Windows 10 beta build 16215 rolls out…

… and it’s huge.

The official tally includes:

New user interface for Start and the Notification center

A few Edge improvements that slowly bring the feature set in line with IE: pinning web sites on the taskbar, full screen mode, EPUB improvements (yawn) and very minor PDF improvements.

Cortana now looks into your camera roll and, optionally, creates reminders. You can also use the pen to scrape reminder info off web pages.

Handwriting improvements. You can use the pen to scroll. Easier emojis. Dictation on the desktop. And much more.

Malware: Its Prevention, Detection & Blocking

Last week, a blogpost raised the issue about Fireball, a recently discovered browser hijacker and malware downloader.

In response, an anonymous poster has suggested:

anonymous wrote
This is why corporations should be using HOSTS files and utilizing applications like Spybot Search & Destroy and Teatimer.

Corporations and end users have differing needs, using different methods to achieve similar results. Some utilities are freely available to end users, but EULAs mean corporations pay for those services.

While one solution will not be suitable for all setups or Windows versions, what are the best methods and utilities available today? How much time, effort and skill do those methods require, to set up, update and maintain?

Running Office on the new 10.5-inch iPad requires a license

Office is free for non-commercial use on tablets up to 10.1 inches. That means the newly announced 10.5 inch iPad Pro will require a license, even for non-commercial use.

Nothing new. But many people don’t realize they’ll have to spring for a license — or switch to something other than Office.

Good overview from Gregg Keizer at Computerworld.

MS re-re-..release (again) of KB 2952664 and KB 2976978

We’re seeing a recurrence of the two snooping patches KB2952664 for Win7 and KB2976978 for Win8.1. The last time they showed up, was on March 7th, but now they’re back……

MS re-re-..release of KB2952664 and KB2976978

Microsoft describes them as a “Compatibility update for keeping Windows up-to-date.”

This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. The diagnostics evaluate the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem, and help Microsoft to ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. There is no GWX or upgrade functionality contained in this update.

They are appearing as unchecked Optional now, which means they won’t be installed unless you check the corresponding box in Windows Update.
Their status may change next week to Recommended and, for some, they may show up as checked Important on Patch Tuesday.

Office non-security patches for June 2017 are here

No, you don’t want to install them yet. We’re still at MS-DEFCON 2

You Will No Longer Be Able to Use Skype on Older Windows Devices and TVs

“Next Generation Skype” will mean an end of support for Skype on Windows Phone, RT and TV from July 1.

Skype (for mobiles) will now be available on:
– Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary update or higher
– iOS 8 or higher
– Android OS 4.0.3 or higher (ARMv7 processor devices get full support; ARMv6 will not have video calling supported)
Full system requirements are listed on support.skype.com

Brad Sams, writing on thurrott.com, said:

If you are using Skype on Windows Phone 8 or 8.1, Windows RT, the messaging app for Windows 10 Mobile, or on a TV, these apps will stop working on July 1, 2017. The company has started notifying users on these platforms that these applications will cease to function after this date.
…
If you are using these apps, after July 1, 2017 you are left with few options. If you can access a web browser, you can use Skype on the web but as for native apps, you’ll need a new piece of hardware to be able to access the platform.

And given how much Microsoft values monthly active users of its software, seeing as they are ending support for these platforms tells us that the user base is incredibly small on these platforms.

Wired.com’s David Pierce‘s article “Skype Hopes Its Redesign Takes It Beyond Video Chat” discusses the “next generation”:

Microsoft wants Skype to be a social network for the people you know. Skype calls it your “personal network” of family, friends, and colleagues. The app eschews a public side entirely—like Snapchat before stories, or Facebook before you could mark anything public. In use, Skype is now super-optimized for chat. A much cleaner interface displays your chats on the home screen and stores everything else off to the side. There’s a nifty-but-huge indicator for unread message that undulates like a soundwave. You can still make voice and video calls, but the redesign prioritizes texting.

It is somewhat surprising to see that desktop version of Skype can still be used on Windows XP SP3 (using IE 8 or higher), Vista, and with IE 11 on Windows 7 SP1.

RIP Jean Sammet, mother of COBOL, ACM past president

I’m saddened to report that Jean Sammet – one of the true pioneers of our industry – passed away on May 20, at the age of 89.

Full obituary in the New York Times.

I remember being entranced by “Programming Languages: History and Fundamentals” — and suffering months of painful debugging in COBOL, in one of my first real jobs.

As an academic FORTRAN jockey and Pascal instructor, COBOL, to me, always felt a bit plebian. But it sure got the job done.

000100 IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
000200 PROGRAM-ID.     HELLOWORLD.
000300
000400*
000500 ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
000600 CONFIGURATION SECTION.
000700 SOURCE-COMPUTER. RM-COBOL.
000800 OBJECT-COMPUTER. RM-COBOL.
000900
001000 DATA DIVISION.
001100 FILE SECTION.
001200
100000 PROCEDURE DIVISION.
100100
100200 MAIN-LOGIC SECTION.
100300 BEGIN.
100400     DISPLAY " " LINE 1 POSITION 1 ERASE EOS.
100500     DISPLAY "Hello world!" LINE 15 POSITION 10.
100600     STOP RUN.
100700 MAIN-LOGIC-EXIT.
100800     EXIT.

Windows 10 Pro for Workstation PCs/Advanced PCs?

If you haven’t been following along with the latest Windows 10 rumors, here’s another unexpected twist:

https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/871369253110153216

“Introducing Windows 10 Pro for Workstation PCs.”

No idea if it’ll appear in the Fall Creators Update timeframe…

More details from Pradeep at MSPower User.

Paul Thurrott nails it:

Windows 10 isn’t a growth machine, it’s a legacy business that needs to be made simpler, not more complex, in order to slow the decline. Adding product editions now simply reminds customers how out of touch this strategy is with today’s mobile first, cloud first world. And this will hasten, not slow, the move away from traditional PCs. In other words, don’t defend the indefensible. This is stupid. Period.

+1