Microsoft’s new Xbox Gamepad Cursor adds a virtual mouse to handhelds
 Microsoft’s new Xbox Gamepad Cursor adds a virtual mouse to handhelds

Microsoft has started testing its own virtual mouse cursor inside its Xbox mode for Windows-based handhelds. The new Gamepad Cursor option provides a quick way to turn the left stick of a handheld like the Xbox Ally X into a virtual mouse. While Asus has its own cursor as part of Armory Crate, Microsoft’s Gamepad […]

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Want to pause Windows 11 updates for as long as you want? Your wish could soon come true

Microsoft recently promised users more control over updates for Windows 11, and it looks like it might soon deliver.
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From Microsoft to “microslop”: The AI backlash that forced a reset

Microsoft’s aggressive AI push sparked backlash and the “microslop” trend. Now, the company is quietly scaling things back, shifting toward more subtle, useful AI across Windows and its apps.

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Veteran Microsoft engineer says original Task Manager was only 80KB so it could run smoothly on 90s computers — original utility used a smart technique to determine whether it was the only running instance

Dave Plummer used several clever techniques to ensure that Windows Task Manager will always run while cutting the performance hit on your hardware when when it’s opened.
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Clippy, Microsoft’s hapless Office assistant, was retired 25 years ago today — its irritating spirit lives on in 100+ Copilots

Microsoft’s Clippy was put out to pasture a quarter century ago. This hapless, and some would add ‘irritating,’ productivity assistant would no longer be enabled by default in Office, starting April 11, 2001.
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Microsoft finally lets Windows 11 testers unlock experimental features without ViVeTool
 Microsoft finally lets Windows 11 testers unlock experimental features without ViVeTool

Microsoft is finally allowing Windows 11 testers to get access to experimental features without having to download a third-party app like ViVeTool. The changes are part of making the Windows Insider Program (WIP) less confusing, with Dev and Canary testing rings simplified into a new Experimental Channel alongside a refresh of the existing Beta Channel. […]

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Microsoft simplifies Windows Insider program — fewer channels, and switching without wiping your device

Microsoft is simplifying the Windows Insider program with fewer channels, making it easier to switch between them and enable the latest features.
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France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

France’s move to ditch Windows for Linux is its latest effort to reduce its reliance on American tech giants.

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Microsoft has begun stripping out AI from Windows 11 — but it’s already being criticized for not going far enough

Notepad change shows a rebrand of AI tools, not a removal, and it has skeptics worried.

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French government says it’s ditching Windows for Linux — country accelerates plans to ditch US-based software in digital sovereignty push

France is accelerating its digital sovereignty plans. In an official press release this week, the country’s DINUM announced its “exit from Windows in favor of workstations running on the Linux operating system.”
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