theme in Edge, do the following:

1. Go to Settings and more (Alt+F)

2. Select Settings

3. Select Appearance from the Settings list.

4. Under Customize browser > Overall Appearance > Theme, use the drop-down list to select Dark.

    

Do you like this new version of the current Dark theme in Edge? Or perhaps it's a bit too dark for your liking? Let us know below!

Source: Leopeva64 (Twitter)

Source

Now, a new post on the Microsoft 365 message center, as shown by Windows enthusiast Tero Alhonen on Twitter, states that Microsoft won't replace the apps with Outlook until sometime "by the end of next year." This newly vague timeline shows Microsoft still doesn't have a firm date yet, and may not have one for some time.

The message post also states that while Microsoft 365 and Office 365 subscribers will be able to use the new Outlook for Windows app, people without such a subscription "will need to manage their email and calendar in Outlook on the web" after those Email and Calendar apps are retired.

This seems like an odd decision to make for people who would simply like to use the Outlook Windows app as a desktop email client. Indeed. Microsoft has already released the latest version of Outlook for Mac PCs as a free client, with no need for a Microsoft or Office 365 subscription.

The good news is that there's still a ton of time before all these changes are supposed to be made, so Microsoft could make some additional adjustments to its plans in the weeks and months to come.

Source

In May during Build 2023, Microsoft launched the first preview version of the Dev Home app. It's designed for developers to get several features, including the new Dev Drive, WinGet configuration, and GitHub codespaces together in one place.

Today, Microsoft announced the release of the 0.2 preview version of the Dev Home app. It includes quite a few improvements, along with some bug fixes.

Here's the changelog:

Miscellaneous improvements

• A WinGet YAML configuration file for NodeJS has been added to the repository.
• The dashboard now displays a loading progress ring while loading widgets (Thanks @aksoftware98!).
• System widget graphs now use antialiasing for a smoother appearance.
• Core widgets now work on Arm64 devices (Thanks @snickler).
• The repository cloning tool now shows you repositories you’ve previously cloned.

Bug fixes

• Switching the theme doesn’t get into a broken state anymore (we’re pretty sure).
• Installing apps through the end-to-end setup tool shouldn’t crash anymore.
• Background contrast should be much better now (Thanks @BreeceW!).
• The add widget dialogs now dynamically size with the window, ensuring all buttons are clickable.

Developers can get more info on the Dev Home app on Microsoft's documents site. They can also provide ideas for new features for the app, or report any bugs, to Microsoft's GitHub repository. Microsoft apparently plans to update the app every month for the time being.

The Dev Home app includes some new designs that got some attention when the first version launched. They were created by Microsoft's in-house design team.

A few days ago, Microsoft Design released a series of 4K wallpapersbased on the Dev Home designs for anyone to check out. They all are based on the Windows 11 wallpaper design theme but have a number of new colour choices, along with some new wave shapes, and some images that suggest code is embedded in them.

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What is new in Intel Wi-Fi driver 22.230.0?

Here is the list of fixed issues:

The driver is available for systems with the following network cards:

You can download Intel Wireless Software 22.230.0 from the official website. Full release notes are available via this link (PDF).

What is new in Intel Bluetooth driver 22.230.0?

Here is the list of fixed issues:

• The installer, irrespective of the OS language settings (locale) always used English for the first two screens.
• Intel Wireless Bluetooth 22.230.0 driver has been updated to include functional updates. Users should update to the latest version

The update is compatible with the same network cards as the latest Wi-Fi driver release. You can download it from the official website. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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For those that find the WSA platform useful, you may or may not be aware of a handy third-party utility software called WSA System Control. This app allows users to monitor the WSA status on their systems as well as launch the subsystem. The developer of the tool describes it as follows:

WSA System Control

A simple tasktray application that allows you to monitor the WSA status as well as start/stop the subsystem. You can also launch the WSA Settings app, the Android Settings app and the Files app right from the menu.

NOTE: Shutdown feature requires WSA running Android 13 or later.

The app received its latest update yesterday with version 1.0.2. The new version brings an updated app icon, a new About page, and it is now also available on the Microsoft Store. The release notes are given below:

WSA System Control v1.0.2

• Updated app icon
• Updated about page

This is the first release to be made available on Microsoft Store. https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/9PFCTFQ8V8C3

The WSA System Control utility was released back in December last year. Since then, it has had a few major updates including this latest one. In some of the previous releases, the app added improvements like a reduced memory footprint, support for both x64 and ARM64 builds, updated Menu icons, and more.

You can download the tool from Microsoft Store (link above in the release notes section) or from the app's GitHub page.

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The full changelog is given below:

Summary of What's New in this Release of Visual Studio 2022 version 17.6.4

• Fixed an issue where Saving a C++ file sometimes results in the IDE hanging.
• Fixed an issue when "Show All Files" mode is set for a VC project sometimes results from files in those projects will be missing in GoTo and FindInFiles.
• Fixed '__declspec(property) causes syntax errors with C++20 and /clr
• Fixed a race condition in ASAN initialization causing crashes on start up
• When multiple test projects are run in sequence, vstest.console can consume a lot of CPU because it is constantly polling for data from testhost that is started but not executing yet. This was mitigated by disabling testhost pre-start. This regression was introduced in 17.6.0.
• Fixes a MessagingRemoteException when an XCFramework is involved in MAUI targeting iOS. Ref xamarin/macios#18308.
• This version of Visual Studio includes Win App SDK 1.3.230502000. See Windows App SDK release channels - Windows appsfor more details.
• Includes servicing update 10.0.22621.1778 for Windows SDK for Windows 11. See Windows SDK for details.
• Fixed a bug where document tabs could accidentally undock into a floating window.
• Fixes some Visual Studio crashes on Solution Close.

Developer Community Highlights

• Internal compiler error compiling Xbox Series X UnrealEngine plugin with VS2022 17.6 Preview
• Find in Files is broken and returning partial results
• C++/CLR syntax error in VS 17.6.0 when compiling templated class with finalizer with C++20 support
• Compiler crashes for analysis of code including specialization of class template with nested non-template class referring to containing class
• Visual Studio 2022 always crash while selecting MS-Access as a data source
• TextTransform utility (TextTransform.exe) command line handling regression error in VS2022 17.6 LTSC
• Duplicate key strokes when editing javascript in cshtml file
• Experimental function "Sticky scroll" not selects items by cursor position

You may find more details on Microsoft's official website.

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