Phoronix caught hold of last minute urgent updates sent hours before Linus Torvalds, the kernel’s principle developer, was to put out the fifth RC of the upcoming kernel.

The patch was added by longtime kernel developer Thomas Gleixner who described it as “yet another attempt at fixing the never-ending saga of botched x86 timers...”

Gleixner's patch made it to Torvalds’ Linux v5.15-rc5 release, who called the release a fairly normal one at this stage of development.

Saving a trainwreck

Gleixner’s patch was titled "use another crystalball to evaluate HPET usability," and aimed to fix an issue with the high precision event timer (HPET) coming to a halt on modern Intel processors, under certain circumstances, even if it is being used by the kernel.

Phoronix says that the kernel has employed various mechanisms in the past to workaround the problem with HPET. 

The problems date back to 2019 when Linux first experimented with disabling HPET on select Intel platforms. However, since there have been quirks in the previous solutions, Gleixner’s latest patch will simply disable HPET when it detects the presence of the PC10 power state.

Assuming that things go according to plan, Linux 5.15 should come out towards late October/early November.

Source

The company though has defended its position and recently, David Weston, Partner Director of Enterprise and OS Security at Microsoft, explained why these features have played a key role in ensuring a secure experience for Windows 11 users.

Not just that but the firm also presented a video demo - starring Weston - that shows how potential hackers could easily gain access to such vulnerable machines that don't have these features. The video shows how hackers can gain control of a vulnerable device both remotely or locally to infect such systems with malicious payloads like ransomware or steal user authentication data. The video is meant to really drive the point home that such features are indeed crucial for a secure Windows 11 environment.

The first part of the video shows the successful exploitation of a vulnerable open remote desktop protocol (RDP) port to gain administrator access and distribute mock ransomware on a Windows 10 PC that didn't have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled.

After that, Weston demonstrates local exploitation of the user login via fingerprint authentication process on a PC without VBS. A PCILeech was used to gain access to the memory on the vulnerable system and modify the biometric authentication code that can let a potential attacker bypass the biometric authentication process.

You can watch the full video and find more details in the source link below.

Source: Microsoft Mechanics (YouTube)

Source

Windows 11 launched last week, but if you’ve already downloaded and installed it, you’re still not getting the final product, as Microsoft is continuing to add new features.

At the risk of sounding like an old man, back in the day when an operating system launched, you pretty much got the final product, bar a few updates to address any issues. Major changes or new features were usually reserved for ‘Service Packs’ and other big releases.

With high-speed broadband now being more commonplace in people’s homes, operating system makers such as Microsoft have been putting out ever larger updates to their operating systems, and Windows 10 largely paved the way for operating systems to get several large updates throughout their lifetime that bring some major new changes.

In many ways, this is for the best. The Windows 10 that many of us use today is quite different from the Windows 10 that launched five years ago, and in that time Microsoft has added some genuinely useful new features (while also breaking quite a few things as well).

So, it was always inevitable that with Windows 11, Microsoft would continue to update and improve it as time went on. However, the downside of that is that – for the moment at least – it makes Windows 11 feel unfinished.

Updates already?

While we’ve seen Microsoft do this before, why does Windows 11 feel like a work in progress, when even Windows 10 didn’t? There’s a few factors at play here.

For a start, when Windows 10 came out, it represented a big change from its unloved predecessor, Windows 8.1. That meant a whole new look and feel for the operating system. Microsoft was keen to distance itself from the Windows 8 era as much as possible – and even the name was a statement of intent, skipping ‘9’ to show that Windows 10 was a big update.

Microsoft also made it clear early on that it would be updating Windows 10 regularly, even going as far as to say that it would be the last version of Windows. So, when those big updates started arriving, it felt like part of a plan.

Given that promise, though – of a final Windows version – many people were surprised when Windows 11 was announced. And as we point out in our Windows 11 review, the operating system doesn’t feel like a major leap from Windows 10 so far.

What’s worse is that we’re seeing hints of new apps and features already being on the way, including a new and improved Notepad app, one of Windows’ most iconic tools.

As Neowin reports, a new design for Notepad appears to have been accidentally leaked by a Microsoft employee. While it’s not a major design change, it brings it more in line with other built-in apps in Windows 11.

Of course, this raises the question of why the new design wasn’t included in Windows 11 for launch. Instead, the operating system launched with some new-look apps, while others remain the same, giving the launch a bit of a rushed feel.

WinCentral also reports that the popular Your Phone app, which lets you interact with your smartphone (such as viewing and replying to text messages) is due to get a redesign soon.

While this is welcome news, it again leads to the feeling that Windows 11 launched too early. It’s unfortunate, as Windows 11 is a decent operating system, but Microsoft’s work-in-progress approach is beginning to undermine the hard work that’s gone into making the OS.

With some of Windows 11’s biggest changes, such as the introduction of Android apps into the Microsoft Store, not coming until later, there will be an increasing number of people who’ll start to feel like the operating system was only half finished. That’s not something Microsoft will want.

Source

Use the PC Health Check app to find out if your system can run Windows 11. If you have an old computer that isn't supported by the new OS, take a look at our instructions where we show you how to install Windows 11 without TPM 2.0. There are several ways to do that, and now we have another option to bypass the restrictions, thanks to Rufus. The popular bootable media creation tool was updated over the weekend, to a beta version. Rufus Beta 2 lets you disable TMP, Secure Boot and RAM requirements for Windows 11.

This is the change-log of the update from GitHub.

Here's how to use the program. Before proceeding, make sure you have a USB flash drive that has a storage capacity of 8GB or more, for creating the bootable media. Please take a backup of any data, pictures or videos, that is on the flash drive before you go ahead, as formatting the thumb drive will erase all contents on it.

How to disable TPM, Secure Boot and RAM requirements for Windows 11

1. Go to the official website and download the latest beta release. At the time of writing this article, the current build is Rufus Beta 2 (rufus-3.16_BETA2.exe)

2. It's a portable program, run the EXE, and its interface should pop-up.

3. Select the USB drive that you want to use. Pay attention to the Drive Letter, Volume Label if you have more than one storage device plugged into your computer, and choose the correct one.

4. The next step is to make the boot selection, choose the third option "Disk or ISO Image".

5. Click the Select button, and navigate to the location of the folder that contains the Windows 11 ISO.

Note: If you don't have an ISO handy, check our article on how to download Windows 11. Rufus can also be used to download the image directly using Fido, from the same developer. To use it, click the arrow icon next to the Select button, and hit the download option.

6. Once you have done the above, some new menus will become available. The one we are interested in, is the Image Option menu. By default, it says Standard Windows 11 Installation. Click it and set the 2nd option, Extended Windows 11 Installation (no TPM, no Secure Boot, 8GB- RAM).

7. Leave all the other options at their default settings, i.e., the partition scheme, target system, Volume Label, File System and Cluster Size. Advanced users may customize the options as required.

Note: The quick format option is enabled by default, and will erase all data on your USB Drive.

8. You should see the "Ready" status at the bottom. Click the Start button to begin creating your bootable Windows 11 ISO without TPM, Secure Boot and RAM requirements.

Wait for Rufus to finish the task. Once it completes the job, you can use your bootable media to install or upgrade your operating system to Windows 11 on an unsupported computer.

Disable TPM, Secure Boot and RAM requirements for Windows 11 with the latest Rufus beta

When we reported about this on October 5, 2021, the day Windows 11 was released officially, we received reports from several of our readers that they got the incompatibility message in Windows Update even though their devices met all system requirements of the operating system.

Microsoft has now acknowledged the issue and stated that it is working on a fix to get it resolved.

How did affected users notice that something is not right? Microsoft's PC Health Check application told them. The official application checks if a PC meet all system requirements of Windows 11 and highlights items that are not compatible. It is linked on the Windows Update page, making it easy for users to double-check. It may also reveal details on the incompatibility on devices that don't meet all system requirements of the Windows 11 operating system.

Users affected by the incompatibility issue in Windows Update who ran the PC Health Check app told us that the app was not complaining about any items when they ran it. After carefully checking the installed hardware components, some concluded that the checker in Windows Update must have a bug.

Microsoft has not revealed the scope of the issue. It is unclear how many devices are affected by the Windows Update compatibility issue. We received several confirmations about the issue after writing about it here on this site.

Windows 10 customers who are affected by the issue have no other option but to wait for Microsoft to fix it.

Microsoft did not add the issue to the list of known issues of Windows 11.

 Your PC is compatible with Windows 11, but you get an error in Windows Update? Microsoft is working on a fix!

New Windows 11 Hold issue involves apps with non-ASCII characters in their Registry keys

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, and the Snipping Tool. Today, we'll be discussing the updated Paint app 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 19043.1266).

Paint has had a rather interesting history in Windows. Despite being a part of the OS for decades, Microsoft announced that it was being deprecated in 2017, and that the company wanted everyone to use Paint 3D. At that time, the Redmond tech giant was envisioning that consumers would be gravitating towards building 3D content and then visualizing and interacting with it Windows Mixed Reality. Of course, those plans never materialized in the way Microsoft expected, and we found out this year that it's actually Paint 3D that's getting the axe.

Moving to the actual Paint experience in Windows 10, we have a canvas where you can create content to your heart's content. The title bar has buttons for Save, Undo, Redo, and a drop-down that allows you to further customize the title bar and add more controls. There are three separate tabs below that for File, Home, and View. File allows you to interact with files in different ways such as creating new ones, saving, printing, setting as desktop background, and more. The Home tab is the default launch experience that you see in the screenshot above, it contains tools that you can leverage to draw. It also features the "Edit with Paint 3D" option (RIP). Finally, the View tab is where you can show or hide certain UI elements such as gridlines, status bars, zoom in and out, go full screen and more. The bottom bar of the Paint app shows you the current size of your canvas in pixels, as well as the zoom level.

Paint is something I have used occasionally since childhood for educational and entertainment purposes and I think I have just gotten so used to seeing it and utilizing it in its current state that I don't really have a lot to say about how it can be further improved. Arts and related content creation is not really my forte, so I'm not entirely sure from a functionality perspective about what other tools people would like to see in it. It's fine for most of my basic use-cases, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's perfect.

Coming over to the Paint experience in Windows 11, the first thing you'll unfortunately notice is that the app launches with a very visible stutter. At first, I thought that this was just an issue with my device and build, but I've found other people online complaining about the same. Essentially, the canvas sorts of launches with a black background, then the toolbar at the top loads the icons, and then the app is available in a usable state. Since this process takes over a second, it's a very jarring experience and just emphasizes my persistent complains that Microsoft is laser-focused on shipping software first and fixing it later. This just shouldn't be the experience you should have when interacting with a native pre-installed app. It's unacceptable.

Thankfully, it only gets better from here. You'll notice that the title bar and ribbon UI have been updated. Instead of having options to Save, Undo, and Redo in the title bar, these have been moved to the ribbon UI. All the icons have been updated and are now modernized and minimalistic. There are some accessibility improvements here and there too for pros (cough, cough) such as myself. When you click on the Brushes icon, it labels each brush by default instead of having you guess by looking at the icon. You'll notice a similar improvement in the Size tab where the size is not explicitly labeled in pixel values instead of just a visual representation. Some options like flip and rotate have been decoupled too. These are small but very useful enhancements, in this writer's opinion.

The tabs in the ribbon UI at the top have a rather interesting behavior modification too. This is because they are not tabs in Windows 11 too. File and View are both drop-downs now and show you the same options as the Windows 10 tabs when you hover them. The Home tab from Windows 10 is gone too as this is your default view, there are no tabs to to sift through in Windows 11, just a canvas, tools and dropdown menus. I like this approach as it means that you have potentially everything you might need on the same screen.

The "Settings" button in the File drop-down menu oddly opens what appears to be an "About Paint" dialog box, so that seems like a work in progress. Nothing surprising if you're familiar with Microsoft-Land.

Overall, I really like the Paint revamp in Windows 11. The new icons are refreshing to see and the accessibility improvements are a welcome change, especially since they don't leave the onus on the user to understand what the icons mean. The transition from tabbed menus to drop-down menus ensures that you have all the possible options right on your fingertips. This has made the UI look very clean overall.

There seems to be no functionality removed, or none that I relied on, at least. The "Edit in Paint 3D" option is indeed missing, but as we discussed before, this is because Paint 3D is inching closer towards death and is not even pre-installed in Windows 11. You can still install it separately via the Microsoft Store but it will not integrate with Paint. I don't miss it at all.

Perhaps the only real complaint I have with Paint in Windows 11 then is it's poor launch performance. The stuttering launch is there each time you open Paint, it's not something that gets better with usage. This really needs to be fixed. Microsoft has also noted that Paint will be updated with a dark mode soon, but as it is right now, it's not a major missing capability, at least to me. Of course, people who prefer OS-wide consistency will be bothered by this, so I hope the theme becomes available sooner rather than later.

Closer Look: Paint in Windows 11

Thunderbird 91 was launched two months ago, but it wasn’t offered as an OTA (Over-the-Air) upgrade from Thunderbird 78 and earlier releases. After three minor point releases, Thunderbird 91.2 is here and enables support for OTA upgrades from earlier Thunderbird versions.

Thunderbird 91.2 is also a minor update, bringing only the ability to use a unique filename when saving a single message in the .eml file format, as well as a bunch of bug fixes. But the major change in this release is the ability to upgrade from Thunderbird 78 and earlier versions without from within the app.

Therefore, if you’re running Thunderbird 78.14, all you have to do to upgrade to Thunderbird 91.2 is to click the hamburger menu next to the search field on the toolbar and access the About Thunderbird dialog from the Help menu. You will now see the option to upgrade to Thunderbird 91.2.0.

Of course, this won’t work if you have Thunderbird installed from the software repositories of your GNU/Linux distribution, but only if you’re using Mozilla Thunderbird via the binary archive downloaded from the official website.

If you’re thinking to yourself “should I upgrade to Thunderbird 91 or not,” you should know that this major update brings initial support for Matrix servers and uses Libera Chat for new chat accounts by default in the Chat component, an improved dark theme, a built-in PDF viewer, and improved CardDAV support.

Thunderbird 91 also introduces a whole new account setup wizard that opens in a tab instead of a new window, three new UI density controls, improved support for GMail accounts, support for accessing Outlook contacts, an improved printing UI, and the ability to encrypt your emails to BCC recipients too.

I think Thunderbird 91 is a worthy upgrade and, now that it also supports OTA ugprades from previous releases, there’s no excuse not to use it. Most modern GNU/Linux distributions already offer Thunderbird 91 in their repos, but if your distro doesn’t include it, please ask its maintainers to upgrade to the new series.

Source

However, if you are a fan of how the older Context Menu looked or maybe don't like clicking the Show more options often, you may want to check out Sordum's new application dubbed "Win 11 Classic Context Menu". This new app essentially restores the classic Classic Menu style from Windows 10. (image above). For those who are unaware, Sordum is known for making some useful Windows-based software like Defender Control, among other stuff.

The classic look of the Context Menu can also be restored via making tweaks and changes to the registry and this appears to be a tool that does basically that without the hassle of manually having to edit the registry.

The tool seems pretty intuitive too as the legacy right-click menu can be switched on by simply clicking the "Enable Win11 Classic Context Menu Style" and can be disabled by clicking the option just below it. The software will also alert the user in case the Explorer needs to be restarted.

If you're interested, you can download the software by visiting Sordum's official website here.

Source

Windows 11 users can configure the operating system to sign them in automatically into an account. A good setup combines automatic sign-ins to Windows 11 with full disk encryption, e.g. using the open source disk encryption tool VeraCrypt. The disk encryption protects the data on the device, but the login is still significantly faster.

Configure Windows 11 to sign-in automatically

Automatic sign-ins work best with local accounts. It is highly recommended to use a local account on Windows 11.  Automatic sign-ins to Windows 11 work only if Windows Hello is not enabled. Two-factor authentication, e.g. by using Microsoft's Authenticator application, may also cause issues. You can add new local user accounts under Settings > Accounts > Family & Other users > Add account.

If you sign-in using a PIN or by using other authentication options powered by Windows Hello, you can't enable automatic sign-ins to Windows 11. In this case, it is necessary to disable Windows Hello functionality first. Windows 11 users who sign-in using a local account or by not using Windows Hello functionality can skip to the next section.

1. Open the Settings application on the Windows 11 PC, e.g. with the shortcut Windows-I, or by selecting Start > Settings.
2. Go to Accounts > Sign-in options.
3. Disable "For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts in this device (Recommended)". It should read off once you have done so.
4. Expand the current sign-in method under "Ways to sign in", and select the Remove option.

Tip: if Remove is grayed out under PIN, select the forgot PIN link that is displayed. You are asked to sign-in using the Microsoft account password and then set a new PIN. Instead of adding a new PIN, select Cancel on the dialog and close the window.

Now that this is out of the way, it is time to configure Windows 11 for automatic logins.

1. Use the shortcut Windows-R to open the run box of the system.
2. Type netplwiz and hit Enter; this opens the User Account management page.
3. Select the account that you want to sign-in automatically on the PC.
4. Uncheck the box that says "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer".
5. Select Apply and confirm the account password.
6. Click OK.
7. Restart the computer.

Windows 11 should sign you in to the selected account automatically from that moment on.

How to sign-in to Windows 11 automatically

How to work with the Windows 11 Widget panel

Graphical Linux apps run out of the box on Windows 11, here’s how

The app appears to be version 11.2110.13.0, which is a few builds more than 10.2103.7.0, which is the current Microsoft Store Notepad.

Differences noticed include a Settings page which lets you which font, font size and style the app will use, and lets you set the file editing experience from Classic to Modern.

The app also appears to offer the option for selecting a Theme, which may include a Dark mode.

It also appears that the View and Help menu items have been moved.

The new app will likely roll out in the near future to Windows 11 Insiders, before becoming available to everyone else.

via Techdows, FireCube

First look at Notepad for Windows 11 with Fluent Design

As with any major feature update or new version of Windows, there are bound to be incompatibilities with software and hardware that cause crashes or other instability.

To protect against these poor upgrade experiences, Microsoft will place safeguard holds on devices with known incompatibilities that prevent users from upgrading to Windows 11.

Below we have listed the known safeguard holds, common problems, and known issues that users are running into with Windows 11.

Windows 11 uses the Windows 10 taskbar

After upgrading to Windows 11, some users report that they still have the Windows 10 taskbar rather than the revamped one designed for the new operating system.

For some people, this is disappointing as they prefer the new updated, while others are happy as the new Windows 11 taskbar is missing some features from the Windows 10 taskbar.

These missing features are the ability to move the taskbar to the top and sides of the screen, the right-click context menu has been removed, and you can no longer ungroup program windows.

While Microsoft has not publicly acknowledged this bug, they are looking into it.

For now, users have provided various methods that you can use to try and restore the Windows 11 taskbar.

Method 1: Remove the latest Windows 11 Update, reboot, and install all available updates again. As Windows 11 is brand new, most people will not have any updates installed and can skip to the next method.

Method 2: Open PowerShell prompt as an Administrator and run the following command:

Get-appxpackage -all *shellexperience* -packagetype bundle |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + "\appxmetadata\appxbundlemanifest.xml")}

This PowerShell command was used to resolve Start Menu problems in Windows 10 and should apply to Windows 11.

Method 3: As a last resort, you can create a new user profile, and the Windows 11 taskbar should be restored. However, this method will require you to copy all your data and possibly reinstall apps in the new profile.

The Windows 11 Start Menu does not open

People are reporting that the Start Menu no longer works after upgrading to Windows 11. When they attempt to use it, it simply won't open or will freeze.

Like the taskbar issue above, Microsoft has not publicly acknowledged this bug or provided a fix, but are looking into it.

Windows 11 users have been able to fix it using one of the same methods above.

Up to 15% performance hit on AMD CPUs

AMD has announced that users can experience up to a 5% CPU performance hit when using certain applications, with some games seeing as high as a 15% hit.

These performance issues are caused by increased L3 cache latency and Windows 11 not preferentially scheduling threat on the processor's fasted core.

You can find more detailed information on the performance issues in the table below.

AMD has said they are working on a fix with Microsoft and hope to have it available this month.

Incorrect "This PC can’t run Windows 11" error

Some users see a message stating, "This PC doesn't currently meet all the system requirements for Windows 11" on the Windows Update page even if their hardware is compatible.

What's frustrating is that when the users run PC Health Check, they are told that their hardware is compatible and would work fine with Windows 11.

Ultimately, there is no current way to bypass this error without using a Windows 11 hardware requirements bypass script designed to allow incompatible hardware to install the new operating system.

WindowsLatest said they spoke to Microsoft, who confirmed they were aware of the issue and working on a fix.

“We are aware of the issue, and we’re currently working for a fix,” a Microsoft’s support agent told WindowsLatest.

Windows 11 File Explorer is using too much memory

Since the release of Windows 11 preview builds, File Explorer has been experiencing a memory leak causing the application to use too much system memory.

For some people, the leak has caused file explorer to use 1GB of memory after opening a couple of folders. What makes matters worse is that when File Explorer is closed, the memory is not released and remains unusable by the system until Windows 11 is restarted.

Microsoft has fixed the memory leak issues in the Windows 11 builds 22454 preview builds in the Insider 'Dev' channel, but it is unknown when the fix will make it into the release channel.

"We've included changes with Build 22454 to mitigate a couple of issues that were causing leaks when using File Explorer," Microsoft shared in a Feedback Hub report about the memory leak.

Windows 11 compatibility issue with Oracle VirtualBox

If Oracle VirtualBox is installed on a Windows 11 device that has Hyper-V enabled, a compatibility issue may cause virtual machines (VMs) not to start.

"Microsoft and Oracle have found a compatibility issue between VirtualBox and Windows 11, when Hyper-V or Windows Hypervisor is installed. You might be unable to start Virtual machines (VMs) and you might receive an error," Microsoft said in a list of known Windows 11 issues.

To prevent these issues, Microsoft has placed a compatibility hold that will not let users upgrade to Windows 11 unless Hyper-V, Windows Hypervisor, or VirtualBox is uninstalled from the device.

Oracle is working on a solution to this issue and hopes to have a new compatible version available this month. However, those who attempt to install Windows 11 before this fix is available may see the following error:

"VirtualBox. Your PC requires the latest version of this app. Click Learn More for more information on how to update this app.”

Microsoft also advises users not to perform a forced upgrade via bootable media or the Installation Assistant to bypass this compatibility hold.

Data loss with Intel 'Killer' and Dell 'SmartByte' apps

Microsoft has discovered compatibility issues with the Intel "Killer" and Dell "SmartByte" network optimization applications.

Both Intel Killer and Dell SmartByte are applications that claim to optimize and speed up the Internet by prioritizing network connections based upon the type of activity.

Microsoft has discovered that these applications have compatibility issues with Windows 11 that cause User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets to be dropped when communicating with remote devices.

"Compatibility issues have been found between some Intel “Killer” and “SmartByte” networking software and Windows 11. Devices with the affected software might drop User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets under certain conditions," explains Microsoft in a list of known issues affecting Windows 11.

"This creates performance and other problems for protocols based on UDP. For example, some websites might load slower than others in affected devices, with videos streaming slower in certain resolutions. VPN solutions based on UDP might also be slower."

Microsoft states that they are working on a fix and plan on releasing it as part of next week's Patch Tuesday on October 12th.

Cốc Cốc browser issues

Microsoft has discovered a compatibility issue with the Cốc Cốc browser that prevents the browser from opening and may cause other problems and errors.

To protect against upgrade issues, Microsoft has placed a safeguard hold that prevents users with this browser from upgrading to Windows 11.

Microsoft states that they are investigating the issues and will provide further information when it becomes available.

Windows 11: Microsoft is investigating these eight problems

The domain of CUDA and the fact that it is proprietary and owned by NVIDIA greatly limits the ability of developers to migrate to an alternative, so AMD has been working for a long time on mechanisms that help migrate specific CUDA code to interfaces compatible with its parallel computing stack supported by Radeon technology.

Most of AMD’s efforts so far have focused on code written in C and C ++. GPUFORT, for its part, is to provide support for the translation from source to source ( source to source ) of CUDA Fortran and Fortran code based on OpenACC to OpenMP 4.5+ for execution on GPU or Fortran + HIP C ++ code.

It is important to note that GPUFORT is not a compiler, but a research project with a Python code base that carries out the source-to-source translation process. This means that, at least for the moment, GPUFORT is not an automated and fully functional solution, so it is likely that it will be necessary to perform a manual review and correction process of what is generated from large CUDA code bases.

AMD engineers do not close the door to GPUFORT becoming a compiler, but for now it is not the goal. In its current state, the project and its Python code are only responsible for performing “a small amount of syntax checks” , since those responsible have assumed that the developers will apply it only to “code that can be executed correctly on CUDA devices. ” . The tool is capable of translating some High Performance Computing (HPC) applications into code formats that are correctly supported by AMD’s ROCm ecosystem .

In fact, GPUFORT has some drawbacks in its current state because, as AMD engineers have recognized, it does a poor job of “analyzing which parts of the code can be downloaded and which cannot” and “reorganizing the loops and the assignments to maximize the available parallelism ” , in addition to that at the moment “ it does not implement the complete OpenACC standard ” .

The source code for GPUFORT is published on GitHub under the MIT license, which is what AMD typically uses when deciding to release a project. In the code repository you can also find the installation guide and a slideshow explaining what the project at hand is and what it covers.

Source

Whatever the level of sophistication of the editor, they typically have a common set of functionality, such as searching/replacing text, formatting text, undo/redo, importing files, as well as moving text within the file. However, some editors have interesting features. KeenWrite is an example of a text editor that stands out from the crowd.

Installation

As this is Java-based software, KeenWrite runs on many platforms. The developer provides a binary for both Linux and Windows. And there’s the full source code available.

There’s also a jar available from the developer. You’ll need to install a Java Runtime Environment that includes JavaFX, a next generation client application platform.

We tested the software exclusively with the developer’s Linux binary.

For the PDF export options, you’ll need to install typesetter. On Linux, you’ll need to download and install ConTeXt.

Install ConTeXt on Ubuntu with the command:

$ sudo apt install context

You’ll also need to install a theme before exporting.

In Operation

Here’s an image of KeenWrite in action showing the program’s customizable user interface which offers detachable tabs.

There’s also dark, custom, and responsive user interface skins which let you change the user interface appearance.

One of the main features that sets this Markdown editor apart from the plethora of other text editors available for Linux is that it offers string interpolation to separate and modularize a document’s text content (as opposed to its presentation and layout). The image above shows three panes, with the centre pane being the traditional editor, the right hand pane offers a real-time preview of the output, and the left pane holding variables.

The left pane lets you assign key and value pairs within a YAML-formatted document which is then referenced in the Markdown document. Combine this with auto-complete variable names based on variable values.

There’s lots of traditional text editor features such as real-time spell checking, interactive document outline, together with an integrated file manager.

KeenWrite also supports R integration. The application uses an interpreter known as Renjin to integrate with R.

There’s also good support for real-time rendering of math using TeX, a popular means of typesetting complex mathematical formulae.

The text editor offers the following export options:

• PDF;
• Joined PDF;
• HTML and SVG;
• HTML and TeX;
• XHTML and TeX;
• Markdown.

Other features of the text editor include real-time document statistics, support for diagrams including GraphViz, UML, Mermaid and more. There’s internationalization support, and Pandoc’s fenced div extended attribute syntax.

Summary

KeenWrite is a competent Markdown text editor, but it faces stiff competition from more mature programs.

Many Linux users have long settled on their favourite text editor, and convincing them to move to a different editor is a challenging task.

String interpolation is common in many programming languages but not found in text editors. It makes KeenWrite akin to a simple programmer’s development environment than a simple text editor.

KeenWrite is definitely a work-in-progress. It would benefit from real-time collaboration functionality, thesaurus, autocomplete, and more besides.

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Windows 10 version 20H2 came out on October 20, 2020, which means that we can expect version 21H2 to arrive in a similar timeframe as well. This also makes sense from the perspective of Windows 11's staggered rollout, which began on October 5 (check out our review here). In fact, Microsoft might even decide to give its big OS refresh a few more weeks under the spotlight before letting people know that they also have Windows 10 version 21H2 as an option.

Version 21H2 is supposed to be a relatively minor upgrade but it is important to note that it is one of the two paths forward for PCs that do not meet Microsoft's requirements for Windows 11. While users may be able to force install Windows 11 after signing a waiver on unsupported hardware, it's possible that they won't receive security updates. As such, it's a relatively safer bet to update to Windows 10 version 21H2 if your PC does not support Windows 11.

That said, it is important to understand what Windows 10 version 21H2 is and what it brings to the table. Microsoft's latest Windows 10 refresh is a follow-up to version 21H1, that was released back in May. Under Windows 10's release cycle, the company releases two feature updates per year, and this is the second of them.

Let's be clear: Windows 10 version 21H2 is an enablement package, just like version 21H1 was for version 20H2 before it. What this essentially means is that the "new" features available with this update are also present in version 21H1 before it, but in a dormant state. You won't get any actual new features downloaded to your computer. This update will simply light up certain features that are already there.

Windows 10 21H2 does not contain a crippled taskbar unlike Windows 11

Coming over to what features are being lit up, there's not a whole lot. When Microsoft shared details about the feature update back in July, it outlined a grand total of three "scoped" features that will be enabled with Windows 10 version 21H2.

First, the OS will support WPA3 H2E standards for increased Wi-Fi security. H2E stands for "Hash-to-Element" and is an enhancement to the Wi-Fi Protected Access III (WPA3) standard. According to Cisco, WPA3 H2E is computationally much more efficient than its predecessor and is also resistant to side channel attacks that are used by malicious actors to steal credentials. The feature will certainly be welcomed by people who are actively engaged in the cybersecurity community.

Secondly, Microsoft has added a new deployment method for Windows Hello for Business called cloud trust. If you're wondering what's the difference between regular Windows Hello that you may use on your personal laptop versus Windows Hello for Business, look no further. The former is utilized by consumers to create a PIN or biometric gesture as an alternative method for sign-in, but it does not leverage from asymmetric or certificate-based authentication. Depending on the account type, a very simple password hash may be used. On the other hand, Windows Hello for Business is used by enterprises and is configured using Group Policy or mobile device management (MDM) policies. It always utilizes asymmetric or certificate-based authentication, which makes it much more robust in terms of security.

Currently, Windows Hello for Business supports two trust models, namely key trust and certificate trust. The third model enabled by Windows 10 version 21H2 is cloud trust, but interestingly, Microsoft appears to have no public documentation about it at all. The company has only stated that it will allow faster deployments for Windows Hello for Business, making it a matter of minutes. We were also able to dig up a comment made on Reddit by Microsoft engineer Steve Syfuhs, who says:

It's a new form of Windows Hello that uses the "Cloud Trust" capability of FIDO logon. Normally you need to deploy AAD Connect with backsync to make Windows Hello key trust work, and the sync portion tends to take anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes to a couple hours, and that's annoying for lots of folks, not to mention a lot of effort.

Cloud Trust relies on what we built for Hybrid FIDO logon, where you run a single PowerShell script to create a trust from AAD to AD. This trust allows AAD to issue a special partial TGT that AD can accept and convert into a proper AD domain TGT. This was originally how FIDO logged you on to your domain, and now it's being used for Windows Hello. It's pretty slick and super easy to set up.

Finally, the third feature Microsoft is lighting up in Windows 10 version 21H2 is GPU compute support in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) deployments. This is being done to facilitate machine learning and other resource-intensive workloads. For those unaware, EFLOW enables people to run production Linux-based cloud-native workloads on Windows IoT and also to deploy Linux IoT Edge modules onto a Windows IoT device. GPU support for machine learning solutions running on WSL is something that Microsoft has been striving towards recently.

That's pretty much it for the features that will be enabled with Windows 10 version 21H2. But perhaps, people will also be pleased to know that in light of the hybrid environment, the update will be delivered via Microsoft's servicing technology, which is also used to offer monthly cumulative updates. This means that devices running Windows 10 version 2004 (May 2020 Update) or later will be able to enjoy a faster installation experience.

It is important to note that while Microsoft hasn't revealed a firm release date for Windows 10 version 21H2 as of yet, it will definitely be released in this calendar year, likely before mid-November. Home and Pro editions will receive 18 months of support, whereas Enterprise and Education will get 30 months of support. The next Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release of Windows will also be based on Windows 10 21H2. It will be released around the same time as general rollout with five years of support.

Similar to Windows 11 and the Windows 10 feature updates before it, Windows 10 version 21H2 will be an optional and free upgrade. However, Microsoft will likely push PCs with Windows 10 releases running of support to upgrade to this version instead. Given the likely shift of engineering effort towards Windows 11, it's possible that we can expect future Windows feature updates - if any - to be of similar nature, only offering enablement packages. Microsoft hasn't confirmed that this is the last feature update for Windows 10 and we do know that the OS is supported until at least October 14, 2025.

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The problem with the app, is that the user isn't really given the choice whether they want it or not. Just because it is a new feature isn't a reason to pre-enable the option.

The most common complaint that I have seen around the internet, is that Windows Widgets is using system resources in the background. Open the Task Manager > Processes, and scroll down to the Background Processes section, and you can see for yourself that the app is in the list.

Right-click anywhere on the Taskbar and open its settings. Toggle the Widgets option to hide the button. The same goes for the Search, Task View and Chat button should you want to remove those. This toggle is just going to prevent you from accidentally opening the Widgets panel, it's not going to disable it permanently.

Microsoft changed the way Widgets worked in recent builds, so the app runs in the background even with the option turned off. As a matter of fact, the Task Manager screenshot that you see here was taken with the Widgets button disabled. If you want to stop the app from running automatically, you have to remove Widgets completely.

How to uninstall Widgets in Windows 11

1. Open a Command Prompt (or PowerShell) as an Administrator.

2. Type the following command in the window, and hit the Enter key

winget uninstall "windows web experience pack"

You will need to agree to the Microsoft's Store's terms and conditions. Type Y to accept, or N to cancel the operation.

If you chose Yes, the Winget package manager will delete the Widgets' app's package which has the name: MicrosoftWindows.Client.WebExperience. You will see a message in the command window that says Successfully Uninstalled. Check the Task Manager and you should no longer see the Widgets among the list of background processes. The toggle for the app will also be removed from the Taskbar settings.

Okay, I deleted the app, but I want it back now, what do I do? Here's how.

How to reinstall Widgets in Windows 11

1. Open the following link in your web browser.

https://www.microsoft.com/store/productId/9MSSGKG348SP

2. It is for an app made by Microsoft, called "Windows Web Experience Pack". It's hidden in the Store app, so you won't find it by searching. Just click the Get button in your browser, and it will open the Store app to download it.

3. Access the Taskbar Settings and the toggle should be back, and though it is enabled, the button will not be visible on the Taskbar. To fix this, disable the option, and enable it. The Widgets button will be back, click on it and the app should load normally. You do not need to restart the computer for the change to take effect.

Disable Widgets using the Group Policy Editor

I came across a different method on Reddit. Please be aware that I could not test the following, since it requires Windows 11 Pro, and I only have Windows 11 Home. This process requires the Group Policy Editor.

1. Hit the Win + R keys, and type GPEDIT.msc.

2 . Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Widgets

3. Click the "Allow Widgets" option, and set it to Disabled.

4. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

How to uninstall Widgets in Windows 11

Start11 brings similar functionality to Microsoft's new Windows 11 operating system. One focus of Start11 is to bring classic start menus to Windows 11. Users of Start11 may switch to a Windows 7 or Windows 10 style start menu, or use a modern style or Windows 11 style Start Menu.

All it takes is to click on one of the available Start Menu designs to activate them immediately. A settings button is displayed to select different sub-styles, if available, and to open the settings of the application to customize the selected Start Menu further.

 

The configuration displays lots of options to customize the theme and functionality of the selected Start Menu. Here is an overview of what you can do:

• Change the Visual Appearance:
  • Set a specific color for the Start Menu or use automatic colors.
  • Make menu fonts bigger or smaller.
  • Adjust the menu transparency.
  • Change visual effects of the menu, e.g. rounded corners or animations.
  • Use custom menu backgrounds.
  • Use custom grid tile backgrounds.
• Set up left hand side shortcuts.
• Show shortcuts in a grid rather than a list.
• Enable quick access side shortcuts.
• Display all programs list.
• Define power button functionality.
• Customize the design of the Start button.

Align the Windows 11 taskbar to the top

Microsoft limited the alignment options of the taskbar in Windows 11. The only taskbar option of Windows 11 is to display it at the bottom of the screen. The icons are centered, and users may align the taskbar icons of Windows 11 to the left; that it.

Start11 brings back some of the missing functionality. It supports an option to align the Windows 11 taskbar to the top. Additionally, Start11 includes functionality to set the position of the taskbar on secondary monitors independently of the primary monitor. You could display these at the bottom, or at the top as well.

All it takes is to set the alignment of the taskbar for the primary monitor and secondary monitors in the program settings under taskbar. A restart of Explorer is required, which can be done right from the interface.

Start11 allows users to change the size of the taskbar easily. The default is set to medium, and users may switch it to small or large. Other options include aligning the icons to the left, controlling what clicks on the taskbar do, and applying a custom texture to the taskbar.

Closing Words

Start11 is a useful program for Windows 11 users who want more control over the Start Menu layout and design, and position of the taskbar on the system. Especially the option to place the taskbar at the top in Windows 11 is a welcome addition. The program is not free, it is available for $4.99.

Align the Windows 11 Taskbar to the top with Stardock's Start11

Flatpak 1.12 comes eight months after Flatpak 1.10 as the new stable series that introduces numerous new features and improvements. Highlights include better support for the Steam Linux Runtime mechanism, allowing Steam to launch games with its own container runtime as /usr.

In fact, this new feature allows any subsandbox to have a different /usr and/or /app. Also new is support for TUI (text-based user interface) programs like GNU Debugger, support for Flatpak instances of the same app-ID to share their /tmp or /dev/shm directories, as well as their $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR.

It also now makes use of the GNU Bison general-purpose parser generator for building parse-datetime.y, improves the error checking mechanism, improves handling of refs that belong to more than one architecture, and improves the error message for the sudo flatpak run command.

Furthermore, Flatpak now lets you specify the Flatpak binary to use during exports, exposes /etc/gai.conf to the sandbox, handles cases where /var/tmp is a symlink, provides information about security support and security vulnerability reporting, and handles missing /etc/ld.so.cache (musl).

Of course, bug and security fixes are also present in this new stable Flatpak series. One of the most important security fixes is for a vulnerability discovered in the portal support, allowing the application to create sub-sandboxes that can confuse the sandboxing verification mechanisms of the portal.

Flatpak 1.12 is available for download right now from the project’s GitHub page. Linux OS maintainers are recommended to use bubblewrap 0.5.0 when compiling Flatpak, but not required.

bubblewrap 0.5.0 brings better diagnostics when a --bind or other bind-mount fails, silences kernel messages for bind-mounts, adds support for mounting a non-directory over an existing non-directory, adds support for creating non-directories with safer permissions, and improves the ability to bind-mount directories on case-insensitive filesystems.

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Mozilla is trialling personalised advertising in its Firefox Suggest feature, along with sponsored search results, with users told that it "helps fund Firefox development."

Firefox Suggest was first introduced last month in Firefox 92, billed as "a new discovery feature that is built directly into the browser."

The feature provides links as the user types in the search bar, which can be based on local browsing history, bookmarks and open tabs, or on "sponsored suggestions from vetted partners." Currently, users outside the US only see these uncontentious local prompts.

Firefox Suggest data flow, showing how data now flows to Mozilla and its partners as well as the search engine

Firefox 93, released earlier this week, adds a new dimension to the Suggest feature, called contextual suggestions. In this case, when the user clicks a link additional data is sent to the advertiser, primarily location data according to the explanation.

The company said that the location is derived from the IP address of the client, and converted to a "more general location" by Mozilla before it is sent to the advertising partner. "The data we share with partners does not include personally identifying information and is only shared when you see or click on a suggestion," Mozilla said.

Note the careful wording "when you see or click." Seeing something is different from clicking on it, but it is hard to understand how the feature can work unless it operates before the user sees it. If the user clicks a link, the target of the link will see the user's IP number for themselves. Mozilla also collects a notification for itself that the suggested link was clicked.

Again, only "a limited number of users in the US only" will get this feature initially. Users will be prompted with a dialog inviting them to "allow suggestions" before the feature is enabled. The dialog is an example of a dark pattern, with three options, one highlighted to encourage a reflex click, one in discouraging grey for customising settings, and sneaked in at top right, a small "Not now" link.

Although the contextual suggestion feature requires this opt-in, the sponsored suggestions are on by default – the difference being the data that is sent to partners providing the suggestions. Firefox says that its "preferred partner" for sponsored results is a company called adMarketplace which claims to be a "privacy-safe consumer marketplace."

Firefox and the work of Mozilla is important to the web community since it is an independent browser with its own engine, unlike most others which use the Google-sponsored Chromium engine. These sponsored links sit uncomfortably with Mozilla's claim to be privacy advocates – yet like many other open-source companies, Mozilla is in the position where it cannot charge directly for its products so looks for other means of monetising them. Much of its income comes from Google, which pays to be the default search engine in Firefox.

Other new features in Firefox 93 include the blocking of downloads over unencrypted connections, though users will see an option to allow the download (again in a discouraging grey).

There are also new privacy features including SmartBlock 3.0, which Mozilla said has "vastly improved support" for faking Google Analytics scripts to get round the problem of sites blocking content for users they are unable to track. There is also better protection against HTTP referrer headers that send too much information, and blocking of downloads in frames marked as sandboxed.

Firefox on Windows gets a new automatic tab unloading feature when memory is "critically low." Unloaded tabs will be reloaded when the user switches to them. The idea is to reduce Firefox out-of-memory crashes.

The full list of what's new in Firefox 93 is here. ®

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Microsoft has revealed it will be bringing support for smoother scrolling to its Excel Desktop app, hopefully resulting in a much better user experience.

The spreadsheet software update should mean an end to accidentally snapping to random unwanted cells, or losing track of all your vital data in the middle of an important work task.

Smooth scrolling

At the moment, Excel struggles with smooth scrolling, as the software looks to automatically highlight the cell in the top-left of your spreadsheet - an issue Microsoft admits is frustrating, and not particularly easy to fix.

"Though you might think this is an easy fix, simply requiring the alteration of a few lines of code, there’s actually a lot more to it," noted Microsoft engineer Steve Kraynak in a blog post outlining the change.

"In fact, we learned that this change affects many different aspects of Excel, including freezing panes, resizing rows, cutting and pasting, filtering, cell styles, comments, dragging and filling, and more."

The new smoother scrolling update has two parts - firstly, making scrolling smoother when using either the mouse wheel or the scrollbars (with Microsoft noting that touch screen and touch pad already scrolled smoothly).

Secondly (and more excitingly) you can now stop scrolling partway through a row or column, with Excel no longer making you go any further than you want.

Microsoft notes that users can try out a number of new features thanks to the update, including dragging the scroll bar to see how they can scroll with precision and stop anywhere they like.

The feature is available now to Insiders on Windows with Beta Channel or Current Channel Preview with Version 2109 (Build 14430.20000) or later, and be available to all Microsoft 365 Subscribers within the next few months.

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Microsoft already offers a bunch of different channels for customers to file feedback regarding its products. Among these is the Feedback Hub launched in 2016 as well as dedicated mechanisms to do the same in individual apps, like Microsoft Edge. The company also shut down UserVoice forums earlier this year, which previously offered another way to voice your concerns to the company. Of course, how much importance the company gives to your feedback is another story altogether. Now, news has emerged that the Redmond tech giant is readying another feedback portal, which will be available in preview later this year.

This information comes from Carl Knecht on Twitter, who posted a screenshot of an announcement made by Microsoft in the Admin Center, indicating that the company is preparing a new "Feedback portal" for Microsoft 365, Teams, and Edge. This will be available in preview later this year, with other products, such as Windows, being added next year.

The upcoming Feedback portal is presumably a replacement for UserVoice forums, and will enable customers to submit feedback, comment on and upvote feedback posted by others, and receive status updates and responses from Microsoft. The Redmond tech giant says that the mechanism is powered by Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

While Microsoft hasn't provided an exact date for the launch of this new Feedback portal, it is scheduled to become available globally later this year, but only in the English language; other languages and products will be added later. Organizations can still choose to provide feedback from the existing dedicated mechanisms within individual apps and disable this new Feedback portal company-wide altogether.

A new Feedback portal for Windows, Teams, and Microsoft Edge is coming later this year

If you're an active user of Microsoft Excel on your Windows PC, you may have noticed that when you scroll halfway through a row and try to leave the cursor there, Excel automatically snaps to the top-left cell instead of leaving the scroll halfway through the cell. This can be a very jarring experience, especially when you're trying to scroll through a cell with lots of data. Interestingly, this problem is not present in Excel Online. If you have Excel installed locally, try both versions to see the difference in behavior. The good news is that Microsoft is now fixing this behavior and is bringing Smooth Scrolling to Excel on Windows too.

Smooth Scrolling in Excel essentially comprises of enhancing two elements. The first is to enable generally smooth scrolling when using a mouse wheel or scrollbars; Microsoft says that scrolling via a touch pad or a touch screen was smooth already. The second, and arguably more important capability is to scroll halfway through a row or column without Excel automatically snapping to the top-left as soon as you take your hand off your pointing device. Both these enhancements are being brought to Excel on Windows.

Microsoft has noted that while many would assume that this effort would entail modifying just a few lines of code related to scrolling, this was actually a major initiative since Excel calculates scrolling and the intended behavior based on a number of factors. Many UI elements and their resultant behavior on scrolling is also coupled very closely together, which means that it was very difficult to enable Smooth Scrolling. Apart from the fact that scrolling is an essential component of the Excel experience, the complexity in software modification is why the company says that it treated this piece of work with intense care. You can find out all the interesting details regarding the challenges in Microsoft's blog post here.

In terms of availability, Smooth Scrolling is already in place in Excel for Windows with Beta Channel or Current Channel Preview with Version 2109 (Build 14430.20000) or later. The company plans to roll it out in a staggered manner to all Microsoft 365 customers in the coming months.

Microsoft Excel on Windows is getting Smooth Scrolling soon

Particularly of note for Thunderbird users who are still using Thunderbird 78.x is that the team has lifted the upgrade block. Previous releases of Thunderbird 91 were not offered to devices running Thunderbird 78.x via the email client's automatic update feature.

Users could still update their installations  to the new version, but had to download the installer manually from the project site to do so; this changes with the new releases.

Any Thunderbird 78.x installation will be upgraded to the latest version of Thunderbird 91, provided that automatic updates is enabled.

Some users of Thunderbird preferred to stay on the older version because add-on compatibility changed between the two major releases.

A quick search on the official Thunderbird support site returns several issues reported by users whose version of Thunderbird was upgraded to 91.

Most notable problems that users reported include missing accounts, and issues with the integrated calendar.

Thunderbird can be configured to inform about new updates only. The browser won't download and install the updates in that case.

 

The setting is found under Tools > Preferences > Thunderbird Updates. Switch from "Automatically install updates" to "Check for updates, but let me choose whether to install them", and restart Thunderbird to complete the change.

Thunderbird 78.15.0 is the last release for version 78 of Thunderbird. New updates, security or otherwise, won't be released anymore for the client.

Thunderbird 91.2.0

Here is a quick overview of the changes of Thunderbird 91.2.0, released this week:

• Single messages that are saved as .eml files are saved with a unique filename now.
• Fixed an issue with the new mail notifications system, which did not take subfolders into account properly according to the team.
• Fixed LDAP searches that used extensibleMatch filter, which returned no results.
• Fixed that read-only CalDAV and CardDAV addresses books were not detected.
• Fixed the display of account name fields in the account manager.
• Fixed the decrypting of binary attachments with external GnuPGP applications (which failed).
• Multipart messages with calendar invites were not displayed in human-readable form.
• Phantom events were shown in Calendar week view.
• Some calendar events were displayed incorrected or duplicated-.

Security fixes, which have not been specified yet on the official Thunderbird Security Advisories page.

You can check out the entire Thunderbird 91.2.0 release notes here.

Old Thunderbird installations will be upgraded to Thunderbird 91 via automatic updates now