Microsoft Build 2019: the biggest news from the developer conference – The Verge The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts. 2019-05-06T23:24:26+00:00 https://www.theverge.com/rss/stream/18295512 https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1 Tom Warren <![CDATA[Microsoft will ship a full Linux kernel in Windows 10]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18534687/microsoft-windows-10-linux-kernel-feature 2019-05-06T19:24:26-04:00 2019-05-06T19:24:26-04:00

Microsoft has surprised many in the Linux developer community in recent years. Surprises have included bringing things like the Bash shell to Windows, or native OpenSSH in Windows 10, and even including Ubuntu, SUSE Linux, and Fedora in the Windows Store. Microsoft is now going even further, with plans to ship a full Linux kernel directly in Windows 10.

"Beginning with Windows Insiders builds this Summer, we will include an in-house custom-built Linux kernel to underpin the newest version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)," explains Microsoft program manager Jack Hammons. "The kernel itself will initially be based on version 4.19, th …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Microsoft just teased a slick new Minecraft AR game for your phone]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18524676/microsoft-minecraft-ar-mobile-game-teaser-build-2019 2019-05-06T13:20:20-04:00 2019-05-06T13:20:20-04:00

Microsoft has started to tease what appears to be a new Minecraft game for mobile devices. The software giant used a video at the end of the company's Build 2019 keynote today to show Minecraft in augmented reality, running on a phone. In the video, Minecraft creative director Saxs Persson leaves his phone on a bench outside the Washington State Convention Center where Microsoft's Build developer conference is being held. A passerby picks it up and is able to see Minecraft running in AR, suggesting that Microsoft is preparing a new game.

It's not clear what this Minecraft game will be, but it could be a killer app for augmented reality. We' …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Inside Microsoft’s surprise decision to work with Google on its Edge browser]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18527550/microsoft-chromium-edge-google-history-collaboration 2019-05-06T12:00:00-04:00 2019-05-06T12:00:00-04:00

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was frustrated.

Microsoft's Edge web browser, released in 2015, hadn't made much progress by the summer of 2017. "Satya came to us and said, 'Hey, I'd like to see us make more progress on the browser,'" says Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, in an exclusive interview with The Verge. Nadella pointed out where the web was heading, and he wanted more from Microsoft's Edge browser.

"Google is doing well with web-based collaborative experiences, the Office team is investing more to improve ours, we want the web browser to be better," says Belfiore, reciting Nadella's comments. "Edge had a pretty mixed reputation," he admits, …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Microsoft teases its Edge browser for macOS]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18528881/microsoft-edge-macos-mac-browser-teaser-build-2019 2019-05-06T11:35:48-04:00 2019-05-06T11:35:48-04:00

Microsoft first released its Edge Chromium browser as early Canary and Dev builds on Windows last month. While Windows 10 users can test the new browser, Mac owners have been waiting to hear more details about when Edge will be available on macOS. Microsoft doesn't have any solid dates to announce just yet, but the company has started teasing what Edge will look like on macOS.

During the company's Build 2019 developer conference, Microsoft is announcing new features for Edge on Windows and teasing the upcoming macOS release. We understand that the release will be available very soon, and Mac users should be able to access both the Canary an …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Microsoft wants to make the web more productive with its new Fluid Framework]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18530191/microsoft-fluid-framework-productive-collaborative-web-technology-build-2019 2019-05-06T11:35:00-04:00 2019-05-06T11:35:00-04:00

Microsoft is unveiling a whole new Fluid Framework developer platform today at the company's Build 2019 conference. Fluid Framework is designed to let developers build more shared and interactive services and apps on the web. Microsoft's framework will include support for co-authoring on the web at a speed and scale "not yet achieved in the industry," says the company. Microsoft has dabbled with multiperson collaboration on the web in both Office and its Whiteboard app, and it appears it's bringing those learnings and benefits to everyone.

As part of this Fluid Framework, the content produced using this system will also be more componentize …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Microsoft is making Cortana better at holding conversations]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18530220/microsoft-cortana-conversational-updates-build-2019 2019-05-06T11:30:00-04:00 2019-05-06T11:30:00-04:00

Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana, fell behind Google Assistant and Alexa in 2018. The software giant has been slowly repositioning Cortana as a skill that can run anywhere, rather than a rival to Google, Amazon, or Apple's assistants. Microsoft now appears to be targeting Cortana at more conversational interactions for workers who are organizing their days. At Microsoft's Build developer conference this year, the company is showing examples of how Cortana will be able to respond to conversations and organize meetings and reminders proactively.

Cortana can already do a lot of these features today, but it's the conversational element th …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Microsoft is building Internet Explorer into its new Chromium Edge, adding new features]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18527875/microsoft-chromium-edge-new-features-build-2019 2019-05-06T11:30:00-04:00 2019-05-06T11:30:00-04:00

Microsoft is unveiling a number of new features for its upcoming Edge Chromium browser today. The first big addition is a new "IE Mode" for Edge that will allow businesses to load old sites directly in the new Edge Chromium browser, using the Internet Explorer rendering engine. Microsoft is building IE directly into Edge for this purpose, so businesses aren't forced to directly use IE for ancient internal sites.

"What we're going to do is make this totally seamless," explains Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, in an interview with The Verge. Currently, the existing version of Edge will open Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 10, which has a separate in …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Microsoft unveils Windows Terminal, a new command line app for Windows]]> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18527870/microsoft-windows-terminal-command-line-tool 2019-05-06T11:30:00-04:00 2019-05-06T11:30:00-04:00

Microsoft is launching a new command line app for Windows, dubbed Windows Terminal. It's designed to be the central location for access to environments like PowerShell, Cmd, and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Microsoft is adding multiple tab support alongside theming and customization for developers who want to tweak the Terminal app.

Windows Terminal will also support emoji and GPU-based text rendering. This text rendering is DirectX-based, and it will display text characters, glyphs, and symbols that are available on your PC including CJK ideograms, emoji, powerline symbols, icons, and programming ligatures. Microsoft unveiled the …

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