Windows Weekly 640

Microsoft announces Project xCloud public beta

•  It's finally happening! But it's Android-only at first and will roll out over time.

Windows 10

•  Goofy ex-Microsoftie turned YouTuber explains why Windows 10 is so unreliable - And he's obviously right, once you get past the presentation.
•  Microsoft says that Windows 10 is now on more than 900 million devices
•  Note that they don't say "active devices" anymore. Curious.
•  Also: Remember Terry's "one billion" pledge? That was supposed to happen by mid-2018. So they'll hit it 2-3 years later than expected than the original "2-3 year" promise.
•  Two new 20H1 builds:
•  This week: New 20H1 build brings a few new features, continues slow progress
•  Last week: Another 20H1 build with Bluetooth improvements

Dev

•  Microsoft ships .NET Core 3.0 with new versions of ASP.NET, EFC Core 3.0, C# 8.0, F# 4.7, and Visual Studio. The big news? Windows Desktop compatibility, for Windows Forms and WPF.
•  Microsoft ships new font for developers, command line users

Cloud

•  Microsoft finally begins rolling out OneDrive extended storage plans for consumers
•  Gotcha: You need to subscribe to an Office 365 consumer edition first
•  Microsoft pledges "data dignity" - I wish they'd pledge some dignity for Windows!
•  A life line for Cortana? Amazon announces Voice Interoperability Initiative
•  Are we finally getting close(r) to Microsoft's Microsoft 365 Consumer subscription? Maaaybe
•  Azure Sentinel, Microsoft's SIEM offering, hits GA. (And a bunch of folks seem excited/interested)

Surface

•  Surface Laptop 2 inventory runs dry ahead of new product launches
•  Surface Studio updated with Surface Pen latency fixes
•  Microsoft revs Surface Dock Updater tool and it's not clear how or if this thing works at all

Xbox

•  In another blow to transparency, Microsoft changes how it reports Xbox results
•  Here are the games coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
•  Minecraft is getting a character editor (now in Beta versions)

Tips and picks

•  Tip of the week: Learn to program
•  Learn Python, for beginners
•  Also, Google released two free new developer courses for Kotlin Android development
•  App pick of the week: Microsoft Office 365
•  Enterprise pick of the week: Where is Win Server 1909/19H2?
•  Enterprise pick No. 2 of the week: Dynamics 365 Wave 2
•  Beer pick of the week: Hermit Thrush Gin Barrel Saison

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Links

• Microsoft Details How to Join xCloud Preview Program
• This is Why Windows 10 is So Unreliable (Premium)
• Microsoft: Windows 10 now on more than 900 million devices
• About That One Billion Thing
• Windows 10 Build 18990 Now Available in the Fast Ring
• Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18985 Heads to the Fast Ring
• Microsoft Releases .NET Core 3.0
• Microsoft Launches New Open-Source Font for Programmers
• Microsoft is rolling out the promised ability for Office 365 Home and Personal users to buy extra OneDrive cloud storage
• Microsoft's new 'Data Dignity' team could help users control their personal data
• Amazon Announces Voice Interoperability Initiative
• Is Microsoft getting closer to launching its expected Microsoft 365 Consumer subscription?
• Azure Sentinel—the cloud-native SIEM that empowers defenders is now generally available
• Ahead of Microsoft’s Hardware Event, Surface Laptop 2 Inventory Runs Dry
• Surface Studio Line Gets Improved Pen Latency With New Firmware Updates
• Microsoft Issues New Surface Dock Firmware Update Tool
• Microsoft’s Changing How it Reports Xbox Sales
• Here are the New Games Coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC
• Minecraft is Getting a Character Creator
• Microsoft Launches New .NET Core Video Series
• Microsoft Launches New Python Video Series
• Google Announces Free Android/Kotlin Developer Courses
• Microsoft to add more AI-infused apps and features to Dynamics 365
• Gin barrel Saison