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Microsoft released a new preview build of the successor to this spring’s Windows 10 April 2018 Update, code-named Redstone 5. Although it introduces a new base container image and contains several new security and data privacy enhancements, the latest build is also notable for what it lacks.
Sets, new interface functionality that organizes apps into a single window using a browser-like tabbed interface for smoother Windows 10 multitasking
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has been removed from build 17704 for testers who were selected to evaluate the feature while the company focuses on refining it.
“Based on your feedback, some of the things we’re focusing on include improvements to the visual design and continuing to better integrate Office and Microsoft Edge into Sets to enhance workflow,” stated Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar, head of the Windows Insider Program (WIP), and Senior Program Manager Brandon LeBlanc, in a June 27 blog post. “If you have been testing Sets, you will no longer see it as of today’s build; however, Sets will return in a future WIP flight.”
As for the features that did make the cut, they include a new “Block suspicious behaviors” setting. Based on the company’s Windows Defender Exploit Guard technology, it blocks actions from applications or files that may compromise the security of a Windows 10 PC and infect it with ransomware and other types of malware.
Of course, not all users stick to the built-in protections that ship with Windows 10. For improved management of third-party security solutions, Microsoft has added a new section to the operating system’s security settings hub called “Security providers,” wherein users can see the antivirus, firewall and web protection software running on their PCs, access those applications and get information on addressing any issues that may crop up.
Keeping its pledge to be more transparent about the data the company collects on its users, Microsoft has updated the Diagnostic Data Viewer tool, allowing users to view Problem Reports and inspect the information associated with application crashes and other mishaps that trigger a report. Refinements to the interface allow users to quickly access the data filtering and export option.
For developers who have adopted Windows containers, Microsoft has added a third container image dubbed simply Windows, joining Windows Nano Server and Windows Server Core, representing two streamlined implementations of the operating system.
The new Windows base container image includes more software components, making it suitable for applications with API dependencies that are not supported by Nano Server and Server Core. Microsoft has also added improvements that increase the reliability and scalability of containers using group managed service accounts to connect to networked resources.
The Skype for Windows 10 app has been revamped and now features a new layout and “group call canvas” experience that allows users to focus on other call participants by dragging and dropping their avatars from the overflow ribbon to the primary pane. Users can also now capture snapshots during video calls, customize the look and feel of the Skype client with themes and quickly start a screen sharing session with new top-level controls that always remain close at hand.