Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Some four years after adding support for podcasts, streaming media service Plex has announced that podcasts will no longer be available through its apps.

While the company insists that, "we're big podcast fans here at Plex", it says that it is "sorry for the inconvenience" of dropping support. But for anyone who has been using Plex to access podcasts, they may well agree that killing off the feature is the kindest thing to do, but it has irked those who paid for a Plex Pass subscription to use it.

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When Microsoft launched Windows 11, the company was heavily criticized for just how difficult it was to change the default web browser to something other than Edge.

After listening to these complaints, Microsoft used the KB5011563 update to simplify the process of switching browsers. While a welcome improvement, it was not enough for Mozilla who said that there was still more to be done to reduce the number of steps involved. Now Vivaldi has joined the Firefox-maker in saying that moving away from Edge should be made even easier, and not limited to those who are 'technically competent'. The company goes beyond this, accusing Microsoft of malpractice.

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Later this year, Microsoft will launch a new service called Windows Autopatch which will help users update their software.

The free service will help enterprise customers obtain Windows 10 and Windows 11 quality and feature updates, drivers, firmware, and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise updates. Microsoft is due to launch Windows Autopatch in July, and the company had provided information about how it will work.

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Microsoft is putting the squeeze on anyone who is hanging doggedly on to an old version of Windows.

The company is ending support for Windows 10 version 20H2 in just a few short weeks, meaning that anyone who fails to upgrade will no longer receive security updates. Microsoft would, of course, like users to upgrade to Windows 11, but this is not the only option.

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There is a lot to love and a lot to hate about Windows 11, and the Feedback Hub is a great way to see just what it is that users are unhappy with. Something that crops up time and time again is the fact that it is not possible to move the taskbar to the side or top of the screen as it was in previous versions of Windows.

Some members of the Windows 11 development team recently took part in an AMA session which was predominantly about Windows 11 productivity and collaboration. The question of the unmovable nature of the taskbar was raised, and it seems that Microsoft views being able to move the taskbar as being much less of a priority than many users do.

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Earlier this week we learned about a prototype PowerToys utility called Peek which is set to bring a macOS-style Quick Look feature to Windows 11. There is no word on when this handy tool will be added to the PowerToys suite but in the meantime, there is a new update to install.

With the release of PowerToys v0.57.2, Microsoft introduced an important number of tweaks, changes and new settings for utilities including PowerToys Run and AlwaysOnTop. There is also a key change to FancyZones for Windows 11 users.

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At its Windows Powers the Future of Hybrid Work event earlier this week, Microsoft revealed various new features that are coming to Windows 11. As well as additions such as tabs in File Explorer and folders in the Start menu, the company revealed a lot of upcoming security features.

One of the security highlights is Smart App Control, which works like an enhanced version of the SmartScreen filter already found in Windows. It will help to block malicious apps, but there is a serious downside that will put off a lot of people.

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Elon Musk's recent colossal investment in Twitter made him the largest shareholder in the company. His tweets after this became public made it seem as though he was going to be something of a trouble-making disruptor, stirring things up with talk of an edit button, but it soon transpired that Twitter really is working on the option to edit tweets.

It's hard to say quite when the feature will be made available, and it is likely to be limited to Twitter Blue subscribers -- at least to start with. In the meantime, users who are not willing to pay for extra features can enjoy another new option: Unmention

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Pinterest has become the first major social network to implement a ban on users posting misinformation about climate change.

The image-focused social platform is putting in place new rules that means it will no longer be possible to post content that denies the existence or impacts of climate change, the human influence on climate change, or that climate change is backed by scientific consensus. Misleading posts, including those that misrepresent scientific data will also be banned.

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Imitation, it is said, is the sincerest form of flattery. If this is true, then Microsoft is clearly fawning over macOS as the PowerToys development team are busy borrowing ideas from Apple's operating system.

Just last week we were treated to a big PowerToys update, but it seems that there is even more to look forward to in the future. Influenced heavily by the Quick Look feature of macOS, a new utility called PowerToys Peek is in the pipeline, giving a way to quickly preview files without having to open them.

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Microsoft recently introduced a compatibility hold to prevent certain people from upgrading to Windows 11. Safeguard ID 37820326 was put in place after an issue was discovered that saw some Edge users losing data they had stored in Internet Explorer 11.

The company has now addressed the problem meaning that IE users no longer need to take the extra step of importing data to Edge before upgrading to Windows 11.

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Google is rolling out a new feature to Chrome users which it says will help to protect privacy while online.

Although the Privacy Guide does not add any new privacy options, it serves as a step-by-step guide that will enable users to implement the settings that are most appropriate. As well as providing guidance through what can be a confusing sea of settings, the new addition also offers up explanations about different options.

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Elon Musk, the CEO of both Telsa and SpaceX, recently went shopping. He splashed $2.89 billion on Twitter stock, making him the largest shareholder in the company, with a hefty 9.2 percent holding.

While it is not yet clear what Musk intends to do with the influence he now undoubtedly wields, he is certainly not going to be sitting quietly. In a tweet posted overnight, the entrepreneur tweeted a poll asking if Twitter users would like an edit button.

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With virtually no fanfare, Microsoft has quietly launched the latest version of its datacenter management suite. Microsoft System Center 2022 is now generally available to cater for a range of IT environments, such as Windows Server, Azure Stack HCI and VMWare deployments.

The suite, which debuted back on 2008, includes System Center Operations Manager (SCOM), Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), System Center Orchestrator (SCORCH), Service Manager (SM) and Data Protection Manager (DPM). But while Microsoft may be pushing System Center 2022 out of the door, it's fair to say that it is not yet complete.

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It has been a very long time coming, but Microsoft appears to have finally understood the value and importance of HTTPS. For reasons best known to the company, anyone looking to download updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog have had to do so via HTTP links -- but no longer.

In the last few days, Microsoft made a server-side change that means Microsoft Update Catalog downloads now use HTTPS connections. The switch to HTTPS affects everything from Windows 11 to Office, and everything in between.

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