Next week, I'll be meeting in Seattle with thousands of my closest friends at Build 2018. Here's what I expect Microsoft to discuss. And some things I'd love to see happen, too. Windows With the recent seismic changes to the Windows organization, Microsoft will surely try to settle raw nerves in the user and developer…

Microsoft Build will once again provide insight into how the software giant feels that it and its developers fit into the broader scheme of things.

This month, Microsoft will begin deploying its fifth feature update for Windows 10, updating the system to version 1803.

Recent data suggests that the overall Windows user base may be bigger than I previously thought. To find out why, we'll need to do some math. And as with all math of this nature, it will require some educated guesswork. Microsoft will never give us all the data we need to arrive at a true…

Microsoft's apps platform for Windows 10 is a failure. So why are Google and Apple both copying it? It's an interesting question. And the answer has its roots in the convoluted process by which each of the three big client platform makers---Apple, Google, and Microsoft---has brought apps and app stores to their respective operating systems.…

With yet another Windows 10 version nearing completion, its again time to re-examine Microsoft Edge to see whether this browser can meet our needs. To date, these comparisons have been somewhat lopsided, with Microsoft Edge consistently falling short of more popular and full-featured browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. But my ongoing efforts are…

Yesterday, Microsoft revealed its plans to further force Windows 10 users to use its Edge web browser. How you respond to this news will vary. But I'd like to also discuss why Microsoft is doing this. Here's what happened. Yesterday, Microsoft announced three Windows 10 Insider Preview builds. Those testing Redstone 4 in the Fast ring…

One of the maxims about cloud computing is that you need to learn to let go: People who are stuck in the past, whether its for general file storage, music or video services, or whatever, need to learn to accept the fact that this new thing isn't going to be exactly the same as what…

With Microsoft set to rev a new version of Windows 10 and formally implement S mode as an option, it's time to take another peek at the software giant's well-intentioned attempt to push us all into the future. My goal, of course, is to give Windows 10 S---sorry, Windows 10 Pro in S mode---a fair…

Google's Chrome browser could soon start using Windows 10's Action Center for notifications instead of Google's own custom notifications.

You can almost see the light coming on up in Redmond. Windows 10 S is a disaster. And they're finally making changes. And not just changes, but the right changes. The first step was to stop pretending that Windows 10 S was yet another Windows 10 product edition and reassign it to its true purpose…

I spend a lot of time exploring programming languages. This year, I'm focusing on JavaScript, the language used to create web apps. JavaScript is controversial for a variety of reasons---it's loosely-typed, for starters, for the developers in the audience---but there's no real avoiding it. Regardless, I feel like JavaScript is about as easy to learn…

 Google Flutter helps developers more easily create mobile apps that run on both Android and iOS. So how does this release impact PWAs? ... is a question I've received from several readers. And usually in the form of an accusation. Like, "but you said that PWAs were the future!" Relax, guys. :) PWAs---Progressive Web…

Happy Friday everyone. Here is another installment of Ask Paul. An Xbox Game Pass follow-up Two weeks ago, dave.erwin asked whether Microsoft would bring existing exclusive titles to Xbox Game Pass rather than just upcoming new titles. I responded that I would ask Microsoft about this. Which I did. I was told that several current Microsoft…

I recently discussed how Google is following Microsoft in supporting PWAs on the desktop. Here's an early peek at how this works in Chrome OS.

Happy weekend everyone. Here's another edition of "Ask Paul," and as you might expect, there are several questions about PWAs this week. Xbox Game Pass dave.erwin asks: Microsoft is bringing “new” exclusive titles to Game Pass. Will they also bring “current” exclusive titles? I’d subscribe if they’d put Forza 7 on it. This is a…