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KDE Plasma Tightens Wayland Focus Management to Prevent Focus Stealing

2025-08-04
KDE Plasma Tightens Wayland Focus Management to Prevent Focus Stealing

KDE Plasma's window manager, KWin, is enhancing Wayland's window focus management. Previously, focus stealing in X11 was frustrating and even a security risk. Wayland uses the XDG Activation protocol to mitigate this, but some applications still violate it. KWin's new "Extreme" focus stealing prevention setting will enforce the use of valid tokens for window activation, eliminating focus stealing and improving user experience. This update fixes focus issues in applications like Dolphin and KRunner and improves backend DBusRunner activation token management.

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(www.neowin.net)
Development

Microsoft's Phased Open-Sourcing of WinUI: A Six-Month Roadmap

2025-08-02
Microsoft's Phased Open-Sourcing of WinUI: A Six-Month Roadmap

Microsoft announced a phased approach to open-sourcing WinUI, the user interface framework for Windows 11. Due to WinUI's complexity and deep integration with Windows, open-sourcing won't be a simple switch flip. Microsoft plans a four-phase rollout: Phase 1 increases GitHub mirroring frequency; Phase 2 allows external developers to build locally; Phase 3 enables external contributions and testing; and Phase 4 establishes GitHub as the primary development platform. This will be an incremental process, and Microsoft encourages developer feedback and contributions.

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(www.neowin.net)
Development

KDE Plasma 6.5: Rounded Corners and UI Improvements on the Way

2025-07-21
KDE Plasma 6.5: Rounded Corners and UI Improvements on the Way

The KDE team released its weekly update, highlighting the upcoming Plasma 6.5's rounded window corners, a long-requested feature. Improvements also include refined KRunner search result ordering, a more flexible Disks & Devices widget, resizable sidebars in Discover and System Monitor, and an improved Weather Report widget. Plasma 6.4.4, addressing several bugs, will be released on August 5th.

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(www.neowin.net)
Development UI improvements

LibreOffice Accuses Microsoft of Deliberately Complex File Formats for User Lock-in

2025-07-19
LibreOffice Accuses Microsoft of Deliberately Complex File Formats for User Lock-in

LibreOffice has again criticized Microsoft, accusing it of intentionally using overly complex OOXML file formats (.docx, .xlsx) to lock in users and hinder switching to alternative office suites. LibreOffice argues that while XML should promote interoperability, Microsoft's OOXML is excessively complex, likened to a 'train' only Microsoft can build, preventing competition. The article uses a railway analogy to illustrate Microsoft's actions, urging users to switch to Linux and LibreOffice.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech

Revolutionary Rechargeable-Free Nuclear Battery Developed

2025-07-17
Revolutionary Rechargeable-Free Nuclear Battery Developed

Researchers at South Korea's DGIST have developed a groundbreaking perovskite betavoltaic cell (PBC) powered by carbon-14, offering decades of power without recharging. By improving electron mobility and energy conversion efficiency through the use of perovskite materials and carbon-14 nanoparticles, the team created a battery with potential applications in various small devices, from pacemakers to space probes.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech nuclear battery carbon-14

Plasma Bigscreen Rises From the Ashes: KDE's TV Interface Gets a Reboot

2025-07-16
Plasma Bigscreen Rises From the Ashes: KDE's TV Interface Gets a Reboot

The abandoned KDE TV interface project, Plasma Bigscreen, has been resurrected thanks to Plasma Mobile contributor Devin. After a week of code overhaul, Plasma Bigscreen boasts a fresh look with a flat design, background blur, KRunner search functionality, and a redesigned settings application. While still needing refinements such as a virtual keyboard and clearer long-term direction, it aims for inclusion in the official Plasma 6.5 release, bringing a modern KDE experience to television users.

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(www.neowin.net)
Development TV Interface

Mozilla Kills Off Multiple AI and Privacy Tools, Focusing on Core Firefox

2025-06-10
Mozilla Kills Off Multiple AI and Privacy Tools, Focusing on Core Firefox

Mozilla has announced the shutdown of its Pocket, Fakespot, and Deepfake Detector services, with its Orbit AI tool ceasing operation on June 26th. These closures reflect Mozilla's strategic shift to streamline its operations and concentrate resources on its core Firefox browser. The demise of Orbit, a privacy-focused AI tool capable of summarizing articles and answering questions without sharing user data, represents a significant loss for users. Mozilla cites limited resources and the need to enhance Firefox's competitiveness as the rationale behind these cuts.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech

Apple Warns Australia Against Following EU's App Sideloading Mandate

2025-06-06
Apple Warns Australia Against Following EU's App Sideloading Mandate

Apple has cautioned Australia against mirroring the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which mandates app sideloading on iPhones. Apple argues that sideloading increases the risk of malware and fraud, compromising user security and privacy. While Apple has complied with the DMA in the EU, allowing users to install apps outside the App Store, this has reportedly led to a surge in pornography and copyright-infringing apps. Apple stresses its review process is crucial for user protection and defends its 30% App Store commission, stating it primarily applies to high-earning apps, with most developers paying less or nothing. The Australian government is still considering its proposal and hasn't made a final decision.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech App Sideloading

YouTube Premium Lite to Add Ads to Shorts

2025-06-06
YouTube Premium Lite to Add Ads to Shorts

YouTube is quietly changing its Premium Lite subscription service. Starting June 30th, the service will begin showing ads on Shorts, in addition to music content, search, and browsing results. This means users won't be completely ad-free, although most long-form videos will remain ad-free. This move aligns with YouTube's ongoing efforts to combat ad blockers and generate revenue through lower-priced subscription tiers.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech

Procolored Printer Software Found to Contain Malware; $100k Stolen

2025-05-19
Procolored Printer Software Found to Contain Malware; $100k Stolen

A YouTuber reviewing a Procolored UV printer discovered malware in the accompanying software, triggering a security alert. Security firm G Data investigated and found the software contained SnipVex, a cryptocurrency stealer that stole roughly $100,000 in Bitcoin. The attacker used clipboard manipulation to replace Bitcoin addresses and infected executable files. Procolored responded that the software was likely infected during transfer, removed the software, and provided a clean version. Security experts recommend users thoroughly check their systems and reinstall if necessary.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech

KDE Plasma Gets a New Virtual Machine Manager: Karton

2025-05-18
KDE Plasma Gets a New Virtual Machine Manager: Karton

A new virtual machine manager, Karton, is in development for the KDE Plasma desktop environment. Funded by Google Summer of Code 2025, University of Waterloo student Derek Lin is building this Qt Quick and Kirigami-based application. Karton aims to provide a native KDE experience, using the libvirt API to manage VMs and eventually supporting cross-platform functionality. Current development focuses on core features like a new domain installer (using libosinfo instead of virt-install), a custom SPICE viewer, and more fine-grained VM configuration options. Karton is targeted for a mid-term evaluation on July 14th and final submission on September 1st.

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(www.neowin.net)
Development

Microsoft Engineer Creates Windows 11-like Linux Distro

2025-05-08
Microsoft Engineer Creates Windows 11-like Linux Distro

Anduin Xue, a Microsoft software engineer, has developed AnduinOS, a Linux distribution designed to resemble Windows 11. Built on Ubuntu with minimal modifications beyond the UI, AnduinOS is a personal project with no current plans for commercialization. Xue dedicates only a few hours monthly to maintenance. Despite its origins in China, the open-source nature of the code mitigates backdoor concerns. With Microsoft ending mainstream support for Windows 10 in October, AnduinOS offers a viable alternative for those unable to upgrade to Windows 11.

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(www.neowin.net)
Development

Microsoft to Kill Off Windows Maps App

2025-04-25
Microsoft to Kill Off Windows Maps App

Microsoft has announced it will deprecate and remove the Windows Maps app from the Microsoft Store in July 2025. This follows the earlier removal of offline maps support and the app's exclusion from new Windows 11 24H2 installations. While still available for download, reinstallation will be impossible after July. Microsoft directs users to the Bing Maps web version. This move signals a streamlining of Microsoft's mapping services, focusing on its web-based offering.

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Tech Windows Maps Bing Maps

Native PyTorch Now Available for Windows on Arm

2025-04-24
Native PyTorch Now Available for Windows on Arm

Microsoft has released native Arm64 builds of PyTorch 2.7 for Windows on Arm, eliminating the need for manual compilation. This significantly simplifies the process for developers working with machine learning on Arm-powered devices. The release allows for straightforward installation using pip, unlocking the full performance potential of Arm64 architecture for tasks like image classification, natural language processing, and generative AI. While some dependencies may require manual compilation, Microsoft provides clear instructions and examples. This update is a major step forward for the Windows on Arm ecosystem.

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(www.neowin.net)
AI

Bluesky's Decentralized Verification System Sparks Controversy

2025-04-19
Bluesky's Decentralized Verification System Sparks Controversy

Decentralized social media platform Bluesky is planning to introduce a blue check verification system similar to Twitter's, but its mechanism differs significantly from X (formerly Twitter). Bluesky's blue check verification will be granted by "Trusted Verifiers" (such as news organizations) and Bluesky itself, rather than being paid for. This design aims to avoid the confusion and trust crisis caused by X's paid verification model. However, the proposal has sparked controversy within the Bluesky community, with many users arguing that it contradicts the platform's decentralized philosophy and that the existing domain name verification is sufficient. Despite this, some users support the change, believing the blue check makes it easier to identify genuine accounts. Bluesky states users will be able to choose to hide all blue checkmarks.

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Tech verification

Meta's Llama 4: Benchmarking Scandal Rocks the AI World

2025-04-13
Meta's Llama 4: Benchmarking Scandal Rocks the AI World

Meta's recently released Llama 4 family of large language models, particularly the Maverick version, initially stunned the AI world with its impressive benchmark performance, outperforming models like OpenAI's GPT-4o and Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash. However, discrepancies quickly emerged between the benchmark version and the publicly available model, leading to accusations of cheating. Meta admitted to using a specially tuned version for benchmarking and has since added the unmodified Llama 4 Maverick model to LMArena, resulting in a significant drop in ranking. This incident highlights transparency issues in large model benchmarking and prompts reflection on model evaluation methodologies.

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(www.neowin.net)
AI

Microsoft Edge Follows Google, Disabling Manifest V2 Extensions

2025-02-28
Microsoft Edge Follows Google, Disabling Manifest V2 Extensions

Microsoft Edge Canary is now disabling Manifest V2-based extensions, including the popular ad blocker uBlock Origin. This mirrors Google's policy shift, which began phasing out Manifest V2 extensions last year. While Edge's stable and Beta/Dev versions are currently unaffected, this change signals the eventual demise of MV2 extensions. Users can choose to switch to a browser that still supports MV2 extensions (like Firefox) or upgrade to Manifest V3-based extensions.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech

Microsoft Quietly Removes Windows 11 Upgrade Workaround

2025-02-05
Microsoft Quietly Removes Windows 11 Upgrade Workaround

When Windows 11 launched in 2021, Microsoft offered a registry tweak allowing upgrades on PCs that didn't meet system requirements. However, Microsoft recently removed the official support documentation for this method. This means Microsoft no longer officially supports this workaround, recommending users buy new, compatible PCs for Windows 11 upgrades. This move is likely tied to the upcoming end of Windows 10 support and collaborations with hardware manufacturers.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech Registry

ESET Recommends Linux as Windows 10 Support Ends

2025-01-05
ESET Recommends Linux as Windows 10 Support Ends

With the end of Windows 10 support looming, ESET warns of significant security risks for millions still using the OS. They recommend upgrading to Windows 11, but suggest a Linux distribution as an alternative for older hardware that can't be upgraded. The article also discusses the high cost of Microsoft's Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10 and the potential for cybercriminals to exploit this situation.

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(www.neowin.net)
Tech Security Risks