Windows Weekly (MP3)

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Microsoft 2020 Predictions

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

For full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/656

Sponsors:* expressvpn.com/windows * Melissa.com/twit * LastPass.com/twit

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Windows 7 support ends

- Yesterday, Microsoft released the "final" updates for Windows 7 for most people (But not that update for the NSA-reported crypto bug that was for Win 10 and Win Server, interestingly)
- Today, Windows 7 will begin displaying a full-screen nag to upgrade to Windows 10
- Microsoft Edge might be supported on Windows 7 for at least 18 months, and Microsoft Security Essentials will keep working for some indeterminate time period. Google Chrome will also be supported for 18+ months.

The (new) Microsoft Edge era begins

- Microsoft launches its (curiously incomplete) new web browser on Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, and Mac
- Here's how you can get it now (individuals and businesses) Windows 10
- Here's our first peek at the new features coming to Windows 10 in late 2020 (Or later. Or never.)
- Windows 10 version 2004 isn't even out yet, but it's getting major updates already. In the Slow ring only. Because of the confusing way the Insider program works now.
- Related: The PC market grew 1.9 percent in 2019, the first annual growth in 8 years. What will 2020 look like?
- Related: Microsoft is phasing out its Microsoft Stores for Business and Education

Mo' Microsoft

- Walkie-Talkie voice calls, more coming to Teams
- Not news per se, but a new report details the extent to which Microsoft contractors violated Skype users' privacy
- Why didn't Microsoft bid more to get Bing on Android in the EU? Xbox/games
- Microsoft continues its "no exclusives" strategy. And it's smart.
- Epic Game Store has 108 million customers, will give away more games all throughout 2020

Tips and picks

- Tip of the week: Yes, you can run legacy Edge and new Edge side-by-side. Here's how. (But seriously. Why?)
- Also: Reminder that Batman: The Telltale Series and LEGO Star Wars II are now available via Games with Gold
- App pick of the week: Microsoft Launcher Preview
- Enterprise pick of the week: Power Platform warning for IT admins
- Codename pick of the week: Vader
- Beer pick of the week: Athletic Brewing Upside Down Golden Ale

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:

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twit.cachefly.com

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Welcome to 2020!

PT starts the year with a rant thoughtful commentary about the state of Windows
MJF looks back at the decade that MS became a cloud company
A couple of the original Red Dog 'dream team' reflect on the last decade

CES: Lots of new Windows 10 PCs, including a number of foldables

No Windows 10X yet
But lots of dual- and folding-display designs for some reason
And some gaming PCs, etc.

Let's talk Windows 7!

Mary Jo has been using Windows 7 on her podcast PC. And Paul just switched back to Windows 7 temporarily. Some thoughts...
Windows 7 gets its last free security update on Jan. 14
Reminder: Security Essentials actually will keep getting updated after Jan. 14 (MS changed its documentation)
Related: Chredge starts rolling out to the mainstream on Jan. 15 - And you can run it side-by-side with old Edge if you want

Xbox

Microsoft and leakers start revealing more about Xbox One, Series X:
Pricing thoughts
AMD dishes on the ports, incorrectly
And, in a leak, the real ports
January Games with Gold

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Game Pass is still one of the best deals in gaming
Plus: A quick update on Microsoft's Windows Weekly giveaways!
App pick of the week: Vivaldi 2.10, another Chrome alternative
Enterprise pick of the week: Windows Server 2008/R2 users: You have an Azure out
Codename pick(s) of the week: Spartan, Anaheim and O'Hare (oh my!)
Beer pick of the week: Evil Twin's Even More Jesus

Hosts: Mikah Sargent, 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:

Melissa.com/twit

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A very mustached Leo Laporte takes a look at Microsoft's 2019, from Windows 7's impending doom to the "Scarlett" next-gen console (later named Xbox Series X). Plus, we can never forget Paul's intense tornado warning during episode 623!

Happy Holidays from Leo, Paul, and Mary Jo!

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.

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This Week's Stories:

Chris Capossela is back!

Microsoft CMO Chris Capossela returns for our favorite holiday tradition.

Xbox Series X

Microsoft unexpectedly announces the name of the next Xbox console
Yes, it's a terrible name
The "real" name of the console generation is just... Xbox
Yes, it's one of at least two console versions (expect an Xbox Series S too)
Given this, should be called Xbox, Series X.
Come on, isn't everyone thinking of Windows Phone 7 Series? Do these people ever learn?

Windows 10 vNext (and vNext Next)

Confusion reigns: Microsoft releases a new Fast ring build that is post-20H1
But it contains improvements that may or may not be in the next version of Windows 10. And the one after that...

Windows 10

You can now make/receive phone calls with Your Phone! (Android only)
Your Phone will soon support 2000 phone photos (up from 25)
Bing Visual Search comes to Windows 10
Semi-related: Invoke users experiences weird outages over the past two weeks. Resetting seems to help, but expect this speaker to continue losing functionality over time.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft will very aggressively push aside legacy Edge in January when the new Edge appears
It's like the old Edge never happened
Developers can now publish extensions to the new Edge extensions store

Xbox

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is off to a fast start on PC. Hey Mikey! They like it!
Microsoft announces remaining Game Pass for console titles for December
Activision cites massive success for latest Call of Duty

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Stay tuned for the Chris Cap giveaway! Check-in with Thurrott.com this week for the details about the Microsoft hardware and software giveaways for Windows Weekly.
App pick of the week: Adobe Lightroom (Microsoft Store version)
Enterprise pick of the week: Windows Server 20 04
Codename pick of the week: Alta
Beer pick of the week: Prairie Christmas Bomb

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

Guest: Chris Capossela

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:

metallic.io/windows
Wasabi.com offer code Windows

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Windows 7, we had a good run

Microsoft will push a full-screen EOL warning to Windows 7 users in January
Windows 7's Security Essentials AV software is going away after January 14, too
Have our expectations changed about the impact the EOL will have on Windows 10 adoption?

Hell freezes over

Microsoft Teams is available on Linux. No, it's not April 1st.
MS says other Office apps on the way
The Way Back Machine: Paul had a 1999 scoop about Microsoft Office on Linux

Windows 10

20H1 isn't quite done yet, but Microsoft keeps releasing new builds with no functional changes. - Another one last Friday too
Your Phone now supports digital pens
Collections goes live in Microsoft Edge Canary and Dev

Hardware

Microsoft patent application brings digital pen writing surface to Surface Book wrist rest
Four more games come to Project xCloud

Mobile + Web

Office Mobile apps on iOS and Android are getting a makeover
Office apps for Windows Mobile EOL in January 2021 - But what about on Windows 10 for PCs?
Wunderlist is finally getting shut down
New Slack design looks a little familiar
Sticky Notes is coming to the web (via Outlook)

Xbox + Games

Cross play FINALLY comes to Minecraft on PS4
Gears 5 Operation 2 is out
Halo: MCC off to a big start on PC

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Check out the MSDN/TechNet archives
Plus: Thanks to a Thurrott Premium promotion, I will update the Windows 10 Field Guide through the end of 2020
Plus: Take the 2020 Thurrott.com reader survey
App pick of the week: Outlook mobile
Enterprise pick of the week: Dynamics 365 Human Resources
Enterprise pick No. 2 of the week: Campaign Views
Beer pick of the week: The Chai Life

Next week: It's the year and decade finale with our annual ChrisCapmas show!

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
capterra.com/windows
ringcentral.com/windows

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Windows 10: The year in review

The year in Windows 10
Microsoft changed Windows 10 development in major ways in 2019, and some changes are likely permanent, while others may not be
Two feature updates, one real (that failed) and one fake (that succeeded)
20H1 completed much earlier than expected by non-tea-leaf readers
What does this all mean for 2020?

Chredging at the Edge

Microsoft improves Edge tracking protection. But will it ever rival Brave or Safari?
Related: Microsoft shouldn't be adding consumer features to the new Edge (and Edge mobile)

Amazon re: Invent and how it's key to understanding Azure (and Ignite)

re:Invent – 60K attendees and a gazillion announcements
Ignite – 30K attendees and almost a gazillion announcements. Microsoft wants Ignite to become re:Invent

Mobile + Dev

Microsoft Remote Desktop gets a major update on iOS
Microsoft releases a Chinese language learning app on Android
Seeing AI for iOS comes to 5 new languages
Microsoft ships .NET Core 3.1

Xbox

Halo: Reach comes to PC. And you can get it on Steam! What's next?
Related: Hands-On with Halo: Reach for PC
PS5 dev kit leaked
Plus: Scarlett/Lockhart rumors resurface

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Help Mary Jo get the Notepad she deserves
App pick of the week: Firefox 71
Enterprise pick of the week: Azure Dedicated Hosts
Codename pick of the week: Verona
Beer pick of the week: Sonoma Sour Stout

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:

Melissa.com/twit
expressvpn.com/windows
Wasabi.com offer code Windows

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'Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, Windows Insiders are losing their s#$% because Microsoft just named 20H1...

Plus, PWAs creep to life again at Microsoft ... It's The Walking Dead Web Apps!
Does Microsoft have a Cortana strategy?
Windows Terminal gets support for multiple panes.
Xbox One X All Digital Edition being offered at $149.99
Xbox Black Friday Deals
Apple just can't get iOS right, so it's starting over. Again!
Outlook.com can be used like a real app
ODI: What's next?
Chredge for commercial users
Beer of the week: Proclamation Ale Co. Tendril

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:

Epson.com/ecotankleo
brave.com/TWIT
WWT.COM/TWIT

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Windows 10 20H1 ... is this really it?

Microsoft keeps releasing new Windows 10 versions 20H1 with no new features or minor features at best. Is this all we're getting?
Let's revisit what actually is in 20H1 so far

Teams

Microsoft says it has 20 million daily active users on Teams
Not so fast, Slack says: We have higher engagement

More Microsoft

Amazon officially challenges Microsoft's JEDI contract
Microsoft partners with ... Salesforce?!
Microsoft confirms shutdown of Cortana on mobile
Facebook says it is making Visual Studio Code its default dev environment

Xbox

Google Stadia stumbles drunkenly out of the gate - At least they added 10 more games for launch - This thing is DOA because Project xCloud already supports 50 games
Google Assistant comes to Xbox One ... is Windows 10 next?
Microsoft improves Mixer for Streamers

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: You need to know about the changes Microsoft made to Windows 10 Setup this year
Related: The Windows 10 1909 ISO is now available
App pick of the week: Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020
Enterprise pick of the week: Azure shuts the Front Door
Codename pick of the week: Project Turing (revisited)
Beer pick of the week: Offshoot Beer Co.'s Pawz

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:

brave.com/TWIT
ringcentral.com/windows
capterra.com/windows

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Windows 10 version 1909 arrives

Blink and you'll miss it because it's really just a small cumulative update, not a real feature update.
1909 is codenamed Vanadium and it appears to be going out broadly, contrary to Microsoft's description
Windows 10 version 1909 review: There ain't much to say here
Nothing major was removed or deprecated in 1909
Is Microsoft going to repeat its cumulative update/R2 update pattern with 20H2? I am hearing no. But they won't say publicly
Microsoft didn't fix feature updates. It just pretended that a small CU was a feature update.

More Windows 10

Yes, Microsoft discussed the future of its Windows 10 app platform at Ignite
Another major milestone: Windows 10 version 20H1 heads to the Slow ring.
And Microsoft continues to release new 20H1 builds with absolutely no new features.

HoloLens 2

Mary Jo and Paul both got to try out the new AR headset again. Here's what's new.

More Microsoft

Microsoft will support CCPA everywhere
Bye-bye MS Invoicing, Outlook Customer Manager and Skype Translator bot
More goodbyes: Harry Shum is out as head of AI and Research. Kevin Scott is in

Xbox/games

New Elite controller is now available. You can't afford it, and you don't need it
Early Access to "Minecraft Earth" is Available Now in the U.S.
So much for Google being ahead: Stadia to launch with just 12 games

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Find and Watch Every Ignite 2019 Session
App pick of the week: Brave
Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Developer pick of the week: GitHub for mobile
Beer pick of the week: Troegs Troegenator

Hosts: Mary Jo Foley, Paul Thurrott, and Mikah Sargent

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:

itpro.tv/windows use code WW30
aka.ms/WWMechanics
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Windows Weekly (MP3): Recent Episodes

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