Sr. Content Developer at Microsoft, working remotely in PA, TechBash conference organizer, former Microsoft MVP, Husband, Dad and Geek.
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Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.5

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Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.5

OpenAI's image generation models are apparently used "more than 3 billion images across ChatGPT Images and the GPT‑Image models in the API". This latest release improves their instruction-following ability across multiple turns, responds faster, and "is better at preserving the subjects in your reference photos".

There are two new model IDs in the API: gpt-image-2.5-sunburst and gpt-image-2.5-flare. Based on this I think Sunburst is the stronger option:

Choose Sunburst for workflows where editing precision matters most, and Flare for fast, high-quality everyday image generation.

I upgraded my openai_image.py CLI tool to support passing in one or more reference images, so now this works:

uv run https://tools.simonwillison.net/python/openai_image.py \
  'add a raccoon scientist studying the chart thoughtfully' \
  -i https://static.simonwillison.net/static/2026/openai-agent-usage.webp \
  -m gpt-image-2.5-sunburst

This is the original image, and here's what I got back from that prompt to "add a raccoon scientist studying the chart thoughtfully":

Line chart with cartoon illustration. Title: "Usage of internal coding agents is increasing significantly—Median researcher". Y-axis labeled "Daily $ / researcher" from 0 to 700; x-axis shows Feb 2026, Apr 2026, Jun 2026, Aug 2026. A blue line stays near zero through April, rises gradually to around 150 by June and July, then climbs steeply to about 600 by late August. In the foreground a cartoon raccoon in glasses and a white lab coat, chin in hand, holds a clipboard at a desk with a mug bearing the OpenAI logo, some printed charts, and a stack of three books titled "AI AGENTS", "SOFTWARE ENGINEERING", and "PRODUCTIVITY". An OpenAI logo appears in the top right corner.

Tags: tools, ai, openai, generative-ai, uv, text-to-image

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11.0.100-rc.1

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.NET MAUI 11.0.0-rc.1 Release Notes

.NET MAUI 11.0.0-rc.1 introduces significant improvements across all platforms with a focus on quality, performance, and developer experience. This release includes 322 commits with various improvements, bug fixes, and enhancements.

Workloads

Workload Set: Microsoft.NET.Workloads.11.0.100-rc.1 @ 11.0.100-rc.1.26458.5

Installation

dotnet workload update --version 11.0.100-rc.1.26458.5
# Or install specific workloads
dotnet workload install maui ios maccatalyst android --version 11.0.100-rc.1.26458.5

Recommended Tools:

  • Xcode: 26.6
  • Java JDK: 21.0.8
  • Android API-36

Workload Versions

Workload Full ID Version SDK Band Links
MAUI Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Maui 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6 11.0.100-rc.1 NuGet · Source
iOS Microsoft.NET.Sdk.iOS 26.5.12193-net11-rc.1 11.0.100-rc.1 NuGet · Source
Mac Catalyst Microsoft.NET.Sdk.MacCatalyst 26.5.12193-net11-rc.1 11.0.100-rc.1 NuGet · Source
Android Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Android 37.0.0-rc.1.2257 11.0.100-rc.1 NuGet · Release
tvOS Microsoft.NET.Sdk.tvOS 26.5.12193-net11-rc.1 11.0.100-rc.1 NuGet · Source
macOS Microsoft.NET.Sdk.macOS 26.5.12193-net11-rc.1 11.0.100-rc.1 NuGet · Source

Matching MAUI and macios GitHub release tags have not been published yet. The Source links point to the repository commits recorded in the NuGet packages.

MAUI NuGet Packages

The following NuGet packages are the core .NET MAUI libraries. The Implicit Version is bundled with the workload, while Latest Version may be newer due to out-of-band releases.

Package Implicit Version Latest Version
Microsoft.Maui.Controls 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6
Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Compatibility Not published for RC1 11.0.0-preview.5.26304.4
Microsoft.Maui.Essentials 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6
Microsoft.Maui.Graphics 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6
Microsoft.Maui.Maps 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6 11.0.0-rc.1.26451.6

Native Tool & SDK Compatibility

Apple (iOS, Mac Catalyst, tvOS, macOS)

Tool Min Version Recommended Version
Xcode >= 26.6 26.6

Java JDK (Android)

Tool Min / Required Version Recommended Version
Java JDK >= 21.0 and < 22.0 21.0.8

Android SDK Packages (Required)

SDK Package Description
build-tools;36.0.0 Android SDK Build-Tools 36
cmdline-tools;19.0 Android SDK Command-line Tools (latest)
platforms;android-36 Android SDK Platform 36
platform-tools Android SDK Platform-Tools 36.0.0

Android SDK Packages (Optional)

Package Description
emulator Android Emulator (recommended 36.2.12)
ndk-bundle NDK (recommended 27.2.12479018)
System Images Google APIs ARM 64 v8a / x86_64 (system-images;android-36.1;google_apis;...)

MAUI Windows Dependencies

Dependency Minimum Version Recommended
Windows App SDK >= 2.3.1 2.3.1
Windows SDK Build Tools >= 10.0.28000.2526 10.0.28000.2526
Win2D >= 1.4.0 1.4.0
WebView2 >= 1.0.4078.44 1.0.4078.44

Changes since Preview 7

Activityindicator

ActivityIndicator

  • [inflight/candidate] [Android] Fix ActivityIndicator remaining visible after IsRunning/IsVisible set to false by @github-actions[bot] in #37112

Ai Agents

Animation

API

Blazor

BlazorWebView

Border

Button

CollectionView

🔧 Fixes

Core Lifecycle

Datepicker

Docs

Drawing

Editor

Entry

Essentials

Essentials Webauth

Filepicker

Flyoutpage

General

Gestures

Graphics

  • [net11.0] Make iOS image scaling deadlock-safe by @kubaflo in #37057

Hybridwebview

Image

  • [net11.0] Add public IImageSourcePaint contract for external platform backends by @Redth in #37864

Label

Layout

Map

Menubar

Navigation

Navigationpage

  • [net11] [iOS][Testing] Extend NavigationPage device tests to run against both NavigationRenderer and NavigationViewHandler by @Vignesh-SF3580 in #37802

Performance

Picker

Platform

Publishing

RadioButton

Refreshview

RefreshView

  • [ci-fix-net11] Needs review: synchronize RefreshView footer taps (refs #37560) by @github-actions[bot] in #37578

Resizetizer

  • [Resizetizer] Never place a path through an unstatable directory by @Redth in #37916

SafeArea

ScrollView

Searchbar

Setup

  • [release/11.0.1xx-rc1] Update Android dependency and fix manifest resolution by @kubaflo in #38041

Shapes

  • Fix CI pipeline build warnings (RS0016/RS0017, XA1006, duplicate splash, XAML) by @rmarinho in #34629

Shell

🔧 Fixes

Single Project

SwipeView

TabbedPage

  • [inflight/candidate] [Android][Revert] TabbedPage automatic scrolling behavior by @kubaflo in #37115

  • Add badge support to TabbedPage by @jfversluis in #37755

  • [net11.0] Fix Windows build: add missing 'using static AssertHelpers' to TabbedPageTests.Windows.cs by @mattleibow in #37818

Templates

Titlebar

Toolbar

  • [net11.0] Expose toolbar drawer-toggle visibility on IToolbar by @Redth in #37863

Tooling

WebView

Window

Xaml

🔧 Fixes
🔧 Infrastructure (44)
🧪 Testing (11)
📦 Other (65)

Full Changelog: release/11.0.1xx-preview7...release/11.0.1xx-rc1

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.NET 8.0.31 / 8.0.131

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You can build .NET 8.0 from the repository by cloning the release tag v8.0.131 and following the build instructions in the main README.md.

Alternatively, you can build from the sources attached to this release directly.
More information on this process can be found in the dotnet/dotnet repository.

Attached are PGP signatures for the GitHub generated tarball and zipball. You can find the public key at https://dot.net/release-key-2023

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.NET 9.0.20 / 9.0.121

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You can build .NET 9.0 from the repository by cloning the release tag v9.0.121 and following the build instructions in the main README.md.

Alternatively, you can build from the sources attached to this release directly.
More information on this process can be found in the dotnet/dotnet repository.

Attached are PGP signatures for the GitHub generated tarball and zipball. You can find the public key at https://dot.net/release-key-2023

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ASP.NET Core updates in .NET 11 Release Candidate 1

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Here's a summary of what's new in ASP.NET Core in this release candidate:

ASP.NET Core updates in .NET 11:

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The Ampersand Is Nearly 2,000 Years Old — And Designers Still Can’t Agree How It Should Look

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The ampersand is nearly 2,000 years old. yet designers still can’t agree on what it should look like. From ancient Roman *et* to hundreds of wildly different & designs, the story behind typography’s favorite squiggle is stranger than you might expect.
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