Microsoft is arrogantly giving Copilot greater prominence than your notifications in Windows 11
Microsoft is ramming Copilot further down the throats of Windows 11 users in the latest push of its AI-driven assistant.
The company is so eager for people to take notice of Copilot, that the company has elevated the tool so it is more prominent than important notifications. The change is seen in Windows 11 build 26100 as well as Windows 11 version 23H2 where the gesture previously used to access notifications now calls up Copilot instead.
Outrageous: Microsoft to charge $61 for Windows 10 updates -- consider switching to Linux!
Hold on to your hats, folks, because Microsoft is at it again. In a move that’s sure to ruffle some feathers, the tech giant has announced* that starting October 2024, just one year before Windows 10 reaches its end of support, the company will charge a whopping $61 per device for the first year of Extended Security Updates (ESU). And get this – the price will double every consecutive year for a maximum of three years! If you’re late to the party and join in Year Two, you’ll have to cough up the cash for Year One as well since these updates are cumulative. Talk about a slap in the face!
Now, let’s be clear: these Extended Security Updates are meant to be a temporary bridge for organizations that need more time to transition to Windows 11. They’re not intended to be a long-term solution. But let’s face it, for many businesses and individuals, upgrading to Windows 11 isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. There are compatibility issues, hardware requirements, and not to mention the hassle of migrating entire systems. So, this move by Microsoft feels like it's holding users hostage -- pay up or risk being left vulnerable to security threats.
Microsoft finally listens to feedback and improves taskbar Widgets and Explorer in Windows 11
It is easy to complain about Windows 11; oh, so very, very easy. But while there are many reasons for feeling frustrated at the operating system, there is also cause for hope -- not least of which is that Microsoft appears to be paying heed to feedback from users.
This is evident in the latest beta build of Windows 11 released to Windows Insiders where the company has made important changes to Explorer and Widgets in the taskbar. Explorer improvements sees the return of drag-and-drop functionality to breadcrumbs.
First look at the new All Apps section of the Windows 11 Start Menu
Microsoft is working on a redesign of the All Apps menu of the Windows 11 Start Menu. The current iteration of All Apps was introduced in Windows 10. Users could activate the section to get an alpha-numerical list of all installed applications.
Critics argue that the layout is not practicable. It has a lot of whitespace and only one entry per line. Users who prefer improved layouts may switch to Start Menu alternatives such as Start11 or StartAllBack.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-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.
Microsoft released the March 2024 optional update for Windows 11 this week. It includes all the changes of the Moment Update 5, which adds more AI to Windows and also changes for European Economic Area users.
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Install the KB5035942 update for Windows 11 to gain all of the Moment 5 features right now
It is the time of the month when Microsoft releases preview versions of the next month's updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11. And for Windows 11 users, the newly launched KB5035942 update is an exciting one.
As this is an update preview, there are no security fixes included in the patch but there is a lot more. With the KB5035942 update, Microsoft is enabling all of the features of the Moment 5 update for all users by default. There are also fixes for a range of non-security issues.
Microsoft may be making it easier to install Linux distros in Windows 11 with a new UI for WSL
While Windows Subsystem for Linux is widely recognized as being one of Microsoft most impressive achievements in recent times, WSL is not without its flaws.
Now in its second iteration, WSL makes it possible to install Linux distros within Windows 11 but it has a major obstacle that is stopping it gaining mass appeal -- it remains a text-based tool. But this could be about to change. Microsoft is exploring the possibility of introducing a new GUI to simplify the installation and management of distros.
Windows 11 still features a developer's 'temporary' UI from 30 years ago
Despite all of Microsoft's talk of it being a modern operating system, Windows 11 remains firmly rooted in the past. There are numerous elements of the interface that have not changed in years, and there remain options that are only accessible though the old-fashioned Control Panel.
But there is a surprising hangover from days of yore that has just been highlighted by the developer who created the interface for the Format dialog. The design of the UI, the list of options, and even the 32GB size constraint of a FAT volume, were only ever meant to be temporary -- and yet they are still here three decades on.
Microsoft is fixing a long-standing Chrome text issue in Windows 10 and Windows 11
Microsoft -- yes, Microsoft -- is set to address an issue that has plagued the look of text in Chrome running on Windows 10 and Windows 11. While this is not a problem that affects everyone, there are large numbers of people who have long-complained about strange-looking fonts in Google's web browser.
The font troubles stem from a font rending incompatibility which Microsoft is finally getting around to fixing. The ClearType Tuner of Windows is ignored by Chrome, but Microsoft's tweaks mean that the browser rendering will be noticeably improved.
Microsoft cites continuous innovation of Windows 11 and app compatibility improvements as it kills Test Base for Microsoft 365
Microsoft has announced that is it transitioning Test Base for Microsoft 365 to end-of-life in just a few weeks. The EOL process for the service started at the beginning of March and will be complete by the end of May.
As Test Base for Microsoft 365 is not something that everyone will have heard of, Microsoft explains that it is "a cloud-based app testing service on Azure that evaluates the compatibility of applications with new Windows releases or updates". The company has decided that it is no longer needed because so much work has been done with Windows 11 that app compatibility issues are rare.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-eighty-seven 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.
Microsoft announced two new Surface devices for business yesterday. The new Surface Pro 10 for Business and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business are up to two times faster than their predecessors according to Microsoft. They are optimized for AI and come with the Copilot key.
Microsoft is finally adding a spell checker to Notepad in Windows 11
While Microsoft is keen on deprecating features and apps, it has also been engaged in injecting new life into legacy apps in recent years -- just look at how Paint has evolved, for instance. The company has also been slowly but surely updating another software stalwart, Notepad.
Having already added a tabbed interface, an auto-save feature and, of course, a dash of AI, Microsoft is a now set to add a spell checking. It does not end there, though. In addition to a highly customizable spell checker, there will also be an autocorrect feature -- and considerations have been made for developers and coders.
Surprise! Customization tool ObjectDock updated so you can add a macOS dock to Windows 11
Here's a blast from the past for you -- ObjectDock. After lying dormant for several years, the customization utility has suddenly been updated by Stardock to add support for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
This is great news for anyone who is not a fan of the Windows 11 Start menu and taskbar, as it adds a macOS-style dock to the desktop which can be used instead. The newly updated app is now 64-bit and it's a welcome -- and surprising -- return almost a decade after the last release.
Microsoft is deprecating 1024-bit RSA certificate support in Windows 10 and Windows 11 to boost security
Microsoft has quietly announced plans to deprecate TLS server authentication certificates using RSA keys with key lengths shorter than 2048 bits.
The change means that it will not be possible to use 1024-bit keys, although Microsoft is yet to reveal exactly when the changeover will start. This is important information for companies using aging hardware and software as it will mean weaker keys can no longer be used for authentication.
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