This article emphasizes defensive programming by highlighting safe type compatibility checks in .NET. It advises using the 'is' keyword to prevent InvalidCastException and warns against unnecessary type casts that clutter code and affect performance. The open-source project Spargine aids developers with tools for better validation and logging, promoting cleaner, more resilient applications.

Microsoft Edge is retiring ‘Sidebar app list’ and giving Copilot more space in the browser on Windows 11.

After a recent update, I opened Edge Canary and casually used the search button in the sidebar as I always do, but this time, the search did not work. Instead, a warning appeared saying that Edge’s sidebar feature is being removed because Microsoft Edge is cluttered, and it’s now being simplified at the cost of a very handy feature.

“We’re simplifying Edge. New apps can no longer be added, and the quick access list will be removed gradually in future updates,” Microsoft warns in a new alert that shows up when you open the sidebar. “Copilot is not affected—this helps us focus on making it even better,” Microsoft confirmed.

I don’t see the same warning in Edge stable, so that means the Sidebar end-of-support alert is being rolled out to Canary testers first.

Edge is removing the Sidebar to make space for Copilot

I don’t think you need to be a rocket scientist to understand what’s happening here. Edge is getting rid of the sidebar because it was getting in the way of Copilot, which is now integrated as a button into the menu.

In fact, some of you might prefer the sidebar over Copilot for some actions, and Microsoft doesn’t like that.

Edge’s sidebar was really handy

Sidebar has been a part of Edge for years now, and it provides quick access to web apps, such as Bing.com.

Edge’s Sidebar allows you to multitask without “breaking your flow”. For example, you can keep your email, shopping tools, or notes open on the side while reading an article or working on a document. You don’t need to sign in to Edge just to use the sidebar, but some apps, like Outlook or Microsoft 365, will ask you to sign in.

It’s also not like the sidebar was forced upon Edge users. You can show or hide it from Edge settings (Settings > Appearance > Copilot and sidebar).

To add sites, click the + or “Customize sidebar” and choose top websites or “Add current page”.

Dear Microsoft, if you want to simplify Edge, start by eliminating Copilot clutter

Since Microsoft says that the sidebar is being removed to “simplify” Edge, why not start with AI features?

Is it even practically possible that you don’t run into a Copilot or AI feature when using Microsoft Edge? Look at the screenshot below. This is the New Tab Page of the browser.

Edge’s NTP has a Copilot compose box, and it’s also testing a Copilot-powered MSN feed. Then, we have the Chat with Copilot button in the toolbar.

AI glorification of Edge doesn’t stop here. If you select the address bar, it also pushes Copilot’s AI search feature.

And if you escape all of the Copilot clutter, you’re going to see a shortcut to ‘Ask Copilot’ when you right-click anywhere in the browser.

Do all of these AI features count as clutter? They don’t for obvious reasons. While Microsoft has no intention of reducing Copilot or AI features in Edge, the company says it’s removing the Sidebar app list feature because it’s trying to simplify the browser. Copilot is also a sidebar in Edge, but as I mentioned, it’s not being replaced.

“Copilot is not affected—this helps us focus on making it even better,” Microsoft confirmed.

More recently, Microsoft Edge added Copilot-powered “Journeys” feature, which summarizes web history and shows related cards in the New Tab Page.

Regardless, I am going to miss the sidebar in Edge. What about you?

The post Microsoft Edge is removing Sidebar app list as Copilot takeover continues on Windows 11 appeared first on Windows Latest

Microsoft’s Windows 11 November 2025 update brought with it a couple of nifty fixes that can potentially improve the performance of gaming PCs, including Gaming Handheld devices, like the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and even the recently launched Xbox Ally X.

In our tests, Windows Latest verified that Windows 11 KB5068861 (OS Builds 26200.7171 and 26100.7171) promises to fix the faster battery drain issues of these handheld devices while they stay in low-power states.

Gaming boost on regular PCs and even handheld devices

Windows Latest can confirm that Microsoft patched an issue where some games or even videos would have rent tint, which would not go away unless you close the program.

But the second issue is particularly far more interesting. A bug has been fixed where background apps or games could hurt the PC’s display performance.

For example, if you’re playing a game in full screen on PC, and in the background you have a browser or another app open (maybe you Alt+Tab). Before this fix, when the game or another maximized app was actively updating in the background, Windows sometimes struggled to keep the other windows fully refreshed.

So when you tried to scroll a page, only parts of it moved or updated. The top might scroll, but the middle stayed “stuck” on an old frame. This bug lead to “half-frozen” experience even though the app hadn’t fully crashed.

Windows is now better at updating the full content of apps and browsers, even when a heavy full-screen game or another maximized app is busy rendering in the background.

Microsoft also assures that the update fixes the issue where the controllers stop responding in apps for about 5 seconds after you sign in with the built-in Gamepad. Some devices wouldn’t hide the touch keyboard after you type in the PIN or password to sign in. The KB5068861 update now automatically hides the keyboard.

Windows Gaming Handheld devices have notoriously poor battery life

Ever since the Asus ROG Ally launched, which has been more than 2 years now, people have been complaining about its awful battery life. As expected, Windows is the culprit, because, among other things, it ships without removing any of the totally unnecessary apps for a gaming device, like Paint, for example.

Windows 11 for handheld gaming devices is the same Windows that comes with any device, so the capable Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme APUs, along with the 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, ate through the battery.

Naturally, people got used to the one to two-hour battery life of the Ally, but what they couldn’t live with was the poor standby time, especially when the device is in Sleep mode.

It didn’t take them long to realise that it was a Windows issue.

The Lenovo Legion Go and the MSI Claw, both of which launched a few months later, had the same battery and sleep issues.

Many users recommended turning on the Hibernate mode and not the Sleep mode, which has solved the battery drain issue, at least while the devices are not being used.

In Windows 11, Sleep is a low‑power state where your PC remains partially on. It keeps all open applications and documents stored in RAM. So, when you turn it back on, you’ll be able to resume your session almost instantly. As you’d expect, it works best for short intervals.

Since the RAM uses a small amount of power to maintain its contents, your battery will continue to drain slowly, and naturally, if it runs out completely, all unsaved work could be lost.

Hibernate in Windows saves the entire session to your SSD and then powers off the PC. So, technically, there won’t be any battery drain, though resuming from Hibernate takes longer than from Sleep.

That being said, the Sleep mode is what comes on as the default, so battery life in standby isn’t the strong point of Windows gaming handhelds, making them almost unusable while travelling.

Windows gaming handheld devices are popular, regardless of their flaws

But despite these issues, Windows gaming handhelds had seen a strong reception, especially in the US. The ASUS ROG Ally, launched in 2023, sold almost 500,000 units in the first month. The Lenovo Legion Go also had good initial sales as a competitor to the Ally.

However, MSI Claw didn’t perform well, both in sales and in games.

Following the initial hit of the Ally, ASUS launched the ROG Ally X, with double the battery capacity (80Wh, up from 40Wh), 24GB RAM, and 1TB storage. Of course, the highlight was increased battery capacity, especially since there wasn’t an upgrade in the processor.

And there’s no point in guessing why they doubled the battery capacity. The ASUS ROG Ally X went on to become popular in some markets.

Even then, the issue with Windows being unoptimized for handhelds was still something that users found difficult, especially considering that the more than three-year-old Stem Deck is still on a roll. Not to mention the new Nintendo Switch 2, which was launched in June 2025, is selling like hot cakes.

Both these gaming handhelds have their respective operating systems optimized for their form factors. Windows gaming handhelds, despite doing well in the market, didn’t gain the popularity or likability of these optimized devices, and Microsoft had to do something.

Microsoft answers with the Xbox Full Screen Experience

On October 16, 2025, the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and the Aly X launched with the first appearance of Microsoft’s Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) for Windows 11.

With the Xbox tag, people expected the devices to have the same Xbox system software as the gaming consoles. Instead, Microsoft again brought the full Windows 11 OS, but with the addition of Xbox FSE, which negated some of the drawbacks of the full Windows experience.

Reports suggested that the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally with Full Screen Experience ran smoother with better fps than when it ran with the full Windows 11 UI.

This was surprisingly enough for the customers, and as per the latest reports, the ROG Xbox Ally X demand is higher than ASUS expected, with sales for the Ally series expected to be between $96m – $160m this quarter.

Microsoft was in the right when they rolled out the Xbox Full Screen Experience to the MSI Claw as well with the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7051, in late October. We expect more handheld devices, like the Legion Go and the ones from AYANEO, to get a similar treatment.

Windows 11 November 2025 update brings more performance improvements to Gaming handhelds

Microsoft understands that the full-fledged Windows 11 experience isn’t ideal for gaming handhelds, which is probably why they launched the Xbox FSE.

Users have installed the Xbox Fullscreen experience in even the as-of-now unsupported Lenovo Legion Go and experienced massive improvements. However, the battery drain issue in Sleep mode still plagues Windows 11.

The Windows 11 November 2025 update allegedly fixes these issues. Microsoft says that the new update finally lets the devices save more power when they sleep. The company hasn’t mentioned how they do this. We suspect that it reduces the power draw from the RAM, considering that the modules in all these handhelds run at extremely high speeds of 6400 MT/s.

Microsoft documented the fix:

“Fixed: This update addresses an issue that affects gaming handheld devices. These devices were unable to stay in low-power states, which caused faster battery drain.
Fixed: This update addresses an issue on some handheld gaming devices where after signing in using the built-in Gamepad, the controller might not respond in apps for about five seconds, causing a delay. After you submit your password or PIN, the touch keyboard on the sign-in screen hides automatically.​​​​​​​”

In our tests, the Windows 11 25H2 update works fine on regular Windows PCs. However, several users have had issues with the KB5068861 update not installing on their ROG Ally X.

The update also fixes the irritating five-second delay that showed up after signing in with the built-in gamepad. Apps refused to respond to the joystick soon after you signed in. The touch keyboard isn’t supposed to stay on screen after typing the PIN. Either way, the update removes the delay and hides the keyboard as soon as you sign in.

The November patch update doesn’t seem to have any issues so far, so if you have a Windows gaming handheld, we recommend you install it and see if these issues still persist.

The post Windows 11 25H2 quietly rolls out gaming boost, including for handheld performance appeared first on Windows Latest

Introduction

In the era of big data and diverse data formats, the ability to store and query semi-structured data like JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML (eXtensible Markup Language) in SQL databases has become increasingly important. This article explores how to effectively store and manage JSON and XML data in SQL databases, along with the pros and cons of each approach.

Understanding JSON and XML

JSON

JSON is a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is often used in web applications for data exchange between clients and servers.

XML

XML is a markup language that defines rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. It is widely used for data representation and exchange, especially in web services.

Storing JSON in SQL Databases

Many modern SQL databases, such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server, provide native support for JSON data types.

How to Store JSON

1. Using JSON Data Type: Some databases allow you to define a column with a JSON data type.

   CREATE TABLE Products (
       ProductID int PRIMARY KEY,
       ProductData json
   );

2. Inserting JSON Data:

   INSERT INTO Products (ProductID, ProductData) VALUES (1, '{"name": "Laptop", "price": 999.99}');

Querying JSON Data

You can use built-in functions to query JSON data.

SELECT ProductData->>'name' AS ProductName FROM Products WHERE ProductID = 1;

Storing XML in SQL Databases

SQL databases also support XML data types, allowing you to store and query XML documents.

How to Store XML

1. Using XML Data Type: Define a column with an XML data type.

   CREATE TABLE Orders (
       OrderID int PRIMARY KEY,
       OrderDetails xml
   );

2. Inserting XML Data:

   INSERT INTO Orders (OrderID, OrderDetails) VALUES (1, '<order><item>Book</item><quantity>2</quantity></order>');

Querying XML Data

You can use XPath and XQuery to extract data from XML columns.

SELECT OrderDetails.value('(/order/item)[1]', 'varchar(100)') AS ItemName FROM Orders WHERE OrderID = 1;

Pros and Cons of Storing JSON and XML

Pros

• Flexibility: Both JSON and XML allow for flexible data structures, making it easy to store complex data.
• Interoperability: They are widely used formats, making it easier to integrate with other systems and APIs.
• Schema-less: You can store data without a predefined schema, which is useful for evolving data models.

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Cons

• Performance: Querying semi-structured data can be slower than querying structured data, especially for large datasets.
• Complexity: Managing and querying JSON and XML data can add complexity to your database operations.
• Storage Overhead: JSON and XML formats can consume more storage space compared to traditional relational data.

Conclusion

Storing JSON and XML in SQL databases provides a powerful way to handle semi-structured data. By leveraging the native support for these formats in modern SQL databases, you can efficiently store, query, and manage complex data structures. Understanding the advantages and limitations of each format will help you make informed decisions about how to best utilize them in your applications.

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