Copilot, the new and actively pushing AI assistant in Windows 11, started to show ads. The new behavior reminds of Bing, where some of search terms trigger it to display "shopping tips."
Windows 12 may be available via a subscription, just like Office 365
The slmgr.ini file in Windows 11 insider builds for the Canary channel has lines that point to a new subscription model Microsoft may use in Windows 11's successor, widely referred as "Windows 12". That file is used by the slmgr.vbs script which managing Windows licensing settings.
Windows 11 Build 25967 (Canary) removes Cortana, adds Settings home page
A new Canary Build 25967 brings with it a few UI changes to Insiders. There are the Home page in Settings, a new version of the Microsoft Store, Quick Settings with scrolling support, and more. Also, this build removes Cortana.
Windows 11 Build 23560 (Dev) improves Copilot, fixes File Explorer
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 23560 to Insiders in the Dev channel. Starting in this build, you can switch to/from Copilot with Alt + Tab. Besides, there are fixes for File Explorer, Taskbar, Narrator, and more.
Microsoft will stop supporting Windows Server 2012 & 2012 R2 on October 10, 2023
On October 10, 2023, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes, or technical support for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. It was launched on September 4, 2012, and based on Windows 8, which lost technical support in 2016.
Windows 11 allows you to play the Surf game while it installs updates
Windows 11 now allows the user to play the Edge Surf game during the installation of OS, restoring it from a backup, or deploying updates. The game offer appears after updating the OS for 30 minutes.
Firefox 119 will restore previous session along with closed tabs
The next release of Firefox 119 will change how the browser restores a previous browsing session. It will allow you to restore not only open tabs, but also recently closed tabs. The latter will allow you to restore accidentally closed tabs even if you restarted the browser, and view a list of them in Firefox View. By default, the last 25 tabs opened in the last 7 days will be saved. Firefox will save this tab data for each of the previously open windows individually, making the session restore consistent.
Meet OneDrive 3.0 with Copilot, new design, and more
Microsoft has announced a new version of its OneDrive service. It uses the most recent Fluent design, supports Copilot, and includes changes that significantly improve your work with cloud files.
Microsoft Lists now available on Web, Android and iOS
Microsoft Lists, a task management application, is now accessible to iOS, Android, and web users. It was initially launched in 2020, catering to business users and companies. In 2022, a limited preview version was released to consumers. Finally, the app is now available to everyone with a Microsoft account.
Microsoft will drop MariaDB support in Azure on September 19, 2025
Microsoft has recently announced that Azure will stop providing support for MariaDB after September 19, 2025. The company recommends that users switch to Azure Database for MySQL, a more flexible server that is better equipped for mission-critical workloads.
