Best of Windows — August 2025

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    Article
    Avatar of devblogsDevBlogs·35w

    PowerToys 0.93 is here: faster Command Palette, new dashboard UX and more

    PowerToys 0.93 introduces significant performance improvements through AOT compilation, reducing startup memory by 15%, load time by 40%, and installation size by 55%. The release features a redesigned Settings dashboard with clearer utility toggles and shortcuts, a new Spotlight mode for Mouse Highlighter that dims the entire screen except around the cursor, and enhanced Command Palette functionality including restored clipboard history and app pinning capabilities.

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    Article
    Avatar of theregisterThe Register·36w

    Microsoft promises to make WinUI 'truly open source'

    Microsoft announced plans to make WinUI, their modern Windows UI framework, fully open source after years of developer frustration over slow progress and bugs. The transition will happen in four phases, starting with more frequent code mirroring to GitHub and eventually making it the primary repository. However, the timeline remains unclear due to dependencies on proprietary Windows components. Developers remain skeptical about Microsoft's commitment, citing years of stagnation and questioning whether sufficient resources will be allocated to improve the framework.

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    Video
    Avatar of lowlevellearningLow Level Learning·35w

    i was right (again).

    Kernel-level anti-cheat systems from different game publishers are creating compatibility conflicts, with Battlefield 6 refusing to install when Valorant's Vanguard anti-cheat is present. These systems run with privileged access to detect cheating but raise serious privacy and security concerns. Riot's Vanguard is particularly invasive, running continuously and hooking system calls. The proliferation of competing kernel-level anti-cheats creates a fragmented gaming ecosystem where players may need separate computers for different publishers' games. Microsoft is working to address these issues by moving security software out of the kernel following the CrowdStrike incident.

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    Article
    Avatar of zedZed·34w

    Zed for Windows: What's Taking So Long?! — Zed's Blog

    Zed's Windows port has been in development by a four-person team for six weeks, tackling platform-specific challenges including creating a DirectX 11 rendering backend to replace Vulkan for better compatibility, reimplementing glyph rasterization for debugging support, optimizing GPU memory usage through improved MSAA handling, developing a Windows-compatible auto-updater system, and implementing crash reporting with minidump files. The team is now focusing on key bindings, SSH remoting, WSL support, extensions compatibility, and performance optimization before the general release.

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    Article
    Avatar of thevergeThe Verge·35w

    Microsoft releases lightweight Office taskbar apps for Windows 11

    Microsoft is rolling out lightweight taskbar companion apps for Microsoft 365 business users on Windows 11. The three apps provide quick access to contacts and org charts (People), file search across Microsoft 365 services (File Search), and calendar viewing (Calendar) directly from the taskbar. These apps automatically launch at startup but can be disabled by IT admins or end users. The rollout follows a beta period and represents Microsoft's effort to integrate productivity tools more deeply into the Windows 11 experience.

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    Article
    Avatar of windowsWindows Blogs·34w

    Copilot on Windows: Semantic Search and new homepage begin rolling out to Windows Insiders

    Microsoft is rolling out a new Copilot app update for Windows Insiders that introduces semantic file search for Copilot+ PCs and a redesigned homepage. The semantic search feature allows users to find files using natural language queries like "find images of bridges at sunset" instead of exact file names. The new homepage displays recent apps, files, and conversations, making it easier to access guided help and interact with documents. The update references the Windows Recent folder to show recently opened files and only processes files when explicitly shared by users.

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    Video
    Avatar of linuxexpThe Linux Experiment·35w

    Windows 12 could be Linux's biggest chance, Mint 22.2 beta: Linux Weekly News

    Microsoft's upcoming Windows 12 may drive more users to Linux with privacy-invasive AI features including voice commands, screen monitoring, and cloud processing. Meanwhile, Debian 13 was released with major updates, Linux Mint 22.2 beta brings fingerprint authentication and improved Wayland support, and Google is ending Steam support on Chrome OS in 2026. Other updates include Elementary OS improvements, Orion browser progress, GitHub organizational changes under Microsoft, and LVFS introducing fair-use quotas for hardware vendors.

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