Posted on 07/08/2021 7:42:57 PM PDT by daniel1212
Microsoft recently published the first preview of Windows 11 (Build 22000.51) for devices enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program, and with it, the company introduced a slew of significant interface changes, features, and updated apps coming this holiday season...
In this Windows 11 guide, we will dive deep into the new interface changes, improvements, and new features that Microsoft has made available with Build 22000.51.
These are the most important features, improvements, and changes to the user interface that Microsoft has been working on for Windows 11 so far:
Windows 11 Build 22000.51 introduces a new Start menu design similar to the one the company was building for Windows 10X. The new menu and the updated taskbar appear centered on the screen, and it ditches the Live Tiles for traditional icons.
The Start menu has three sections. The "Pinned" section is at the top, and it includes quick access to your favorite apps. You can right-click any app to access the context menu with different options, including moving the item to the top, opening the file location, and uninstalling the app. It's also possible to drag the icons around to change their position.
The default layout includes three rows and eight columns, but you are not limited to only 24 items. You can pin as many apps as you want since you can scroll down to jump to different pages. You can also use the dots on the right side to jump between pages. You will find the All apps button to access the list of all installed applications in the top-right corner. This part is where you will find the "most used" and "recently added" lists....If you see an item, you don't want. You can right-click and select the option to remove it from the page...
The new taskbar also includes a centered alignment, but you can always configure it to the left like in previous versions.
The bar is a little taller than before and includes a lot of improvements. For example, in addition to having all the items aligned in the middle, you will notice a new Start logo, new icons for Search, Task View, and Widgets. (Cortana and My People are no longer part of the experience.)
Since there is a new Search button, the search box is no longer a feature in the taskbar. Also, the Search experience has been updated with a search box located at the top. And you will no longer find "Timeline" as the feature has been stripped out of the OS....
In Windows 11, you cannot resize the taskbar nor change the location to either top, left, or right. The only supported position is at the bottom...
File Explorer
Microsoft is also working on a new version of the File Explorer app, and even though it does not come with support for tabs, it comes with the same legacy look but with a modern interface....If you like the more traditional menu, you can select the Show more options item (or Shift key + F10 keyboard shortcut), and that will open the classic menu....
Voice Typing
Although Microsoft is also touting the Voice Typing app as new to the first preview of Windows 11, the new and improved app to help you type using your voice has been available for a number of builds...
Settings app [Windows key and i)
Windows 11 Build 22000.51 also comes with a brand-new Settings app. The app features a new interface using the new Mica material for the frame, rounded corners, and new colorful icons. And all the settings follow the same organization as it was on Windows 10, but now they grouped differently.
As you open the app for the first time, you still have the left pane for navigation, but it no longer features a main page like the legacy version. Instead, you are taken to the "System" page...
On Network & internet > Wi-Fi, the page includes all the same settings as before, but now you can view the available networks without opening the network flyout...
On Apps > Apps & features, the page includes a new Share across devices feature, allowing you to continue the app experience across your devices connected with a Microsoft account...
Starting with Build 22000.51, Microsoft is making available the first preview of the new Microsoft Store.
Meanwhile, I have to get my IT people to figure out what that last Windoze 10 update broke on my computer.
Thanks bill.
Both my adapters are 802.11ac, 8811CU11 and 8812BU and both are supported as far back as Vista, thus should be supported out of the box under any OS, and having to compile my own driver simply does not translate into "desktop ready" and I am not that much in need. Installing Linux on this old Dell Optiplex 755 (2.33Ghz CPU and 4GB ram) is a rainy day project right now.
But that means competitionš!
Same here. My rule-of-thumb was always to assume double the recommended memory & storage requirements. I did that and never a problem.
Thank you for sharing that, I think you are having a unique situation with that machine. I know I have installed 18.3 on ten machines personally, and helped others with around 30 more. And another 10 with 20.x. All with absolutely no problems except for one that had this similar issue. It was something with that one machine not allowing Linux to do it’s thing as it should.
OK, This is probably a dumb question because I am sure you did... I am going to guess that you have already had the Driver Manager in the settings run a diagnostic with a device plugged in?
I have found sometimes it will not find an issue unless a non-working device is already plugged in first before it checks. Some BIOS will not do this either, I had that issue with my ASUS.
Anyhow, I am off to town, catch up later. :)
Thank you for the time to share, Be good to make it work for you. :)
No:" complaints about Linux, including Mint, not detecting USB wireless adapters abound, but the only solution (apart from a particular Laptop remedy) I have found requires an Internet connection to fix the problem of no Internet connection.
Oh I see the problem now... Can you hardwire it to your router with LAN? Just long enough to do that? I can tether to my phone data as a modem and connect if you have that capability available? If even temporarily to grab the drivers.
Just another hackable version of Windows?
The Mint 20.2 Driver Manager runs a scan when you start it up and reports no drivers are needed. The system does not even know that there are 2 USB network adapters plugged in. I also tried Fedora (buggy) and Neon user (which offered more options) and Xubutu XFCE, plus fossapup64-9.5 - which actually is the most user-helpful - but still no configuration.
Now there are plenty of solutions that involve sudo apt update, but that itself requires a Internet connection and depends upon which basic flavor of Linux one is using, and which I could enable such as by bring the box to another room and trying each solution. However, there should be a simple single executable file (no complicating compiling) that works, that I could put on a USB and point Linux to - if it even would automatically detect the adapter. At least if Linux is to be promoted as "desktop ready."
See above reply. This simply should not be necessary for such basic essential devices. Not in 2021.
Only if the manufacturer provides the appropriate OS driver for it. Your statement that Linux should support an adapter more than 10+ years old out of the box is incorrect.
BTW, it's the legacy support for everything that keeps Windows from being as good of an OS as Mac and Linux.
Yes, though the main issue, besides the vast number of distro flavors," is the lack of drivers by manufacturers for Linux.
No, the adapters are not 10 years old (more like 2) but there are drivers for such that go back as far as Vista.
" BTW, it's the legacy support for everything that keeps Windows from being as good of an OS as Mac and Linux."
Rather, as Linux forums well attest relative to the small percentage of Linux users, it is the lack of compatibility in Linux, plus the lack of comparable software for customization (without learning to code), that keeps Windows from being as good of an OS as Windows.
It makes zero sense that anyone would write drivers for an OS that isn't even supported by its vendor (Microsoft) for a two year old adapter.
You may have purchased that adapter two years ago, the likelihood that it was designed, engineered and produced much longer ago than that is evident, IMO.
Combined with the fact that your adapter's maker doesn't appear to make a driver for it should tell you its incompatible with Linux. I don't understand why you're complaining if you have a piece of hardware that you know isn't compatible with Linux?
You may as well be complaining that your USB wi-fi adapter isn't compatible with a Commodore 64.
Edit, “that keeps Linux from being as good of an OS as Windows” for the desktop. But mobile devices help show what could be done if focused a few distros and without restrictions of GNU licensing, as helpful as that is.
I think you meant to say "keeps Linux from being as good of an OS as Windows."
That said, Linux isn't for everyone. No one denies that. Linux has its use cases the same way Windows has its use cases.
If you're an end user who wants to plug in a device and have it "just work" chances are you're buying a Mac.
If you're an end user who needs to use software that's primarily Microsoft based and have a relatively recent computer and peripherals, then you're going to go Windows. It actually does a pretty decent job keeping most hardware drivers up to date with the most current OS though there are times hardware will stop working because that device's manufacturer stopped supporting the device and creating drivers for it. (I have a printer and webcam that fit into this category.)
If you're an end user capable of doing some minimal code, or an engineer such as I am and need to perform engineering specific tasks using customized software and code then chances are you're going Linux.
BTW, the Canon Printer and Logitech USB Webcam above that Windows no longer supports as of Win10 are perfectly supported and functional on my Ubuntu Linux 21.04 desktop. Go figure.
Vista support could be as backward compatible, and the RTL8812BU Software is for 32bit/64bit Windows7, Windows8.1, Windows10 from 2017 and as it works well with the latter OS than it should be supported by Linux in the interest of relevancy. See a highly rated Realtek RTL8812BU USB Wireless Adapter 1200 Mbps with 5 dBi Antenna Dual Band AC1200 here, which actually lists Linux as supporting it (and Vista thru Windows 110) . Likewise this USB Wireless Adapter 600Mbps Realtek RTL8811CU lists lists Linux as supporting it, so I do not know why none of the distros I have tried even show mine as detected.
"Combined with the fact that your adapter's maker doesn't appear to make a driver for it should tell you its incompatible with Linux. I don't understand why you're complaining if you have a piece of hardware that you know isn't compatible with Linux?"
Rather, if you are going to promote a OS as desktop ready - including for older PCs as it often is - then it ought to do what the competition does out of the box for a very common essential hardware device. And while it appears there are drivers for these adapters (one of the adapters listed above has them on a CD) yet since Linux does not even show them as detected in its very sparse Device manager, then it already is behind its rival out of the box. That said, for the other speedy PC I installed Mint on, I did find a USB wireless adapter that it did detect and configure.
Fair point.
and the RTL8812BU Software is for 32bit/64bit Windows7, Windows8.1, Windows10 from 2017 and as it works well with the latter OS than it should be supported by Linux in the interest of relevancy.
"In the interest of relevancy" is pretty subjective and your opinion.
Likewise this USB Wireless Adapter 600Mbps Realtek RTL8811CU lists lists Linux as supporting it, so I do not know why none of the distros I have tried even show mine as detected.
Probably because not everything is "plug and play" in Linux. Saying a Realtek RTL8811CU based adapter is supported in Linux may also mean the end consumer will need to download the code for it, run some simple commands to compile it and then make it available to the OS.
Based on the Realtek RTL8811CU adapter you have, I located those instructions for you. They seem fairly simple to me with the commands needed to run included along with the output expected.
Good luck!
Very true. My objection is to the blithe response to every Windows thread to "just install Linux" as that would typically be the solution.
"If you're an end user who wants to plug in a device and have it "just work" chances are you're buying a Mac."
When you determine what hardware components are in$talled then it prevents a lot of issues, but that does not make it a more workable solution in costs.
"If you're an end user who needs to use software that's primarily Microsoft based and have a relatively recent computer and peripherals, then you're going to go Windows. It actually does a pretty decent job keeping most hardware drivers up to date with the most current OS though there are times hardware will stop working because that device's manufacturer stopped supporting the device and creating drivers for it. (I have a printer and webcam that fit into this category.)"
And my old LIDE USB scanner!
"BTW, the Canon Printer and Logitech USB Webcam above that Windows no longer supports as of Win10 are perfectly supported and functional on my Ubuntu Linux 21.04 desktop. Go figure."
And Mint automatically detected and enabled printing to our Brother L2395 laser printer without me doing anything, to my glad supprise.
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