Paul has been testing various Linux distributions and other Windows alternatives for months as part of a Switcher series. The zen of Linux can mostly apply to Windows, too: Install and manage software with package managers, and embrace the command line, especially. And if you're going to use a local account, at least be smart about it. Also, Vivaldi 8.0 looks awesome and appears to deliver what Firefox is promising with its Nova UI. Plus, Discord has a native app for Windows 11 on Arm now.

Windows

• Week D arrives with a surprise: 24H2/26H1 are aligned and getting the same new features
• Shared audio with BT LE, multi-app camera support, many improvements - but the big deal may be the performance and reliability improvements across the board
• This is the next Patch Tuesday, today
• Friday builds - new accessibility features in Experimental and Beta, more
• Microsoft CMO Yusuf Mehdi to leave company after an astonishing 35-year run - started in Windows, but with IE, Bing & MSN, Interactive Entertainment (Xbox), Windows and Devices, and then a SLT position before the end. Incredible run. Paul has three milestones and one throughline to share.
• Lenovo revenues surge 27 percent to $21.6 billion
• NVIDIA revenues really surged 85 percent to $81.6 billion

AI/dev

• Google adds Google Drive sync to NotebookLM, and moves preferred sources into AI Mode and AI Overviews
• Saying no to AI: DuckDuckGo usage surges in the wake of Google I/O's AI tsunami
• OpenAI releases ChatGPT plugin for PowerPoint
• .NET MAUI to get Material You support for Android in .NET 10
• Follow-up on last week's vibe coding adventures: Paul talked about this last week, but a lot has happened since then. The Android app creation capability in Google AI Studio is live. A few thoughts on vibe coding with Android Studio, Claude Code, and more

Xbox and gaming

• XBOX—and, yes, it's XBOX now—has an official merchandise store to go alongside all its other official merchandise stores
• The Steam Deck is back in stock! Also, it's 40 percent more expensive

Tips & picks

• Tip of the week: Understanding the zen of Linux can help a Windows user too
• App pick of the week: A grab-bag of apps for Windows
• RunAs Radio this week: Team Productivity using Loop with Karinne Bessette
• Brown liquor pick of the week: John Sleeman & Sons Rye Whisky

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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Windows Insider Program

• Release Preview channel updates (including 26H1 for the first time? - A preview of the June Patch Tuesday updates - Shared audio, NPU usage in
• Task Manager, multi-app camera support, Magnifier improvements.
• Taskbar updates come to Insiders! Also in Canary, weʼre throwing them a bone this time.

Enshittification remedies all around

• Microsoft just held a WinHEC for the first time since 2018 and thereʼs a new Windows Driver Initiative!
• Microsoft will soon let us remap Copilot key to Right Ctrl, which is what it was in the first place.
• A Linux privacy nut YouTuber confuses privacy and security and doesnʼt understand Windows 11 so...
• ... Paul wrote a complete guide to the local account de-Microsoft experience in Windows 11
• Microsoft Edge will stop loading all passwords into clear text on startup like a big boy browser.

Hardware

• Paul came home to an ASUS Zenbook A16 and ohmygodohmygodohmygod

Surface

• Microsoft finally revs Surface Laptop and Surface Pro for Business, with Intel chips and VERY high prices.
• Snapdragon X2 variants in late 2026 because of supply issues wa-waa-waaaaa.

AI

• MDASH is Microsoftʼs answer to Anthropic Mythos, in-house only.
• Elon Musk and Sam Altman are both terrible but a jury decided against Muskʼs frivolous lawsuit.
• OpenAI and Apple might head to court over Siri promises
• OpenAI Codex is on mobile via the ChatGPT app
• Google unleashes an AI tsunami at Google IO this week. A few relevant takeaways:
• Overview of the major announcements
  • Google advances Android as a developer platform
  • Chrome is turning into a proactive assistant
  • Google AI subscriptions are an incredible value
  • Related: The Gemini Intelligence feature for Googlebooks and more has steep hardware requirements - 12 GB of RAM, flagship SoC So Pixel 10 series/Galaxy S26 series and newer only etc.
• Just a reminder that Microsoft makes a Linux distribution ... for Azure specifically
• More dev
  • WWDC schedule is up for June 8 opening day
  • Build 2026 kicks off June 2 in SFO
  • After another boring .NET 11 preview release, we finally get our first look at a major change: MAUI is switching from the Mono runtime to the CoreCLR runtime.
  • And we should pause for a moment to remember S "Soma" Somasegar, who sadly passed away this week.

Xbox and Gaming

• Next Xbox Elite controller leaks and it is glorious
  • Related: An Xbox Cloud-Connected controller leaks too and it is less than glorious.
• Forza Horizon 6 is here, and itʼs on Game Pass on Day One.
  • Be sure to read Laurentʼs detailed review.
• Haters gonna keep hating: Fans want Xbox exclusives because their heads are still in the sand.
  • Sony is allegedly returning to this model for single player experiences
  • Related: Sony raises prices on PS Plus
• Fortnite comes back to the Apple App Store worldwide *excluding Australia for some reason.

Tips and Picks

• Tip of the week: Google AI Studio.
• Vibe-code your next app with this incredible free tool.
• Related: A look at Markdown editors.

App pick of the week: DeskScapes 2026

• Stardock DeskScapes 2026 is normally $9.99 but it will cost just $6.99 during the launch period.
• Also: Firefox 151 is a big update on desktop and mobile, the latter gets the AI kill switch
• RunAs Radio this week: UEFI Secure Boot with Richard Hicks
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Daftmill Winter Batch Release

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/984

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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It's not just Recall: Security vulnerabilities that require you to sign into an account on your PC are not necessarily vulnerabilities. Also, Windows 11 gets its first big feature updates in this week's Patch Tuesday releases. Snapseed 4.0 comes to Android/iOS, and Claude FM is great for relaxing or getting coding/work done. Plus, the Helium browser has emerged as a favorite with 2 notable caveats: No online settings sync and no mobile client.

Windows

• 25H2/24H2: Xbox Mode, Agents on the Taskbar, more
• 26H1: Smart App Control improvements, other things we saw previously (26H1 is like the stable version of Canary, it seems)
• Microsoft used a new Mythos-like model called MDASH to find vulnerabilities this month, so expect the numbers of fixed bugs to jump in coming months
• A low-latency profile for Windows will let it optimize for app/UI launch performance just like mobile platforms already do
• New builds across most channels with two major changes: Touchpad improvements in Experimental and free upgrade path to Pro for education users in Experimental Beta.

A new threat emerges

• Google announces Googlebook, an Android-based laptop platform with Google Intelligence
• Some morning-after thoughts, including Microsoft promising AI and that Copilot will be the new Start, while Google delivers AI and is remaking the laptop as an intelligent device

AI

• Microsoft Edge gets big AI and productivity updates on desktop and mobile
• An Anthropic engineer argues that AI should use HTML for output, not Markdown. He's right.
• About that 4 GB Gemini Nano model that Chrome secretly downloads
• OpenAI brings Codex to Google Chrome

Security

• A Bitlocker concern emerges
• Microsoft Edge loads all saved passwords into plain text when it launches, Microsoft says this is as intended
• Mozilla patched 423 vulnerabilities in Firefox during April, most courtesy of Anthropic Mythos
• 465 million Amazon customers have enrolled in passkeys

Xbox & gaming

• Xbox Insider Program: New build for console with previously announced new boot animation, tiered Gamerscore badges, new filters in Game Library
• Forza Horizon 6 leaks on Steam, those who play it early will be banned until the sun swallows the earth
• Discord Nitro now has an Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition perk
• Mojang will host a special MINECRAFT LIVE event on May 30
• Sony sold just 1.5 million PS5s in most recent quarter, its lowest number yet
• Nintendo sold just 2.49 million Switch 2s in quarter, lowers annual estimates
• Supreme Court gives Apple the 🖕 so Epic v. Apple will head to remedy phase

Tips & picks

• Tip of the week: A web browser is the 1st step for anyone looking to escape Big Tech
• App pick of the week: Helium
• RunAs Radio this week: Production LLMs with Vaishnavi Gudur
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Gouden Carolus Port Oak

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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