Hacker News with Generative AI: Microsoft

Microsoft redesigns BSOD, drops QR code, frowning face, blue colour (windowslatest.com)
Microsoft is killing off the Blue Screen of Death… and replacing it with Black Screen of Death. It’s also dropping the frowning face for some reason, and I am not sure I like it because the updated screen doesn’t have enough information. Let me show how it’s changing in newer builds of Windows 11 24H2 and what it means for the IT admins.
Microsoft turns 50: Four employees recall their early years (seattletimes.com)
Fifty years ago, two kids from Seattle flipped the tech industry on its head.
Organic Maps migrates to Forgejo due to GitHub account blocked by Microsoft (mastodon.social)
New Windows 11 build makes mandatory Microsoft sign-in even more mandatory (arstechnica.com)
Microsoft released a new Windows Insider build of Windows 11 to its experimental Dev Channel today, with a fairly extensive batch of new features and tweaks.
Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account (theverge.com)
Microsoft is no longer playing around when it comes to requiring every Windows 11 device be set up with an internet-connected account.
Microsoft forces Windows 11 to use a Microsoft Account – removes bypassnro (windowscentral.com)
Windows Server 2025 locking up after Feb patch, no word of when a fix will land (theregister.com)
Microsoft is warning that a faulty patch pushed out in February is causing Windows Server 2025 Remote Desktop sessions to freeze under certain circumstances.
A note on the USB-to-PS/2 mouse adapter that came with Microsoft mouse devices (microsoft.com)
Back in the early days of USB, Microsoft mouse devices often came with a USB plug at the end of the cable, but also came with a small green adapter to convert the USB type-A plug into a PS/2 plug. How did this adapter work?
Windows Roadmap (microsoft.com)
Microsoft Abandons More Data Center Projects (datacenterknowledge.com)
Microsoft has walked away from new data center projects in the US and Europe that had been set to consume 2 GW of electricity, according to TD Cowen analysts, who attributed the pullback to an oversupply of the clusters of computers that power artificial intelligence.
Full History of Windows Longhorn [Microsoft Employee Insider] (youtube.com)
Playwright Tools for MCP (github.com/microsoft)
Microsoft introduces deep research and analysis tools for Copilot (engadget.com)
Microsoft has launched two new "reasoning agents" for Copilot that were designed to analyze vast amounts of work data, including emails, meetings, chats and documents.
Microsoft introduce two reasoning agents for work: Researcher and Analyst (microsoft.com)
Today, we’re excited to introduce two first-of-their-kind reasoning agents for work: Researcher and Analyst.
Microsoft's many Outlooks are confusing users – including its own employees (theregister.com)
Baffled by the plethora of Outlook options out there? You aren't alone. Microsoft veteran Scott Hanselman posted a list of some more variants that could be used to do the same thing.
Half-life of Microsoft products is 7 years (shape-of-code.com)
I get a lot of pushback from developers/managers when I tell them that the average application has a relatively short lifetime, i.e., half-life of 4-8 years.
Apple does AI as Microsoft did mobile (world.hey.com)
When the iPhone first appeared in 2007, Microsoft was sitting pretty with their mobile strategy.
VSCode extensions found downloading early-stage ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Two malicious VSCode Marketplace extensions were found deploying in-development ransomware, exposing critical gaps in Microsoft's review process.
VSCode extensions found downloading early-stage ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Two malicious VSCode Marketplace extensions were found deploying in-development ransomware, exposing critical gaps in Microsoft's review process.
Scientists Question Microsoft's Quantum Computing 'Breakthrough' (pcmag.com)
Some physicists are questioning Microsoft's February claim that it made a significant breakthrough in quantum computing.
Steam on Xbox evidence Microsoft didn't want you to see (theverge.com)
Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it’s combining “the best of Xbox and Windows together” for handhelds, and now the company is starting to drop the first hints at what that UI might look like.
Microsoft sent me an email telling me to throw my computer in the trash (mastodon.social)
Microsoft quantum computing claim still lacks evidence (nature.com)
A Microsoft researcher today presented results behind the company’s controversial claim last month to have created the first ‘topological’ qubits — a long-sought goal of quantum computing.
Windows 11 updates are accidentally getting rid of Copilot (arstechnica.com)
Microsoft's Windows updates over the last couple of years have mostly been focused on adding generative AI features to the operating system, including multiple versions of the Copilot assistant.
FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies (wired.com)
The Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission has removed four years worth of business guidance blogs as of Tuesday morning, including important consumer protection information related to artificial intelligence and the agency’s landmark privacy lawsuits under former chair Lina Khan against companies like Amazon and Microsoft. More than 300 blogs were removed.
Microsoft isn't fixing 8-year-old shortcut exploit abused for spying (theregister.com)
An exploitation avenue found by Trend Micro has been used in an eight-year-long spying campaign, but there's no sign of a fix from Microsoft, which apparently considers this a low priority.
Microsoft paywalling AI features in Notepad and Paint (pcworld.com)
There’s some bad news for Windows users who want to use all of the built-in features of the operating system and its integrated apps. Going forward, Microsoft is restricting features in two iconic apps, which you’ll need to unlock with a paid subscription.
Microsoft's 1986 IPO (homeip.net)
On March 13, 1986, Microsoft shook up the financial world, and to some degree, we are still feeling the reverberations from that 40 years later. That was the day of Microsoft’s very successful IPO.
Microsoft quantum breakthrough labeled 'unreliable' and 'essentially fraudulent' (theregister.com)
Microsoft's claim of a quantum computing breakthrough has attracted strong criticism from scientists, though the software giant says its work is sound – and it will soon reveal data that proves it.
Microsoft announced Scareware blocker for MS Edge (microsoft.com)
Scareware blocker in Microsoft Edge is here to protect you from scareware attacks—full-screen pop-ups with alarming warnings claiming your computer has been compromised.