Microsoft gives tablets some love in latest Windows 11 build

Another test build of Windows 11 has emerged, this time with improvements aimed at tablet users. It's been a while since Microsoft (or its OEMs) had a crack at a dedicated tablet, and we doubt there are many Surface Pros out there without a keyboard either attached or within reaching distance. However, with build 22563, …

[DJV]

Another test build of Windows 11 has emerged, this time with improvements

Well, it's about time!

[Pascal Monett]

Yeah ! 35 new emojis !

I'm sure everbody was waiting for that.

Oh, sure, you would've preferred something useful but remember : it's a Microsoft product.

[43300]

But are there any useful emojis? You know, like a middle-finger one or one giving the wanker sign?

[Eponymous Bastard]

Wanker is a very English word isn't it, so hopefully the emoji would be able to leave nobody in any doubt as to its meaning. I enjoy a new gesture whilst driving these days and offended by another driver's behaviour. It involves clenching my fist and moving it away from my mouth as if performing fellatio; but it might appear that I am simply stifling a yawn.

[Kristian Walsh]

The middle finger has been in the emoji set since Unicode 7.0 in 2014, as U+1F595.

The closest you’ll get to “wanker” is Waving Hand, U+1F44B, which has the delightful side-effect of making its recipient thing you were actually saying hello.

(... much like replying “Good For You!” to an email, with the capital letters conveying your real meaning.)

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Ggle on MS: "the fact fonts are a very significant attack vector does not have to be reiterated"

The real question everyone should be asking?

Are Microsoft Emojis the new 'go to' critical exploit attack vector, in the same way as the Microsoft Font Engine. I think we know the answer to that. Sh ssh.

https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-year-of-windows-kernel-font-fuzzing-1_27.html

Windows just keeps on giving, exploit after patched exploit, after patched on patch, exploit.

[Neil Barnes]

"to curate the canvas on your own"

This is almost poetry. I understand every word there but have no idea what the complete sentence means.

[MiguelC]

Re: "to curate the canvas on your own"

I believe they're saying you can choose which icons go on the desktop.

How magnanimous of them.

[Sub 20 Pilot]

Re: "to curate the canvas on your own"

Aye. A total clusterfuck of pointless marketing speak. Down 10 % of the cunts in a bucket and maybe the rest will shape up and give us a fucking OS that sits there doing OS'y things and not bloody interfere.

I even get these fucking emojis in professional work emails.

Covid in not the problem, covid is the solution. Humans are the problem. Sadly it is killing the wrong people.

[Dave K]

Typical Microsoft really. Introduce new functionality of limited benefit (I'm sure a few people may like this, but for many it will be irrelevant), but ignore basic missing functionality that lots of people are asking for.

I don't recall this feature being particularly sought for in the Feedback hub, there are many features for the taskbar that have many more votes. But then fixing these would be an admission by MS that they have screwed up certain aspects of Win 11. And it usually takes a while for MS to realise where they've cocked up...

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like 'Hot Bag mode'...with Microsoft bringing back historical features.

"With a hopeful tone, Microsoft suggested devices might automatically update overnight, when students weren't present."

This sounds like it's bringing back those early days of the Surface tablet 'hot bag mode', where updates were attempted and you find the tablet mode device, packed in a bag, runnning at 90+ degrees celsuis, with the fan blaring. And once it cools, the Graphics begin to 'blue screen', due to an overheated surface mounted GPU.

[ShadowSystems]

I wondered about that, too...

What happens if it's running on battery when it starts, the batteries go flat part way through, & the device is left stuck as a result?

Is the only fix^ to be damned-sure to plug it in overnight so any such updates are less likely to get interrupted?

^Fix for Windows, rather than just nuking the device & installing something less wobbly like, say, a one legged drunken pirate on a pogo stick? =-)p

[Headwesty]

Bring back Windows 8

As the proud owner of a Surface Go 2 I can can only assume that no-one at Microsoft has ever actually tried to swipe up from the bottom with the keyboard attached as it is essentially impossible. Also swiping from the left shows running apps but for some unfathomable reason does not show the taskbar if auto-hidden. In any case the only sensible places to have the taskbar on a tablet are the left or right depending on your handed-ness. Then there are a load of buttons you can't remove that use up all the real estate (back, search, Cortana). I say bring back Windows 8 - it was great on the Asus tablets I used at the time. Charm bars, touch-friendly browser etc... (PS: these comments relate to Windows 10 as I haven't dared update to 11 because the taskbar is stuck at the bottom without a registry hack),

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Bring back Windows 8

Exactly - why you can't have the Windows 8 features while in tablet mode and switch back to Windows 7 (eh eh) one while a keyboard is attached? The left/right bars were far more useful - how do you hold a tabled usually?

[vistisen]

Re: Bring back Windows 8

you can: https://www.startallback.com the only way to live with windows 11