Noticed by DesktopModder, the new scroll bar is auto-hiding, giving a very clean look to your browsing session.

The scroll bar reappears when you hover over it and has a new, narrower and rounded look.

The old, non-hiding version can be seen below:

To enable the new scroll bar, you need a command-line switch added to a shortcut to the Edge browser.

You need to add –enable-features=OverlayScrollbar,OverlayScrollbarWinStyle,OverlayScrollbarWinStyleAnimation to the target shortcut pathway.

Microsoft has experimented earlier in the year with a new and improved scroll bar but then did not follow through. Hopefully, this version will actually ship to regular consumers in the end.

via Leo Varela

New auto-hiding rounded scroll bar now available in Edge Canary

The issue started to happen on devices after the May 25, 2021 update, KB5003214, or the June 21, 2021, KB5003690, updates were installed on affected machines. Affected are machines running Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2 and 21H1.

According to Microsoft, the issue may occur on devices on which outdated resource records were removed from automatically.

Microsoft describes the cause of the issue in the following way:

This issue occurs on devices that have been scavenged automatically to remove outdated resource records. When a system is scavenged, the recently installed latest cumulative update (LCU) is marked as permanent and the older components are removed from the system. After scavenging is complete and a device is in this state, you cannot uninstall KB5003214 or KB5003690, and you cannot install future LCUs.

Microsoft published a solution on August 24, 2021 on its support website. Administrators need to perform an in-place upgrade to resolve the issue. Microsoft notes that in-place upgrades are only available to devices that have been online for at least 30 days.

For ARM devices, it is only working if the update KB5005932 has already been installed on the device.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Type cmd. Command Prompt should be displayed as the first result.
3. Select "run as administrator" to launch it with elevated rights.
4. Run the following command: Reg.exe Add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion /v AllowInplaceUpgrade /t REG_DWORD /f /d 1

The command marks the system for an in-place upgrade. The Registry key will be removed automatically after the in-place upgrade has completed. Microsoft notes that it may take up to 48 hours before the upgrade is offered to the device.

The device will be upgraded to a clean version of the operating system along with the latest monthly security update installed.

Closing Words

Being unable to install any updates for Windows 10 is quite the serious problem. Microsoft released several updates with critical security patches since May 25th, which the affected systems missed out on because of the issue.

Microsoft has a fix for Windows 10's PSFX_E_MATCHING_BINARY_MISSING update error

Interestingly, when you try to run the File Explorer inside Blue Edge's Windows 11 in React, it opens up to a "Coming Soon" webpage indicating that perhaps more additions will be made to it later although it will still most likely be a limited experience since there is only so much one can do to simulate an entire OS as big as Windows 11 within a browser.

Overall, it looks like a fun little toy to play around with but do not expect to be wooed away by it in comparison to what it's like to have the actual full OS experience. For those interested, you can try the Windows 11 in React by Blue Edge through the following link: https://win11.blueedge.me

You can also learn more about it on GitHub here.

via The Windows Club

Here's how you can try a bit of Windows 11 without downloading it, thanks to Blue Edge

Developers are working to bring the Windows 11 design language to Microsoft’s Open Source PowerToys utility collection.

One of those driving the update is designer and Microsoft MVP Niels Laute who posted a preview of the new look in the Settings app of the collection.

The update brings new modern icons, new Windows UI controls and also accessibility improvements. Further improvements are expected when the team moves to WinUI 3, such as support for Mica transparency effects.

The visual improvements are expected to be included in the next public release of the tool.

Developers can contribute to the project at Github here.

via onMSFT

Microsoft is bringing the Windows 11 look and feel to PowerToys

Among that list of chipsets was Intel's Z270, which is Intel's flagship chipset for the socket LGA1151. LGA1151 is the predecessor of the firm's current LGA1200 socket that goes with the 11th gen Rocket Lake-S processors. The LGA1151 socket supports Intel's 6th gen (Skylake-S) and 7th gen (Kaby Lake-S) processors.

About a week ago and rather quietly one might add, the firm has released the latest BIOS version 1501 on some of its ROG Z270 motherboards. On some models like the Z270F GAMING, the 1501 firmware is still labeled as "Beta Version" as it is "still undergoing final testing before its official release".

On others, however, like the MAXIMUS IX FORMULA, this seems to be the final version and the BIOS is described as:

Support Windows 11 by default, no settings changes required in the UEFI BIOS.

Essentially the latest firmware will now enable the TPM or in this case, Intel's PTT (Platform Trust Technology) in the BIOS by default.

There could be other motherboard models too including from other manufacturers which now have compatible firmware available. Interested users will have to look up that information in their respective motherboard model's support section.

If you're unsure what your motherboard model is, you can try running "msinfo32" or "System Information" to find that. Third-party tools like CPU-Z, or Piriform's Speccy, among others, can also be used to look it up.

Interestingly, while Microsoft had stated in its original Windows 11 minimum requirements that only 8th gen and newer Intel processors would be compatible with its next OS, the company later said that it was testing potential compatibility with Windows 11 on 6th gen Skylake and 7th gen Kaby Lake processors as well.

The official list from Microsoft however still doesn't have the Skylake and Kaby Lake CPUs listed but that list was updated even before its second statement was released. So it's possible that the firm is still testing things out and may update the list later.

Asus rolling out Windows 11 support on LGA1151 Intel 6th & 7th gen Skylake/ Kaby Lake CPUs

New Office version 16.53 (Build 21082406) for Mac users in Beta Channel released, here is what’s new

Thunderbird 91 was released just two weeks ago on August 13, 2021. The two updates that followed, fixed bugs but no security issues in the client.

The newest bug fix release, Thunderbird 91.0.3 is already available. Thunderbird includes automatic updating functionality, and most clients should pick up the new version automatically. You may select Help > About Thunderbird to display the current version and run a manual check for update; this should pick up, download and install the new version right away. The new version is also available on the official Thunderbird website for all supported operating systems as a direct download.

Thunderbird 91.0.3: release information

Thunderbird 91.0.3 is a non-security bug fix release that addresses 12 bugs found in previous versions of the email client. There is no rush to install the update, unless you are affected by one or multiple of the issues fixed in the release.

Here is the list of fixes in Thunderbird 91.0.3:

• Some servers rejected Thunderbird email messages as the client was sometimes sending an unnecessary "SMTPUTF8" with the message.
• Server descriptions in the account settings were not displayed correctly for non-UTF-8 servers.
• Account setup UX fixes when using Exchange auto-discover.
• The unread message count badge on the Windows taskbar did not update itself if unread mail was moved to the junk folder.
• The date and time format of email based event scheduling was displayed in a format unreadable by humans.
• Today Pane fixes:
  • Filtering tasks did not work.
  • The mouseover popup was not displayed for all events that were not all-day.
• Folder pane toolbar did not always persist between sessions.
• Linked favicons in HTML messages could override folder icons.
• Unified folders did not show a message if underlying folders were removed.
• The compose window attachment pane was not closed when the signing of an OpenPGP message was disabled.
• Some list emails opened a "no-reply" warning when using "reply to list".

You may check out the entire list of changes on the official Thunderbird website.

Thunderbird 91.0.3 is a small bug fix release

Frontpaged: Mozilla Thunderbird 91.0.3

Google has confirmed that the search engine has changed how it creates titles for the search result listings. Google said “last week, we introduced a new system of generating titles for web pages.”

What changed. Previously, Google often used the query the searcher entered into the search box when formulating the title of the search result snippets. But now, Google said “generally” Google “will no longer” use the query when making these titles. Instead, Google has a new system to generate these titles that the company says “describe what they are about, regardless of the particular query.”

Google said it is now “making use of text that humans can visually see when they arrive at a web page.” Specifically, Google is now considering “the main visual title or headline shown on a page.” This is content that site owners often place within <H1> tags, within other header tags, or which is made large and prominent through the use of style treatments, Google explained.

Title tags still primary. Google said for 80% of the results, the HTML title tags are still the primary way it produces titles. Google wrote “HTML title tags is still by far the most likely used, more than 80% of the time.”

Why the change. Google said this “update is designed to produce more readable and accessible titles for pages. In some cases, we may add site names where that is seen as helpful. In other instances, when encountering an extremely long title, we might select the most relevant portion rather than starting at the beginning and truncating more useful parts.”

Industry coverage. So far, this has been covered in our newsletter a couple of times, also both Brodie Clark and Lily Ray covered this in a lot of detail. I covered on my personal blog when this happened, which was on August 17, and how it is unrelated to passage-based ranking.

Google is making tweaks. Google wrote the search company is “already making refinements” to the new title system “based on feedback,” and Google promises to “keep working to make it even better over time.” Google has heard the feedback and is collecting examples of when these titles do not make sense. In fact, Danny Sullivan even said this might lead to more controls within Google Search Console for us to manage our titles in the Google search results better. 

Why we care. If you noticed changes to your click-through rate from the Google search results, it may be related to these changes. Hopefully those change are positive, Google did say the changes should be positive, the company wrote “our testing shows the change we’ve introduced produces titles that are more readable and preferred by searchers compared to our old system.” Although, we have seen some funny and weird examples of titles over the past week or so.

Source

Microsoft is widely expected to launch Windows 11 in October this year, but according to the latest rumour, we may know exactly when in a week or two.

According to Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, Microsoft is expected to announce the release date in the next week or two.

Zac expects that release date should be on the 19th of October.

The operating system is expected to first show up in new hardware before rolling out as an upgrade to existing Windows 10 PCs with the right hardware at the end of this year or early next.

via Microsofters

Rumour: Microsoft may announce the release date of Windows 11 in early September

It will also roll out to Linux later this week.

It brings the following new features:

• Added support for the Downloads popup in PWAs and websites installed as apps.
• Added a setting to control if Microsoft Rewards points are shown on the browser’s profile UI.
• Added the ability to open local HTML files on iOS.
• Added an API to WebView2 for launching the Browser Task Manager.
• Added an API to WebView2 to listen for browser exits.
• Added a management policy to control if the setting for Web RTC to Respect the OS Routing Table is Enabled.  Note that updates to administrative templates or documentation may not be live yet.
• Re-added URL suggestions to error pages that result from mis-typed web addresses.

Improved reliability:

• Fixed an issue where certain antivirus products prevent the browser from opening.
• Fixed a crash that happens when popups open or close.
• Fixed a crash when interacting with tabs.
• Fixed a crash when navigating to a website.
• Fixed a crash on launch.
• Fixed an issue where Guided Switch crashes the browser.
• Fixed a crash when saving autofill data from a popup that offered to save it.
• Fixed a crash on certain iPhones.

Changed behaviour:

• Fixed an issue where the browser sometimes shows a profile error upon startup and duplicate profiles in the profile picker.
• Fixed an issue on Windows 11 where windows are sometimes blank or white.
• Fixed an issue where searching Settings causes it to go blank.
• Fixed an issue where searching in Settings sometimes doesn’t return any results when it should.
• Fixed an issue where Collections sometimes can’t be opened because the entry is grayed out.
• Fixed an issue where the current page sometimes can’t be added to a Collection.
• Fixed an issue where the page size is blank in Print Preview.
• Fixed an issue where the tab audio indicator sometimes doesn’t appear when it should.
• Fixed an issue where tooltips like the URL preview sometimes appear in incorrect places.
• Fixed an issue where Efficiency Mode doesn’t work.
• Fixed an issue where spellcheck sometimes gets unexpectedly disabled.
• Fixed an issue where spellcheck sometimes can’t be enabled.
• Fixed an issue where passwords imported from other browsers sometimes don’t sync.
• Fixed an issue on mobile where signing back in to verify a browser account when prompted to sometimes results in an error message that it doesn’t meet the criteria to access the resource.
• Fixed an issue on mobile where certain websites can’t be logged into.
• Fixed an issue on mobile where certain sites can’t be viewed in desktop mode.
• Fixed an issue on mobile where navigations are sometimes inordinately slow.
• Fixed an issue where the mouse sometimes becomes invisible in IE mode tabs.
• Fixed an issue where WebView2 applications sometimes show an ERR_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT_NEEDED error after updating.
• Fixed an issue in WebView2 where SetVirtualHostNameToFolderMapping doesn’t apply to child windows opened from the WebView2 application.
• Fixed an issue in WebView2 where a “not working” dialog sometimes appears.

Known issues:

• Users of certain ad blocking extensions may experience playback errors on Youtube.  As a workaround, temporarily disabling the extension should allow playback to proceed.  See this help article for more details.
• Some users are still running into an issue where all tabs and extensions immediately crash with a STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH error.  The most common cause of this error is outdated security or antivirus software from vendors like Symantec, and in those cases, updating that software will fix it.
• Users of the Kaspersky Internet Suite who have the associated extension installed may sometimes see webpages like Gmail fail to load.  This failure is due to the main Kaspersky software being out of date, and is thus fixed by making sure the latest version is installed.
• Some users are still seeing favorites get duplicated.  This issue should be reduced now that automatic deduplication has been introduced into Insider channels, but we’re still rolling that out in Stable.  We’ve also seen duplication happen when running the manual deduplicator on multiple machines before either machine has a chance to fully sync its changes, so make sure to leave plenty of time in between runs of the deduplicator.
• Some users are seeing “wobbling” behavior when scrolling using trackpad gestures or touchscreens, where scrolling in one dimension also causes the page to subtly scroll back and forth in the other.  Note that this only affects certain websites and seems to be worse on certain devices.  This is most likely related to our ongoing work to bring scrolling back to parity with Edge Legacy’s behavior, so if this behavior is undesirable, you can temporarily turn it off by disabling the edge://flags/#edge-experimental-scrolling flag.

This Edge Dev channel update should download and install directly but in case it doesn’t then you can head to the Edge settings and manually update the browser.

Microsoft releases Edge Dev channel build 94.0.992.1 with PWA improvements, more

Windows 11's start menu comes with just a single new feature: a short list of recently opened files and installed apps. In fact, one of the main characteristics of the start menu is the removal of features. The Live Tiles of Windows 10 are gone, but that is just one of the many features that Microsoft removed.

The default Windows 11 Start Menu displays a search at the top, 18 pinned tiles above the fold, more when you scroll, and recommendations below that. A link to "all apps" is available to display all Start entries in alphabetical order. You find options to lock the system, switch to another account, sign-out, or change the power state of the PC at the bottom.

Folders, that can hold multiple icons, are gone. Groups, which you could use to organize Start Menu shortcuts, are gone. The option to display the all apps listing and the pinned items on the Start Menu at the same time is gone as well. Different tile sizes are not supported anymore either, and you cannot expand the Start Menu's size anymore.

What you can do, is use drag & drop to move pinned icons in the Start Menu around, or use right-click operations to remove pinned items. Applications can still be added to the interface by right-clicking on them in Explorer or elsewhere and selecting the pin to start option.

The Pinned and Recommended areas of the Start Menu have fixed sizes. While you may hide all recommendations or reduce the number of pinned items below 13 or 7 to free up rows, doing so does not make room for other content in the Start Menu. You are left with empty space that has no function whatsoever.

Ultimately, what you get right now is a launcher with 18 shortcuts, the option to scroll to display more, an option to display the all apps listing, and a short listing of recently used programs/files and new applications, which you may expand as well.

Since the Windows 11 Start Menu is so limited, one has to wonder why it should be used at all. You could put the shortcuts on the desktop or taskbar, and launch them from there without ever opening the Start interface. You could also rely on search for that, even though Windows Search is far from the best option when it comes to search on Windows.

As far as the recently used or installed listings are concerned, these may work in work environments, but since the listings default to just three items each, they may not be that useful in home environments. As soon as you open more than three files during a session, you won't see all files opened during that session under recent anymore. Since all file types may be listed there, it is just the matter of opening three photos, video files, text files or any other file type to push out items from the recommended section. Windows 11 does display a "more" button in that case, which you may activate to display a larger listing of opened files sorted chronologically.

Lack of customization options

The Windows 11 Start Menu lacks customization options. While that may reduce issues that users may experience when using Start and is thus beneficial for Microsoft, it at the same time reduces the usefulness of the Start Menu.

Even basic options, such as the removal of the Recommended section if you turn it off, is not supported. There is a slim chance that Microsoft is going to change that before the final reason, but if past decisions are anything to go by, it is more likely that the Start Menu of the preview builds will be the menu that users get when the operating system is released to the public.

Closing Words

Windows users who rely on the Start Menu may replace it using third-party apps such as Start11 or Open Shell, among others that will be released in the future. These bring back classic start menus to Windows 11, which you can customize to your liking.

The Windows 11 Start Menu is barely usable

Microsoft plots price hikes for most Office, Microsoft 365 subscriptions

(May require free registration to view)

The new version of Firefox is not available at the time of writing. Later today, on August 24, 2021, Mozilla will make it available to all users. Select Menu > Help > About Firefox to check the currently installed version of the web browser. Firefox 91.0.2 will be distributed via the browser's automatic updating system and users may download it from the official Mozilla website.

Firefox 91.0.2

Firefox 91.0.2 is the second minor update of Firefox 91, which Mozilla released on August 10, 2021. Firefox 91 is the new base for Firefox's Extended Support Release channel. The new version introduced features such as simplified printing and HTTPS-First connections in private browsing mode.

Firefox 91.0.1 was released a week later on August 17, 2021. It fixed security issues in Firefox and addressed stability issues.

Firefox 91.0.2 fixes two issues that users may have experienced in previous versions of the web browser. The first addresses an issue on Mac OS X devices. Mac OS X users who had "increase contrast" checked in the Mac OS X settings did not have high contrast mode in Firefox enabled by default due to a bug. The new release addresses the issue in Firefox.

The second issue may have affected Firefox users who are using the password manager Lockwise. According to the bug report, Firefox Lockwise was prompting users repeatedly to enter the primary password. The initial bug report confirmed the issue on Windows, but other users confirmed it on Linux as well. It is likely that it could happen on all desktop systems that Firefox supports. The issue seems to have appeared in Firefox 90, according to the reports.

Mozilla discovered that the issue was linked to the clearing of data in Firefox. The new version of Firefox fixes the issue: Firefox no longer clears authentication data when purging trackers, to avoid repeatedly prompting for a password.

Closing Words

Firefox users who experienced the password manager issue will have it fixed later today with the release of Firefox 91.0.2. Users of the browser who don't use the password manager and don't rely on high contrast mode in Firefox are in no hurry to upgrade. The final release notes will be published here. Firefox 92, which will include the bug fixes, will be released on September 7, 2021.

Firefox 91.0.2 will be released later today

Frontpaged: Mozilla Forefox Browser 91.0.2

How to customize Windows 11 appearance with these tools

The new operating system’s main theme is calmness.

“Calmness is much needed in today’s world, and it tends to hinge on our ability to feel in control, at ease, and trustful,” Microsoft’s Christian Koehn and Diego Baca wrote in a blog post. “Windows 11 facilitates this through foundational experiences that feel familiar, soften formerly intimidating UI, and increase emotional connection.”

This extends to the soundscape, with a Microsoft spokesperson telling CNBC:

“The new sounds have a much rounder wavelength, making them softer so that they can still alert/notify you, but without being overwhelming. Just like we rounded UI [user interface] visually, we rounded our soundscape as well to soften the overall feel of the experience.”

This attention to detail extended to Windows 11 assuming different sound themes in Dark and Light Mode.

“The sounds are similar, which means people can recognize them as they switch between modes, but slightly different,” notes CNBC. “Applying a dark theme generally makes the sounds softer. They seem to echo, as if in a large room.”

Listen to some Windows 11 sound samples followed by their Windows 10 counterparts below:

Desktop Mail Sound

Windows Calendar Sound

Default Beep Sound

via HTG

Windows 11 Dark Mode will sounds different to Light Mode

Microsoft suggested those who would rather stick to the current very stable builds switch to the Beta channel, but HTNovo reports that it seems for many this is not possible.

Many Insiders are reporting that they are unable to switch from the Dev to Beta channel as those options are greyed out in the Windows Update Settings.

It also appears the old registry trick to switch your channel is not working, and while you can switch out of the Dev channel you end up in the Release Preview rather than Beta channel.

At the moment there appears to be no solution for the issue, with the window for making the switch closing rapidly.

Some Windows 11 Insiders stuck in the Dev channel

Microsoft likely to offer Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 in 2025

(May require free registration to view)

Now for the first time, the company has made the beta versions of their desktop app available on iOS and Android Windows and MacOS.

Version 2.2133.1  of the company’s WhatsApp desktop app is now available in beta.

WhatsApp is expected to soon release multi-device support for their service, but the new beta app only includes a new voice message recording experience, which allows you to preview the message before you send it.

WhatsApp will however automatically update the app with new features, and with big things coming it is certainly worth an install.

Find the apps at the links below:

WhatsApp Beta | Download for Windows
WhatsApp Beta | Download for macOS

via Windows Blog Italy , WABetaInfo

WhatsApp Desktop Beta apps now available for Windows and macOS

Thunderbird is available in two different versions currently: Thunderbird 91.x, which is only available as a direct download currently or as an upgrade from a Thunderbird 91.x installation, and Thunderbird 78.x, the previous version of the mail client.

Thunderbird 78.x installations will get options to upgrade to Thunderbird 91.x from within the client in the future, but not at this point.

Thunderbird 91.0.2

Thunderbird 91.0.2 is available as a direct update on systems with a Thunderbird 91.x installation or as a direct download from the official Thunderbird website.

The current version is displayed when you select Help > About  Thunderbird. If the menubar is not displayed, tap on the Alt-key to display it. Note that Thunderbird will run a check for updates when you select the item in the menu.

Thunderbird 91 introduced several new features, such as easier setups for accounts, native support for Apple Silicon, mail redirects, and an unread mail badge on the taskbar.

The badge on Thunderbird's icon on the taskbar displays the number of unread emails. Up until now, Thunderbird users could not turn off the mail badge in the client itself. Windows users on Windows 10 may disable badges in the Settings directly, or by using a small taskbar layout instead of the default one.

The new version introduces an option to turn off the badge. Here is how you do that:

1. Select Tools > Preferences to open the Thunderbird options.
2. Scroll all the way down and activate the Config Editor button in the tab that opens.
3. Search for mail.biff.show_badge.
4. Double-click on the name to set the preference to False.
   1. A state of False means that the badge is not displayed on the taskbar.
   2. A state of True means the badge is displayed (default option).
5. Restart Thunderbird.

Thunderbird won't display a badge on the taskbar anymore when the preference is set to False.

The second improvement in Thunderbird 91.0.2 adds colored tags to the mail filter editor.

Here are the remaining changes (mostly fixes) in the new release:

• OpenPGP and attachments context menus are hidden when not applicable.
• Fixed account creation issues when setting up accounts manually.
• Fixed auto-complete for recipients favored the primary email address for contacts.
• LDAP performance improvements.
• Recommendation Addons extensions had no clear option to view details in a browser.
• Status checkmark for View > Calendar > Calendar Pane > Show Calendar Pane was reversed.
• URLs using mid: in calendar invites did not open linked mail messages.
• unspecified theme and UX fixes.

Thunderbird 91.0.2: option to disable the Windows Task Bar unread mail badge added

Frontpaged: Mozilla Thunderbird 91.0.2

Some of the latest Windows 11 preview builds are causing annoying issues with Microsoft's security systems, users have claimed[.]

Reports have claimed Windows 11 Build 22000.160 or older is causing Windows Security to show error messages saying, “You’ll need a new app to this windowsdefender link”. 

According to WindowsLatest, although users are still able to access the antivirus, firewall, and protection status, some have reported being unable to launch other security features such as firewall & network protection, account protection, and apps & browser control tools.

Windows 11 security

Windows Security is the catch-all platform that governs and looks after the myriad of safety programs and tools found in the software, including the likes of Windows Defender.

Users getting the pop-up message asking for a new app are being directed towards the Microsoft Store, but it doesn't seem like there is a solution accessible there.

Instead, users will have to open Windows PowerShell from search or Start Menu with administrator privilege. Then, they'll need to copy and paste Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage, before closing the PowerShell window - which should fix the issue.

The news comes shortly after Microsoft released the ISO image files for Windows 11 for the first time in an attempt to make accessing previews a lot easier.

Available to download for users enrolled in the Windows Insider program's developer and beta channels, the launch means that users can perform a fresh install of Windows 11 on a test PC or virtual machine. 

This should mean more Insiders are encouraged to try out Windows 11, as they'll no longer need to upgrade from Windows 10 in order to try out the new operating system ahead of its launch later this year. 

Windows 11 is still set for launch later this year, although Microsoft is still yet to reveal an exact release date as it looks to get its next-generation software perfect.

Source

Version 5.14 of the Linux kernel seems set to debut next week, after a very calm development process.

Linus Torvalds kicked things off for version 5.14 on July 11th when he announced rc1 and wrote "I don't think there are any huge surprises in here, and size-wise this seems to be a pretty regular release too."

By the time rc2 was released a week later, he worried that it was not "fairly small and calm" as is often the case for the second release of a new kernel cut, because candidate 2 was unusually large.

"At least in pure number of commits, this is the biggest rc2 we've had during the 5.x cycle. Whether that is meaningful or not, who knows," he added.

"But it's not like anything looks super-scary, and it really is too early to start worrying about it, so let's just say that rc2's are usually smaller than this, and just leave it at that."

Once rc3 was announced Torvalds was less concerned that the release could prove difficult.

"Things seem to have calmed down and rc3 looks pretty normal."

He was right. His assessment of rc4 opened with "Nothing to see here, entirely normal rc4."

He hardly varied a week later, on August 8th, when he revealed rc5 and stated "Things are looking perfectly normal.

"Size is nominal, diffstat looks pretty normal, and the changes are all in the usual places, with just under 60% being drivers, and the rest the usual mix of architecture updates, core kernel, networking, and some selftests.

"Which is just how it should be by rc5. Let's hope the trend continues."

Torvalds got his wish. rc6 emerged after what the emperor penguin described as "another fairly normal week".

"Go test," he urged, "we should be getting pretty close to done with this release."

By the time rc7 rolled around on August 22nd, Torvalds suggested only "last-minute panic" would derail the full release of version 5.14 of the Linux kernel.

There's no obvious reason that kind of panic will emerge after such a smooth development process.

Which means that next week the world should be able to enjoy new features like mainline support for the Raspberry Pi 400, more work to support Intel's new Alder Lake hybrid SoCs and their mix of fast and slow cores, plus enablement of the OpenPOWER Microwatt soft CPU core, a new and open POWER design.

While Linux 5.14 development has been calm, the Linux Kernel Mailing list has had its moments. One Torvalds post that caught The Register's eye saw him dispense some medical advice in response to what he perceived as a request to add a badly-worded warning about an issue that could be avoided.

"It's a classic case of 'Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I hit myself in the head with an ice pick,'" he wrote.

"The solution is not to take some Ibuprofen. The solution is DON'T DO THAT THEN."

Sounds sensible to The Reg! ®

Source

While the OS is still under development, we have started taking a closer look at some of its features and capabilities, and also comparing how it stacks up against its predecessor. Although some of these might change depending upon feedback from Windows Insiders, the idea is to give our readers who have not used Windows 11 yet a hint as to what to expect come the OS' global launch.

A couple of days ago, we took a deep-dive into the Windows Search functionality, and today, we'll be taking a closer look at widgets. For the purpose of this hands-on, we'll be taking a look at Windows 11 build 22000.160 released just a couple of days ago versus a publicly available up to date Windows 10 (version 21H1 build 19043.1165).

Before we discuss widgets in Windows 11, it is important to note that the feature debuted quite recently on Windows 10. It is called "News and Interests" on the OS and can be accessed from the taskbar. As the name suggests, it's essentially a news feed that sits on the right side of your taskbar by default, and shows you the weather. However, when you hover or click on it, it expands in a fly-out window (screenshot above) showing you the weather, news, scores from sports, stock market trends, and more. You can click on the three-dotted menu on the top-right corner to manage your interests and can also click on the "expand" icon next to that, which will open the "My Feed" tab in Microsoft Edge. This will essentially show you the same information but in more screen estate. The same will happen if you want to view a particular item in more detail. It will always open in Edge and not respect your browser preferences.

If we move to Windows 11, the launch experience is quite different. The widgets icon now - see red arrow in screenshot above - sits along with your regular pinned taskbar items rather than the far right. It does not automatically launch on hover (this behavior can be disabled on Windows 10 too, by the way), and it does not take any space on your taskbar to show the weather. The only way to launch it is by clicking on it or using the Win + W shortcut. On Windows 10, this shortcut launched the Windows Ink Workspace UI.

In terms of the post-launch experience, you'll see that the widgets launch on the left side of the screen rather than the right. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice the rounded corners in the windowed component, which seems to be a staple in the Windows 11 design. Another noticeable change is that the widgets hover over the the taskbar and are not adjacent to the borders of the taskbar, which is something that we noted in the Windows Search UI a couple of days ago too.

While the general look appears to be the same, there are some key differences. The UI shows the time at the top, the "expand" and "refresh" icons from Windows 10 are gone, and the controls-related icons on the top-right have been reduced to just your account's picture. When you click on this, you'll be able to manage your interests, similar to Windows 10.

That said, there are a lot more widgets here than what are present in Windows 10. Looking at the screenshot above, you'll see that it contains options like Outlook Calendar, To Do, and traffic information too. In fact, by default, the Windows 11 widgets also have the Photos widget pinned. This typically shows you memories from your OneDrive albums. It is important to note that you can unpin widgets anytime you want and can even hide it from your taskbar by simply right-clicking on the icon and clicking "hide from taskbar".

While the widgets UI in Windows 11 will likely be welcomed by people who like to check news and stock market trends without launching the full browser experience, I feel that it could do with a lot of improvements. Again, this section is not intended for people who don't plan to use widgets altogether, and they have the option to hide it.

I believe that the widgets fly-out window takes up way too much space on the screen. If I just want a quick look at the news, weather, or stock market trends, I do not want it to take up roughly 35% of the width of my screen - as can be shown above - and horribly obstruct what I'm doing in the background. In essence, it does not offer multi-tasking capabilities at all. If you click on anything outside of the widgets UI, the window closes.

In the next few builds leading up to the general release of Windows 11, I believe that Microsoft should invest significant effort into redesigning its widgets UI from a multi-tasking perspective. Maybe provide some control to the user as to where they want the widgets to appear and how much space they should occupy.

For example, in my case, I would prefer that if I click on widgets, they appear at the bottom right corner of the screen, and occupy 20% of the width and 30% of the height. Furthermore, they should not close unless I explicitly click on the widgets icon or some "X" button on the top-right of the widgets window itself. From a personal user experience perspective, this would allow me to continue with my regular activities on the main screen estate while occasionally scrolling through news and match scores on the right.

Lastly, since I use Chrome as my primary browser, I do not appreciate the fact that widgets on Windows 10 and Windows 11 do not respect browser preferences and open in Microsoft Edge, regardless of anything. There definitely needs to be more control given to the user on this front.

Overall, I appreciate the changes that Microsoft is making to widgets in Windows 11 and adding new capabilities that take advantage of information from your Microsoft account, I do feel that there is a ways to go before I consider integrating widgets into my regular usage, come Windows 11. In the same vein, if you have feedback for Microsoft too, consider reporting it to the company via Feedback Hub and let us know in the comments section what you think about widgets as well.

Closer Look: Widgets in Windows 11

The feature needs to be enabled via the Tab Groups Save flag.

It presents the feature is non-functional, but when enabled it will save the tab group to your bookmark bar.

When you switch the toggle off the group will be removed from your bookmark bar.

Tab Groups appear to be under active development at Google and Microsoft at present, so hopefully we will see the feature fully fleshed out in the near future.

via techdows, Leo Varela

Save Tab Group feature finally arrives on Chrome Canary

If you are not familiar with an ISO image, they are a sector-by-sector copy of a DVD into a disk image file stored on your computer. These ISO files can then be burned onto a DVD to create a replicated, mounted as a Windows drive, or used to create a bootable USB drive.

How to download a Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft

Microsoft makes it very easy to download Windows 11 ISOs directly from the Windows Insider program.

To download the Windows 11 ISO, follow these steps:

1. Go to Windows Insider Preview Downloads page in your favorite web browser.

2. When the website opens, it will prompt you to log in with the account you are using with the Windows Insider program. If you are not already a Windows Insider, you can join the program for free.

3.

4. Once you are logged into the website with your Windows Insider account, you will see a page with detailed instructions on how to perform a clean install or in-place upgrade using the Windows ISO files.

5. Scroll down until you see the 'Select Edition' drop down box and click on the drop down. You will now see a list of available Windows 10 and Windows 11 ISO images you can download.

Select the Windows 11 build you wish to download and click on the 'Confirm' button.

6. After selecting the ISO image, you will be prompted for the language you wish to use. Select your language and click on the next 'Confirm' button.

7. You will now be shown an ISO download link for the Windows 11 build you selected. The link is generated for you and will only be valid for 24 hours.

Click on the '64-bit Download' button to begin downloading the ISO image to your computer. The ISO image is currently 5.11 GB in size, so it may take a while.

8. When the download is complete, you can close the web browser.

What should you do with the ISO?

Now that you have a Windows 11 ISO, you can use it to upgrade Windows 10, perform a clean install on a new device, or as backup bootable media that can be used for troubleshooting if the operating system does not start correctly.

When performing a clean install or in-place upgrade, you must have a valid Windows 10 product key. For Windows 7 users, you will not be able to use the media to perform an upgrade but rather have to do a clean install instead.

To create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive, you will need at least a 16GB flash drive, while 32GB is recommended to store other files or programs you may want in your recovery environment.

If you do not have a spare USB drive, you can purchase a 32GB Sandisk drive for about $8.99 or a 5-pack of 64GB USB drives for $27 on Amazon.

You can then create a bootable USB drive from the ISO and use it to install the operating system.

As previously said, the bootable USB drive is also excellent for troubleshooting tasks, such as removing malware, deleting a stubborn file, removing problematic Windows updates, or diagnosing why Windows 11 no longer boots.

It is suggested that all users create new bootable media from the Windows 11 ISOs as new feature updates are released so that you are using the latest version of the operating system.

How to download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft

In the letter, Microsoft notes that new Dev builds will be diverging from the Windows 11 Microsoft is expected to deliver to consumers later this year and will feature “early development builds” which are expected to be a lot more unstable.

Our readers will recall that Windows 11 was Microsoft’s hasty Plan C, after they failed to ship Windows 10X on both dual-screen tablets or single-screen laptops.

These new builds will presumably be the real Windows 11, with more new features and deeper changes, sticking closer to Microsoft’s real vision of a next-generation operating system.

Will our readers jump to the beta channel, are are you along for the wild Dev channel ride? Let us know below.

via HTNovo

Microsoft says new Dev Channel Windows 11 builds will be much more unstable