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Lilbits 403: Microsoft release GW-Basic source code, hackers get an early crack at iOS 14

Microsoft’s GW-BASIC is a programming language that was released in 1983 and bundled with MS-DOS on early PCs. It was the first programming language many students and developers learned in the 80s, and nearly four decades later, Microsoft has released the source code. Available from Github, the code is being released “for historical reference/interest purposes,” […]

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Project Reunion: Microsoft is bringing UWP and Win32 apps together as “Windows apps”

Microsoft sort of tried to reinvent the Windows app a few years ago by introducing Universal Windows Platform apps designed to run across a range of devices including PCs, phones, Xbox consoles, and Hololens. The concept hasn’t been a runaway success story, and many developers have continued to stick with the old-fashioned Win32 application platform. […]

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Microsoft releases Windows Terminal 1.0 and PowerToys 0.18

The Windows Terminal app is exiting beta, almost a year after the first public preview was released. The all-in-one command line tool for Windows provides a new way to interact with the Windows command prompt, Windows Subsystem for Linux, and Windows Powershell. With features including support for rich text, tabs, and themes, styles, and and […]

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Coming soon to Windows 10: Linux apps and a Windows Package Manager

Microsoft isn’t exactly turning Windows 10 into a GNU/Linux distribution, but the lines seem to be getting blurrier all the time. When Windows 10 first launched, it was the first version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system to feature an optional Windows Subsystem for Linux, allowing developers and advanced users to install a Linux distro within […]

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Microsoft pulls the plug on Windows 10 32-bit (for new PCs)

Microsoft has been shipping 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows for almost twenty years. But starting with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, the company will no longer offer 32-bit builds to PC makers. That means if you already have a Windows 10 computer running a 32-bit version of the operating system you’ll be able […]

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Windows 10 May 2020 update is almost ready to go

The next major Windows 10 update is coming in a matter of days, and the Windows 10 May 2020 Update is expected to bring a long list of new features and smaller improvements. Now Microsoft has begun rolling out what’s effectively a release candidate to members of the Windows Insider Preview Program. Major Windows 10 […]

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Lilbits 393: The priciest webcam

Webcams are in short supply these days thanks the coronavirus pandemic. But you may already have a perfectly good camera that you can use for your next Zoom meeting or Facebook Messenger call. There are apps that will let you use an iPhone or Android device as a webcam for your computer. And some DSLR […]

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Hackers are bringing Windows 10 to the Samsung Galaxy S8 (and other Snapdragon 835 phones)

Windows 10 is the first version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system that’s designed to run on devices with either x86 or ARM processors. But the ARM version is designed for tablets and notebooks rather than smartphones. That hasn’t stopped developers from porting Windows 10 on ARM to run on phones though. Last year developers figured […]

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Microsoft extends Windows 10 version 1809 support through November 2020

Microsoft releases major Windows 10 updates about twice a year, and then offers support for at least 18 months for folks that might want to skip an upgrade or two. Normally that would mean that support for the Windows 10 October 2018 Update would be set to end in May, 2020. But Microsoft has announced […]