The unified system and service manager for Linux, Systemd, is growing rapidly. The latest version has been released on GitHub, and is accompanied by a lengthy changelog. The majority of popular Linux platforms usually append the latest, stable release of Systemd every six months.

The new version of Systemd uses the GCC compiler's C11-with-GNU-extensions standard. Nicknamed GNU11, it essentially brings Systemd in line with the core Linux kernel itself. The latest version has had about 2,500 commits.

The most controversial addition is a new component "systemd-sysupdate". It automatically discovers, downloads, and installs A/B style updates. It is still quite experimental and is essentially an “Updating Tool” for the installed OS. Besides the new systemd-sysupdate feature, the tool will also have kernel-install features.

Needless to mention, the method takes a new approach to updating the OS and its multiple components. However, Systemd is not transforming into a package manager. Nonetheless, the changes indicate a concerning shift in the way users, and more importantly, the Linux distros themselves could evolve.

It seems the nature, as well as the role, of the package managers, is changing. Although a little early to say, these platforms, which allowed users to also update the installed Linux distro, are being restricted. In other words, end-users may find it difficult to customize and update their OS.

Currently, package managers serve as app marketplaces as well as repositories that hold and offer updates, including those for the OS. Moving ahead, they could be restricted to being tools that vendors use to build the distributions. In the worst of cases, Linux distros might just ditch package managers altogether. It is already happening in ChromeOS, as well as Fedora's Silverblue and Kinoite versions.

It is concerning to note that moving ahead, it might become harder to install and use a Linux distro that does not have Systemd. However, some distros, such as Devuan GNU+Linux, Alpine Linux, and Void Linux have kept the controversial component away.

Systemd v251 with GNU11 could prove troublesome for users of nearly all Linux distros

The new build 19044.1739 (21H2) (KB5014023), which is optional, tests if certain non-security fixes can make it through to the next Patch Tuesday, it is available now through the Release Preview Channel.

This update includes the following improvements:

• New! We introduced new sorting version 6.4.3, which addresses the sorting issue that affects Japanese half-width katakana.
• We prevented users from bypassing forced enrollment by disconnecting from the internet when they sign into Azure Active Directory (AAD).
• We fixed an issue that might run an AnyCPU application as a 32-bit process.
• We fixed an issue that prevents Azure Desired State Configuration (DSC) scenarios that have multiple partial configurations from working as expected.
• We fixed an issue that affects remote procedure calls (RPC) to the Win32_User or Win32_Group WMI class. The domain member that runs the RPC contacts the primary domain controller (PDC). When multiple RPCs occur simultaneously on many domain members, this might overwhelm the PDC.
• We fixed an issue that occurs when adding a trusted user, group, or computer that has a one-way trust in place. The error message, “The object selected doesn’t match the type of destination source” appears.
• We fixed an issue that fails to display the Application Counters section in the performance reports of the Performance Monitor tool.
• We fixed an issue that might affect some apps that use d3d9.dll with certain graphics cards and might cause those apps to close unexpectedly.
• We fixed a rare issue that prevents Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Outlook from opening.
• We fixed a memory leak issue that affects Windows systems that are in use 24 hours each day of the week.
• We fixed an issue that affects the IE mode window frame.
• We fixed an issue that prevents internet shortcuts from updating.
• We fixed an issue that causes an Input Method Editor (IME) to discard a character if you enter the character while the IME is converting previous text.
• We fixed an issue that causes print failures when a low integrity level (LowIL) application prints to a null port.
• We fixed an issue that prevents BitLocker from encrypting when you use the silent encryption option.
• We fixed an issue that occurs when you apply multiple WDAC policies. Doing that might prevent scripts from running when the policies allow scripts to run.
• We fixed an issue that affects the behavior and shape orientation of a mouse cursor for Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG), Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Edge. This issue occurs when you turn on a virtual graphics processing unit (GPU).
• We fixed an issue that might cause the Remote Desktop client application to stop working when you end a session.
• We fixed a reliability issue in the Terminal Services Gateway (TS Gateway) service that randomly causes clients to disconnect.
• We deployed search highlights to devices that are domain-joined. For more information about the feature, see Group configuration: search highlights in Windows. You can configure search highlights at the enterprise scale using Group Policy settings defined in the Search.admx file and Policy CSP – Search.
• We fixed an issue that displays the wrong image for the Input Method Editor (IME) mode indicator icon when you turn on the Font Mitigation policy.
• We fixed an issue that causes a yellow exclamation point to display in Device Manager. This occurs when a Bluetooth remote device advertises the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) source (SRC).
• We fixed an issue in which the Cluster Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provider (ClustWMI.dll) generates high CPU usage in WMIPRVSE.EXE.
• We fixed an issue that causes Microsoft’s deduplication driver to consume large amounts of nonpaged pool memory. As a result, this depletes all the physical memory on the machine, which causes the server to stop responding.
• We fixed an issue that causes file copying to be slower.
• We fixed an issue that might cause a system to stop responding when a user signs out if Microsoft OneDrive is in use.
• We fixed a known issue that might prevent recovery discs (CD or DVD) from starting if you created them using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app in Control Panel. This issue occurs after installing Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later.

This build contains no Known Issues, and as previously pointed out, no new features either. To check and see which version of Windows 10 you’re running, just type winver into the Windows search box on the Taskbar (or right click on Start and choose Run and then type in winver). It should show as “Version 21H2”.

This is an optional "C update" of which is generally released in the third or forth week of the month, and is designed to test new bug fixes and improvements for other non-security issues. C updates are optional, and Windows Update won’t automatically install them on your PC, when offered outside of Windows Insider channels.

You can view the official press release for Build 19044.1739 here.

Windows 10 Build 19044.1739 (KB5014023) in Release Preview Channel fixes app crashes

According to AMD, RX 6000 series graphics users will see performance gains of up to 8% in DirectX 11 using titles. The gains were seen in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Far Cry 6, Farming Sim 22, GTA V, Total War: Warhammer III, A Total War Saga: Troy, Watch Dogs Legion, Apex Legends, Overwatch, and Valorant in AMD's internal tests.

As for other features of this driver, it also has day one optimizations for Sniper Elite 5, which releases on May 26. The new ray tracing features of Hitman 3, coming on May 24, are also supported here.

The Radeon Super Resolution tech has received upgrades too, with AMD Ryzen 6000 series processors that have integrated graphics gaining official support. A sharpen slider is available for fine tuning the effect across the board as well.

AMD is also introducing Privacy View as a new feature to the driver suite. Built in partnership with Eyeware, there is now eye tracking technology built into the driver that spotlights only where the user is looking at on a screen and blurs or dims out the rest for privacy.

Lastly, Death Stranding and Watch Dogs Legion now tout AMD Smart Access Memory optimizations. AMD says the two games can see performance gains of up to 24% depending on the graphics card and resolution being used.

There are no bug fixes in this release, but there are quite a few known issues to look out for:

• Performance drop may be experienced while playing Fortnite™ with Multithreaded Rendering and DirectX® 11 API on some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon® RX 6900 XT Graphics.
• 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.
• Higher than expected CPU usage when Instant Replay is enabled on some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon® RX 6900 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.
• Using Radeon™ Super Resolution on 2560x1600 resolution displays may produce a system hang. A temporary workaround is to set the display Scaling Mode to Full Panel.
• 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.
• Radeon performance metrics and logging features may intermittently report extremely high and incorrect memory clock values.

The Radeon Software Adrenalin 22.5.2 driver is available now for Windows 10 and 11 systems. Upgrading to it can be accomplished via the Radeon Settings app. Standalone downloads for the driver are only available via AMD's release notes page, found here.

AMD 22.5.2 driver has major DirectX 11 optimizations, Sniper Elite 5 support, more

Microsoft has announced the general release of Visual Studio 2022 for Mac 17.0. It brings big changes including a native macOS UI and support for Apple Silicon processors. According to the company, it's also releasing a new preview which you can install side-by-side with this version.

In older versions of Visual Studio for Mac, Microsoft had used various UI technologies which made things look out of place. This update uses the native macOS UI. In addition, the backend is running on .NET 6 and it runs natively on Apple Silicon processors. Together these improvements mean Visual Studio 2022 for Mac can operate up to 50% faster than its predecessor.

On a technical level, Microsoft said this release allows you to build applications with .NET 6 and C# 10. It said Azure Functions v4 is supported and allows you to develop serverless applications on .NET 6.

Going back to the preview which was mentioned earlier, Microsoft is now offering Visual Studio 2022 for Mac 17.3 Preview 1. It focuses on adding tooling support for .NET 7 and .NET MAUI. Microsoft will also attempt to incorporate feedback from users and move to native UI for lesser-used features such as the Task/TODO list. If you want to learn more, check out the release notes.

Visual Studio 2022 for Mac 17.0 arrives with native macOS UI and Apple Silicon support

In a January blog post back penned by Panos Panay, the Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Microsoft, it was said:

Since the launch of Windows 11 in October, we have seen strong demand and preference for Windows 11 with people accepting the upgrade offer to Windows 11 at twice the rate we saw for Windows 10. Windows 11 also has the highest quality scores and product satisfaction of any version of Windows we’ve ever shipped. Product quality was a huge focus for the team, and we took a deliberate and phased approach to how we rolled out the upgrade.

Today, at Computex 2022, Panos Panay, in a discussion with Nicole Dezen, CVP of Device Partner Sales at the company, re-iterated on this idea once more stating that quality of the OS was still the highest priority for the Windows 11 development team. He said:

[..] And it (Windows 11) has the highest quality scores. Here's the most important thing for our team, quality, quality, quality. People using it are finding the quality in the product, which has just been awesome. That also translates to product satisfaction. It is the highest product satisfaction of any version of Windows we've ever shipped. You kind of see that.

The Computex keynote also had talks about other things like the various Windows 11 features and the new hybrid work culture which has become prevalent since the COVID pandemic. You can watch it at the source link below.

Source: COMPUTEX TAIPEI (YouTube)

Microsoft's Panos Panay reiterates that Windows 11 is all about quality

As per the Microsoft 365 Roadmap page, Microsoft is working on a way for users to "quickly access To Do, Org Explorer, Yammer Communities, and Bookings directly inside Outlook." For better customization, the company will also let users pin preferred Outlook and Microsoft 365 apps.

Microsoft Outlook for web currently gives users the option to open Microsoft 365 apps, but you don't get your To Do lists inside Outlook. For that, you need to open Microsoft To Do from Outlook, which is equivalent to going to the Microsoft To Do web client. But with deeper integration with Microsoft 365 apps, accessing things like your To Do list will be a lot quicker and more convenient when you're using Outlook.

Microsoft 365 apps integration for the Outlook web client will be available in July.

The page also mentions another useful new Outlook feature. Outlook for Android will soon give users to option to save files from their emails to their configured cloud storage accounts, which include OneDrive for Business. This feature is also in the development phase and will be available next month.

Which of the aforementioned features are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments section.

Source: Microsoft 365 Roadmap

Microsoft Outlook to get some useful new features in the next couple of months

I compared both articles to gather the important information from them.

What are the upcoming changes to ProtonMail?

Proton wants to update its services with a uniform design to represent its brand. This "visual identity" will include new logos and colors by which users will recognize Proton's services. The unified service will be accessible from the Proton.me domain. The company is shifting to it to highlight the fact that it offers more than just mail services, it has ProtonDrive, Calendar, VPN, etc. It's quite similar to what Google does with its suite of web apps.

While your ProtonMail address will remain the same, any official communication including newsletters, notifications, password reset messages that you receive from the company will use the @proton.me domain instead of @protonmail.com. So don't be alarmed thinking you got a mail from a user who is impersonating the brand. Mails from Proton are always starred to indicate it is sent by the company.

The original article indicated that Proton will redirect users who access Protonmail.com, mail.protonmail.com, calendar.protonmail.com, etc., to their respective Proton.me domains. This will only affect new user sessions, i.e., users who are already logged in to their accounts will remain on the .com domain. ProtonVPN will also remain at protonvpn.com for now, but it too will be updated in the future. The unified service will allow users to add events in your mails to your calendar, and files that you have stored in Proton Drive can be sent as attachments simply by linking to them.

And now, for the important changes regarding the Premium subscription plans.

Upcoming changes to Proton Plans

After listening to feedback from users, Proton says that it will not change the prices of the plans for existing subscribers. It is worth mentioning that the original announcement caused a bit of confusion, as it did not mention whether this price hike would affect renewals, but the updated post has confirmed that existing subscribers can renew their plan at the current prices. This basically confirms that new users will have to pay a higher fee than the current rates.

The original article also mentioned that Proton users who subscribe to ProtonMail and ProtonVPN will be automatically updated to a new bundle that also includes Proton Drive and Proton Calendar, and that this upgrade will be free of charge. But that statement has been removed in the new article, it now reads "all plans will be upgraded to provide more storage and features for our existing subscribers". This probably includes Drive and Calendar.

Here are the current prices of ProtonMail and ProtonVPN for reference.

I didn't save a screenshot of the original announcement or the page itself to web archive, but my RSS reader saved an offline copy of the contents. I used the text from it to upload the text to a privacy-friendly paste bin site. You can read it, and compare it with the current post on Proton's site. It's important because the new article seems to lack some information.

Proton intends to roll out the updates to its services this week, but has not revealed its new premium plan prices yet.

What's your take on this? Will you lock in to the current prices by subscribing to a plan now?

Proton will increase the prices of premium plans for new subscribers of ProtonMail and VPN

Linux creator Linux Torvalds has announced the stable Linux kernel version 5.8 release after making it through the final week of development with "no unexpected nasty surprises".

As usual, Torvalds announced the latest stable release of the Linux kernel on Sunday evening. It was on time and about two months after the stable 5.17 release, thus opening the merge window for Linux 5.19.

Torvalds had little exciting to say about Linux 5.18 but still encouraged developers to run it.

"I'd still like people to run boring old plain 5.18 just to check, before we start with the excitement of all the new features for the merge window," wrote Torvalds.

Still there were "random driver updates" as well as "some other minor architecture fixes, some core networking, and some tooling stuff."

While the final week brought no surprises for Torvalds, Linux 5.18 did ultimately ship with Intel's Software Defined Silicon (SDSi) driver, which allows Intel to switch on features of an already-sold CPU if the buyer pays for a license.

Linux news site Phoronix has been tracking the development of Intel's SDSi driver over the past eight months. The driver would allow Intel to enable capabilities already inside a CPU once a user purchases a licensing agreement.

An Intel Linux software engineer, David Box, described SDSi in a Linux kernel mailing list in September as a "post manufacturing mechanism for activating additional silicon features. Features are enabled through a license activation process."

Intel has also posted a GitHub document that explains its Xeon processors with support for SDSi "allow the configuration of additional CPU features through a license activation process". The SDSi driver provides an interface for applications to provision an "authentication key certificate" that's written to memory and used to authenticate a "capability activation payload". A token is applied to the CPU to activate a feature.

As Phoronix noted in February when Intel's driver was accepted into Linux 5.18 — and as Intel's GitHub document suggests — the SDSi could be limited to future server and workstation processors. Intel could, for example, use software upgrades to tailor CPU features to datacenter or other workloads.

Jonathan Corbet, the founder and editor-in-chief of the publication LWN.net reckons the benefits of software defined silicon are obvious to Intel but unclear to buyers.

Intel said in a statement to The Register in October that it "regularly submits code to the Linux Kernel that could be used in future products", and added it will provide a deeper explanation if it plans to implement the feature in future products.

Beyond SDSi, Linux 5.18 brings numerous CPU and graphics updates for Intel and AMD chips, as well as support for Tesla's Full Self Driving (FSD) system on chip, and support for the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, according to Phoroix's roundup of this release.

Source

Many acquisitions come under the scrutiny of anti-monopoly bodies. It’s unlikely that this acquisition will if it goes ahead. Broadcom's main focus is semiconductors but VMware isn't in this business so the acquisition shouldn't be monopolistic.

Broadcom has previously diversified away from semiconductors with the purchases of CA Technologies for $18.9 billion and Symantec’s security division which it paid $10.7 billion for. Neither Broadcom nor VMware have provided the media with comments on the matter.

According to Reuters, VMware’s second-largest investor is Silver Lake. This firm has also invested in Broadcom in the past. VMware’s biggest investor is Michael Dell, famous for his namesake computers – he holds a 40% stake in the company.

Source

One-stop DevOps shop GitLab has announced version 15 of its platform, hot on the heels of pull-based GitOps turning up on the platform's free tier.

Version 15.0 marks the arrival of GitLab's next major iteration and attention this time around has turned to visibility and observability – hardly surprising considering the acquisition of OpsTrace as 2021 drew to a close, as well as workflow automation, security and compliance.

GitLab puts out monthly releases so today's emission reflects what will be added to version 15 as time goes by. The platform will hit 15.1 on June 22.

During a chat with the company's senior director of Product, Kenny Johnston, at the recent Kubecon EU event, The Register was told that this was more where dollars were being invested into the product.

Of Opstrace, Johnston said: "We're going to be spending 15 integrating that really deeply with all of GitLab."

As well as having metrics, logs and traces on by default, Johnston spoke of a "fourth pillar of observability" in the form of error tracking. All would then be presented to the lucky developer cranking out code. "I can see this code has experienced 500 different types of errors in the last three weeks," Johnston said, by way of example, "so we can bring that right into context when a developer is writing code so that they're aware of how that application is performing or what kind of errors it receives."

The data also gives insight into the development process itself. "If you're a director or CTO, you want to know: is it working overall? But which groups are doing well? How can I learn from those groups and apply it to others?"

Heaven forbid that some less enlightened bosses might use all that data to administer a dressing down to whoever is dropping those 500 errors into the company's source.

As well as observability, plans are afoot for additional compliance and security features. As well as security policies, an intriguing feature is an exportable Software Bill of Materials and a signed attestation for build artifacts. "We're really excited about our ability to not just produce the bill of materials, but also produce that attestation that your bill of materials was secure along that whole delivery path," said Johnston.

Also upcoming in version 15 will be more support for data science teams and workloads.

Announced at Kubecon EU was support for pull-based deployment in GitLab's free tier, meaning a DevOps team can use the GitLab agent for Kubernetes to automatically spot and enact application changes.

"We've had that in our paid tiers," said Johnston, "but we found that there was a lot of interest in it, particularly for GitOps-style workflows for pull-based-style deployment workflow.

"Another component of us open-sourcing anything is that we also get contributors for it. You see a lot higher contributor volume to our open-source tech when it's in our free tier."

As for the future, Johnston told us that "we do see a lot more interest in SaaS and organizations not wanting to manage the software themselves," although, "the bulk of our business is in self-managed; customers oftentimes are choosing us over competitors because they can deploy [GitLab] wherever they want and deploy it within data sovereignty restrictions."

And the IDE? "Most people are using VS Code," said Johnston, "but we're seeing a lot more interest, particularly from enterprises [in a controlled environment]."

Shifting the security border from a developer's laptop to something a little more controlled certainly has an appeal and web-based IDEs from the likes of GitHub and Gitpod have been increasing in popularity. "We have an integration with Gitpod today," said Johnston, "but we'll be continuing to invest in our ability to have our own kind of code-space environment. ®

Source

The news was confirmed officially by Canonical Employee and Ubuntu Desktop Developer, Heather Ellsworth, on the Ubuntu Discourse thread about the topic,

“That’s right, as of today the Kinetic iso (pending, not yet current since the changes were just made) has been updated to run only pipewire and not pulseaudio. So @copong, you can look forward to this for kinetic.

For Jammy, you might notice that you have both pipewire and pulseaudio running. This is because pulseaudio is still being used for the audio but pipewire is being used for the video. (Pipewire is needed for screencasting and screensharing on Wayland.)

I hope that clears up our plans regarding pipewire/pulseaudio but let us know if you have more questions.”

Ubuntu currently for 22.04LTS uses PipeWire for screencasting, but is still using PulseAudio for audio.

Image courtesy of Pipewire.org

Other popular distributions that use PipeWire are Fedora, EndeavourOS and Slackware.

The PipeWire homepage says,

“PipeWire is a project that aims to greatly improve handling of audio and video under Linux. It provides a low-latency, graph based processing engine on top of audio and video devices that can be used to support the use cases currently handled by both pulseaudio and JACK. PipeWire was designed with a powerful security model that makes interacting with audio and video devices from containerized applications easy, with supporting Flatpak applications being the primary goal. Alongside Wayland and Flatpak we expect PipeWire to provide a core building block for the future of Linux application development.”

There are instructions for installing PipeWire directly on the front page of the site, which is always cool to see as it makes it very simple for users. As well, the PipeWire documentation seemed fairly thorough as I skimmed through it, so if you do want to dig deeper beyond the installation instructions, plenty of information is available at their docs page.

I can say that I have no personal experience that is of note with PipeWire. I have used and I adore EndeavourOS, but I am unsure if the last time I used it, it used PipeWire, and to what extent. So, I can not give a personal review at this time; however, I can say that after digging a bit deeper and researching into this topic more for this article, I think PipeWire does sound like the way forward, in comparison to PulseAudio. PulseAudio works…sort of…until it doesn’t…And it’s served us for years, but I don’t think I know many Linux users who would turn down switching to a different audio system if it meant more stability, less latency, and plenty of customization and power under the hood. I for one am looking forward to the next Ubuntu release, and I will be sure to test out and comment about the audio when I do a review of it in the fall of 2022!

NOW YOU

What are your thoughts on the switch of audio systems from PulseAudio to PipeWire? Do you have experience using it for audio in your own configuration? Let us know in the comments!

Ubuntu 22.10 is dropping PulseAudio

During such a test run, CapFrameX, which developed a useful frametime analysis tool, noticed a weird anomaly when gauging the performance of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D on Lara Croft Shadow of the Tomb Raider (SotTR).

The processor usage reported on Windows 11 is seemingly unusually low in one of the scenes in the game which is typically known to be quite intense on the CPU. Only one out the 16 threads seem to be reporting the correct usage whereas all the other threads are under 10% utilization.

CapFrameX notes the issue though it isn't sure what could be causing it:

The core usage reporting on Window 11 is completely broken. Should be >80% for SotTR + this particular scene and settings.

What happened? Did the recent update change the timer behavior?

Here is a screenshot of the scene in question. The stats are shown on screen using the same CapFrameX's own tool alongside and attached alongside a snapshot of HWiNFO which shows similar data.

While it is possible that the bug noticed here is an application specific issue, CapFrameX insists it is persistent in all games tested:

It is noteworthy here that CapFrameX and possibly HWiNFO too is based on the Event tracing for Windows (ETW) tracing mechanism. So it is possible that there is some kind of bug in the ETW which is causing this misreading.

A quick search on Google led us to a thread on the Microsoft forum where a user "AndreasRes" reported about an issue that is somewhat similar. In this case, it is noticed that Task Manager usage is very high or at a 100% whereas Xbox Game Bar and the MSI Dragon Centre are showing far lower usages.

Task Manager and Xbox Game Bar CPU usages side by side

While the thread was opened last year, more users have chimed in recently in 2022 as well.

Source and images: CapFrameX (Twitter) via AndreasRes (Microsoft forum)

Update: We earlier reached out to CapFrameX inquiring about the Windows 11 Build that exhibited the low CPU usage report. We have received the following response which confirms the recent Windows 11 Beta Channel build 22621 was used for the test:

Windows 11 CPU usage reporting is apparently buggy, including on Task Manager

Build 22000.706 adds Windows spotlight experience on the desktop, which means you can daily background pictures on the desktop. And they appear automatically if you enable the feature. Additionally, it includes a ton of fixes and improvements. For example, the update comes with an improved Family Safety verification experience for a child account.

The complete official changelog of the Windows 11 Build 22000.706 is given below.

Changelog

This update includes the following improvements:

• New! We improved the Family Safety verification experience for a child account when you send a request for additional screen time.

• New! Windows spotlight on the desktop brings the world to your desktop with new, daily background pictures. With this feature, new pictures will automatically appear as your desktop background. This feature already exists for the lock screen. You can also find out more information about each background picture on the web. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Background > Personalize your background. Choose Windows spotlight.

• We fixed an issue that causes the Input (TextInputHost.exe) app to stop working.

• We fixed an issue in searchindexer.exe that affects the search for shapes in Microsoft Visio.

• We prevented users from bypassing forced enrollment by disconnecting from the internet when they sign in to Azure Active Directory (AAD). • We fixed an issue that might run an AnyCPU application as a 32-bit process.

• We fixed an issue that prevents Azure Desired State Configuration (DSC) scenarios that have multiple partial configurations from working as expected.

• We fixed an issue that affects remote procedure calls (RPC) to the Win32_User or Win32_Group WMI class. The domain member that runs the RPC contacts the primary domain controller (PDC). When multiple RPCs occur simultaneously on many domain members, this might overwhelm the PDC.

• We fixed an issue that occurs when adding a trusted user, group, or computer that has a one-way trust in place. The error message, "The object selected doesn't match the type of destination source" appears.

• We fixed an issue that fails to display the Application Counters section in the performance reports of the Performance Monitor tool.

• We fixed an issue that fails to maintain the display brightness after you change the display mode.

• We fixed an issue that might affect some apps that use d3d9.dll with certain graphics cards and might cause those apps to close unexpectedly.

• We fixed an issue that affects the IE mode window frame.

• We fixed an issue that affects Group Policy templates.

• We fixed an issue that prevents internet shortcuts from updating.

• We fixed an issue that causes some users to see a black screen when they sign in and sign out of Windows.

• We fixed an issue that causes an Input Method Editor (IME) to discard a character if you enter the character while the IME is converting previous text.

• We fixed an issue that affects the Desktop Duplication API, which affects display orientation and causes a black image to appear on the screen.

• We fixed an issue that causes print failures when a low integrity level (LowlL) application prints to a null port.

• We fixed an issue that prevents BitLocker from encrypting when you use the silent encryption option.

• We fixed an issue that leads to a false negative when you run scripts while Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) is turned on. This might cause AppLocker events 8029, 8028, or 8037 to appear in the log when they should not.

• We fixed an issue that occurs when you apply multiple WDAC policies. Doing that might prevent scripts from running when the policies allow scripts to run.

• We fixed an issue that affects the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) driver, which might increase the system's startup time.

• We fixed an issue that might cause the Remote Desktop client application to stop working when you end a session.

• We fixed an issue that affects the behavior and shape orientation of a mouse cursor for Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG), Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Edge. This issue occurs when you turn on a virtual graphics processing unit (GPU).

• We fixed an issue that causes Widgets to appear on the wrong monitor when you hover over the Widgets icon on the taskbar.

• We added animation to the Widgets icon when you click or tap the icon and the taskbar is aligned on the left.

• We fixed an issue that affects the rendering of the default Widgets icon on a taskbar that is aligned in the center. We fixed an issue that causes blurry app icons in Search results when the display's dots per inch (dpi) scaling is greater than 100%.

• We fixed an issue that causes file copying to be slower because of a wrong calculation of write buffers within cache manager.

• We fixed an issue that might cause a system to stop responding when a user signs out if Microsoft OneDrive is in use.

• We fixed a known issue that might prevent recovery discs (CD or DVD) from starting if you created them using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7), app in Control Panel. This issue occurs after installing Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later.

To update your Windows Insider Preview Build, you can go to the Settings app> Windows Update> Check for Updates.

Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 22000.706 to the Release Preview Channel

You can read the complete official changelog to know more about the fixes.

Changelog

A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft released many new features for Office Insiders on Windows. Some of the exciting features it introduced were the voice dictation feature in OneNote, a more optimized Microsoft Excel, and more. Recently, Microsoft Office also added the ability to get gather five million responses on a single form. You can read more about what’s new in the update here.

Microsoft releases a new Office update every week for Beta Channel subscribers on Windows, adding new features and changes. Microsoft is also expected to release a new Office Insider Build 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.

Microsoft releases Office Insider Preview Build 15313.20000

Don't let the fact that these apps are free wrongly influence your judgment. They are high-quality, professional-grade applications that rival even the most well-known, high-priced, commercial applications. These are 10 of the best Linux apps for musicians of all levels.

1. Audacity

Audacity is, perhaps, the most recommended Linux app when it comes to audio recording and editing. This completely free software holds its own against expensive commercial packages used by professionals.

It includes features such as multi-track recording, effects editing, track splicing, spectrogram analysis, and much more. No matter what you're trying to do with audio on your Linux system, chances are that Audacity can handle it.

2. Ardour

Ardour is a complete recording, editing, and mixing solution. More than just an audio editor, it is made especially for artists who want to record from real instruments and produce their own music.

It supports multi-track recording, synchronization with video, and many other pro-level features. On top of what's included, there are also hundreds of plugins available that will allow you to customize your workflow to exactly what works best for you.

3. Denemo

Denemo is designed to make the process of writing and composing music easier no matter how you do it. You can compose your own songs using the keyboard, through a MIDI sequencer, or even directly from an instrument and microphone. You can create traditional music scores, tablature, chord charts, fret diagrams, and so much more.

As the authors put it, you can use Denemo for anything from a quick student homework assignment all the way up to composing a full-scale opera. No matter what type of music you are composing, Denemo will make the process fast, accurate, and fun.

4. MuseScore

MuseScore is another sheet music composition application. It provides powerful features but keeps the interface clean, intuitive, and easy to use. This pro-quality app will allow you to write your music with the keyboard or through a MIDI interface.

Everything you need is there, plus there are loads of plugins available to extend MuseScore's functionality. Within minutes you will be able to easily write for guitar, piano, bands, orchestra, choir, marching bands, or just about any other form of musical performance.

5. LMMS

LMMS (formerly known as Linux MultiMedia Studio) is a complete digital audio workstation. With it, you can produce music in a virtually unlimited number of ways. It comes bundled with loads of instruments, synthesized sounds, samples, effects, and plugins to allow you to start creating right away.

Mix, match, and sequence anything from acoustic instruments to pumping electronic beats and everything in between. The software supports both standard and MIDI keyboards, giving you complete control over your compositions. If you're looking for a complete, modern, electronic music creation solution, you've found it.

6. Hydrogen

Hydrogen is a very user-friendly music sequencer and mixer. It is especially well-suited for those who want to get started creating their own electronic music based on samples, beats, and synthesizers. It comes absolutely loaded with features that will make the music creation process easy and fun.

It includes a pattern-based sequencer with an unlimited number of patterns and up to 192 ticks per pattern. You can also edit samples directly within the app to create new cuts and loops. Hydrogen will most certainly prove to be a useful tool for all musicians across the spectrum from beginners to professionals.

7. MusE Sequencer

MusE is a full-featured MIDI and audio sequencer with recording and editing functionality, complete with plugin support and automation capabilities. It is a wonderful alternative to similar commercial software with high price tags.

Build your own compositions through an easy-to-use and intuitive interface that will help you to create, edit, and master anything that your imagination can conjure up. New users will find MusE easy to use while professionals will immediately see the value in its rich set of features and powerful tools.

8. Mixxx

Mixxx is a full-on DJ production application. Not only does it allow for recording and mixing, but it is also powerful enough and intended to be used as a complete live performance solution. Mix, cut, scratch, crossfade, and more, all in real-time. Mixxx does it all.

BPM and musical key detection help you find the perfect next track from your library. Use turntables with timecode vinyl records to control playback and scratch your digital music files as if they were pressed on vinyl. It also supports many types of DJ controller hardware. Take your DJ performances to the next level with this incredible free and open-source music solution.

9. Guitarix

Guitarix is a fully functional virtual guitar amplifier. It takes the signal from your guitar, through your sound card, just as any real amp would. Everything is processed by a main amp as well as a rack section. You can route each separately to produce a processed stereo signal.

You can use the rack to apply effects from more than 25 built-in modules. From noise gates to wah-wah pedals or f/x like flangers, you'll be able to transform your tones to get the exact sound that you're looking for. You can make simple recordings of your playing or take your new tracks and feed them into the audio software of your choice to start putting together your own self-composed masterpiece.

Guitarix is perfect for those just learning to play guitar who want to experiment with effects without spending a lot of money on amps, pedals, and other accessories.

10. Rosegarden

Rosegarden is a music editing and composition environment based on a MIDI sequencer featuring both digital audio and music notation support. It is a somewhat unique software package that will allow you to create and edit music in several different ways.

You can work with your creations in the form of standard sheet music or write and edit using the digital sequencer—or flip between the two as you see fit. The authors of Rosegarden have done an excellent job creating a very user-friendly application that enables musicians to create and edit their own compositions quickly and comfortably without the typical learning curve required by more complex software.

Compose and Create Your Way on Linux

If you're serious about music, any of the applications listed above will help you take your creativity and talent to the next level. Whether you're working with one instrument or looking to create an entire virtual orchestra, there's something for everyone in these outstanding free Linux audio apps for musicians. Dive in and explore. You won't be disappointed!

Source

One of the recent changes to these 2023 feature update preview builds is a new desktop search widget. Enabled on a small number of test devices only, the search widget adds a search form field to the Windows desktop. Users may use it to run searches using Microsoft's Bing search engine.

Web addresses may be entered directly to open sites, but any other input is redirected to Microsoft's Bing search engine. All requests are opened in Microsoft's Edge web browser when the search widget is used.

Microsoft Edge is used exclusively for the feature with no built-in option to change the browser. Since there is also no option to change the search engine, users are left with Bing search results when they use the search widget on the device.

It is easy enough to disable the search widget. All it takes is to right-click on the desktop, select "Show More Options" and to click on the "Show Search" option toggle.

An influx of unpopular features

Microsoft added several features to its Windows operating system in recent time that are unpopular or even considered useless by part of the userbase.

In March 2022, Microsoft introduced the Search Highlight feature, which added information about the current day to Windows Widgets and icons to the taskbar; the latter confused some users, who suddenly noticed changing icons on their taskbar that they did not put there.

Windows Widgets is another controversial feature. It adds news, weather reports, stock market information and other bits to Windows. Currently, only first-party widgets are supported, including those powered by Microsoft MSN and Bing. Microsoft plans to extend Windows Widgets to support third-party additions in the future.

The Search widget is the latest addition that is controversial. Ashwin pointed out that it is not adding anything of use to the system, as searches may already be run using the built-in search functionality of the operating system.

Why is Microsoft adding these features then to the operating system? Some users may find the functionality useful, especially if they have used more complicated means previously.

One explanation for the influx of features associated with Bing and Microsoft Edge is that Microsoft wants to increase usage of Edge, Bing and other Microsoft properties. Increased usage increases Microsoft's revenue at the same time, as advertising revenue increases with usage. The features may also keep users in Microsoft's ecosystem of services and applications longer.

The features are enabled by default, as this ensures that the majority of users are exposed to them. Disabling is just a few clicks away, but it may not always be apparent right away. For instance, a right-click on the Widgets icon does nothing; you have to right-click on the taskbar instead, select Taskbar Settings, and toggle the Widget icon there to hide it.

Now You: do you find any of the recent Bing/MSN/Search feature additions useful?

Here is why Microsoft continues to add unpopular features to Windows

Humongous context menus

Many Edge users agree that the browser's context menus have grown too big. On some devices, context menus no longer fit on the screen. Here is what Microsoft has to say regarding this issue:

We hear that both the right-click context and the … menus are too long, too wide, and don’t offer any ways to customize. You may have seen some ways we are attempting to address these pain points in our Canary channel.

It might still take some time before the promised "attempts" show up in the Canary channel, not to mention Stable. Still, it is good to know that Microsoft is not deaf to users' outcry.

Download Shelf

Another thing customers want from Microsoft is the good-old download shelf that appears at the bottom of the screen when downloading a file. According to Microsoft, this idea has moved from "Under Review" to "Alternative Planned", which means future updates will come with an alternative view for the current downloads UI.

Interestingly, despite quite vocal feedback from users, Google Chrome also implemented a similar experience to Microsoft Edge downloads UI.

Other changes

Here are other ideas Microsoft considers implementing to address popular feedback from users (no specific time frames):

• Close tabs with a double click
• A better way to close vertical tabs
• The option to move vertical tabs to the right
• Better tools for managing audio and video autoplay
• Always open favorites in a new tab
• Search in Collections
• Respect default PDF viewer

Microsoft Edge developers are also looking into alternatives instead of directly addressing the following feedback:

• Bring back the Set Aside feature from Edge Legacy
• Bring back the old downloads shelf

Finally, here are the features Microsoft Edge users want but will not get as Microsoft does not plan to materialize them:

• Mouse gestures for common actions
• Allow signing in with a Google account
• Bring back the Reading List feature
• A transparent theme for the browser frame
• The option to match Windows display language
• Make tabs more squared and less rounded

Microsoft is working on fixing obnoxiously large context menus in Edge

The Microsoft Partner Center now includes a Reviews dashboard that will allow developers to view all the reviews of their product and respond to them. A developer response will also be visible on the product details page of the extension.

Although the change is certainly welcome, Microsoft is a bit late to the game. Google empowered developers to respond directly to consumer feedback in the Chrome Web Store (its storefront for Chrome extensions) way back in 2015. Similarly, Apple Safari extension developers have been able to interact directly with customers via the App Store since 2017.

The ability to reply to consumers should enable fruitful two-way communication. Developers will be able to engage with their customers to get further information, provide workarounds for problems, or just say thanks, among many other things. Meanwhile, consumers can leave their reviews knowing that the developer might engage with them directly. Since the feedback and response will also be visible to the general public, these interactions will increase transparency too.

Microsoft Edge extension developers can now respond to user reviews

The latest version of Windows Subsystem for Android (2204.40000.15.0) is now available in the Microsoft Store on computers enrolled in the Dev channel of the Windows Insider program. Here are the changes.

Update to Android 12.1!

We have updated the experience to Android 12.1! This update may cause some apps to fail to launch (see the known issues below for more details).

Optional Diagnostic Data

With this update, telemetry collection (optional diagnostic data setting in the Windows Subsystem for Android Settings app) is now off by default. To help us make Windows Subsystem for Android better and provide useful telemetry about Android app usage, please enable this setting in the Windows Subsystem for Android Settings app!

Advanced Networking

Networking for Windows Subsystem for Android on newer Insider Preview builds (OS Build 22621+) has been improved to enable Android apps to connect to devices on the same network as your Windows PC. With advanced networking, you can play your favorite content on a speaker on the same network, or set up a security camera (or other smart home device) with a compatible Android app.

Settings app redesign

The Windows Subsystem for Android Settings app has been redesigned and updated in a huge way. We’ve redesigned the app from the ground up, now with clearer settings groups, grouped navigation and an all-around cleaner user experience. We’ve also added a diagnostic data viewer where you can examine all the diagnostic data collected by the Subsystem, and configuration options in the new compatibility settings to turn on fixes for specific apps such as forcing apps to be non-resizable or enabling swipes for arrow keys.

Improvements to Windows integration

We’ve made some great improvements to Android apps integrating with Windows in this update. For newer Insider Preview builds (OS Build 22621+), Windows taskbar icons will now show which Android apps are currently using microphone, location, and other system services in the system tray, and an auto-hidden taskbar will now correctly hide/show when Android apps are running. Android toasts will now be reflected as Windows notifications, and the Window title of an Android app will now reflect the Android activity title. Also, for newer Insider Preview builds (OS Build 22621+), Android apps will not be restarted when your devices come out of connected standby but will instead pick up where you left off.

Improvements to camera in Android apps

Many camera updates are being shipped in this update. The camera orientation is now fixed to natural orientation, and issues with incorrect camera preview, bugs with letterboxing and squishing of the camera feed have now been addressed.

Improvements for input devices

Mouse and keyboard support in Windows Subsystem for Android has been improved, with fixes such as improved scroll-wheel support, fixes for the onscreen keyboard focus and fixes for the Android software keyboard displaying correctly.

Microsoft also warns about the following issues currently plaguing the latest preview version of Windows Subsystem for Android:

• Instability with camera on ARM devices
• Instability printing via Android apps
• Some apps rendered at lower resolutions may lay out incorrectly
• Some VPNs may not work with Advanced Networking. If you use a VPN and find Android apps do not have network connectivity, please disable Advanced Networking in the Windows Subsystem for Android Settings app
• Some apps that were previously available might be missing from the experience, fail to launch, or function incorrectly for various known issues. We’re working with our partners to address these issues as soon as possible.

If you want to provide feedback about Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 11, go to Feedback Hub and visit the Apps > Windows Subsystem for Android section.

Microsoft updates Windows Subsystem for Android with new features and Android 12.1

Microsoft has determined that the issue was plaguing modern Intel and AMD CPU systems which supported the Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) or the AMD equivalent Shadow Stack technology (via TechBeezer). CET helps to mitigate Return-oriented Programming (ROP) exploits or CALL/JMP-oriented programming (COP/JOP) exploits.

The affected CPUs include Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake chips, as well as 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs. On the AMD side, the Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 and the latest Zen 3+ Ryzen 6000 series CPUs are affected.

The Microsoft advisory says:

After installing KB5011831 or later updates, you might receive an error code: 0xC002001B when attempting to install from the Microsoft Store. Some Microsoft Store apps might also fail to open. Affected Windows devices use a processor (CPU) which supports Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET), such as such as 11th Gen and later Intel® Core™ Processors or later and certain AMD processors.

Resolution: This issue was resolved in the out-of-band update KB5015020.

To download the OOB update KB5015020 which fixes this issue, head over to the Microsoft Update Catalog page at this link.

Microsoft Store apps failed to install on Intel 11th, 12th Gen and AMD Ryzen 5000, 6000 PCs

The way the 'Reactions to emails' work is pretty simple. You can use emojis like thumbs up, laugh, heart, celebrate, or shed a tear in reaction to emails in Outlook to make the conversations less cluttered. And you can use these reactions without sending or receiving an incremental email, which is how WhatsApp's message reactions work.

Microsoft will release the feature in multiple phases. The company has mentioned on the Roadmap page that the first preview of the reactions feature will be available for Office Insiders in July. And after a month of testing with Insiders, the company will bring it to the general public, which means it should be available in August.

However, all dates Microsoft mentioned on the Roadmap page is subject to change. The company had delayed many features, and it can happen with this one too.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is working on another exciting new feature called Notifications pen to help Outlook users on Windows find their @mentions in one place. The feature is in the development phase, with general availability happening in June.

Which upcoming Outlook features are you most excited about? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Source: Microsoft 365 Roadmap

This upcoming Outlook feature wants to declutter your inbox

The full announcement says:

We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 25120.1010 (KB5015039). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Dev Channel.

Hence, all the bug fixes and improvements that were announced with the earlier released build 25120 to the Dev Channel are carried over into this. The build has some new features as we are now moving into the next phase of Windows 11 in preparation for version 23H2 (Sun Valley 3).

Interestingly, while there are no new changes made in this build, servicing test builds like thesehave been known to break some features. For example, Windows 10 Build 21292.1010 caused issues for x64 emulation on ARM PCs.

The original announcement can be found here.

Window 11 servicing build 25120.1010 (KB5015039) released for Windows 11 Dev Channel

Karen C. Nanji, M.D., M.P.H., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues compared the usability of a CDS software prototype developed for use in the operating room with the current standard electronic health record medication administration and documentation workflow. Forty participants were randomly assigned to complete seven simulation tasks in either the CDS group, who completed the tasks using the CDS, or the control group, who completed tasks using the standard medication workflow with retrospective manual documentation (20 participants in each group).

The researchers found that the mean total task time was less for the CDS group than the control group, with a mean difference of 107.6 seconds. Fewer mouse clicks were used by the CDS group versus the control group (mean difference, 29.6 clicks). Compared with the control group, the CDS group had fewer pixels traveled on the computer monitor (mean difference, 49.8 thousand pixels).

“These results suggest that perioperative CDS could improve clinician efficiency and quality of patient care, while giving clinicians helpful information, such as patient-specific weight-, age-, and renal-based dosing at the point of care,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the health information technology industry.

Source

On Monday, The EU Parliament's Internal Market Committee approved the provisionally reached agreement with 43 votes in favor, one vote against, and one abstention, the legislative body has announced. The approval marks another crucial step toward the DMA becoming law in Europe.

"Today's overwhelming majority shows that the Parliament stands united against the unfair practices of gatekeepers," said Andreas Schwab, who led negotiations. "This is the penultimate step for the DMA to enter into force - for me, it has always been important to fast-track this law while making it better."

The Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act will place a bevy of restrictions on so-called "gatekeeper" companies like Apple and Google.

For example, the rules could force Apple to allow third-party app stores on its platforms, make iMessage interoperable with other communication apps, and end self-preferencing of first-party apps within marketplaces.

Futhermore, it requires the companies to open up NFC communications, features like ultrawide broadband implementations, and other specific hardware features tied to an integrated ecosystem. Both software and hardware are under the gun for opening to others to use.

The rules will come with strict penalties for noncompliance. The European Commission can levy fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue from the proceeding financial year. Those fines can reach up to 20% in cases of repeated violations.

Both the DMA and the DSA are slated to go before Parliament for a final vote in July. Once that happens, they will be formally adopted by the Council and published into the EU Official Journal.

DMA regulations could go into effect 20 days after the publication, and its provisions will begin to apply to businesses six months afterward.

Source

There's also the new Windows Spotlight on the desktop that has made its way from the 22H2 Beta Channel development that is scheduled for release later this year, to the current 21H2 release. The long list of changes is given below:

• New! We improved the Family Safety verification experience for a child account when you send a request for additional screen time.
• New! Windows spotlight on the desktop brings the world to your desktop with new, daily background pictures. With this feature, new pictures will automatically appear as your desktop background. This feature already exists for the lock screen. You can also find out more information about each background picture on the web. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Background > Personalize your background. Choose Windows spotlight.
• We fixed an issue that causes the Input (TextInputHost.exe) app to stop working.
• We fixed an issue in searchindexer.exe that affects the search for shapes in Microsoft Visio.
• We prevented users from bypassing forced enrollment by disconnecting from the internet when they sign in to Azure Active Directory (AAD).
• We fixed an issue that might run an AnyCPU application as a 32-bit process.
• We fixed an issue that prevents Azure Desired State Configuration (DSC) scenarios that have multiple partial configurations from working as expected.
• We fixed an issue that affects remote procedure calls (RPC) to the Win32_User or Win32_Group WMI class. The domain member that runs the RPC contacts the primary domain controller (PDC). When multiple RPCs occur simultaneously on many domain members, this might overwhelm the PDC.
• We fixed an issue that occurs when adding a trusted user, group, or computer that has a one-way trust in place. The error message, “The object selected doesn’t match the type of destination source” appears.
• We fixed an issue that fails to display the Application Counters section in the performance reports of the Performance Monitor tool.
• We fixed an issue that fails to maintain the display brightness after you change the display mode.
• We fixed an issue that might affect some apps that use d3d9.dll with certain graphics cards and might cause those apps to close unexpectedly.
• We fixed an issue that affects the IE mode window frame.
• We fixed an issue that affects Group Policy templates.
• We fixed an issue that prevents internet shortcuts from updating.
• We fixed an issue that causes some users to see a black screen when they sign in and sign out of Windows.
• We fixed an issue that causes an Input Method Editor (IME) to discard a character if you enter the character while the IME is converting previous text.
• We fixed an issue that affects the Desktop Duplication API, which affects display orientation and causes a black image to appear on the screen.
• We fixed an issue that causes print failures when a low integrity level (LowIL) application prints to a null port.
• We fixed an issue that prevents BitLocker from encrypting when you use the silent encryption option.
• We fixed an issue that leads to a false negative when you run scripts while Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) is turned on. This might cause AppLocker events 8029, 8028, or 8037 to appear in the log when they should not .
• We fixed an issue that occurs when you apply multiple WDAC policies. Doing that might prevent scripts from running when the policies allow scripts to run.
• We fixed an issue that affects the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) driver, which might increase the system’s startup time.
• We fixed an issue that might cause the Remote Desktop client application to stop working when you end a session.
• We fixed an issue that affects the behavior and shape orientation of a mouse cursor for Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG), Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Edge. This issue occurs when you turn on a virtual graphics processing unit (GPU).
• We fixed an issue that causes Widgets to appear on the wrong monitor when you hover over the Widgets icon on the taskbar.
• We added animation to the Widgets icon when you click or tap the icon and the taskbar is aligned on the left.
• We fixed an issue that affects the rendering of the default Widgets icon on a taskbar that is aligned in the center.
• We fixed an issue that causes blurry app icons in Search results when the display’s dots per inch (dpi) scaling is greater than 100%.
• We fixed an issue that causes file copying to be slower because of a wrong calculation of write buffers within cache manager.
• We fixed an issue that might cause a system to stop responding when a user signs out if Microsoft OneDrive is in use.
• We fixed a known issue that might prevent recovery discs (CD or DVD) from starting if you created them using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app in Control Panel. This issue occurs after installing Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later.

Windows Insiders should be able to download the update through Windows Update, and you can find the official release notes here.

Windows 11 Release Preview build 22000.706 brings Windows Spotlight to the desktop