As the tech world catches its breath from AI whiplash and retro gaming returns to the PC, Microsoft quietly kills underused tools and tries to double down on what actually works. This episode blends the excitement of tech and entertainment (like Xbox classics landing on Windows 11) with a poignant look back at the life and legacy of legendary columnist John C. Dvorak.

Windows

Five new Insider builds released on Monday; the new Start menu comes to the Beta channel
Experimental (26H1) a day later with no interesting new features
The Whiteboard app is apparently being retired

AI

Microsoft expands partnership with Mistral to improve EU AI infrastructure
Copilot for consumers is losing Podcasts and Deep research features soon
U.S. judge approves Anthropic $1.5 billion settlement with authors it stole from
1Password partners with Anthropic to make AI access to password-protected websites secure
Google renames NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook
Google's next big AI models are delayed, but we got Gemini 3.6 Flash, Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash Cyber to tide us over

XBOX and gaming

Microsoft brings XBOX Backward Compatibility to PC!!
Here comes Halo: Campaign Evolved, along with more Game Pass titles for the end of July
Bethesda announces Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters, and Fallout 5 is entering pre-production
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 in Early Access on August 21, Open Beta on August 27
XBOX July update adds support for longer gamertags, new library customization options, and more
XBOX teams with Meta to bring Game Pass Starter Edition to Meta Horizon+ subscribers
Valve says the component crisis dogging Steam Machine pricing will only get worse

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Windows Package Manager for bulk app installs
App (game) of the week: Doom: The Dark Ages
RunAs Radio this week: Security Begins at Procurement with Jessie Schofer
Brown liquor pick of the week: Loup River Nebraska Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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WW 993: The Columnist Savant - Reflecting on John C. Dvorak's Influence & Impact

Windows Weekly (Audio)

WW 993: The Columnist Savant - Reflecting on John C. Dvorak's Influence & Impact