Windows Weekly (Audio)

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Windows Weekly (Audio) episodes

August 19, 2020WW 686: The Impression of Fairness - RIP Internet Explorer, Oracle wants to Buy TikTok, Flight Simulator 2020
RIP Internet Explorer, Oracle wants to Buy TikTok, Flight Simulator 2020
A moment of silence, please...
Microsoft outlines the plan to kill off Internet Explorer and Legacy Edge, at least from Microsoft 365.
But there's still no actual end of life date for IE11... just lots of lead-ups to it
Surface
Mary Jo finally got 2004 on her Surface Laptop 3!
Panos Panay joins the Sonos board of directors
The press/blogger briefing for Surface Duo is now public
Surface Duo after the dust settles: Has anyone come up with a good use case?
This week in TikTok
Now Oracle's joined the bidding
Is Oracle in it to win it? Could they actually manage to host TikTok in their cloud? (Maybe. See Zoom.) Or are they in it to pressure Microsoft boost their offer?
Microsoft 365
The first Microsoft Teams Display is quite limited for now
No new Dev Channel build of Windows 10 today (or likely this week) due to an unspecified bug Xbox
Xbox is getting a new Dashboard ... everywhere
There are some great games coming to Xbox Game Pass in the next two weeks
There are now over 2000 indie games on Xbox
Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available on PC
Tip of the week: Can't get enough of MJF and Paul? (and who can't??) We recorded an episode of MJFChat that focuses on learning
Enterprise pick of the week: Making Azure outage communications less terrible. Microsoft is trying.
Codename pick of the week: Project Osaka. A blast from the MS codename past. Project Osaka, aka CollabDB, was supposed to be a list-sharing app for O365. MS killed it several years ago, but elements of it remain in the new M365 Lists app.
Beer pick of the week: Westbrook Lemon Meringue Pie. In my ongoing series of beers made to taste like desserts, I offer you Lemon Meringue Pie. Lemon Meringue Pie is a sour from the excellent Westbrook Brewing. It does include vanilla, lemon, milk sugar, graham crackers and cinnamon and clocks in at a modest 4 percent. You can have your pie and drink it, too!

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly
Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com
Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com
The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.
Sponsors:
adobe.com/businessmoves
LastPass.com/twit
canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
2 hr 15 min
August 12, 2020WW 685: It's Not a Phone - Preorder Surface Duo Now! Plus Minecraft Education Edition on Chromebooks
Preorder Surface Duo Now! Plus, Minecraft Education Edition on Chromebooks.
Microsoft announces Surface Duo
Surface Duo will cost $1400 and is available for pre-order; ships on September 10
Windows 10
One 20H2 build with just fixes. Nothing to see here.
Today, a new Dev Channel build with a new "post-feature update" welcome experience
An interesting Windows-related reorg last week, which gave Pumped Panos more POWER
Lots of mindless corporate drivel-speak in the internal memos.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft Ignite 2020 is now a two-part show
Office and cloud services are booming. But so is Windows. Lucky M365 is one, big happy family!
Cloud
Microsoft reuses another codename: Fiji is now an AWS Outposts hybrid competitor
Could Twitter steal TikTok away from Microsoft? (No.) But one can hope!
Xbox + games
Xbox Series X is coming in November ... But Microsoft delays Halo Infinite
Antitrust: Apple's war on cloud gaming is impacting Microsoft, needs to be stopped
Cloud Gaming comes to mobile in beta ahead of September launch
Leak reveals that Xbox Series S DOES exist
Minecraft Education Edition is now available on Chromebooks
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: Make the move to YouTube Music. A lot of people are down on YouTube Music because it's not just like Google Play Music. But it has one major advantage that makes it the single best music service available.
App pick of the week: Parallels Desktop 16. PD 16 arrives with better perf and macOS Big Sur support.
Codename pick of the week: Deschutes. Microsoft's coming CloudPC service has a codename: Deschutes. It *might* be named for the brewery which makes the excellent Fresh Squeezed IPA and Black Butte porter. Or maybe (and more likely) it's named for the place/river in Oregon.
Codename pick 2 of the week: Oakdale. Oh, Dynamics 365/Power Platform team... how did this happen? You seemingly infringed on another company's branded trademark. But at least we have Project Oakdale, the version of the soon-to-be-renamed Dataflex for Teams.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly
Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com
Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com
The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.
Sponsors:
tailorstore.com/twit offer code TWIT
adobe.com/businessmoves
Melissa.com/twit
2 hr 27 min
August 05, 2020WW 684: Cortanageddon - Hey Microsoft: Buy Tik Tok!, RIP Cortana on Mobile, Xbox Game Pass
Hey Microsoft: Buy Tik Tok!, RIP Cortana on Mobile, Xbox Game Pass
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott
For full show notes on this episode, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/684
Sponsors:
hover.com/twit
GetRoman.com/WINDOWS
Wasabi.com offer code WINDOWS
1 hr 58 min
July 29, 2020WW 683: The Purposeful Luddite - Microsoft Earnings, Antitrust Hearings, XBox Series X Reaction
Microsoft is doing just great during the pandemic, thank you very much.
Microsoft 365 generated $20 billion in revenues in FY20!
How does that compare to "Commercial Cloud." And ... what's in those revenues? Windows?
SMB is slowing: How this changes where MS makes money - remember that Microsoft abandoned SMB earlier in the pandemic too
Today's the day for Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google CEOs. And here's a new take on "embrace and extend": Copy, acquire, kill
Windows 10 launched five years ago today
Surprise! Microsoft just added a bunch of 21H1 features to Windows 10 version 20H2.
Could this possibly be evidence there won't be a Windows 10 21H1?
Related: Build 20180 is out in the Dev channel, enabling all the features the Beta channel just got
New Tasks app comes to Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Family Safety app heads out of preview
NBA is partnering with Microsoft to put fans in the stands at this year's games
Xbox Games Showcase: What stood out?
August is upon us, here's Games for Gold
White Xbox controller suggests a Series S

Tip of the week: Rethink your relationship with Big Tech. We're not going to solve this problem today. But you can take steps to reduce your reliance on Big Tech.
App pick of the week: Edge Beta or Dev. Edge 86 just hit Dev, giving us a peek at that future
Enterprise pick of the week: Roadmaps, roadmaps, roadmaps. Cartophiles, rejoice! Chredge enterprise features are now part of the M365 roadmap. And GitHub adds a roadmap for publicly acknowledged coming features. Speaking of new resources, there's also a new landing page is for Windows developers using Node.js, React, Java, Kotlin, Python, Xamarin, and Android Studio
Enterprise pick No. 2 of the week: WVD 'spring' refresh now GA. The new features that Microsoft outlined in April for its WVD spring refresh are now generally available as of this week: Azure Portal integration, A/V redirect support for Teams
Cocktail pick of the week: Saketini
1 part triple sec (or Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
1 part cucumber lime vodka
5 parts sake
Stir and serve over ice, garnish with lime, cucumber, or both
With triple sec or Cointreau the drink stays clear, GM adds a little color
We use Fu-Ki brand sake
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.
Sponsor:
barracuda.com/windows
1 hr 51 min
July 22, 2020WW 682: You're A Crybaby! - Slack vs Teams, Win 10 Roadmap, RIP Xbox Live Gold
Slack vs Teams, Win 10 Roadmap, RIP Xbox Live Gold

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

For full show notes on this episode, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/682
Sponsor:
expressvpn.com/windows
1 hr 35 min
July 15, 2020WW 681: Orbital Drop Shock Troopers - Apple Silicon vs Wintel, PC Sales Boost
Microsoft releases a CU for Windows 10 version 20H2. Right. It's "done."
Meanwhile, let's check in on 2004. New and fixed bug list updated
New Dev Channel (Fast Ring) build has fixes, sound setting tweaks
The Passing of Wintel? Jean-Louis Gassée makes one big mistake in his push for ARM on the desktop.
Related: ARM pricing is going up
It turns out most Surface PCs are still blocked from getting Windows 10 version 2004
Semi-related: Thanks to COVID stay-at-home orders, PC sales grew 7.1 percent in Q2
Microsoft announces 3 million features for four different versions of Outlook
Microsoft is retiring OneDrive Fetch
Microsoft and Citrix expand their partnership. But what's really new here?
Here comes Microsoft Consulting (and some layoffs)
Microsoft spins off creepy chatbot
Microsoft talks up Xbox Series X storage tech

Tip of the week: A workaround for OneDrive Fetch. A lot of people are outraged by Microsoft killing OneDrive Fetch. But it's not that big a deal if you know about another OneDrive feature.
App pick of the week: Stardock Curtains. It's like Windowblinds on steroids, for Windows 10. Plus: Don't forget, Halo 3 is out on PC! And: Microsoft Launcher v6 is a big upgrade
Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft Inspire is next week. Microsoft's annual partner show is next week. There's usually some decent tech news unveiled at Inspire, along with strategy updates. It starts Tuesday with partner program announcements. Nadella, Smith, Julia White, Jared Spataro, and other product folks are speaking Wed. The keynotes seem to be open to anyone to stream: https://partner.microsoft.com/en-US/inspire/
Codename pick of the week: Portmeirion. Project Portmeirion aims to explore hardware-software co-design for security in the Azure general-purpose compute stack. (thanks, Walking Cat). It's part of Microsoft's confidential computing push. And Portmeirion is a village in Wales, for those wondering.
Beer pick of the week: The Bruery The Brite: Hibiscus Lime. A fun pink sour that's only 75 cals. It's a sour blonde ale that almost doesn't taste like a beer at all. It's from the excellent folks at The Bruery Terreux in Anaheim: https://www.thebruery.com/beer/brite-hibiscus-lime
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.
Sponsors:
LastPass.com/twit
GetRoman.com/WINDOWS
2 hr 3 min
July 08, 2020WW 680: Get Off My Alcantara Lawn - New Start Menu, Teams Features, Magic Leap CEO
Windows 10
Microsoft debuts a "new" Start menu
Just one problem, it's not new. It's barely even refreshed.
Well, two problems. We won't see this until 21H1 at the earliest. Probably.
Microsoft is bringing ALT + TAB to Edge tabs --- hated this at first, but it's starting to make sense
Windows 10 on ARM check-in - Paul is reviewing an 8cx-based PC. What's changed in two years?
Windows 10 2004 problems continue: Your settings aren't supported
Microsoft 365
Office.com portal is getting a refresh. Can you spot what this looks like now?
Surface
Microsoft hires 60 employees from Movial to work on Surface Duo OS
We previously thought it had purchased the firm, but no. (Similar to Google and HTC, I guess)
And as of today, contrary to Microsoft's promise that it was unblocking some Surface devices from receiving 2004, these devices are still blocked. C'mon, Microsoft.
Corporate
Peggy Johnson leaves Microsoft, takes CEO role at Magic Leap
Yes, this is like Stephen Elop. No, not for the conspiracy theory nonsense many still believe
Microsoft also bought a computer vision company called Orions Systems this week
And let the new FY21 reorgs begin! Starting with the field sales org
Xbox
Here comes Halo 3 for PC!
Next-gen AAA titles will finally rise to $69.99

Tip of the week: Customize your Windows 10 desktop. Brad has some good tips for making Windows 10 more usable and friendly.
App pick of the week: Halo 3 for PC. Here comes Halo 3 for PC next week!
Enterprise pick of the week: Dynamics 365 and Power Platform 2020 Wave 2 plans are here. Sound the ERP and CRM trumpets! This is the roadmap for the 'hundreds' of new features MS plans to roll out from October to March.
Codename pick of the week: Project Freta. Freta is a new free service from Microsoft Research meant to help spot rootkits in cloud VMs.
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.
Sponsors:
expressvpn.com/windows
Melissa.com/twit
2 hr 14 min
July 01, 2020WW 679: Comingled - RIP Microsoft Stores, Mac on ARM vs Windows on ARM
The drama of the week: Microsoft is closing its retail stores
Perhaps overdue, but shocking nonetheless: Microsoft is closing all of its retail stores
Related: A look back at the 2012 opening of the first Boston-based Microsoft Store

The drama of last week: Apple, the morning (OK, week) after
Two developments of interest to the Microsoft community
As expected, the first Apple Silicon developer device destroys Surface Pro X in benchmarks, no matter how you look at it
Apple is reportedly thinking about bringing a Continuum-like feature to the iPhone where it could run macOS and be connected to a keyboard, mouse, and display.
A more reasoned assessment about the impact of Apple's moves on Windows

Windows 10 version 2004 is off to a slightly faster start than 1903.
And now (finally) SL3 and SP7 can get 2004. Yay? (But not SL1 and SL2. Boo!)
Windows 10 Pro no longer has deferral capabilities
Except that it sort of still does. Here's what changed.
That shift from rings to channels just happened
Microsoft to expand automatic Edge rollout to education then businesses
Microsoft announces new digital skills initiative
Related: Teams is getting a new learning app
Big changes coming to OneDrive for consumers and businesses
It's July, so Xbox Games with Gold and Game Pass subscribers have new games on the way
Mixer co-founder is OK with closure
Xbox Game Bar is now extensible

Tip of the week: Download this tool, just in case: Windows File Recovery is a command-line tool you'll want to download just in case.
App pick of the week: Amazon Prime for Windows 10. I don't often get to recommend Store apps.
Also: Power Apps and Power Automate. You need to look at these M365 commercial features.
Enterprise pick of the week: Your Office 365 IT pro bible has gotten a feature update. Tony's Redmond's 7th edition (2021) of Office 365 for IT Pros is now available. https://gumroad.com/l/O365IT/windowsweekly
Enterprise pick No. 2 of the week: STOCKHISTORY. Pulling stock prices directly into Excel has been a top request for a while. It's almost here in the form of STOCKHISTORY. And perfect timing, given Microsoft's stock price has been at an all-time high lately.
Beer pick of the week: Victory Prima Pils.
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.
Sponsor:
canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
1 hr 59 min
June 24, 2020WW 678: No Code Left Behind - RIP Mixer, Apple on ARM > Windows on ARM
Sorry (but not sorry): We need to discuss Apple. Ladies and gentlemen, start your gongs!
The Mac transition to ARM and how this is better than Windows 10 on ARM
The new macOS UX and how this is better/more consistent than Fluent in Windows 10
The new iOS 14 UX and how it's the same thing as live tiles, just 10 years later
Related: Microsoft complained about Apple's business practices; Apple subtly announced small changes to address the concerns.
Edge memory improvements are coming to Chrome too
Consumer features start appearing in Teams on mobile in preview
Skype for Windows 10 and Skype desktop are consolidated. Confused yet?
From the "oh, you'll pay" department: Edge enterprise sync comes to Microsoft 365 Business Premium; Windows Defender ATP comes to Android in preview
Send Later feature coming to Outlook on the web. Some of it, anyway.
Microsoft shuts down Mixer
More Game Pass games coming this week!
Tip of the week: Paul embraces Linux, and you should too. How to correctly install and configure WSL 2. What's the future of WSL?
App pick of the week: Opera. Opera 69 for desktop picks up Twitter integration.
Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft's latest acquisitions in data modeling and IoT. It's always interesting to see where Microsoft is putting its acquisition dollars. In the past two weeks, the company bought a data-modeling company, ADRM Software, and an IoT security company, CyberX.
Developer pick of the week: Microsoft releases phase one of OpenJDK for Windows 10 on ARM. Microsoft loves Java!
Cocktail pick of the week: Grand Cosmo: A tribute to CosmoDB (COME ON)... Paul's wife's unique take on a Cosmopolitan:
- 6 parts pear vodka
- 2 parts Grand Marnier (or triple sec or Cointreau)
- 2 parts lime juice
- 4 parts cranberry juice
- Shake with ice and serve over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge or slice.
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.
Sponsors:
GetRoman.com/WINDOWS
expressvpn.com/windows
2 hr 18 min
June 17, 2020WW 677: Everything's a Widget in Flutter - Everything You Need to Know About Windows 10 20H2
Everything You Need to Know About Windows 10 20H2

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

For full show notes on this episode, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/677
Sponsors:
OpenShift.com/windows
LastPass.com/twit
2 hr

About Windows Weekly (Audio)

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Windows Weekly is about more than Windows. Veteran Microsoft insiders Paul Thurrott and Richard Campbell join Leo for a deep dive into the most valuable company in the world. From consumer to enterprise, AI to Xbox, Windows Weekly is the only Microsoft podcast you'll ever need.

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