Having recently reaffirmed its commitment to PowerShell and Windows Terminal, Microsoft has shown that it is good to its word. The company has released new versions of Windows Terminal, and for those who like to play it safe, there is Windows Terminal v1.18.2681.0 which includes various new features such as the ability to pull tabs out of Terminal windows.

But for those who prefer to live on the edge, Windows Terminal Preview v1.19.2682.0 is a much more exciting release. The development team warns users to buckle up as this "might be a little more Preview than you've come to expect". And there is indeed an awful lot to explore in this preview channel version, including the fact that Windows Terminal is now able to browse the internet!

Among the new additions are a new input buffer, a new output buffer, and shell suggestions, but this is just scratching the surface. An update to the search box means that the number of results is now displayed, and Windows Terminal has gained the ability to search the web, making use of search engines to gather information.

There are, almost inevitably, a large number of bug fixes that are part of this release, and you can read about them over on GitHub. The full list of new features to be found in Windows Terminal Preview v1.19.2682.0 is as follows:

   • We've added support for a new opt-in and shell-driven suggestions UI (#14938) (#15848)

      ○ The protocol for suggestions is not finalized and will change before final release.

      ○ You can find more information on the Experimental Shell Completion Menu wiki page

      ○ Suggestions can be taken into account...

         ◘... the command you've already typed on the input line (#15027)

         ◘ ... commands you have recently submitted (#14943)

         ◘ ... any sendInput actions you have in your settings file, to be used as a sort of "snippet" (#15664)

   • The search box will now display a count of found results, and--if scrollbar marks are enabled--display graphical indicators for every match (#14045) (thanks @Don-Vito and @zadjii-msft!)

   • You can now enable broadcast mode via the Command Palette, which will broadcast input to all panes in a tab (#14943) (#15993)

   • You can now launch a profile via wt and keep its built-in command line with the --appendCommandLine flag (#15822) (thanks @hanpuliu-charles!)

   • For example, if your PowerShell profile specifies pwsh.exe, you can run wt --appendCommandLine -p PowerShell -- -Command echo Hello, which will run pwsh.exe -Command echo Hello. That's a lot of dashes. Wow.

   • You can now search the web with your selected text via... (#15539) (thanks @mpela81!)

      ○ ...the experimental right-click context menu!

      ○ ...the searchWeb action!

   • You can customize each action to launch any search engine by specifying the queryUrl. %s will be replaced with your query.

   • You can customize the default search engine for both of these by specifying the global setting searchWebDefaultQueryUrl. %s will be replaced with your query.

   •If you have shell integration enabled, you can enable using the mouse to reposition the text cursor (#15758)

      ○ {profile}.experimental.repositionCursorWithMouse (the dot is part of the name, sorry) (boolean, default false)

Theming and Scheming

   • You can now set the window border color on Windows 11 via the {theme}.window.frame and {theme}.window.unfocusedFrame color entries (#15441)

      ○ For more fun, you can set {theme}.window's experimental.rainbowFrame to true 🙂

   • You can now (finally!) enable support for using the acrylic material in an unfocused window (#15923) (#15944) (thanks @Jaswir!)

      ○ Set useAcrylic to true in {profile}.unfocusedAppearance

      ○ You can turn unfocused acrylic off globally with the global setting compatibility.enableUnfocusedAcrylic (boolean, default false)

   • Themes can now indicate whether tab icons should be shown in color or monochrome or hidden entirely (#15948) (thanks @bundgaard!)

      ○ Set {theme}.tab.iconStyle (enum default, hidden, monochrome; default default (default))

While new features are likely to be the source of the greatest interest and excitement, there are also a lot of changes to be found in this latest release:

   • wt -- foo will once again inherit the environment from its parent (#15897)

      ○ You can customize this behavior with wt --inheritEnvironment or wt --reloadEnvironment on a per-tab/per-pane basis.

      ○ You can also override this behavior with the profile setting {profile}.compatibility.reloadEnvironmentVariables (boolean, default true)

   • We have rewritten "cooked read", the input line used by Command Prompt, Python, and a whole host of other applications (#15930) (#15780) (#15782) (#15783) (#15880)

      ○ This includes changes to command history, popups (F7 and the like), and how input is echoed to the display.

      ○ This may have a wide-ranging impact, so please file any unexpected input issues in Win32 applications!

   • Input event record handling has been rewritten to support wide encodings like UTF-8, to be more maintainable, and to be much simpler to read (#15671) (#15606) (#15605) (#15611) (#15673) (#15672)

   • Console applications can now more reliably print characters composed of surrogate pairs (aka "We've been trying to reach you about your WriteCharsLegacy's extended Emoji support") (#15567)

   • We've added an action that opens the about dialog (openAbout) (#15990)
conhost will now ignore key events with an invalid virtual keycode and a scan code of 0 (such as those emitted by strange software keyboards) (#15753) (thanks @tusharsnx!)

   • We will no longer generate WINDOW_BUFFER_SIZE_EVENT when the viewport moves, confusing applications that translate it into a destructive operation (#15935)

   • You can now configure any copy action to dismiss or keep the selection after it runs (dismissSelection, boolean, default true) (#15552) (thanks @gonzalo-garcian!)

   • The text buffer has been reorganized to be (1) faster (2) smaller (3) harder, better, etc.

      ○ Rows are initialized lazily in chunks of 128 or so; we no longer spend memory on blank space you'll never see (#15524) (#15582)

      ○ Reading, writing, initialization, etc. have been cleaned up and vectorized (#15501[/color][/url]) (#15498[/color][/url]) with fast passes and other optimizations (#15499[/color][/url]) (#15879[/color][/url]) (#15541[/color][/url]) (#15497[/color][/url])

      ○ We've rewritten resize with reflow so it's like a billion times faster and more correct (#15701)

         ◘ If you see any issues when resizing (other than "bash prints the prompt 600 times every frame" (that's apparently just how bash works)), please file them!

   • We no longer load the Settings editor library on launch, saving you tens of kilobytes of memory (#15628) (#15631)

   • We will now display an indicator in the tab of any disconnected/closed/crashed application. You can right-click the tab to restart it! (#15760) (thanks @mpela81!)

   • You can now run profiles as Admin from the new tab menu by right-clicking them (#15679) (thanks @jamespack!)

   • The profile preview in settings now shows you what a "powerline" font will look like when one is selected (#15365)

   • We actually did fix the homoglyph thing this time; hovering a URL that is pretending to be someone else through funny characters will see right through it (#15488)

   • You can now right-click a tab and move it to a new window (#15376) (thanks @Jaswir!)

   • All text searches now use ICU, and is blazing fast. URL detection, Search, everything is covered! (#15858) (#15998[/color][/url]) (#15892)

   • For those of you debugging Terminal/the console with ETW, you can now group all API calls by originating process (#15737)

   • Also for debugging purposes, you can now add the debugTerminalCwd action to display a pop-up with the Terminal's current "virtual" working directory (#15282)

   • If you are using Preview, Canary, or Dev we will now set an appropriate JSON $schema so you can auto-complete new settings (#15856)

VT

   • We now support Erase Color Mode (DECECM) (#15469) (thanks @j4james!)

   • The horizontal scrolling sequences DECIC, DECDC, DECBI and DECFI finally work! (#15368) (thanks @j4james!)

   • @tusharsnx put a lot of work into making ITU T.416 color sequences work! He...

      ○ ... added support for sub-parameters separated with : (#15648)

      ○ ... added support for ODA SGR sequences (38:2::R:G:B, 48:...) (#15729) (#15844)

   • We will now pass through kitty's underline color (58:...) and style (4:...) sequences (we won't render them yet! but maybe soon! 🤞) (#15795) (thanks @tusharsnx!)

You can grab either build of Windows Terminal from the GitHub repository, or from the Microsoft Store listings for Windows Terminal or Windows Terminal Preview.

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Perform Be Agile! Time-crunch! Right now, the business world has never moved so fast and project managers have never been so much in demand -- the Project Management Institute has estimated that industries will need at least 87 million employees with the full spectrum of PM skills by 2027.

Project Management All-in-One For Dummies is your ultimate go-to project management bible

To help you meet those needs and expectations in time, Project Management All-in-One For Dummies provides with all the hands-on information and advice you need to take your organizational, planning, and execution skills to new heights.

Packed with on-point PM wisdom, these 7 mini-books -- including the bestselling Project Management and Agile Project Management For Dummies -- help you and your team hit maximum productivity by razor-honing your skills in sizing, organizing, and scheduling projects for ultimate effectiveness.

You’ll also find everything you need to over-deliver in a good way when choosing the right tech and software, assessing risk, and dodging the pitfalls that can snarl up even the best-laid plans.

   • Apply formats formulas and checklists

   • Manage Continuous Process Improvement

   • Resolve conflict in teams and hierarchies

   • Rescue distressed projects

Follow this link to get your copy of  Project Management All-in-One For Dummies. Following this link will redirect you to my One Drive account simply click on Download. [system administrator]

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Reddit has been making major changes to the platform. It was only recently that the site announced a contributor program, which lets you convert your Reddit gold and karma into fiat currency. And now it is back with some changes to ad personalization and privacy preferences.

Among the various changes the site has announced, the most notable one is Reddit "removing the ability to opt out of ad personalization based on your Reddit activity." In simpler terms, Reddit no longer allows you to decide not to see ads that are tailored to your actions on the site.

Reddit's head of privacy conveys in the announcement that this change is actually beneficial.

Reddit requires very little personal information, and we like it that way. Our advertisers instead rely on on-platform activity—what communities you join, leave, upvotes, downvotes, and other signals—to get an idea of what you might be interested in.

The vast majority of redditors will see no change to their ads on Reddit. For users who previously opted out of personalization based on Reddit activity, this change will not result in seeing more ads or sharing on-platform activity with advertisers. It does enable our models to better predict which ad may be most relevant to you.

Reddit mentions that this change will not roll out to users “in select countries". The company has not listed which countries are exceptions, but it is possible that EU nations are among them, as the change may violate the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In addition, Reddit has updated the descriptions of the privacy settings to make them more “clear and consistent across platforms”. You are also given ability to opt out of specific ad categories, such as Alcohol, Dating, Gambling, Pregnancy and Parenting, and Weight Loss. The company has also consolidated location customization settings.

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In December 2017, in a 3-2 decision made along political party lines, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to classify internet service providers (ISPs) as information services under Title I guidelines. Now there's new hope that the decision will be reversed and allow ISPs to operate under "net neutrality" rules.

In a proposal on the FCC website, the commission's chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated that ISPs should once again be regulated until Title I guidelines, which are the same as the the ones that regulate utility companies such as power. This would allow the FCC to set up regulations that would give them more control over ISPs

Rosenworcel stated several reasons for switching back to "net neutrality":

   • Openness – Establish basic rules for Internet Service Providers that prevent them from blocking
      legal content, throttling your speeds, and creating fast lanes that favor those who can pay for access.

   • Security – Reclassify broadband internet access to give the FCC and its national security partners the tools
      needed to defend our networks from potential security threats.

   • Safety – Allow the FCC to enhance the resiliency of broadband networks and bolster efforts to require
      providers to notify the FCC and consumers of internet outages.

   • Nationwide Standard – Establish a uniform national standard rather than a patchwork of state-by-state
      approaches, benefiting consumers and Internet Service Providers.

The reason this proposal is being floated is that the FCC recently got a new commissioner, Anna Gomez, which gives the Democrat-approved board a 3-2 voting advantage. That means previous decisions made under Republican-approved FCC could be reversed like the net neutrality ban.

The FCC plans to vote on October 19 to see whether or not this new proposal should go to the next stage, which is getting feedback from the general public. If that happens, those comments will be taken until mid-December, followed by public replies until January 2024. the FCC could finally vote on the proposal later that year but it's possible ISPs could try to derail the proposal in court.

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It is update time for those using PowerToys on Windows 10 and 11. Version 0.74 is now available for download with numerous fixes, and improvements. This version includes a new utility called Crop And Lock, it allows you to select an application and crop it into a smaller window or thumbnail. Keyboard manager now supports Numpad, FancyZones contains code improvements and refactor and more.

Here are the highlights of the update:

• Upgraded to Windows App SDK 1.4.1, increasing stability of WinUI3 utilities. Thanks @dongle-the-gadget for starting the upgrade!

• Text Extractor was upgraded to its version 2.0, with a new overlay, table mode and more Quality of Life improvements. Thanks @TheJoeFin!

• Improved FancyZones stability, fixing some layout resets and improving handling of newly created windows on Windows 11.

• Fixed many silent crashes that were reported to Watson and the user's event viewer.

The full changelog is below:

General

   • Turning animations off in Windows Settings will now also turn them off in PowerToys.

   • Upgraded the Windows App SDK dependency to 1.4.1. Thanks @dongle-the-gadget for the original 1.4.0 upgrade!

   • Show in the thumbnail label and application titles when running as administrator. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

   • Upgraded the Win UI Community Toolkit dependency to 8.0. Thanks @niels9001!

Awake

   • Added down-sampled variants to the application's icon. Thanks @morriscurtis!

Color Picker

   • After adding a new color in the editor, the history will scroll the new color into view. Thanks @peerpalo!

Crop and Lock

   • Fixed a Crop and Lock crash that would occur when trying to reparent a window crashes the target
      application. An error message is shown instead.

FancyZones

   • Set the process and main thread priority to normal.

   • Fixed handling newly created windows on Windows 11.

   • Fixed scenarios where opening the FancyZones Editor would reset the layouts.

File Explorer add-ons

   • Optimized CPU usage for generating SVG thumbnails.

   • Improved handling of Gcode Thumbnails, including JPG and QOI formats. Thanks @pedrolamas!

   • Better handled errors when sending telemetry, which were causing reported crashes.

   • Fixed some thumbnails not being shown centered like before the optimization.

File Locksmith

   • Shows files opened by processes with PID greater than 65535. Thanks @poke30744!

   • Fixed a GDI object leak in the context menu which would crash Explorer.

Find My Mouse

   • Added new activation methods, including by hotkey. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Hosts File Editor

   • Ignore the default ACME sample entries in the hosts file. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

   • Improved save error handling and added better error messages. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

   • Corrected a check for an error when signaling the application to start as administrator.

   • Refactored the context menu. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

   • Fixed dialogs overlapping the title bar after the upgrade to Windows App SDK 1.4. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Keyboard Manager

   • Distinguish between the regular minus key and the numpad minus key.

Mouse Without Borders

   • Fixed a crash when trying to restart the application.

Peek

   • Using Peek on HTML files will show a white background by default, similar to a browser's default behavior.

   • Fixed a white flash on the Dark theme when switching files and improved the development file preview detection and adjustments.

PowerRename

   • Fixed a crash caused by big counter values on the new enumeration method.

PowerToys Run

   • It's now possible to select which shell is used by the Shell plugin.

   • A combobox option type was added to the plugin options.

   • Fixed a bug in the Calculator plugin that was causing decimal numbers to be misinterpreted on locales
      where the dot (.) character isn't used as a decimal or digit separator.

   • Improved the Program plugin stability when it fails to load a program's thumbnail at startup.

   • The use of Pinyin for querying some plugins can now be turned on in Settings. Thanks @ChaseKnowlden!

   • Refactored option types for plugin and added number, string and composite types to be used in the future. Thanks @htcfreek!

   • Fixed the entry for searching for Windows updates in the Settings plugin. Thanks @htcfreek!

Quick Accent

   • The "All languages" character set is now calculated by programmatically querying the characters for every
      available language. Thanks @dannysummerlin!

   • Added é to the Norwegian and Swedish languages. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!

   • Added a runtime cache to the "All languages" character set, to only calculate accents once per key.

Registry Preview

   • Fixed focusing issues at startup.

   • Improved the data visualization to show data in a similar way to the Windows Registry Editor. Thanks @dillydylann!

Runner

Fixed hanging when a bug report was generated from the flyout. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Settings

   • Improved the way the OOBE window reacts to Windows theme change.

   • Fixed an issue that made it impossible to change the "Switch between windows in the current zone" "Next window" shortcut for FancyZones.

   • Fixed a crash when entering a duplicate name for a color in the Color Picker page and improved clean up
      when cancelling a color edit. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Text Extractor

Text Extractor 2.0, with a new overlay, table mode and more Quality of Life improvements. Thanks @TheJoeFin!

Documentation

   • SECURITY.md was updated from 0.0.2 to 0.0.9. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!

   • Improved the README and main development document for clarity and completeness. Thanks @codeofdusk and @aprilbbrockhoeft!

Development

   • Fixed PowerToys Run DateTime plugin tests that were failing depending on locale, so that they can be run correctly on all dev machines.

   • Fixed PowerToys Run System plugin tests that were failing for certain network interfaces, so that they can
      be run correctly on all dev machines. Thanks, @snickler!

   • Fixed a markdown bug on the GitHub /helped command.

   • Switched build pipelines to a new agent pool. Thanks @DHowett!

   • New .cs files created in Visual Studio get the header added automatically. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

You can download PowerToys from the Microsoft Store, winget (Command Prompt as Administrator and enter the command: winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys, or its repository on GitHub.

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