• Windows 11 25H2 is entering a broader rollout phase now that 25H2 is just about over.  (Hot Hardware)

  The broad rollout of the Windows 11 25H2 update has started, and users who want to fast-track it are being referred to the relevant update options in a new blog post on Microsoft's site.  Windows 11 25H2 comes with an assortment of additional Copilot+ related features (exclusive to those with sufficiently-powerful NPUs rated for 40+ TOPS) and improved Wi-Fi 7 support for enterprise users, among other features.

  My latest PC - which looks set to arrive tomorrow - doesn't have an NPU at all.
  
  How...  Unfortunate.

  Key improvements for all users include several fixes and additions made to Task Manager, Windows Search, and the Windows UI in general.  Task Manager uses fewer resources and properly reads RAM speed in MT/s instead of MHz, for example, while the Windows UI now makes it easier to shrink the size of taskbar buttons.  As Windows 11 continues to evolve into an "agentic OS", support for AI features outside of Copilot+ PCs is also being added with Windows 11 25H2, including the ability to use AI features within File Explorer.

  I don't mean to be rude, but have they tried penicillin?
  
  
  
• In completely unrelated news, I just bought a copy of Windows 10 Enterprise IoT LTSC, the version that's supported through to 2032 and contains no AI features of any sort.  While the Ryzen 255 processor in this system is nominally new, it's just a rebadged Ryzen 8745H, which is just a Ryzen 7840H with a new sticker, so Windows 10 should run just fine.  It doesn't have any efficiency cores either, which are something the Windows 10 scheduler can trip over.
  
  Since Microsoft is strangely cold towards individuals who want to install the IoT edition, I downloaded the ISO from the Internet Archive and verified the hash on another helpful website.
  
  
  Update: What the heck.  That mini-PC has just been discounted almost back to the price I paid - just $2 more.  I'll try it out when it arrives tomorrow and give serious thought to buying another one.  Assuming this latest discount lasts that long.
  
  
  

Tech News

• Tiny Core Linux has grown by 1MB.  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  It's now 23MB.
  
  Or 17MB if you don't need a GUI.
  
  
  
• Critical flaws found in AI development tools have been dubbed an "IDEsaster".  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Cute.
  
  Which development tools, you ask?

  The findings, described in the IDEsaster research report, show how AI agents embedded in IDEs such as Visual Studio Code, JetBrains products, Zed, and numerous commercial assistants can be manipulated into leaking sensitive information or executing attacker-controlled code.

  So Vi is still safe?
  
  I mean, not that it ever has been.

  According to the research, 100% of tested AI IDEs and coding assistants were vulnerable.  Products affected include GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro.dev, Zed.dev, Roo Code, Junie, Cline, Gemini CLI, and Claude Code, with at least twenty-four assigned CVEs and additional advisories from AWS.

  Hooray.
  
  
  
• Why meetings can harm employee well-being.  (Phys.org)
  
  Well, they're meeting.  That's what they're for.
  
  
  
• The Youyeetoo Nestdesk (the what?) is a tiny NAS that holds four M.2 SSDs and costs $200.  (Liliputing)
  
  It has two 2.5Gb Ethernet ports, two HDMI ports, four USB ports, and a headphone jack.
  
  Lilputing notes that it's almost identical in functionality to the GMKtec NucBox G9, which had a nasty habit of overheating.  The Beelink Me Mini is physically larger but has a big fan which keeps things cool without producing a lot of noise.
  
  Also, M.2 SSDs are starting to get expensive as well.
  
  
  
• The accelerator is on the floor for autonomous vehicles.  (Tech Crunch)
  
  Yes.  Most other vehicles too.  Not planes, though.
  
  
  

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