Microsoft

Microsoft yesterday released a new Windows 10 Fall Creators Update build for Insiders on the Fast ring. Build 16288 fixes a lot of issues, although it also failed to arrive for many users.

Today, Microsoft releases another new build, only this time for those Insiders who have chosen to Skip Ahead to the pre-release Redstone 4 branch. This branch will form the basis for the next big feature release after the Fall Creators Update.

A recent report from Check Point Research suggested that the presence of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10 poses a security risk to Microsoft's operating system. Researchers from Check Point highlighted the issue of Bashware attacks which use WSL to bypass security products.

Microsoft, predictably enough, disagrees with the findings -- and so do other researchers. The Windows-maker says it views the risk of Bashware as "low". But is the company being too dismissive?

One of the biggest complaints about Windows 10 is that it spies on its users. Microsoft has reigned in this snooping in past feature updates, and is introducing yet more privacy enhancements in the forthcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

These changes, Microsoft says, will give users greater access to information, as well as more control over what data is collected in the first place. There are two main additions.

After a wait of nearly two weeks, Microsoft yesterday rolled out a new Windows 10 Fall Creators Update build to Insiders on the Fast ring.

At least, that was the intention. However, the release didn’t go according to plan, and many people found themselves unable to download the new build. Microsoft was quickly on the case and delivered a fix for the issue, except, well, people still can’t download the update.

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update rollout is scheduled to begin on October 17th, although if the speed of the previous feature update rollout is anything to go by, it will be quite some time before most users get offered it (although they'll of course be able to manually update their PCs if they wish.)

Microsoft is hard at work getting the new update ready, although some major bugs meant it's been nearly two weeks since the last build was pushed out. Today the wait is over, as a new build finally arrives for Insiders on the Fast ring (not Skip Ahead).

Although Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is only just around the corner, Microsoft is still fixing problems with the current Creators Update. The update still may not yet have rolled out to everyone, but there have been plenty of complaints about gaming performance.

Some five months ago, users started to complain about a drop in framerate and stuttering performance in a number of popular games. Microsoft has now finally acknowledged that there is a problem, and has issued a fix for one of the issues.

Windows 10 isn't a bad operating system, but understandably, not everyone loves it. You know what? That is OK. People have different likes and needs, and sometimes an alternative to Microsoft's operating system, such as Ubuntu, macOS, or Chrome OS can be a better fit.

If you want to switch to Linux, there is no shortage of operating systems based on the kernel. With that said, many of them aren't very user friendly. If you have lived your life using Windows, it is wise to choose a Linux distro that caters to your habits and expectations. One such operating system with a very inviting user interface is Zorin OS, and today, version 12.2 sees release. If you have been on the fence regarding Linux, now might be your time.

It may seem like a no brainer to migrate your enterprise to the Windows 10 operating system given its many improvements over previous versions. From the enterprise point of view, the new operating system provides increased corporate network and data security, with features such as Device Guard and Windows Hello; enhanced cloud integration capabilities; and improved IT management. Users benefit from easier navigation through the familiar "Start" menu, a better overall user experience, and a unified platform across all the devices.

If you join the migration bandwagon, you’re not alone. According to Gartner Research, by the end of the year, 85 percent of enterprises will have begun the migration process. But procrastinators beware -- the clock is ticking with Windows 7 support set to expire in January 2020.

Microsoft's upcoming event in London, called Future Decoded, will have Panos Panay, the Surface head, as one of the keynote speakers, fueling speculation that the tech giant will unveil the new-generation products part of its hardware line at the end of next month.

Microsoft has already unveiled two new Surface devices this year, the Surface Laptop and the new Surface Pro, but it has yet to reveal a successor to the Surface Book or Surface Studio.

Huawei has revealed a new tie-up with Microsoft as it looks to improve the world of public cloud.

At the Huawei Connect 2017 event in Shanghai today, the Chinese giant has confirmed it will expanding its partnership with Microsoft to allow the latter's enterprise apps to come to Huawei Cloud.

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is set to launch on October 17, but a large portion of Windows 10 users are still waiting to be offered the Creators Update which was released back in April.

Windows 10 rollouts tend to be quite slow -- Microsoft only makes each upgrade available to systems it considers compatible -- but the pace of the Creators Update rollout has been positively glacial -- way slower than the Anniversary Update that preceded it.

Windows 10 S is a really great idea in theory. By limiting the operating system to applications from the Windows Store, it could make users safer. After all, it should limit the potential of malware since users can't download and install questionable things from the web. Of course, this will only be successful if there is a good library of apps, and I am sorry to say, the Windows Store is a failure in that regard. The biggest selling point for Windows is legacy program compatibility. Once you take that away, there isn't much left.

Thankfully, the company is giving complimentary upgrades from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro until the end of 2017. This will allow a person or organization to easily recover from mistakenly buying into Windows 10 S if it doesn't meet their needs. Today, however, as a sign of weakness, Microsoft extends this deadline.

Enterprise SaaS market has seen growth of almost a third (31 percent) compared to last year.

That's according to the latest research from Synergy Research Group.

It has been a few weeks since Microsoft launched an updated beta version of Outlook.com. Rather than making the beta available to everyone, the company chose to roll out the beta to a limited number of users -- although it was possible to jump the queue with a little trick.

Now Microsoft has decided to make the Outlook.com beta available to everyone. There's quite a lot to try out, with an updated look and a host of new and improved features. While the beta version is available to everyone, it's not enabled by default.

Microsoft has confirmed what leaks have suggested for a little while (thanks, Lenovo!). The launch date for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is October 17, 2017 -- and no, there is no Autumn Creators Update!

This will be the fourth major update to Windows 10, and it is one that has been keenly awaited by users of the operating system, although it's not going to be without its share of disappointments. Microsoft confirmed the release date at IFA today, and pointed out two of the update's key new features: eye-tracking and Windows Mixed Reality.