Do you ever get the feeling that, in the relentless humdrum of Week D, the most exciting thing to happen to your desktop is a blue screen of soup? Don’t worry, it’s not a new troubleshooting menu—it’s just another Wednesday episode of Windows Weekly, the internet’s favorite forum for IT professionals yearning both for the latest in Windows intelligence and a steady dose of self-aware banter. In this edition, episode 929, Leo Laporte, Richard Campbell, and Paul Thurrott serve tech news and analysis with a side of wit, and I’m here to dish it all out for you—chunky, hot, and occasionally a bit hard to swallow. Buckle up for a pixelated roller-coaster through Windows updates, the state of AI, Big Tech’s comeuppance, Ubuntu on ARM, Xbox glory, and even a brown liquor recommendation. Ready? Let’s spoon into the soup.
Yes, it’s Week D in Windows update parlance—a hallowed slot between Patch Tuesdays, where preview builds quietly land in the laps of those brave enough to click “Check for updates.” This time, the much-anticipated 23H2 update is out in the wild, flaunting itself as the belle of the Beta channel ball, while 24H2 lags behind, like an anxious intern rehearsing in the hallway. The features list for the latest dev and beta releases reads like Microsoft’s takeout order—nothing too spicy, thank you, and preferably something you can reheat later. Greater text action support in Click to Do, improved Reading Coach toolsets, and expanded Immersive Reader presence are rolling out. Notably, OneDrive-based photos benefit from a semantic search upgrade—though if you’re outside the EEA or lack a shiny Snapdragon X device, tough luck; as always, features roll out like party invitations, heavily curated and exclusive.
Behind all these enhancements, a philosophical question: can a product ever finish if it’s always in Preview? For IT admins, this relentless hamster wheel of “incremental improvements” means you’re perpetually stuck in the ‘just one more push’ phase—hoping the next update is the one that doesn’t break printer drivers or randomly reset power plans. It’s like the cliffhanger ending of a TV series, renewed indefinitely.
From an IT pro perspective, this is huge. The Windows-on-ARM ecosystem, which for years has felt like the vegan corner at a BBQ—present, but not exactly the center of the party—might finally get the native support and cross-platform respect it deserves. Whether this makes WOA a contender or just a curiosity with a slightly fancier wine list is a question for another cycle. But it’s a step forward, unless your job security depends on having at least two operating systems always at odds.
It’s an all-too-familiar reminder: as cloud-based identity becomes central to both productivity and resilience, even modest backend tweaks can devastate highly interconnected partner ecosystems. For risk managers and C-suite types everywhere, this is a cautionary tale dressed in Azure blue. Automation magnifies errors, and support lines have never rung louder.
Elsewhere, court data tumble out: Google’s Gemini clocked 35 million daily active users (DAUs), 350 million monthly actives (MAUs), while ChatGPT flexes with 160 million DAUs and a breathtaking 600 million MAUs. It’s a stats game, sure, but anyone who’s spent time in corporate boardrooms knows these numbers are a lot less about genuine productivity and a lot more about PowerPoint bragging rights.
Oh, and Perplexity AI integrates with Samsung and Motorola phones—while Microsoft makes goo-goo eyes at Motorola as well. If 2023 was the year of AI as buzzword, 2024 is the year AI invades every device you own, then makes you apologize for not updating your privacy settings.
This is real talk for big tech strategists: the days of bend-the-rules bravado are ending. For users, that could mean greater choice, less “walled garden” high-handedness, and—fingers crossed—more interoperability. Or, like regulatory reform everywhere, it might result in a thousand new checkboxes and inscrutable privacy pop-ups.
Elsewhere, the Xbox app now graces LG smart TVs (take that, Samsung…), and Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders pop and sizzle—and, according to notoriously understated Nintendo, demand is “higher than expected.” The phrase “no price change” sounds like news, but we know how this goes: scarcity meets FOMO, and eBay sellers everywhere rejoice.
For those charting long-term gaming strategy in the enterprise—yes, it’s more common than HR likes to admit—the lesson is that platform boundaries blur and services win. Today’s Xbox is tomorrow’s living-room streaming console, and “owning” isn’t what it used to be.
If you’ve ever gotten misty-eyed over a tired Intellimouse, your desk setup just became a little more optimistic. It’s the tech equivalent of comfort food—a reminder that, for all the AI wizardry, sometimes you just want a keyboard with proper travel and a mouse that never asks to borrow your cloud credentials.
The identity snafu at Microsoft is a classic teachable moment: No cloud, no matter how well-defended, is safe from Friday night chaos. And AI? It’s everybody’s second brain, provided your definition of intelligence encompasses the tendency to hallucinate, freeze, or insist you meant “install Bing” when you typed something else entirely.
Regulators may finally be shifting the needle—albeit with the glacial speed that makes Patch Tuesday look like Formula One. Meanwhile, the return of beloved hardware and the promise of actually-fair phone service are small but meaningful wins in a landscape often defined by grand plans and epic missteps.
So pour yourself a dram, update cautiously, and remember: the blue screen of soup may not solve everything, but it might make you feel better about having to try.
Source: Thurrott.com Windows Weekly 929: The Blue Screen of Soup
Yes, it’s Week D in Windows update parlance—a hallowed slot between Patch Tuesdays, where preview builds quietly land in the laps of those brave enough to click “Check for updates.” This time, the much-anticipated 23H2 update is out in the wild, flaunting itself as the belle of the Beta channel ball, while 24H2 lags behind, like an anxious intern rehearsing in the hallway. The features list for the latest dev and beta releases reads like Microsoft’s takeout order—nothing too spicy, thank you, and preferably something you can reheat later. Greater text action support in Click to Do, improved Reading Coach toolsets, and expanded Immersive Reader presence are rolling out. Notably, OneDrive-based photos benefit from a semantic search upgrade—though if you’re outside the EEA or lack a shiny Snapdragon X device, tough luck; as always, features roll out like party invitations, heavily curated and exclusive.Behind all these enhancements, a philosophical question: can a product ever finish if it’s always in Preview? For IT admins, this relentless hamster wheel of “incremental improvements” means you’re perpetually stuck in the ‘just one more push’ phase—hoping the next update is the one that doesn’t break printer drivers or randomly reset power plans. It’s like the cliffhanger ending of a TV series, renewed indefinitely.
Ubuntu 25.04: Now With More ARM (And BitLocker?)
Ubuntu’s 25.04 drop brings genuine ARM64 ISO support. Yes, that means the day is coming when you can natively run Ubuntu on your Windows-on-ARM (WOA) device without convoluted gymnastics. Even more eyebrow-raising: native BitLocker support. Yes, you read that right—BitLocker, the flagship of Microsoft’s device encryption arsenal, now sidles up to Ubuntu as if it always belonged there. The technical world’s boundaries are blurring faster than your Wi-Fi when the microwave’s running.From an IT pro perspective, this is huge. The Windows-on-ARM ecosystem, which for years has felt like the vegan corner at a BBQ—present, but not exactly the center of the party—might finally get the native support and cross-platform respect it deserves. Whether this makes WOA a contender or just a curiosity with a slightly fancier wine list is a question for another cycle. But it’s a step forward, unless your job security depends on having at least two operating systems always at odds.
Microsoft Identity Woes: Friday Night Fumble
If you’re feeling smug about your identity management hygiene, take a brief pause for Microsoft’s Friday night update blunder. An errant change to identity systems led to a cascading calamity—50,000 partner accounts received “leaked credentials” badges, without cause. Picture the wave of panic: phones blowing up, sysadmins desperately confirming that, no, their best practice passwords weren’t, in fact, spray-painted on the nearest subway wall.It’s an all-too-familiar reminder: as cloud-based identity becomes central to both productivity and resilience, even modest backend tweaks can devastate highly interconnected partner ecosystems. For risk managers and C-suite types everywhere, this is a cautionary tale dressed in Azure blue. Automation magnifies errors, and support lines have never rung louder.
AI: Copilots, Gemini, and the Great Digital Arms Race
This week, Microsoft updates its Copilot family: Microsoft 365 Copilot gets smarter, and an “Agent Store” is en route. Copilot Vision—vision as in, “look at your spreadsheet and weep”—is now free for all in Microsoft Edge. Meanwhile, Google ups the ante, handing out Gemini Advanced/Google One AI Premium subscriptions like Halloween candy, but only to U.S. college students. It’s a shrewd play: lock ‘em in early, then watch those monthly recurring revenues rise with each graduation cap tossed.Elsewhere, court data tumble out: Google’s Gemini clocked 35 million daily active users (DAUs), 350 million monthly actives (MAUs), while ChatGPT flexes with 160 million DAUs and a breathtaking 600 million MAUs. It’s a stats game, sure, but anyone who’s spent time in corporate boardrooms knows these numbers are a lot less about genuine productivity and a lot more about PowerPoint bragging rights.
Oh, and Perplexity AI integrates with Samsung and Motorola phones—while Microsoft makes goo-goo eyes at Motorola as well. If 2023 was the year of AI as buzzword, 2024 is the year AI invades every device you own, then makes you apologize for not updating your privacy settings.
Big Tech and Antitrust: Microsoft’s Déjà Vu Moment
Here’s a history lesson: US v. Microsoft is now old enough to rent a car, yet antitrust is hotter than ever. The European Union slaps fines on Apple and Meta for flouting the Digital Markets Act (DMA), while Apple postpones its wouldn’t-it-be-nice AI rollout—Apple Intelligence isn’t “available now,” as Siri sheepishly admits when asked about the weather. Turns out, not even Tim Cook’s reality distortion field is proof against red tape and regulatory scrutiny.This is real talk for big tech strategists: the days of bend-the-rules bravado are ending. For users, that could mean greater choice, less “walled garden” high-handedness, and—fingers crossed—more interoperability. Or, like regulatory reform everywhere, it might result in a thousand new checkboxes and inscrutable privacy pop-ups.
Xbox and Gaming: Nostalgia and Next Gens
Do you remember the first time you braved the icy peaks of Cyrodiil in Elder Scrolls IV? Relive that pixelated magic—remastered and now arriving not just on Xbox and PC but also PS5 and Game Pass. Nostalgia is the new innovation, and there’s nothing quite like getting excited all over again about a game old enough to have taught your kids basic inventory management.Elsewhere, the Xbox app now graces LG smart TVs (take that, Samsung…), and Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders pop and sizzle—and, according to notoriously understated Nintendo, demand is “higher than expected.” The phrase “no price change” sounds like news, but we know how this goes: scarcity meets FOMO, and eBay sellers everywhere rejoice.
For those charting long-term gaming strategy in the enterprise—yes, it’s more common than HR likes to admit—the lesson is that platform boundaries blur and services win. Today’s Xbox is tomorrow’s living-room streaming console, and “owning” isn’t what it used to be.
Pick of the Week: Dial 1-800-Google-Fi
In an industry obsessed with the next shiny thing, it’s worth pausing on the quiet resilience of Google Fi. Marking its 10th anniversary with a new batch of tweaks, Google’s cellular service gets a fresh look—and, for value-seekers, is suddenly interesting again. If you thought the only phone services worth considering were bundled with hardware and perpetual existential dread, maybe it’s time to think different.App and Hardware Pick: Microsoft Keyboards and Mice “Un-Retired”
For a brief, panic-stricken season, it looked like Microsoft was kissing hardware goodbye. Keyboards and mice, those beloved stalwarts of the cubicle, seemed destined for the landfill of discontinued dreams. But no! Incase now stocks nearly the full slate of classic Microsoft desktop gear. A comeback nobody expected, yet everybody missed as soon as it was gone.If you’ve ever gotten misty-eyed over a tired Intellimouse, your desk setup just became a little more optimistic. It’s the tech equivalent of comfort food—a reminder that, for all the AI wizardry, sometimes you just want a keyboard with proper travel and a mouse that never asks to borrow your cloud credentials.
From the Barrel: Brown Liquor Pick of the Week
Because no Windows Weekly is complete without a toast, the brown liquor pick lands on Dark Harmony No. 3 Black IPA Cask, from Hellyer’s Road. Smoked, rich, and as complex as your device management group policies, it’s the after-hours companion you didn’t know you needed. Just remember, unlike Windows updates, alcohol doesn’t self-install—please imbibe responsibly.An IT Pro’s Take: Fresh Soup, Cold Realities
So, what’s the bottom line for IT professionals paddling through this week’s blue screen soup? It’s about change—sometimes incremental, sometimes seismic, but always relentless. Patch previews serve both as lifebuoys and mini-Titanics: equally likely to save or sink the day, depending on luck and user feedback. Ubuntu’s expanding role in the ARM world may be the start of a renaissance—or just another brief detour before dominance resumes elsewhere.The identity snafu at Microsoft is a classic teachable moment: No cloud, no matter how well-defended, is safe from Friday night chaos. And AI? It’s everybody’s second brain, provided your definition of intelligence encompasses the tendency to hallucinate, freeze, or insist you meant “install Bing” when you typed something else entirely.
Regulators may finally be shifting the needle—albeit with the glacial speed that makes Patch Tuesday look like Formula One. Meanwhile, the return of beloved hardware and the promise of actually-fair phone service are small but meaningful wins in a landscape often defined by grand plans and epic missteps.
So pour yourself a dram, update cautiously, and remember: the blue screen of soup may not solve everything, but it might make you feel better about having to try.
Source: Thurrott.com Windows Weekly 929: The Blue Screen of Soup