Microsoft might finally give power users what they've been demanding: the ability to move the Windows 11 taskbar wherever they want. Plus, 3 major new chapters in Paul's next book, and a strange pick that solves his big issue with Windows Spotlight.

Windows 11

• Potentially good news for the 13 people who want to move the Taskbar to a different screen side
• Beta (but not Dev) with one new "feature"
• Release Preview for 24H2/25H2 with emoji 16.0, QMR improvements, network speed test, pan and tilt controls for compatible cameras, widgets improvements, more
• Lenovo revenues up 18% to $22.2 billion

AI/Dev

• Google announces 30-second audio generation
• Google sets a date for I/O 2026, but where in the Carmen Diego is Build 2026?
• Android 17 Beta is here with an even shorter runway
• With '26.3 out, Apple releases '26.4 Beta 1s

Xbox and gaming

• Phil Spencer is always in the spotlight, but he's been on the down-low for months
• Some hints for the future coming GDC 2026
• Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Witcher 3, more coming to Xbox Game Pass
• Avowed comes to the PlayStation 5 along with the Anniversary Update
• Microsoft is retiring user-created Xbox social clubs
• NVIDIA GeForce Now comes to Amazon Fire TV 4K Sticks

Tips & picks

• Tip of the week: Major progress on De-Enshittify Windows 11, the book
• App pick of the week: Bing Wallpaper
• RunAs Radio this week: Hacking using AI with Erica Burgess
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Lot 40 100% Pot Still Rye

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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Lai-Ling Su: When Leadership Changes—Supporting Teams Through the Uncertainty

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

"We have a once in a generational or once in a lifetime type of opportunity to fundamentally work with these leaders to shift the workplace environments and the workplace dynamics in the way that we've been trying to craft in the world of product and agile for the last few decades." - Lai-Ling Su

Lai-Ling brings a systems-level challenge that has profound implications for Scrum Masters everywhere. Australia is on the brink of its largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history—$3.5 trillion over the next couple of decades—with 70% of private and family businesses planning to sell or succeed as part of this generational change. 

This creates leadership vacuums as business leaders transition out and new ones step in. Some are family members stepping into roles without the full capability to lead; others are external CEOs facing resistance when they do things differently. 

These transitions stall decisions, lose customer confidence, and fracture once tight-knit teams. Lai-Ling sees this as an unprecedented opportunity for Scrum Masters to support both outgoing and incoming leaders through succession planning, capability uplift, and protecting teams during the transition. 

Teams need to be respected for what they've achieved, and Scrum Masters can serve as bridges—creating awareness about the team's strengths and facilitating dialogue between old and new leadership to ensure continuity.

Self-reflection Question: How might you proactively prepare your team to navigate an upcoming leadership transition, whether it's anticipated or unexpected?

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn't just about innovation—it's about coaching!🔥

Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she's caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn't just about the product—it's about the people.

🚨 Will Angela's coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.

Buy Now on Amazon

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

About Lai-Ling Su

Lai-Ling fixes the gap between operating model design and real-world delivery through her interim executive, consulting, capability building, and executive coaching work. She also equips product and transformation leaders with the capability everyone expects but no one teaches - how to navigate the people, politics, and performance expectations that come with their jobs.

You can link with Lai-Ling Su on LinkedIn.

Wes and Scott talk about the latest dev news: Node enabling Temporal by default, OpenAI acquiring OpenClaw, TypeScript 6, new TanStack and Deno releases, the explosion of AI agent platforms, and more.

Courtney Tolinski's Podcast

Phases: A Parenting Podcast https://phases.fm/

Show Notes

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 01:11 Brought to you by Sentry.io
• 02:40 Node.js enables Temporal by default
  • Enable Temporal by default
• 04:08 OpenClaw acquired by OpenAI
  • OpenClaw, OpenAI and the future
• 09:36 Bots are taking over the internet
  • Wes’ tweet
• 15:30 TypeScript 6 Beta
  • Announcing TypeScript 6.0 Beta
• 17:00 TanStack Hotkeys for type-safe shortcuts
  • TanStack Hotkeys
• 18:05 Components will kill webpages
  • Components Will Kill Pages
• 19:39 Is Google Translate just an LLM?
  • Viridian’s tweet
• 23:29 Shaders.com
• 26:49 Voxtral Mini Realtime
  • Voxtral Realtime
  • Demo
• 29:51 Deno launches Sandboxes
  • Introducing Deno Sandbox
• 32:39 Oz by Warp.dev
• 38:10 Augment Code Intent
• 40:10 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

• Scott: Samsung Remote
• Wes: Ice

Shameless Plugs

• Syntax YouTube Channel

Hit us up on Socials!

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

While working on a PR in Microsoft.Extensions.Logging I saw two variations of code and I wanted to check which one is faster. Not that it mattered in this piece of code, but every little counts and also, I like to explore random things.

Assume you have some numbers (zero-based) that represent predefined strings. And you want to convert those numbers.

In the previous post, you defined tenant templates directly against a project. In this post, you’ll create a project that includes a community step template.

Prerequisites

• An Octopus Cloud account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for a free trial.
• The Octopus AI Assistant Chrome extension. You can install it from the Chrome Web Store.

Creating the project

Paste the following prompt into the Octopus AI Assistant and run it:

Create a Script project called "11. Script App with Community Step Template". 
Modify the deployment process to include the community step template with the website "https://library.octopus.com/step-templates/d166457a-1421-4731-b143-dd6766fb95d5" as the first step with the name "Calculate Deployment Mode".

This adds the community step template found in the Octopus community step template library as the first step in the deployment process. Community step templates use the URL as an ID to uniquely identify them.

Community step templates are contributed by the Octopus community and can be found in the Octopus Step Template Library. They provide additional functionality that you can easily add to your projects.

You can now create a release and deploy it to the first environment. The step will print the deployment details, indicating whether it is a new or a redeployment, and other helpful information.

What just happened?

You created a sample project with:

• A step sourced from the community step template library that calculates and prints deployment mode information.

What’s next?

The next step is to define project channels.

In this blog post, we'll review the major features we expect to ship in our mid-year release (v26.1 - June 2026). These features apply to both DevExtreme JavaScript components (Angular, React, Vue, jQuery) and DevExtreme-based ASP.NET MVC/Core controls. To help us fine tune our release plans, please respond to the survey questions embedded within this post to share feedback. Alternatively, submit a support ticket via the DevExpress Support Center. We will be happy to follow up.

Roadmap Updates

This roadmap will be regularly updated to reflect development progress. As we get closer to the release, we expect to add more items and modify the status of planned features. Look for the following labels next to each feature:

• Planned - Feature is scheduled but not yet in development.

• In Development - Under active development.

• Released in Beta v26.1 - Will be available in our v26.1 beta release.

• Released in v26.1 - Fully implemented and available in v26.1.

DataGrid & TreeList — AI Assistant

All Platforms
Planned

With our v26.1 release, we will extend the AI-powered capabilities of both the DevExtreme DataGrid and TreeList. We plan to introduce a DevExtreme Chat-based AI assistant that will allow you to use natural language to interact with DataGrid/TreeList. The DataGrid/TreeList AI assistant will be able to complete the following actions:

• Sort, filter, search, and group data.
• Resize, reorder, fix/unfix, and show/hide columns.
• Change pagination settings.

In our last release (v25.2), we introduced a standalone Speech To Text component. By incorporating this component into our Chat component (planned for 26.1), you will be able to add Speech to Text to your next DevExtreme-powered AI Assistant as well. This will eliminate the need for manual configuration and improve accessibility when working with DataGrid/TreeList (by offering an additional interface when interacting with UI elements).

This feature is particularly well suited for the following usage scenarios:

• Large Datasets: Use the power of AI to browse large data sets. Apply complex filter values with natural language.
• Complex Grid Configurations: Allow users to specify complex display preferences quickly.
• Accessibility-first Applications: Allow users to interact with your application in a manner that is most appropriate for each specific situation: while at their desk, or on the go (when their hands are busy and they require voice commands to interact with your app).
• Replicable Configurations: Apply the same prompt to recreate complex grid configurations across sessions. Reduce time spent on tedious layout adjustments.

DataGrid & TreeList — Persistent Validation Messages in Editors

All Platforms
Planned

We expect to introduce new APIs that will allow validation messages to remain visible even when data editors lose focus (similar to the validationMessageMode='always' in components such as our TextBox). These APIs will apply to all available editing modes.

Chat Enhancements

Speech To Text

All Platforms
Planned

We expect to integrate our new SpeechToText component into our Chat component's input area for faster, hands-free communication.

Message Streaming

All Platforms
Planned

We expect to add support for message streaming within DevExtreme Chat. The Chat component will be able display responses progressively as data arrives rather than after the request is fully completed. This feature will improve perceived performance and the overall user experience for DevExtreme-powered AI assistants, chatbots, and long-running operations, making conversations feel more dynamic and responsive.

Tool Call Visualization

All Platforms
Planned

We will introduce the ability to display AI tool/function calls in the message body. Such tools/functions can be declared locally within the app or available via MCP servers.

This visualization will increase clarity and transparency. Chat users will be able to see which tools were used, their order, and parameters alongside AI response.

Scheduler Enhancements

Appointment Snap Modes

All Platforms
Planned

DevExtreme Scheduler will include a new appointment snap mechanism. The following modes will be available:

• always - an appointment always stretches to cell borders.
• auto - an appointment is stretched to cell border only if the distance from the cell border to the edge of an appointment is less than half of the cell width.
• never - appointments are proportional to their duration.

Handle Appointment Time Overlapping

All Platforms
Planned

Managing appointment overlapping will be easier with our next release. We will add public APIs to obtain an array of appointments for a specific range. You will be able to implement the following scenarios using these APIs:

• Prevent Time Conflicts: Notify users about a scheduling conflict. Restrict adding, editing, or moving appointments if the selected time slot is already occupied.
• Suggest Available Time Slots: Automatically suggest the nearest available time when a selected slot is unavailable.
• Handle Recurring Appointment Conflicts: Detect and manage conflicts for individual occurrences within recurring appointments.
• Execute Overlap Rules: Apply different overlap rules depending on the appointment category.
• Enforce Buffer Time Between Appointments: Require a configurable gap before and after appointments to avoid tight scheduling.

Hide Specific Days

All Platforms
Planned

You will be able to hide specific days in week and month views, for example, weekends or custom day sets.

UI/UX and API Enhancements

TreeView — Prevent Selection for Disabled Nodes

All Platforms
Planned

With v26.1, you will be able to prevent recursive selection state changes for disabled TreeView nodes.

We will also add the ability to expand/collapse disabled parent nodes.

Application-Wide Date Formats

All Platforms
Planned

We will introduce new APIs designed to specify a single date format for all DevExtreme components within your application.

Globalization — Separate Text and Date/Number Locales

All Platforms
Planned

In v26.1, you will be able to specify different locales for application text values and dates/numbers. You will be able to change languages without affecting date/number formatting and vice-versa.

Accessibility

All Platforms
Planned

We expect to improve accessibility for the following DevExtreme UI components:

• DataGrid/TreeList

• Scheduler

• Form

• Popup / Popover / Tooltip

• RadioGroup

We will also improve color schema in our Material themes to comply with accessibility contrast requirements.

Additionally, in v26.1, we expect to introduce screen reader support for Rich Text Editor for ASP.NET Core.

Our long-term goal is to address all limitations identified in our DevExtreme Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs).

Migration Away from CommonJS

All Platforms
Planned

As part of our ongoing modernization efforts, we will eliminate use of CommonJS. We plan to remove all CommonJS modules and imports in DevExtreme packages and source code. This change will optimize DevExtreme package size.

Please share your thoughts on this transition in the survey below. Your feedback will help us identify potential migration challenges and make the transition as smooth as possible.

Angular 22

Angular
Planned

The release of Angular 22 is planned for May 2026. As part of our commitment to same-day support for new versions, DevExtreme v26.1 will offer full compatibility once Angular 22 is available.

According to Angular's official support schedule, Angular 19 will reach end-of-support in May 2026. With v26.1, we will also update our minimum supported Angular version to 20.

ASP.NET Core

UI Template Kit Update

ASP.NET Core
Planned

DevExpress UI Template Kit includes application templates for ASP.NET Core. The templates help you start new projects quickly (templates address predefined application usage scenarios, which you can tailor to meet specific business requirements).

In our upcoming v26.1 release, ASP.NET Core application templates will be more flexible, with a built-in navigation area and a set of pre-configured views (with controls such as DataGrid).

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