Today, the Edge team is happy to introduce the Edge 2024 web platform top developer needs dashboard. This dashboard represents our view of progress across the ecosystem towards resolving top developer pain points and closing interoperability gaps, and we invite developers to give feedback to ensure their needs are well represented.

Why another feature dashboard? We recently celebrated the release of Interop 2024 along with our partners at Igalia, Google, Mozilla, and Apple. The project is an opportunity to learn each year directly from the web development community about which features are most important among those that have mature specs but lack consistent support. We’re excited about the progress that Interop has driven over the past several years, and are enthusiastic about the features included this year.

But those aren’t the only features that matter to developers. Through the listening process we came to more deeply understand the challenges posed by a lack of broad support for many foundational APIs that can’t be polyfilled, or which create new architectural opportunities.

For instance, developers told us that View Transitions and the Navigation API will unlock entirely new ways of building apps. Scroll-driven animations and the Custom Paint API unlock mobile-native UI possibilities that can’t be smoothly replicated by polyfills. Container queries transform the way teams write their stylesheets, and @scope creates new ways of structuring customizations that are easier to write. Customized built-in elements unlock new power for design systems based on Web Components. These are just some of the most intense areas of feedback, and we’re committed to continuing to listen and drive progress on these priorities.

To create visibility and accountability, we’re launching the Edge 2024 web platform top developer needs dashboard. The intent is to track progress across the ecosystem on these features and help Edge developers identify what to work on next. This isn’t an exhaustive list of what’s important, but we hope it reflects the needs we’ve heard about most intensively.

If you’d like to influence these priorities, we encourage you to leave constructive feedback about the dashboard and take part in the upcoming surveys that will inform the Interop 2025 process. The Edge web platform team is committed to transparency and openness. We hope that by providing a fuller picture of what we’re hearing we can play a positive role in improving the platform for everyone.

Source: Windows Blog
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With the latest update to Grounded, backyard adventurers who’ve played on PCs since launch can now team up with other gamers across Xbox, PlayStation 4|5 and Nintendo Switch via cross-platform play.

The “Fully Yoked” update turns your backyard into an epic adventure with the arrival of royal Ant Queens, 12 new Ant Queen-inspired buildings and a new Game+ mode. Playground mode now offers even more control and options for crafting your unique backyard.

Find out more about this update.

Source: Windows Blog
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Hello Windows Insiders,

Today we are introducing the ability to send an image from the Photos app to Microsoft Designer, a cloud based graphic design app that helps you create professional quality social media posts, invitations, digital postcards, graphics, and new visuals with the power of generative AI. This update is available on Windows 11 to start, and is currently limited to users within the US, UK, Australia, Ireland, India, and New Zealand. We are starting to roll this out to Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels.

Photos app integration with Designer

We’re adding a new way to unlock the creative potential of your images through Designer. Simply click the Designer button in the title bar when viewing a single image in the Photos app, and your image will open Designer in the default web browser.

Once in Designer, you can apply templates, add visuals, and use AI tools to help you personalize your photo further. For example, try using AI to generate a new custom background for your photo using these simple steps:

• With your photo selected, click on “Remove background” in the toolbar.
• Click Visuals in the left pane and select Generate to create a custom image background from a prompt.
• Click on the desired generated image to insert it on the canvas.
• From the toolbar, select Set as background to place the generated image behind your photo.

To get the latest Photos experience, update your app to version number 2024.11040.16001.0 or higher. Sign in with a free personal Microsoft account to try Designer’s generative AI features currently in preview, as well as share your creations. We appreciate your comments and suggestions, so please share your feedback with us!

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Photos.

Thanks,
Mala Srivatsa, Senior Product Manager – Windows Photos

Source: Windows Blog
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AMD is expanding its commercial mobile and desktop AI PC portfolio with new AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 Series mobile processors and AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series desktop processors, which business pros will see on new laptops and desktops from AMD’s OEM partners. By leveraging the CPU, GPU and dedicated, on-chip NPU, new Ryzen AI-powered processors provide more trillions of operations per second (TOPS) than previous generations.  

Commercial PCs equipped with new Ryzen AI-enabled processors have the potential to deliver greater performance for AI-enabled collaboration, content creation, data and analytics. With the addition of AMD PRO technologies, IT managers can simplify IT operations and complete PC deployment faster across the organization.  

AMD PRO technologies help IT managers save time by enabling them to deploy devices up to 41% faster and manage them at scale with cloud-based tools, including Windows Autopilot. 

In addition, the Microsoft Pluton security processor is integrated into the AMD Ryzen PRO processors, providing protection from the chip to the cloud. This helps safeguard user credentials, identities, personal data and encryption keys on Windows 11 PCs. 

At the top of the stack is the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS, equipped with eight cores, 16 threads, 24MB of cache and Radeon 780M graphics. These processors can take on graphically demanding workloads such as 3D rendering, video encoding and photo editing.  

For business professionals on desktops, the AMD Ryzen 8000 gives them the power required to accelerate their most demanding collaboration and content creation tasks. Select AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series processors also come equipped with AMD Ryzen AI, helping users usher in a new era of AI-defined productivity. 

Desktops equipped with AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series processors support Bluetooth 5.3, DDR5 and PCIe 4 for lightning-fast data transfer, smoother workflows and quicker access to business-critical applications and data, as well as next-gen connectivity with Wi-Fi 7 available on select models. 

AMD is continuing to work with industry partners to bring more AI-enabled applications to market. Currently, there are more than 100 AI-enabled experiences in apps such as Microsoft Teams available through Ryzen AI, which empowers businesses to create professional documents, correspondence and business presentations from just a few bullet points. They can also summarize and respond to emails, freeing up valuable time during the day.  

Microsoft Copilot is also bringing more AI capabilities to Windows systems – including those powered by AMD – unlocking new features for expanded productivity, security and everyday business use. 

Find out more about these and other announcements from AMD. 

Source: Windows Blog
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Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.4353 (KB5036979) to the Release Preview Channel for those Insiders who are on Windows 10, version 22H2.

This update includes the following features and improvements:

• New! This update starts the rolls out of account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts in Settings > Home. A Microsoft account connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account also backs up all your data and helps you to manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature displays notifications across the Start menu and Settings. You can manage your Settings notifications in Settings > Privacy & security > General.
• This update addresses an issue that affects app licensing. Because of this, Copilot in Windows (in preview) does not work as you expect.
• This update addresses an issue that occurs when your device resumes from Modern Standby. You might get the stop error, “0x9f DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE.”
• This update addresses a race condition that might stop a machine from starting up. This occurs when you set up a bootloader to start up multiple OSes.
• This update affects media allocations. It improves their memory granularity for some hardware setups. This lowers overcommitment. Also, performance is more efficient.
• This update addresses an issue that affects an accelerator backing store management path. A memory leak occurs that affects some devices.
• This update makes Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date for some mobile operators.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the container networking Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). It returns the wrong Virtual Subnet ID (VSID) for external ports.
• This update affects hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI). It accepts drivers that are now compatible.
• This update includes quarterly changes to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Protected Process Light (PPL) protections. You can bypass them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects some wireless earbuds. Bluetooth connections are not stable. This occurs on devices that have firmware from April 2023 and later.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC). A memory leak occurs when it retrieves mappings.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS). Its Post Authentication Actions (PAA) do not occur at the end of the grace period. Instead, they occur at restart.
• This update makes some changes to Windows Search. It is now more reliable, and it is easier to find an app after you install it. This update also gives you a personalized app search experience.

Thanks,
The Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Windows Blog
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Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3495 (KB5037000) to the Beta Channel.

REMINDER: All Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel will now be on the same build (Build 22635.xxxx) via an enablement package. For Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle (shown in the image below) to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.

Going forward, we will document changes in Beta Channel builds in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available and then new features, improvements, and fixes available to everyone in the Beta Channel.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Start menu]

• Building on top of recent improvements like grouping recently installed apps and showing your frequently used apps, we are now trying out recommendations to help you discover great apps from the Microsoft Store under Recommended on the Start menu. This will appear only for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel in the U.S. and will not apply to commercial devices (devices managed by organizations). This can be turned off by going to Settings > Personalization > Start and turning off the toggle for “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more”. As a reminder, we regularly try out new experiences and concepts that may never get released with Windows Insiders to get feedback. Should you see this experience on the Start menu, let us know what you think. We are beginning to roll this out to a small set of Insiders in the Beta Channel at first.

[Desktop Spotlight]

• We are beginning to try out some adjustments for Windows Spotlight experience on the desktop to make it easier for Spotlight users to engage with this feature to change images, like or not like an image etc. In addition, these changes will make the Spotlight icon behave like other desktop icons. There will be several different treatments these adjustments that Insiders will notice.

[Settings]

• We are introducing a new Linked devices page under Settings > Accounts that allows you to manage PCs and Xbox consoles that you are signed in to with your Microsoft account. This settings page will only show on the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 and if you’re signed into Windows with your Microsoft account.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Beta Channel

[Copilot in Windows*]

• We are beginning to roll out an updated Copilot in Windows experience that adds the ability to switch between the existing “docked” behavior that attaches Copilot to the side of your desktop, and a new mode where it acts like a normal application window which you can resize and move around your screen. As part of this change, we’re also introducing some under-the-hood improvements as well. This experience is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders in BOTH the Dev and Beta Channels. As always, please report any issues you experience to us via Feedback Hub.

Known issues

[General]

• We are investigating an issue where Internet Information Services (IIS) and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) may not work after installing this update.

[Copilot in Windows*]

Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who have the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application window may see the following known issues:

• [NEW] Voice access does not work reliably with the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application.
• [NEW] Using Windows Ink to write in Copilot will not work with the updated Copilot in Windows experience.

[Widgets]

Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who have the new position for the Widgets entry-point on left-aligned taskbars may see the following known issues:

• Swipe invocation for Widgets may not work if taskbar is center-aligned instead of left-aligned.
• Unpinning Widgets from the taskbar may not work if taskbar is center-aligned instead of left-aligned.
• The Widgets board is incorrectly positioned when Copilot is in side-by-side mode.
• Turning on/off Widgets in taskbar settings may refresh the taskbar.

About the Beta Channel

The Beta Channel is the place we preview experiences that are closer to what we will ship to our general customers. Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first. However, this does not mean every feature we try out in the Beta Channel will ship. We encourage Insiders to read this blog post that outlines the ways we’ll try things out with Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels.

*Getting new features: For Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.

**Availability of Copilot in Windows: Copilot in Windows in preview is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders in select global markets. The initial markets for the Copilot in Windows preview include North America, United Kingdom and parts of Asia and South America. It is our intention to add additional markets over time.

Important Insider Links

• Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out the Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey.
• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks,
Amanda & Brandon

Source: Windows Blog
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Babylon.js is powered and supported by one of the most incredible open source communities in the world. Over 500 people from across the globe have contributed to making it one of the most powerful, beautiful, simple, and open web rendering engines out there. With Babylon.js 7.0, this community continues to shine bright, by adding some incredible new features and extensions to this passionately shared and nurtured platform.

The Greased Line

Built right into the core engine, the new Greased Line system unlocks some exciting new possibilities for web creators. This new special type of line is built using the mesh system to display lines of any specified width. The extra sprinkling of non-trademarked fantasy dust is that these lines are equipped with a special shader that allows the line to always face the camera so they can be viewed consistently no matter where the camera moves to.

See it in action: https://aka.ms/babylon7GLDemo

Learn more: https://aka.ms/babylon7GLDoc

Advanced Ground Projection

This one is honestly just too cool to put into words, but we’ll do our best. Imagine taking a 360 skybox/environment and then magically transforming the lower half into a “fake” ground that seems to support the 3D objects in your scene. This illusion provides a perfectly smooth transition from the ground to the sky within your scene. Sound like wizardry? Well what are you waiting for? Check it out!

See it in action: https://aka.ms/babylon7GProjDemo

Learn more: https://aka.ms/babylon7GProjDoc

 Seamless Texture Decals

Introduced with Babylon.js 6.0, texture decals offered a powerful new option of projecting images onto an existing texture of a 3D object in your scene. With Babylon.js 7.0, that same system is given superpowers by allowing the decals to seamlessly map across UV boundaries! That means that no matter how pretty or less-pretty your UV layout might be, decals will work perfectly on any 3D object!

Check it out: https://aka.ms/babylon7SeamTsDemo

Learn more: https://aka.ms/babylon7SeamTsDoc

MMD Support Community Extension

This exciting extension to Babylon.js 7.0 offers creators the ability to import 3D assets and animations from the popular 3D Creation Software: MikuMikuDance or MMD for short. In addition to loading assets and animations, it also has support for IK solvers, a morph system, synced audio playback, player controls, and much much more.

Check it out: https://aka.ms/babylon7MMDDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon7MMDDoc

Thank You

With each evolution of Babylon.js comes a revolution in web rendering technology and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. The Babylon platform simply wouldn’t be possible without the incredible community of developers, the 500+ contributors, and the steadfast advocates that contribute their knowledge, expertise, help, and passion to this amazing technology. “Thank you” to each one of you for all that you do to help make Babylon.js one of the most powerful, beautiful, simple, and open web rendering platforms in the world.

Source: Windows Blog
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