Before that, here's a glimpse at the lock screen in macOS 13 Ventura.

And this is the new lock screen in macOS Sonoma. As you can tell, the date, day and time are now displayed at the top center of the screen instead of in the top right corner on the menubar. It's kind of the same experience that you see on iPadOS.

The login option with your user profile picture has been moved to the bottom, in a compact form. You can unlock the screen with your password or by using Touch ID, that has not changed.

The lock screen's background images and wallpapers in macOS 14 Sonoma might look familiar to you, that's because they are similar to the Aerial screen savers and wallpapers that are available on Apple TV. These are not static images, they are slow-motion videos of stunning landscapes from around the world. For example, one of the screen savers features a river that is flowing through the Grand Canyon.

Here's the best part, once you log in, i.e. unlock the device, the screen saver transitions from an animated form to a wallpaper. The scene is identical to the frame that was visible on the lock screen. There's a very small delay during the transition from the video to the wallpaper, but I think that's a really nice touch, it's a little more immersive.

Hopefully this behavior won't affect the battery life too much. Want to see what it looks like in action? Here's a demo of the new lock screen experience in macOS 14 Sonoma. Please excuse the choppy frame rate, I had to compress the GIF to upload it to Imgur.

You can manage the lock screen options from the Settings > Screen Saver page. There are a few background categories that you may choose from including landscape, cityscape, underwater, and Earth. If you want to view the images randomly, you can set macOS Sonoma to shuffle between all the screen savers. Or, if you would prefer to randomize images from a specific category, for example: landscape, you can set it to just shuffle the selected section.

If you are not a fan of screen savers, you may turn the feature off completely from the Lock Screen settings, just set the "Start Screen Saver when inactive" to "Never". The other options allow you to manage when the screen saver kicks in, i.e. after a certain period of idle time. Want to remove the large clock? You can set it to show only on the menubar.

Now, the reduction of the login section's size results in quite a bit of empty space on the lock screen, even with the clock at the top. Did Apple make space to beautify the screensaver experience, to make it more immersive? Or could this be a hint that the lock screen in macOS Sonoma will support widgets?

Here's the new lock screen experience in macOS 14 Sonoma

Not so long ago, Microsoft Edge ended up in hot waters after users discovered a bug leaking your browser history to Bing. Now you may want to toggle off another feature to ensure Edge is not sending every picture you view online to Microsoft.

Edge has a built-in image enhancement tool that, according to Microsoft, can use "super-resolution to improve clarity, sharpness, lighting, and contrast in images on the web." Although the feature sounds exciting, recent Microsoft Edge Canary updates have provided more information on how image enhancement works.

The browser now warns that it sends image links to Microsoft instead of performing on-device enhancements.

The biggest problem with Edge's "super-resolution" and other questionable services is that it is enabled by default. Therefore, unaware users automatically give the browser permission to send pictures to Microsoft for processing and enhancement. Here is how to fix that:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge and open its main menu.
2. Go to Settings > Privacy, Search, and Services.
3. Scroll down and toggle off Enhance images in Microsoft Edge.

    

   

Microsoft is working on making the feature more flexible. Upcoming Edge updates will allow you to pick a more balanced way and specify what websites Edge should not process. If you use Microsoft Edge Canary, head to Settings > Privacy, Search, and Services > Enhance images in Microsoft Edge and Add next to the Never Enhance images for these sites list.

Microsoft Edge has another AI-based feature called Video Super Resolution. It makes low-res videos sharper and less pixelated. However, it uses on-device processing powered by discrete graphics cards instead of sending the content to Microsoft.

Are you okay with Edge sending pictures you view online to Microsoft? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft, here is how to disable that

Chrome Refresh 2023 is now going out to testers in Canary via "Google Labs," a new means to test forthcoming improvements after previously being concealed by experimental flags. Luckily, you don't have to wait for the official release and test it beforehand!

Google Chrome users may be interested in learning more about Chrome Refresh 2023 and how it may impact their browsing experience. The codename for a significant update to the Chrome browser that is scheduled to debut in 2023 is Chrome Refresh 2023. It takes design cues from Google's Material You design language, which promises to produce more individualized and adaptable user experiences for various platforms and devices.

Chrome Refresh 2023 Credit: Shutterstock

What will change with Chrome Refresh 2023?

Chrome will get "slight enhancements." Google developers and internal flags, though, use the word "refresh" to describe the new look because Chrome hasn't undergone a dramatic overhaul. Your favorite features aren't going to a new location since the interface is still the same. Here are some of the changes that are coming with the Chrome Refresh 2023 update:

• Larger and rounder toolbar, tab, and menu buttons and icons.
• A new design for the address bar and search box known as the Omnibox includes a large button on the left side that displays details about the current website, including its security status and permissions.
• Additional rounded edges for items such as text fields and pop-up windows.
• The default colour scheme for the tab bar is light blue, with future opportunities to change the hues.
• Spanning many operating systems and devices, a more unified and cohesive design.

How to use Chrome Refresh 2023

As mentioned, you can try out the Chrome Refresh 2023 update before it launches for mass usage. You must first download Chrome Canary in order to access the new Chrome Refresh 2023 look. After downloading, turn it on by clicking the Google Labs symbol next to the URL bar. The two results can also be enabled by going to chrome://flags and searching for "Chrome refresh 2023." Check out the steps below to try the new update:

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Click the URL bar and type "chrome://flags/#chrome-refresh-2023"
3. Scroll down until you see Chrome Refresh 2023 and set its value to "Enabled."
4. Click the URL bar again, and this time, type "chrome://flags/#omnibox-cr23-expanded-state-height"
5. Enable "Omnibox Expanded State Height"
6. Type "setting: chrome://flags/#omnibox-cr23-expanded-state-shape" into the URL bar.
7. Enable "Omnibox Expanded State Shape"
8. Hit Relaunch.

What is Chrome Refresh 2023 and how to use it

Build 8.99 contains a few notable improvements and new options, such as integration with Microsoft Weather, reworked call tabs, improved Bing integration, and more.

What is new in Skype 8.99?

• Microsoft Weather now lets you check out the forecast without leaving Skype. Click the weather icon next to your profile, and Skype will open a side pane with a detailed forecast courtesy of Microsoft Weather, allegedly one of the most accurate weather providers.

  

   

• Reworked call tabs make it easier to distinguish Skype-to-Skype and Skype-to-Phone calls. Those two are now separate tabs, each offering specific features. For example, the Skype-to-Skype tab has prominent buttons to initiate a new video or audio call, while the Skype-to-Phone tab provides quick info about your subscription, current balance, and more.

  

   

• Prioritized Skype contacts on the Contacts tab. Skype contacts now sit on top of other people, making it easier to quickly find the person you need to chat with on Skype.
• Interactive Bing Chat prompts provide you with fun and fresh ideas to talk about with Microsoft's AI. For example, Skype can offer you to speak with Bing about inventing a new gadget, make it tell you a joke, or entertain in another way. Microsoft says those prompts shuffle every time you launch Skype.

  

   

• Bing toolbox is another improvement for the Bing 1:1 chat in Skype. It offers various tools and methods for interaction with the service, like education, social media, travel, creativity, entertainment, language, sports, or technology.

Other changes in Skype 8.99 Preview include instant access to Bing Chat (no more waiting in line), redesigned landing page illustration, consecutive audio messages auto-play, and a single fix for the search bar blocking the top chat on iPad.

You can download Skype Insider from the official website. More details about the latest release are available on the forum.

Latest Skype Preview update adds MSN Weather, improved calls, better Bing integration, more

Here are the details of the new File Sharing feature, which also include info on its privacy options, and some known issues:

What is File Sharing?

We’ve been listening to the community, and many of you have been asking us to support sharing files between Windows and the Subsystem. We are pleased to announce that Windows Subsystem for Android™ can now share your Windows user folders, like Documents and Pictures, with the Subsystem, so scenarios like uploading a photo to a social media app or editing a video in a creative app work seamlessly. Folder sharing is enabled by default for preview users and can be toggled on and off in Windows Subsystem for Android™ Settings. When folder sharing is enabled, your Windows user profile folder (e.g., “C:\Users\John Doe”) is shared as “/sdcard/Windows” in the Subsystem.

Privacy

Your privacy and security are important to us, so Android apps can only view or edit your files with your permission. Apps must show a system dialog to request your permission, and permission can be revoked at any time from app settings. The Subsystem also guards against malicious apps that would abuse your permission by scanning all Android apps with your antivirus software during installation and blocking threats, whether you installed the app from the Amazon Appstore or installed it with developer tools.

Limitations

There are a few restrictions you should be aware of:

• Only files in your Windows user profile folder are available to the Subsystem. Windows system folders, Program Files, other users’ folders, external drives, etc. are not supported.
• Only files the Subsystem saves to “/sdcard/Windows” are available to Windows. When opening files in other folders from an Android™ app, the Subsystem offers the option of copying the file to Windows and opening it there.
• Windows hidden files/folders like AppData and Android hidden files/folders (dot prefixed names) are excluded from sharing.
• Executable file types, like “.exe” are excluded from sharing to protect your security. If the Subsystem tries to save a file with a blocked extension to “/sdcard/Windows”, the save will fail.
• Cloud storage files must be downloaded to your device. If your cloud storage provider includes online-only files in File Explorer, the online-only files will not be available to the Subsystem until you download them. Simply open an online-only file in File Explorer to download it and make it available to the Subsystem. You can also modify your cloud storage settings to make some or all of your files always available offline.
• The Subsystem needs to index shared files before apps can access them. Indexing is usually quick but may take longer if you have a lot of files. Recent files are prioritized, so if you can’t find a file in an Android app, try opening it from File Explorer first.
• You can also share individual files with specific Android apps, even if folder sharing is disabled. Simply drag and drop files from File Explorer to any open Android™ app that supports sharing files. Some Android apps also support pasting files copied to the Windows clipboard. In these cases, apps only receive read access to the shared file.

Here's the full changelog for the update:

• File sharing enabled.
• File transfer using drop and drop and copy and paste.
• Windows Subsystem for Android Settings (renamed to just “Windows Subsystem for Android”) redesign, including displaying all installed Android apps.
• Enable apps that specify android.hardware.type.pc in their manifest to opt into receiving raw input events.
• Wi-Fi API compatibility improvements.
• Camera hardware compatibility improvements.
• Linux kernel security update.
• Updated latest Chromium WebView to version 113.
• Android 13 security updates.

You can download Windows Subsystem for Android with the Amazon App Store from the Microsoft Store on compatible PCs running Windows 11. Hardware requirements for WSA are available here.

Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11 update adds file sharing and more

How to control what boots up on your Mac

The primary benefit of including non-free firmware in the official ISOs is that Wi-Fi and graphics hardware should work out of the box. Before, you had to grab one of the Debian project’s unofficial ISOs to use non-free firmware.

Aside from being a helluva lot easier to install, Debian 12 has updated software packages including GNOME 43, KDE Plasma 5.27, LXDE 11, LXQt 1.2.0, MATE 1.26, and Xfce 4.18. In terms of programs, we have Emacs 28.2, GIMP 2.10.34, LibreOffice 7.4, Linux 6.1, Vim 9.0, Firefox ESR and more.

The supported architectures include i386, amd64, arm64, armel, EABI hard-float ABI, armhf, mipsel, mips64el, ppc64el, s390x. On arm64, Secure Boot has been reintroduced for added security benefits. Of these architectures, most people will want the amd64 version as this is for 64-bit PCs.

Debian Stable releases such as Debian 12 are generally regarded as rock solid. Not only that but Debian 12 will be supported for the next five years thanks to the Debian Security and Debian Long Term Support teams.

If you want to get Debian 12 for your computer, you have a variety of options available on the download page. Most will want to scroll down to the section titled ‘Try Debian live before installing’ and click ‘64-bit PC live torrents’.

You’ll see a list of torrent files, each one containing Debian 12 with a different desktop environment. You will need a torrent program such as uTorrent or Transmission to download any of these files.

If you know you want to install Debian 12 and have an internet connection, you can directly download a net installer image from the Debian project without the need for a torrent program. You won’t be able to test the operating system in a live environment with the net installer.

Gallery: Debian 12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debian 12 forsakes ethics for a more delightful installation experience

While this is generally to ensure that such machines continue receiving security patches among other updates, the company actually trained its own machine learning (ML) model while doing so for Windows 10 20H2. Microsoft has explained on a separate occasion how and when it pushes these updates.

Alongside feature updates, quality updates, and security patches, Microsoft also pushes WHQL-signed driver updates for components belonging to third-party hardware vendors. For example, it often updates AMD, Nvidia, or Realtek drivers, among others, with what it feels is the most appropriate version of it, overwriting what the user has installed.

While there are ways to disable this, it looks like a bug in the Windows Update service could be overriding these blocks and Windows is installing drivers regardless. Twitter user @ghost_motley noticed that Windows ignored their Group Policy Editor setting which was set to "Do not include drivers with Windows Updates" and went on to install a driver on their GeForce RTX 3090.

For those unaware, the Group Policy Management Console allows users to configure various options related to Windows Update. In its documentation explaining the various options, the company has provided the steps to enable the policy that allows users to disable driver updates via Windows Update. It writes:

If you want to disable driver updates for some reason, use the Group Policy Management Console to go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Do not include drivers with Windows Updates and enable the policy.

Curious about the matter, I went to my own Windows Update install history and found that Microsoft has indeed pushed its own driver on my Radeon RX 6800 XT even though I had disabled the option for automatic recommended driver updates via the Device Installation Settings.

As you can notice in the image above, there is a large gap between February 2022 and December 2022 which is the period when Windows did not override the setting.

Although this may not always become problematic, there are many reports of AMD Radeon users will notice an error message that says: "Windows Update may have automatically replaced your AMD graphics driver ...":

In that case, the only way to fix the issue is to reinstall the graphics driver package. AMD has a support document (GPU-KB205) on how to fix the issue.

Microsoft Windows 11 and 10 ignores user choices to force install AMD, Nvidia drivers

Unlike public Windows 11 builds and their Bloom wallpaper, pre-release version 21380 has a modified Windows 10 wallpaper (via @XenoPanther), different from what we used to see before. It is the third variant of the picture Microsoft introduced in 2015 (here is how the company created it), with slightly dimmer lights and toned-down colours.

We do not know the story behind this wallpaper, but some may say it represents the end of the Windows 10 era with its lights going down. Regardless, it is a neat wallpaper and great addition to your stock picture collection. Other than the new picture, build 21380 does not feature anything groundbreaking or previously unseen. And like most pre-release builds, it will contain bugs and unfinished features.

This is not the first Windows 11 pre-release build leaking to the public, nor the first prototype wallpaper. In the Summer of 2021, just several days before Windows 11's public debut, build 21996 spilled the beans on the upcoming OS and revealed some of its features. In 2022, users discovered an early "petal-like" version of the stock Bloom wallpaper.

If you want more awesome wallpapers for your PC, check out this official modern take on the iconic Windows XP "Bliss" wallpaper. Also, someone decided to look at what is beneath the Bloom wallpaper and extended the picture using the power of artificial intelligence. Finally, Microsoft is working on AI-powered effects for desktop backgrounds. Although the feature is not available for testing yet, you can check it out in action here.

Leaked Windows 11 pre-release build reveals a unique Windows wallpaper

The update is available already and most Firefox installations will be updated automatically thanks to the browser's built-in updating functionality.

Firefox users may select Menu > Help > About Firefox to look up the installed version. Firefox runs a check for updates at the same time and will download any that it finds to the local system. A restart of the browser is required to complete the process.

The help page should list Firefox 114.0.1 as the version after the update.

The official Firefox 114.0.1 release notes lists just a single item: "Fix a startup crash". The linked bug report provides insight on the issue.

According to it, Mozilla noted an increase in startup crashes that affected Firefox 114 and the development versions Firefox 115 and 116. Updates are available for all affected versions of the Firefox web browser.

Mozilla engineers discovered that the issue was related to "old metadata files on disk containing origin types" that Firefox no longer supports. Firefox would previously load the metadata file and continue the startup process. The change introduced in Firefox 114 and newer versions introduced checks if the origin is supported by Firefox. If it is not, Firefox would fail with a crash, which Mozilla admits is not ideal.

Mozilla came up with a fix for the issue and after some testing in development versions of Firefox, has now pushed it to the stable version of the browser via the Firefox 114.0.1 update.

Firefox users interested in the specifics may follow the link to the bug report on Bugzilla, as it provides links to code changes and other information that are relevant.

The next major Firefox release, Firefox 115 Stable, will be released on July 4, 2023. It marks the beginning of a new ESR version for the browser. All Firefox users on Windows 7 and 8 devices will be moved to the ESR channel automatically at the time.

Now You: did you experience startup crashes recently in Firefox?

Time to update: Firefox 114.0.1 fixes a startup crash

Quarter tiling in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS with Tiling Assistant extension enabled.

Ubuntu 23.10, codenamed Mantic Minotaur, will ship with the Tiling Assistant extension that will enable quarter tiling, according to OMG! Ubuntu. The ability to snap windows side-by-side jumped onto the scene with Windows 7 and the feature was also picked up by other operating systems like Ubuntu.

With the new extension, however, Ubuntu users will be able to snap windows to each of the four corners to enable quarter tiling. There will also be an option to drag windows to the top and bottom of the screen to snap windows horizontally rather than vertically. If you drag the window to the top, you have to hold it for it to split in half.

Ubuntu 23.10 users will be able to control advanced snapping features from Snapping > Ubuntu Desktop. From there, users can choose whether the tiling assistant is enabled, disable the tiling popup, and toggle tiling groups.

The developers that work on Ubuntu at Canonical have said that they plan to work with the GNOME project developers to bake this advanced tiling directly into the desktop environment. GNOME is the most popular desktop environment on Linux and this functionality being built in would benefit many users and provide a huge productivity boost.

One of the features you have with the existing vertical snapping is the ability to resize the two windows at once from the middle. With the quadrant tiling, you’ll still be able to resize windows and the others will dynamically adjust.

To be clear, you can have a variety of layouts with quadrant tiling. You can have one program taking up the entire left side of your screen and then two windows on the right, two side-by-side, or four quartered tiles - the possibilities are not endless but there are quite a lot of them.

If you are on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and want to try out this extension, you can do by installing the Extensions Manager application from Ubuntu Software and then searching for the Tiling Assistant by Leleat extension - future Ubuntu versions will have it baked in though.

Source: OMG! Ubuntu

Ubuntu 23.10 Mantic Minotaur will let you snap four windows to each corner

For those who don't know, Wine is a tool that allows you to run Windows programs on Linux and macOS, with varying degrees of success. The name Wine originally stood for 'Wine is not an emulator' as no emulation or virtualization goes on while Wine runs Windows programs.

Here is a list of new changes in this update and what benefits they bring:

• All PE->Unix transitions go through the syscall interface. This means that Wine now uses the syscall interface for all transitions between PE (Portable Executable) and Unix memory spaces. This change should improve performance and stability.
• Mouse cursor clipping improvements. The mouse cursor clipping code has been improved, which should fix some issues with the mouse cursor being clipped off the screen.
• Support for virtual memory placeholders. Wine now supports virtual memory placeholders, which are used by some applications to improve performance.
• Locale and timezone data updates. The locale and timezone data have been updated to the latest versions. This should fix some issues with applications that use locale-specific data.

Perhaps more interesting than the improvements in this update are the bug fixes. Several well-known pieces of software should work better in this update. The bug fixes are as follows:

• Multiple isolation-aware applications fail to load (MSN Messenger Live 2009, Lync 2010, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, Quicken 201X)(embedded PE manifest search should support ISOLATIONAWARE_MANIFEST_RESOURCE_ID)
• uTorrent 2.2.0 hangs on startup (FD_WRITE event is reported over and over in WSAEnumNetworkEvents for a bound UDP socket)
• Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express 4.0/6.0 loader failure due to missing msvcrt.dll dependency (native netapi32.dll imports msvcrt functions)
• Cygwin's mintty.exe crashes with a stack overflow
• TwitchTest crashes on unimplemented function IPHLPAPI.DLL.GetPerTcpConnectionEStats
• Animated Puzzles crashes on start
• .NET 3.5 Checkbox checkmarks should be black instead of "Foreground" colour
• Honeygain crashes on unimplemented function IPHLPAPI.DLL.GetCurrentThreadCompartmentId
• PmxEditor 0.2.7.5 doesn't start after Wine 8.4.
• ntdll: NtDuplicateToken has wrong prototype
• user32:msg gets an extra WM_NCPAINT in ShowWindow(child, SW_SHOW)
• Chinese IME no longer works in Naver LINE since Wine 8.9
• wininet:http - test_secure_connection() fails on Windows and Wine

Wine 8.10 is a development release so you’ll need to head over to the downloads page, find installation instructions for your Linux distribution, and ensure you follow the instructions for the Development branch.

Wine 8.10 lands with uTorrent crash fix and other performance improvements

Although Microsoft is proactively improving the store as it wants you to use it exclusively to download apps, games, and entertainment, the Microsoft Store sometimes has problems.

Some of the most common issues include apps stuck in a pending state and queuing up for a long time waiting to download updates. If you have already tried restarting the system, installing the latest system updates, and there are no networking issues with the device, and you're still experiencing problems, Windows 11 offers a few ways to get apps downloading again.

This how-to guide will walk you through the steps to resolve issues when Windows 11 apps are stuck or pending on the Microsoft Store.

How to fix app problems resetting account on Microsoft Store

To resolve issues downloading apps on the Microsoft Store, use these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Store.
2. Click the profile icon from the top-right and click the Sign out button.

(Image credit: Future)

3. Click the profile icon from the top-right and select the Sign in option.

(Image credit: Future)

• Select the account to sign in.
• Click the Continue button.

Once you complete the steps, you can try to download the app one more time.

How to fix app problems clearing cache on Microsoft Store

To reset the cache of the Microsoft Store, use these steps:

1. Close Microsoft Store app.
2. Open Start.
3. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
4. Type the following command and press Enter: wsreset

(Image credit: Future)

After you complete the steps, relaunch the Microsoft Store app, and apps should download and install without issues.

How to fix app problems repairing on Microsoft Store

To fix issues downloading apps on Windows 11 by repairing the Microsoft Store installation, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Apps.
3. Click the Installed apps page on the right side.

(Image credit: Future)

• Click the menu (three-dots) button on the right and click on Advanced options.

(Image credit: Future)

• Under the "Reset" section, click the Repair button.

(Image credit: Future)

Once you complete the steps, the feature will repair the app setup preserving your data. 

How to fix app problems resetting on Microsoft Store

To resolve pending and stuck downloading apps on the Microsoft Store by resetting the application, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Apps.
3. Click the Installed apps page on the right side.

(Image credit: Future)

4. Click the menu (three-dots) button on the right and click on Advanced options.

(Image credit: Future)

5. Under the "Reset" section, click the Reset button.

(Image credit: Future)

After you complete the steps, the system will reset the Microsoft Store app, clearing the app's data. Once the reset is complete, apps should now download and install as always, but you may have to sign into the Microsoft Store again.

How to fix app problems reinstalling on Microsoft Store

To reinstall the Microsoft Store appt to fix problems downloading Windows 11 apps, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
3. Type the following command to uninstall the Microsoft Store app and press Enter: Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore | Remove-AppxPackage

(Image credit: Future)

• Type the following command to install the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 and press Enter: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.WindowsStore* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

(Image credit: Future)

Once you complete the steps, the system will reinstall the Microsoft Store, fixing the stuck and downloading problems on Windows 11.

If none of the suggestions resolved the issue, your Windows 11 account could be the problem. In this case, you can change accounts to resolve the issue. 

How to fix stuck downloading apps in Microsoft Store on Windows 11

Update: June 7 - Microsoft released another Canary Channel update for Windows 11 Insiders with the build number 25387. However, Microsoft stated it did not get any release notes due to the fact that there were no notable changes in the release. However, it did put in some new features to the Microsoft Store for both Dev and Canary Channel users.

Original Story - Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 update for the members of the Insider program on the Canary Channel. However, those folks shouldn't get very excited. This new release is being pushed out to test Microsoft's systems.

According to the official Windows Insider Program Twitter account, the new build number for this update is 25381.1200. This specific update contains no new features, with Microsoft stating that this is being pushed out "to test our servicing pipeline."

This is the first time in a few months that Microsoft has released a Canary update with the intent to just test its systems. Microsoft previously released a major new Canary update last week. The build number for that update was 25381, and it made SMB signing a requirement for Enterprise editions as the default for the OS.

Microsoft made a separate announcement on the same date stating that this new SMB signing default would be added to "Pro, Education, and other Windows editions over the next few months, as well as to Windows Server." Microsoft said this change was "part of a campaign to improve the security of Windows and Windows Server for the modern landscape."

Microsoft updated the Beta channel for Insider users on June 1. It added WPA3 support to the Phone Link instant hotspot feature. On the same day, it also released a Dev channel update for Insiders. It had a few new additions, including adding a new button in the File Explorer Gallery for adding photos from a phone, and new natural voices in Spanish for the Narrator feature.

Windows 11 Insider Canary users get a small servicing update for Build 25387.1200 [Update]

The operating system has a functionality that organizes open windows based on their size. This feature automatically groups together windows that share the same dimensions. It’s a nice feature to have, especially if you find yourself switching between open windows while studying or working and the Alt + Tab shortcut is your best friend.

However, you may want to disable this feature for whatever reason. A user on Reddit, for example, complains that it only works for the built-in snap, but not for PowerToys’ FancyZones – but you may also want to turn it off for anything. 

If you could relate to this situation, then this article is for you. Here’s how you can disable grouping when switching between Tabs in Windows 11. 

How to disable grouping in Windows 11 (when switching between tabs)

1. Go to Settings.

2. Click on System -> Multitasking.

3. On the Snap windows dropdown, make sure the toggle near Show my snapped windows when I hover over taskbar apps is unticked. 

In the meantime, we’ve also covered how Microsoft is getting serious with the new WinAppSDK-powered File Explorer. We’ve spotted that, in their latest build for the Dev channel (Build 23475), Redmond officials introduced a modernized address bar and search box. If you want to take that feature for a spin, we have a guide for you to follow.

Do you want to disable grouping in Windows 11? Let us know in the comments!

How to disable grouping in Windows 11

Microsoft added the notice about the feature going away on its support site back in May, according to Office365itpros.com. However, it wasn't noticed by many until today. The calendar board view feature first launched for Outlook on the web back in April 2021. It allowed users to use the email client's calendar to organize items like notes, to-do lists, and more into several different boards.

Microsoft's support page states that once the feature is shut down, users won't be able to access their organized boards anymore and will be redirected to their normal Outlook calendar.

The support page also added these notes for people who are still using the feature:

• Your content (calendars, emails, notes, tasks and files) will remain in your account and you can still access them using the respective apps.
• In Outlook settings (Privacy and data), you can export the metadata of your boards. This can be useful if you want to back up any links you had on your board for future reference.
• URLs to calendar boards will be redirected to a supported calendar view.

Microsoft offered no explanation for why it was shutting down this feature. It's likely because it was not getting enough use by the many folks who access Outlook on the web.

This feature is somewhat related to what was previously known as "Project Moca" which then got launched as Outlook Spaces in February 2021. Both were made for organizing items in Outlook on the web but with slightly different features.

Even with this removal of the calendar board view, Microsoft has been busy adding some new calendar features for Outlook web users. In May, it announced that remote workers could use Outlook on the web's calendar to let others know both when they will be working and from where. This should help those workers with better communications with their bosses and clients.

Microsoft is shutting down the calendar board view from Outlook on the web

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1830 and Build 22631.1835 (KB5027305) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.1835 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.1835 = New features off by default.

The new build makes it easier to switch to cellular mode when the Wi-Fi connection is poor. It also adds new natural voices in Chinese and Spanish. The full changelog is given below:

What’s new in Build 22631.1835

Narrator natural voices in Chinese & Spanish (Spain and Mexico)

We are introducing new natural voices in Chinese and Spanish (Spain and Mexico) that allow Narrator users to comfortably browse the web, read, and write mail, and do more. Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device text to speech and once downloaded are supported without an internet connection.

To use one of the natural voices, add it to your PC by following these steps:

1. Open Narrator Settings by pressing the WIN + Ctrl + N hotkey.
2. Under Narrator’s voice, select the Add button next to Add natural voices.
3. Choose the language for which you want to install Natural Voices. List of available voices will be displayed.
4. Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them separately.

• The new Chinese voices are Microsoft Xiaoxiao and Microsoft Yunxi.
• The new Spanish (Spain) voices are Microsoft Alvaro and Microsoft Elvira.
• The new Spanish (Mexico) voices are Microsoft Jorge and Microsoft Dalia.

5. To start the download of the selected voice, select Install. The new voice will download and be ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your Internet download speed.
6. When the new voice has downloaded, in Narrator settings select your preferred voice from the drop-down menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.

Note: If your display language is not set to Chinese or Spanish, then in step 3 you will first need to select “Choose a different language” and select the appropriate language followed by the specific voice.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.1835

[Settings]

• It is easier to control whether to use cellular when Wi-Fi is available but poor, using a new toggle which has been added to Settings > Network & Internet > Cellular.

Find the official blog post here.

Latest Windows 11 Beta build (KB5027305) brings new easy toggle between Wi-Fi and cellular

Before every new ISO release of Linux Mint, the project publishes on its Community website that ISOs have been approved, are being tested, or have been rejected. This is an indicator that the release of the ISOs is just a few days out and right now we can see that testing has begun on Linux Mint 21.2 Beta ISOs.

Actually, there’s nothing in the ISO name that indicates that it’s a beta at all but we can take an educated guess that it will be marked as a Beta ISO on release because all Linux Mint versions are preceded by a Beta release to allow for about two weeks of last-minute testing.

While the Beta ISOs that get approved should be pretty stable, it’s still not recommended that you install them on production machines in case of any data-destroying bugs that could exist. If anything is found in the way of bugs, the team has a few weeks to fix the issues before the new version is pushed out for public consumption.

If you are already running Linux Mint 21.0 or 21.1, you are best off waiting until the upgrade path opens up to Linux Mint 21.2. You should get notified about the update through the update manager.

All three of the Linux Mint versions are based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and will be supported until 2027 so if you don’t like some of the changes in the upcoming version, you can opt not to upgrade your system.

Linux Mint 21.2 promises to be a big upgrade for end users because it will introduce Cinnamon styles that let you combine hint colours and mixed, dark, or light themes allowing for greater customizability.

Linux Mint 21.2 Beta ISOs are now undergoing testing

The highlights from this release are as follows, be sure to click through each of the headers to get an in-depth review from Microsoft:

• Read-only mode - Mark specific files and folders in your workspace as read-only.
• 'Paste as' options - Choose how you'd like item links pasted into the editor.
• Automatic copy of external files - Drag or paste to Markdown adds new files to your workspace.
• Default Git repo branch name - Use "main" as the default or override via a user setting.
• Notebooks rich content search - Search based on Notebook output or filter on cell type.
• Linked editing for JSX tags - Simultaneously change opening and closing JSX tags.
• Preview: GitHub Copilot Chat improvements - Easily manage your chat session history. Inline chat "live preview."
• VS Code at Microsoft Build 2023 - Catch up on the sessions in the YouTube playlist.

The introduction of the GitHub Copilot means you can use the feature in the stable VS Code and not just in Insiders releases. To use it, you will need to install the GitHub Copilot Nightly extension and to access the chat view and inline chat, you’ll need to sign up for the GitHub Copilot chat waitlist.

If you've not looked into GitHub Copilot yet, it's worth mentioning here that it is a paid product and prices start at $10 per month. If you just want to try it, there's a 30-day free trial too.

To get started with the new update, open Visual Studio Code, press Help, and then Check for Updates. You can also download it from the Visual Studio Code website. If you have VS Code installed on Ubuntu, you'll need to apply the update from the update manager, check out our recent guide on applying updates quickly.

Visual Studio Code May 2023 update adds read-only mode tagging for files and folders

Today I stumbled upon Microsoft’s 4K rendering of the Windows XP wallpaper

I've previously written how my frustrations with the Windows 11 Start Menu led me to stop using it and focused on opening things using PowerToys Run. As a Linux fan, also, this type of launcher is common to me, allowing quick access to apps and files without ever leaving the keyboard or what you're working on. 

During one of my many late-night GitHub browsing sessions (don't act like you're not impressed), I stumbled on Winget Plugin for PowerToys Run. 

Installing apps with Winget and PowerToys

This is going to save so much more time.  (Image credit: Windows Central)

There are a few different ways you can use the power of the Windows Package Manager to install apps on your Windows PC, including the new Dev Home app from Microsoft. This has already become my favorite though because it's just so quick and easy. 

To find something all you need to do is launch PowerToys Run with your keyboard shortcut, type winget and then the thing you're looking for. It invokes the search feature of the Windows Package Manager, something you would enter winget search for in the terminal. 

As in the terminal you can't use spaces between words, for example you'd enter VisualStudio over Visual Studio. But once you have what you're looking for, you just have to select it and the installation process will begin. No more launching the terminal first. 

There are many other things you can do with the Windows Package Manager that you can't do with this plugin. But for installing and seeing package version information, this is a definite time saver. 

How to install the Winget plugin 

Installing is as easy as extracting a zip file into a folder. (Image credit: Windows Central)

Installation is a breeze. It requires nothing more than going to the GitHub repo for the project, downloading a zip file and extracting it into the Plugins directory for PowerToys. 

By default, you'll find it at this location: 

C:\Program Files\PowerToys\modules\launcher\Plugins

From there, if you have PowerToys currently running, you'll need to first close it and restart it for the plugin to take effect. 

That's all there is to it. I'm so happy that I found this tool, combining two things I use daily to make my Windows 11 days a little bit easier!

This PowerToys plugin combines my two favorite Windows 11 features in one

According to Google Drive release notes, starting in August 2023, Google Drive will no longer support Drive for desktops on Windows 8/8.1, Windows Server 2012, and all 32-bit versions of Windows. However, users of 32-bit Windows can still access Google Drive through a web browser.

In February, Google discontinued support for Google Chrome on Windows 8, 8.1, and Windows 7. This aligns with Google's strategy of breaking services on legacy operating systems. While Google Chrome will continue working after the update, it will no longer receive any feature updates and security patches on devices running these OSs.

More recently, Mozilla reveals the end of support date for Firefox on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. According to a document, customers unwilling to upgrade to Windows 10 or 11 can use Firefox 115 Extended Support Release (ESR) until September 2024. Mozilla pledges to continue shipping security updates for 15 more months.

Windows 8 and 8.1 received mixed reviews due to their departure from the traditional Windows interface. Microsoft's decision to sunset these operating systems emphasizes the importance of migrating to a more modern and supported platform.

Windows 8.1 holds a measly 0.5% market share, according to StatCounter. Of course, another end of support will probably mean nothing to die-hard Windows 8 fans. It is worth reminding that using a connected PC that no longer receives security updates is not a great idea. Given that more apps are dropping support for the OS aside from Drive, users should finally upgrade to Windows 10 and 11.

Google Drive app ends support for Windows 8/8.1 and 32-bit OS in August

The updated File Explorer powered by Windows App SDK features an improved address bar with new fonts, better flyouts, and additional indicators for local and cloud files. Also, the search box and the address bar now sit atop the toolbar, so get ready to re-train your muscle memory.

Soon, Microsoft will also add a new carousel view for users signed into Windows with Azure Active Directory accounts. It will display recommended files with thumbnails above the favorites and recent files.

How to enable the redesigned File Explorer in Windows 11 build 23475?

Important: Back up your files before using ViVeTool. Enabling hidden Windows features might lead to instabilities and severe bugs, so better be safe than sorry.

• Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.

• Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin).
• Switch Windows Terminal to the Command Prompt profile with the Ctrl + Shift + 2 shortcut or by clicking the arrow-down button at the top of  the window.

• Navigate to the folder containing the ViveTool files with the CD command. For example, if you have placed ViveTool in C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
• Type vivetool /enable /id:40950262 and press Enter (credit for the ID goes to @PhantomOfEarth on Twitter).
• Restart your computer.

To restore the old File Explorer variant, repeat the steps above and replace /enable with /disable on step 5.

Source

According to developers, making Bing Chat exclusive to Edge is "User-Agent discrimination," when perfectly compatible websites are blocked in Vivaldi due to the incorrect User-Agent string. Now Chromium is on track to replace User-Agent with the new Client Hints standard, resulting in Vivaldi being again blocked by some services.

Still, the hope is not lost. Vivaldi 6.1 can mimic Google Chrome for improved driver optimizations, reduced memory consumption, better stability, and fewer crashes. Besides, the technique allows Vivaldi users access to browser-restricted services, such as Bing Chat.

It’s not only websites that discriminate based on your name. Vivaldi now masquerades as Google Chrome for graphic card drivers, which unlocks graphic card driver optimizations made specifically for Chrome. By pretending to be Chrome, the GPU user uses less memory and resources. It improves battery life, reduces crashes, and improves system stability.

There are people who would like to try Bing Chat but have been unable to do so as they would need to use Microsoft Edge for that. Now, we have taken additional steps to ensure that you get to use Bing Chat. Vivaldi masquerades as Microsoft Edge when visiting Bing. This means that you can access Bing Chat using Vivaldi.

Another change in Vivaldi 6.1 is improvements for the recently introduced Workspaces feature. Users can now rearrange workspaces according to their needs and preferences. Also, the browser lets you select a few tabs and copy their links.

Finally, Vivaldi 6.1 features a revamped onboarding experience with a better guide to show new users some of the browser's core features and unique capabilities.

You can download Vivaldi 6.1 from the FP. The browser is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. A version for iOS is also in the works, but it is currently in the private beta stage. Full release notes for Vivaldi 6.1 are available on the official Vivaldi blog.

Vivaldi 6.1 is out with Bing Chat support and other improvements

"It is very wrong for the extension to change ownership without warning the user about it. I trusted the original developer of this extension, but i do not trust Avast."

"Avast made me uninstall this extension!"

"This used to be a great extension, but it was bought by Avast (who are known to steal user data) and its no longer safe. There's a community version called "I still don't care about cookies" that doesn't steal your data."

...

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