The zombie-mashing adventure Dead Island 2 is finally releasing tomorrow, April 21, and this is the driver that's recommended for hardware owners on the red team. The recently released space-based tactical shooter Boundary is also gaining support with this release. Unfortunately, AMD hasn't given any details on what kind of improvements users can see on either of these titles by installing this version of its software.

The company may have another driver arrive by next week too. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is only days away and AMD usually has fresh drivers for major game releases.

Coming back to this release, here are the included fixed issues, which include great news for Red Dead Redemption 2 players and Unreal Engine 5 developers:

• Blocky water corruption may occur in Red Dead Redemption 2™ when using the Vulkan® API.
• Missing text or a white disk may appear in Google Earth VR™.
• Application crashes may be intermittently observed after enabling the render preview window in Unreal Engine 5™.
• A blank or black screen may occur after a driver upgrade using certain display configurations.

AMD's driver team is still working on resolving these known issues:

• High idle power has situationally been observed when using select high-resolution and high refresh rate displays on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
• Video stuttering or performance drops may be observed during gameplay and video playback with some extended display configurations on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
• Some virtual reality games or applications may experience lower-than-expected performance on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
• Brief display corruption may occur when switching between video and game windows on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 6700 XT.
• Water corruption in Hogwarts Legacy™ may occur on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 580.
• Upgrading to the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 23.4.2 driver upgrades can performed via the Radeon Settings app on Windows. A standalone download link is also available in the release notes here.

Upgrading to the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 23.4.2 driver can be performed via the Radeon Settings app on Windows. A standalone download link is also available in the release notes here.

AMD 23.4.2 driver carries Dead Island 2 support and an Unreal Engine 5 fix

Mozilla removes Bypass Paywalls Clean extension from its add-ons repository

It is unclear why the add-on has been removed, The developer claims that Mozilla took it off the repository without any notification.

Update: A Mozilla spokesperson provided the following comment:

“Mozilla received a copyright takedown notice regarding this addon and forwarded it to the developer, along with instructions about how to submit a counter-notice. We haven’t received a counter-notice from this developer.”

The developer also speculated that it may be because the extension had too many users. You may refer to the developer's Twitter, Gitlab page to read the above statement.

I already explained the add-on's functionality in the first line of this article.  Now, it is possible that one of the sites hit the Bypass Paywalls Clean add-on with a DMCA notice, which in turn could have resulted in Mozilla delisting the extension from its store. I'm not entirely sure about this, because if that was the case, wouldn't Mozilla have notified the developer? Or maybe it breached some clause in the terms and conditions of the repository. We can't tell that for sure, all that we know is that you can no longer download the plugin from the add-ons store.

The developer says that they have updated the add-on to version 3.5.0. You may not see the update even if you already have the extension, because it has been delisted. You can, however, opt-to install the signed version by side-loading the XPI from the project's GitLab releases page. If you choose to go with that version, you should export your custom filters before switching.

Not many people may like installing add-ons (even if they are signed) that are not hosted on Mozilla's site, for security reasons. The good news it that the author of the add-on also maintains a filter list that you can use with ad blockers, so you will get the same functionality without the extension, at least as far as the popular sites are concerned. Here's how to use it.

How to bypass paywalled articles using uBlock Origin

1. Click on the uBlock Origin icon in your browser.

2. Switch to the Filter lists tab.

3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click the checkbox next to "Import".

4. This will allow you to use custom filter lists. Paste the following URL in the text box.

https://gitlab.com/magnolia1234/bypass-paywalls-clean-filters/-/raw/main/bpc-paywall-filter.txt

5. Click on the Apply changes button at the top of the page. You should see a new filter labelled "Bypass Paywalls Clean filter".

That's it, the filter is ready to use. Try it by going to a website that has a paywall, and you should be able to access the articles for free.

This method works with Firefox, Waterfox, Chrome, Vivaldi, Edge, and Brave, basically any browser that supports uBlock Origin, Adblock Plus, etc., that supports custom filter lists.

Note: The website for the filter list mentions that it can be used with other ad blocker apps for mobile like AdGuard for iOS, Samsung Internet browser, etc. I haven't tried these so YMMV, I use the filter on Firefox for Android.

If you don't want to use the ad blocker filter, you can choose to subscribe to the Bypass Paywalls Clean user script via the Violentmonkey (for Firefox or Chrome), or similar extensions. The user script is available in 9 languages, and can be found on GitLab.

I use the add-on frequently to research stuff, learn new things. This is how the internet should be, free for everyone, without censorship and restrictions.

How to install Bypass Paywalls Clean on Firefox

1. Go to the add-on's GitLab page.
2. The Releases page contains a link for the Bypass Paywalls Clean XPI file.
3. Click on the latest version to download it, and save it to your computer.
4. Open the about:addons page in Firefox.
5. Click the gear cog icon at the top of the page. It's located below the search bar.
6. Select "Install add-on from file."
7. Navigate to the folder where you saved the add-on, and select the XPI file.
8. Firefox will ask you whether you would like to install the extension. Click the add button to approve the installation.

This is a one time process, you don't have to repeat it to update the add-on. You may update Bypass Paywalls Clean directly from the about:addons page > Check for updates.

Risks of installing add-ons from other sources

While Bypass Paywalls Clean is safe to use, not all add-ons out there are made with good intentions. Hackers often release malicious extensions that may infect your browser, and steal your browsing data, passwords, payment details such as credit card information.

You need to pay attention to where you are getting the add-ons from, though sometimes attackers may mimic official sites with malicious clones. One way of staying safe to only install add-ons that are popular among users, and have been reviewed by blogs.

This will help you find out whether the developer can be trusted, and if the extension itself is safe to use or not.

You may also want to consider restricting yourself to open source extensions, as you can check the source code to see if it is clean. I also recommend checking the permissions that an add-on may request when you try to install it, as these could also be misused, for example, to redirect you to malware domains.

Note: There is an add-on called Bypass Paywalls, which is actually the original one. However, it uses Google analytics (in the Chrome version), you can verify that by checking its source code (Background.js mentions it). Bypass Paywalls Clean is a fork of it without the telemetry, hence the name "Clean".

Source

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1616 and Build 22624.1616 (KB5025308) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22624.1616 = New features rolling out.

• Build 22621.1616 = New features off by default.

The new build addresses File Explorer crashes, adds a new "Windows configuration update” option inside Windows Update, and more. The full changelog is given below:

Changes and Improvements in Build 22624.1616

[Live captions]

• Languages support has been expanded to include Danish, English (Ireland), French (Canada), Korean, Portuguese (Portugal).

Fixes in Build 22624.1616

[General]

• Turning on the new toggle under Settings > Windows Update for “getting the latest updates as soon as they are available” introduced in the previous build should now offer a “Windows configuration update” offered via Windows Update for Insiders on Build 22624. This update is designed to help us make sure this new toggle is connected to our backend services correctly. A Update Stack Package update (version 413.2122.0) is required.
• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing a noticeable increase in explorer.exe crashes in the last flight for some Insiders.

[Input]

• Fixed an issue where the touch keyboard didn’t correctly recognize a hardware keyboard was available in some cases.
• Updated the TextInput/EnableTouchKeyboardAutoInvokeInDesktopMode MDM policy to allow “2” as a valid value to enforce showing the touch keyboard on tapping an edit control even when the hardware keyboard is attached.

[Live captions]

• Fixed an issue that was causing live captions to crash on first launch due to an issue impacting registry data retrieval.
• Fixed an issue causing live captions’ Add a language menu icon and label to overlap.
• Features have been added to the enhanced speech recognition language files to improve performance and provide out-of-language filtering meant to limit the incorrect captions for speech not in the caption language.

[Accessibility]

• Fixed an issue that was leaving voice access’s window empty after opening.
• Fixed an issue where voice access was crashing when using the command to go to the start of a document.
• Fixed an issue where if you turn off the profanity filter in voice access, it wouldn’t work.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator’s CTRL + Narrator + Home and Ctrl + Narrator + End commands to move to the beginning and end of text weren’t working correctly in Edge.

Known issues

[Search on the Taskbar]

• If you have the Bing button in the search box on the taskbar and you restart your computer, you may see the daily rotating search highlight for some time before getting the Bing button back.

[File Explorer]

Insiders who have access keys in File Explorer:

• Shift + Right click on a file or folder is not opening “Show more options”.

[Live captions]

• On ARM64 devices, enhanced speech recognition support installed through the Language & Region settings page will require restarting live captions if you switch languages in the live captions Caption language menu.
• When adding a language through the Language & Region settings page, language feature installation progress may become hidden, and you may not see install completion of “Enhanced speech recognition” (required by Live Captions). (You can use the language’s “Language options” to monitor progress.) If this happens, there may be an unexpected delay before the live caption setup experience detects this and lets you continue.

Find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 Beta build (KB5025308) brings Windows Configuration Update, fixes File Explorer

Here is a quick look at an early version of Windows 11's "Never combine" taskbar option unearthed in the latest Dev build by Albacore (via @thebookisclosed on Twitter):

If you want to enable the upgraded taskbar on your machine running Windows 11 Dev builds, bad news for you: Albacore states there is "no way to do it yet." Therefore, we must sit tight and wait for an announcement from Microsoft or a newer build with a dedicated feature ID. You can also opt for third-party customization tools that replace the stock taskbar and Start menu with upgraded alternatives and features missing in unmodified Windows 11 builds.

Microsoft is restoring one of the most requested taskbar features, here is a quick look

When I copied the description of an article, Windows 11 would display the Create event popup on the screen. Leaving aside that the suggestion made no sense in the context, it is probably something that many Windows 11 users may not need and may want to turn off.

This guide offers step-by-step instructions that explain how to disable the create event popups on Windows 11 operating systems.

Create Event in Windows 11

The feature is powered by Windows 11's Suggested Actions feature. We reviewed it back in May 2022 when it first appeared in Developer Builds of the operating system.

The main idea behind Suggested Actions is to give users options when they copy certain content to the Windows Clipboard. The current iteration of the feature in stable builds of Windows 11 reacts to date, time and phone number copies.

To find out if the feature is enabled, type a date or phone number in a plain text editor and copy it. If it is enabled, you should get a Create Event or Call prompt by Windows.

The prompt displays icons of programs that may be used to create the event or make the call. Microsoft's own tools are highlighted, but third-party apps installed on the device may also be listed, albeit only after activation of the down arrow icon in the interface.

How to disable Create Event prompts in Windows 11

Windows 11's Suggested Actions feature is enabled by default. Windows 11 admins and users may turn it off, however. Here is how that is done:

1. Open the Windows 11 Settings app, either by selecting Start > Settings, or through the keyboard shortcut Windows-I.
2. Navigate to System > Clipboard in the Settings app.
3. Suggested Actions is listed as an option on the page. Toggle it to Off to disable it.
4. Tip: you may also disable Clipboard history and syncing, if you do not need these features.

The feature is turned off immediately. You may undo the change at any time by toggling the preference to On again.

How to disable "Create Event" popups in Windows 11

At the time, Microsoft was still developing Windows 98, the successor to the highly successful launch of its Windows 95 OS. During a keynote address at the annual COMDEX trade show in Chicago, Microsoft co-founder and, at that time, CEO, Bill Gates was promoting the development of Windows 98, which was at that time just a few weeks from going gold in May, and officially launching in June 1998.

During the presentation, Gates was joined by his assistant Chris Capossela. He wanted to demonstrate the Plug and Play support that was included in Windows 98 to quickly connect external input devices and have them "just work" with the PC.

Capossela showed this off by connecting a scanner to a Windows 98 PC. He was talking about how the PC recognized the scanner and it started to load its drivers.

And then . . . Well, the Windows 98 PC quickly flashed the infamous Blue Screen of Death.

The attendees at the keynote address quickly erupted into applause. We would like to think most of them were sympathetic to Capossela's situation. We have all been there when a major presentation in front of our boss didn't go according to plan. It may just not have happened with thousands of other people watching.

To his credit, Capossela kept his composure on stage when the BSOD appeared, and quickly said. "Moving right along . . ." Gates also seemed to give Capossela some slack. Gates was smiling as he stated, "That must be why we are not shipping Windows 98 yet."

While the Blue Screen of Death was not created with Windows 98, that COMDEX keynote certainly popularized this "feature" of Microsoft's Windows operating systems. The BSOD continues to appear on PCs, including the recent Windows 11, so it's clear Microsoft doesn't want to redesign its colour for that kind of near-feature PC issues.

By the way, Chris Capossela recovered very nicely from that Windows 98 blunder. He's currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft. However, we do wonder if he has flashbacks to that COMDEX event 25 years ago.

The infamous Windows 98 "Blue Screen of Death" event happened 25 years ago today

Managing your meetings and work calendar could soon be a lot simpler thanks to a new Gmail update.

The email provider has unveiled an upgrade that it says brings better location context for events and RSVPs in Gmail.

This means that if you have already stated that you are working from home (or in the office), Gmail will now offer a default join method for your RSVP that it thinks is the most appropriate and accurate.

Gmail RSVPs

In theory, this should prevent your bosses or co-workers inviting you to in-person meetings, despite the fact you have listed very clearly in Google Calendar that you are working from home that day.

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

"This feature aims to improve the way you and your colleagues utilize your planned working location for meetings and events, especially in a hybrid work environment," the company wrote in a Google Workspace update blog (opens in new tab) announcing the launch.

The new addition is rolling out now, and will be active by default. It will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Education Standard, Teaching & Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Business customers.

However, personal Google accounts, as well as Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Frontline, and legacy G Suite Basic customers won't be able to use it.

The news is the latest Google Workspace (opens in new tab) improvement as it looks to encourage greater productivity and collaboration for users across the world.

Google Workspace first allowed users to signify if they would attend a meeting in-person back in July 2021, as the coronavirus pandemic made a lot of personal meetings tricky.

A further update to Google Calendar in March 2022 allowed the service to show a range of status options in Google Chat, giving you extra information on what you or your co-workers were up to. Previously limited to just showing when someone was out of office, Google Chat is now able to show a number of different statuses, including "in a meeting" or "in focus time".

Source

Canonical has officially released Ubuntu 23.04, codenamed Lunar Lobster, which is the latest version of its Linux distribution and it boasts improvements for enterprise developer desktops, gaming enhancements, a revamped installer, and an expanded focus on gaming.

"This Ubuntu milestone release demonstrates our progress in raising the bar for the enterprise developer desktops, thanks to our best-in-class Linux integration with Active Directory (AD) Domain Services and now Azure Active Directory," said Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth.

He also referred to the fresh focus on gaming: "Our expanded investment in Ubuntu gaming means your downtime is just as satisfying."

As my Linux-loving colleague Jack Wallen said in his recent early look at Lunar Lobster, this release "puts on a masterclass for how an operating system should evolve."

The benefits of the release start with the new, streamlined Ubuntu Desktop installer. While it's designed for enterprise deployment and customization at scale, the one-off installer is attractive. Much as I love Linux, the various distributions' installers can't usually be described as "handsome". Whether you're installing an Ubuntu server or desktop, the installation also uses the same auto-install configuration workflows, thanks to the unified Subiquity installation engine.

Ubuntu 23.04 aims to make the Linux desktop accessible to all and it sports a refreshed user interface, which supports modern yet familiar first-time user experiences and new enterprise management capabilities.

Proof of the distribution's accessibility comes from Thijs van dek Kanp, national director of technical operations at education specialist Compudopt, who praised the new installer: "Our approach combines Landscape (Ubuntu's administration program) management with Subiquity to enable us to deploy and securely manage our devices with ease, regardless of their location. The new desktop installer introduced in Ubuntu 23.04 will greatly simplify our workflows going forward."

For the first time, the Ubuntu Desktop 23.04 offers native user authentication with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). This addition enables Microsoft 365 (M365) users to authenticate their Ubuntu desktops with the same credentials used for M365 or Azure.

IT administrators can evaluate the aad-auth feature and provide feedback for backporting to the Ubuntu 22.04 Long-Term Support (LTS) release later this year. If your business is a heavy user of Microsoft Office, this process will enable your organization to keep using Office while running it on the safer, more secure Ubuntu Linux.

The Active Directory Bridging Toolsuite (ADsys) also now supports Samba winbindd Domain Services besides System Security Services Daemon (SSSD). This support means you can use Ubuntu with AD on Amazon Workspaces and older AD configurations. ADsys is available with Ubuntu Pro, which enables IT administrators to manage mixed Windows and Ubuntu desktop fleets using familiar workflows. This shift is all part of Canonical's plans to make Ubuntu an office desktop.

The new Ubuntu also includes updated toolchains and runtimes for important programming languages, such as Python, Java, Go, C, C++, Rust, and .Net. It also comes with improved container security and lifecycle management and enhanced debugging support. Desktop snaps now feature refresh awareness, allowing automatic updates of specific snaps to be paused as desired.

Many users will find the latest GNOME 44 desktop to be a pleasure to use. It provides usability improvements and quick settings options for Bluetooth device management and dark mode. Additionally, the Firefox snap has seen significant performance gains on the Raspberry Pi with hardware-accelerated rendering.

Of course, the new Ubuntu release also comes with the latest versions of the standard Linux programs we know and love, which includes Firefox 112 for web browsing, LibreOffice 7.1.2 for open-source office use, and Thunderbird 102.10.0 for email.

Finally, Ubuntu 23.04 takes Linux gaming to the next level with the promotion of the early access beta Steam snap to the stable channel. The Steam snap bundles key dependencies to run both new and older titles, including 32-bit libraries and cutting-edge Mesa drivers.

In summary, Ubuntu 23.04 is an impressive release. Give it a try -- I think you might like it, whether you use it for development, office work, or just for gaming fun.

Source

The company claims that Proton Pass will be different than other well-known password managers like LastPass, which has suffered from some recent security breaches. Proton says:

Proton Pass doesn’t just encrypt the password field but applies end-to-end encryption to all fields, including usernames, web addresses, and all data contained in the encrypted notes section.

This means Proton Pass prevents anyone, including Proton itself, from knowing which online services you subscribe to or have accounts with. This information, much like your emails or your browsing history, can reveal a lot about you and must be protected if you want to maintain your privacy.

The service will not only store things like email addresses, user names, and passwords in a secure virtual vault, but also other things like "license numbers, codes, or simple text notes". It can even generate email addresses for users:

This feature enables you to create randomly generated email addresses that you can use in place of your real email addresses for online accounts. This makes it easy to shut down an alias that’s linked to a service that’s breached or begins sending you spam without affecting your other accounts.

Proton Pass was developed primarily by the former SimpleLogic secure email team that Proton acquired in August 2022. It is launching first as a limited beta for iOS and Android, along with extensions for the Chrome and Brave web browsers. Invites to try out the beta will be sent to Proton's Lifetime and Visionary users within the next week, and a public launch is scheduled for later in 2023.

Source

Our new Terms of Service will go into effect on May 15, 2023. We will be focused on removing old, unused, and inactive content that is not tied to a user account from our platform as well as nudity, pornography, & sexually explicit content. You will need to download/save any images that you wish to save if they no longer adhere to these Terms. Most notably, this would include explicit/pornographic content.

Imgur's latest crackdown is part of a bigger effort that has been going on for several years now. The company has previously revoked access to NSFW Reddit communities and related subreddits. However, users have leveraged Imgur as a platform to upload content and share it on Reddit. The company has previously allowed explicit content on its platform, except when posted as a comment or gallery submission.

Imgur said that it will still allow "artistic nudity" on the platform which was already permitted under previous rules. However, its automated content vetting system might flag some "content that may have been permitted under "artistic exceptions" previously." Imgur adds it won't issue any warnings, account suspensions, or bans related to these automated flags and affected users can raise a support request to get their issue rectified.

In addition to explicit content, Imgur also plans to remove old, unused, and inactive content that is not tied to a user account. This has received criticism from users who argue that it may lead to broken links on the internet and some useful content might get removed as collateral damage.

Via TechCrunch

Source

As the Dev Channel was already getting the newest features for Windows 11, many enthusiasts would probably have expected that the new Canary channel to be the testing ground for the future of Windows, perhaps related to early Next Valley (Windows 12) evaluation. However, that wasn't the case, at least not initially, as the Canary and Dev Channel have both been used for assessing features expected to be generally available around the same time frame.

That might change soon, however, as the Canary channel has now received a bump up in its build number. Spotted by Twitter user Xeno, the Canary channel has seemingly gone from Build 253xx to Build 258xx nomenclature. Although this is entirely speculation on our end, perhaps Microsoft might be gearing up to push more newer features out, perhaps those expected with Windows 11 23H2 (Moment 4) and even Windows 12.

Meanwhile, Windows enthusiast PhantomOcean3 speculates we could be moving into the next development semester, which is Gallium, on Windows 11. Currently, we are in the Zinc semester.

Microsoft might be gearing up to bring big changes to Windows 11 Canary channel

With DirectStorage 1.2, Microsoft is bringing buffered IO mode. The company says it is in response to developers wanting to use the same code path, both on solid-state drives (SSDs) as well as hard disk drives (HDDs). HDDs operate on buffered IO mode since they have much longer seek times. The company writes:

DirectStorage currently opens files in unbuffered mode. This allows us to avoid unnecessary copies, getting the data onto the GPU as quickly as possible. However, we heard from some developers that they’d like to be able to use the same code both on high-speed SSDs as well as legacy hard drives. The legacy hard drives require buffered IO in order to mask the long seek times. For this reason, we added the ability to configure DirectStorage to open files in buffered mode.

Aside from buffered IO, a new GetCompressionSupport API has been introduced which adds the ability to query the decompression path used, whether it is the GPU or the fallback CPU path. The full changelog for DirectStorage 1.2 is given below:

New Features

• Add support for enabling buffered file IO for use on HDDs that may benefit from OS file caching behaviors.
• Add IDStorageQueue2::GetCompressionSupport API to indicate what path the DirectStorage runtime will take when decompressing a supported GPU decompression format.
• Update dstorage.h and dstorageerr.h to be covered by the MIT License.
• Add Microsoft.Direct3D.DirectStorage.winmd, to ease generation of non-C++ bindings to the API.

Bug Fixes

• Add "Reserved1" field to DSTORAGE_REQUEST_OPTIONS. This makes the in-memory layout of the structure more explicit, but doesn't actually change the layout from previous versions.
• Fix DSTORAGE_REQUEST_DESTINATION_TEXTURE_REGION for 3D textures.
• Fix scheduling issue that manifested when transferring uncompressed data from memory to buffers

Performance improvements

• Move the copy after GPU decompression onto the compute queue for GPUs where this is faster.

You can find more details on the official blog post here.

Microsoft brings performance boost with new DirectStorage 1.2 even on slower HDDs

The six-word passphrase that’s now generated for persistent storage is great because it’s quite easy for a human to remember. This means you’re not likely to lose access to your data. For hackers that try to brute force access, it would take 3,505 years to gain access if you performed one trillion guesses per second. This type of passphrase is generated with something called the diceware method.

If you decide you don’t want to keep documents and folders stored on your Tails USB stick, you can switch off persistent storage and easily delete the data with the new delete data button that appears when you switch off the feature. The developers have also improved an error message when persistent storage fails to activate so that it’s a bit more helpful.

Other notable mentions in this update are the inclusion of the latest Tor Browser release, version 12.0.5, and the inclusion of Linux 6.1.20. The updated kernel brings support for more graphics cards, Wi-Fi cards, and more.

If you already have Tails 5.0+ on a USB, you will be offered the upgrade when you connect to the internet. You can also head to the Tails website and follow the instructions to do a clean install.

Tails 5.12, a privacy-oriented operating system, comes with improved persistent storage

Here is the full changelog:

What’s new in Build 2534

Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) on plugged in devices including desktop PCs

• Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) is already a feature that users are familiar with. This feature in Windows 11 will dim or brighten areas of a display or monitor based on the content being displayed with the goal of striking a balance between reduced power consumption with visual experience to save battery life. Starting with this build, we are allowing this feature to run on devices such as laptops and 2-in-1’s that are plugged into a charger. For most users, this change won’t be noticeable and should reduce energy consumption.

Content Adaptive Brightness Control options in Settings.

• This feature can be adjusted via Settings > System > Display under “Brightness & colour” and through a drop-down menu with 3 options: Off, Always, and “On Battery Only”. For battery powered devices such as laptops and 2-in-1’s, the default is “On Battery Only”. We encourage Insiders across laptops, 2-in1’s, to try the “Always” option and give us feedback on the visual quality of CABC so we can ensure it is properly tuned.

Please note: Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) needs to be enabled by the OEM (the manufacturer of the device). As a result, this feature is not available on all laptop or 2-in-1 devices.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Display and Graphics > Adaptive Brightness.

Changes and Improvements

[Remote Desktop]

• Redesigned the connection bar for remote desktop sessions to a new refreshed light / dark mode design that aligns with our Windows 11 design principles.

Redesigned the connection bar for remote desktop sessions.

• When sharing a local file in File Explorer to Outlook contacts – you will now see the option to quickly email the file to yourself. In addition, we’ve made improvements in loading your contacts from Outlook. This capability is not available for files stored in OneDrive folders as OneDrive has its own share experience.

[Settings]

• We are introducing new presence sensor privacy settings and APIs. If you have a device with compatible presence sensors, you can now manage your privacy and block/allow certain apps from accessing these sensors. No images or metadata is collected by Microsoft and all processing is done locally on the device hardware to maximize privacy. You will find these settings under Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing here if your device supports it. App developers with devices with compatible presence sensors can target apps to request and read user presence information after requesting a human presence capability. Learn more about the API here.

New presence sensor privacy settings under Settings if your device supports it.

[Windows Security]

• After fixing some issues based off Insider feedback, we are re-introducing the updated Windows Security (firewall) notification dialogs that match the Windows 11 visuals.

Updated Windows Security (firewall) notification dialogs.

[Narrator]

• Narrator users who interact with Traditional Chinese characters are now able to do this with confidence while using Narrator and the IME candidate window in Windows. This was accomplished by creating a Traditional Chinese dictionary for detail reading. Narrator now consumes the dictionary to disambiguate each Traditional Chinese word. Users should be aware that Narrator detailed reading is only supported for the Taiwan language pack. The Hong-Kong language pack is not supported with Narrator.

[Graphics]

• It’s now easier to configure the state of HDR when running on battery! Simply go to Settings > System > Display > HDR and choose whether you want HDR (or HDR video streaming) to remain turned on when your PC is running on battery.

Configurable state of HDR when running on battery.

Configurable state of HDR video streaming when running on battery.

For developers

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk.

SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines.

SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel.

Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

You can find the full blog post here.

Windows 11 Insider Canary build 25346 adds Content Adaptive Brightness Control features

Changes and Improvements

[Start menu]

• We are trying out a recommendation in the Start menu to quickly access the release notes for Windows Insider Preview builds. Insiders can click the recommendation in Start where it will open this blog post for Build 23440 to learn about all the changes and improvements included in the build. Let us know what you think of this experience. As a reminder, the settings for what is recommended on Start can be adjusted via Settings > Personalization > Start.

[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.

[Search on the Taskbar]

• We are exploring a new hover behavior for the search box and search highlight gleam. The proposed interaction model aims to create a more engaging search experience by invoking the search flyout when you hover over the search box gleam. This behavior can be adjusted by right-clicking on the taskbar, choosing “Taskbar settings” and adjusting your preferred search box experience.

[Windows Spotlight]

• We have updated the icon that shows on the desktop for Windows Spotlight. You can turn Windows Spotlight by right-clicking on your desktop, choosing “Personalize”, and then choosing the Windows Spotlight theme.

Fixes

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• Fixed a few explorer.exe crashes that were impacting taskbar reliability.

[Widgets]

• Updated the Widgets invocation logic, so that if you brush your mouse quickly across the Widgets icon in the taskbar while travelling somewhere else, it should be less likely to accidentally open Widgets. As a reminder, if you’d prefer that Widgets doesn’t launch on hover, there is an option for that in the Widgets settings.

[File Explorer]

We fixed the following issues for Insiders previewing the Windows App SDK version of File Explorer

• Fixed an issue where the context menu was opening far away from where your mouse had right-clicked sometimes.
• Fixed an issue which was causing some of the icons in File Explorer and the context menu to be blurry after DPI changes.
• Fixed an issue where the New button in the command bar might not show anything in the dropdown.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders with Gallery in File Explorer:

• CTRL + Mouse wheel scrolling should now resize the thumbnails.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders with recommended files in File Explorer:

• Made some improvements to how Narrator reads out the recommended files.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders with access keys in File Explorer:

• Shift + Right click on a file or folder should open “Show more options” again now.
• Adjusted how Narrator was reading out the access keys after pressing the menu key, to make it clearer.

[Search]

• Fixed an issue where the cursor wasn’t displaying correctly in the search box when using an Arabic display language.

[Input]

• Fixed an issue where the touch keyboard didn’t correctly recognize a hardware keyboard was available in some cases.

[Windowing]

• Fixed a shellexperiencehost.exe crash when disconnecting from another monitor using WIN + P.

[Notifications]

• Fixed an issue where 2FA codes weren’t being recognized if they were in parentheses.

[Live captions]

• Fixed an issue that was causing live captions to crash on first launch due to an issue impacting registry data retrieval.
• Adding enhanced language recognition support in Language & region settings will now install the right files on ARM64 devices. You will no longer need to restart live captions after switching between caption languages installed from Language & region settings. However, you will need to uninstall any “speech pack” entries in Settings > Apps > Installed apps which were installed before the Language & region settings fix and re-install from Language & region settings.
• Fixed an issue in Language & region settings that caused language feature installation progress to be hidden.
• Fixed an issue causing live captions’ Add a language menu icon and label to overlap.

[Task Manager]

• Double clicking Task Manager’s title bar to maximize the window should work again now.
• Fixed a Task Manager crash which was impacting Insiders in the last couple flights.

[Accessibility]

• Fixed an issue that was leaving voice access’s window empty after opening.
• Fixed an issue where voice access was crashing when using the command to go to the start of a document.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator’s CTRL + Narrator + Home and Ctrl + Narrator + End commands to move to the beginning and end of text weren’t working correctly in Edge.

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

[Search on the Taskbar]

• There is an issue where some people may not see the search box on the taskbar and/or the settings to adjust the search box experience on the taskbar after updating to Build 23403. We are aware of the issue, and we are working on a fix.

[File Explorer]

Insiders who have Gallery in File Explorer will see the following issues:

• Gallery may require clicking twice on the node in the navigation pane for initial load.
• Live updates (including filtering) are currently disabled and require using the Refresh button as a workaround.
• Thumbnail loading performance 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.
• Photos from OneDrive for Business currently must be hydrated to work properly.
• Some file types (e.g., HEIC) might not be rendered correctly or performantly.

Insiders who have access keys in File Explorer will see the following issues:

• Access keys will appear inconsistently if no button is pressed. Pressing a button will cause them to reappear.

Insiders will have issues with the following commands on recommended files in File Explorer:

• Clicking on the Share command will currently bring up the Windows share sheet (non-OneDrive).

[Live captions]

• Certain languages shown on the Language & Region settings page will indicate speech recognition support (e.g., Korean) but don’t yet have support for live captions.
• Captioning performance may be degraded in non-English languages and missing out-of-language filtering in non-English (United States) languages which means that incorrect captions will be shown for speech not in the caption language.

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 Dev build 23440 brings Start menu recommendations and these seem helpful

Here is the complete changelog for the latest Edge Dev update:

What is new in Microsoft Edge Dev 114.0.1793.0?

Reliability improvements: 

• Fixed browser crash when clicking on the Workspaces menu after exiting full screen mode.

Android:

• Fixed Read Aloud crash.
• Fixed browser crash when tapping the Clear button on History hub.
• Fixed browser crash after tapping on Undo after closing all tabs.

Other changes:

• Fixed can’t mute audio on inactive tabs with Vertical tab.

Android:

• Fixed white blank wallpaper after existing Wallpaper center.

WebView2:

• Fixed EnsureCoreWebView2Async not completing the load operation (#3375)

You can download Microsoft Edge Dev from the official website. If you want to test the browser on Android, head to the Google Play Store. Those preferring stable versions of Microsoft Edge can expect version 114 on the week of June 1, 2023.

Edge Dev 114.0.1793.0 is out with Workspaces improvements and fixes for Android

The feature is available to all Google Workspace users on the web version and mobile devices. To turn off a video feed, click on the three-dot menu in front of a user's name in the People panel, then click on the Don't Watch option. After that, you can click on Start Watching to resume the feed again.

Google says that this feature can't be controlled by admins. And rest assured because Google Meet won't notify the concerned user or anyone else when you disable a particular video feed, it goes without saying that the changes you make will only apply to your Google Meet screen.

The feature has started rolling out in a phased manner and it might take up to two weeks to reach all devices. So, you might have to wait for some time if it's not visible on your device right now. Alternatively, you can choose the 'Audio only' option if you are on a mobile device, which will turn off all video feeds except the ones presenting content.

Google Meet now lets you turn off individual video feeds

On the support document describing the bug, Microsoft writes:

Outlook will display the error 'Cannot send this item' when the 2084th character in a link is an escaped character. This situation can occur with long URLs and when processed with Safe Links. When Safe Links wraps the URL it exceeds the 2084 Outlook limit for URLs and the URL gets truncated.

Other common symptoms with this issue include:

• URLs are truncated and when you click on them you may see a 404 Error.

• When you click on a link, Microsoft Defender may display an error message “The page that you are trying to access cannot be loaded” and “Due to an internal error, this web page could not be loaded. We recommend that you close this page.”

The issue has been fixed the issue by increasing the URL limit by nearly four times from 2084 to 8192. This was addressed with Outlook Desktop build 16116.10000:

This issue is fixed in Outlook Desktop build 16116.10000 and increases the URL limit from 2084 to 8192 characters. The Outlook Desktop fix is enabled at 100% of Current Channel as of April 4, 2023. Monthly Enterprise Channel will get the fix when it updates to Version 2302 (Build 16130.20218) and higher.

You can find the official support article here.

You can now send much longer links with Microsoft Outlook thanks to bug fix

For many, Windows is the only desktop operating system they've ever used. For them, there's a familiarity that makes dealing with the usual troubles associated with Windows (random restarts for updates, failed drivers, and insecurities) tolerable.

But what if I told you there was an alternative? There is, and it's been around since 1997. That alternative is the open-source Linux operating system.

Now, before you throw your arms up in the air in frustration, hear me out. Sure, there are tons of Linux distributions available to install for free. Those distributions range from the very basic to the incredibly complex and everything in between. In fact, the choices can often be overwhelming to those only familiar with the Microsoft or Apple way of doing things.

Along with those varied versions of the operating system, there are numerous desktops you can opt to try, such as GNOME, KDE Plasma, Mate, Cinnamon, Pantheon, Enlightenment, and more.

Some of those desktops stick with the traditional layout of a bottom panel, system tray, desktop menu, and desktop app launchers. There are also Linux desktops that completely re-invent the wheel to make something altogether more modern and elegant.

For those that stick with Windows simply because it's what you know, I have a treat for you.

Windowsfx is a Linux desktop operating system that uses the KDE Plasma desktop environment to create a very Windows 11 look and feel.

In fact, if you just took a glance at Windowsfx, you'd be certain you were looking at the Microsoft desktop operating system and not Linux.

Also: The best Linux laptops for consumers and developers

But Windowsfx isn't just a simple theme that retools KDE Plasma into a very Windows 11-like interface. Windowsfx also includes Android app support, and MS applications pre-installed (such as Edge, Teams, Skype, PowerShell, Office Online, and OneDrive). You'll find apps like:

•     KMail (and all the basic KDE apps)
•     AnyDesk
•     Google Chrome
•     K3b
•     ONLYOFFICE
•     Java 17
•     Steam
•     VLC Media Player
•     Winetricks

Out of the box, Windowsfx has you covered, regardless of what you need.

With two different office suites, two different default web browsers, and Wine pre-installed (for running Windows applications), there's very little you cannot do with Windowsfx. Just click on the Start button to reveal the desktop menu where you can access all of the installed applications.

The Windowsfx desktop menu should look very familiar to Windows 11 users.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET

But how does Windowsfx perform?

In a word, Windowsfx performs flawlessly. No matter what you need, this operating system can do it.

Even a quick test of installing the Notepad++ Windows application went off without a hitch. Just download the .exe file, double-click it, and walk through the installer.

Installing Windows apps on Windowsfx is simple.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET

One thing that you might want to consider is this: With Windows 11, you're very limited in how you can customize that desktop. Now, imagine you have a very Windows 11-like OS that is highly customizable. That's what you get with Windowsfx.

If there's something you don't like about it, change it. And making those changes isn't nearly as hard as you think. Open the System Settings app and you have a world of customizations at your fingertips.

Customizing Windowsfx is all done through the System Settings app.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET

This is Windows 11 on steroids… but only if you need it. If you're not looking for a more customizable version of Windows 11, you can stick with the Windowsfx basic settings and enjoy an operating system that's very Windows-like in look and feel and very Linux-like in stability and security.

Whatever you want your OS to be, Windowsfx can be it. If that's not reason enough to try it, I don't know what is.

In the end, if you're looking for the perfect operating system to help you migrate from Windows, Windowsfx is probably your best bet.

Source

Similar in functionality to virtual desktops, the new Workspaces feature is designed to further enhance the browser's powerful tab management by letting users organize tabs by category into separate workspaces and switch easily between them.

For example, users can create Workspaces for productivity, social media, news, and shopping, and then open related tabs within those Workspaces, making it possible to flip between different sets of tabs and keep workflows organized.

Workspaces can also be used in conjunction with Tab Stacks (similar to Safari's Tab Groups). Vivaldi offers the example of maintaining a Sports workspace and having stacks for "Football," "Cricket," "Racing," and "Tennis" to sub-organize your tabs.

In addition, Workspaces support Vivaldi's Tab Tiling feature, allowing users to view multiple tabs in a split-screen or grid within workspace groups.

Elsewhere in Vivaldi 6.0, the browser's built-in theming tools have been upgraded to include new Custom Icons, which can be found in the Themes Gallery. With different icon packs now supported, users can create anything from a Windows 95-inspired look, complete with the familiar buttons and colors, to something more artistic with the Hand Drawn style.

Users can head to Settings -> Themes -> Create more Themes to get started, or use the new filter on the Themes page to see only themes with new custom icons.

Vivaldi browser 6 is a free download for Mac available directly from the Vivaldi website. The browser includes built-in tracking protection, innumerable tab tools, a translation feature, Chrome extensions support, and much more.

Source

For anyone out there who loves efficiency, this update brings a shorter default timeout for shutting down services. This means that powering off the systems should be faster, so if you’re in a hurry to go somewhere, you can get going quicker. Another performance improvement is the inclusion of dnf5. It’s not the default yet but it will be in future Fedora releases; it includes a smaller memory footprint and performance improvements.

One of the key audiences of Fedora is developers. With Fedora 38, several important programming languages and system library packages have been updated. In this release, we have gcc 13, Golang 1.20, LLVM 16, Ruby 3.2, TeXLive2022, PHP 8.2, and “many more”.

If you’re running Fedora 37, you can upgrade to Fedora 38 by opening Software, heading to Updates, refreshing, applying available updates, and then proceeding with the upgrade. If you’d like more detailed instructions or want to see other upgrade methods, check out the documentation. Alternatively, you can download a brand new ISO from the refreshed Fedora website.

Fedora 38 arrives with GNOME 44 desktop and new spins

Windows 11 users may customize the display of information to a degree. They can pin and unpin some widgets, or customize their news feed.

News, it turns out, can't be disabled entirely. It is pulled from MSN Home, which itself accumulates news from various newspapers, magazines and online sites. The default selection of news is based on the regional settings of the operating system and interests that Microsoft associates with the user.

The news feed may focus on technology, sports and entertainment for some. Others may see more gossip and celebrity related news, or news about finance.

Windows 11 users have two main options to customize their news feed:

1. Change interests using a not-so-elegant management interface.
2. Block stories about certain topics or block entire news sources.

There is also an option to hide the entire Widgets icon on the taskbar.

Users have some control over the news and information that is displayed in the feed. What happens, however, if all interests are unchecked? Won't Windows 11 display any news to a user who disables everything, or will it display a default selection of news based on Microsoft's own preferences?

Windows 11 users can't customize the news feed using Windows 11 controls. Microsoft takes them to the MSN website instead, where interests may be added or removed. Select the Widgets icon, then the user profile icon at the top, and finally the manage interests link displayed on the page to get there.

Interests are divided into groups, such as gaming, lifestyle or health. Each group lists several smaller groups of interests, such as music, TV or books under Entertainment, or Casual Gaming, Fortnite, or eSports under Gaming.

There is no option to subscribe to an entire group of interests. You can't subscribe to Health or Travel directly, but need to check all the options provided instead. Even then, it is not entirely clear if all gaming news will be prioritized in the news feed, or only those selected.

A search is provided to find other topics of interests. Enter Microsoft, and you get a lot of results. Type Windows or Office, and you get none.

What happens now, when you uncheck all interests? You still get a feed, but this one is not based on interests, as there are none, but on "past activities" according to Microsoft.  When you check the selection, you may wonder what activity of yours resulted in the suggestion of these news topics.  These may not relate to activities or interests at all.

In closing, it is clear that the customization options for the news feed do not work overly well. Even if you are careful, you may still see news and articles on topics that you are not interested in. Parents may want to hide the entire Widgets interface, so that children are not exposed to the content displayed by it.

More control over the news feed might encourage more Windows 11 users to give it a try.

Now You: do you use the Widgets news feed in Windows 11?

What happens when you disable all Windows Widgets Feed Interests?

The Redmond company made the Outlook for Mac free for all users last month, you may now use it without an Office license or a Microsoft 365 subscription. The change was announced alongside a revamped version of the email client. You can read about what's new in the native Apple Silicon app in our previous coverage.

How to add Profiles in Outlook for Mac

1. Click on the Globe icon at the top of the sidebar.

2. It will open a pop-up that has the following options: Work, School, Family, Personal, Freelance, Finance, and Custom.

3. Select an option that fits your account's usage, and click on Next.

4. You will be asked to pick the email account to be associated with the profile.

5. Click on Done.

You may notice that a new icon for your profile has been added below the Globe icon. Clicking on it will allow you to view your inbox and manage all mails without the clutter of notifications from your other accounts, i.e., all your other accounts are muted. The app will display badges to indicate unread items in your other profiles/accounts, so you don't miss the messages.

Note: The feature is available in the new Outlook for Mac, and you must have two (or more) accounts added in the app.  You can set up multiple profiles at once. For example, if you select Work and Personal options during the profile set up process, Outlook for Mac will prompt you to select the email account for each profile. There are no limits to the amount of profiles that you can have. To edit the preferences, click on Profiles > Manage Profiles.

Users can switch between Outlook profiles by clicking on the specific icon on the sidebar. For a faster way, you may use the Control + Tab hotkey.

Microsoft says that it has integrated support for Siri Shortcuts in the Outlook app, so you can use it to switch to a specific profile automatically. e.g. You may set Focus Filters to switch to your work profile in the morning, and enable your personal profile account in the evening on a daily basis.

Outlook for Mac has some customization options that you can tweak to set a different appearance for each profile. The options include setting the light theme or dark theme, or let the app follow the system's theme. The app's theme colour can also be changed, though there are only a handful of options to choose from.

Images via: Microsoft

Profiles in Outlook for Mac are currently available for Insiders who are on the app version 16.70 (Build 23021201) or above. The feature is being rolled to users slowly, so it may not be readily available for you.

Even though the Mac version of the email client is now free, you cannot enroll into the Insider Program without a Microsoft 365 subscription. Hopefully, the company will let free users test early builds of the app in the future.

Download Microsoft Outlook for Mac from the App Store.

Microsoft adds support for Profiles in Outlook for Mac

AMD released the 16-core 7950X3D and 12-core 7900X3D first, and this was later followed by the 8 core variant, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Just like its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the 7800X3D turned out to be one of the best gaming CPUs, though it fell behind in productivity.

Phoronix took the 7800X3D for a spin and tested the recently released processor on Linux and compared it against Windows 11. The testing was conducted on Ubuntu 23.04. The full specs of the test bed are given below:

• AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO motherboard
• 2x 16GB DDR5-6000 memory
• AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics
• 2TB Solidigm P44 Pro NVMe SSD

A total of 80 tests were run natively and the 7800X3D on Ubuntu managed to outdo its Windows 11 Pro counterpart in 72 benchmarks. In the overall scheme of things, Linux (Ubuntu) was around 7% faster as the the Windows 11 system received a GeoMean score of 50.62 against 53.98 on Ubuntu.

In case you are wondering how the 7800X3D does on Linux against other CPUs, the application performance of the the X3D CPU is just a little bit behind the Ryzen 7700X:

You can find the full test details on Phoronix's website at the links below.

Source and images: Phoronix (1) , (2)

Linux vs Windows 11 2023: AMD Ryzen 7800X3D gets clear victory on Ubuntu

In his blog post, Vivaldi CEO and Co-founder Jon von Tetzchner has explained how it works:

Changing the entire look of your browser has never been easier. Just click and pick any Theme with Custom Icons in the Themes Gallery.

For example, you can get a Win 95-inspired look, with the familiar buttons and colours, or get another look that is artistic with the Hand Drawn style.

Additional themes are available for viewing in the gallery attached below:

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Vivaldi 6.0 also gets new Workspaces option where users can arrange and organize multiple tabs accross various heads, like Work, Travel, News, Sports, among others.

The video below shows how the Workspaces feature functions:

Aside from these major changes, the latest version of the browser also gets many more improvements and bug fixes. The full changelog is given below:

Changelog 5.7 to 6.0

New

• [New] Enable Workspaces
• [New][Themes][Icons] Allow for icon customisation in themes (VB-90222)
• [New][Mail][Drag-and-drop] Allow dragging a mail to a label, flags, or custom folders (VB-56533)

Address Bar

• [Address bar] Adding a space in the URL field doesn’t unselect the item (VB-95720)
• [Address bar] Cannot hide address field with escape unless the input is focused (VB-67300)
• [Address bar] Don’t autocomplete on domains for URLs found in bookmarks (VB-96153)
• [Address bar] IDN-Domains are not shown as they should (VB-95111)
• [Address bar] Misclassifies URL as search when auto-complete encounters second forward slash (VB-96116)
• [Address bar] Run the wrong item when using the search engine nickname (VB-95605)
• [Address bar] Search not added to typed history from the dropdown (VB-95284)
• [Address bar] The address field is repositioned after loading extension buttons (VB-96098)
• [Address bar] Typed history dropdown ignores the first item (VB-95411)
• [Address bar] Wrong item when going back to the first item (VB-94960)

Downloads

• [Download] Executable downloads getting stuck (VB-96216)
• [Downloads] Intentional download protection bypass breaks downloads when downloading from a private IP address (VB-94568)

Extensions

• [Extensions] Badge is not updated between windows (VB-83875)
• [Extensions] Button not hidden when extensions aren’t enabled (VB-96230)
• [Extensions] Event missing when opening links in new tabs (VB-94302)

Languages

• [Languages] Add Catalan (VB-80698)
• [Languages] Add Punjabi (VB-82009)

Linux

• [Linux] Glitchy text on tab titles (VB-89891)
• [Linux] “Show Quit Confirmation Dialog” option not bound to Ctrl+Q on Linux (VB-58771)

macOS

• [macOS] Setting up a Gmail account via the Mail app with Vivaldi as the default browser you get a black window (VB-95984)
• [macOS] Window controls overlap toolbar buttons with low UI zoom (VB-96372)
• [macOS] Window does not restore to fullscreen after restart (VB-92099)
• [macOS][Address bar][Zoom] Size should follow UI zoom (VB-95592)
• [macOS][Menus] Show UI toggle in the menu doesn’t update menu state (VB-94067)

Notifications

• [Notifications] Deduplicate identical, similar, and updated notifications (VB-95610)
• [Notifications] “You have # new mails” doesn’t open Mail (VB-96386)

Panels

• [Panels] Width not remembered when narrower than the default (VB-93838)
• [Panels] “Windows” panel is still named “Window” (VB-95329)

Quick Commands

• [Quick Commands] Enabling both “Keep last entered value” and “open on nickname match” makes QC otherwise unusable (VB-94987)
• [Quick Commands] First character sometimes gets swallowed with quick typing (VB-96214)

Search

• [Search] Change the default search engine to DuckDuckGo for unsupported regions
• [Search] Esc hides the search field popup if the text is unconfirmed (VB-92708)

Sessions

• [Sessions] Add command to toggle panel and menu container for session list (VB-96311)
• [Sessions] Can’t close “Open session” with Escape key (VB-94780)

Settings

• [Settings] Add a Setting to “Disable Title Bar”: needs further work (VB-51942)
• [Settings] Add option to reset all toolbars (VB-94541)
• [Settings] Change the name of “Hide Title Bar when Tabs Are Not on Top” to “Show Title Bar” (VB-96318)
• [Settings] Configure Client Hints Brand list [‘Sec-Ch-Ua’ in Network settings or via search]: work in progress (VB-95508)
• [Settings] Enable ‘Hide Title Bar when Tabs Are Not on Top’ by Default (VB-96133)
• [Settings] Start Page settings scrollbar doesn’t respect the “Use Simple Scrollbars” (VB-94791)
• [Settings] Text overlaps in Sec-Ch-Ua (Client Hints) preview (VB-96563)
• [Settings] Window controls and Menu misaligned when ‘Tab Bar disabled’ and ‘Hide Title Bar When Tabs Are Not on Top enabled’ (VB-95259)
• [Settings][Sec-Ch-Ua] Custom brand masking validation (VB-95508)
• [Settings][Themes] Preview background clips through border (VB-94804)

Speed Dial

• [Speed Dial] Open all bookmarks context menu does not work (VB-95309)
• [Speed Dial] Transitions on mail panel auto-toggle (VB-96097)
• [Speed Dial] Settings height doesn’t match the view (VB-95131)
• [Speed Dial] Thumbnail name not visible when dragging over (VB-90047)

Tabs

• [Tabs] Can not detach tabs or move them between windows (VB-96139)
• [Tabs] Can spill out of the viewport if the activated tab is in an accordion (VB-96325)
• [Tabs] Close tab does not focus next tab on the right but 2nd next (VB-93784)
• [Tabs] Do not change the active tab when tabs from the closed window are moved (VB-94749)
• [Tabs][Keyboard] Recently Used does not cycle over all tabs (VB-95229)

Themes

• [Themes] Setting PNG as background as repeating image doesn’t work (VB-78506)
• [Themes] Use a higher resolution image in the Beach theme (VB-95810)

Toolbars

• [Toolbar editor] Elements become invisible in the defaults bar (VB-96234)
• [Toolbars] Artefacts in Extensions and Zoom control buttons (VB-95125)
• [Toolbars] Add confirmation dialog to toolbar reset (VB-95348)
• [Toolbars] Editor closes on toolbar clicks (VB-95343)
• [Toolbars] Editor has empty defaults when toggling UI (VB-95401)

User Interface

• [UI] The sharing dialog should say Vivaldi and not the ext-id (VB-94741)
• [UI][Settings] Increase the height of the main bar, with the “Hide Title Bar when Tabs Are Not on Top” setting (VB-96310)

Windows

• [Window management] Pinned tabs are not saved when closing the window with Alt+F4 (VB-92921)
• [Windows] Menu and window controls misaligned (VB-95112)
• [Windows][Downloads] Downloading executables never finishes (VB-96216)
• [Windows][Settings] Extra space in maximized view with the hidden toolbar, tabs at the edge, and tabs hidden. (VB-96340)
• [Windows][Updates][Installer] Delta updates are not working, resulting in the full installer being fetched on a second check for updates (VB-96225)

Crash

• [Crash] On opening links from the external app (VB-96321)
• [Crash] Opening private window (VB-96576)
• [Crash][Mail] Setting up Gmail with Oauth (VB-96169)
• [Crash][Profiles] Closing a secondary window after having used the Guest profile once (VB-96419)
• [Crash][Profiles] When closing Guest windows (VB-96322)

Other

• [Blocker] Clearer ad & tracker blocker state icon(VB-95717)
• [Bookmarks][History] Always display full URL (VB-95633)
• [Chromium] Upgraded to 112.0.5615.132
• [Clock] Default icon doesn’t display time (VB-96549)
• [Commands] Add a command for default page zoom (VB-95031)
• [Developer Tools] No window controls (VB-96089)
• [Drag-and-drop] URI list can not hold multiple URLs and this should be handled (VB-95836)
• [Keyboard][Speed dial] Keyboard movement in the speed dial on a subfolder no longer works (VB-82549)
• [Performance] Enable Profile-guided optimization by default
• [Reader] Upgrade readability (VB-95544)
• [Status bar] Missing fragment part of URL (VB-95582)
• [Status] Overlay has a transparent background (VB-95573)
• [Welcome page] Adjust to new toolbar layout (VB-95691)

Mail, Calendar, and Feeds 1.5

Calender

• [Calendar] Broken VTIMEZONE data, and some more small issues (VB-95260)
• [Calendar] CalDAV multi-get now retries with the smaller batch in case of error (VB-94722)
• [Calendar] Can not drag to copy event exception (VB-96118)
• [Calendar] Can not invite non-contacts as event participants (VB-95429)
• [Calendar] Can not navigate to tasks without time in the tasks list (VB-91642)
• [Calendar] Continuation “arrows” look wrong (VB-96297)
• [Calendar] Dialog editor input element context menu limited (VB-94496)
• [Calendar] Editing a long event shifts the view away from the editor (VB-95280)
• [Calendar] Error “Username or URL missing” trying to sync local event (VB-95452)
• [Calendar] Event pasted with wrong time (VB-96039)
• [Calendar] Include time and location in invitation emails (VB-95459)
• [Calendar] Long recurring events do not show in view if the start day is not visible (VB-95262)
• [Calendar] No reminder for recurring events if more than one hour before the event (VB-95522)
• [Calendar] Occasional error on Start Page (VB-96158)
• [Calendar] Reminder for recurring event shows repeatedly (VB-95698)
• [Calendar] Setup, space character before “visit our help pages” link (VB-95162)
• [Calendar] With multiple accounts using the same username can result in passwords not being retained (VB-96006)
• [Calendar][CalDAV] Make sure calendar data is not re-loaded too often from db (VB-94988)
• [Calendar][Mail] Consistent margins and change colours for Calendar Invite emails (VB-95607)
• [Calendar][Mail] Event invite doesn’t include email signature (VB-95458)
• [Calendar][Panels] Tasks panel event icons overlap title (VB-93856)
• [Calendar][Settings] Cannot delete Google Calendar (VB-95663)

Mail

• [Mail] Added commands for moving to/from Archive (VB-91639)
• [Mail] Align flexible spacer to panel width in all toolbars (VB-96463)
• [Mail] Asks permission to open PDF attachment (VB-96188)
• [Mail] Compose the opening in the reading tab (VB-89530)
• [Mail] Compose tab contents partly lost on restart (VB-91134)
• [Mail] Drag to ‘Archive’ does nothing when the account has no archive folder (VB-6104)
• [Mail] Feeds don’t show if no mail accounts are set up (VB-96440)
• [Mail] Hide the Reply-To address when it matches the From address (VB-95135)
• [Mail] Messages with a Junk flag but not in the actual Spam folder are not shown in All Messages / Junk (VB-94145)
• [Mail] Nothing happens when archiving and setting “add archive folder when missing” enabled (VB-96110)
• [Mail] Only warn on From/Reply-To mismatches cross origins (VB-95118)
• [Mail] Search field not above mail list (VB-96268)
• [Mail] Search jumps upon navigating to the mail tab (VB-96344)
• [Mail] Sent messages not uploaded to IMAP /Sent (VB-96189)
• [Mail] Things break when composing and sending a large message (VB-93168)
• [Mail] Toolbar doesn’t show the menu button with the title bar hidden (VB-95977)
• [Mail] Upload command stuck in the buffer for Gmail messages (VB-96541)
• [Mail][Feeds] Offline accounts and RSS feeds were removed from the panel after the update (VB-96072)
• [Mail][Keyboard] ‘g’ key does nothing if returning from an added tab (VB-96174)
• [Mail][Panels] Don’t adjust the mail search width with panel on the right side (VB-96412)
• [Mail][Pop3] Can not delete mail on server (VB-95654)

Feeds

• [Feeds] Respect encoding when importing OPML (VB-95568)

You can find more details on these features on Vivaldi's official blog post. You can download Vivaldi 6.0 from the official website.

Vivaldi brings Custom Icons like those based on Windows 95 theme, new Workspaces, and more