Microsoft and Oracle connect their clouds
Two of the giants of enterprise cloud technology have today announced a cloud interoperability partnership, enabling customers to migrate and run mission-critical enterprise workloads across Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud.
Enterprises can now seamlessly connect Azure services, like Analytics and AI, to Oracle Cloud services, like Autonomous Database. By enabling customers to run one part of a workload within Azure and another part of the same workload within the Oracle Cloud, the partnership delivers a highly optimised, best-of-both-clouds experience.
Microsoft is closing all of its speciality stores in the US
Microsoft is refocusing its retail presence, taking the decision to close all of its remaining "speciality stores".
The last 17 in-mall kiosks have been closed with immediate effect, and Microsoft will now put its efforts into its growing chain of bricks-and-mortar retail stores around the world.
Microsoft's Bing celebrates a decade of mediocrity
Google is the best search engine; it is indisputable. Of course, the downside to Google is that it is a privacy nightmare, tracking you and logging your search history. While there are alternatives, such as DuckDuckGo and StartPage.com that focus on protecting your privacy, Google still provides the better search experience.
And then there is Bing -- the search engine people love to hate. Yes, it is fashionable to bash Microsoft's search engine, but the truth is, it's not that bad. In fact, it is fairly good. And that is the problem -- it is just mediocre, never really catching on with consumers. Google is just better. Despite Bing's lack of success, Microsoft has surprisingly stuck with it. As a result, today, Bing celebrates a 10th birthday -- a full decade of mediocrity. Huzzah!
Microsoft releases first preview of PowerShell 7 and sets out feature roadmap
Having already announced that PowerShell 7 will be the next version of PowerShell, Microsoft has released the first public preview. For the first time, PowerShell is based on .NET Core 3.0.
The command-line shell and scripting language is set to be updated on a monthly basis, so we can expect a few more preview versions before it hits general availability around a month after .NET Core 3.0. As well as releasing this first preview, Microsoft has also shared details of the PowerShell 7 roadmap.
Microsoft implores Windows users to install patch for wormable BlueKeep Remote Code Execution vulnerability
Two weeks after warning about a critical Remote Code Execution vulnerability in Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft is concerned that around a million internet-connected computers remain unpatched and vulnerable to attack.
The company says that there is a risk that CVE-2019-0708, or BlueKeep, could turn into the next WannaCry if steps aren't taken to secure systems. While there is not yet any sign of a worm that exploits the vulnerability, proofs of concept do exist, and it could only be a matter of time before this changes. Microsoft is taking the matter so seriously, that it even released security patches for the unsupported Windows XP, Vista and 2003 -- people just need to install them.
'Files' for Microsoft's Windows Lite OS looks amazing running on a foldable Surface
Back in 2015, Microsoft said that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows. The software giant views its newest operating system as a service that’s continually updated. Although problems with both the October 2018 Update and May 2019 Update mean that’s not really true at the moment. Most Windows 10 users are still on the April 2018 Update.
Device manufacturers are continuing to innovate, and Chromebooks are showing a very different future from the one Windows 10 is offering us. This is where the modern "Windows Lite" comes in.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18908 with more features for Your Phone
Microsoft has been teasing us with talk of a new "modern" operating system, but that doesn’t mean it’s forgotten about Windows 10.
Today it releases a new Fast ring build on the 20H1 branch -- the feature update set to roll out to users a year from now -- and adds a wealth of new features to the Your Phone app.
Most Windows 10 users are running the update from over a year ago
Microsoft’s original grand plan for Windows 10 was an operating system that was always up-to-date. Updates were intended to be mandatory, and while you could delay them a bit, you couldn’t opt out of them entirely. And the software giant was committed to rolling out two major feature updates a year.
Fast forward to now, and things are very different. You can delay, or avoid, most updates, including feature updates -- assuming you’re even offered them in the first place.
Microsoft drops some very big hints about its modern 'Windows Lite' OS
It’s been hinted for a while that Microsoft is working on a new operating system for dual-screen and Chromebook-like PCs, and while the software giant has yet to confirm the existence of the rumored "Windows Lite" OS, Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President, Consumer and Device Sales, did drop some pretty big hints about it at Computex 2019 in Taipei.
While on stage he referred continually to a modern operating system designed to run on "modern PCs and innovative devices" that offers seamless background updates and zero interruptions, greater security, and always on connectivity.
Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse is fabulously retro and deliciously modern
If you need a mouse, there are two companies that very rarely disappoint -- Logitech and Microsoft. Not only are their mice often accurate and comfortable, but very durable too. Sure, there are other brands that produce solid mice, but Microsoft and Logitech pointing devices will probably survive a nuclear war, outlasting humanity.
Some of the greatest mice of all time were from Microsoft's IntelliMouse series. The IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 was a personal favorite of mine -- it is so comfortable, and the thumb buttons are absolute perfection. I am pretty sure I still have it in a box somewhere, and if I plugged it into my PC today, it would work flawlessly. IntelliMouse was so beloved by many computer users, that Microsoft released the refreshed Classic IntelliMouse in 2017. Today, the Windows-maker takes things even further, with the all-new "Microsoft Pro Intellimouse" -- a beautiful blend of retro design and modern specifications.
Windows 10 May 2019 Update causes Wi-Fi dropouts for some users
If you have a computer with a Qualcomm Wi-Fi adaptor, you could well find that you suffer from random connection dropouts after installing Windows 10 May 2019 Update.
The problem stems from a problem with older Wi-Fi drivers, and to avoid problems for user Microsoft has chosen to halt the rollout of the update to systems that could be affected. In addition, the company has issued a warning against manually or forcibly installing the May 2019 Update.
Here are all the features Microsoft removed or deprecated in Windows 10 May 2019 Update
Microsoft began to roll out the latest big feature update for Windows 10 a couple of days ago, and you can get it via Windows Update, or force the update if it’s not yet showing up for you.
With each new OS update, however, some existing features get dropped, or stop being actively developed. Here’s what’s missing in Windows 10 1903, the May 2019 Update..
Force Windows 10 to install the May 2019 Update NOW
After an extended period of testing in the Release Preview ring, Microsoft has finally started rolling out the May 2019 Update to Windows 10 users, albeit in a "measured and throttled" way.
You might be able to get it now by going through Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update or, failing that, via the Media Creation tool. There is a very simple way to force Windows 10 to start the upgrade process immediately however.
New version of Windows 95 runs faster on Windows 10, macOS and Linux
Windows 95 has been enjoying a little nostalgia-fueled revival recently. There have been concepts made for modern versions of the ancient OS on desktop and mobile and it’s even possible to give an Apple iPhone a Windows 95 makeover.
Last year, developer Felix Rieseberg released Windows 95 as an Electron app and he updated this a few months ago so it could run gaming classics like Doom. His latest update gives the OS a welcome performance boost.
Microsoft wants GDPR-style privacy laws for the US
It is now a year since GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) rules came into effect in Europe, and on this anniversary, Microsoft is starting a conversation about bringing similar privacy regulation to the US.
The company praises the privacy framework and says that it has improved how companies handle their customers' personal data. It says that GDPR has inspired a global movement that has seen countries around the world adopt new privacy laws, and that it is time for the US to follow suit.
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