News: Software News

Apple's macOS Monterey is now available as a free download

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 02:47:40 +0000

Apple has announced the availability of macOS Monterey, a free upgrade for supported Macs. It includes several cool updates to FaceTime, Safari gets Tab Groups and improved Intelligent Tracking Protection and there’s a feature called Live Text which makes the text in photos interactive right across the system making it easier to copy or translate words.

To run this version of macOS you must have one of the following computers:

MacBook: Early 2016 and newer
MacBook Air: Early 2015 and newer
MacBook Pro: Early 2015 and newer
Mac Mini: Late 2014 and newer
iMac: Late 2015 and newer
iMac Pro: Late 2017
Mac Pro: Late 2013 and newer

If you’ve found that you have a compatible machine, you should make a complete backup with Time Machine or store your files on iCloud and then free up space for the installer, which is around 12 GB according to the Mac App Store website. Once you’ve done all that, press the Apple menu and go to System Preferences then click Software Update. If you’re using a version of macOS before Mojave, you’ll need to head to the App Store and download it from there instead.

Apple typically supports each macOS release for three years. It has not finalised an end-of-support date for macOS Catalina and above but if it sticks to the three-year cycle, Monterey should continue getting updates until around October or November in 2024.

Apple's macOS Monterey is now available as a free download

Microsoft is pushing out the PC Health Check app out to Windows 10 users, whether you want to upgrade or not

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 21:57:27 +0000

Microsoft is pushing out the new PC Health Check app out to Windows 10 users as part of KB5005463.

The somewhat controversial app is taking on an additional role beyond just checking the readiness of your PC for Windows 11.

Microsoft says the PC Health Check now also includes diagnostics to monitor device health and troubleshooting to improve performance, all from the convenience of a single dashboard.

Key features include:

Windows 11 eligibility: Provides a comprehensive eligibility check based on the minimum system requirements for Windows 11.
Backup and sync: Sign in or create a Microsoft account to sync device preferences across devices and set up Microsoft OneDrive to protect your files.
Windows Update: Keep your device secure by always running the latest version of Windows 10.
Battery capacity: View the battery capacity relative to the original for devices that use a single or multiple batteries.
Storage capacity: View the storage usage for the main drive that contains files, apps, and Windows.
Startup time: Manage startup programs to improve startup time.
Tips on PC health: Provides additional tips to improve overall PC health and performance.

Notable the app will automatically install updates when you open it, usually followed by a prompt to restart your PC, which may be an annoyance for some users.

You can, fortunately, uninstall it by going to Apps > Apps & Features > App list (Windows PC Health Check) > Uninstall.

Microsoft is pushing the app out automatically to Windows 10 but not 11 users. If you want it now you can download KB5005463 from the update catalogue here.

via onMSFT

Microsoft is pushing out the PC Health Check app out to Windows 10 users, whether you want to upgrade or not

Linux 5.15-rc7 Released A Day Late Due To Travels

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 19:37:31 +0000

Linus Torvalds normally releases new kernel versions on Sundays like clockwork, but yesterday was one of the rare occasions where that trend was interrupted.

Due to Linus Torvalds' travels of last week ending on Sunday and lacking in-flight WiFi followed by being tired, Linux 5.15-rc7 is only now available.

Linus Torvalds wrote of 5.15-rc7, "the delay isn't because of any kernel trouble. In fact, the worry I had last week about a big rc6 turned out to be just a false alarm due to timing of pulls, and rc7 looks nice and small, right in the range of normal. Both the number of commits and the diffstat looks fine. It's all pretty small and flat (meaning mostly small trivial changes) with just a couple of peaks for some x86 kvm code, and some ksmbd changes."

At this stage Linux 5.15 is looking quite good and it's rather likely Linux 5.15 stable could debut next Sunday. However, as Linus will again be traveling next week, he is inclined if the need presents itself to delay the 5.15 release to then avoid the Linux 5.16 merge window during his next round of travels.

Long story short, Linux 5.15 will be released in the next week or two depending upon how things play out over the days ahead. See our Linux 5.15 feature overview for more details on the big changes of this next kernel release.

Source

Windows XP@20: From the killer of ME to banging out patches for yet another vulnerability

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 19:23:49 +0000

When NT and 9x became one

It was on this very day, 20 years ago, that Microsoft released Windows XP to General Availability.

Regarded by some as the cockroach of the computing world, in part due to its refusal to die despite the best efforts of Microsoft, XP found its way into the hands of customers on 25 October 2001 and sought to undo the mess wrought upon the public by 2000's Windows Millennium Edition (ME). While ME used the Windows 9x kernel, XP was built on the Windows NT kernel, formerly aimed at the business market and a good deal more stable.

It also upped the hardware requirements on its preceding consumer OS. Where ME recommended 64MB of memory, XP wanted at least 128MB. And although masochists could run ME on a VGA screen, XP insisted on a minimum of SVGA. It all seems rather quaint now, but could be a painful jump back in the day.

The user interface was given an overhaul, giving the OS a markedly different appearance to what had gone before, and the Start Menu introduced with Windows 95 was tweaked as well to feature two columns.

Internet Explorer 6 also came in the box, but it wasn't until 2004's Service Pack 2 that a Security Center was added as Microsoft sought to bolster the defences of what had turned out to be a highly hackable operating system. Enough to make one, er, Wannacry.

Still, that particular bit of miscreant nastiness was in the future as Windows XP launched. Two editions appeared in 2001: Home, which lacked enterprise features like domain joining, and Professional, which was aimed at corporates and also had the breath-taking ability to support a pair of physical processors.

While mainstream support ended in 2009 (and extended support breathed its last in 2014), Windows XP remained hugely popular until finally being overtaken in popularity by Windows 7 in 2012 (another operating system, Windows Vista, was launched between the pair but proved unpopular).

Microsoft has, however, continued to emit the occasional patch for the OS. The last was in 2019, just as mainstream support for the POSReady 2009 version of XP ended.

Although the consumerisation of Windows NT caused a twinge or two – some might regard Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 as the high-water mark for Microsoft's operating systems – XP signalled a new era for the company. Sure, the default theme might have felt like a child's toy, but what lurked behind the scenes represented a huge leap forward from Windows 9x.

The same, we fear, cannot be said of Windows 11.

Happy GA day, Windows XP. ®

Source

Linux 5.16 Will Be A Great Christmas Gift For Open-Source Fans With Many New Features

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:04:37 +0000

While Linux 5.15 isn't even making its debut for another week or two, there is already a lot to look forward to when it comes to Linux 5.16. Here is a look at some of the new features expected for the 5.16 cycle.

Thanks to closely monitoring the many "-next" branches and mailing lists, here is a look at material currently queued and on-deck for Linux 5.16 barring any last minute issues or objections from Linus Torvalds once the 5.16 merge window opens in early November. Of course, stay tuned to Phoronix during the Linux 5.16 merge window for details on other interesting merges and other drama that may ensue followed by benchmarks of the new kernel.

- FUTEX2 is set to appear for that updated system call of interest to many Linux gamers for helping Windows games running on Linux via Wine / Proton.

- Cluster scheduler support is queued.

- Initial DisplayPort 2.0 code for the AMDGPU driver.

- AMDGPU is finally enabling Panel Self Refresh (PSR) by default for new GPUs.

- Cyan Skillfish display support for that Navi 1x APU.

- AMDGPU USB4 DisplayPort tunneling is added in preliminary form for next-gen Rembrandt / Yellow Carp APUs.

- NVIDIA Tegra NVDEC open-source support.

- Intel Encrypted PXP support.

- Intel Alder Lake S graphics are considered stable / ready.

- The new parallel submission uAPI for the Intel graphics driver.

- A Steam Deck display panel quirk.

- More extensible VirtIO GPU driver handling with "context types" support.

- NVIDIA's preparations for future laptops with EC-driven backlights.

- The panel-edp driver is being added to yield less hard-coded eDP panel configurations.

- Many block / I/O optimizations.

- The Realtek "RTW89" 802.11ax WiFi driver is being introduced.

- Vortex86 processor detection.

- Apple Magic Keyboard 2021 support.

- The Apple Silicon PCIe driver will be added, clearing the way for more Apple M1 drivers and functionality to appear.

- DMA-BUF peer-to-peer support for the Habana Labs AI driver.

- System76 laptops with open-source EC firmware can now have battery charging thresholds and newer System76 laptops also now have CPU and GPU fan speed and temperature reporting via the system76_acpi driver.

- Better HP Omen laptop support.

- Expanded ASUS motherboard sensor support.

- Improved USB low-latency audio playback.

- RISC-V hypervisor support is finally landing for KVM.

- New AMD Linux audio driver code.

- The AMD PSF disable bit will be exposed to KVM guests.

Not certain yet but:

- Potentially an updated Zstd implementation.

- Potentially Intel AMX landing? At least the FPU prep clean-up and other work is in good shape, but so far all the AMX enablement code doesn't appear to have been queued.

Linux 5.16 stable should debut right around the end of the year / early next year depending upon how everything plays out.

Source

Asia's 'superapps' bundle ride-share, food delivery, even financial services – and they're beating big tech

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 13:47:26 +0000

China backed the concept of tools users perceive as an extension of the OS, not just an app

Catch a ride, pay your utility bills, order your dinner, top up your insurance, chat with friends – how many apps did you need to get that lot done? In much of the world North America and Europe your answer could involve a fistful of apps, but in Asia you could do it all in one, thanks to rise of the "superapp".

Superapps are, for now, largely an Asian phenomenon, although the concept is more than a decade old. Blackberry founder Mike Lazaridis coined the term in 2010 to mean "a closed ecosystem of many apps that people would use every day because they offer such a seamless, integrated, contextualized and efficient experience".

Academic and researcher of digital business models and ecosystems at Singapore's ESSEC Business School Dr Jan Ondrus thinks a better definition for a superapp is essentially "an operating system".

In conversation with definition to The Register, he likened superapps on mobile devices to using Windows on a desktop.

"With a superapp," said Ondrus, "you don't need to use multiple apps, you can use just one app and tap into a lot of other services – you can live pretty much inside the superapp."

In the West we love our Google search – in some respects that is our superapp

That convenience matters, because the crowded real estate of a smartphone home screen only has so many slots. App publishers have come to realise that offering more functions in one app is their ticket to prominence and ongoing user engagement.

WeChat, the boss of all superapps

To truly understand superapps, consider the most popular of them all – and probably the original superapp – WeChat.

WeChat began as a messaging platform for Chinese tech giant Tencent in 2011. It is now a gateway to more than one million services – including ride hailing, booking flights and hotels, making medical appointments, accessing social media, making payments, and even arranging a date.

Plenty of those services are offered by third parties through "mini-programs" – tools that allows businesses to create their own digital products and offer them to WeChat's users. WeChat takes a fee on transactions.

While users can choose to use only Tencent's messaging services, there's no reason to leave for almost any other service.

As of the end of December 2020, WeChat and Weixin – the version of WeChat for mainland China – had a combined 1.23 billion monthly average users.

Other prominent superapps include Korea's Line & Kakao, Indonesia's soon-to-merge Gojek and Tokopedia, India's Paytm, and Vietnam's Zalo.

Singapore-based Grab deserves special mention because when Uber tried to enter Singapore, Grab was already entrenched. Uber eventually sold its entire Southeast Asian efforts to Grab. Uber's blog post when it announced it was leaving the region read:

One of the potential dangers of our global strategy is that we take on too many battles across too many fronts and with too many competitors.

This transaction now puts us in a position to compete with real focus and weight in the core markets where we operate, while giving us valuable and growing equity stakes in a number of big and important markets where we don’t.

That's an admission that Uber's approach was too limited to succeed against superapps.

"The approach of integrating as many services as possible in one app makes you extremely powerful," explained Dr Ondrus. "What most companies are searching for is the relationship with customers. WeChat is intermediating the relationship with everyone, making them a very powerful intermediary."

Superapps also thrive because offering many services lets them understand customers better.

"[Superapps] have a better AI system to predict what you are going to do because they integrate all the data collected. When using separate apps, it will be near impossible to replicate that," Ondrus explained.

China set the snowball rolling

While superapps have spread across Asia, and made inroads in South America, other regions have not displayed the same enthusiasm.

"If you take a step back you can see why the apps are [in the East] and not [in the West]. I think it comes down to where these markets started from and the drivers of adoption, and the initial market was China, wasn't it?" KPMG's Singapore-based Head of Financial Services Anton Ruddenklau pondered in a Zoom call with The Register.

"The Chinese government actually mandated tech firms to move into these adjacencies," added Ruddenklau. Each company was given a specialty to develop to drive digitization across sectors and make them work to scale.

WeChat is intermediating the relationship with everyone

Superapps were helped by the fact that they were native to mobile devices. In the West, many users' formative internet experiences were on PCs and other platforms dominated by Google, Facebook, Microsoft et al.

Most Chinese netizens skipped straight to smartphones and sought out mobile-first services. Early in China's internet boom, such services weren't prevented from building horizontal platforms.

Much of Southeast Asia also went straight to mobile devices for internet access. Again, that wave of netizens had no PC-centric habits to adopt on their smartphones. New market players had an opportunity to create a new ecosystem that catered to Asia's youthful demographic, even as the likes of Google and Facebook worked to make existing services more mobile-friendly.

Superapps also understood their target markets' culture in ways that Western firms did not. Yet superapps aren't big enough to understand every culture. ESSEC Business School's Dr Ondrus points out that Alibaba acquired Singaporean e-tailer Lazada to access its growing regional footprint.

"It was much easier for Alibaba to buy Lazada, which had already established activity in Southeast Asia. For big companies, starting from scratch is very painful," explained Ondrus.

Where are the West's superapps?

While superapps are huge in Asia, they're hard to find in the West. Facebook tried to pack more third-party services into Messenger and Instagram, but with limited success. Some Facebook services, like marketplace, are free – seemingly because Facebook values engagement over the kind of revenue it could win from taking on eBay, Gumtree, and Craigslist.

"The difference in the West is we love our Google search – in some respects that is our superapp," said KPMG's Ruddenklau. While Google mostly wins revenue from ads, rather than taking a cut of transactions, Ruddenklau sees that as an advantage because the lack of full integration between Google products means users have a perception of privacy.

"Westerners like to be able to ringfence certain apps or services, so that they don't think anyone has a full picture of their lives," said Ruddenklau.

Even if Western users wanted superapps, Big Tech might not be so keen to build them.

Ruddenklau told The Register clients often ask how to build platform-based business models. He replies that banks can comfortably make over $1,200 a year from each retail customer, but superapps like Grab, Alipay or WeChat might pull in a handful of dollars per user.

"Which [business] do you want want to be?" Ruddenklau asks. ®

Source

One of Microsoft's most-hated products might actually be getting a useful upgrade

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 13:33:10 +0000

Microsoft Bing will help with file finding and more

Searching for lost files or that extra bit of data to make the difference at work could be quicker than ever thanks to a new upgrade from Microsoft.

The tech giant is boosting one of its less-celebrated products to give enterprise users an easier way to search online.

The update means that enterprise users will now get their historical searches as suggestions in the autosuggest pane on Bing and Microsoft Search in Bing, according to the official Microsoft 365 roadmap entry.

Bing bling

Bing, for anyone who may need reminding, is Microsoft's own search engine, designed to rival the likes of Google in offering information to users across the globe.

The new update should mean that enterprise users looking to quickly find files that they've searched for or opened before will no longer need to manually trawl through endless files and folders in search of the elusive location.

The update is still currently in development, but Microsoft will doubtless be keen to get it out soon and help boost Bing engagement.

The feature is set to be available to Microsoft Search users across the globe via the company's general availability route, meaning web, desktop and mobile users will all be able to utilize it upon release.

Microsoft has kept its support for Bing despite the huge disadvantage versus Google, which has dominated the web search market for years.

However, this support may have been slightly lessened by recent findings from Google, which claimed that the most searched-for term on Bing is actually Google itself, as Windows users setting up a new laptop or desktop PC often use Microsoft's browser first before installing Google Chrome using their search engine of choice, Google Search.

Source

Closer Look: Storage settings in Windows 11

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 22:24:40 +0000

It's been a few weeks since Windows 11 started rolling out generally (check out our review here), but since it's being distributed in a staggered manner, not everyone has it yet, even if they're on a supported machine. Although there are ways to skip the queue and trigger the update immediately, it's perhaps advisable to know what you're getting into before you decide to make the jump to Microsoft's latest OS. This is exactly why we have been discussing Windows 11's features in more detail in our ongoing Closer Look series.

So far, we have taken a look at Search, Widgets, the Start menu, Snap Layouts and Snap Groups, the Taskbar, quick settings and notifications, Virtual Desktops, power and battery settings, default apps configurations, File Explorer, context menus, Teams integration, the updated Clock app in Windows 11, the Microsoft Store, the Snipping Tool, the Paint app refresh, the lock screen, the revamped Photos app, and the voice typing experience. Today, we'll be discussing storage settings in Windows 11.

For the purpose of this hands-on, we'll be taking a look at the generally available Windows 11 build versus a publicly available and up-to-date Windows 10 (version 21H1 build 19043.1288).

Although we usually follow a format in our Closer Look articles where we first discuss the Windows 10 offerings before comparing it to Windows 11, we'll be deviating a bit from that this time because, frankly, it's not worth it considering there are smaller enhancements here and there rather than a full revamp.

Storage settings in Windows 11

When you launch storage settings in Windows 11, you'll notice that the landing page has been redesigned. Now, you get the most essential information - which is your drive's storage space on the top -, while other information is nested at the bottom. For some reason, Windows 10 showed Storage Sense at top, which is fortunately not the case here.

Below the drive's storage, you'll get some more granular categories such as Apps & features and Temporary files, but if you want to see more categories, you'll be directed to a dedicated page rather than a list being populated on the same page like Windows 10.

The nesting of information in menus that you can expand according to your liking is a very neat touch. It means that you can now view all essential data on the same page without scrolling and can dive into specific settings only if you want too. Space is utilized very smartly here, and I'm a big fan of these changes, particularly because it does not require me to scroll past or even see settings that I barely use.

Temporary files management in Windows 11

If you click on any of the dedicated categories, you'll be taken to their respective dedicated page. I noticed that Microsoft has made some nifty changes to the color contrast here so now it's easier to read highlighted content, and there's a clear division between each list item too.

Storage Sense in Windows 11

Apart from offering the regular configurations present in Windows 10 already, Storage Sense now integrates directly with your locally available OneDrive content too. It offers you the ability to make files online-only if your don't open them for more than a specific amount of time.

Personally, I'm a bit paranoid about automatic deletion of files from local or cloud storage, so I don't use Storage Sense, but Microsoft offers a decent set of options for those who feel the need for this capability.

Cleanup recommendations in Windows 11

Storage settings in Windows 11 provides a handy "Cleanup recommendations" section too, which does exactly what the name implies. It offers you recommendations about deleting temporary files, large or unused files, files synced to the cloud, and apps that you haven't used recently. I think this is a decent option to have if you want to quickly free up small amounts of storage while having manual control over what you are deleting.

Going back to the landing page of the Storage settings menu, you'll notice that all of the capabilities from Windows 10 have been carried over and are now nested under "Advanced storage settings". That said, there are a couple of changes that I'd like to highlight.

New Disks & volumes pages in Windows 11

There is a new dedicated page called "Disks & volumes". This shows you high-level information about your storage device, its partitions, and their respective health statuses at a glance. You can also click on any partition to view its properties such as BitLocker encryption status and also change the label. I find this to be a very useful page even though it's not part of my daily workflows.

Backup options in Windows 11

"View backup options" from Windows 10 has been replaced by "Backup options" in Windows 11. It now redirects to the Windows Backup page, from where you can backup your content to OneDrive, and remember apps and preferences. Windows 10 also offered an option called "Backup using File History", and while that setting can still be accessed using the native UI, it's no longer directly visible inside Storage settings. I'm assuming that this was done due to low usage and to push people towards OneDrive backups, but this is just speculation on my part.

New UI for Storage Spaces in WIndows 11

Another thing I noted was that while Windows 10 also allows you to create Storage Spaces where you can store your files redundantly across different drives via storage pools, it did so via the legacy Windows interface that opens in a dedicated window. Microsoft has changed this up significantly in Windows 11 so that you can now configure this capability directly inside the Storage settings page, complete with a native Windows 11-look. I know it doesn't make a huge difference, but I think it's a step in the right direction in terms of giving the OS a consistent look and feel.

Unfortunately, this change has not carried over to "Drive optimization", which still opens a dedicated legacy UI. Yes, it has rounded corners but it's outside of the native Windows 11 Settings app, which is a bit jarring.

Overall, I think that although Microsoft hasn't treated Storage settings to a full revamp, it has still made some notable and positive changes to the overall UI. Whitespace is utilized much better and the nested menus ensure that you can easily find what you're looking for. I welcome the tighter integration with OneDrive as it also gives a more unified feel across Microsoft products. The new pages for Disks & volumes as well as Storage Spaces are decent changes and tie in well with the overall Windows 11 design, while providing useful capabilities. Some may bemoan the absence of backup via File History but I personally never used it so I don't miss it. Eitherway, the capability hasn't been completely removed so you can still access it if you want via the legacy Windows UI.

Closer Look: Storage settings in Windows 11

Skype for the Web once again supports all browsers

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 22:20:12 +0000

When Microsoft transitioned to a Chromium-based browser they become somewhat less motivated to support non-Chromium platforms, and when Microsoft released a new version of Skype for the Web in 2019 it only supported Edge, Chrome and Opera, and did not support Safari or Firefox.

Microsoft eventually delivered support for Safari a year later, and today the company confirmed support for all browsers, including Firefox, for their web app.

The news is confirmed in the recent Skype 8.78 changelog which notes:

Skype for web: enabled on all browsers i.e. Firefox

At present, if you go to web.skype.com using Firefox, you will still receive a warning that the functions are limited, but it appears everything is otherwise working as intended.

Microsoft recently said they aim to deliver an improved, faster and more attractive Skype service in the future. Read all about their plans here.

via DrWindows

Skype for the Web once again supports all browsers

Microsoft reverses controversial .NET change after open source community outcry

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 05:22:43 +0000

.NET 6 will now include Hot Reload across multiple platforms

Microsoft is reversing a decision to remove a key feature from its upcoming .NET 6 release, after a public outcry from the open source community. Microsoft angered the .NET open source community earlier this week by removing a key part of Hot Reload in the upcoming release of .NET 6, a feature that allows developers to modify source code while an app is running and immediately see the results.

It’s a feature many had been looking forward to using in Visual Studio Code and across multiple platforms, until Microsoft made a controversial last-minute decision to lock it to Visual Studio 2022 which is a paid product that’s limited to Windows. Sources at Microsoft, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Verge that the last-minute change was made by Julia Liuson, the head of Microsoft’s developer division, and was a business-focused move.

Microsoft has now reversed the change following a backlash, and anger inside the company from many of Microsoft’s own employees. “We made a mistake in executing on our decision and took longer than expected to respond back to the community,” explains Scott Hunter, director of program management for .NET. Microsoft has now approved the community’s pull request to re-enable this feature and it will be available in the final version of the .NET 6 SDK.

We asked Microsoft to comment on the fact an executive ordered the change, but the company didn’t want to discuss the controversial decision. “We have taken steps to address the issue that some of our OSS community members have experienced,” says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. “Hot Reload capability will be in the general availability build of the .NET 6 SDK available on November 8th.”

Microsoft’s blog post doesn’t address this controversial decision, though. Instead, it suggests it was simply a mistake to remove the code instead of simply disabling it, and not a business decision. “In our effort to scope, we inadvertently ended up deleting the source code instead of just not invoking that code path,” says Hunter.

Hot Reload lets developers instantly see code changes while apps are running.

While the reversal will be a welcome one for the .NET community, the explanation and circumstances around this incident won’t sit easy with those who value transparency around such decisions.

“As is true with many companies, we are learning to balance the needs of OSS community and being a corporate sponsor for .NET,” says Hunter. “Sometimes we don’t get it right. When we don’t, the best we can do is learn from our mistakes and be better moving forward.”

This eventful episode came after weeks of unrest in the .NET community over Microsoft’s involvement in the .NET Foundation. The foundation was created in 2014 when Microsoft made .NET open source, and it’s supposed to be an independent organization that exists to improve open source software development and collaboration for .NET. A resigning board member questioned the role of the .NET Foundation recently, asking whether it’s “here to enforce Microsoft’s will on .NET open source, or are you here to help foster and promote a healthy community?”

A recent controversy also led to .NET Foundation executive director Claire Novotny resigning recently and others questioning the independence of the .NET Foundation given Microsoft’s special privileges. Microsoft has certainly damaged some of the open source work it has been building on for 10 years with this u-turn, and the company still has plenty of work ahead to improve relations with the .NET community and the issues around its influence on the .NET Foundation.

Microsoft reverses controversial .NET change after open source community outcry

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) Daily Builds Are Now Available for Download

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 15:41:17 +0000

It’s that time of the year again, when Canonical kicks off the development cycle of the next major Ubuntu Linux release, in this case Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish), and daily builds are now available for download.

Ubuntu developer Steve Langasek was the one to announce earlier this week that the upcoming Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) operating system is officially open for development, with Python 3.10 supported by default.

And now, early adopters and application developers interested in test driving the upcoming release can now download the daily builds for Jammy Jellyfish, which you can grab from Ubuntu’s main download servers.

Besides Ubuntu, which offers Desktop flavors for 64-bit and ARM64 (AArch64) architectures, you will also find daily builds for the Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Budgie, and Ubuntu Kylin flavors.

As usual, these daily builds are based on the previous Ubuntu release, Ubuntu 21.10 (Impish Indri). This means that they are based on the Linux 5.13 kernel and features mostly the same package versions, artwork, and desktop environment.

During the development cycle of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, we expect to see some of the newest GNU/Linux technologies and Open Source software, starting with the transition to OpenSSL 3.0, Go 1.18, Ruby 3.0, DPDK 21.11, and OpenLDAP 2.6.

I also hope to see new Ubuntu Desktop Installer written in Google’s Flutter SDK, as well as the GNOME 42 desktop environment, which is slated for release on March 23rd, 2022, and the Linux 5.17 kernel series, which should arrive in early March if my math is correct.

If you want to keep up with the development of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) during its six-month-long development cycle, I recommend you follow 9to5Linux as I will try to cover all its major changes until the final release on April 21st, 2022.

Last updated 3 seconds ago

Source

New Windows Office Insider Preview Build(Beta Channel)

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 07:34:30 +0000

Microsoft has released a new Office Insider Preview Build 14613.20000 for Windows users that registered in the Beta Channel of the Office Insider program. The new build adds notable fixes to Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, but includes no new features. You can read the full official changelog below to know about what’s been fixed.

Changelog

Outlook

Notable fixes

We fixed an issue where the Like button did not appear for Group emails if the user opens an inbox email and closes it before going to Groups.
We fixed an issue where Outlook would display fewer contact lists/contact groups in suggestions than expected.

Word

Notable fix

We fixed an issue where some tables spanning multiple pages would bounce up and down (due to redrawing) in a no-margin page view.

Excel

Notable fix

We fixed an issue where a query update caused Excel to stop responding.

PowerPoint

Notable fix

We fixed an issue where copying an embedded object caused the embedded object to save, as well as re-saving the containing document (which created a new version if AutoSave was enabled).

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

New Windows Office Insider Preview Build(Beta Channel)

Windows hacker manages to install Google Play Store on Windows 11 WSA

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 01:25:17 +0000

Microsoft recently released their Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) for Windows 11 Insiders, and while it is an amazing achievement, at present it is pretty limited, with access to only about 50 titles in the Amazon app store.

While it is possible to side-load any Android app, in practice the best apps are in the Google Play Store, and those will not work on WSA as it lacks Google Play Services, needed for most apps in that store.

Of course, Windows is nothing but hackable, and it appears Windows hacker ADeltaX has cracked the problem, and managed to install Google Play Services, including the Store, on Windows 11.

He has left all the necessary files and instructions on GitHub but it seems for now only experts need to apply.

Currently, the instruction reads:

Download MSIXBUNDLE (use store rg-adguard to download the msixbundle, Package id: 9P3395VX91NR)
INSTALL WSL2 (ubuntu/debian, any other distro could work)
INSTALL unzip lzip
DOWNLOAD GAPPS PICO FROM OPENGAPPS (x86_64, 11, PICO)
EXTRACT MSIXBUNDLE, EXTRACT MSIX (YOUR ARCH) TO A FOLDER, DELETE (APPXMETADATA, APPXBLOCKMAP, APPXSIGNATURE, [CONTENT_TYPES])
COPY IMAGES (SYSTEM.IMG, SYSTEM_EXT.IMG, PRODUCT.IMG, VENDOR.IMG) TO #IMAGES
COPY (GAPPS PICO ZIP) TO #GAPPS
EDIT (VARIABLES.sh) AND SET ROOT FOLDER
EXECUTE:
extract_gapps_pico.sh
extend_and_mount_images.sh
apply.sh
unmount_images.sh
COPY IMAGES FROM (#IMAGES FOLDER) TO YOUR EXTRACTED MSIX FOLDER
OPEN POWERSHELL (NOT CORE) AS ADMIN, EXECUTE (Add-AppxPackage -Register PATH_TO_EXTRACTED_MSIX\AppxManifest.xml)
RUN WSA WITH GAPPS, ENJOY

WORKAROUND FOR SIGN IN ISSUE:

(ADB SHELL ROOT WITH su)

COPY (kernel FILE) FROM (misc FOLDER) TO (Tools FOLDER) IN YOUR EXTRACTED MSIX FOLDER
NOW YOU CAN USE su IN ADB SHELL ENTER ADB SHELL, TYPE su THEN TYPE setenforce 0 YOU CAN NOW SIGN IN

ADeltaX is however promising to rewrite the instructions soon to make them more palatable.

The achievement reminds me of Microsoft killing Android apps for Windows Phone, not because it worked too poorly, but because it worked too well.

Windows hacker manages to install Google Play Store on Windows 11 WSA

Microsoft Edge 95 Stable now available (changelog)

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 21:58:53 +0000

Today Microsoft released Microsoft Edge Build 95.0.1020.30 as part of their regular 4-weekly update cycle.

The update brings improvements to battery life, collections improvements, improvements to the download experience and more. See the full changelog below:

Feature updates

View in File Explorer support for SharePoint Online libraries in Microsoft Edge. Now you can enable the View in File Explorer capability on SharePoint Online Modern Document Libraries. For this experience to be visible and work for your users, you need to enable the Microsoft Edge policy Configure the View in File Explorer feature for SharePoint pages in Microsoft Edge and update your SharePoint Online tenant configuration. Learn more: View SharePoint files with File Explorer in Microsoft Edge.
Intranet zone file URL links will open in Windows File Explorer. You can allow file URL links to intranet zone files originating from intranet zone HTTPS websites to open Windows File Explorer for that file or directory. You can enable this experience using the IntranetFileLinksEnabled policy.
Improvements to the downloads experience. Support for the download user experience is extended to progressive web applications PWAs and WebView. We will also begin to support drag and drop to the File Explorer and Desktop.
Pick up where you left off on PDF documents. You will now be able to resume reading from where you last closed your PDF document.
Efficiency mode extends battery life when your laptop enters battery saver mode. Efficiency mode will become active when your laptop enters battery saver mode to allow the browser to manage resource usage to extend the battery life of your machine. You will have four options when efficiency mode becomes active: Unplugged and low battery, Unplugged, Always, and Never. Note: This feature is a Controlled Feature Rollout. If you don’t see this feature, check back shortly as we continue our rollout.
Free form text boxes added to PDF documents. We now support adding free form text boxes to PDF documents. You can use these boxes to fill in forms and add visible notes.
Citation support added to Collections. We’ve improved the Collections experience, especially for students and researchers. Collections will start supporting citations and reading lists.
Update your passwords faster and with fewer clicks. The browser will now take you directly to the Change Password page for a given website. This action saves you time and clicks by removing the need to navigate to the page manually. After you’re on this page, the browser will also autofill your existing password and suggest a strong, unique new password. Note: Currently this feature is only available on a limited number of sites.
Auto-account creation. We now provide additional support on Sign-Up pages by allowing you to create an online account with one click. You can do this by selecting the suggestion drop-down when you click on any form field in the Sign-Up form. Doing so will show not only information relevant to the Sign-Up form, but also a strong new password suggestion. Upon selection, all the relevant information gets populated in the respective fields and the suggested password will be automatically stored on submission to the website. Note: Currently this feature is only available on a limited number of sites.

Policy updates

New Policies

BrowserLegacyExtensionPointsBlockingEnabled Enable browser legacy extension point blocking
CrossOriginWebAssemblyModuleSharingEnabled Specifies whether WebAssembly modules can be sent cross-origin
DisplayCapturePermissionsPolicyEnabled Specifies whether the display-capture permissions-policy is checked or skipped
InternetExplorerIntegrationWindowOpenHeightAdjustment Configure the pixel adjustment between window.open heights sourced from IE mode pages vs. Edge mode pages
InternetExplorerIntegrationWindowOpenWidthAdjustment Configure the pixel adjustment between window.open widths sourced from IE mode pages vs. Edge mode pages
IntranetFileLinksEnabled Allow intranet zone file URL links from Microsoft Edge to open in Windows File Explorer
NewSmartScreenLibraryEnabled Enable new SmartScreen library
ShadowStackCrashRollbackBehavior Configure ShadowStack crash rollback behavior
VisualSearchEnabled Visual search enabled

Obsoleted Policies

InternetExplorerIntegrationTestingAllowed Allow Internet Explorer mode testing
LegacySameSiteCookieBehaviorEnabled Enable default legacy SameSite cookie behavior setting

The latest version of the Edge browser can be installed simply by restarting your browser.

Microsoft Edge 95 Stable now available (changelog)

PowerShell 7.2.0 RC1 now available for testing

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 21:55:41 +0000

Microsoft has made PowerShell 7.2.0 Release Candidate 1 available for testing.

The update comes with the following changelog:

General Cmdlet Updates and Fixes

Disallow COM calls for AppLocker system lockdown (#16268)
Configure Microsoft.ApplicationInsights to not send cloud role name (#16246)
Disallow Add-Type in NoLanguage mode on a locked down machine (#16245)
Make property names for color VT100 sequences consistent with documentation (#16212)
Make moving a directory into itself with Move-Item an error (#16198)
Change FileSystemInfo.Target from a CodeProperty to an AliasProperty that points to FileSystemInfo.LinkTarget (#16165)

Tests

Removed deprecated docker-based tests for PowerShell release packages (#16224)

Build and Packaging Improvements

Bump .NET SDK to 6.0.100-rc.2

Update .NET 6 to version 6.0.100-rc.2.21505.57 (#16249)
Fix RPM packaging (Internal 17704)
Update ThirdPartyNotices.txt (#16283)
Update pipeline yaml file to use ubuntu-latest image (#16279)
Add script to generate cgmanifest.json (#16278)
Update version of Microsoft.PowerShell.Native and Microsoft.PowerShell.MarkdownRender packages (#16277)
Add cgmanifest.json for generating correct third party notice file (#16266)
Only upload stable buildinfo for stable releases (#16251)
Don’t upload .dep or .tar.gz for RPM because there are none (#16230)
Ensure RPM license is recognized (#16189)
Add condition to only generate release files in local dev build only (#16259)
Ensure psoptions.json and manifest.spdx.json files always exist in packages (#16258)
Fix CI script and split out ARM runs (#16252)
Update vPack task version to 12 (#16250)
Sign third party executables (#16229)
Add Software Bill of Materials to the main packages (#16202)
Upgrade set-value package for markdown test (#16196)
Fix Microsoft update spelling issue (#16178)
Move vPack build to 1ES Pool (#16169)

The updated app is being distributed via Windows Update if you selected the “Update via Windows Update”.

via Deskmodder

PowerShell 7.2.0 RC1 now available for testing

Apple's Safari browser runs the risk of becoming the new Internet Explorer – holding the web back for everyone

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 13:51:27 +0000

WebKit engine is well behind the competition

The legacy of Internet Explorer 6 haunts web developer nightmares to this day. Microsoft's browser of yore made their lives miserable and it's only slightly hyperbolic to say it very nearly destroyed the entire internet. It really was that bad, kids. It made us walk to school in the snow. Uphill. Both ways. You wouldn't understand.

Or maybe you would. Today developers who want to use "cutting-edge" web APIs find themselves resorting to the same kind of browser-specific workarounds, but this time the browser dragging things down comes from Apple.

Apple's Safari lags considerably behind its peers in supporting web features. Whether it's far enough behind to be considered "the new IE" is debatable and may say more about the shadow IE still casts across the web than it does about Safari. But Safari – or more specifically the WebKit engine that powers it – is well behind the competition. According to the Web Platform Tests dashboard, Chrome-based browsers support 94 per cent of the test suite, and Firefox pulls off 91 per cent, but Safari only manages 71 per cent.

On the desktop this doesn't matter all that much because users can always switch to Google Chrome (or even better, Vivaldi). On iOS devices, however, that's not possible. According to Apple's App Store rules: "apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript." Every iPhone user is a Safari/WebKit user whether they use Safari or Chrome.

Apple has a browser monopoly on iOS, which is something Microsoft was never able to achieve with IE. In Windows you could at least install Firefox. If you do that on iOS it might say Firefox, but you're still using WebKit. The reality is if you have an iOS device, you use Safari and are bound by its limitations.

Another thing web developers find distressing is Apple's slow development cycle. Apple updates Safari roughly every six months at best. Blink-based browsers update every six weeks (soon every four), Firefox releases every four weeks, and Brave releases every three. This means that not only is Apple slow to add new features, but its development cycle means that even simple bug fixes have to wait a long time before they actually land on users' devices. Safari workarounds are not quick fixes. If your website is affected by a Safari bug, you can expect to wait up to a year before the problem is solved.

One theme that emerges when you dig into the Web Platform Tests data on Safari's shortcomings is that even where WebKit has implemented a feature, it's often not complete. Take the case of progressive web apps (PWAs). Progressive web apps is an umbrella term of websites that want to behave like native mobile applications. Some of the APIs used to build PWAs include the ability to run full screen (no browser UI), send notifications and alerts, offline capabilities, and launch from an icon on your home screen. Probably the two best-known examples of PWAs are Twitter and Uber.

Apple has implemented much of what developers need to build PWAs, but there are limitations. Apple hasn't added support for sending notifications and home screen icons. In essence Apple hasn't implemented some of the core features that make websites able to behave in an app-like way.

This has long been the core of the argument that Apple is deliberately crippling WebKit to protect its App Store business. In other words, if Apple implements these things, developers will start building better web apps, no one will buy native apps, and Apple will lose its 30 per cent cut of the iOS App Store.

That might make sense to web developers, who are deeply passionate about building web apps, but it doesn't make much sense outside that context. Apple is one of the wealthiest companies on Earth, and it probably isn't too worried about what web developers are going to do with all those fantastic new APIs it isn't supporting. Apple is certainly protecting its interests, but at least right now that seems to be more related to Apple's move to position itself as the protector of user privacy than worry about web apps.

Is Safari saving the web?

Safari's defenders, and Apple itself, argue that the company isn't implementing all these new APIs because letting developers have access to your USB ports, Bluetooth, battery status, and proximity sensor will allow advertisers to build device "fingerprints" which further erode privacy, to say nothing of the impact on battery life.

I don't own any iOS devices but, in all honesty, Apple's stance here almost makes me want one.

I should probably admit now that I hate the modern web. I don't really worry all that much because having a mobile device and having privacy are mutually exclusive. I punt on privacy, but I find the experience of modern websites so unreliable, slow, and overall user-hostile that I prefer to do literally anything else.

I dislike the experiences enabled by JavaScript-driven web APIs so much I've taken to browsing with JavaScript disabled. This returns the web to a beautiful, clean simplicity that would probably make Apple happy. Sites that load without JavaScript I read – sites that don't I can't be bothered. Yes, I am serious. If Invidious can load YouTube content without JavaScript, why can't YouTube? I don't know and I don't care. I wrote a script to make sure I am always redirected to Invidious (PeerTube is a better alternative) but I digress.

My point is, I want to support Apple here, but unfortunately I think the argument that Apple is holding Safari back to protect user privacy is weak. While I don't think Apple is all that worried about web developers hurting its App Store profits, I also don't think the company is big enough to ignore the web completely and not suffer the consequences. That is, Apple may believe that it's acting to protect user privacy, but it won't work.

Failing to implement these APIs hasn't stopped them from being adopted in every other browser. It will take a while, but we already know how this story ends. It ends like it ended for Internet Explorer: Microsoft lost. Everyone else moved on and eventually Microsoft was the company with the product no one wanted. If Apple goes down that road, not only will Apple lose, but the web will as well. Because the Apple defenders are right about one thing: if Apple doesn't stand up to Google's Blink juggernaut, it doesn't look like anyone else will either.

Just what does that juggernaut look like? Web developer Tim Perry recently pointed out that once upon a time every browser was offering their own add-on APIs. But, as Perry writes, "Chrome effectively dominated developer mindshare, provided more powerful and easier to use extension APIs that became far more popular, and both Firefox and Safari … killed their own APIs and accepted Chrome's, unintentionally allowing Google to unilaterally set the web extension standard." This is what happens when no-one is around to push back against the market leader.

Now the same thing is happening with dev tools and APIs. "Chrome is following the same path today," writes Perry, "offering web developers more powerful tools and a better development experience (better devtools, fewer bugs) than Safari. If nothing changes, the outcome is likely to be similar. This is bad."

How Apple really could help the web

What the web needs is someone to put the brakes on Google and Blink and make sure that the APIs being created are good for web users. Not just good for Google users. Not just good for Apple users. Not just good for web developers. Good for everyone.

Too much of modern web feature development happens in silence with very little debate. Blink developers propose features by shipping them in Chrome behind a developer flag. At that point there's already a working implementation and debate is difficult – if not impossible.

I'm not suggesting that Apple would have impure motives, but it seems like perhaps its vision for Safari might, temporarily at least, be helpful to the web standards process … if Apple could change how it approaches Safari.

It's probably a pipe dream. But as long-time web advocate (and former Opera evangelist) Bruce Lawson recently wrote: "If Apple allowed Safari to actually compete, it would be better for web developers, businesses, consumers, and for the health of the web."

If Apple were less opaque and faster in its development process it could participate more in the debate over new APIs. If the company truly has concerns about the privacy implications of APIs, then it should voice them. Push back against Google, and provide a real alternative to Chrome. It wouldn't be easy, but it might be the only hope we have. ®

Source

You can now download Windows 11 Build 22483 ISO image

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:31:58 +0000

Microsoft yesterday released Windows 11 Build 22483 to the Dev Channel Insiders. This build includes 7th anniversary badges, the ability to right-click on either “Recommended” or the “More” button in Start and several bug fixes. Microsoft today announced the release of ISO images of Windows 11 Build 22483, you can download it here.

What’s new in Windows 11 Build 22483:

7TH ANNIVERSARY BADGE EXCLUSIVELY FOR WINDOWS INSIDERS

To continue celebrating our anniversary this week, we will begin rolling out 7th anniversary badge. Windows Insiders will soon see it in the Feedback Hub achievements section in the coming weeks. Thank you all for participating and supporting Windows Insider Program!

7th anniversary badge for Windows Insiders.

CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS

We’ve added the ability to right-click on either “Recommended” or the “More” button in Start to refresh the items show there.

FIXES

[Search]

Fixed an issue that was causing Search to appear black and not display any content below the search box.

[Settings]

Searching for “display” will now return Display Settings.

[Other]

Trying to access the Linux entry for WSL in File Explorer’s navigation pane should no longer pop up an error saying “wsl.localhost is unavailable, insufficient resources exist” on ARM64 PCs.
Fixed an issue that was causing cellular data to not work on certain devices in recent Dev Channel builds.
Addressed an issue with NTFS when the USN journal was enabled, where it was doing extra unnecessary action with each write, impacting I/O performance.
Made some small improvements to keyboard navigation and screen reader usage of Performance Monitor.
Webview2 processes should now be properly grouped with the application using it in Task Manager’s Processes tab.
Fixed an issue that was causing the Publisher column in Task Manager to not retrieve publisher names.

NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the active development branch may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11 that became generally available on October 5th.

KNOWN ISSUES

[General]

Users updating from Builds 22000.xxx, or earlier, to newer Dev Channel builds using the latest Dev Channel ISO, may receive the following warning message: The build you are trying to install is Flight Signed. To continue installing, enable flight signing. If you receive this message, press the Enable button, reboot the PC, and retry the update.
Some users may experience their screen and sleep timeouts being reduced. We’re investigating the potential impact that shorter screen and sleep timeouts could have on energy consumption.
We’re investigating reports from Insiders that the Processes tab in Task Manager is blank sometimes.
We’re working on a fix for an issue causing some devices to bugcheck with SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCPTION when updating, starting with the previous build. If hit this issue previously, try rebooting and re-trying the update.
We’re investigating reports from Insiders that Xbox Game Pass games are failing to install with error 0x00000001.

[Start]

In some cases, you might be unable to enter text when using Search from Start or the Taskbar. If you experience the issue, press WIN + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialog box, then close it.

[Taskbar]

The Taskbar will sometimes flicker when switching input methods.
We’re working on the fix for an issue causing tooltips to appear in an unexpected location after hovering over the Taskbar corner.

[Search]

After clicking the Search icon on the Taskbar, the Search panel may not open. If this occurs, restart the “Windows Explorer” process, and open the search panel again.

[Quick Settings]

We’re investigating reports from Insiders that the volume and brightness sliders aren’t displaying properly in Quick Settings.

Source: Microsoft

You can now download Windows 11 Build 22483 ISO image

Free Download Manager removes support for YouTube downloads

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:28:22 +0000

If you are using Free Download Manager, you may have noticed that the program cannot be used to download videos from YouTube. You are not the only one facing the issue, it started a few days ago.

Here's what happened.

Some users, having discovered the lack of an option to fetch videos from YouTube, raised a complaint at the official FDM forums. A developer on the FDM team, Alex, responded to the thread by saying, YouTube downloads are not available in the program anymore. He also clarified that the team was discussing the issue with Google in order to find a resolution.

When users asked him for more details, the developer said that FDM had received a claim from Google, and they had to "turn off the option for YouTube downloads".

This was the reason why the feature has removed from the popular program. We'll get back to that in a bit.

Usually, software are not targeted by legal issues like piracy, except in rare cases when a record label randomly sends out a DMCA or a Cease and Desist order. Remember the youtubedl fiasco? Back to the issue at hand, Google forbids extensions on the store from downloading YouTube videos. The FDM extension clearly does not download the videos, it just sends the command to the program. The FDM desktop application, like many programs, is just a tool, and it is the up to the user to decide how they want to use the program. It is a little strange why the search giant went after Free Download Manager in particular, while similar programs haven't been targeted.

The problem with FDM seems to have started with version 6.15.3 build 4234. If you have an older build, could you use it to download YouTube videos? Intrigued by this thought, I tried a slightly older version, and it gave me a different error that said "Can't process page."

So, I went all the way back to version 5, and it still gave me an error, but this time it said "Parsing failure. YouTube downloads are not available."

Though I had the FDM extension installed in the browser, I wasn't using it to grab the media. I was manually copying the YouTube video's URL and pasting it in the program. So why were older versions displaying the error? Clearly this error isn't specific to the version being used, so it has to be server related problems.

I can think of 2 possibilities. One, something has changed on YouTube's end, which is causing the error. It seems unlikely, since I was able to download the videos using other programs. The other theory is that Free Download Manager relies on an external service for YouTube downloads, probably to parse the video links (fetch the metadata, URLs, resolution, etc.) and sends it to the program for download. I mentioned earlier that the developer had to "turn off the option for YouTube", this is likely the intermediary service that was taken down.

The YouTube page on FDM's site has also been pulled, and gives a 404. Here's a Web Archive version of it from April 2021. The page's disappearance does seem like a serious issue, and it remains unclear whether FDM will add support for YouTube downloads again.

Meanwhile, you can use other programs like YouTube-DL, yt-dlp, youtube-dl-gui, XDM, IDM, FireDM (formerly PyIDM). Take a look at our previous article for more ways to download videos.

Free Download Manager removes support for YouTube downloads

Microsoft releases Windows 10 November 2021 Update ISO images

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:24:10 +0000

Microsoft today announced the release of ISO images of Windows 10 November 2021 Update (Windows 10, version 21H2). Microsoft confirmed that Windows 10 Build 19044.1288 is the final build for the November 2021 Update. Microsoft will continue to improve the overall experience of the November 2021 Update through its usual servicing cadence.

Windows 10 November 2021 Update is now available to all Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on Windows 10 via our “seeker” experience in Windows Update.
Windows Insiders currently on Windows 10, version 21H1 (or lower) in the Release Preview Channel will need to go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choose to download and install Windows 10, version 21H2.
Once an Insider updates their PC to Windows 10, version 21H2, they will continue to automatically receive new servicing updates through Windows Update (the typical monthly update process).

Microsoft also announced that the new Windows Hello for Business deployment method known as ‘cloud trust’ is still under development and will be delivered in a future monthly update to the November 2021 Update.

Source: Microsoft

Microsoft releases Windows 10 November 2021 Update ISO images

StartAllBack 3.0 released to address Windows 11 UI shortcomings, and a giveaway

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:22:08 +0000

StartAllBack has been updated to 3.0, you may remember this program by the name StartIsBack, well according to the developer it now has a new name and a new focus for Windows 11 UI shortcomings that are plaguing early adopters. Namely: the stubborn taskbar, slow File Explorer with cut context menus and the "quite cringe start menu" (their words, not ours).

So what does it do? StartAllBack restores taskbar from Windows 10, adopted with Windows 11 features and look. It restores the File Explorer UI and context menus, improved with Mica and Acrylic effects, as well as the classic start menu derived from Windows 7. That last point is the kicker, this app appears to mostly emulate the Windows 7 Start menu. So if you are looking for an app to restore the Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 11, this is not for you.

Here is the changelog:

Improved Search, Task View, Widgets, Chat buttons
Added Control Center optional system tray icon
Added volume control via mouse wheel on volume tray icon

StartAllBack costs $4.99, or $1.50 if you are upgrading from StartIsBack. The app is also included in the Rectify 11 project, which aims to provide Windows 11 clean installs with some visual fixes, as well as including StartAllBack as the default Start menu.

We have five licenses of StartAllBack to give away, all you have to do is ensure that you follow @NeowinFeed on Twitter and retweet the above tweet that we've embedded, alternatively if you are blocking javascript, here's a link to it. We'll be using the Tweet to draw winners sometime next week!

StartAllBack 3.0 released to address Windows 11 UI shortcomings, and a giveaway

Stardock announces Fences 4 with refreshed interface and Windows 11 support

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:16:00 +0000

Stardock announced Fences 4, a program that allows users to automatically organize shortcuts and icons on their PC desktops into custom-sized spaces called fences. As with previous editions of the software, Fences 4 creates dedicated areas to organize icons and folders and offers additional customization features that has made it popular with millions of users of Microsoft Windows.

"Fences 4 is being designed to meet the needs of today's PC user," said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock. "Fences has always been a great way to show a clean desktop or to organize it and now we are adding features that allow users who want a minimalistic desktop to have that while also supporting users who use the desktop as a natural extension of their workspace."

Stardock has released an alpha version of Fences 4 for Windows 10 and 11 to users of its Object Desktop suite. New features will be added throughout the fall with a targeted release later this winter.

Upcoming features for Fences 4 include virtual desktop support, enhanced search functionality, roaming profiles, and many other updates that will help home and business users stay organized.

Additionally, Stardock has announced Fences for Business, which will help keep PCs organized and standardized across the workforce. A new kiosk mode will help administrators lock their entire desktop layout, while the Snapshots feature will allow them to replicate layouts across multiple devices.

The Fences 4 alpha is available exclusively through Stardock's Object Desktop suite. For more information, visit www.stardock.com or the Fences 4 website here.

Stardock announces Fences 4 with refreshed interface and Windows 11 support

AMD's latest chipset driver fixes Windows 11 CPPC2 issues on Ryzen

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:13:44 +0000

If you're an AMD Ryzen CPU user running Windows 11, there's some good news for you today. The company has released its latest chipset driver version 3.10.08.506 and it comes with the performance patch for a Windows 11 issue that was causing the release version of the OS to not properly schedule the fastest available cores appropriately due to a problem with the Collaborative Processor Performance Control (CPPC) mechanism. As a result, applications that weren't very threaded would lose performance. The issue was one of the two problems - the other one being an L3 cache latency issue - that were noted on Zen CPUs. You can read about these in detail in the original report here.

In its release notes for the 3.10.08.506 driver, AMD says:

Restores intended function and behavior of UEFI CPPC2 (“preferred core”) in Windows® 11 build 22000.189 (or newer) on AMD processors.

The driver adds a new Ryzen Power Plan 7.0.3.5 which comes optimized for Windows 11 which should fix this CPPC2 bug.

While the new driver patches performance issues on Windows 11, it is also available for Windows 10 on all Zen-based systems. However, on Windows 11, the driver is only compatible with Zen+-based CPUs and newer, and it makes sense since anything older than Zen+ isn't supported on Windows 11 either way. In terms of chipset support, all available Zen-based chipsets are supported by this driver.

The driver also fixes an OpenGL error pop-up and installs a new AMD UART Driver version 1.2.0.113 which adds support for 4Mbps baud rate.

There are a few known issues too:

Sometimes custom install fails to upgrade to latest drivers.
Text alignment issues may be seen on Russian language.
Manual system restart required on Non-English OS after the installation is complete.
Windows® Installer pop-up message may appear during the installation.
Uninstall summary log may incorrectly show uninstall status as fail on non-English OS.
May observe a pop-up message "AMD Chipset Software is not responding" when the installer is launched and UI screen is clicked.

If you wish to download the new 3.10.08.506 chipset driver, head over to AMD's official site where you can find the relevant links.

AMD's latest chipset driver fixes Windows 11 CPPC2 issues on Ryzen

Mozilla is testing a Firefox version on the Microsoft Store, but it's not available for users yet

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:10:45 +0000

Mozilla Firefox has been listed on the Microsoft Store. But, before you get excited, I should tell you that you, the app is not available for users just yet (only those with a code to unlock the application).

Here's the listing, instead of the "Get" option, the button says you need to redeem a code to download the browser. A text above it reads, "Mozilla Firefox is currently not available."

The app does not appear in the search results if you look it up in the Store. Redditors were quick with the jokes about Mozilla running out of stock for the digital download, and supply chain issues. A Firefox developer chimed in the thread, to confirm that the Firefox Microsoft Store version is in the internal testing phase right now, and hence not available to the public.

There are a few issues filed on Bugzilla related to this. (1, 2, and 3). According to the bug-related discussions, the Firefox app will use the same user profile folder as the normal standalone browser. That will be good for users who can install the Store app, and switch to it, without losing their browsing history, extensions and other data.

Some users were able to install the Store version, and say that it can exist alongside the desktop version. But, you'll only be able to run one of those at a time.

Unlike Linux and macOS which ship with app stores that are handy to update programs, Windows users have to manually keep an eye out for updates, or use the app's built-in update checker. I use RSS Feeds to make this a little simpler. That's why I think having Firefox on the Microsoft Store is a good thing, timely updates with security fixes, that will be delivered automatically. And it would be easier for the layman to get the correct version of the browser, instead of obtaining a potentially malware-ridden one. Plus, putting it on the Store gives an additional way for users to download Firefox, it could be another way of drawing new users to it.

The minimum requirements on the Firefox Store listing says that users will need to be on Windows 10 version 17763.0 or higher. It is a 64-bit app. More importantly, this confirms that the app won't be exclusive to Windows 11. Speaking of which, the new OS allows developers to upload different types of apps, including Win32, .NET, UWP, Xamarin, Electron, React Native, Java and Progressive Web Apps. But there are some limitations to the other types, especially Win32, because the Store will not allow the apps to be updated. One of the discussions of Bugzilla reveals that the Firefox Microsoft Store version is an MSIX package. This means users will get automatic updates for the browser delivered through the Store app.

Windows 11's Microsoft Store is a lot better than Windows 10's, hopefully the experience will get better once more developers bring their wares to the table.

Oh, and we can't forget the meme. Soon, you will no longer need Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge to download Firefox.

Image courtesy: Reddit

Mozilla is testing a Firefox version on the Microsoft Store, but it's not available for users yet

Windows 11 KB5006746 update fixes gaming performance issues

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:06:41 +0000

Microsoft has released the optional KB5006746 cumulative update preview for Windows 11, fixing sixty-four issues, including AMD CPU performance and gaming issues.

This cumulative update preview is part of Microsoft's scheduled October 2021 monthly "C" updates, allowing Windows 11 users to test the upcoming fixes being released on September 9th as part of Patch Tuesday.

Unlike the Patch Tuesday updates, schedule "C" updates are optional and only contain bug fixes and performance improvements but no security updates.

To install this update, you need to go to Settings > Windows Update and manually 'Check for updates.' As this is an optional update, Windows will not install it until you click on the 'Download now' button, as shown below.

Windows Update offering the KB5006746 update

Windows 11 users can also manually download and install the KB5006746 preview update from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Gaming performance issues fixed

This update fixes numerous issues with gaming performance in Windows 11.

Since Windows 11's release, users have been complaining of noticeable performance issues with AMD Ryzen CPUs.

In a support article published by AMD, it was explained that these issues are caused by "L3 cache latency may increase for some applications" and "UEFI CPPC2 ("preferred core") may not preferentially schedule threads on a processor's fastest core."

"Addresses an L3 caching issue that might affect performance in some applications on devices that have AMD Ryzen processors after upgrading to Windows 11 (original release)," explains the release notes for today's update.

With the KB5006746 update, Microsoft has also fixed an issue causing Bluetooth mice and keyboards to be slower than expected, which can adversely affect shooters and eSports games.

Finally, Microsoft fixed an issue preventing users from using the Xbox Game Bar recording features.

What's new in the Windows 10 KB5006746 update

After installing the KB5006746 update, Windows 11 will have its build number changed to 22000.282

The Windows 10 KB5006746 cumulative update preview includes 64 improvements or fixes, with the thirteen highlighted changes listed below:

Updates an issue that causes Internet Explorer to stop working when you type certain characters in the Input Method Editor (IME).
Updates an issue that occurs when you try to rename a file in File Explorer using the new Japanese IME.
Updates an issue that might distort the sound captured by voice assistants.
Updates an issue that sometimes causes your lock screen background to appear black if you have set up a slideshow of pictures as your lock screen background.
Updates an issue that might cause your Bluetooth mice and keyboards to respond slower than expected.
Improves the time estimate for how long you might wait to use your device after it restarts.
Updates an issue that might prevent you from using the Xbox Game Bar recording features.
Updates an issue that causes some applications to run slower than usual after you upgrade to Windows 11 (original release).
Updates an issue that prevents Narrator and other screen readers from announcing when the Start menu is open in certain cases.
Updates an issue in that prevents the search window from appearing on a secondary monitor.
Updates an issue that prevents you from opening multiple instances of an app using Shift and clicking on the app’s icon in the taskbar.
Updates the visual design and animations of the Chat icon on the taskbar.
Updates an issue for a small number of users that prevents the Start menu from working and prevents you from seeing the updated taskbar after upgrading to Windows 11 (original release).

You can find a complete list of improves and fixes and detailed explanations of the known issues in the KB5006746 support bulletin.

Windows 11 KB5006746 update fixes gaming performance issues

Microsoft is releasing Windows 10 21H2 in November

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:03:13 +0000

Microsoft is preparing Windows 10 21H2, the next Windows 10 version, for a November 2021 release and is now rolling it out to all Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel.

The Windows 10 21H2 feature update is offered as an optional update through the "seeker" experience in Windows Update to Insiders who go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

"We are preparing the Windows 10 November 2021 Update (Windows 10, version 21H2) for release," said Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Program Team.

"We believe that Build 19044.1288 is the final build for the November 2021 Update, and the ISO for this build can be downloaded here.

"Once an Insider updates their PC to Windows 10, version 21H2, they will continue to automatically receive new servicing updates through Windows Update (the typical monthly update process)."

Windows 10 21H2 feature update (Microsoft)

"Windows 10, version 21H2 will have a scoped set of features focused on productivity and security, prioritized to meet our customers' needs based on feedback," Microsoft's John Cable, Vice President, Program Management, Windows Servicing, and Delivery explained in July.

According to Cable, Windows 10 21H2 will add the following features:

WPA3 H2E standards support for enhanced Wi-Fi security
Windows Hello for Business introduces a new deployment method called cloud trust to support simplified passwordless deployments and achieve a deploy-to-run state within a few minutes
GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) deployments for machine learning and other compute intensive workflows

However, today, LeBlanc said that Microsoft is still finalizing the Windows Hello for Business cloud trust deployment method and will be launched later with a monthly update.

"We will continue to improve the overall experience of the November 2021 Update on customers' PCs through our usual servicing cadence," he added.

Windows 10 21H2 will receive 18 months of support for Home and Pro editions and 30 months for Enterprise and Education editions.

Commercial customers can validate Windows 10, version 21H2 before deployment in their environments using the info available in this blog post.

If you want to join the Windows Insider Program to test the final Windows 10 21H2 build available to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel, you can click here.

Microsoft is releasing Windows 10 21H2 in November