AskWoody

Microsoft says it’s time to install Win10 Creators Update

At the same time, they changed the terminology — which was last changed in May. Tell me again, is it Semi-annual Clearance Sale (Broad)?

What we used to know as “Service Pack 1” and then “Current Branch for Business” and then “Semi-Annual Channel (Broad)” has now been re-christened “Semi-Annual Channel” with a discrete “Microsoft recommends” bullet on the versions chart.

Bottom line: Microsoft says the Creators Update has just passed its unpaid beta testing phase, and is now ready for businesses.

Personally, I’m going to hold off until next Patch Tuesday. I’ve heard rumors there are many bug fixes waiting in the wings. Besides, the #1 new feature in Creators Update is the ability for Pro users to relatively easily delay patches – a skill you’ve no doubt learned by now.

UPDATE: Gregg Keizer just posted his analysis on Computerworld.

Microsoft releases KB 3213643, 2956078, 4011078, 4011052 to fix June Outlook security bugs

Six weeks after rolling out four botched security patches for Outlook, Microsoft claims it’s fixed the bugs — and tackled three new exposures to boot.

Computerworld Woody on Windows

UPDATE:

A new version of Office 2013 Click-To-Run is available: 15.0.4953.1001

A new version of Office 2010 Click-To-Run is available: 14.0.7187.5000

Bezos and Midas – Facebook and Amazon market cap

I don’t usually cover market news, but for those of you who haven’t heard:

Jeff Bezos just became the world’s richest person, with more money than Gates. (Gates, of course, has been giving away tons to his foundation. Nonetheless, he’s still at #2.)

Facebook’s total market capitalization (the total value of its outstanding stock) just hit $500 billion, one day after Amazon hit $500 billion.

For comparison:

Apple about $800 billion
Google (Alphabet) about $665 billion
Microsoft about $570 billion
Berkshire Hathaway about $425 billion
Alibaba about $410 billion

MS-DEFCON 3: Some lingering problems, but it’s time to get Windows and Office patched

It’s time to get the July patches rolled into your Windows and Office systems, in spite of a handful of niggling bugs.

Computerworld Woody on Windows.

.NET patches — manual installation only — released

Windows 7 and 8.1 non-security .NET updates are now available, but only through the Microsoft Catalog.

Details on the Windows Software Update site.

Adobe announces the end of Flash in December 2020

… and not a moment too soon. I can’t imagine how much they’re spending on keeping the holes plugged in the holy mess.

Adobe Corporate Communications:

 we will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats.

I.e., HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly.

Microsoft’s announcement:

We will phase out Flash from Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer, culminating in the removal of Flash from Windows entirely by the end of 2020.

Good riddance, sez I.

Thurrott: We need a better plan for Windows

Paul hits it out of the ballpark again.

What [Windows] needs is a path to that future, one that has concessions for the needs to today, but a real plan to get us there [a better operating environment] over time… The thing is, they can’t. Not directly. But as you and I both know, what they can do is assume enough of the functionality and productivity of a traditional PC to make PCs even-less necessary to most people. And as they do, the ongoing free-fall in the PC market will simply continue as we race inexorably to a certain future.

It’s a Premium article, which means it’s paywalled. $48/year well spent.

Circling the tank

Gregg Keizer at Computerworld has the latest statistics on PC shipments — down between 3% and 4% year-on-year, depending on whether you believe IDC or Gartner.

Gartner pointed out that the year-over-year performance was the 11th consecutive quarterly decline, and the lowest volume for a three-month period since 2007

Windows was on 90% of the PCs.