Microsoft

There have long been rumors that Microsoft has an interest in buying GitHub, but in recent weeks it seems that talks between the two companies have been getting more serious.

Talks between Microsoft and GitHub have been going on for a number of years now, and a new report suggests that an acquisition is closer than ever. While Microsoft share prices rose at the news, GitHub users are less convinced that the move would be a good idea.

Ever keen to bolster its family-friendly image, Microsoft has revealed a number of updates to parental control options across a range of apps, services and devices. The company says it wants to "make it easier and safer for families to interact with technology and, each other, across devices and platforms".

The changes include updates to Edge and Microsoft Launcher for Android, which allows parents to not only limit what children can see, but also track their whereabouts. Microsoft is also introducing a specially-curated MSN Kids.

Microsoft seems -- finally -- to have got the hang of its six monthly update schedule for Windows 10. Not only has it pushed out the April 2018 Update to over 50 percent of Windows 10 users in a very short space of time, but the next feature update, codenamed Redstone 5, is shaping up very nicely already.

The big new feature in this next major update is Sets, and Build 17682 introduce some improvements to it based on Insider feedback.

Believe it or not, Groove Music was a very good streaming music service. Unfortunately for Microsoft, consumers largely did not give it a chance, causing it to shut down. Despite the service dying, the Groove Music apps have lived on.

Sadly, Microsoft today announces that it is killing the mobile apps for both iOS and Android later this year on December 1, 2018. What does the company recommend these mobile users do? Switch to Windows Phone, of course! No, seriously...

Microsoft rolls out feature updates for Windows 10 twice a year, often at quite glacial speeds. The Creators Update, released last Spring, was particularly slow and problematic. By the time its successor arrived, six months later, over a quarter of users (27.5 percent) still didn’t have it.

The Fall Creators Update push was, in comparison, much smoother. Helped by the delay in getting the Spring 2018 Update out of the door, it managed to make its way on to more than 92 percent of Windows 10 PCs, making it the most installed Windows 10 update ever.

Microsoft has been rolling out new Windows 10 RS5 builds on a weekly basis, but it looked as if we weren’t going to get one this week due to what appeared to be a roll-back bug. However, it turns out the problem was actually a deployment issue which Microsoft was able to fix server side.

The just-released Build 17677, for Fast ring and Skip Ahead Insiders, has a number of additions.

While there are times when the comments section of a website offers interesting statements from readers, quite often, it is full of vile and vulgar speech instead. We here at BetaNews are lucky -- you guys are rather tame... for the most part. On other websites, such as YouTube, a hardened United States Marine could be made to blush by the horrific comments.

Today, Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) Director of Programming for Xbox Live announces he is turning off the ability to comment on his wildly popular blog. While he doesn't cite cancerous language from readers as being a reason, I wouldn’t he surprised if that didn’t weigh on his decision -- even just a little bit. Surprisingly, he blames a lack of interest.

The rollout of Windows 10 April 2018 Update was recently blocked to some computers because of problems with certain SSDs. Now Microsoft has issued an update that addresses the issues.

Releasing the KB4100403 patch, Microsoft says that problems with Intel SSD 600p Series or Intel SSD Pro 6000p Series, and Toshiba XG4 Series, Toshiba XG5 Series, or Toshiba BG3 Series drives, are fixed. After installing it, users should be able to upgrade to Windows 10 April 2018 Update.

New Windows 10 feature updates get tested thoroughly both internally at Microsoft and by Windows Insiders. However, with so many PC variations and third-party programs, it's all but impossible to identify and eradicate every potential issue. That's why as soon as a new big Windows update gets released we suddenly hear of previously undetected problems arising.

In the case of the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, or Windows 10 1803 as it’s also known, we’ve seen users reporting issues with Intel and Toshiba SSDs, and some upgraders have experienced a black screen with no icons -- something I initially encountered after upgrading to the Fall Creators Update last year.

The Special Olympics is a wonderful organization that enables people with intellectual disabilities to compete against each other and win medals. While it promotes health, fitness, and camaraderie, it also highlights that all people deserve the right to compete. It is very inspiring stuff, folks.

Today, Microsoft announces that it has partnered with the Special Olympics for an all-new Xbox gaming tournament. This is not the first time that the Windows-maker has worked with the organization. For this tourney, Microsoft is pairing two players to a team -- one with an intellectual disability and one without. Teams will then face-off by playing Forza Motorsport 7 -- a racing game published by Microsoft Studios.

The clock is ticking for the arrival of GDPR (or General Data Protection Regulation) in Europe. As of May 25 -- this Friday -- new regulations will give people greater access to the data companies store about them and the right to have it deleted.

Microsoft is among the global technology firms that will have to comply with the laws in Europe and -- pointing out how it appreciates "the strong leadership by the European Union on these important issues" -- the company says that it will also roll out some of the benefits of the privacy legislation on a global basis. It will be known as Data Subject Rights.

At its SharePoint Virtual Summit, Microsoft today unveiled SharePoint spaces, a way to bring SharePoint into virtual reality and mixed reality environments.

Microsoft says that SharePoint spaces adds a third dimension to company intranets, and allows people to engage and interact with documents, data, and video in new and more immersive ways. The company envisions the technology being used by businesses to create interactive welcome environments for new employees, interactive product databases, training experiences, and much more.

Microsoft has announced plans to acquire Semantic Machines, a startup based in Berkley, California, that specializes in conversational artificial intelligence.

The acquisition makes a great deal of sense because of Microsoft's desire to push Cortana forward, and the general increased interest in voice-powered digital assistants and chatbots -- and products such as Google Duplex. The Semantic Machines team includes members who have worked on Siri and with speech-recognition firm Nuance.

Last week saw the release of Windows 10 RS5 Build 17666 to Insiders on the Fast and Skip Ahead rings. It was a very impressive build, with a number of big new features, including a dark theme for File Explorer, acrylic in Sets, Cloud Clipboard, and more.

Today Microsoft rolls out Build 17672, with a big new change to security.

Not wanting to be outdone by Apple, Microsoft is reportedly planning to release a low-cost Surface tablet later this year.

Said to measure 10 inches and with a price tag of around $400, the budget Surface will retain the familiar kickstand found on its Pro sibling, and will compete directly with the iPad. This is not a re-run of the Surface RT, as full-blown Windows will be supported.