Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.440 and Build 22622.440 (KB5015890) to the Beta Channel.

Build 22622.440 = New features rolling out.

Build 22621.440 = New features off by default.

Here are all the new features and improvements in the Beta build 22622.440:

Taskbar Overflow

We’re reintroducing taskbar overflow, with a newly designed experience for Windows 11. This taskbar experience has been thoughtfully crafted to offer you a more productive switching and launching experience when space is constrained. Your taskbar will automatically transition into this new overflow state when it has hit its maximum capacity. In this state, taskbar will offer an entry point to an overflow menu that allows you to view all your overflowed apps in one space.

Taskbar will offer an entry point to an overflow menu that allows you to view all your overflowed apps in one space.

The overflow menu will contain many of the current taskbar behaviors users are familiar with, such as supporting pinned apps, jump list, and extended UI. After invoking overflow, the menu will quietly dismiss once you click outside of it or navigate to an application.

[We are beginning to roll this feature out, so it isn’t available to all Insiders in the Beta Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Taskbar.

Here are all the new features new to both builds 22621.440 and 22622.440:

Dynamic Widgets content on the taskbar

We’re trying out some changes to bring more dynamic Widgets content to your taskbar. In addition to seeing live content from the weather widget, you’ll also start to see live updates from the sports and finance widgets, along with breaking news alerts.

Finance content from Widgets shown on the taskbar.

This should make it easier for you to know when something important happens related to these widgets and keep you informed of breaking news.

The content is meant to be quick and glanceable with the ability to see more inside the widgets board if you click on it. However, if you don’t interact with the content update the taskbar will return to showing you the weather.

[We are beginning to roll this feature out, so it isn’t available to all Insiders in the Beta Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Widgets.

The following are the changes and improvements in build 22622.440:

[General]

• We are beginning to roll out the updated “Open with” dialog box again to align with Windows 11 design principles. The updated dialog box honors light and dark theme. We have also simplified the experience by making it possible to update your default app with just one click. Since reverting this change back in March, we’ve made performance improvements based on Insider feedback.

The “Open with” dialog before and after with the updated design.

[Input]

• We have updated the U.S. English (EN-US) handwriting model to be faster and more accurate. Use the updated Handwriting Panel for ink-to-text and let us know what you think.

[Settings]

• Settings now supports managing apps which were earlier only supported from Control Panel. This includes uninstallation of apps which have inter-dependencies (e.g., Steam and gaming apps running on Steam), repair and modifying of Win32 apps.

Here are the bug fixes in build 22622.440:

[General]

• Fixed an issue leading to some Insiders experiencing explorer.exe crashes when docking and undocking monitors in Build 22622.436.

[File Explorer]

• Did some work to fix a memory leak when using tabs with File Explorer.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator wasn’t reading out the titles of tabs as focus moved through them.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator wasn’t reading out the titles of tabs as focus moved through them.
• The add new tab button shouldn’t overlap with the minimize button in the title bar when using text scaling with a lot of tabs open anymore.

[Suggested Actions]

• Fixed an issue which was leading to certain apps freezing after a copy action if Suggested Actions was enabled.
• Fixed a high hitting crash impacting Suggested Actions reliability.

Known issues

[General]

• [NEW] There is an issue in the recent Beta Channel updates that is causing the Photos app to crash, and a fix will be rolling out soon via a Photos app update via the Store.
• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that SQL Server Management Studio is failing to launch for some Insiders.

[File Explorer]

• [NEW] The left-half of the File Explorer title bar may not be draggable via mouse or touch.
• [NEW] We’re working on a fix to address reports that launching File Explorer in certain ways when using dark mode (for example, from the command line) is showing the body of File Explorer unexpectedly in light mode.
• The up arrow is misaligned in File Explorer tabs. This will be fixed in a future update.

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 build 22622.440 brings Taskbar Overflow and more to the Beta channel

Here's what's new in build 25169:

Multi-App Kiosk Mode

Multi-app kiosk mode is a lockdown feature for Windows 11 that allows an IT administrator to select a set of allowable apps to run on the device, while all other functionalities are blocked. This enables you to create multiple different apps and access configurations for different user types, all on a single device.

Some lockdown customizations include:

• Limiting access to Settings, except selected pages (e.g., Wi-Fi and screen brightness)
• Lock down the Start menu to show only allowed apps.
• Block toasts and pop-ups that lead to unwanted UI.

Multi-app kiosk mode is ideal for scenarios in which multiple people need to use the same device. This can include frontline workers and retail scenarios, education and test taking.

Currently, multi-app kiosk mode can be enabled using PowerShell and WMI Bridge, with support for Intune/MDM and provisioning package configuration coming soon.

To configure using WMI, follow these instructions. Using the Windows 10 sample XML will enable the feature, but will result in an empty Start menu. To populate the Start menu with your apps, follow these instructions to generate the list of pinned apps, then add it to your XML file after closing the StartLayout section, like the below:

Your JSON here ]]>
FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Device Lockdown

Here are the improvements included with this build:

[General]

• The changes noted here in this previous blog post on changes to how IT admins enroll devices in the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration option are now included in this build (Build 25169 and higher). A reminder that if the documented changes are not acceptable, it is recommended to pause flighting.

   

[Windows Spotlight]

• You can now enable Windows Spotlight on the desktop via a brand-new Windows Spotlight theme now included in the latest builds in the Dev Channel under Settings > Personalization and Settings > Personalization > Themes. Additionally, you can make your own custom themes with Windows Spotlight’s rotating images as well.

The brand-new Windows Spotlight theme.

[Input]

• We have updated the U.S. English (EN-US) handwriting model to be faster and more accurate. Use the updated Handwriting Panel for ink-to-text and let us know what you think.

   

[Settings]

• Settings now supports managing apps which were earlier only supported from Control Panel. This includes uninstallation of apps which have inter-dependencies (e.g., Steam and gaming apps running on Steam), repair and modifying of Win32 apps.

   

[Windows Security]

• The Windows Security app version is now displayed in Windows Security settings under About.

   

Here are all the fixes in Build 25169:

[File Explorer]

• Fixed an issue leading to the Azure Information Protection context menu entry unexpectedly showing with the name Microsoft.Azip.RightClick after an upgrade.

   

[Taskbar]

• Fixed an explorer.exe crash that was preventing taskbar from loading when launching Microsoft Teams meetings sometimes.

• Fixed a couple explorer.exe crashes some Insiders were experiencing related to taskbar overflow.

   

[Start]

• Fixed an issue that was removing the “More” button in Start’s Recommended section.

   

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue where after using the reveal password button in the Wi-Fi section of Quick Settings, the text field might unexpectedly lose focus.

   

[Input]

• We made a small tweak to improve the key repeat rate for the traditional touch keyboard layout, as well as the default touch keyboard layout, so it feels more responsive. Now it has the rate of 20 keys per second (for example, when holding down the delete key).

   

[Other]

• Fixed an issue believed to be the root cause of some Insiders experiencing bug checks when opening and copying files from network locations recently.

• Fixed an issue which could cause desynced audio when recording game play with the Xbox Game Bar.

• Fixed an issue leading to error code 0x80004005 when using the network troubleshooter.

• Made some adjustments to fix an issue where the scrollbar in certain places (like File Explorer) was unexpectedly wide when using high DPI scaling.

• Fixed an issue believed to be the root cause of Windows Security saying standard hardware security wasn’t supported on devices where it was actually supported, as well as showing a warning in the taskbar but not showing any issues when Windows Security was launched. Please note, due to timing of the payload, these issues may come back after the next Windows Security update. It will go away again after a future Windows Security update.

   

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.

Here are the the known issues in Build 25169:

[General]

• We’re investigating reports that SQL Server Management Studio is failing to launch for some Insiders.

• Some games that use Easy Anti-Cheat may crash or cause your PC to bugcheck.

   

[File Explorer]

• The up arrow is misaligned in File Explorer tabs. This will be fixed in a future update.

• We’re working on a fix to address reports that launching File Explorer in certain ways when using dark mode (for example, from the command line) is showing the body of File Explorer unexpectedly in light mode.

   

[Widgets]

• Notification badge number may appear misaligned on the taskbar.

• In some cases, the notification banner for some badging will not appear in the widgets board.

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing Widgets preferences (temperature units and pinned widgets) to unexpectedly get reset to default.

   

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 build 25169 in Dev Channel includes new Multi-App Kiosk Mode

Microsoft did not provide a changelog, mainly because all this update provides is the enablement package to change the version from 21H2 to 22H2. It is a slight bump in build number from KB5015684 (19045.1862), which is publicly available to download from Microsoft and does the same thing, to today's 19045.1865 (KB5015878) Release Preview build.

Yes, you saw correctly, even non Insiders can upgrade to Windows 10 22H2 right now if they want, because all you have to do is download the KB5015684 enablement package, you can view the full details on how to do that here.

Microsoft says that this build is being offered in the "seeker" experience, however being enrolled into the Release Preview Channel means you will get it offered via Windows Update automatically:

this build [is] available to any Windows Insider in the Release Preview Channel via [the] “seeker” experience in Windows Update. This means Insiders currently in the Release Preview Channel can go to Settings and Windows Update and choose to download and install Windows 10, version 22H2 if they want.

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 10 22H2 arrives in Release Preview Channel for Windows Insiders

As such, the company has released two drivers today in its driver package, with version 31.0.101.2111 (Legacy) and version 31.0.101.3222. The full changelog as well the list of known issues is given below:

DRIVER VERSION: 31.0.101.3222

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Intel will be moving 6th - 10th Gen Intel Processor Graphics and related Intel Atom®, Pentium®, and Celeron® processor graphics to a legacy software support model.

FIXED ISSUES:

• An error message pop-up may be observed when launching Call of Duty: Vanguard* (DX12).
• An application crash may occur in Watch Dogs: Legion* (DX11) when starting the game.
• Some Intel NUCPA11 and Intel NUC11TN (formerly known as Panther Canyon and Tiger Canyon) products may incorrectly enter a sleep state when attempting a shutdown

KNOWN ISSUES:

• An intermittent crash or hang may occur during gameplay in Ghostwire: Tokyo* (DX12).
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive* (DX9) may experience a game crash when changing shadow quality settings in game.
• Destiny 2* may exhibit display signal loss or display flashing during gameplay when HDR is enabled.
• Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin* may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint* may experience minor shadow corruption in some areas of the game.
• CrossFire* (DX9) may experience an application crash and or security alert when joining a game.
• Minor graphical anomalies may be observed in Call of Duty: Warzone* (DX12), Diablo II: Resurrected* (DX12), Euro Truck Simulator* (DX11), Farming Simulator 22* (DX12), Grand Theft Auto V* (DX11), Halo Infinite* (DX12), Hitman 2* (DX12), Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy* (DX12) and Microsoft Flight Simulator*(DX11).
• An “Update driver” pop-up error message may be observed when launching Battlefield 1* after upgrading from 30.0.100.9955 or older drivers.
• [12th Generation Intel Core Processors]:
  • Grid Legends* (DX12) may experience lighting corruption when lighting quality is set to high in the games settings.
  • CrossFire HD* (DX9) may experience an application crash when task switching during gameplay.
  • Chorus* may experience an application crash in some interior areas of the game such as the ship hangar.
  • Minor graphical anomalies may be seen in Destiny 2* (DX11), CrossFire HD* (DX9), GRID Legends* (DX12) (on changing lighting quality to high) and F1 2020* (DX12) when HDR is enabled. o Sniper Elite 5* (DX12) may experience a game crash or TDR with an error dialog pop-up message.
  • Ghostwire: Tokyo* (DX12) may intermittently experience a crash or TDR when transitioning between areas in the game.
  • Red Dead Redemption 2* (DX12) may experience lower than expected performance when the game API is set to DirectX®12 with VSync enabled.
• [11th and 12th Generation Intel Core Processors]:
  • Minor graphical anomalies may be seen in Gears 5* (DX12).
  • A TDR may intermittently occur in Halo Infinite* (DX12) during gameplay.
  • A game crash or hang may occur when changing resolution in NBA 2K21* (DX12).
  • Displays connected via an external dock may exhibit a black screen when using 4K@60hz resolution.
• [11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics]:
  • An intermittent crash or hang may occur in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade* (DX12).
  • Minor graphical anomalies may be seen in Elex* (DX11), MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries* (DX12), Strange Brigade* (DX12) and The Ascent* (DX12).
  • A black screen or TDR may occur after launching, or during gameplay in Gears 5* (DX12).
• [Intel Iris Xe Discrete graphics]:
  • Support for Intel Iris Xe Discrete graphics is not included in this software release. An upcoming software update will re-introduce support for Intel Iris Xe Discrete graphics.

DRIVER VERSION: 31.0.101.2111

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Intel will be moving 6th - 10th Gen Intel Processor Graphics and related Intel Atom®, Pentium®, and Celeron® processor graphics to a legacy software support model.

FIXED ISSUES:

• An application crash may occur in Watch Dogs: Legion* (DX11) when starting the game.

KNOWN ISSUES:

• An intermittent crash or hang may occur during gameplay in Ghostwire: Tokyo* (DX12).
• An error message pop-up may be observed when launching Call of Duty: Vanguard* (DX12).
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive* (DX9) may experience a game crash when changing shadow quality settings in game.
• Destiny 2* may exhibit display signal loss or display flashing during gameplay when HDR is enabled.
• Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin* may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint* may experience minor shadow corruption in some areas of the game.
• CrossFire* (DX9) may experience an application crash and or security alert when joining a game.
• Minor graphical anomalies may be observed in Call of Duty: Warzone* (DX12), Diablo II: Resurrected* (DX12), Euro Truck Simulator* (DX11), Farming Simulator 22* (DX12), Grand Theft Auto V* (DX11), Halo Infinite* (DX12), Hitman 2* (DX12), Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy* (DX12) and Microsoft Flight Simulator*(DX11).
• An “Update driver” pop-up error message may be observed when launching Battlefield 1* after upgrading from 30.0.100.9955 or older drivers.

To download the driver, head over to Intel's official website here. Irrespective of your CPU family, you will have to download the same driver since both are contained in the same driver package.

Intel's very first Windows 11 22H2 drivers version 31.0.101.2111 and 31.0.101.3222 are out

Frontpaged:   Intel Graphics Driver 31.0.101.3222

The move to the 22H2 feature update also means the introduction of Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) version 3.1 and there is some bad news for users running Intel's older integrated graphics. The company has stated that it is ending support for its 10th Gen (Comet Lake on desktops and Ice Lake on mobile) and older processor families all the way back to 6th Gen Skylake, moving them to legacy. This essentially means Day 0 Game support is ending.

While the 6th Gen chips came out all the way back in 2015, the newer families like the 10th Gen lineup are only just a couple of years old. However, Intel did not really update its onboard GPU architecture by much since Skylake up to Comet Lake and kept using iterations of the same 500 series and 600 graphics. Therefore, users on much more newer platforms like on the 10th Gen Comet Lake are also going to lose support.

However, the company has promised that important security patches will be released from time to time. In a blog post, Intel's Gabriela Estrada writes:

As of July 27th, 2022, Intel will be moving 6th - 10th Gen Intel Processor Graphics and related Intel Atom®, Pentium®, and Celeron® processor graphics to a legacy software support model. Intel will provide software support for affected products on critical fixes and security vulnerabilities only. Software updates for these products will move to a quarterly release cadence or with software releases as needed.

The following product families are impacted by this transition:

Codenames: Skylake, Apollo Lake, Kaby Lake, Amber Lake, Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, Comet Lake, Gemini Lake, Ice Lake, Lakefield, Jasper Lake, Elkhart Lake.

• 10th Generation Intel® Core® processors with Intel® Iris® Plus graphics (Codename Ice Lake)

• 10th Generation Intel® Core® processors with Intel® UHD Graphics (Codename Comet Lake)

• 9th Generation Intel® Core® processors, related Pentium®/Celeron® processors, and Intel® Xeon® processors, with Intel® UHD Graphics 630 (Codename Coffee Lake-R)

• 8th Generation Intel® Core® processors, related Pentium®/ Celeron® processors, and Intel® Xeon® processors, with Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 655 and Intel® UHD Graphics 610, 620, 630, P630 (Codename Kaby Lake-R, Coffee Lake)

• Intel Pentium® and Celeron® processor family (Codename Gemini Lake)

• 7th Generation Intel® Core® processors, related Pentium®/Celeron® processors, and Intel® Xeon® processors, with Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 640, 650 and Intel® HD Graphics 610, 615, 620, 630, P630 (Codename Kaby Lake)

• 6th Generation Intel® Core®, Intel® Core® M, and related Pentium® processors with Intel Iris® Graphics 540, Intel® Iris® Graphics 550, Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 580, and Intel® HD Graphics 510, 515, 520, 530 (Codename Skylake)

• Intel® Pentium® Processor family and Intel® Celeron® Processor family (Codename Jasper Lake),

• Intel® Core® Processor with Intel® Hybrid Technology (Codename Lakefield)

• Intel® Atom®, Pentium® and Celeron® processor family (Codename Elkhart Lake)

The single driver package which Intel delivers will now have two separate drivers, one for the Intel 11th Gen Rocket Lake and newer which come with the UHD 700 series graphics, and another driver with the older legacy driver for 10th Gen Comet Lake up to 6th Gen Skylake CPUs (HD/UHD 500 and 600 series).

Source: Intel

Update: The first Windows 11 22H2 drivers for Intel are now available. You can find details in this article here.

Intel ends 10th Gen and older support with its Windows 11 22H2 WDDM 3.1 drivers

Rufus, a popular third-party app for creating bootable media, has received yet another wonderful update. Version 3.20 BETA introduces the option to create a local offline account and copy regional settings from the current Windows installation. The only caveat here is that the account creation feature can only make a user with the same name as the current one and a blank password. After the first reboot, Windows will prompt you to change the password.

Here is the rest of the changelog containing other bugfixes and improvements:

• Enable applicable Windows User Experience options for Windows 10
• Make Windows User Experience options persist between sessions
• Add automatic local account creation and regional options duplication. This is limited to creating an account with the same name as the current user and with an empty password that the user will be prompted to change after first reboot.
• Add a workaround for ISOs that have a syslinux symbolic link to /isolinux/ (Knoppix).
• Revert to offline insertion of registry keys for the TPM/SB/RAM bypass where possible.
• Remove storage bypass, since this is a bogus bypass that doesn't do anything.
• Improve BIOS compatibility when displaying the "UEFI boot only" alert message.
• Fix Windows User Experience dialog appearing twice for Windows To Go.
• Fix Windows User Experience options not being applied for ARM64.
• Fix Microsoft Account bypass not being applied unless TPM/SB/RAM bypass is selected.

Rufus recently became a go-to utility for those who want to use Windows 11 and not deal with its weird policies and rules. The app can make a Windows 11 install media that bypasses TPM and Secure Boot requirements and automatically rejects data collection prompts. Version 3.19, now available in the stable channel, introduced a much-needed option to bypass the Microsoft Account requirement during the initial setup.

You can download Rufus 3.20 BETA from its repository on GitHub. The stable release is available on the official website.

The latest Rufus update lets you copy regional settings and create a local Windows account

Frontpaged:   Rufus 3.20.1926 BETA

What is new in Edge Dev 105.0.1329.1?

New features:

• Added a button in the PDF toolbar to share documents.
• Added a mute indicator on tabs when the browser is muted in the volume mixer.

Improved reliability:

• Updated max URL length in the side pane for visual search.
• We added an "always enforce" list to Enhanced Security mode.
• Improved iOS Feedback prompt to notify when connection is blocking the ability to send feedback.

Changed behavior:

• Fixed a crash when getting the page count in print preview. 
• Fixed the downloads toolbar icon disappearing after a download started and the flyout was closed.
• Fixed the blank space in the Guest mode indicator.
• Fixed a crash on iOS when closing tabs while Read Aloud is active.
• Fixed a crash when restoring tabs from a previously closed window.
• Fixed a crash when adding a Favorites folder on iOS.
• Fixed an issue where Microsoft Reward was not displaying in Settings on mobile.

You can download Microsoft Edge Dev on Windows, macOS, and Linux from the official website. The version for Android is available in the Google Play Store. Note that it might take a few hours for the latest version to arrive on your device. You can check for Microsoft Edge updates on the edge://settings/help page.

Edge Dev 105.0.1329.1 adds better mute indicator and PDF editor improvements

The Edge browser received cache compression earlier this year in version 102. The feature helps Microsoft Edge maintain a better balance between performance and resource consumption, especially on devices with less storage.

Like other modern browsers, Microsoft Edge caches various content on a disk so that the next time you need something, the browser pulls the required bits from a local copy without the need to fetch that data from the network. As a result, Edge works faster and more efficiently. On the other hand, Microsoft cannot stretch the cache size without limits to prevent computers from running out of free space. This is where compression comes into play.

Edge can maximize cache and reduce network usage by compressing the stored content, which, according to Microsoft, is "highly compressible." With version 102, Edge automatically compresses disk caches on devices "that meet eligibility checks." Microsoft does provide details about those checks, but it clarifies that the compression happens only when it does not degrade performance and overall user experience.

Speaking of more consumer-facing changes and features in Edge, Microsoft recently announced Command Palette. It allows you to access various features and actions using quick commands. Also, Microsoft knows some users are having issues with collections sync, so it works on fixing that in the upcoming releases.

Microsoft details how Edge improves performance with cache compression

Although Microsoft is ready to resume large in-person events, it says "space will be limited". For that reason, Microsoft recommends those wanting to attend Microsoft Ignite this year register on the official website to receive a registration opening notification. For now, there is no information on how Microsoft plans to ensure everyone's safety or if vaccination is necessary.

This year's Ignite will mark the tenth anniversary of Microsoft Surface and the Surface RT (introduced on October 26, 2012). The Verge, citing unnamed sources, says Microsoft plans to celebrate the milestone with new Surface devices.

As Windows 11 approaches its first birthday, Microsoft is busy preparing its first major feature update. Windows 11 22H2, codenamed Sun Valley 2, should go live in September 2022. A recent report also revealed that Microsoft canceled the Sun Valley 3 update as the company moves back to releasing new Windows every three years. What was supposed to be Sun Valley 3 will arrive in smaller feature drops codenamed "moments".

Windows 11 22H2 to launch in September, 10th anniversary Surface devices coming in October

We’ve been tracking the progress of Google’s interface refresh for Gmail since February, and as promised, the company says it’s now becoming available for all Gmail users. The rework pulls Meet, Chat, and Spaces closer together as part of the overall experience and includes elements from Google’s Material Design 3.

It’s not stopping there and says that, later this year, we should see improvements to Gmail for tablet users, better emoji support, and more accessibility features, among other upgrades.

The new Gmail UI sets buttons for Gmail, Chat, Spaces, and Meet on one rail. Image: Google

If you use Gmail for work, it may have already rolled out to your account. For those who just can’t stand the change, you can opt out and switch back to the old look, at least for now. If you don’t have Chat enabled, you’ll still get the new look, but in a Gmail-only view by default, and if you don’t use some or any of those apps, you can disable or enable them from the Quick Settings menu.

If you want to switch back, Google’s instructions are pretty easy to follow:

• At the top right, click Settings.
• Under Quick Settings, click Go back to the original Gmail view.
• In the new window, click Reload.

The updated UI moves Mail, Meet, Spaces, and Chat buttons into one list at the top of the left rail instead of showing several conversations from each one in a list. They’re still easily accessible without having everything on the screen at once, and you can quickly jump into a conversation in any one section, as a list will pop out when you hover over its icon.

The changes are a part of Google’s overall new approach to the Workspace suite (including Docs, Sheets, etc.) that’s supposed to provide a more unified style and new AI-powered features like the Gmail search improvements that were just announced.

Gmail’s new look is now rolling out to everyone

Starting off with Excel for the web, there is a new search box for fields in PivotTables. You'll find this particularly useful if you have a long list of fields to scroll through.

Coming over to Excel for Windows, there's a nifty configuration that enables you to control when and how data is automatically converted when you bring it into Excel. This is currently only available for Beta Insiders, you can check out a screenshot above.

Meanwhile, Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel customers can give natural language queries a go. It has been improved to be able to cater to questions about specific patterns. Simply stated, you can use the "Analyze Data in Excel" option to ask questions about your data in natural language and get better insights in response.

Finally, Excel for Mac has the same natural language improvements described above. But, Beta Insiders can also resize the dialog box for the Manage Rules conditional formatting options. Previously, this showed only five rows at a time and formulas would get cut off too. Now, you can resize it to take advantage of more real estate on your display.

You can share your feedback about existing features in Microsoft Excel and request for new ones through the dedicated portal here.

Here are all the new features Microsoft added to Excel in July 2022

This update includes numerous bug fixes and enhancements, including gaming and Windows Autopilot fixes and a new Focus Assist feature.

The KB5015878 cumulative update preview is part of Microsoft's July 2022 monthly "C" update, allowing admins to test upcoming fixes released in the August 2022 Patch Tuesday.

Unlike Patch Tuesday cumulative updates, the "C" preview updates are optional and do not include security updates. However, If you run a Windows Insider build, the preview update will be installed automatically.

Windows users can install this update by going into Settings, clicking on Windows Update, and manually performing a 'Check for Updates.'

As this is an optional update, you will be asked whether you wish to install it by clicking on the 'Download and install' link, as shown in the image below.

Windows 10 users can also manually download and install the KB5015878 preview update from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

What's new in Windows 10 KB5015878

With this update, Microsoft has highlighted sixteen improvements, including a new focus assist feature, a Windows Autopilot fix, and fixes for video and audio playback in games.

Focus Assist is a do-not-disturb feature that hides distracting notifications from apps and Windows. With this update, Microsoft is adding a new feature that allows you to receive important notifications when Focus Assist is enabled.

This update also removes a Windows Autopilot provisioning restriction added by Microsoft as part of the June 2022 Patch Tuesday updates, when a vulnerability tracked as ' CVE-2022-30189 - Windows Autopilot Device Management and Enrollment Client Spoofing Vulnerability' was fixed.

In addition to the Focus Assist and Windows Autopilot changes, the Windows 10 KB5015878 cumulative update preview includes sixteen other improvements or fixes, with the six other highlighted ones listed below:

• Addresses an issue that causes certain docking stations to lose internet connectivity when waking from Sleep mode.

   

• Adds functionality that improves the OS upgrade experience. 

   

• Addresses an issue that might cause consecutive video clip playback to fail in games that use DX12.

   

• Addresses an issue that affects certain games that use the XAudio API to play sound effects.

   

• Addresses an issue that affects the height of the Search box when you use multiple monitors that have different resolutions.

   

•  Addresses an issue that prevents certain troubleshooting tools from opening. 

   

After installing this update, Windows 10 20H2 will be updated to build 19042.1865, Windows 10 21H1 will be updated to build 19043.1865, and Windows 10 21H2 will be updated to build 19044.1865.

In addition to Windows fixes, the KB5015878 cumulative update also upgrades the Windows 10 servicing stack, which is used to install Windows updates as they become available. These improvements are meant to make it easier to install new updates and resolve known conflicts.

You can find a complete list of fixes in the KB5015878 support bulletin.

Windows 10 KB5015878 update released with gaming fixes

Not every insider from the Beta channel can test the updated taskbar overflow. For starters, it is available on build 22622.436, not 22621.436 (yes, Microsoft has two builds in a single Beta channel), and it is up to Microsoft to decide who lands in which build. More confusingly, even insiders with build 22622.436 get randomly selected to test the overflow. Microsoft keeps making the Windows Insider program impossible to understand, and the split Beta channel does not help fix that.

Those unlucky with Windows 11 Beta builds and without the updated taskbar can try the universal cure called Vivetool. Here is how to enable the new taskbar overflow in Windows 11 22H2 Beta (via Reddit).

1. Go to Vivetool's GitHub repository, download the app, and extract it.
2. Run Windows Terminal as Administrator and go to the folder containing Vivetool using the CD command. For example, CD C:\Vive.
3. Type vivetool /enable /id:35620393 and press Enter.
4. Type vivetool /enable /id:35620394 and press Enter.
5. Restart your system to apply changes.

To revert the changes, use the vivetool /disable command with the same IDs.

It is worth mentioning that the new overflow system is not the only taskbar-related novelty in preview Windows 11 builds. Microsoft is also testing several new search buttons, and you can enable them using our dedicated guide.

How to enable new taskbar overflow in Windows 11 22H2 Beta

All it takes to upgrade from Windows 10 21H2 to 22H2 is KB5015684, a tiny cumulative update weighing just 177KB. Like the previous "major" Windows 10 updates, 22H2 does not add new features or notable improvements. Besides the updated version and build numbers, Windows 10 22H2 is identical to its predecessor.

This is not the first time Windows 10 22H2 appears before the official announcement. In June 2022, optional updates for Windows 10 confirmed that version 22H2 is coming. It was also possible to convert Windows 10 21H2 to version 22H2 with a few commands in PowerShell. Those staying away from Windows 11 can now download the latest Windows 10 release without any commands or software tricks.

It is worth mentioning that the best and safest strategy is to wait for Microsoft to announce Windows 10 22H2 and get the OS via Windows Update. Still, if you are willing to take the risk, here are the direct links to KB5015684 (via Deskmodder). Before installing the update, ensure your system has the June 2022 cumulative updates (build 1904x.1806 or higher).

• KB 5015684 (CAB) - x86 | x64 | ARM64
• KB 5015684 (MSU) - x86 | x64 | ARM64

To upgrade Windows 10 21H2 to 22H2, open the downloaded file, confirm installation, wait for the system to install, and then restart your computer.

Here is how you can upgrade to Windows 10 22H2 right now

New

• Improved responsiveness on macOS during periods of high CPU load by switching to a modern lock API.
• Do you always forget something? Required fields are now highlighted in PDF forms.
• Improved performance on high-refresh rate monitors (120Hz+).
• Enjoying Picture-in-Picture subtitles feature? It just got better: you can now change subtitles font size directly from the PiP window. Additionally, PiP subtitles are now available at Funimation, Dailymotion, Tubi, Hotstar, and SonyLIV.
• Buttons in the Tabs toolbar can now be reached with Tab, Shift+Tab, and Arrow keys. View this article for additional details.
• Windows' "Make text bigger" accessibility setting now affects all the UI and content pages, rather than only applying to system font sizes.
• Rejoice! You can now conveniently access Firefox, which will now be pinned to the Windows taskbar during installation on Windows 10 and 11. (This will also allow for Firefox to be launched quicker after installing.)

Fixed

• Non-breaking spaces are now preserved—preventing automatic line breaks—when copying text from a form control.
• Fixed WebGL performance issues on NVIDIA binary drivers via DMA-Buf on Linux.
• Fixed an issue in which Firefox startup could be significantly slowed down by the processing of Web content local storage. This had the greatest impact on users with platter hard drives and significant local storage.
• Various security fixes.

Changed

• Removed a configuration option to allow SHA-1 signatures in certificates: SHA-1 signatures in certificates—long since determined to no longer be secure enough—are now not supported.

If you are on Windows or macOS, Firefox should update itself automatically. On Linux, Snap versions of Firefox should update automatically, but in most cases, you’ll need to run your update manager and download available updates. On Windows, you can download the update manually by pressing the menu button, then going to Help > About Firefox. It will then download available updates and ask you to restart Firefox. You can install a fresh copy of Firefox, too.

Mozilla releases Firefox 103 with improved performance on high-refresh rate monitors

Frontpaged:   Mozilla Firefox Browser 103.0

Linux Mint 21 is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, which arrived in April. This means that Linux Mint 21 can be installed on a computer when it comes out and will receive security updates until 2027. This long lifespan is great for people who want to run Linux on production machines because they won’t have to reinstall the operating system for five years.

Linux Mint 21 is a pivotal release, not only has the Timeshift backup tool been adopted by the Linux Mint XApp programme, but there’s a new graphical Upgrade Tool now. With Upgrade Tool, Linux Mint users will be able to perform in-place upgrades between major versions of Linux Mint. Previously, you could only graphically upgrade between point releases. The preferred method for major upgrades before was a clean install, but a command line option was available too.

The Cinnamon edition of Linux Mint 21 is bumped to version 5.4 with this release, and it will bring a major rebase of the window manager, Muffin. A decision was also taken with Linux Mint 21 not to include system-oom which kills tasks in low-memory environments to prevent the computer slowing down too much.

Linux Mint 21 release could be imminent as testing of ISOs begins

To start with the biggest change being introduced with this driver, AMD has officially brought forward the OpenGL performance updates it began testing last month with a pre-release version. The company only showed performance results for a single OpenGL-based game this time, Minecraft, but community test results should provide a broader picture going forward now that the driver is official.

Per AMD, Minecraft had a performance uplift of up to 79% using its high-end RX 6950XT, and up to 75% more performance on its budget GPU RX 6400. During both tests, the block-based sensation was running at 4K using the 'Fabulous' preset.

In addition to making the upgrade to Windows 11 version 22H2 a stable one on Radeon graphics, the driver is also adding support for Microsoft Agility SDK Release 1.602 and 1.606, including Microsoft Shader Model 6.7.

At the same time, the company is introducing AMD Noise Suppression as a new voice input cleaning feature available in the driver suite, arriving as a rival to Nvidia's RTX Voice. "AMD Noise Suppression reduces background audio noise from your surrounding environment using a real-time deep learning algorithm, providing greater clarity and improved concentration whether you are focused on an important meeting or staying locked-in on a competitive game," explains the company.

Other changes coming with the driver include Radeon Boost support for Elden Ring, Resident Evil Village, and Valorant alongside expanded Radeon Super Resolution support on AMD notebooks with hybrid graphics as well as games using borderless windowed modes.

Here are the fixed issues in this driver:

• Lower than expected Folding@home™ compute performance with OpenCL™ API on some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6800.
• Auto Undervolt may disable Zero RPM fan feature.
• Hitman 3™ may freeze when rapidly switching between windows in Fullscreen Exclusive mode.
• Video upscaling in browsers appears blurry with some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon® RX 6900 XT Graphics.
• Enhanced Sync may cause games to lock to 15FPS with video playback on extended monitors.

The known issues are these:

• Stuttering may be experienced while playing Call of Duty®: Warzone™ on the Caldera map with some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Graphics.
• Radeon™ Super Resolution may fail to trigger after changing resolution or HDR settings on games such as Nioh™ 2.
• Virtual Reality headsets may flicker with some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6800 XT Graphics.
• GPU utilization may be stuck at 100% in Radeon performance metrics after closing games on some AMD Graphics Products such as Radeon™ 570.
• Display may flicker black during video playback plus gameplay on some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6700 XT.
• Enhanced Sync may cause a black screen to occur when enabled on some games and system configurations. Any users who may be experiencing issues with Enhanced Sync enabled should disable it as a temporary workaround.

The new AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 22.7.1 is compatible with Windows 11 version 22H2, Windows 10 64-bit version 1809, and later operating systems. The driver can be downloaded via the Radeon Settings app or using the direct link on the official release notes here.

AMD 22.7.1 driver has major OpenGL optimizations and Windows 11 22H2 support

The good news is that Microsoft is aware of the issues, and the needed bugfixes are coming soon. According to an Edge Community Manager on Reddit, Microsoft will fix the broken Collection sync button in the next Android release. Other issues, such as changes in Collections not appearing on other devices, should be gone in Edge 104, which is due to arrive early next month.

Besides fixing the known bugs, the Microsoft Edge team is busy adding new features to Collections in the browser. The software giant recently announced several new productivity-focused capabilities, such as collaborative editing, images and video support, and a feed with ads recommended content.

Do you use the Collections features in Microsoft Edge? If so, are you experiencing sync issues?

Microsoft confirms Collections sync problems in Edge

The software giant says it is working on fixing the problem in a future update, and, meanwhile, users can file a feedback report and try temporary workarounds:

• Open the Settings app, navigate to “Bluetooth & devices”, and select “Printers & scanners”
• If there appears to be a duplicate installation of an existing printer, such as with suffix "Copy1", confirm if printing works for this printer. This printer should operate as expected.
• If there is a need to use the original printer installation and not the duplicate, right-click the duplicate printer, select "Printer properties" and select the "Ports" tab. Observe the port in use.
• Open "Printer properties" on the original printer and select the "Ports" tab. From the list displayed, select the port option in use by the duplicate printer. If this original printer works normally, the duplicate copy printer can be removed.

If the steps above do not restore the broken printing capabilities, Microsoft recommends attempting the following:

• Update the print driver for your device. For guidance, see Install the latest driver for your printer.
  • If you already have the latest driver, consult the printer Manufacturer’s web site for any device firmware updates.
• If you are still having issues, uninstalling and reinstalling your printer might help.
  • Turn off your printer and disconnect any cables.
  • Open the Settings app, navigate to “Bluetooth & devices”, and select “Printers & scanners.”
  • Select the affected printer and select the "Remove Device" option.
  • Restart your device.
  • Turn on your printer and reconnect it to your device.

According to the Windows Health Dashboard, the new printing bug affects only Windows 10 21H2, 21H1, and 20H2 (including Windows Server). On the Windows 11 side, Microsoft recently confirmed problems with the Start menu after the updates the company released on June 23, 2022.

Microsoft confirms Windows 10 updates break USB printers

Syncing will focus on data that is not synced already; this may include syncing address books, filters, Thunderbird preferences, templates and other data.

Thunderbird 102, the last milestone release, is still only available as a direct download and not an in-client upgrade. The development team released three point releases so far, which address issues in the new release.

Thunderbird 114: syncing support

Thunderbird 114 will be released next year, but work has already begun on adding important, and much requested, features to the email client. A much requested feature is data synchronization, and that is what Thunderbird will be getting in the upcoming release.

The team noted on Twitter:

We are thrilled to share that we've already reached an important development milestone for Thunderbird 114:
@Firefox Sync is up and running! ?

Email, Calendar, and Contact syncing works without issue during internal testing.

You'll never lose your Thunderbird profile again.

While emails may get synced already between clients, courtesy of how things are set up in Thunderbird and thanks to how email servers operate, other data may not be synced at this point.

The main idea behind introducing synchronization in Thunderbird is to improve setting up new Thunderbird installations and to make sure that cross-device Thunderbird installations use the same configuration and other data.

Imagine adding a user to a local address book in Thunderbird. Without Sync, you'd have to add the contact in every Thunderbird installation on the same device or other devices. Or take a newly created template, a new filtering rule, or modifications to Thunderbird settings. All of these are not synced at the moment, which means that users have to make the changes in every instance of Thunderbird they run.

With Sync in place, Thunderbird users have all changes synced across all their installations. New installs will pick up the settings automatically as well, provided that Sync is configured.

The team revealed already that some data will also be synced between desktop installations of the Thunderbird email client and Thunderbird for Android, which currently is still called K-9 Mail.

Closing words

Synchronization support is another milestone feature for Thunderbird. Users who install Thunderbird regularly on new devices or use it on more than one device will benefit from integrated data synchronization. Those users who don't require sync can simply ignore it, similarly to how Firefox Sync can be ignored in Mozilla's browser.

Now You: which features would you like to see in Thunderbird?

Thunderbird's next milestone release will support Firefox Sync

Portable Apps is a popular destination for downloading Windows applications that don't need to be installed. The site maintains a large list of programs for Windows that users from all over the world may download; this includes portable versions of programs that don't support one officially.

Google Chrome users who attempted to download applications from Portable Apps in the past couple of days noticed that the integrated Safe Browsing feature of the browser was blocking downloads. Chrome blocked the download and returned "dangerous" as the reason.

Downloads in other browsers continue to work.  Firefox, which uses a special version of Google's Safe Browsing, downloads files just fine. Brave, which uses Google Safe Browsing, blocks the download just like Chrome. Microsoft Edge warns users that the files are not commonly downloaded, but does not flag the downloads as malicious. Other browsers may display warnings or allow downloads directly.

Chrome displays one main action -- delete -- in the browser's download panel after starting a download from Portable Apps. A click on the tiny arrow on the right of it displays information and an option to keep the download.

The box "I understand this download will harm my computer" needs to be checked before the continue download button becomes active. The frightening message is overshooting it this time, as the downloaded programs test fine on Google's Virustotal service. There may be a small number of false positives, but all major antivirus engines do not detect threats in the downloaded files.

Portable Apps has begun to redirect downloads to SourceForge for the time being to allow Chrome users to download files unhindered.

A post on the official site reveals additional information on the issue. According to the post, Portable Apps noticed the issue on July 23, 2022 for the first time. The operators have requested a review of the issue, but have not heard back yet from Google.

It appears that they have contacted third-party antivirus vendors as well, which flagged files as problematic on VirusTotal.

It is unclear right now why Safe Browsing is flagging the files, but they don't appear to be malicious. The issue is likely going to be sorted out in the near future.

Now You: do you use Portable Apps (via Born)

Google Chrome is blocking all downloads from Portable Apps

After installing KB5014668 or later updates, we have received reports that a small number of devices might be unable to open the Start menu. On affected devices, clicking or selecting the Start button, or using the Windows key on your keyboard might have no effect.

The company has issued the following workaround as it has advised individuals and organizations to perform a Known Issue Rollback (KIR).

Resolution: This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). Please note that it might take up to 24 hours for the resolution to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices. Restarting your Windows device might help the resolution apply to your device faster. For enterprise-managed devices that have installed an affected update and encountered this issue can resolve it by installing and configuring a special Group Policy. The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> KB5014668 220721_04201 Known Issue Rollback -> Windows 11 (original release). For information on deploying and configuring these special Group Policy, please see How to use Group Policy to deploy a Known Issue Rollback.

Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name:

Download for Windows 11, version 21H2 - KB5014668 220721_04201 Known Issue Rollback

The KB5014668 update has been plagued with issues. For example, it was meant to fix an OS upgrade fail bug but ironically itself started causing installation fails.

Microsoft has also been having Start menu related issues for a while.This month's Patch Tuesday update broke Start menu access; and a few days ago, the firm released Beta channel build 22622.436 which resolved a Start crash on Insider builds.

Microsoft confirms Windows 11 Start menu fails to start, issues workaround

The testing was conducted by fellow media site Phoronix and the following test system was used for the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS vs Windows 11 comparison:

Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 3

• Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U with Radeon 680M
• 16GB of LPDDR5-6400
• 512GB Micron NVMe SSD
• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with stock Linux 5.15
• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with Linux 5.19
• Windows 11 Pro

This new test with Linux 5.19 comes hot on the heels of another comparison with Linux 5.18 on an Intel Alder Lake system. The previous test showed that Linux has closed the gap with Windows 11.

First up, we have browser benchmark tests and the results are a mixed bag here in the case of Google Chrome. While some tests like the WebXPRT show very good gains of around 50%, other benchmarks like the Basemark test show no significant improvements and as such, Windows 11 is still much farther ahead.

In the case of Gecko-based Firefox though, Linux 5.19 has generally shown more favorable performance and at times even beating the Windows 11 system.

While the browser benchmarks have generally shown the biggest improvement on the new 5.19 kernel, the remaining tests are a bit of a mixed bag overall. For example, in the LuxCoreRender physically-based rendering (PBR) test, Linux 5.19 on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS shows no improvement at all. In fact, the performance actually drops off slightly. Depending on the scene, Ubuntu and Windows 11 trade blows here.

Interestingly, in the JPEG image encoding test, the Linux test system seems to be ahead of the Windows 11 system when the encode speed is lower. However, the Microsoft OS picks up pace as the encode speed is increased.

Meanwhile, in the compression test using Zstandard data compression algorithm, Windows 11 is significantly ahead of Linux.

Finally, we come to the gaming tests. Generally in this case, the performance of Windows 11 on OpenGL is terrible on AMD. However, it could change with the upcoming WDDM 3.1 Radeon driver that shows boosts of up to 55%.

Interestingly, in the Yamagi Quake II test below, the OpenGL API seems to be doing very well in the case of Windows 11. However, the Vulkan performance is nowhere close.

You can find the full test results in further detail on Phoronix's website here.

Latest performance tests show Ubuntu 22.04 with Linux 5.19 creeping up on Windows 11 fast

Office version 2208 (Build 15511.20000) allows Office Suite users to use domain names to restrict file access to specific individuals or to all individuals from that domain. It also introduced some upgrades to the analysis services components used in data modeling and Power Pivot in Excel. Aside from that, Office Version 2208 (Build 15519.20000) introduces notable fixes for issues found in Word and Outlook. You can check out the complete official changelog below to learn more about these changes.

Changelog

In other Office news, Microsoft recently released a plethora of new features for Current Channel subscribers on Windows. The latest Current Channel Office update adds a brand-new visual experience that makes it easier to parse information, improvements to Excel PivotTables that are connected to Power BI datasets, including the ability to create aggregations on the fly by dragging any field into the Values area (including Implicit Measures). Also, Current Channel users can find key documents in Visio with the Shared with Me list.

Microsoft also introduced several new features for Office Insiders on Mac. PowerPoint users on Mac are getting a new Cameo feature that allows users to insert a live camera feed anywhere in their presentation. To use it in your slide show, you can select Insert > Cameo. To use the feature, go to the Home tab and select Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules. Now, you can simply drag the edges of the dialog box and resize it as needed.

Microsoft releases a new Office update weekly for Beta Channel subscribers on Windows, adding new features and changes. Microsoft is also expected to release a new Office Insider Build for the Beta Channel Insiders next week. We’ll keep you updated if we find anything interesting in the update.

To update the Microsoft Office Insider Preview Build to the latest version, open any Office program and go to File> Account> Update Options> Update Now.

Office Version 2208 (Build 15519.20000) and Version 2208 (Build 15511.20000) add new features for Windows users

Here are some of the myths about Linux that have spread all across the internet like wildfire.

1. Linux Is Only for Developers and Coders

The history of Linux has been closely related to programmers and even today, most of the people contributing to the project are software developers. This is why most casual desktop users think that Linux is reserved for computer users with technical backgrounds.

Indeed, most of the standard utilities and packages that come preinstalled on a Linux distro are associated with software development, but almost every distribution has now started adding applications for the general public that's not interested in writing code at all.

What most people don't realize is that Linux has become an integral part of their daily lives. Anyone going over to the internet to browse a website, or a person using an Android smartphone is using Linux, in the form of web servers and a customized operating system for handheld devices.

Keeping aside the indirect Linux usage, you can even install a beginner-friendly Linux distro on your computer if you want. You don't need to be a programmer or tech-geek to learn how to use it. What's needed is a strong will to learn and a dash of persistence.

2. You Have to Master the Command Line to Use Linux

The command line, or the terminal, is inherent in a Linux distribution, and this has been the case since the beginning. When Linus started developing Linux, computers weren't powerful enough to support a graphical user interface, and the command line was a necessity for anyone who wanted to interact with the system.

Fast forward to the present, the term "desktop," referring to the GUI, is commonly used as a replacement for "computer," and these two terms combined have a different meaning altogether. Machines can now run resource-intensive games in addition to the underlying desktop environment, and not much use of the command line has remained for casual users.

If you want, you can get away without using the terminal or having to type commands at all on a Linux distribution. There might be occasions when you need to troubleshoot a problem and it might require you to enter commands in the shell, but fret not, most of the help is readily available online. All you need to do is copy and paste the commands into your terminal and you'll be good to go.

3. Linux Isn't Suited for Gaming

Gaming is a well-known area of application that Linux is supposed to lack, even today. But that's not the case anymore. Linux distributions are gaining ground in terms of gaming and you can now consider Linux as an operating system for gamers.

Native Linux games like CS:GO are known to perform better on Linux than on other operating systems, including Windows. This makes it evident that if game developers start developing for Linux natively, Linux might actually have a chance to surpass Windows in terms of performance.

This doesn't call for celebration at the moment, however. It's still true that multiplayer support for many titles doesn't work on Linux, as the Linux architecture doesn't allow kernel-level access to anti-cheat software. But that might change soon, considering so much has already been achieved when it comes to gaming on Linux.

4. It's Hard to Find Apps for Linux

Windows users enjoy native support for premium applications like Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and more.

On the other hand, such proprietary software companies don't offer software support for Linux-based OSes. This leads many users into thinking that Linux doesn't have many applications, and they might miss out on some golden programs if they switch to Linux. This is totally untrue, however.

Linux has at least an equal (if not more) amount of applications than Windows. They might not be as prestigious or well-known to the public, but they get the work done. To name a few, Linux has GIMP as an alternative to Adobe Photoshop and the LibreOffice suite as a replacement for Microsoft Office.

5. Linux Can't Be Infected With Viruses

"You can't get a virus or malware if you're using Linux." This Linux myth has been revolving around on the internet since time immemorial. However, the long existence of this statement doesn't make it accurate.

It's completely possible to get your Linux system infected. But the truth is that Linux accounts for only a small share of the desktop OS market, meaning attackers don't develop malware for Linux due to low profitability. In fact, you don't even need to use an antivirus or firewall on your desktop Linux system.

This is because most Linux antivirus software usually check for Windows-related malware so that you don't share the infected file with other systems.

Also, due to the way permissions work on Linux, it's a lot safer to use than other operating systems.

6. Linux Is Only Used on Servers

Many long-time Windows users are under the impression that Linux is only used on servers, and that if it were a desktop OS, it'd be more prominent like Windows or macOS. Although Linux was originally created as a desktop OS by Linus Torvalds, it's more dominant in the server world, thanks to its underlying architecture.

Apart from running on servers, Linux powers desktop computers, smartphones, embedded devices, and even supercomputers. There's a high chance that most of the smart electrical appliances you use in your household employ Linux under the hood.

7. Linux Is Too Fragmented

There are thousands of available Linux distros and each comes with a different set of software, user interface, and unique ways to manage packages. All of this might lead you into thinking that the Linux world is fragmented, or unmanaged at the very least.

But this seeming weakness is the actual strength of Linux. The availability of so many different options gives you a choice. You can choose the operating system you want to use, install a desktop environment that suits you, and use a package manager that's easier to learn for you. These choices are usually already made for you with other operating systems like Windows or macOS.

And that's not all. Linux might seem fragmented to you, but only from afar. If you learn more about the OS, you'll find there are more similarities between different distros than differences.

There are only a handful of parent distro families from which other distributions are created. Each of these families of Linux distros has a unique package manager of its own, which means choosing a package manager that fits your bill filters out almost 80 percent of the available distros.

If you need a wider catalog, however, there are packaging systems like Snap and Flatpak that are distro-agnostic and work on any Linux-based operating system, provided you have the right software.

Debunking Linux Myths for the Better

Linux myths have been floating around on the internet for a very long time. A lot of these misconceptions keep people away from trying Linux-based operating systems on their computers. Therefore, it's important to bust these myths for the better.

Now that your mind is free of these misbeliefs, if you finally wish to try out Linux, Ubuntu and Manjaro Linux are the two distros to start with. But which one is good for beginner Linux users, and which one should you choose for your desktop?

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