Quote:July 29, 2015. This was an important day, it was the day Microsoft released Windows 10. Today, Windows 10 turns 10. Happy Birthday!

Microsoft surprised many users by offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade from Windows 7, and Windows 8/8.1. Windows 9 was skipped because there were compatibility issues if apps detected the operating system version string as Windows 9 but mistook it as Windows 95 or 98.

I have fond memories of Windows 10, aka Windows Threshold, and remember installing the first preview of the operating system back in 2015 on my old PC. It felt like a real upgrade over Windows 8.1. The new Start Menu was welcome relief from the infamous Windows 8 full-screen menu. Windows 10's UX design felt like a breath of fresh air compared to Metro UI.



Windows 10 introduced Windows Hello, the Xbox PC app, to name a few. But the OS didn't have the perfect debut, there was some criticism about Cortana, the Settings app, the Photos app, Microsoft Store, and also about the various stock apps that the operating system shipped with such as OneDrive, OneNote, Maps, etc. There were also concerns about privacy due to various telemetry settings.

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Quote:Windows 11 is getting a feature that users have been requesting for a long time. You will soon be able to access your notifications across multiple monitors.
 
Microsoft first added support for displaying the taskbar on all monitors nearly 4 years ago. Then it made the clock and date available across all screens. But, the system tray has remained exclusive to the primary display. Some third-party tools have allowed using the system tray on all monitors.
 
It's rather odd that such a basic feature has not been available for so long, I mean that is one of the key areas where you interact with the operating system, i.e. tray apps, notifications, network/Bluetooth etc. Well, it's better late than never to have a native option for accessing these options in a multi-monitor environment.
 
In addition to that, Microsoft is also testing an option to show a bigger clock in the Calendar panel that appears when you click on the Date/Time in the System Tray.

The new design will display a larger clock with seconds. This is not a new feature, it is available on Windows 10, but was removed from Windows 11. The notifications panel will be displayed when you click on the date/time.

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Quote:The next step in the evolution of web browsers seems to turn the browser into an agentic tool that handles more than returning answers to user queries. Several AI-based browsers are in development, some are already available for testing.

Microsoft was one of the first browser makers that integrated AI into the browser. Heck, it even renamed Microsoft Edge to Microsoft Edge: AI Browser on Android and iOS. Basic at first, as you could simply interact with AI directly in the Edge browser. Now, Microsoft announced the next step for its Edge browser. Called Copilot Mode, it is enabling more AI features in Edge and changing some core features of the browser fundamentally.

The new feature is available in all Copilot regions. You need the latest stable version of Microsoft Edge. Those appear to be the only requirements. To get started, visit the Copilot Mode page on Microsoft's website and flip the toggle to enable the feature. You may also go into Settings > AI Innovations to start the process from there.



You get a short intro to Copilot Mode on the page that lists the major changes and features. The very first change you may notice is that the new tab page has been taken over by Copilot.

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Quote:AdGuard is the latest app that is blocking Windows Recall. Brave Browser and Signal have already announced an option in their apps to block the controversial feature.

AdGuard calls Windows Recall a Privacy Concern. That's putting it mildly. Microsoft claims it is privacy-friendly, and that it is not enabled by default. It requires Windows Hello and a PIN for authentication, and that the data is encrypted and stored locally on the PC. But it remains to be seen whether it is fool-proof from malware or backdoors.

What if it accidentally captures screenshots that contain personal data or financial information? Given the sensitive nature of information that is at stake, the risk is too great to ignore. That's why apps are blocking Recall, to protect users. AdGuard warns that while Windows Recall is now only available on Copilot+ PCs, such computers may become mainstream in the future.

AdGuard for Windows already has a bunch of settings that are designed to block tracking on Windows such as Windows Telemetry, Advertising ID, etc. The content blocker has published an article that instructs users how to toggle Tracking Protection, which will also block Windows Recall. But this means the option is not enabled by default.

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Quote:Age verification continues to be a hot topic in several regions and countries, including the European Union. The main question surrounding various solutions is whether age verification checks should be implemented to block access to certain content for (mainly) minors.

Critics argue that age verification systems have issues, including privacy issues, high implementation costs, that they may be ineffective and that there is potential for overreach and censorship.

The European Union is working on an open-source Android application for age verification that is part of a wider Age Verification Solution Toolbox that members of the EU may use to develop national age verification solutions.

The main purpose of the application is to "obtain, store, and present an age verification attestation" and "share the proof of age attestation with online services to gain access". The current implementation is "developed solely for the purpose of demonstrating the business flow", according to the description on GitHub.

This did not protect it from criticism leveled against the solution. The primary concern of users, at least judging on the GitHub repository, is the project's use of Google Play Integrity API and Apple App Attestation for verification of apps and devices.

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Quote:Malwarebytes 5.3.5.204-137.0.5331

Features and improvements

• Introduced Deep Scan, a new Advanced Scan type recommended after blocking or removing threats
  
• Added new Windows Firewall Control feature preview to the Tools, feel free to try it and provide your feedback
  
• Revisited Dashboard layout for free version
  

Issues fixed

• Minor usability and localization issues
  
  Offline: https://downloads.malwarebytes.com/file/mb5_offline
  Online: https://downloads.malwarebytes.com/file/mb5-windows
  

Quote:Mozilla has updated the layout of extension listings on its add-ons repository. It's a redesign, alright.

For those new to Firefox, I'm talking about addons.mozilla.org, also known as AMO.

Regular readers maybe aware that I used to review Firefox add-ons regularly until a few years ago. Though I don't do that anymore, I still visit the AMO to discover new extensions, and keep myself up-to-date. I was doing the same thing today, but something didn't look quite right. For a second, I actually wondered if I was on the correct website. Whenever I visit the AMO, I immediately look to the left, to check when the add-on was updated, developer's page, support link, etc. It's sort of like muscle memory.

The sidebar wasn't there anymore. I was fairly certain that I didn't see this design a few days ago, when I installed the Tab Stash add-on. Silly me, why not just look at the Internet Archive?



I was right. Here is an archived version of the uBlock Origin listing on the AMO from July 25, which was three days ago. (Live link here)
This is the new layout, it shows all the information the older design used to, there's no problem with that.



But there are some issues. Like I mentioned earlier, you could just glance at the sidebar to learn more about an add-on, now you have to scroll like 4 times to get the same details. The wasted space on the sides could have been put to better use. BTW, this is on default zoom.

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Quote:June-2025 (Platform: 4.18.25060.7 | Engine: 1.1.25060.6)

• Security intelligence update version: 1.433.2.0
  
• Release date: July 22, 2025 (Engine) / July 22, 2025 (Platform)
  
• Platform: 4.18.25060.7
  
• Engine: 1.1.25060.6
  
• Support phase: Security and Critical Updates
  

What's new​

• Added filtering to improve scan stability and prevent engine crashes
  
• Additional performance improvements to prevent concurrent scans. This change ensures that if a quick or full scan is already running, no additional quick or full scan scans are initiated from MpCmdRun or Powershell (Start-Scan).
  
• Resolved the issue where subfolder exclusions were not being honored in Microsoft Defender Antivirus scans related to non-Microsoft SIEM solutions. This fix ensures that specified subfolders are now correctly excluded from scans, preventing unnecessary detections and improving overall system performance.
  

Microsoft Defender Antivirus security intelligence and product updates - Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Quote:Millions of PC users who run Windows 10 on their devices can't upgrade their devices to Windows 11 because of stricter system requirements. Microsoft introduced the cut deliberately, well aware that it would affect a sizeable number of customers.

With Windows 10 support running out in a few months, and the one-year updates extension the only official option to prolong the life of the device, it is Microsoft that is forcing the hand of its customers. Microsoft wants customers to buy new Windows 11 PCs with AI features, but what if the Windows 10 PC works perfectly fine?

There are other ways to stay on Windows 10 and relatively secure, like subscribing to the micro-patches that 0Patch promises to release until at least 2030 for the operating system.

Linux is another option, but it still seen as a system for users who know their ways around tech and do not mind experimenting a lot. While Linux has come a long way, migrating to Linux is still a daunting task for many Windows users.

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Quote:Google has announced more new AI features for its apps. Google Photos and YouTube Shorts can turn your photos into videos.

The feature was introduced in the Gemini app a few weeks ago, but uses a different AI model. Google says that the photo-to-video feature in the Photos app is powered by the Veo 2 model.



Users can choose a picture from their photo gallery, and select one of the following prompts: “Subtle movements” or “I’m feeling lucky”. When you have made your selection, the AI will work its magic to animate your photo and turn it into a dynamic six-second video clip. That seems a little too simple, one might expect more options to create videos.

Photo to video in Google Photos is rolling out to Android and iOS users in the U.S. In addition to this, Google is also planning to roll out a feature called Remix in Google Photos next week in the U.S. The Remix option will transform any photo into an anime, comic, sketch or 3D animation. Remix will be available under a new tab called Create, in the Photos app. The Create tab will also house options for Photo to Video, Remix, collages, highlight videos, etc.

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