Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Skype to Retire in May 2025, Transitioning to Microsoft Teams

2025-05-06

Microsoft announced that it will shut down Skype in May 2025, migrating users to its modern communication and collaboration platform, Microsoft Teams. This move aims to streamline free consumer communication services and better adapt to user needs. Existing Skype users can choose to migrate to Teams for free, with all chats and contacts automatically imported; or they can export their data. Teams offers core features similar to Skype, with added advanced features such as meeting hosting and community building. This transition will be phased to ensure users can stay connected during the transition.

(www.microsoft.com)

Tech Communication Software

Microsoft Leverages LLMs to Boost Low-Level Programming Safety: Checked C and RustAssistant

2025-05-02

Researchers at Microsoft Research presented two projects leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) to enhance low-level programming safety. One project uses LLMs to assist with Checked C, automatically adding memory safety annotations to legacy C code, improving safety and reducing the burden of manual annotation. The second, RustAssistant, uses LLMs to automatically fix Rust compilation errors, significantly lowering the learning curve for Rust. Both projects demonstrate the immense potential of LLMs in improving code safety and developer efficiency, opening new possibilities for software engineering.

(www.microsoft.com)

Development Code Safety

Playable Quake II in Real-Time: Microsoft's AI-Powered Gameplay

2025-04-06

Microsoft researchers have released an interactive, real-time gameplay experience in Copilot Labs, letting you play an AI-powered rendition of Quake II. This uses their Muse model, specifically the improved WHAMM model (10x faster than WHAM), generating visuals at 10+ frames per second. WHAMM achieved this speed by significantly reducing training data (from 7 years to 1 week) and increasing resolution. While limitations exist, such as enemy interactions and context length, this technology opens exciting possibilities for real-time generated gameplay.

(www.microsoft.com)

Game real-time game generation

Microsoft Security Copilot Uncovers Critical Bootloader Vulnerabilities

2025-04-04

Microsoft Threat Intelligence, leveraging Microsoft Security Copilot, uncovered multiple vulnerabilities in open-source bootloaders (GRUB2, U-boot, and Barebox) impacting systems using UEFI Secure Boot and IoT devices. These vulnerabilities could allow arbitrary code execution, potentially bypassing Secure Boot and enabling the installation of persistent malware. Security Copilot significantly sped up the discovery process. Patches have been released; users are urged to update their systems.

(www.microsoft.com)

Tech bootloaders