Category Archives: IT Newspro

Will Microsoft Launch a Surface All-In-One Desktop Next Month? Sources say…

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Microsoft Surface Cardinal

Microsoft is said to be launching a new Surface, codenamed Cardinal. The new device will be a one-box desktop PC—i.e., an all-in-one (AiO), as popularlized by Apple’s iMac. The avian-themed rumor seems credible and well-sourced. And an October hardware event would fit with Microsoft’s previous form. But beyond that, everything is mere speculation. None of which stops us from some amusing Friday musing…

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Microsoft’s Cloud in Brexit Britain — New Azure and Office 365 DCs for UK

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Microsoft Azure in UK

Microsoft Azure and Office 365 hosted in the UK for the first time. Redmond just opened up three new data centers in England and Wales, arranged in two Azure regions. This brings the number of Regions to 28 globally. Among the launch customers are Aston Martin, a regional health authority, and the Ministry of Defence [sic]. This should give a boost to Microsoft’s data-sovereignty story…

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Windows 7 not supported on New PCs — Intel and AMD Toe the Line

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Windows 7 not supported

With new PC chips rapidly approaching, here’s a timely reminder about Windows 7 support: There isn’t any—at least not on Intel or AMD’s new silicon. Only Windows 10 is supported. Your downgrade rights were wrenched away, back in January…

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MS Excel’s Science SNAFUs — Bug or User Error?

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Excel genetics errors

Microsoft Excel causes problems in genetic research. That’s the claim of three researchers from an Australian institute, who discovered almost 20% of data sets contained errors introduced by Excel. The problem is Excel being “clever”—guessing the type of data it’s being asked to import. Unfortunately…

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Microsoft Windows 10 vs. EFF Privacy Voice — Fight!

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Microsoft Windows 10 vs. EFF Amul Kalia

Microsoft Windows 10 comes under fire for privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation last week reopened the case against Redmond’s telemetry and personalization efforts. Despite acknowledging previous press stories were wildly incorrect, EFF paralegal staffer Amul Kalia argues his case with sincere passion. He says Microsoft “disregards” privacy, and that the company isn’t transparent about data collection. He even goes as far as to predict Microsoft might face “government investigations” over the issue…

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Microsoft Open-Sources PowerShell, on Linux — World Turned Upside-Down

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Microsoft Linux PowerShell open source

Microsoft PowerShell on Linux and macOS—yes, it’s now open source. If you think the world’s gone mad, you might be right. For die-hard Linux-heads, it’s never going to replace Bash, Perl or Python. But for Microsoft-centric dev/ops types, it promises to be a wonderful widget in the toolbag. Especially as more workloads move to “the cloud.”

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Huge Change to Patch Tuesday — IT Admins are Revolting [updated]

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Microsoft Windows patch rollup

Microsoft to change how older Windows versions get patches. For better or worse, it’ll be more like the Windows 10 way. Next Patch Tuesday, prepare for a single rollup patch. This means you won’t be able to pick and choose the patches that work for you. And that’s good, because… um, reasons.

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Microsoft Windows UEFI Secure Boot — Insecure by Design?

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Microsoft Windows Secure Boot

Microsoft Windows Secure Boot has a big problem. It’s no longer secure, and can’t be fixed—or so say a pair of security researchers who found the issue. Apparently, Microsoft created a secret backdoor, for internal QA use. But two Ring Of Lightning researchers uncovered the so-called “golden key.” Now that the cat’s out of the bag, IT can’t rely on UEFI and Secure Boot to prevent boot-time malware, such as bootkits. Oops. The researchers also say that efforts to fix the problem are in vain. In today’s IT Newspro, we unlock the story…

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Microsoft HoloLens — Now Open for Business

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Microsoft HoloLens: Jobe horrified to learn that anyone can buy it

Microsoft HoloLens is now available to all. Redmond wants more businesses and developers to get going with its augmented-reality Windows headset. No longer do you need an invitation. And along with the latest build of Windows 10 come a container-load of new, enterprisey features. But it may (or may not) still cost $3000. In today’s IT Newspro, we mow the lawn like it’s 1992…

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The Best Windows Laptop for $550? Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air

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Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air is a sleek Ultrabook for an amazing price. It also beats its Apple namesake in many respects. It’s smaller, lighter and faster. But it might be tricky to buy—outside of China, anyway. Oh, and you can custom-order a famous painting on the lid. Perhaps that’s appropriate, given Picasso’s famous quote. In today’s IT Newspro, good artists copy, great artists steal…

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