Adobe is adding some new generative AI tools to its Photoshop creative software that aim to give users additional ways to control the designs they generate. Powered by Adobe’s new Firefly Image 3 foundation model, these new tools are available today via the Photoshop beta desktop app, and will be generally available “later this year” according to Adobe’s Press release.

The most notable tool is Reference Image, which uses user-uploaded images to inspire the output generated by Adobe’s AI, matching similar elements in style and color. For example, instead of repeatedly tweaking a prompt description like “a blue vintage truck with flower decals,” users can instead provide a reference image that Photoshop will use as a guide.

“Prompting is a...

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Microsoft launched the next version of its lightweight AI model Phi-3 Mini, the first of three small models the company plans to release.

Phi-3 Mini measures 3.8 billion parameters and is trained on a data set that is smaller relative to large language models like GPT-4. It is now available on Azure, Hugging Face, and Ollama. Microsoft plans to release Phi-3 Small (7B parameters) and Phi-3 Medium (14B parameters). Parameters refer to how many complex instructions a model can understand.

The company released Phi-2 in December, which performed just as well as bigger models like Llama 2. Microsoft says Phi-3 performs better than the previous version and can provide responses close to how a model 10 times bigger than it can.

Eric Boyd,...

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This has been a work in progress over the last couple of releases in order to deliver a better developer experience for the Uno Platform. The 5.1 release introduced the Uno.Sdk which allowed for better integration with Visual Studio – no more pesky “reload project” warnings appearing. With the 5.2 release the Uno Platform goes next level with the consolidation of all those target platform projects into a single project. That’s right, you get to build for Desktop (Windows, MacOS, Linux), Mobile (iOS, Android, MacCatalyst) and Web (WebAssembly) all from a single project. In this post we’ll take a quick look at the new getting started experience but check out the announcement post for other great features in the 5.2 release.

One of the pieces of feedback that we received regarding the wizard was that developers were presented with two options, “Blank” and “Recommended,” and it wasn’t clear that these were simply presets for the various options in the Uno Platform new application template. For anyone who’s looked at the unoapp template that’s included in the dotnet new template (Install from NuGet) you’ll know that there are a lot of options, so the aim was to provide starting points that make it easier for developers to get started. The new experience combines the two main pages of the application into a single page.

At the top of the left column you’ll see a new “Presets” selection which allows you to toggle between the Blank and Recommended options. As you switch between them, the selections in the main area, and the Summary, are updated, so you can see what’s included in each. Of course, you can still decide to customise the options, at which point you’ll see a third option appear, “Custom”.

This allows you to easily compare what you’ve selected with either the Blank or Recommended options by switching between them. If you want to reset your Custom selection, simply click on Blank or Recommended and then start changing the options; the wizard will treat this as your new Custom configuration.

Once you’re done with making your selection, hit the Create button and a new solution will be created for you. The following was created using the Recommended option, so there are a few folders illustrating how files can be arrange but the important thing is that it’s a single project.

To pick which target you want to debug, click the down arrow next to the run button to see the list of startup targets

There’s plenty more to explore in the 5.2 release, so grab the Visual Studio Wizard, or check out the live wizard. If you’re using VS Code, the extension for VS code has also been updated to work with the new single project structure.

The post Uno Platform 5.2 Released – One Project To Rule Them All appeared first on Nick's .NET Travels.

We're delighted to announce the release of the latest version of the Azure SQL Migration extension for Azure Data Studio, v1.5.4.

This release provides you with Azure Database Migration Service’s new features like:

• Single-click SHIR – download, installation, and configuration.
• SKU recommendation fix for different cultural regions.
• Optional Cancellation feedback

What is new in v1.5.4?

This latest version (1.5.4) of the extension supports the following features:

1) Single-click SHIR:

There are migration scenarios where you would require to download, install, and register the Self-hosted Integration runtime (SHIR) against your Azure Database Migration Service, example – when your database backup/s resides on SMB local network share, or in case of migration to target Azure SQL DB. User needs to manually perform download of the Self-hosted IR binaries, do the installation and then follow the registration  steps to map it with your Azure database migration service.

Now with this feature, all the steps required for Self-hosted IR configuration will be done with a Single-click. This allows the users to choose if they want to configure the current node (running Azure Data Studio) or a remote node to be configured as a Self-hosted IR node by using PowerShell script.

The PowerShell script will take care of downloading the script, then installing it and then registering it against the Azure Database Migration Service.

Note: At present Single-Click SHIR is supported only on Azure Data Studio extension of DMS i.e. Azure SQL Migration v1.5.4 onwards.

Prerequisites:

Below are the prerequisites required for this Single-click SHIR feature -

• PowerShell should be present on the machine.
• Machine should have access to internet.
• Permission to download and install or administrator rights are needed on the machine.

Steps:

Below are the steps you need to follow: 

1. Once you start your migration using ADS extension – Azure SQL Migration v1.5.4 onwards, after you done with assessment and SKU recommendation, followed by Target selection and reached the step 5: Azure Database Migration Service. If you select a scenario where SHIR is required like – migration from backup location hosted on local network share or migrating to Azure SQL DB, you will be present with option of “Configure Integration Runtime” as shown below.  It also shows you the current SHIR nodes registered against your selected DMS service with details like node names, Status, IP address and IR version.
2. Once you click on “configure Integration Runtime”, a side plane will open. Here you will get two options:

1. Setup SHIR on your current local machine: If you wish to setup SHIR on your current local machine, select this option and on the bottom, click Execute Script. This will open the PowerShell and start the script execution.

 Single-Click SHIR on Local machine

ii. Setup SHIR on a remote machine: If you wish to setup SHIR on your remote machine or add/register more nodes to the DMS, select the second option. Here you have two ways to proceed:

• Save the script and move it to the desired remote machine and open the PowerShell, and then execute it.
• Follow manual steps given on the side plane and download, install and register the SHIR using either of the Authentication Keys.

Single-Click SHIR on remote machine

You can monitor progress on PowerShell window. Once complete, you can go back to the ADS extension – Azure SQL Migration and refresh the SHIR nodes to view the newly added nodes.

Learn more: 

Create a self-hosted integration runtime - Azure Data Factory & Azure Synapse | Microsoft Learn

Migrate databases by using the Azure SQL Migration extension for Azure Data Studio | Microsoft Learn

2) SKU recommendation fix for different cultural region:

Every region has its own standard and convention for representing numbers. Similarly decimal point representation varies from region to region, example:  frequently used decimal separator are the comma (, U+002C) and the dot (. U+002E).

This fix allows to correctly present and parse the decimal point separation based upon the region. Hence presenting the SKU recommendation data in the correct format.

Refer: Format numbers - Globalization | Microsoft Learn

3) Cancellation feedback:

Now user can provide feedback (optional) while cancelling the Azure data studio’s extension – Azure SQL migration session or migration. Users can now provide the reason for the cancellation of the current migration.

Resources

For more information about the extension and Azure Database Migration Service, see the following resources.

• Azure Database Migration Service documentation
• Migrate databases using the Azure SQL Migration extension
• One-click SQL Migration PoC environment

Hello and welcome to my first blog post! I'm Suniti, an enthusiastic Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador, pursing graduation in the field of Data Science. Today, I'm super excited to discuss the upcoming MS Build'24 event with all of you!

Join us in celebrating the 14th edition of MS Build, as Microsoft draws closer to celebrating its 50 Years of establishment next year, filled with innovation and challenges. So, let’s have a look at what’s in for you in this exciting event!

What’s the buzz About MS Build?

Ready to immerse yourself in all things AI, machine learning, Azure, Generative AI, and beyond? I am!

MS Build is an annual 3 day-long, conference organised by Microsoft. This year's is all about  “ How AI Will Shape Your Future?”. Microsoft Build promises you get an exclusive peek into the latest AI innovations. This year the schedule for the event is May 21 -24, 2024 for in-person and May 21 – 23, 2024 for online attendees.

What to Expect:

• Brief of the most recent changes in Azure AI Services,  Microsoft Fabric, .Net, and the Azure OpenAI Service.
• Keynotes, live demos, and breakout sessions that will boost your minds from the experts of Microsoft.
• Exclusive insights into emerging technologies from Microsoft.
• Event swag and digital swag.
• Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge to enhance your learning journey.
• Get a chance to connect with Industry experts and get answers to your questions.

Meet the Keynote Speakers:

• Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
• Rajesh Jha, EVP
• Scott Guthrie, EVP Cloud + AI
• And many more!

Recapping MS Build 2023

Were you there in MS Build’23? If No, here is a recap of what new was introduced last year.

1. Window’s Copilot                                                                              -  Learn more
2. Bringing Bing to ChagGPT        
3. Copilot and Plugins                                                                           - Learn more
4. Helping Solve Humanity’s Greatest Challenges with AI Tools
5. Jugalbandi Chat Bot
6. Get Started with AI on Microsoft Azure                                             - Learn more

These were the most liked and popular among developers. If you want to explore more, what was there for you. in MS Build’23. Click Here

The History of MS Build

Since its inception in 2011, Microsoft Build has been a beacon of innovation and collaboration. From Anaheim to Seattle, this annual gathering has evolved into a platform, uniting developers and technologists from every corner of the world.

How It Starts:

The conference is organized in a hybrid mode.

• In-person: Microsoft Build will be held at the Seattle, corporate headquarters of Microsoft Corporation. It will cost you $1,825 to attend the session offline.
• Online: Everyone around the world can attend the session, once you register you will receive a digital attendee pass and an email for confirmation.

The Keynote on the first day was led by the Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addressing the press and developers. Then, there are breakout sessions led by Microsoft's Minds, where you can learn new technologies. Thousands of developers from all over the world will attend, so it's a great chance to network and make some connections too.

|     Register now at Microsoft Build 2024

Building a Brighter Future

Microsoft always fosters a welcoming environment for all. Building AI solutions following Responsible AI principles and the opportunity to learn from and connect with diverse students and professionals from various countries, religions, genders, and races. Having been part of the community since April '23, I've had as an MLSA. This experience has been enriching, allowing me to engage in a wide range of activities, from learning and teaching to sharing ideas and collaborating on projects.

So, are you ready to embark on your journey fuelled with AI? Join, along with me in the conversation at Microsoft Build 2024. See you there!

Resources

1. MS Build | Scaling Future
2. Wikipedia | History of MS Build
3. MS Developers | YouTube

Thanks for diving into the excitement with me! Let's keep the conversation going as we look forward to Microsoft Build 2024. See you there!