Microsoft 3D Movie Maker from 1995 is now open source
Microsoft has released a number of programs as open source over the years, and today it digs deep into its back catalog to make 3D Movie Maker freely available to all.
First released in 1995, 3D Movie Maker lets you put together animated scenes using 3D characters, props, backgrounds, text, sound, and special effects. This release also comes with a build of BRender from Argonaut software. While it’s a welcome move, you shouldn’t get too excited by today’s news because there is a catch.
Microsoft releases new PowerToys v0.58.0, fully embracing .NET 6, fixing a huge number of bugs, and pleasing Windows 11 users
After what seems like an age -- in reality just shy of four weeks -- it is time for a new version of PowerToys! Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.58.0, complete with a lengthy list of fixes and improvements to numerous utilities. Many of the changes will be of particular interest to Windows 11 users.
Under the hood, native ARM64 support is progressing, and NET Core 3.1 has been ditched in favor of .NET 6. More interestingly, there are also important change to FancyZones, File Explorer, PowerToys Runs, Mouse Utility and more.
Microsoft offers advice for ditching Internet Explorer before it is retired next month
Next month, Microsoft is officially retiring Internet Explorer 11. In six short weeks -- June 15 to be precise -- the era of IE11 comes to an end, but Microsoft is keen for organizations to move away from the browser before the big day rolls around.
Acknowledging that many organizations are reliant on IE-dependent sites and may well have entered the final stages of preparation, Microsoft says there is no need to wait until retirement day, saying: "the best way to prepare for IE disablement after June 15, is to proactively retire IE in your organizations before June 15".
Microsoft's SMB security tool, Microsoft Defender for Business, hits general availability
Microsoft has announced that its security tool for small to medium-sized businesses is now generally available. The standalone version of Microsoft Defender for Business helps to protect against ransomware and other cyber threats bringing, Microsoft says, "enterprise-grade endpoint security to SMBs".
Highlighting the importance of its solution, the company says that nearly a quarter of SMBs have experienced a security breach in the last year, often because they do not have the staff and resources available to enterprises. To help with this and to simplify deployment, Defender for Business comes with built-in policies to get customers up and running quickly.
Microsoft issues a fix for Windows 11 Safe Mode problems caused by KB5012643 update
When Microsoft released the KB5012643 update for Windows 11, there were complaints from a number of users about screen flicker when booting into Safe Mode.
Microsoft acknowledged the problem, and confirmed suspicions that it was related to Safe Mode with Networking. The company has now addressed the issue, fixing it with a relatively rare KIR (Known Issue Rollback).
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 22610 with new group policies and loads of fixes
There was no new build for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel last week, and it looked as if we might not get one this week either, but at the death Microsoft releases a new build in time for the weekend.
Build 22610 introduces some new group policies for IT administrators, an update to the Family Safety Widget, and a large number of new fixes. However, it also introduces two known issues to be aware of.
Best Windows apps this week
Four-hundred-eighty-eight in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Adoption of Windows 11 appears to have slowed down in the past two months according to recent usage statistics by third-parties.
KB5012643 update is causing screen flickering for some Windows 11 users
Installing updates for Windows can often be something of a gamble, but this is particularly true when we're talking about the preview versions Microsoft makes available ahead of the monthly Patch Tuesday releases.
The latest problematic patch is the recently released KB5012643 update for Windows 11. Due for a wider release in May, Microsoft has already made a preview version available for those who like to get updated as soon as possible. But some people who have installed the update are reporting problems with flickering screens.
Microsoft launches GitHub Desktop 3.0 with great new pull request features
Microsoft has launched the latest version of its developer tool GitHub Desktop. The company describes GitHub Desktop 3.0 as a "big milestone", with this release bringing enhance pull request integration.
Among the improvements in version 3.0 of the software is the ability to review the status of your pull request check runs. There's also support for high-signal pull request notifications so you can be kept informed of pull request check failures and passes.
Windows 11 adoption still glacially slow as users stick with Windows 10
Last month, we reported on how Windows 11's growth had stalled dramatically, with the new operating system’s usage share in March increasing by just 0.1 percentage points.
One bad month doesn’t necessary mean bad news for Microsoft’s latest OS, but two bad months? Well, that hardly paints a rosy picture.
Microsoft and Mastercard join forces to combat digital fraud
Microsoft has teamed up with Mastercard to launch a new identity protection solution which has been designed to help tackle digital fraud.
Mastercard has boosted its existing Digital Transaction Insights solution by adding next-generation authentication and real-time decisioning intelligence capabilities. The system helps merchants to verify customers' identities, and Microsoft will be providing its own insights and integrating the technology across its business.
Microsoft releases KB5011831 update to fix loads of Windows 10 bugs
Ahead of next month's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released a preview of a significant update for Windows 10 that addresses a series of bugs in the operating system.
The preview of the KB5011831 update is available for Windows 10 version 20H2, 21H1 and 21H2 and it fixes numerous issues including one that causes a black screen to be displayed. There are also fixes for problems with OneDrive, the news and interest panel, and more.
Microsoft discovers Nimbuspwn privilege escalation vulnerabilities in Linux
Security researchers at Microsoft have found a series of vulnerabilities affecting Linux. Collectively named Nimbuspwn, the security flaws can be chained together to allow an attacker to gain root access to a system.
Microsoft warns that the vulnerabilities, which are being tracked as CVE-2022-29799 and CVE-2022-29800, could also be exploited to execute ransomware attacks and more.
Microsoft is giving the Windows 11 Task Manager a colorful makeover
In recent builds of Windows 11, Microsoft has been giving Task Manager more attention than usual. We have already seen the addition of new keyboard shortcuts and a new Efficiency mode, but there are more changes on the way.
Having given Task Manager a modern makeover, complete with support for dark mode, Microsoft is now giving users the option of adding a splash of color to the utility.
Windows' market share declined 17 percent in the past 10 years
These days you no longer need to stick with Microsoft's Windows operating system if you don't want to. There are some excellent Linux distributions you can run instead, like Ubuntu or Linux Lite, or macOS if you opt to switch to Apple hardware. You can even use iPads or Android tablets as laptop alternatives if you prefer.
In 2013, Microsoft Windows accounted for over 90 percent of the total desktop operating system market, but that figure has dropped significantly in the past decade in the face of increased competition.
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