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Blazor WebAssembley is new framework for creating interactive web applications. It provides a platform for developers to build web applications that behave like a Progressive Web App (PWA). Daniel Roth, a principal program manager with Microsoft’s ASP.NET team, said Blazor WebAssembly is a “fully featured and supported release … that is ready for production use”. “Blazor WebAssembly includes a proper .NET runtime implemented in WebAssembly, a standardized bytecode for the web....

The reason I put the word fix in quotation marks above is because the patch does not stop all attacks. That’s according to Will Dormann, a CERT/CC analyst who originally discovered the Outlook flaw in November 2016. Outlook’s way of handling RTF email with Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) objects on a remote SMB (Server Message Block) is the root of the problem. The SMB network file-sharing protocol uses Microsoft’s NT LAN Manage (NTLM) authentication for creating a connection between the SMB and Windows....

In its release notes, Microsoft says it once again on user feedback from the SQL community to deliver changes customers want. Centered on improving performance and diagnostics, SQL Server 2016 Service Pack 2 (SP2) comes with several changes. In terms of performance and scalability, Microsoft cleaned up the DB cleanup process. The company found large distribution databases were causing blocks. Service Pack 2 improves the process to ensure many blockage situations are resolved....

We’ve yet to find out the details of the headphones’ delay, but reports at least indicate that the devices will be in consumers’ hands (or ears) soon. According to WinFuture, who cites information from “European retailers”, the Surface Earbuds will debut on May 6, less than two weeks from now. It also says they’ll launch at €199 in the continent, which would be a very reasonable exchange rate from the $250 listed on the U....

If you’re unfamiliar with Microsoft Search, it leverages the power of Microsoft Graph, the new search experience is like a universal search across Microsoft services. It provides the search for all core apps, including Bing, Office, Windows 10, and Microsoft Edge, Yammer, and SharePoint. Microsoft Search finally made its debut on Windows 10 late last year following a significant delay. The new experience was initially announced in 2017 and scheduled to launch in 2019....

If this news had arrived this time last year, few would have been shocked. Mixer was seemingly stagnating following its rebranding from Beam, and Microsoft was thought to be considering killing it. However, the company decided to have another go at a game streaming service. The company tapped several major streamers to exclusive contracts. Most notably, Ninja, the world’s most popular streamer, became exclusive to Mixer. Furthermore, Microsoft introduced numerous new features and tools to the platform....

According to the company, it is killing off the online version of Visual Studio before it has even left preview. With Visual Studio Online (Codespaces), users have a web-based companion to the full VS experience. They can access code and edit it from any device, including smartphones. With Codespaces, Microsoft added the ability to work with extensions, access a command line, edit, run, and debug apps, and see Git repos....

Xbox Game Pass has enjoyed solid growth since its launch in May 2017. The service was announced in February of the same year as a subscription-based service. It gives gamers unlimited access to over 100 games for $9.99 per month. There are now 200 titles available for members, and Microsoft says the service is progressing as planned. In fact, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood called Xbox Game Pass an “early success”....

We’ll get to why that is the case soon, but it is worth noting that the company is eager to point out some other milestones. The year is flying by and we are only a month out from E3 2018. Over the last couple of years, Microsoft has dominated the trade show. This year it will be a more muted affair of game launches and fan parties. Still, the company is ramping up anticipation for the event by listing some Xbox One achievements....

We reported at the end of the summer than Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams will become a single solution. Microsoft confirmed this at Ignite 2017 in September. Teams will become a single communication client, taking the core features from Skype for Business. Office 365 users will not be getting the integration instantly. Microsoft published a roadmap for migrating Skype for Business features over to Teams. The new update is part of the first wave of those features starting the move....

1 Standard Subscription2 Premium Subscription If you’re unfamiliar with Microsoft Teams Rooms, they are videoconferencing hardware build by Microsoft OEM partners. Rebranded from Skype Room Systems in 2019, the devices offer features like meeting integration, chat abilities, voice-over, and whiteboard tools. Alongside confirmation of upcoming subscription tiers, Microsoft says Teams Rooms devices can now be managed from the Teams Admin Center Portal. This new ability has been available since the release of version 4....

With this API, developers can improve rendering by adding Raytracing to current techniques. By doing so, the API can enhance the visual quality of games. In an accompanying blog post, Microsoft says current 3D gaming is something of a myth. All titles use a technique called rasterization, which actually operates in two dimensions. “Through approaches like z-buffering and occlusion culling, games have historically strived to minimize the number of spurious pixels rendered, as normally they do not contribute to the final frame....

The company has rolled out a new video series on YouTube called Microsoft Unboxed. This series will explore projects Microsoft is working on. Hosted by Sonia Dara and Colleen O-Brien, the show will air every Thursday at 9 AM PST: Yesterday, Microsoft Unboxed debuted with its first episode, “AI for Good”. During the 12-minute discussion, Dara and O-Brien discussed Microsoft’s investment in AI, both monetary and developmental: “In the first episode of our new YouTube series, Microsoft Unboxed, Sonia Dara and Colleen O’Brien go “behind the tech” to explore Microsoft’s AI for Good initiatives, unpacking AI for Accessibility and AI for Humanitarian Action....

Today, Remix3D.com introduced two new features that should fuel creativity and collaboration within the community. It seeks to remove the problem of improper attribution and give artists the credit they deserve. Remixes and Parts It centers around two new tabs that appear or any Remix3D model. For a start, ‘Parts’ lets viewers break a 3D image up into its individual components. Microsoft gives the example of an island with a tree and pirate – you’d be able to see each model individually....

Earlier this year, Microsoft said it was going to block Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros across all Microsoft’s Office applications. This meant that no Office app would be able to directly enable files downloads if the file contained macros. Macro malware is not a new threat and has been causing cybersecurity problems since way back in the 90s. Despite being an archaic threat method, attacks still use macros exploits with success to this day....

However, perhaps users are not fulfilling their side of the bargain. Microsoft has published a survey to assess how they can surface new Windows app to Insiders in the future. Windows Insider Program members already have the Feedback Hub for this kind of reporting. Perhaps Microsoft is concerned not enough Insiders are providing feedback, although this could just be the company adding another option. Either way, the survey asks users questions like how they get information about the latest builds....

Windows 10 on ARM is an operating system that is ideal for portable devices and leverages mobile chip technology. It combines the battery life of mobile and the full desktop app availability of desktop PCs. However, while the platform runs 32-bit apps through an emulator, it does not support 64-bit applications. That’s problematic, including for customers of Microsoft’s Surface Pro X, which is an ARM-based device. Just like any other ARM-based PC, the Pro X supports ARM and ARM64 apps, as well as emulated 32-Intel (x86) apps....

1 Full Update Release Notes2 Recent Minecraft Changes You may remember Mojang announced this update back at MINECON 2019 last September. Users across platforms will be pleased to know the 1.16 Nether Update will drop on all platforms at the same time. That’s important and further Microsoft’s push for Minecraft to be a unified experience on all devices. Included in this release are several new biomes to discover: Soulsand Valley, Netherwart Forest Red, Netherwart Forest Blue, and Basalt Deltas....

If you have never used Movie Maker, it is a simple tool for editing videos. While there are obviously more nuanced and detailed editors out there, Microsoft puts the emphasis on ease of use. It is an easy to use program that is accessible for anyone using Windows. Movie Maker has been available since 2000 and has been through numerous iterations since then. The Windows Essentials app has been in its current form since 2012....

In other words, the bug could result in machines crashing and needing to be hard rebooted. Software engineer and security researcher Sabri Haddouche already disclosed a flaw that leads to Safari, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge crashing on iPhones. It seems this bug has wider consequences on Windows devices when running through Firefox. Haddouche says the vulnerability harms the running process of the browser and can freeze the whole OS....