On top of all the new features VS 2022 17.2 delivers, Microsoft has addressed more than 400 issues given as feedback by the community. Some of the most upvoted issues that were fixed in this update include ‘Window switching in Windows 11 taskbar stops working when application is debugging in VS 2022’, ‘An error occurred while initializing the frame’s content’, and ‘visual studio 2022 hangs randomly’. These seem like some pretty annoying issues to have had to contend with so, hopefully, the 17.2 update makes things a lot better.

The new changes in Visual Studio 2022 17.2 are quite technical and long-winded to explain but you can check out the fairly comprehensive explanations in Microsoft’s announcement on its Dev Blog.

If you want to try this latest update, you can download it from Microsoft now or if you have it installed already go to Help in the menu bar and press Check for Updates.

Microsoft releases Visual Studio 2022 17.2 and 17.3 Preview 1 with C# and .NET improvements

Voice Recorder is now Sound Recorder for Windows Insiders in the Dev channel, and the update is available in the Microsoft Store for public testing. The latest version dumps the outdated Windows 10-like design for a more modern and stylish look with new icons, controls, and layouts. Design-wise, there is also a new visualization for audio during recording and playback that looks somewhat iOS-inspired but beautiful and fitting nonetheless.

The refreshed UI is not the only treat Windows Insiders get with this update. Microsoft also addressed one of the most popular requests, adding the option to change the recording device and select file format within the app. If you have several microphones connected to your PC, you can choose the one you need directly on the app's main screen. Different recording formats are available in the settings, and you can pick m4a, mp3, wma, flac, and wav. Sound Recorder also allows you to change audio quality and select the theme (light, dark, or system).

You can download the new Sound Recorder from the Microsoft Store. The company wants to know more about what you think about the update, so be sure to share your thoughts in the comments and Feedback Hub (Apps > Voice Recorder). If you prefer other apps to the new Sound Recorder, learn how to uninstall default Windows 11 apps.

With Microsoft adding the most-requested features to Voice Recorder, perhaps the company would also listen to the top-10 features Windows users want in the Microsoft Store app.

Microsoft refreshes Sound Recorder for Windows 11 with a new design

Here are the relevant release notes for this April Patch Tuesday update (KB5013943):

Highlights

• Addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

Improvements

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5012643 (released April 25, 2022) and also addresses the following issues:

• Addresses a known issue that might cause issues for some .NET Framework 3.5 apps or prevent those apps from opening. The affected apps use certain optional components in .NET Framework 3.5, such as Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow (WWF) components.
• Addresses a known issue that might cause your screen to flicker if you start your device in Safe Mode. Components that rely on explorer.exe, such as File Explorer, the Start menu, and the taskbar, might be affected and appear unstable.

Known issue(s):

The standalone link to manually download the update is available on Microsoft Update Catalog here. You can find the official release notes for KB5013943 here.

Windows 11 May Patch Tuesday (KB5013943) is out with important security fixes

You can find standalone links to download the new update on Microsoft Update Catalog at this link here.

The major highlight of the release is security updates for Windows 10 and as is generally the case, the Redmond company has also listed the known issues in the update, which is always handy. Here are the symptoms and their respective workarounds:

Some of the older Windows 10 versions have also received updates today which have been listed below with their respective release notes (KB) linked as well as links to download them at Microsoft's Update Catalog:

It is noteworthy here that Windows 10 20H2 and Windows 10 1909 reach end of servicing today. Also, while not Windows 10, Microsoft has also released updates for Windows Server 2022 under KB5013944.

Windows 10 May Patch Tuesday (KB5013942) is out — here's what's new and what's broken

Windows 8.1

Improvements

This cumulative security update contains improvements that are part of update KB5012670 (released April 12, 2022) and includes new improvements for the following issues:

• The Key Distribution Center (KDC) code incorrectly returns error message KDC_ERR_TGT_REVOKED during Domain Controller shutdown.
• After installing the January 2022 Windows update or a later Windows update on the Primary Domain Controller emulator (PDCe), listing or modifying name suffixes routing by using Netdom.exe or "Active Directory Domains and Trusts" snap-in may fail and you receive the following error message: "Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service."
• The Primary Domain Controller (PDC) for the root domain incorrectly logs warning and error events in the System log when trying to scan outbound-only trusts.

Known issues in this update

Windows 7

Improvements

This cumulative security update contains improvements that are part of update KB5012626 (released April 12, 2022) and includes new improvements for the following issues:

• The Key Distribution Center (KDC) code incorrectly returns error message KDC_ERR_TGT_REVOKED during Domain Controller shutdown.
• After installing the January 2022 Windows update or a later Windows update on the Primary Domain Controller emulator (PDCe), listing or modifying name suffixes routing by using Netdom.exe or "Active Directory Domains and Trusts" snap-in may fail and you receive the following error message: "Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service."
• The Primary Domain Controller (PDC) for the root domain incorrectly logs warning and error events in the System log when trying to scan outbound-only trusts.

Known issues in this update

You can get these updates through Windows Update or download them manually: Windows 8.1 KB5014011, Windows 7 KB5014012.

May's Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 8.1 (KB5014011) and Windows 7 (KB5014012) out now

The full announcement says:

We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 22616.100 (KB5014650). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Dev and Beta Channels.

Hence, all the bug fixes and improvements that were announced with the earlier released build 22616 to the Dev Channel as well as the Beta channel are carried over into this. The build has loads of new features as we are now moving into the next phase of Windows 11 in preparation for version 22H2.

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

Microsoft has again reminded that there is a limited window in which Insiders can switch or change channels from the Dev channel over to Beta. That window will likely close as Windows 11 22H2 moves to the Release Preview channel sometime soon. If you are wondering how to do so, here's a handy guide we made that you can use.

The original announcement and full changelog for this build can be found here.

Windows 11 servicing build 22616.100 (KB5014650) released for Dev and Beta Insiders

A more immersive Focus experience includes an option to turn on Do Not Disturb from the Action Center. The new Do Not Disturb setting gives you the option to prioritize which notifications you want to show up while it's turned on, thus making the whole process a lot simpler.

Focus sessions is another noteworthy feature that will help you be more productive on Windows. Upon starting a Focus session, Windows 11 will turn on Do Not Disturb and turn off taskbar badges, and will launch a timer to remind you to take breaks between works. It's integrated with the Clock App and Spotify.

System-wide live captions on audio content will also make their way to Windows 11. As the name suggests, Windows 11 can automatically transcribe content from any audio clip. It's important to note that the feature works without an internet connection as captions are generated on the device. The feature is already available for Windows 11 Insiders.

Moreover, Windows 11 users open and switch between apps, browse the web and read and author mail using their voices. Upon turning on Voice access for the first time, Windows 11 will prompt you to download a speech model for the on-device speech recognition to help you get started. Notably, Voice access is available with support for U.S. English. The feature is already available for Windows 11 Insiders.

Voice access includes an interactive guide that explains how to complete common tasks using your voice. You can also access a complete list of commands by asking “what can I say?” when voice access is listening. Voice access even gives real-time feedback of what it heard so that you know which word was not recognized correctly when it makes a mistake.

After hearing feedback from customers on the Narrator experience, Microsoft is finally in the process of adding natural voices for Narrator to enable people with visual impairment to enjoy scenarios like browsing the web, reading, authoring mail, and more. Like the Voice access feature, Narrator natural voices are available with support for U.S. English.

Windows 11 22H2 update is more than these four new accessibility features. You can read about all the new features coming to Windows 11 here.

Microsoft outlines new accessibility features coming to Windows 11

It packed a bunch of new features including Start menu and Taskbar changes, improved notifications, and an enhanced tablet experience. It was also the first version of Windows 10 to ship with Chromium-based Edge. However, Windows 10 version 20H2 has now reached end of servicing.

And if you're wondering what end of servicing really means, it entails that a PC running this version of Windows 10 won't receive any security update and any customer who contacts Microsoft for support regarding it will be instructed to update to a supported version of the OS. The following SKUs are affected:

• Windows 10 Home, version 20H2
• Windows 10 Pro, version 20H2
• Windows 10 Pro Education, version 20H2
• Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, version 20H2

It is important to note that Windows 10 version 20H2 for Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise are still supported until May 9, 2023.

If you're running an SKU of Windows 10 version 20H2 that is about to reach end of servicing, make sure to head over to Windows Update to manually trigger the update. That said, back in January, Microsoft did say that it will force-update eligible 20H2 PCs to 21H2 in order to train its machine learning model, so chances are that you are running a supported version of Windows 10 anyway.

PSA: Windows 10 version 20H2 will reach end of servicing today

The new version is available already. Users may download it from the official project website or through automatic updates, which the browser supports. Selecting Pale Moon > Help > Check for updates run the check for the new version.

We reviewed Pale Moon 30.0 back in March 2022.  It was recalled by the development team days after the official release. In Outage post-mortem, and apologies, Pale Moon lead developer Moonchild provides an explanation for the recalling of the release version and background information on issues related to the decision.

According to the post, one of the developers, Tobin, left the project and caused havoc doing so. The exit resulted in several issues for the browser and its services, including that the add-ons server for the current version was pulled.

Moonchild summarizes what transpired in the following way in the release notes:

After our unacceptable and recalled release of v30.0.0 and 30.0.1 with the departure of one of the core devs from our team requiring us to rewind and re-do several months of work to exclude undesired code changes and what likely lay at the root of the plethora of stability and run-time issues of the recalled versions, we're back on track with a new milestone building on UXP and Goanna (v5.1) with many improvements and additional user-requested features.

Version 30.0 of Pale Moon is skipped to avoid user confusion. The new version of the browser is Pale Moon 31.0.0, which users should install. It includes security updates and also functional updates. One of the improvements is the ability to install legacy Firefox extensions again in Pale Moon (next to Pale Moon exclusive add-ons).

Other improvements include improved performance of parallel web workers in JavaScript, support for extended VPx codec strings, and several crash and stability issue fixes.

The full changelog is available here.

Now You: do you use Pale Moon?

Pale Moon 31 is out now

Frontpaged:   Pale Moon 31.0.0

The main highlight of the update is support for new graphics cards — RX 6650 XT, RX 6750 XT, RX 6950 XT — and a longstanding bug fix for Windows 10 users.

What is new in Radeon Software 22.5.1?

Added Support For:

• AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT Graphics.
• AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT Graphics.
• AMD Radeon RX 6950XT Graphics.

Fixed Issues:

• Fixed a bug when some users on the Windows 10 operating system may observe the absence of the windows transparency aero effect.

Known Issues:

• 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.
• 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.

You can download Radeon Software 22.5.1 on the official website. The driver supports desktop AMD graphics cards from the RX 400 Series and onward and mobile GPUs from the RX 600 Series and newer, plus all Zen-based Ryzen and Athlon processors with integrated Radeon Vega Graphics.

AMD 22.5.1 driver has support for new GPUs and a Windows 10 aero effect fix

The new platform is PCI-SS and HIPAA-compliant and adds new cryptographic frameworks with support for OpenSSL, so the users can encrypt data throughout their environments.

For enterprises, the new update builds on the core capabilities of RHEL8 and adds new security and hybrid cloud capabilities so that developers can better secure their environments against the next generation of threats.

Assuring Identity with RHEL9’s integrity measurement architecture

One of the main challenges that RHEL9 aims to address is ensuring that users can trust the network infrastructure they use.

“Trust is a huge concern for security posture in enterprise IT. Security teams, CISOs and CIOs are frequently trying to understand what aspects of their technology landscape can be trusted, i.e., given access to sensitive systems and data and which should be treated as untrusted or unknown,” said Executive, VP, Products and Technologies at Red Hat, Matt Hicks.

RHEL9 addresses the challenge of trust head on with Integrity Measurement Architecture (IMA) digital hashes and signatures that enable users to verify the integrity of the operating system to verify that it hasn’t been tampered with or compromised.

The IMA can even alert security teams if an individual tries to deploy a malicious patch or misconfiguration.

“IMA works at the Linux kernel level, providing a way to verify that individual files are what they say they are and that they’re from a known and trusted source. This helps the IT organization to better detect accidental or malicious modifications to the file and operating systems, making it far easier to catch a potential issue before it leads to downtime or a data breach,” Hicks said.

A look at enterprise operating systems

The announcement comes as researchers expect the global operating systems market to slowly increase from $43.14 billion in 2021 to $48.18 billion in 2026.

Red Hat’s move to incorporate new security capabilities into its new OS is helping it to become a more competitive offering for enterprise users operating in hybrid cloud environments.

It’s also helping to differentiate it from other providers on the market, such as Oracle Linux, a free Linux operating system designed for open-cloud environments that offers automated patching capabilities. The organization also recently announced raising $10.5 billion in revenue.

Another competitor is Fedora, a free Linux distribution designed for software developers with a range of open-source languages, as well as virtual machine management capabilities, identity management and Windows domain integration.

The launch of new security features like the IMA is helping to differentiate itself from other open-source Linux distributions by offering users more secure options for managing their computing workloads.

Source

Google has announced a new Advanced Web Apps Fund, which is set to include in its scope anything that "improves the web as a platform for advanced apps”.

Google admitted that it doesn’t have a precise definition for what “advanced apps” are, but said it generally considered them to be websites that have an app-like interface and significant client-side functionality.

The tech giant cited libraries and tools that make it easier to build advanced web apps, such as improvements to Bubblewrap and drivers supporting WebUSB, as well demo apps and tutorials showcasing "unique or powerful" use cases for advanced web apps as examples of what they want to invest in.

What's eligible for investment?

Google highlighted its previous investments in portable binary-code format WebAssembly, its introduction of APIs such as File System Access and WebTransport, and how these moves have assisted bringing apps like Photoshop to browsers everywhere.

“Though the Chrome team has been working hard to build new capabilities, we're responsible for only a small fraction of the work,” said a Google spokesperson. “Web app developers depend on countless others in the community who have built a strong ecosystem of APIs, tools, demonstration apps, and other materials.”

They added: “To help recognize the importance of this work and to enable more people to spend time on these projects, we're thrilled to announce today the launch of the Advanced Web Apps Fund: a new fund to support the web as a platform for advanced apps.”

Interested in applying?

If you want to be considered for an investment, you’ll need to create a short document describing what you’re proposing and then fill out this submission form.

Applicants submitting existing projects will also be able to file a GitHub issue from within their project.

All applicants will need an Open Collective account. You can apply for a project of your own or nominate a project that you think deserves support.

If you don't own the project, you'll need to ensure that the project’s core maintainers would be willing to accept the code changes you’re seeking funding for, as a prerequisite for sponsorship being approved.

There’s no deadline to apply, and Google says it will we’ll evaluate proposals on a rolling basis.

Source

Juggling multiple login accounts for secure platforms such as e-signature tools should soon be less of a headache for Microsoft Teams users.

The video conferencing platform has revealed it is working on an upgrade that should dramatically simplify the sign-in process for eSign software tools.

The update means that Microsoft Teams users will only have to sign into their e-sign provider account once every 30 days, rather than every time they need to use it, as is currently the case.

Microsoft Teams eSign

Listed in the official Microsoft 365 roadmap as "Improved login & logout experience for e-signature approvals", the update will also allow users to log out of any particular e-sign provider account, which had not initially been the case.

This should give all users looking to use e-signature tools for documents such as contracts or approval notices much more peace of mind when it comes to security, as well as eliminating waiting as users struggle to log back in to accounts.

The update is listed as still being in development, but Microsoft has issued a general availability date of May 2022, so it could be released soon.

Upon release, the company says it will be available to Microsoft Teams users across the globe, covering web, desktop and mobile users.

The news is the latest in a series of announcements from Microsoft Teams as it looks to make the platform more secure for users everywhere.

Back in December 2021, the company revealed that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is available for Teams, making it harder for outside forces such as hackers or fraudsters to gain access to Microsoft Teams and the chats within, hopefully keeping private or valuable information being discussed safe.

However some Microsoft Teams features, including the likes of recording, live caption and transcription, Call park, Call Merge, Call Companion, Call transfer and the ability to add a participant to make a one-to-one call a group call won't be available when E2EE is enabled.

Source

General Motors Co. in Detroit and Red Hat Inc., a Boston-based provider of open-source solutions, today announced a collaboration to help advance software-defined vehicles.

The companies expect to expand an ecosystem of innovation around the Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System, which provides a functional-safety certified Linux operating system foundation intended for the ongoing evolution of GM’s Ultifi software platform.

The companies say the collaboration is a “significant moment in the convergence of the transportation and technology industries,” with Red Hat’s cloud-native, enterprise-grade open-source operating system accelerating the development of GM’s software-defined vehicle programs following Ultifi’s initial launch.

The collaborations will enable both companies to offer customers more valuable features responsibly and reliably in a fraction of the typical development time.

“General Motors is now a platform company and working with Red Hat is a critical element in advancing our Ultifi software development,” says Scott Miller, GM vice president of the software-defined vehicle and operating system. “Incorporating the company’s expertise in open-source solutions and enterprise networks will pay dividends as we aim to provide the most developer-friendly software platform in the industry. With Red Hat’s operating system as a core enabler of Ultifi’s capabilities, the opportunity for innovation becomes limitless.”

In-vehicle software systems are complex and require high levels of cybersecurity protection and stringent certifications due to critical safety priorities. In current systems, these robust requirements can often lengthen the development process and make vehicle software updates difficult, with each update requiring recertification.

Together, GM and Red Hat intend to make these complex vehicle updates simpler and more frequent by implementing continuous functional-safety certification into the Ultifi platform with Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System pioneering the continuous certification approach, announced last year.

“With millions of lines of code sustaining critical systems like driver assistance, fuel economy, and more, modern vehicles are more like mobile high-performance computers than the cars of the past,” says Francis Chow, vice president and general manager of In-Vehicle Operating System and Edge at Red Hat.

“The time to innovate is now. These new vehicles give our industries a chance to create a common open platform without sacrificing functional safety. By collaborating with GM on the Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System, we intend to bring the era of open source to the automotive world, benefiting automakers, ecosystem partners, and consumers.”

The integrated software is expected to support a variety of in-vehicle safety- and non-safety-related applications, including infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems, body control, and connectivity.

The transportation industry can benefit from faster innovation and better sustainability through standardization with open-source Linux and cloud-native technologies, and GM says it intends to lead with Red Hat. Common standards can help increase software reuse and achieve a more scalable design process, giving GM the ability to dedicate more resources toward new personalized in-cabin experiences, vehicle modes and other features customers will enjoy.

With the integration of the Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System into the Ultifi platform, GM and Red Hat look to achieve:

•  Reduced costs from consolidation and reuse of software across a common platform.
•  An improved development cycle for faster time-to-market with new customer features and software improvements.
•  A continuous functional-safety certification for systems related to safety applications.
•  Creation of new services, business models and revenue streams.

Red Hat will contribute to the phased rollout of Ultifi, GM’s end-to-end vehicle software platform, which will launch in 2023. Ultifi will enable more frequent and seamless delivery of software-defined features, apps, and services to customers over the air.

To do this, the platform separates the application software from the hardware to offer application program interfaces for software development. Creating a more flexible architecture unlocks the potential for more cloud-based services, faster software development and new value for customers without affecting basic hardware controls.

As a Linux-based system, Ultifi is designed to be universally usable for GM developers, suppliers, and the developer community at large. Using Linux allows for skilled talent from many industries to quickly get up to speed and bolster innovation through nontraditional thinking, the companies say.

With numerous sensors and rich amounts of anonymized data, GM and Red Hat say vehicle software presents a “uniquely exciting opportunity for developers to work beyond the limits of typical consumer smart devices.” Authorized third-party developers who meet strict security, safety, and privacy standards will be given access to innovate on Ultifi to benefit GM customers directly.

Source

Also:  Red Hat To Provide Linux Base For GM’s Ultifi Platform.

While the graphical tool does simplify things, you will still have to get your hands dirty in the terminal for the time being while you install Upgrade Tool. To install it, run the following commands separately (sudo may be required but the commands below are those given directly from the Mint team):

apt update

apt install mintupgrade

You’ll probably be asked to type your password to execute those commands but once they’ve finished you will have Upgrade Tool installed on your machine. Next, you will want to launch it from the command line, do this with the following command:

sudo mintupgrade

Now you can shift your focus to the graphical tool and follow the instructions to perform the upgrade. When it’s done, you need to uninstall the upgrade tool and reboot your computer, you can do that with the following commands:

apt remove mintupgrade

sudo reboot

During the upgrade process, you will be asked to ensure you’ve installed all available updates and backed up with system snapshots if anything goes wrong. As this is a major upgrade, the Mint team stresses that you take your time and do everything to the letter.

While it’s good to have the graphical Upgrade Tool, it’d be better if it was baked into the operating system. Given that it’s new, it’s understandable that it’s not a part of LMDE 4 but in future versions, it’d be nice to see it as a standard program that ships with the distro so users can avoid the terminal altogether, after all, Linux Mint is aimed squarely at people who are new to Linux.

Linux Mint Debian Edition 5 upgrades are now possible with the graphical Upgrade Tool

What is new in Edge Dev 102.0.1245.3?

The latest Edge Dev update improves the built-in password manager with a new option that allows adding passwords manually in Settings. You can navigate to edge://settings/passwords and create a new password without visiting the corresponding website.

Another noteworthy change is that Edge Dev now supports xCloud Clarity Boost by default. Clarity Boost is a relatively new technology that improves the image quality when you play games from the cloud using Xbox Cloud Streaming.

Edge Dev 102.0.1245.3 also includes several new APIs for developers:

• Added an API to WebView2 to Clear Browsing Data.
• Added an API to WebView2 apps to handle Server Certificate Errors.
• Added an API to WebView2 to monitor HTTP navigation Status Codes.

Finally, Edge Dev now supports custom IE mode lists in Settings and a new management policy from Chromium to control if the User Agent Client Hints GREASE Update is Enabled, which controls if the updated GREASE specification is used.

Here is the rest of the changelog with bugfixes and minor improvements:

Improved reliability:

• Fixed a crash when closing a tab.
• Fixed a crash when sending feedback.
• Fixed a crash on Mac when syncing.
• Fixed a crash when viewing certain Settings pages.

Developer:

• Fixed a crash in WebView2 applications when running them elevatged/with admin privileges (Issue 2356).
• Fixed a crash in WebView2 applications when they change focus (Issue 1552, Issue 1681, Issue 2311).
• Fixed a crash on mobile when interacting with content on the new tab page.

Changed behavior:

• Fixed an issue where a Sidebar button on the toolbar couldn’t be disabled.
• Fixed an issue where search engines disappear from Settings.
• Fixed an issue where exported enterprise site lists don’t contain a version number.
• Fixed an issue where the browser sometimes can’t be closed while downloading something.
• Fixed an issue where the Downloads popup sometimes appears in the wrong window when multiple windows are open.
• Fixed an issue where Enhanced Security mode settings sometimes aren’t visible.
• Fixed an issue on Mac where the Performance Hub is missing some information.
• Fixed an issue where searching using Alt+Enter on Windows results in the address bar showing the wrong text on other tabs.
• Fixed an issue where clicking on notifications in the Windows Action Center sometimes fails.
• Fixed an issue where Print Preview is blank.
• Fixed an issue where printing a PDF sometimes doesn’t work correctly.
• Fixed an issue where text on Extension badges is red.
• Fixed an issue where the Find on Page popup is red.
• Fixed an issue where the Picture in Picture controls are red.
• Fixed an issue where parts of the browser don’t use dark theme in InPrivate windows.

Changes for Edge Mobile:

• Fixed an issue where the new tab page sometimes doesn’t scroll properly.
• Fixed an issue where links opened from Outlook sometimes don’t work.
• Fixed an issue where adding or editing a Collection sometimes fails.
• Fixed an issue where certain Read Aloud voices are missing.
• Fixed an issue where Read Aloud doesn’t work.

Microsoft also warns users that the latest Edge Dev release comes with several known issues:

• Users of certain ad blocking extensions may experience playback errors on YouTube. As a workaround, temporarily disabling the extension should allow playback to proceed. See this help article for more details.
• Some users are still running into an issue where all tabs and extensions immediately crash with a STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH error. The most common cause of this error is outdated security or antivirus software from vendors like Symantec, and in those cases, updating that software will fix it.
• Users of the Kaspersky Internet Suite who have the associated extension installed may sometimes see webpages like Gmail fail to load. This failure is due to the main Kaspersky software being out of date, and is thus fixed by making sure the latest version is installed.
• Some users are seeing “wobbling” behavior when scrolling using trackpad gestures or touchscreens, where scrolling in one dimension also causes the page to subtly scroll back and forth in the other. Note that this only affects certain websites and seems to be worse on certain devices. This is most likely related to our ongoing work to bring scrolling back to parity with Edge Legacy’s behavior, so if this behavior is undesirable, you can temporarily turn it off by disabling the edge://flags/#edge-experimental-scrolling flag.

Microsoft is getting ready to finish servicing Edge 102 in the Dev channel, but users can expect a few more patch updates before moving to Edge 103. Also, the company promises to release Edge 102 in the Beta channel soon for the final series of testing before shipping it to the public.

Source: Microsoft

The latest Edge Dev update adds gaming and passwords improvements

The Windows 11 retail box sports the Bloom wallpaper prominently. Windows 11 Home comes with a light background while Pro features a dark background. The former is priced at $139.99 while the latter carries a price tag of $199.99. These are exactly the same prices as Windows 10 Home and Pro, respectively.

If you're wondering what the box actually contains, there's a USB flash drive containing the installation and an activation key.

Although the vast majority of people probably won't go through the cumbersome process of installing through physical media, the option to install Windows in this way has existed for years and there's clearly a market for it. It is important to note that obtaining a valid license digitally costs the same as purchasing physical media, but the "benefits" you get with the latter include a complimentary USB flash drive and some nifty retail packaging.

As an Amazon Associate, Neowin may earn commission from qualifying purchases.

Oh, and if you're looking to save some money on purchasing a valid path to Windows 11, you can also take a gander at the arguably superior OS, Windows 10 Pro which is being sold for $85 on Amazon right now, this is a savings of $45. Getting this version will also grant you a valid and free upgrade path to Windows 11.

Source: Luke Blevins (Twitter) via OnMSFT

Windows 11 now comes in physical retail boxes too

A free version of Revo Uninstaller is available, but it is not offering the same feature set than the Pro version. It is updated less frequently, and still at version 2.3.8 at the time of writing.

Revo Uninstaller Pro is available for $24.95 or for $29.95 as a portable version. The main difference between both versions is that the portable version is not limited when it comes to the installation on computers. Both licenses are available as 1-year and 2-year licenses, which allow updates in the time the license is valid.

Revo Uninstaller Pro 5.0.0

The latest version of Revo Uninstaller Pro 5.0.0 includes several new features. One of the new features is the Uninstaller History. You find it with a click on "More Commands" and the selection of Uninstall History when "All Programs" is selected.

Revo Uninstaller lists a record of all past activity that resulted in the removal of apps and programs on the system. Each item is listed with its name and version, operation, size, and the time the operation took place. A double-click on an item displays details, including names and paths of removed files and folders.

The program removal process has been improved in the new version. Revo Uninstaller 5.0.0 Pro may scan all Windows accounts for leftovers now, and not just the account of the executing user. Additionally, programs and applications may now be uninstalled for standard users.

Another change related to the program's core functionality is the ability to batch uninstall browser extensions or Windows applications. Select the Windows Apps or Browser Extensions menus to display all installed apps and extension from supported browsers. You may now select multiple for removal, which speeds up the entire process significantly, provided that you need to remove more than one app or browser extension from a system.

Other changes include support for dark mode, more theme customization options, and command line support for Windows apps and browser extensions.  Select Menu > Options > View > Theme to enable Dark Mode. There you find options to change colors as well.

The tools section has three new tools according to the changelog, and an option to add custom user tools to the listing.

The developers have improved other areas of the program. The Startup tool lists startup apps as well now in the new version, and the scanning of leftovers and the loading of them afterwards has improved by up to 50% according to the release notes.

Closing Words

Revo Uninstaller Pro is available as a trial version. Users may use it before they make a buying decision. There are free programs available, e.g., Geek Uninstaller, that provide users with similar functionality, and they may be worth a try as well.

Now You: do you use program uninstallers?

Revo Uninstaller Pro 5.0.0 released with lots of improvements

Frontpaged:   Revo Uninstaller Pro 5.0.0

Firefox users right-click on a page to select the "take screenshot" feature of the browser, Edge users may right-click as well or active the Web Capture option from the browser's main menu. Google is working on a screenshot feature with editor that it plans to launch in future versions of the Chrome browser. Once in Chrome, it may become available in other browsers based on Chromium.

Capturing screenshots looks like a handy feature in a browser on first glance. It is integrated and ready to be used whenever needed without having to rely on third-party tools or functionality provided by the operating system. Browser users may install extensions to get more options. You can check out our list of six popular screenshot extensions for Chrome as  start.

Critics of browser-based screenshot tools argue that there is no need for built-in tools, and that browser makers should instead focus on improving the core of the browser. All modern operating systems support screenshot functionality by default, and these tools can be used to capture better screenshots.

On Windows, users may launch the Snipping Tool from the Start Menu or with the help of keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots. Mac OS users may open the Screenshot tool using keyboard shortcuts or Launchpad to capture screenshots on their devices. Several Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, support native screen capturing tools as well. Opening these tools is usually as easy as opening the browser's built-in tool. Most are accessible via keyboard shortcuts for quick access.

Besides that, there are numerous third-party screen capturing solutions that extend the basic functionality that these native tools offer. Programs like PicPick, ShareX, Lightscreen, or Flameshot (Linux) offer more features and options. PicPick, for example, supports more screen capturing modes and a powerful screenshot editor. ShareX supports screen recording and text recognition, and uploading tasks right from its interface.

Browser-based screenshot tools are inferior when compared to these third-party solutions, and even the built-in operating system tools may have an edge on them, considering that you can't use the browser tools to capture the full browser interface.. Some native operating system tools support additional capture modes, such as the option to capture delayed screenshots, which browser tools do not support as well.

Closing Words

Screenshot capturing options are available on most systems by default, even without installing software. They provide better functionality than browser-based screenshot tools, both in regards to capturing options and scope. Third-party tools extend this significantly by adding editing options and other functions to the process.

Are the browser screenshot tools included for feature parity purposes, or are they widely used by users of a particular browser. We don't have any stats on the use of browser screenshot tools, and it is possible that users prefer built-in solutions because they are right there when needed. Many may not know that they may use the operating system's screenshot tool as well for the same purpose.

Browser screenshot tools are not needed in my opinion, as there are better tools readily available for the job.

Now you: do you use the screenshot tool of your browser, or do you prefer other solutions?

Opinion: No One needs a screenshot tool in a web browser

Torvalds writes:

So 5.18 is looking like it's going to be one of the larger releases in numbers of commits (we'll see where it ends up - it's going to be neck-and-neck with 5.14 right now, but won't be as big as 5.13 was). But despite the merge window being big, the release candidates have generally been quite modest in size, and rc6 continues that trend. I keep expecting the other shoe to drop, but 5.18 just seems to be quite well-behaved.

 Let's see if this jinxes it, but nothing looks particularly scary here.

After that, Torvalds also mentions what more work remains to be done before the final release which is expected to happen by the end of this month:

rc6 looks to be mostly some driver updates (network drivers and rdma stand out, small random fixes elsewhere), with the usual smattering of architecture updates (x86 kvm fixes, but also a long-standing x86 kernel FP use issue, and a smattering of parisc and powerpc fixes). And some wireguard selftest updates. The rest is mostly some btrfs fixes, some core networking, and just random small one-offs elsewhere.

You can find the full conversation about Linux 5.18-rc6 on LKML here.

Via: Phoronix

Source

As noted by Tero Alhonen on Twitter, a new message (ID M376710) on the Microsoft 365 admin center asks customers to wait for the officially released version and also provides some guidance about how admins can restrict access. The full message reads:

We are aware that some users can access an unsupported early test version of the new Outlook for Windows. This version is missing some of the features and enhancements that will be available later for our customers in the Beta Channel. We encourage our customers to wait for the beta version to be released.

We recognize the need for tenants to control access to apps in their organizations, so we are releasing early the instructions to do so. We expect to provide more news in the coming weeks about our Beta release. If you would like to block your users from connecting their Microsoft 365 accounts associated with your organization to this new app, please follow the PowerShell instructions. When the beta is available you will need to unblock them using the same instructions.

These instructions prevent the account from syncing to the new Outlook but do not prevent download.

The instructions for different types of uninstalls are also described below:

•  To enable/disable access for a single user

1.  Run the PowerShell app as an administrator
2.  Input: Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName
3.  Input: set-CASMailbox -OneWinNativeOutlookEnabled <$true> if enabling or <$false> if disabling

•  To enable/disable access for your entire organization

1.  Run the PowerShell app as an administrator
2.  Input: Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName
3.  Input: Get-CASMailbox|Set-CASMailbox -OneWinNativeOutlookEnabled <$true> if enabling or if disabling

Of course, it makes sense that Microsoft does not want customers to use leaked applications in an enterprise environment. That said, it's also interesting to see references to more features being enabled in the client once it becomes officially available in the Beta Channel. We expect to hear more information on this front at Microsoft's Build conference later this month.

Source

The "Top 10 features people want" series has already covered Word, Teams, OneDrive, and Outlook, and now it is time to see what users want Microsoft to do in the Microsoft Store. Oddly, crickets sounds are Microsoft's dominant reply. The company often provides comments in Feedback Hub, but even the most upvoted posts about the Microsoft Store have the mere "We have got this."

1. Add the option to uninstall an app from the "Library" section - 4,900+ upvotes.
   You can open, share, rate, and pin apps to Start/taskbar, but not uninstall. Microsoft thinks you are more likely to want to open a particular app from the "Library" section than uninstall it, which is questionable logic.
2. Add the option to hide or remove apps in the "Library" section - 3,200+ upvotes.
   The Microsoft Store is not new, so there are long-term users with hundreds of apps/games. To keep their libraries tidy, such users may want to hide or remove some apps.
3. Make it easier to see the recently updated apps - 2100+ upvotes.
   The Microsoft Store has a single "Library" section, where it keeps all the apps you own alongside the recently updated apps. The former are marked as "Purchased on" and the latter as "Modified on". We cannot tell why Microsoft does not want to separate these sections and use proper wording to highlight the recently updated apps (how a regular user should know what "Modified on" means). It is a particularly puzzling situation when you consider the fact that you can sort the library using various filters, such as "Apps", "Games", "Movies & TV", and even "Included with the device".
4. Fight scammy and fake apps more actively - 290+ upvotes.
   The situation with fake and scammy apps is nowadays less depressing than a few years ago, and Microsoft seems to be better at taking down parasite apps. Still, it is relatively easy to stumble upon "crapps" that abuse popular names for easy money. Do you want a "Google Chrome tutorial" for $9.99 $1.99? Do not miss a hot deal! When preparing this article, I even spotted a fake app in a "Specials" collection. Microsoft cannot get rid of all unwanted apps, but it can do better by at least not recommending them to users.
5. Add tabs to the Microsoft Store - 100+ upvotes.
   It is hard to tell why would someone needs this. Still, more than a hundred Windows users think the Microsoft Store should support tabs. Perhaps, tabs in the Microsoft Store might come in handy when you search for something and want to compare several apps. A tabbed UI is coming soon to File Explorer, so it might also come to the Microsoft Store (highly unlikely).
6. Add a better section for changelogs - 100+ upvotes.
   The Microsoft Store has a section called "What is new in this version", but it only shows details for the latest update, and many developers do not use it. Unless the app has a built-in "What is new" system, good luck figuring out what has changed in the latest release, not to mention checking older releases.
7. Add the date of the last update - 100+ upvotes.
   Technically, Microsoft has addressed this feedback. The new Microsoft Store website Microsoft launched in March 2022 lets you see the date of the last update. Unfortunately, very few Windows users know about that website, and the only date the Microsoft Store shows is the release date. But do you care when Facebook published its app? It is one of many basic things Microsoft should have figured out during ten years of running its app store.
8. Per-app auto-update settings - 40+ upvotes.
   This might not look that important or obvious, but the suggestion to add per-app auto-updates has some sense. The Microsoft Store now hosts all sorts of apps, including WSL and Windows Terminal, and auto-updating such apps can terminate without notice processes running in the background. This is already possible in the Google Play Store too.
9. Make the Store less confusing - several posts.
   When opening the Microsoft Store section in Feedback Hub, the first thing you see is a massive list of users complaining about cryptic errors, such as 0x80070005 and similar. Do not even try googling how to fix these, not to mention what those errors mean. The only somewhat reasonable error message we saw in the Microsoft Store is "Something happened on our end", which is not helpful either.
10. Better in-app purchases indication - several posts.
    The Microsoft Store does not let you preview what in-app purchases a particular app offers. Of course, you cannot list all IAPs (some apps and games have hundreds of them), but you can provide a preview (Apple's App Store lets you see subscriptions and in-app purchases on a store listing). This would help users better understand what they are about to download and stay away from projects with overly aggressive monetization.

The Microsoft Store is a much better and more developer-friendly place than ever before. The most recent policy changes attract new developers and fill the store with popular, previously unavailable apps. With more users getting more apps from the Microsoft Store, Microsoft must address some basic features still unavailable in its marketplace. If the company needs a source of inspiration, it can just fire up Feedback Hub and open the Microsoft Store section.

What do you think about this list? Does this feedback make sense to you, or do you believe other Microsoft Store features should be prioritized?

Top 10 features users want in the Microsoft Store

WhatsApp is now rolling out emoji reactions to the latest version of the app. However, the company will continue improving them by adding a boarded range of expressions in the future. Currently, users can use only a handful number of reactions.

Another new feature is allowing users to send files within WhatsApp up to 2GB in size at a time. Previously, the file limit was 100MB. The company recommends using WiFi for larger files, and the app will show how long the file transfer will take.

The Meta-owned chat messenger has also expanded the ability to add more people to a group. Admins will now be able to add as many as 512 people to a group.

WhatsApp has been working on these changes for quite some time now, and the company has finally started rolling out them to the users.

In other WhatsApp-related news, the Meta-owned company recently announced several new features, including 32-person audio calls, the ability to view status updates in the chat list, the ability to use a single WhatsApp account on multiple devices, and more. These features are in the development phase and will be available for the general public once ready. You can read about them in more detail here.

Which upcoming features are you most excited about? You can let us know in the comments below.

WhatsApp introduces message reactions, file sharing improvements, and more

KeePass is a local password manager for Windows, that can be extended with plugins. Programs and apps exist for other operating systems and devices, to use the program on all devices. KeePass supports a global login shortcut natively that users may use to improve the sign-in process.

New and existing users may download the latest version of KeePass from the official website. It is provided as a portable version and installer. Windows SmartScreen may throw a warning prompt when the installer is run or the portable version is run for the first time; this is a false positive and can be ignored.

Selecting Help > About KeePass in the program interface displays the installed version. The official changelog lists all changes and new features in the new version of KeePass. You will notice that most improve the user interface or integration of the client.

Users may notice performance improvements during initialization of the main window and initial emergence of the application.

Here are the highlights:

• Plural entry command names are now displayed if multiple items are selected.
• Enhanced color buttons in several dialogs.
• Most fixed size dialogs detect whether all information fits in the window; if that is not the case, for instance, when high DPI is used, scrollbars are displayed automatically to provide access to all information.
• Support for opening URLs with Waterfox in private mode added.
• New entry commands added, e.g., Copy Title, Copy Notes, or Copy HMAC-Based OTP.
• Password characters can be colorized in HTML export and print dialogs.
• Improved handling of bold and italic fonts.
• Improved HTML generation of exports and printouts, and various improvements to the exports and printouts.

Closing Words

KeePass 2.51 is a smaller release that improves the user interface and integration. Most of the changes are behind the scenes, but some improve the user experience or give users more control over certain features in the password manager.

Now you: which password manager do you use?

KeePass 2.51 Password Manager update launches with user interface improvements

Frontpaged:   KeePass 2.51

The latest Microsoft Office Insider Build adds support for the voice dictation feature in OneNote, making it possible for the users to dictate their notes with the help of their voices. The Dictate microphone icon appears on the home tab.

Microsoft Excel is now more optimized for devices with “constrained resources.” Excel will run better on devices that have two cores or less and eight gigabytes of RAM or less because it now runs calculations on a single thread. You can also change the setting in the Advanced tab.

Another useful change in this update is that Microsoft has sped up the time required for entering a formula in a cell by reducing memory usage, making more efficient memory allocation calls, and optimizing the redrawing of the visible range around the cell being edited. The faster AutoFilter function is also an important feature of this update.

Moreover, Microsoft has introduced a new sign-in option in Office Suite to allow guest users to access documents that have been shared with them on their desktop Office applications. The feature was previously available for Office on the Web and is now available for desktop applications.

You can read the complete official changelog below to learn more about these new features.

Changelog

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 Office Insiders gets several new features with the latest update