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Microsoft is again nagging Windows 10 users to buy a new machine – a Copilot+ PC to be precise, for the ‘ultimate Windows 11 experience’

Windows 10 users are being hit with a full-screen nag telling them to ‘level up’ and upgrade to Windows 11 on a Copilot+ PC.

New ad suggests Windows 10 users buy a Copilot+ PCThis is part of a raft of full-screen adverts pushing Windows 11 upgradesExpect the nagging to intensify next year, sadly

Windows 10 users are receiving a new advert prompting them not just to upgrade to Windows 11, but to get that OS on a new PC – specifically a Copilot+ PC.

By now, those with a Windows 10 computer are used to being encouraged to upgrade to Windows 11 (assuming their device is up to the hardware requirements) with full-screen pop-ups informing them about support for the older OS running out next year.

This has taken a fresh twist, however, with a new full-screen advert that Windows Latest noticed on one of its Windows 10 PCs (and a virtual machine running the older operating system).

In this effort, Microsoft is specifically pushing Windows 10 users to “do more with a Windows 11 PC,” referring to buying a new one, and that for the “ultimate Windows 11 experience” you should purchase a Copilot+ PC.

Microsoft confirmed to Windows Latest that it’s pushing a bunch of Windows 11 upgrade adverts in this full-screen, in-your-face style, and that the features offered with a Copilot+ PC – which has additional AI functionality exclusive to these devices – are also part of the persuasion tactics employed here.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Analysis: Glossing over some major issues

As noted, this is part of a broad campaign to get Windows 10 users upgrading to Windows 11 on a compatible PC, and we’ve seen a fair few of these messages on our older Windows 10 computer throughout this year. In fact, we’ve lost count of the number of times this has happened, but we haven’t seen an ad pushing Copilot+ PCs – not yet anyway. Doubtless as 2025 rolls onwards, we’ll be seeing even more of this kind of badgering from Microsoft.

Buying a new PC is an idea Microsoft has been pushing elsewhere for those whose machine isn’t compatible with Windows 11’s hardware requirements – likely due to a lack of TPM, or having an older processor. However, as we’ve discussed in the recent past, this glosses over some truly worrying issues about a ton of old PCs heading to the scrapheap when Windows 10 hits End of Life in October 2025.

You won’t see a full-screen Windows 10 pop-up about a potential looming environmental disaster, as flagged up by multiple third-parties in the past year or two, that’s for sure.

One concession Microsoft has made, this time around on the OS merry-go-round, is that consumers can finally purchase extended support with Windows 10, albeit only for a year, effectively granting a stay of execution until October 2026 – which is at least something.

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Marvel gives exciting update about the MCU’s future after Avengers: Secret Wars, and it’ll be all about the X-Men: ‘It really leads us into a new age of mutants’

Kevin Feige has strongly implied that the X-Men will lead the MCU into a new era after Avengers: Secret Wars.

Marvel has given fans an exciting glimpse into its post-Avengers: Secret Wars plansThe comic titan will build its future around the X-Men, according to boss Kevin FeigeVarious mutants will appear in movies before the Multiversa Saga ends, too

The Marvel Multiverse Saga isn’t over yet, but the comic giant’s boss Kevin Feige has provided an exciting insight into its post-Avengers: Secret Wars plans.

Speaking, albeit virtually, at the opening of Disney’s APAC Content Showcase in Singapore (per Deadline), Feige revealed that the next stage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will be built around the X-Men. Cue fans, myself included, of the iconic mutant superhero group punching the air in unison.

That’s not the only exciting news that Feige had for the assembled crowd. Marvel’s creative chief also dropped a huge hint that we’ll see numerous mutants appear in MCU movies before Secret Wars – the Marvel Phase 6 film that’ll wrap up the Multiverse Saga’s story in May 2027.

X-Men 97 proved how popular the mutant superteam is among Marvel diehards and casual fans alike (Image credit: Marvel Animation)

“I think you will see that [bringing the X-Men to the MCU] continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize,” Feige teased. “Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”

The X-Men’s arrival has been a long time coming in the MCU. The superteam’s rights were previously held by 20th Century Fox, which meant Marvel couldn’t use any mutant characters in the MCU for over two decades. However, with Marvel regaining the rights to the X-Men when Disney bought Fox in March 2019, the studio has slowly been integrating one of its most famous supergroups into its cinematic juggernaut via various Marvel Phase 4 and Marvel Phase 5 projects.

From Disney Plus shows like Ms Marvel and X-Men 97, to films including Deadpool and Wolverine, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and The Marvels, the mutants have been systematically peppered throughout the MCU in recent times. With the next two Avengers movies expected to be a multi-franchise celebration of every Marvel superhero we’ve seen over the past 25 years, you should expect lots of legacy characters to show up before the new era of the mutants begins, too.

‘I’m very excited for the future of the Fantastic Four’

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will finally introduce Marvel’s First Family to the MCU (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The X-Men aren’t the only superteam that Feige is enthusiastic about bringing to the MCU. Like the X-Men, The Fantastic Four haven’t shown up in Marvel’s hugely popular franchise, either, because their rights were also held by Fox until five years ago.

Marvel’s First Family, though, will finally make their MCU debut next year, with a standalone film titled The Fantastic Four: First Steps set to arrive in theaters on July 25. According to Feige, the iconic quartet will be an integral part of not only Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but also the future of the MCU.

“Finally, [we’re] bringing Marvel’s First Family into the MCU,” Feige said. “They wrap next week, the movie comes out next summer, and then all those characters go right into the next Avengers movies, so I’m very excited for the future of the Fantastic Four.”

After a turbulent period for Marvel Studios, things are starting to look like they’re on the up again. Indeed, following the delay of numerous projects due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, the firing of key actors like Jonathan Majors, and inconsistent quality control that’s led to occasional diminishing box office returns and a downturn in audience enthusiasm, Marvel has come in for its fair share of criticism over the last few years. The comic giant will hope, then, that better days lie ahead once more, especially with the X-Men and The Fantastic Four’s arrival.

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Your Apple Watch will soon get a new award to keep you active through the holidays

A new Apple Watch award recognizes your ability to close your rings over the months and years.

Apple will soon introduce a new award for Apple Watch users in iOS 18.2This recognizes people who consistently close their activity ringsThere are awards for 100, 365, 500, and 1,000 days and higher

The holiday period is traditionally a time for rest and relaxation at the end of a long year, but if you’ve got one of the best Apple Watches and love to hit your activity goals every day, that’s not always the case. Now, Apple is set to reward your dedication to health with a new set of rewards that recognize long-term achievements.

As spotted by Mohammad Aldarawish on X (via MacRumors), in the forthcoming iOS 18.2 update, Apple is adding a new series of Apple Watch awards titled “All Rings Closed”. These are dished out when you close all three rings on your Apple Watch (those for movement, exercise and standing) on consecutive days, motivating you to keep pushing and maintain your streak.

The All Rings Closed awards mark 100, 365, 500, and 1,000 days. After 1,000 days, you’ll receive an All Rings Closed accolade for every subsequent 250 days that you close your rings, starting at 1,250 days.

You can earn these awards retroactively, so if you’ve been closing your rings every day for the 3,500 or so days it’s been since the first Apple Watch launched, your effort will be duly recognized. iOS 18.2 is expected to land in mid-December, potentially on December 9, so the feature could land just in time for you to create a streak through the holidays.

Maintaining your streak

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple frequently adds new awards to the Apple Watch to mark certain events, holidays and activities. You could earn a special badge for working out on August 25 to commemorate America’s National Parks, for example, while a mindfulness practice on October 10 would score you a Mental Health Awareness Day award.

At the same time, Apple has adjusted its approach in watchOS 11 by enabling you to take a day off and still maintain your streak, which is ideal if you are injured, tired, on vacation, or otherwise unable to be active.

The company also introduced a new feature that lets you set different activity goals on different days of the week, giving you more flexibility and ensuring the Apple Watch adapts to your life, not the other way around.

Put together, that all means there’s plenty of motivation to continue your streak thanks to the new awards, while you also get the freedom to tweak your goals as required. That should bode well going into the holiday period.

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Hospital cyberattack exposes data on nearly a million patients

Electronic patient record software account was compromised and used to steal sensitive data.

A hacker advertised access to a number of French healthcare organizationsA few hours later, they tried selling sensitive data grabbed from some of themMore than 750,000 people were apparently exposed

A cyberattack against a French hospital has resulted in the theft of sensitive data on almost a million patients.

A threat actor with the alias near2tlg took to the infamous hacking community BreachForums to offer access to “multiple establishments”, including Centre Luxembourg, Clinique Alleray-Labrouste, and a couple of others.

They claimed that the offering granted access to sensitive data belonging to 1.5 million people, including patient records, billing, and other data.

Compromised account

Two hours later, the same actor posted a new thread, selling “French hospital data”. The compromised information allegedly included people’s names, dates of birth, gender, postal addresses, cities, postal codes, phone numbers, and email addresses. Furthermore, the archive contained information on attending physicians, prescriptions, death declarations, and more. They said that 758,912 users were affected, and that the breach was done through Mediboard.

Mediboard is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) solution, developed by Softway Medical Group. The company confirmed the breach to local media, but stressed that the attack did not come as a result of a vulnerability, but rather as a result of stolen credentials.

“We want to emphasize that the affected health data were not hosted by Softway Medical Group,” they said.

In a statement to BleepingComputer, the company said that the compromised account had elevated privileges: “We can confirm that our software is not responsible, but rather, a privileged account within the client’s infrastructure was compromised by an individual who exploited the standard functions of the solution.”

“This hypothesis has been substantiated. It is therefore neither due to improper implementation of the software nor human error.”

At press time, there were no confirmed buyers, but healthcare information is usually highly regarded among cybercriminals. They can use it for a wide variety of crime, from phishing, to identity theft, wire fraud, and more.

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now stream “select” games they own via Cloud Gaming, including titles not on Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can now play “select” games they own via Cloud Gaming.

Microsoft has finally released its “Stream your own game” feature on Xbox for Game Pass Ultimate for membersThis will allow Ultimate subscribers to stream select games on the cloudThe feature was announced back in 2019

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can now play “select” games they own via cloud streaming

Microsoft announced this feature in 2019 and was initially supposed to launch alongside Xbox Cloud Gaming, so it’s been a long time coming. The most recent update came in October from The Verge, which reported that the company was preparing to test the new update as part of a project called “Project Lapland” where it will expand its Game Pass Ultimate offering.

The publication also claimed that the work had been “complicated by having to prepare key infrastructure for thousands of games, instead of the hundreds that currently exist on Xbox Game Pass.”

Now that the feature is finally here, players subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate can stream select cloud-playable games they own on various devices, even if they’re not included in the service.

This includes Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV devices, the Meta Quest, and other browser-supported devices like PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

Microsoft has released the list of 50 available games that are available to stream, and it includes some of the biggest titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Balatro, Final Fantasy 14 Online, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and more.

The company has confirmed that this list will continue to grow as it works with more studios. You can take a look at the full list below.

The 50 games available to cloud stream:

Animal Well Assassin’s Creed Mirage Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Balatro Baldur’s Gate 3 Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) The Casting of Frank Stone Cyberpunk 2077 Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake DredgeDying Light 2 Stay Human Farming Simulator 25 Fear the Spotlight Final Fantasy XIV Online Final FantasyFinal Fantasy II Final Fantasy III Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy VI Hades Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions  High On Life Hitman World of Assassination Hogwarts Legacy House Flipper 2 Kena: Bridge of Spirits Lego Harry Potter Collection Life is Strange: Double Exposure Metro Exodus Mortal Kombat 1 NBA 2K25 PGA Tour 2K23 Phasmophobia Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Rust Console Edition 7 Days to Die Star Wars OutlawsStray The Crew Motorfest The Outlast Trials The Plucky Squire The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 TopSpin 2K25 UndertaleVisions of Mana Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 WWE 2K24  

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The PlayStation Black Friday deals are headlined by 30% off PS Plus and the one deal we’ve always wanted – a massive 40% off PSVR 2

PlayStation’s Black Friday sale includes 30% off PS Plus and a massive 40% off PSVR 2.

PlayStation has officially announced its Black Friday 2024 sales, deals, and discountsThey begin tomorrow (November 22) and end on Cyber MondayThere will be big discounts for PSVR 2, DualSense controllers, PS Plus, and more

PlayStation’s official Black Friday sales are starting soon, and it’s arguably the company’s best yet especially if you’re in the market for a certain VR headset.

Announced via the official PlayStation Blog, its Black Friday sales kick off tomorrow (November 22) and will last all the way up to Cyber Monday on December 2. They’ll include a wide range of savings on hardware, software, and even PS Plus subscription time. The deals also seem to line up with a Dealabs post from reliable leaker billbil-kun which went up a few days ago.

The bulk of hardware deals will be available to browse and purchase at PlayStation Direct and a number of participating retailers. That’ll likely include Amazon as well as Best Buy and Walmart in the US as well as Argos and potentially Currys in the UK.

Undoubtedly the headline discount here is for PSVR 2, which the blog post confirms will receive up to a massive 40% off. If that includes the Horizon: Call of the Mountain bundle then it’ll be unmissable for PlayStation stalwarts who’ve yet to pick up the headset for themselves.

There’s also going to be up to 25% off DualSense Wireless Controller colorways, the PlayStation Pulse Elite headset, Pulse Explore buds, and even PS5 console covers. Naturally, the PlayStation Store on console will also host a tirade of excellent savings on video games. It’ll likely be the best time of year to purchase some of the best PS5 games for much, much less.

PS Plus is also set to receive a huge 30% discount on 12-month memberships – massive news for anyone who’s wanted to get into that Premium tier for less. Existing members can also save up to 30% when upgrading their PS Plus tier from Essential to Extra, or Extra to Premium.

At TechRadar Gaming, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the best Black Friday PS5 deals and Black Friday PS5 Pro deals as they happen. We have a feeling that PSVR 2 will absolutely fly off the shelves now that it’ll be available at a significantly reduced price. So be sure to keep PlayStation Direct and your favorite retailers bookmarked if you want to get your hands on one.

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A pragmatic approach to generative AI

Unlocking generative AI’s true potential requires an engineering mindset and a focus on real value.

Eighteen months into the generative AI boom, some may wonder if the shine is wearing off. In April, Axios called gen AI a “solution in search of a problem.” A month later, a Gartner survey across the U.S., U.K. and Germany found that about half of all respondents expressed difficulty assessing AI’s organizational value despite generative solutions being the No. 1 form of deployment. Meanwhile, Apple and Meta are reportedly withholding key AI features from Europe over compliance concerns.

Between the regulatory hangups and ROI questions, it’s tempting to wonder whether generative AI may turn out to be the tech industry’s latest bauble– more NFT than Netflix, if you will. But the problem isn’t the technology; it’s the mindset. What we need is an alternative approach.

Not all AI is the same. We have a bandwagon problem with companies jumping on the AI train, particularly for generative use cases. Practitioners will only unlock the true potential of AI – including generative applications – when they prioritize an engineering-first mindset and cultivate the expertise to add domain knowledge. Then, and only then, can we build a roadmap for concrete, long-term value.

Not all AI is the same

Broadly speaking, Enterprise AI splits into generative and analytical applications. Generative has received all the recent attention thanks to its uncanny ability to create written content, computer code, realistic images, and even video in response to user prompts. AI for analytics meanwhile, has been commercialized for far longer. It’s the AI that enterprises use to help run operations, drawing trends and informing decisions based on large pools of data.

Analytical and generative AI can overlap, of course. Within a given stack, you might find all sorts of integrated usages – a generative solution on the front end, for example, that surfaces ‘traditional’ AI-powered analytics to provide data visualization for the answer. Still, the two sides are fundamentally different. Analytics AI helps you operate. It’s reactive. Generative AI helps you create. It’s proactive.

Too many stakeholders gloss over this bifurcation, but it matters in the all-important value conversation. AI-powered analytics have long proven their ROI. They make sense of how we assemble data, and the outputs – from customer segmentation to predictive maintenance to supply-chain optimization – drive well-established value.

Generative AI? That’s a different ballgame. We see lots of experimentation and capex, but not necessarily commensurate output. A firm’s engineers might be 30% more effective by using a generative AI tool to write code, for example, but if that doesn’t drive shorter product-to-market cycles or higher net-promoter scores, then it’s difficult to quantify real value. Leaders need to break the value chain into its modular components and ask the hard questions to map generative use cases to real value.

The bandwagon problem

The ROI problem for gen AI is just as much a bandwagon problem, with many stakeholders starting their search for an AI solution with only a generative implementation in mind. Business leaders are trying to force AI – and generative solutions especially – onto problems they don’t have. They’re inventing use cases just to get in the game, often at the urging of their boards, because they don’t want to be left behind.

It’s time to take a step back. Leaders need to remember two things.

First, it’s important to separate the use cases. Is this push for a generative solution best served by an analytical one, either in whole or in part? Often an organization just needs pure-play AI – for fraud detection or risk management, for example – and not a GPT that turns it into the latest prompt wizard.

Second, it’s just as important to integrate AI only where it makes sense. It should solve acute problems that the business can realize value by solving. Otherwise, it represents a solution without a problem. You gave the orchestra drums for an arrangement with no percussion.

Why domain knowledge is key

Bandwagon skeptics who appreciate the nuances of AI can adopt a pragmatic approach that delivers honest value by taking an engineering-first perspective. The biggest problem with AI, whether generative or analytical, is a lack of understanding for the context or business domain that practitioners are working in.

You can generate a block of code, but without an understanding of where that code fits, you can’t solve any challenges. Consider an analogy: An enterprise might have let an AI model onto its street, but the engineers know the neighborhood. The firm needs to invest significant resources into training its latest resident. After all, it’s there to solve an acute problem, not to just go knocking on every door.

Done correctly, generative models can deliver substantive long-term value. AI can generate code against considerable requirements and context – guardrails built as part of a broader investment in domain knowledge – while engineers have the context to tweak and debug the outputs. It can accelerate productivity, make practitioners’ jobs easier and, if clearly mapped to the value chain, drive quantifiable ROI.

That’s why it’s essential to have the discipline to invest in this domain knowledge from the outset. Leaders need to build that into any AI investment plan if they want useful, long-term results. Sacrificing depth for speed can drive patchy solutions that don’t ultimately help, or only help for a short amount of time. Those who want AI for the long haul need to invest the effort to build context from the bottom up.

A roadmap for discipline

For business leaders, the roadmap to value-driven AI starts by asking the right question: What problem in my enterprise do I really need AI to solve? Disciplined practitioners bring an engineering mindset that asks the right questions, considers deeper problems and seeks targeted solutions from the very start. Done right, analytical or generative AI can accelerate a team’s effectiveness by removing the mundane, boring parts of their roles. But the generative intelligence must have proper guidelines and industry-specific training, lest the implementations stray from their lanes.

Approached this way, gen AI won’t go the way of the metaverse. Its primitive beginnings can mature from superficial use cases to actual value because enterprises invested the resources to build context. If not, the cost of failure is already becoming clear. Firms will pile up additional computing, storage and network costs, only to find that they haven’t delivered any determinable cost savings or revenue gains.

But for those who adopt an engineering mindset and don’t take shortcuts, this alternative approach can indeed deliver. A pragmatic approach to AI starts by asking the right questions and committing to an investment of domain knowledge. It ends with targeted solutions that deliver quantifiable long-term value.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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Why VMWare’s legacy strengths no longer justify its modern complexities

It may be time to start looking for VMWare replacements in your environment

While VMware has long been a cornerstone in IT infrastructure, it’s increasingly clear that it comes with several challenges we can’t afford to overlook. Let’s start with the financial implications. VMware’s licensing costs and subscription fees are significant, to say the least, and the complexity of its licensing structure doesn’t help. It often feels like navigating a maze to find the right package, and the recurring maintenance costs only add to the burden. Then there’s the issue of vendor lock-in. When we commit to VMware, we’re committing to its entire ecosystem, which limits our flexibility. As multi-cloud strategies and open source solutions become more prevalent, the risk of being boxed in by a single provider’s roadmap grows. The dependency is real, and so is the challenge of migrating to other platforms—it’s complex and expensive.

From a performance standpoint, VMware’s architecture is beginning to show its age. It may not be the best fit for modern cloud-native workloads like containerized environments or latency-sensitive applications such as AI. The overhead and scalability constraints inherent in VMware’s setup mean that we’re not always optimizing every byte of memory or every watt of power, which is a concern in today’s performance-driven world. Additionally, when we consider innovation, we must acknowledge that VMware, despite its dominance, has lagged in adopting new technologies such as edge computing, containerization, and advanced AI automation. It feels like the market is moving faster than VMware’s ability to keep pace.

Risk of exposure

Operationally, VMware introduces meaningful complexity. Managing and maintaining its environment often requires highly specialized skills, and the ecosystem’s fragmentation—where each product has its own management interface—can lead to unnecessary administrative overhead. Version updates require operators to maintain elaborate dependency graphs and matrix diagrams to ensure changes to one part of the system don’t crash another. This complexity also extends to security. VMware has faced its share of vulnerabilities, and slow patch deployment increases the risk of exposure. Integrating third-party cybersecurity tools isn’t always straightforward, which leaves us with systems that aren’t as secure as they need to be in an era where cyber threats are at an all-time high. We’re faced with swallowing the bitter pill of potential downtime from exposure or potential downtime from installing the patch to fix the exposure.

The lack of a cloud-native focus is another concern. VMware’s traditional VM-centric architecture feels misaligned with modern cloud-native and DevOps approaches, where containers, microservices, and automation are the driving forces. While VMware offers solutions like Tanzu, they aren’t as efficient or deeply integrated as competitors built from the ground up for these purposes. This disconnect also complicates multi-cloud strategies—despite VMware’s efforts, achieving true flexibility and integration across different cloud platforms remains challenging. For the undetermined future, “legacy” software will remain in our data centers; this is a given. However, the reality is we need the best of both worlds: the ability to administer, secure, and scale these older workloads while designing, developing, and implementing more resilient cloud-native solutions, pushing availability and recovery into the application layer.

Problematic deployment

Deployment and scalability can also be problematic. VMware deployments can take significant time and effort, and scaling often demands precise planning and excessive hardware investments—something cloud-native platforms handle with much more flexibility. It’s particularly challenging to manage dynamic, ephemeral workloads in a VMware environment, which is at odds with modern IT practices where agility is key. Energy efficiency is another factor; VMware environments are not always optimized for power use, leading to increased operational costs, especially in large data centers.

Migration paths away from VMware can be costly and complex, further enforcing the sense of being locked into its ecosystem. Smaller implementations (tens to hundreds of VMs) aren’t incredibly difficult to move, but when you’re looking at moving thousands of VMs, all with interconnected dependencies across applications and hardware, mapping these to a new platform is what horror movies are made from. Even with solutions like Tanzu, VMware’s capabilities for managing containerized environments are fragmented, requiring additional licenses and tools to operate efficiently. This lack of native integration with modern DevOps methodologies, infrastructure-as-code practices, and agile development processes is increasingly apparent. VMware may have been a leader in the past, but as our IT strategies drive towards automation and flexibility, it feels like VMware is struggling to keep pace.

While it’s easy to scrutinize technology decisions, it’s equally important to acknowledge where a solution has excelled, and VMware certainly has its strengths. For years, VMware has been the gold standard in virtualization, providing rock-solid stability and reliability that IT departments have come to depend on. Regardless of the nuances, VMware has paved the way for some foundationally pivotal advancements in technology. vSphere has been instrumental in maximizing hardware utilization, enabling us to run multiple workloads efficiently and securely on a single host. This has not only reduced physical server sprawl but also significantly cut down on data center costs—an area where VMware’s impact has been undeniably positive.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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Google is giving Gemini AI a memory for your favorite things

Google Gemini will is adding a memory for preferences and the ability to redraw human art.

Google is enhancing its AI tools’ memory and artistic abilities, making users’ experiences more personal and imaginative. The first upgrade enables the Gemini AI assistant to store and refer to details about you and what you like and dislike, much like the ChatGPT memory, for similar personal details.

For more creative efforts, Android Authority has found code indicating that the note-taking service Google Keep will soon be able to use AI to turn your scribbles and sketches into professional-looking artwork and even schematics.

You can tell Gemini’s AI about their background, interests, goals, and more. Plus, you can teach Gemini about your interests by asking it to remember during a conversation or through the “Saved Info” page. The page lets you edit and delete details as well. Gemini will even notify you whenever it uses any information on that page.

The feature aims to eliminate repetitive explanations if you want Gemini’s help on a project that lasts more than one conversation. Google suggests that app developers, writers, students, and others could benefit from this streamlining. Currently, the memory feature only works in English, and you need to subscribe to Gemini Advanced through the Google One AI Premium Plan. You can see how it works below.

AI Sketch

The Google Keep artistic aide isn’t out yet, but the uncovered code suggests you’ll be able to upload or directly draw into the app and then ask the AI to “help me draw.” The AI will transform basic sketches into polished artwork in whatever style you might like, including pencil, ink, and even vector drawings.

The AI can essentially differentiate what you draw from what you write and interpret it accordingly. The code also hints at a straight AI image creator specifically for turning text into a visual that might have been sketched into Google Keep. The official rollout date hasn’t been announced, but the state of the code suggests sooner than later.

Despite their obvious differences, both features center on smoothing access and interaction with AI. Gemini, remembering your favorite genres for reading recommendations or Google Keep transforming your doodles into Dali; the features are about shortening the distance between what you want the AI to do for you and accomplishing those goals.

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Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, November 21 (game #1032)

Looking for Quordle clues? We can help. Plus get the answers to Quordle today and past solutions.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #2 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #3 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #4 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you’re not ready yet then here’s one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #5 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• R

• E

• C

• B

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1032) – the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today’s Quordle, game #1032, are…

RABBIEAGERCOUGHBRASH

EAGER is one of those annoying words that always trips me up in Quordle. I see the -AGER pattern and immediately think ‘I need a consonant, then. L for LAGER, P for PAGER or W for WAGER.’ But no, there is a vowel that goes there too, it’s E for EAGER, and I always fail to consider it.

Fortunately the other words here were fairly simple solves for me, although RABBI is a difficult word in isolation; BBI for the final three letters is not common at all (in fact, I don’t think there are any other words that have that format). BRASH might have caused problems depending on which letters you had ruled out (TRASH and CRASH are alternatives), but all told this was a straightforward Quordle.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1032) – the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today’s Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1032, are…

FOISTSERIFSPILTTHOSE

Quordle answers: The past 20

Quordle #1031, Wednesday 20 November: MINTY, TOPAZ, BRUSH, LAPELQuordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST Quordle #1029, Monday 18 November: ASCOT, BRINK, WEIRD, HOMERQuordle #1028, Sunday 17 November: STATE, BRAWN, SWORE, URBANQuordle #1027, Saturday 16 November: NOTCH, BENCH, BUSED, FOUNDQuordle #1026, Friday 15 November: PURER, TRUSS, TORCH, FORUMQuordle #1025, Thursday 14 November: EXALT, TASTE, CRONY, CLOUTQuordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEYQuordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHTQuordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODYQuordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITEQuordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANERQuordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARMQuordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHYQuordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSHQuordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSYQuordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZAQuordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWNQuordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUSTQuordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET

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