Wayne Williams

Last month I reported how, according to NetMarketShare’s figures, Windows 10 had managed to grow its usage share by just 5 percentage points in an entire year. That's a shocking state of affairs for a relatively new -- and regularly updated -- operating system, especially given that Windows 7 enjoyed a 2 percentage overall increase in the same time frame.

In July, perhaps buoyed by the news that the Windows 10 Creators Update was finally going to be offered to (nearly) all, Windows 10 posted its largest usage increase for three months, although still nothing for Microsoft to get excited about.

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Windows 10 Fall Creators Update isn’t too far off being ready for release, which should mean that the new builds we see are pretty unexciting, with bug fixes and minor improvements the order of the day.

But it appears Microsoft didn’t get that memo, as there’s several big changes in new Build 16257, including one that no one saw coming, and which won't be visible to most.

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Better PHP Development covers a collection of content, providing tools and techniques to make you a better developer.

If you’re just getting started with PHP (or perhaps you've been using it a while and have learned some bad habits), you’re in luck. Not only will it be harder to slip up and make mistakes, but content such as this -- handpicked from the excellent SitePoint PHP channel -- will help you get started the right way.

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Virtualization Essentials, Second Edition takes a learning-by-doing approach to give you hands-on training and a core understanding of virtualization.

As more and more companies are leveraging virtualization, it's imperative that IT professionals have the skills and knowledge to interface with virtualization-centric infrastructures. Virtualization Essentials, Second Edition provides new and aspiring IT professionals with immersive training in working with virtualization environments. Clear, straightforward discussions simplify complex concepts, and the hands-on tutorial approach helps you quickly get up to speed on the fundamentals.

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Windows 10 S is a special locked down version of Microsoft’s new operating system. It’s aimed primarily at those in education, and can only run apps from the Windows Store, which offers security benefits, including protection from ransomware.

While the OS is predominately to be found on new hardware like the Surface Laptop, Microsoft last week made it available for developers, and from today anyone can officially download and install it. Here’s how.

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If you want to learn how to use Linux -- either for fun, or to level up your career -- but are pressed for time, this ebook is for you.

In Learn Linux in 5 Days, you will learn the most important concepts and commands of Linux, and be guided step-by-step through several practical and real-world examples. As new concepts, commands, or jargon are encountered they are explained in plain language, making it easy to understand. The most important material is condensed into five sections, each designed to be consumed in a day.

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Minecraft fans can play the Microsoft-owned game on a variety of platforms, including PC, Android, iOS, and console.

It’s great fun as it is, but things are about to get even better, as from today Microsoft releases a beta that will let you play the game with friends across different devices.

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The big, standout new feature in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16251 is cross-device web-browsing. This lets you start browsing on your phone, and then switch to your PC and continue from where you left off.

The feature was initially only available for Android, but Microsoft promised that it would arrive on iOS "soon." Well, it’s here even sooner than expected and iPhone and iPad users can grab it now.

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Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology from Dolby Laboratories. It debuted in 2012, and is designed to "pull you inside the action" with sound that moves around you in a three-dimensional space without being constrained to channels.

Microsoft supports Dolby Access in Windows 10 Creators Update, and enabling it and using it is straightforward, but there are some catches to be aware of.

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Microsoft today announced that it’s finally making the Windows 10 Creators Update available to all, and it’s also opening up Windows 10 S to developers.

Windows 10 S is a locked down version of the new operating system that’s designed to only run Windows Store apps. It’s to be found on hardware like the Surface Laptop.

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The Windows 10 Creators Update rollout has been glacially slow, and -- at times -- problematic. Shortly after it began, back at the start of April, Microsoft suggested people didn’t manually install it, and three months after its official release only half of Windows 10 users were running it.

Finally, though, with the horrendously named Fall Creators Update due soon, Microsoft has made the decision to finally offer the current feature update to all -- well nearly all.

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New Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16251 is rolling out now and brings with it lots of changes and some great new features, such as the ability to shut down or restart your PC using Cortana voice controls.

The standout feature though is cross-device web-browsing that lets you browse the web on an Android phone and then switch to continue browsing the same site on your Windows 10 PC. Here’s how to use it.

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It’s been two weeks since Microsoft rolled out a new Windows 10 build to Insiders on the Fast ring. Build 16241 came with a sizeable number of improvements and fixes, with a large number of those focused on the Mixed Reality side of things.

Today the software giant pushes out Build 16251, and the main focus here is on cross-device web-browsing -- that is linking your PC and Android phones together (support for iPhone is coming soon) so you can browse the web on your mobile device and then continue browsing the same site on your PC.

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Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (aka Redstone 3) is nearly done. Microsoft is just working to kill all the bugs and stabilize the release now.

It won’t begin the official rollout for a while -- and if the speed of the Creators Update rollout is anything to go by you likely won’t get it for months anyway -- but the software giant is already looking to the future, and Redstone 4. Insiders who want to remain on the cutting edge at all times will be given the chance to 'skip ahead' and start receiving builds from that future branch if they wish.

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Yesterday, I wrote how Microsoft’s simple graphics program Paint was getting killed off after 32 years’ service, but it seems it’s not dead yet.

Microsoft is going to be retiring it from future versions of Windows 10, but you’ll still be able to get Paint from the Windows Store.

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