The upcoming Windows 11 version 22H2 will enforce the requirement for all devices on which Pro is installed on. The change won't affect existing devices that are upgraded to the new version. These will work as before when local accounts are used, and even if no Microsoft Account exists.

Windows customers who install Windows 11 Pro from scratch on a device, and customers who bought a device with Windows 11, will need a Microsoft Account to complete the initial setup.

There have been workarounds in the past to bypass the requirement. One involved disconnecting the Internet connection during setup, another to run commands or kill specific tasks. It is unclear whether any of these will continue to work, as Microsoft has clamped down on these bypasses in recent builds.

Most Windows customers may have no objections when it comes to the requirement. Using a Microsoft Account has advantages, including that the license is attached to the account, that syncing of data may be used between devices, and that account access may be restored even without access to one of a user's devices.

Microsoft has been criticized for the move. Installation can't be completed anymore without Internet connection, which means that it will become a frustrating experience in certain environments. Others have objected to the change because they want to use local accounts, for instance, for privacy reasons.

Microsoft made it more difficult to create local accounts in its Windows 10 operating system in 2019. Back then, it was possible to disconnect the Internet connection to get the local account setup option.

Create a local account after Windows 11 Setup

While Microsoft has tightened the screws during setup, the company has not limited the use of local accounts after setup, yet. One of the better options for Windows users who want to use local accounts is to complete the setup using the Microsoft Account, create a local account with administrative privileges on first run, and delete the Microsoft Account.

Tip: You may achieve the same with two commands from an elevated command prompt using the "net" command.

1. net user /add martin secretpassword
2. net localgroup administrators martin /add 

The first command creates the user martin with the password secretpassword. The second command adds the user martin to the group of administrators.

This is done in the following way on Windows 11 devices:

Step 1: Select Start and then Settings, or use the Windows-I shortcut to open the Settings.

Step 2: Go to Accounts. Select Other users on the page that opens.

Step 3: Activate the "add account" button next to "add other user".

Step 4: Select "I don't have this person's sign-in information".

Step 5: Select "Add a user without a Microsoft account".

Step 6: Type the username and select a password. Use of a password is optional. Select Next to complete the process.

Step 7: Expand the new user on the Other Users page and activate "change account type".

Step 8: Switch it from the "Standard User" account type to "administrator", and select ok.

You may now sign-in with the new user account using the selected username and password. Once done, you may delete the Microsoft Account or ignore it.

Closing Words

The focus on Microsoft Accounts gives Microsoft more control over the userbase. The company has no control over local accounts, but it has lots of power over Microsoft Accounts. It gets information about Microsoft Account users, e.g., the email address that has been used, but often also other information that users provide to Microsoft.

Now You: do you use local or Microsoft accounts on your Windows machines?

How to use local accounts on Windows 11 version 22H2 devices

As noted by Windows Central, images of the web-powered Outlook client have made their way to Telegram as the leaked app finally seems to be working for education and organizational accounts.

The screenshots show an Outlook client that is almost identical to the web experience - which makes sense - with a couple of minor differences so far. Window controls have been embedded into the app's title bar so that it feels more native to Windows, and the ribbon menu can also be configured so that it looks more like the "traditional" Outlook experience.

Over on Twitter, @FireCubeStudios has leaked some images too that you can see below:

If the images above don't suffice your curiosity, make sure to check out the gallery at the end of this article too.

Microsoft hasn't officially announced yet as to when the new Outlook experience will be generally available. For now, the leaked app doesn't work with personal accounts but we expect that to be fixed by the time it rolls out publicly. We might get an update on this front at Build 2022 later this month as the client does seem to be in a good place, based on the latest leaked screenshots.

Source: Temmie (Telegram), @FireCubeStudios (Twitter) | Via: Windows Central

Gallery: This is Microsoft's leaked Outlook client

In this listicle, we will list the top 10 open-source GitHub repositories developed and maintained by Microsoft, ordered by their number of stars along with some pertinent stats and a brief excerpt from the official description. Without further ado, let's begin!

1- vscode (Visual Studio Code)

• Primary programming language: TypeScript (93.8%)
• Stars: 131,000
• Watching: 3,100
• Forks: 22,300
• Description: Visual Studio Code is a distribution of the Code - OSS repository with Microsoft-specific customizations released under a traditional Microsoft product license. Visual Studio Code combines the simplicity of a code editor with what developers need for their core edit-build-debug cycle. It provides comprehensive code editing, navigation, and understanding support along with lightweight debugging, a rich extensibility model, and lightweight integration with existing tools. Visual Studio Code is updated monthly with new features and bug fixes. You can download it for Windows, macOS, and Linux on Visual Studio Code's website. To get the latest releases every day, install the Insiders build.
• Repository URL: vscode

2- terminal (The new Windows Terminal and the original Windows console host, all in the same place!)

• Primary programming language: C++ (94.6%)
• Stars: 82,800
• Watching: 1,300
• Forks: 7,300
• Description: This repository contains the source code for:
  • Windows Terminal
  • Windows Terminal Preview
  • The Windows console host (conhost.exe)
  • Components shared between the two projects
  • ColorTool
  • Sample projects that show how to consume the Windows Console APIs
• Repository URL: terminal

3- TypeScript (TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that compiles to clean JavaScript output)

• Primary programming language: TypeScript (100%)
• Stars: 80,300
• Watching: 2,100
• Forks: 10,500
• Description: TypeScript is a language for application-scale JavaScript. TypeScript adds optional types to JavaScript that support tools for large-scale JavaScript applications for any browser, for any host, on any OS. TypeScript compiles to readable, standards-based JavaScript.
• Repository URL: TypeScript

4- PowerToys (Windows system utilities to maximize productivity)

• Primary programming language: C# (53.6%)
• Stars: 72,600
• Watching: 1,000
• Forks: 4,100
• Description: Microsoft PowerToys is a set of utilities for power users to tune and streamline their Windows experience for greater productivity.
• Repository URL: PowerToys

5- Web-Dev-For-Beginners (24 Lessons, 12 Weeks, Get Started as a Web Developer)

• Primary programming language: JavaScript (78.5%)
• Stars: 46,500
• Watching: 2,300
• Forks: 6,800
• Description: Azure Cloud Advocates at Microsoft are pleased to offer a 12-week, 24-lesson curriculum all about JavaScript, CSS, and HTML basics. Each lesson includes pre- and post-lesson quizzes, written instructions to complete the lesson, a solution, an assignment and more. Our project-based pedagogy allows you to learn while building, a proven way for new skills to 'stick'.
• Repository URL: Web-Dev-For-Beginners

6- playwright (Playwright is a framework for Web Testing and Automation. It allows testing Chromium, Firefox and WebKit with a single API)

• Primary programming language: TypeScript (85.1%)
• Stars: 37,300
• Watching: 328
• Forks: 1,700
• Description: Playwright is a framework for Web Testing and Automation. It allows testing Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit with a single API. Playwright is built to enable cross-browser web automation that is ever-green, capable, reliable and fast.
• Repository URL: playwright

7- ML-For-Beginners (12 weeks, 26 lessons, 52 quizzes, classic Machine Learning for all)

• Primary platform: Jupyter Notebook (99.4%)
• Stars: 35,100
• Watching: 680
• Forks: 6,800
• Description: Azure Cloud Advocates at Microsoft are pleased to offer a 12-week, 26-lesson curriculum all about Machine Learning. In this curriculum, you will learn about what is sometimes called classic machine learning, using primarily Scikit-learn as a library and avoiding deep learning, which is covered in our forthcoming 'AI for Beginners' curriculum. Pair these lessons with our 'Data Science for Beginners' curriculum, as well! Travel with us around the world as we apply these classic techniques to data from many areas of the world. Each lesson includes pre- and post-lesson quizzes, written instructions to complete the lesson, a solution, an assignment, and more. Our project-based pedagogy allows you to learn while building, a proven way for new skills to 'stick'.

• Repository URL: ML-For-Beginners

   

8- monaco-editor (A browser based code editor)

• Primary programming language: JavaScript (81.1%)
• Stars: 29,300
• Watching: 505
• Forks: 2,800
• Description: The Monaco Editor is the code editor which powers VS Code. Please note that this repository contains no source code for the code editor, it only contains the scripts to package everything together and ship the monaco-editor npm module.

• Repository URL: monaco-editor

   

9- calculator (Windows Calculator: A simple yet powerful calculator that ships with Windows)

• Primary programming language: C++ (71.9%)
• Stars: 24,200
• Watching: 561
• Forks: 4,400
• Description: The Windows Calculator app is a modern Windows app written in C++ and C# that ships pre-installed with Windows. The app provides standard, scientific, and programmer calculator functionality, as well as a set of converters between various units of measurement and currencies. Calculator ships regularly with new features and bug fixes.

• Repository URL: calculator

   

10- cascadia-code (This is a fun, new monospaced font that includes programming ligatures and is designed to enhance the modern look and feel of the Windows Terminal)

• Primary programming language: Python (100%)
• Stars: 19,900
• Watching: 237
• Forks: 666
• Description: Cascadia is a fun new coding font that comes bundled with Windows Terminal, and is now the default font in Visual Studio as well.

• Repository URL: cascadia-code

   

Well, that's it for the top 10 open-source GitHub repositories developed and maintained by Microsoft. Were there any surprises in there for you? Have you contributed to any of the aforementioned or other Microsoft respositories? Let us know the details in the comments section below!

These are Microsoft's top 10 most popular open-source GitHub repositories

Developers of the Deno JavaScript and TypeScript runtime are exploring the possibility of JavaScript containers—and the JavaScript sandbox itself—as a higher-level alternative to Linux containers.

In a blog post this week, Ryan Dahl, who spearheaded development of both the Deno and Node.js JavaScript runtimes, cited JavaScript as the “universal scripting language.”

JavaScript’s universality is prompting the emergence of a new container-like abstraction, he said. Linux containers are not going way, but thinking in terms of JavaScript containers could simplify many web services. Dahl also noted that Docker popularized the use of Linux containers, with operating system-level virtualization for distributing server software. Each container image is a dependency-free, ready-to-run software package. But browser JavaScript offers a similar hermetic environment at a higher level of abstraction, he said.

Dahl said he expects JavaScript container technology to unfold over the next couple of years. Deno is exploring the idea, notably in its Deno Deploy product, and currently hiring engineers to pursue it.

Scripting languages can help solve many server problems and allow business logic to be written cheaper and faster, said Dahl. Not only is JavaScript the most future-proof of scripting languages, but the JavaScript sandbox is emerging as a higher-level container for server software. Unlike Linux containers, the JavaScript sandbox could invoke the WebAssembly binary instruction format.

Source

As such, China is set to replace almost 50 million PCs in central government agencies alone. It is important to note that this process will obviously not be completed in one fell swoop but is intended to be carried out in a staggered manner over a period of two years, according to unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

On the hardware side of things, multiple PC OEMs, including Dell and HP, are bound to be negatively affected. On the other hand, local manufacturer Lenovo as well as other software and hardware vendors such as Kingsoft Corp and Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co. saw their share prices rise on mainland China stock exchanges. Similarly, Windows is set to be replaced by Linux.

This move has been long in the making as the Chinese government has been encouraging the use of homegrown hardware and software for the better part of the past decade. It has apparently also hired a firm to vet and monitor local suppliers in the development of sensitive components ranging from semiconductors to the cloud.

It is important to note that "hard-to-replace" PC components such as CPUs and GPUs developed by western firms are likely exempt from this order. Many Chinese OEMs rely on them in their PC-making process since these components are not readily manufactured locally.

Source

Also noteworthy is the fact that Microsoft has prominently highlighted that the Dev and Beta Channels will be splitting off soon, and although they still aren't indicating when it will happen, it will be a nasty surprise for anyone hoping to stay on the more stable Windows 11 22H2 build that will RTM very soon, likely before the end of this month.

There are no new features in this build, as it mainly contains fixes and improvements, without further ado, here are the changes and improvements in build 22616:

[General]

• [REMINDER] The build watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop is no longer present in this build. This doesn’t mean we’re done, and the watermark will return to Insiders in a future build.

[Taskbar]

• As a result of feedback from Windows Insiders, we have decided to disable the changes to the system tray introduced in Build 22581 for now. The system tray and specifically the “Show hidden icons” flyout will now function the same way it did with the original release of Windows 11, including the ability to rearrange icons in the flyout. We hope to bring these changes back in the future after further refinement of the experience by addressing some of the feedback we have received. As we’ve mentioned previously, features we try out in the Dev or Beta Channels may not always ship.

[Other]

• Previously, we shared new requirements for internet and MSA on the Windows 11 Pro edition. Today, Windows Insiders on Windows 11 Pro edition will now require MSA and internet connectivity during the initial device setup (OOBE) only when setting up for personal use. If you choose to setup device for Work or School, there is no change, and it will work the same way as before.

Here are all the fixes in build 22616:

[General]

• We fixed an issue where performance and reliability of explorer.exe could degrade over time, eventually resulting in a bugcheck, in the recent Insider Preview builds.

   

[Taskbar]

• We fixed the issue causing the “Show hidden icons” flyout in the system tray to disappear completely for some Insiders, even though it shows as “on” under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and “Other system tray icons”.

   

[Input]

• Fixed an issue which was leading to some apps crashing when pressing the half-width/full-width key while using the Japanese IME.

   

[Widgets]

• Fixed an issue where if you tried to open the widgets board using a gesture from the side of the screen, you would see the widgets board open and then immediately close.

   

• Fixed an issue where users were unable to use the swipe functionality to reliably invoke Widgets.

   

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue that could cause Quick Settings to crash when projecting to certain wireless devices.

   

[Windowing]

• Addressed an issue where using the 3-finger on-screen touch gesture for minimizing could cause animations to stop working across the system.

   

• Fixed an issue impacting DWM reliability in recent flights.

   

• Fixed an issue which was causing some apps like Settings to open blank if they were re-opened an upgrade or reboot.

   

[Task Manager]

• We fixed an issue that was causing the process list to fluctuate between Apps & Background groups when clicking on Efficiency mode from the command bar

   

[Windows Sandbox]

• Fixed an underlying issue which could cause some text in Windows Sandbox to appear as black boxes in certain cases.

   

[Other]

• Fixed an issue leading to Windows Update notifications showing they were sent from “Windows.SystemToast.WindowsUpdate.MoNotification” instead of “Windows Update”.

   

There's just one set of known issues to be aware of in build 22616:

[Live captions]

• Certain apps in full screen (e.g., video players) prevent live captions from being visible.
• Certain apps positioned near the top of the screen and closed before live captions is run will re-launch behind the live captions window positioned at top. Use the system menu (ALT + Spacebar) while the app has focus to move the app’s window further down.

The Dev channel release is now known as the "NI_RELEASE" or Nickel branch in preparation for the major feature update to Windows 11 22H2 later this year. You can find our coverage of what's new and expected to ship in this Windows 11 build here.

Today's press release is linked here.

As noted aboive Microsoft has again reminded that Insiders can switch or change channels if they wanted from the Dev channel over to the Beta. If you are wondering how to do so, here's a handy guide we made that you can use.

Windows 11 Insider Preview build 22616 fixes “Show hidden icons” flyout in system tray

WhatsApp has announced that reactions, large file transfers, and bigger groups are now supported on the app in its latest update. With reactions, group chats should be less cluttered, the larger 2GB file transfer limit, from 100MB, should make the feature more useful, and the ability to add up to 512 people to a group should help organisations leverage WhatsApp in new ways.

The introduction of reactions to WhatsApp comes just months after Telegram added exactly the same feature, it’s not the first time Meta has lifted features directly from Telegram but if it wants to stay competitive then it does need to reach near feature parity. Being able to respond to messages with reactions should remove the need to people to respond with a message quite so much which should reduce clutter.

The second feature WhatsApp is adding is the ability to send files of up to 2GB. The limit had previously been set to 100MB but in this day and age, that amount is a bit low. Without trying to labour the point about WhatsApp cloning Telegram features, Telegram actually introduced a 2GB limit on file sharing way back in July 2020.

Finally, WhatsApp has increased its group size limit to 512 members which should make it more useful for organisations. For example, a school could create a group for parents to send out important messages. For those wondering whether WhatsApp has copied Telegram again, the answer is no. Since 2019, Telegram has allowed for groups with 200,000 members.

WhatsApp's latest update introduces reactions, large file transfers, and bigger groups

Most other browsers have this behavior enabled by default, so Mozilla was following the trend. That's not always a good idea. Since the browser downloads files by default, this could result in the Downloads directory getting cluttered with files that you did not want to download, i.e. accidentally clicking a link, or clicking the wrong link. It wasn't surprising to see that many users weren't happy with this change.

There are a couple of ways to prevent files from being downloaded, the first of which is to simply change an option under Firefox's Settings > General > Files and Applications. Set it to "Always ask you where to save the Files", and Firefox will display a File Explorer dialog that prompts you to select the download folder, you can hit the Cancel button to skip the download. A better solution is to change a preference in the about:config page that restores the classic behavior, i.e. the prompt that has the Open With and Save options. You can find how to enable the old behavior here.

Firefox 101 Beta brings back the download prompt

After listening to feedback from users, Mozilla has added the Download prompt back in Firefox's beta channel. A reddit user spotted that the latest version, Firefox 101.0b2, displays the old prompt, giving more control to the user on how the download should be handled.

A support page on Mozilla's website explains the change. It also highlights a new option that is available in Firefox's settings. Take a look at the two options below the "Applications" section.

The first radio button, when enabled, will Save files by default. The other one, will "ask whether to open or save files". This is essentially the same as changing the preference, but is a more user-friendly way to enable the old download prompt. Opening a file quickly, an easy way to cancel a misclick, and the choice of where the file should get saved are all very useful options to have.

Mozilla plans to add an option to allow using the Temp Folder for starting downloads

Regardless of whether you clicked on the Open or Download option (while clicking on a link), the file gets saved on to the computer's drive. The only difference between the two options, is the folder where Firefox saves the files to. In prior versions of the browser, clicking the Open button would save the file in the Temporary folder, before opening it in the corresponding program. This option was particularly useful in some scenarios, e.g. if you wanted to read a PDF once. But since Firefox 97 removed the download prompt completely, all files were dumped in the Downloads folder.

This has caused some inconvenience for users, there is a lengthy discussion about it on reddit and Bugzilla. The issue has been updated by a Mozilla developer, who stated that a future update for Firefox will add an option to re-enable the use of the Temp folder, (via a sub-folder) for starting downloads. The new option will be an opt-in, i.e., it will not be enabled by default. The "use temp folder" option will be a toggle under about:config, and will also be available via an enterprise policy.

Mozilla's developers believe that a file that is saved in the temp folder could result in it being deleted, so users could lose an important file. There are also some concerns regarding the performance on network shares. That's why users will have to decide whether they want to enable the option to use the temp folder for starting downloads, or stick with the default download flow. I think they shouldn't have messed with these options in the first place.

Firefox 101 Beta brings back the download prompt allowing users to choose whether to open or save files

I confirmed the issue in the latest release versions of the Pale Moon browser. Some sites display the "checking your browser before accessing" page over and over again. There does not appear to be a way around this at the time of writing, and the issue is discussed in various places, including the official Pale Moon forum but also the Cloudflare support forum.

The message that is displayed on the page that is reloading infinitely may differ, depending on how the site has implemented the functionality. SteamDB, a popular database site for the gaming platform Steam, displays the current message during browser integrity checks.

It is unclear why the infinite loop is happening, as Cloudflare has not published an official statement. One user suggested that it could have something to do with the user agent that is revealed to sites when pages are loaded. Pale Moon includes reference to Firefox 68.0 in the user agent for compatibility purposes.   Firefox 68.0 is an old version of Firefox, which was released in June 2019.

The lead developer of the Pale Moon browser published a comment on Cloudflare's community website, stating that the browser was also identifying itself as Pale Moon all the time. Indeed, the latest version of Pale Moon identifies as such in the user agent:

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:68.0) Gecko/20100101 Goanna/5.0 Firefox/68.0 PaleMoon/30.0.1

Cloudflare's parser may object to the Firefox part, as that version is old and no longer maintained by Mozilla.

It appears, from the discussion on the official site, that this issue may not get fixed. If that is the case, it would impact Pale Moon's compatibility on the Internet significantly. Pale Moon users could try and spoof the user agent to see if this gets them passed the check.

Here is how that is done:

1. Install the User Agent Status extension for Pale Moon and restart the browser.
2. Click on the icon of the extension in the Status Bar, and replace the Useragent string with Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:100.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/100.0.
   1. Note that you may need to adjust the string to follow the latest Firefox releases.
3. Activate the "Set UA" button.

The browser should pass Cloudflare's integrity check and the actual site should load fine.

Fix Pale Moon browser not passing Cloudflare's "Checking Your Browser" verification

• Leveraging the “Allow anonymous users to join meetings” settings, users can now anonymously join meetings in other clouds from the Teams desktop app.
• There is a new notification drawer at the top of the screen for the in-meeting system messages in iOS.
• The desktop or window being shared during a Teams meeting now includes audio. It is perfect when showing a video clip or a voiceover.
• Presenters can now choose to be on the left or right side of the content as we as resize their video feed. The content size will be automatically adjusted accordingly.
• Users of the Firefox browser will now receive support for full audio and desktop and window screen sharing in Teams meetings.
• Teams has a new ML-based music detector to give the user a choice to suppress background music or not. Only available for EDU customers as of now. 
• Live captions now arrive in Teams on virtual desktop infrastructure for Azure Virtual Desktop and Citrix.

Calling

• The Outlook contacts are now available to select for calling accessible through the contact drop-down selection.
• Teams is introducing a customizable disclaimer banner for emergency calling. It appears in the Calls app.
• Administrators can configure end-user call forwarding settings on behalf of users in their tenant via the Teams Admin Center or the Teams PowerShell Module.

Devices

• The “Present” button is now named “Share” and returns to the Teams Rooms console home screen.

Chat & Collaboration

• Editor Text Predictions in Teams mobile now has text prediction and suggests word or phrase inline.
• The new Power Automate tab with different Power Automate flow templates is now included in select team templates.
• Microsoft Fluent emoji style will be arriving in Teams emojis and reactions to give users more than 1800 emojis to use. 
• Teams chat’s suggested replies on desktop now utilize assistive AI to provide three short responses relevant to the context of the previous message.
• When you upload files in the Power Automate portal, they will appear in the view details window of an Approval request within Teams.
• The chat app has a new chat filter function to find messages and conversations easily.

Power Platform and custom development

• The message extension-based entry point lets users search and view applicable workflows and trigger pre-configured workflows from the message extension menu.
• The Teams app store is given a new “Automation” category, offering ample new Power Automate templates.

Management

• Admins can control the messaging extensions’ pin order in the compose experience.
• A Teams device store in the Teams admin center is now available in the US and Canada. It will be offered to other international markets later this year.
• The “follow Office preview” policy is now available to Mac users in the Office Current Channel (Preview).
• Microsoft introduces “User request” flows for blocked apps.

Teams for Education

• Notifications will be sent to students and educators when a new Class Notebook page is distributed.
• Teachers using Forms polls in a Teams meeting class will receive a summary report of votes.

Frontline Workers

• Organizations are now allowed to collect and review responses from customers for virtual appointments, thanks to the new integration of Microsoft Forms into the Microsoft Bookings app in Teams.
• Frontliners can now experience the Walkie Talkie app in Teams featuring a push-to-talk button on Kyocera’s DuraForce Ultra 5G and DuraSport 5G.
• The new” Team owners and members” in the tag management settings lets all team members create, edit and adjust tags.

Government

• The brand-new Attendance Dashboard allows measuring of meeting and webinar registration and attendance data.
• Teams webinars can handle up to 1,000 attendees and support registration page creation, email confirmation for registrants, host management for attendee video and audio, attendee reporting, polls, chat, and reactions.
• Incoming meeting nudges or invites with their video on will now be answered automatically for iOS devices.
• “Invite-only meeting” is a new Teams meeting option that directs users not originally invited to the lobby. The host can decide whether to admit them or not.
• Desktop or window shared during a Teams meeting can now include audio.
• Web and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure users can change the Teams meeting layout to Together mode and Large Gallery.
• The Voice Enabled Channels are now in GCC H and DoD.
• Admins are given the new ability to set a bandwidth control policy.
• The Dynamic Caller ID for Voice Enabled Channels is now available for GCC High and DoD.
• Customers in DoD are now allowed to start a team with up to 25,000 participants.
• There is new default for Teams notification style for DoD.

New features and capabilities of Microsoft Teams this April 2022

Like Chrome on the desktop browser market, Windows maintains a crushingly dominant position on Steam with a 96.31% market share (-0.26% in April 2022). Windows 10 64-bit remains the most popular choice and holds 73.55% (-1.14%). Windows 7 64-bit is third with a steadily declining share of 2.93% (-1.21%).

macOS and Linux remain extremely scarce among Steam users. Apple's desktop OS has just 2.55% (+0.12%) and Linux currently holds 1.14% (+0.14%).

Windows 11's continuous growth among Steam users shows that unlike regular customers, gamers are more willing to jump from Windows 10 to 11 and accept some of its temporary trade-offs. The latest operating system from Microsoft offers several gaming enhancements and new features, plus new hardware benefits from optimizations in Windows 11.

For your average Joe, those novelties are not worth giving up the traditional taskbar and other Windows 10 features that are no longer available in Windows 11. That might be one of the reasons Windows 11 struggles to get to the 20% mark on the global market.

Source: Steam

Windows 11 reaches 19% market share on Steam

Intuit, the company behind TurboTax, has agreed to pay out $141 million after it “cheated millions of low-income Americans out of free tax filing services,” in the words of New York Attorney General Letitia James. Most of that money will go to consumers that were tricked into paying for its service. This comes as the result of an agreement it made with the AG (and officials from all 50 states and DC), which will also require the company to change its marketing practices.

According to the Attorney General’s press release, Intuit will owe people $30 for every year they were tricked into paying for TurboTax between 2016 and 2018. The document notes that “impacted consumers will automatically receive notices and a check by mail.”

TurboTax has long been maligned for being opaque and having deceptive marketing. For years there were two versions of its tax preparation software that had “free” in the name: TurboTax Free Edition, and TurboTax Free File. Intuit, according to the AG, heavily marketed the Free Edition as being, well, free (the press release points out that some ads used the word “dozens of times in as short as 30 seconds”). But around 4.4 million people ended up owing Intuit money when using it.

What they should’ve used was the hard-to-find Free File version, which was part of the Internal Revenue Service’s Free File program. The program came from a partnership between the government and tax companies that included Intuit. It was supposed to make sure the majority of Americans would have access to a free version of tax preparation software like TurboTax. It also, as the press release notes, prevented the IRS from creating its own competing service.

Intuit stopped participating in Free File in 2021 citing “limitations” and “conflicting demands from those outside the program.” This was after the IRS changed the rules of the program, forbidding tax companies from hiding their actually free products from search engines (something Intuit and H&R Block reportedly did). The rule change also allowed the IRS to make its own free filing system, but so far it hasn’t.

Intuit’s involvement with the program has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Last month, Warren sent a letter to the company, accusing it of “lobbying to protect its shady business practices.” The letter also said that TurboTax products “scam American taxpayers into paying for services that should be free.”

Consumers won’t be receiving the full $141 million — the AG’s press release notes that “roughly $2.5 million will be used for administrative fund costs.” Aside from agreeing to fork over the money, Intuit has also said it will:

• Stop misrepresenting its online tax preparation products
• Improve the disclosures in its ads and marketing for its free products
• Make it clearer in TurboTax itself whether you’ll be eligible for free filing
• Not make customers start over if they switch from a paid product to a free one

The points about advertising are especially interesting, because the Federal Trade Commission recently sued the company over its usage of the word “free” in a bid to “put an immediate halt to Intuit’s false advertising.” The FTC’s complaint, which was filed in March, says that there’s a hearing scheduled for the matter in September.

Intuit owes you money if it tricked you into paying for TurboTax “Free Edition”

The new editor lets you add and resize various shapes, such as circles, squares, arrows, and lines. There are also tools for thickness adjustment, brushes, smiles, and text with the options to customize color and styling. Microsoft Edge also has a screenshot editor (called "Web Capture"), but it offers only basic inking for freehand drawing.

Last year, Google was experimenting with flags for the editor, but they started working only now (kind of). The editor is not ready for the prime-time—it crashes when invoked on our system, the toolbar disappears when you use it, and Chrome deletes screenshots upon page reload. You can try your luck with the screenshot editor in Chrome Canary by doing the following:

1. Download the latest version of Chrome Canary (you can get it from the official website).
2. Go to chrome://flags and enable the following flags: "Desktop Screenshots" and "Desktop Screenshots Edit Mode."

   

3. Restart the browser.
4. Open any webpage and click the Share button in the Omnibar.
5. Select Screenshot.
6. Take a screenshot and click Edit on the post-screenshot preview. Chrome will open a new tab with the editor.

   

Do you think modern browsers should include screenshot editors, or are they unnecessary clutter developers should avoid?

Source: Leopeva64-2 on Reddit

Chrome Canary gets advanced screenshot editor

As spotted by BetaNews, Microsoft has updated its Windows 11 known issues webpage to add that some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might suffer problems after installing KB5012643. Although the company hasn't highlighted all the potential problems, one includes apps not opening at all. It is important to note that this does not affect all .NET Framework 3.5 apps, it has only noticed this happening with those that are using optional .NET Framework 3.5 components such as Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow (WWF) components.

The workaround, once again, is to first try uninstalling KB5012463 from Windows Update. If this is not possible, another mitigation involves re-enabling .NET Framework 3.5 and WCF from Windows Features. You can do the same by running the following commands in Command Prompt:

• dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:netfx3 /all
• dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:WCF-HTTP-Activation
• dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:WCF-NonHTTP-Activation

It is important to note that both of these processes are only temporary workarounds, Microsoft is working on a more solid resolution for an "upcoming release" but hasn't defined a concrete timeline. Lastly, those on Windows 10 and Windows Server need not worry as this optional update is only available for Windows 11 version 21H2.

Source: Microsoft via BetaNews

KB5012643 is causing issues with some apps in Windows 11, but there's a workaround

Back in 1995, Microsoft released the Windows 3D Movie Maker app intended to help children learn the basics of 3D animation (also demonstrate the graphical capabilities of Windows 95). Twenty-seven years since the initial release, as requested by the Twitter user @Foone (via DrWindows), Microsoft open-sourced the app, making it available for everyone to download from GitHub.

Microsoft says the project is unlikely to build on modern hardware and software, which means enthusiasts and developers will have to tinker with the code to make it work in Windows 10 or 11. The company plans to archive the repository with Windows 3D Movie Maker, and it encourages everyone to fork it for all sorts of whacky experiments.

Open-sourcing the app, including third-party components, such as BRender, will tremendously help enthusiasts maintain Microsoft's legacy and make it work on modern computers without virtual machines and extensive hacking.

Windows 3D Movie Maker lets you place 40 different characters in pre-rendered scenes, assign them various actions, add objects and audio effects, and even record custom voice-overs using a microphone. The result will be a 1995-looking 3D movie with 6 FPS.

That is not something you can call impressive, but with some love from old-school enthusiasts and slight modernization, a resurrected version of Windows 3D Movie Maker might become an interesting piece of software to help kids get started with 3D animation.

Windows 3D Movie Maker from 1995 is now open source

Stardock released v1.22 of Start11 today. Start11 is a program that allows users to customize the Windows Start menu and taskbar for Windows 10 and 11 and can make the Start menu appear as it did in previous versions of Windows, enhancing the experience with new features and functionality.

This is a minor release, but at the same time it does bring a couple of new features to be aware of, the full changelog is below:

• If you are using Edge, your tabs will now show in search results
• Search results now prioritize frequently used apps/content
• Added additional language support
• Option for seconds on clock to Start11 configuration screen (taskbar) for dev and beta channel only
• Lots of bug fixes

As you may have noticed, aside from now displaying opened Tabs in Edge in Start menu search results, it is also now possible to enable seconds on the Taskbar system tray clock.

However, as pointed out by Brad Sams, VP and General Manager of Software at Stardock, seconds can only be turned on for builds in the Beta or Dev Channel, so unfortunately it will not work in the current generally available Windows 11 release.

The main Start11 v1.2 release focused specifically on enhancing the Windows 11 experience by re-building the taskbar from the ground up to add new functionality. With this release, users will be able to ungroup items on their taskbar with their windows centered or left-aligned.

Start11 is currently available for $5.99. There is an upgrade option for users of Start8 and Start10, it is also included with Object Desktop. For more information, visit www.stardock.com. You can view the full press release and changelog for Start 1.22 here.

Object Desktop includes programs such as Fences, Start10, Groupy, SoundPackager, DeskScapes, and Multiplicity.

Disclaimer: Neowin's relationship to Stardock

Start11 1.22 brings back seconds to Windows 11 Clock, and Edge tabs in Start menu search

Below are the release highlights:

• Most of the work for running natively on ARM64 has been included in the repo. Thanks @snickler!
• Uses of the obsolete WebBrowser control were replaced with WebView 2.
• All uses of .NET core were removed. PowerToys now runs on .NET framework 6.
• Settings no longer runs on XAML Islands and is now running on WinUI 3, fixing many bugs related to XAML islands.

And here are the full release notes for this release:

General

• Spell checking fixes in the code. Thanks @jsoref!
• Fix for a CI error related to spell checking due to a GitHub API change. Thanks @jsoref!
• Fixed the documentation references to GitHub. Thanks @Cyl18!

ARM64

• Prepare solution and property files for ARM64 port. Thanks @snickler!
• Port unhandled exception handler to ARM64. Thanks @snickler!
• Port of the Settings projects to ARM64. Thanks @snickler!
• Port of most of the PowerToys to ARM64. Thanks @snickler!
• Port of the debug utilities to ARM64.

Always on Top

• Fix for topmost state of the window resetting for some applications. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)

ColorPicker

• The CIEXYZ format is now properly show in upper case.

FancyZones

• Restore rounded corners on Windows 11 and add a setting to control this behavior. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Fixed an edge case where the Windows Terminal window wouldn't be snapped when opened. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Improved narrator support in the Grid Editor. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Fixed a bug when restoring rounded corners on Windows 11. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Fix for windows not being resized correctly on different dpi settings. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Removed resolution from the screen identifier so zones aren't reset when resolution changes.
• Scale the canvas layout when editing according to new scaling/resolution.
• Shipping a new tool to help debug windows interactions with FancyZones.

File explorer

• Fix for a crash in dev file preview if the settings file hadn't been created yet. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• New file types were added to dev file preview (".reg", ".xslt", ".xsd", ".wsdl", ".ino", ".pde", ".razor"). Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
• Fix an existing "file still in use" issue in dev file preview. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
• Dev file preview is now able to interpret file extensions in a case-insensitive way. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
• SVG and markdown viewers no longer use WebBrowser and use WebView2 instead.
• Markdown preview now respects the dark mode settings on Windows. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Mouse utility

• Fix for the bug causing shortcuts set on icons to not activate when a mouse utility was active on specific monitor configurations.

PowerToys Run

• Fix for PowerToys Run using high CPU and memory when updating its settings. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Add the "Run as different user" feature to the Program, Shell, and Search plugins. Thanks @htcfreek! (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Fix for a WindowWalker crash when a Virtual Desktop registry key is not set. Thanks @htcfreek! (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Fix for VS Code Workspaces not using the user's path variable right after an install or update. Thanks @ricardosantos9521! (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Fix for the System plugin causing PowerToys Run to be slow when many network interfaces exist. Thanks @htcfreek! (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Fix for the Program plugin not showing special shortcuts with empty targets, like Control Panel. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Additional logging for the Terminal plugin. Thanks @davidegiacometti! (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Web Search and URI plugins have better code for detecting the default browser now.
• Fix for the Services plugin not manipulating service names with spaces correctly. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fix for the Terminal plugin not recognizing profiles correctly. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fix for latest VSCode insiders build not showing up in the VSCode Workspaces plugin. Thanks @JacobDeuchert!
• Increased floating number precision in the Unit Converter plugin.
• VSCode Workspaces now finds portable installations of VS Code. Thanks @harvastum
• Fixed an issue starting PowerToys Run when the desktop is not initialized. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Settings

• Settings now runs on WinUI3 instead of XAML islands.
• Settings no longer runs as an administrator when runner is started as an administrator.

Runner

• Use sensible default times for rechecking for an update, to avoid writing to the logs in a loop. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Runner cleans up the update directory if the installation is up to date. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Installer

• Distribute a signed .msi inside the .exe installer bootstrapper. (This was a hotfix for 0.57)
• Removed the .NET core dependency from the installer.
• Partial support for an ARM64 installer.
• Updated the .NET framework to 6.0.4.
• Force update all files on reinstall/update, to try and fix installation issues.

Development

• PowerToys no longer takes a dependency on .NET core.
• WinUI3 is a new dependency. Settings now targets win10-x64 and win10-arm64 due to this.

PowerToys is Microsoft's open-source project that offers a collection of nifty tools that people can use to customize the Windows 10 or 11 UI and experience to their liking. As we know, depending upon feedback and general stability, some of the utilities also make their way to the OS eventually. A prominent example of this is Snap Layouts and Span Groups in Windows 11 which borrow heavily from the FanzyZones tool in PowerToys.

If you are using PowerToys in Windows 11, you can grab it in the Microsoft Store. For others in Windows 10, you can open the app and click on "Check for updates" under the updates section on the General tab. Those who would like to try PowerToys for the first time can grab the version 0.58.0 installer from the app's GitHub page.

Microsoft PowerToys 0.58.0 release focuses on building for native ARM64 and stability

Just a month or so after Chrome reached version 100, Mozilla is also passing this milestone with its Firefox browser. As mentioned, it includes a lot of video improvements that should make the Picture-in-Picture mode work better with subtitles and other videos should be more performant on macOS and Windows with HDR support and AV1 video decoding, respectively.

During the first run of Firefox 100, the browser will check to see whether the language of the browser matches the operating system’s language and offer users a choice about which they would prefer to pick. This will be very handy for less technically-inclined users as the language preferences are buried in the settings and a bit hard to get to.

The other language change that Firefox 100 brings is that spell checking now checks against multiple languages at once. To add additional languages, just choose them in the text field’s context menu (right-click).

If you want to read the full changelog you can do that now, otherwise, go grab the latest update from Mozilla, or, if you have Firefox installed already go to the burger menu then press Help > About Firefox and it will check for the update.

Source

Mozilla has brought out the latest version of its web browser today (May 3), with Firefox reaching version 100, bringing new and improved features for users across operating systems.

While Google Chrome reached version 100 in March, there wasn’t much in the way of substantial features that marked this milestone, but Firefox 100 looks to be different. Available for Windows 11 and macOS, Android, and iOS, it looks like Mozilla has included plenty of new features to try out.

There’s an improved picture-in-picture mode, for example, which is similar to Apple’s feature in its own Safari browser where a video can pop out of an app, and be viewed anywhere, even when you’re using other apps or browsing other websites. Firefox’s version of this feature now supports subtitles and captions, something that Apple’s take still doesn’t have. There’s also new wallpapers for Firefox mobile users, and an HTTPS-first setting for Android users, enabling an extra layer of security while you browse.

With these useful features, it may tempt some users who use Google Chrome, Safari, and others to finally move to Firefox.

Analysis: this could be the version that moves Chrome users to Firefox

Since its debut in 2004, Firefox was seen as the first real alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, mainly due to having tabs, something that we all use in our web browsers today, but at the time was something of a novelty.

However, Mozilla’s web browser has somewhat disappeared in recent years, mainly due to Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft’s Edge web browser being more visible thanks to the marketing budget that Apple, Google, and Microsoft have.

Being an underdog can bring innovation to features that users have been clamoring for, and better picture-in-picture support is an example of this. Since its debut in iOS 9, the feature has barely been updated by Apple, with no way of scrubbing the timeline of a video or placing a video anywhere on an iPad display.

But with support for subtitles, and support for Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video, it could be the sole feature that tempts users to move to Firefox. Imagine using another tab for Google Docs, or just for scrolling through Twitter, but you want to make sure that you’re watching a video at the same time. Combine this with subtitles and you’re essentially browsing two bits of content at once, without switching between tabs.

While Google Chrome often boasts about how fast it can load websites, it’s had a reputation for being a battery-hog for years, with no sign of improvements. Having tried Firefox on a MacBook Pro 14-inch for much of this year, we’ve found the web browser to be less of a burden on memory, which could tempt some users to make the switch.

However, version 100 gives us hope that Firefox could finally have a real chance of being a rival to Google Chrome, and it makes us wonder if a new generation of browser wars is about to occur on your desktop.

Source

Microsoft Edge is struggling to make up ground on the leaders of the web browser market, the latest data suggests.

According to figures from Statcounter, recently updated to include statistics from April, Microsoft Edge has either lost or failed to gain market share in four of the last six months.

Currently, Microsoft’s flagship browser is said to hold a 4.05% share of the market (across both desktop and mobile platforms), which equates to an estimated 200 million users. Although Edge has now eked out a lead over Firefox (3.41%), its market share is a long way shy of both Google Chrome (64.34%) and Apple’s Safari (19.16%).

The stagnation of Microsoft Edge

Since its (re-)launch in January 2020, the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge has been broadly well-received, courtesy of a series of upgrades that modernized the user experience.

The browser’s share of the market grew rapidly in its first year, thanks in part to renewed marketing efforts, and the retirement of Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy (whose users Microsoft was careful to funnel towards its new flagship).

However, with few gains left to tap into here, the rise of Microsoft Edge appears to have stagnated – and that’s despite continued efforts on the company’s part to deliver improvements to the service.

In recent weeks, for example, Microsoft has unveiled a built-in VPN-like service for Edge, improvements for the in-built password manager and new integrations designed to help users diagnose any performance issues.

One possible explanation for the slowdown in adoption is that attitudes towards Edge have soured somewhat in light of Microsoft’s attempts to strong-arm Windows users into embracing the service.

Last summer, it emerged the company had made it much more finicky to change the default web browser in Windows 11, and in November, it was found that Microsoft was forcing links opened via its own services to launch inside Edge. The backlash against these changes was significant, ultimately forcing Microsoft into an embarrassing retreat.

Alternatively, the rise in popularity of privacy-centric browsers from the likes Brave and DuckDuckGo - pitched as an antidote to the ills of Big Tech - could be making life more difficult for Microsoft. The latest figures suggest Brave’s browser now holds roughly 1% of the market.

But whatever the reason for the stagnation of Edge, Microsoft will need to find a way to revitalize its browser soon, if its ambitions to challenge for a place at the top of the market are to be realized.

Source

The project was announced this weekend at PyCon US 2022 and acts as a wrapper around the Pyodide project, which loads the CPython interpreter as a WebAssembly browser module.

"PyScript is a framework that allows users to create rich Python applications in the browser using a mix of Python with standard HTML." explains Anaconda in a recent blog post.

"PyScript aims to give users a first-class programming language that has consistent styling rules, is more expressive, and is easier to learn."

While the Pyodide project previously allowed you to run Python in the browser, it takes some time to get used to the syntax and is not as elegant as simply writing a Python program and pasting it into your HTML page.

However, PyScript acts as a wrapper, allowing you to embed Python code directly between py-script tags and have it automatically executed by Pyodide.

For example, the following illustrates a small Hello World example using PyScript and its execution directly in the browser. Notice how the pyscript.write() function allows you to output data directly to an HTML element.

Developers can also extend PyScript pages through additional Python packages built into Pyodide or through ones stored on the local filesystem. PyScript's GETTING-STARTED.md file provides documentation on how to import packages into your code.

In addition to executing code embedded in HTML, it's also possible to add a code editor directly into an HTML page using the py-repl tag so that you can input code and execute it, as shown below.

Using the editor makes it easy to test code on the fly and see what will and won't work with PyScript.

While JavaScript can already perform almost everything you would want to create using PyScript, with Python considered the most popular programming language, PyScript opens the door for many interesting projects down the road.

To get started with PyScript, you can visit their GitHub project page, which also includes numerous code examples.

New PyScript project lets you run Python programs in the browser

We have known since early April that Twitter was working on the ability to edit tweets but it said that the feature was still a way off with Twitter Blue users expected to get it in a couple of months. The full extent to how the feature will work is still under wraps but more details have been leaking out. In mid-April, for example, Alessandro Paluzzi showed off some screenshots of the new edit feature after he did some reverse engineering.

When the feature is more fleshed out and arrives for Twitter Blue users, it can be put to test in a more real world setting to see how it could be abused. After a little more tweaking, Twitter should feel ready to finally make the feature available for all of its users.

New screenshot shows off how edited tweets will look to other users

How much sooner will Microsoft sign Windows 11 22H2 off for public release, you ask? Well, according to multiple sources, it's highly likely that Windows 11 22H2 will reach RTM this month. However, some degree of uncertainty still exists regarding the RTM date, for example WZOR (famed build tracker on Twitter) disagrees and says we should expect it at the end of June, so it's fair to say we should take all of this with a pinch of salt.

Sun Valley 2, the codename for the 22H2 release will be this year's only major Windows 11 update, since Microsoft switched to an annual cadence, ending the bi-annual H1 and H2 releases we were used to with Windows 10. The official Windows 11 22H2 update could come with a ton of new features, including the ability to make app folders in the Start Menu, colored Task Manager, Focused Assist integration with the Notifications Center, more colorful Task Manager, tabbed File Explorer, and so much more.

Considering 22H2 could reach RTM this month, now might be the time to decide to become a Windows Insider and enroll in the Release Preview Channel or Beta Channel if you want to get it ahead of general availability. Microsoft has been warning for weeks that the Dev Channel will start flighting Sun Valley 3 builds soon, which is the next version of Windows 11 that will release in 2023. We've created a guide to assist people in choosing what Insider channel they should be on right here.

Until Microsoft makes a statement confirming the actual date, consider non Microsoft sources with the respect they deserve.

via: Deskmodder

Windows 11 22H2 to reportedly reach RTM this month

Instagram users can already view status updates within the list of their private chats. A similar capability will soon become available for WhatsApp users. However, WABetainfo has shared nothing on the possible release date of the feature.

Image: WABetainfo

WABetainfo is a reliable source. The publication has a decent track record of leaking upcoming WhatsApp features way before the company announces them. The ability to view status updates within the chat list was first spotted on WhatsApp Desktop, but the publisher claims Android and iOS users will get the update too.

The feature is currently under development, so it isn’t available for daily users. The Meta-owned chat messenger company will test it with beta testers before planning a wider rollout. Whatever the case may be, we’ll keep you updated about every new feature coming to the instant chat messenger in the future, so keep visiting MSPoweruser.com.

In other WhatsApp-related news, the Meta-owned company recently announced several new features, including Message reactions, Communities, the ability for admins to delete problematic messages in a group, File sharing improvements, 32-person audio calls, and more. These features are coming to WhatsApp in the coming weeks. You can read about them in more detail here.

WhatsApp will soon let users view status updates within chat list

The Ubuntu Cinnamon downloads page has not been updated with the new files yet, days after release...but the blog post above, announcing their official release, has the download links.

I’ve not used the default ‘flavour’ of Ubuntu for longer than enough time to write a review of it, and then quickly scrub it off my system in years...But it’s not because Ubuntu isn’t a great OS, it’s just because I haven’t liked the Desktop Environments that default Ubuntu has shipped with since it used GNOME 2.x...Ubuntu is a rock solid system, with some of the largest support channels available, so for anyone who wants to dip their feet into the Linux way of life, Ubuntu might be for you, especially if you’re used to MacOS.

However, I adore the Cinnamon environment, and it's a constant battle between Cinnamon and KDE for supremacy in my world...So, I decided to give Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 a spin, and boy am I glad I did!

My Specs:

• Ryzen 5 3500X
• 32GB DDR4 3200Mhz
• AMD Radeon 6900XT
• 2x 1080P Screens + 1x 21:9 1440P Screen
• Audio through DAC/Amp combo unit plugged in via USB-C

Installation

At this point, if your Linux OS doesn’t install in 5 minutes with very few button clicks, you’re doing it wrong...And thankfully, Ubuntu Cinnamon does it right. Installing the system was a breeze, and I was able to install the OS alongside a windows partition on the same drive, without any issues. During installation I did opt for installing third party drivers and codecs, so when installation was done and I was booted into the system my GPU worked quite fine and I had zero issues at all when testing things out. I didn’t do any extensive testing, but it was obvious that my GPU was functioning properly; and all monitors were at their optimal resolutions by default however I did need to increase the refresh rate of my main monitor, as it was set to 60 and can go up to 100.

Included Software and Features

Some of the new features of Ubuntu (all flavours) 22.04 are:

• Wayland is default when using non-NVIDIA graphics
• Active Directory upgrades and further support

In regards to the Active Directory support, the Ubuntu blog says, “In 22.04 we bring Active Directory integration to the next level with full installer integration and ADsys, a client that enables full Group Policy support, privilege escalation and remote script execution.”

Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 also comes with pretty well all the basic essentials, providing you did not select ‘minimal’ during install. You’ll find Firefox, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Rythmbox, GIMP, and Transmission all installed by default, so you’ll have a great head-start on having everything you need.

Performance

Ubuntu Cinnamon flew. My machine is no slouch, so I expected smooth performance, but I was a little surprised at how snappy and responsive the system was, even with everything at default. With LibreOffice Writer open and Firefox with 3 tabs open, my system used at most 6% CPU usage, and 2.5GB of RAM used. This system was installed on a SATA SSD, not NVME, but it flew when installing things, surfing the web, and when writing this review.

Final Thoughts

I might keep Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 installed for a little while and play with it more. I use Ubuntu on some of my servers, and I’ve always enjoyed Ubuntu for its simplicity, larger package / software repositories, and the huge community for support at times...It’s a great system, I just hate the Unity Desktop Environment. But, with Ubuntu Cinnamon, I get a more personally preferred environment, and all the benefits of the latest Ubuntu release.

I've had this installed for about a week now since writing this article originally, and I'm still using it, and have seen no reason or need to change it; and I'm picky! So, that's just this nerds opinion.

Will you be giving the new Ubuntu an install? Have you used Ubuntu in the past? What about Ubuntu Cinnamon as an alternative to the original? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 -- A great 22.04 release!