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Windows 11 is Getting Updated Snipping Tool, Calculator, and Mail Apps (theverge.com) 51

Posted by msmash from the up-next dept.
Microsoft is improving some of the built-in apps available in Windows 11. From a report: Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel can now test new updates to the Snipping Tool, Calculator, Mail, and Calendar apps. Some of the updates are minor, but all are designed to match the new visual style in Windows 11. Microsoft is replacing the classic Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch apps in Windows 11 with a new Snipping Tool app that combines the best features of both apps. The Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut will be the main way to take a screenshot in Windows 11, and it will activate the snipping menu with various options for selecting what content to screenshot.
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Windows 11 is Getting Updated Snipping Tool, Calculator, and Mail Apps More

Windows 11 is Getting Updated Snipping Tool, Calculator, and Mail Apps

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  • The calculator app is so innovative . . . (Score:3)

    by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Thursday August 12, 2021 @02:26PM (#61684971)
    I mean you have not lived until you perform additions in 4K HDR with 3D sound.

    • I mean you have not lived until you perform additions in 4K
      HDR with 3D sound.

      I'd rather have 7.1 sound for the clickety clicks of a calculator. Imagine the subwoofer pounding...

      • My Tandy 1500 lap crusher has nice clicky keys with no sound.

      • Can we get a Stargate sound theme?
        You know: Big stone blocks to move and push and stuff. :)
        And truth values should be "Shova!" and "Indeed!".

    • I haven't seen 3D sound support yet, but feel free to fork and add it if you need. https://github.com/Microsoft/c... [github.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by MrL0G1C ( 867445 )

      Yeah but, if sound is just 3D then doesn't that mean it doesn't change over time, doesn't sound good to me.

    • Wait, is the calculator UI now EVEN BIGGER THAN BEFORE?
      I need buttons that take up 1/12 of the screen each for it to be really improved.
      4k doesn't really help me when the buttons are all grey text on a plain white static background

    • I mean you have not lived until you perform additions in 4K HDR with 3D sound.

      No kidding - do you remember calculator before we had even a good 3rd party winsocket executable? Glad I got fiber, baby!

    • Uum, I think big mathematics suites already got all that. ;)

      But... shameless plug: For anything short of going full mathematics suite, Qalculate! is the best calculator out there, ever.
      The key feature is probably that you not only have a way to enter formulas and have a history and stuff, but that you get menus where you can easily browse them too! With full unit support. And a load of modes.
      The best part is that, other than what a scripting language would provide, you get features like entering equations a

      • And how much is "big mathematics" paying you for your shameless plug? Or is it to attract all those supermodels in big mathematics? :P
      • Huge thanks for the tip, was getting frustrated with the Gnome Calculator since it no longer can parse numbers with spaces so was in dire need of a better solution.

    • I mean you have not lived until you perform additions in 4K HDR with 3D sound.

      I disagree. You have not lived until you can't run the calculator because the modern app cache has become inexplicably corrupt and a slew of PowerShell commands are required to fix it, only they don't work unless you have local admin rights, even if it's just to fix your single user account.

      I am thoroughly annoyed by the migration of simple, formerly reliable things like... the Start Button into UWP packages that don't always work. Some fundamentals really should be Calc.exe, thank you very much. Havin

  • Meh (Score:5, Insightful)

    by DarkRookie2 ( 5551422 ) on Thursday August 12, 2021 @02:29PM (#61684977)
    Snipping tool is now worse for having that menu button, instead of you know, a gods damn menu. Mail still looks like shit and prolly still only registers a left mouse click. The fake glass effect should've been retired with Win 7. All the more reasons not to uses it at home.

    • Re:Meh (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bugs2squash ( 1132591 ) on Thursday August 12, 2021 @04:11PM (#61685285)

      Every time they go to the next version everything I do seems to need more mouse clicks.

      Want to save-as a file in excel to a new folder ? it no longer seems to want to directly open the file dialog, everything seems to take more input and usually at the most hard to hit parts of the screen. In just a few more versions time I expect it to not only require 4 more mouse movements to small targets at weird parts of the screen, but also steal input focus at random times to thwart any attempts to control the process or build muscle memory.

    • I just use Print Screen or Alt+Print Screen and paste into Gimp for final trimming.
      Works well for me.
      More often than not the snipping tool produces a crappy result for me.

      • Good luck capturing a context menu then. Snipping tool has a nice delay button. Snagit is still nicer as I can make pretty arrows pointing at things I want users to notice in my documentation.
        • Yeah, the delay feature is pretty handy. Hope they don't screw it up.
        • It works for proper Windows apps. Not so much for developers that don't follow guidelines and standards. Remember when a common look and feel was actually a selling point for an OS? Every dev is now a self-proclaimed UX expert.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

          Print Screen and it captures context menus too. Only thing missing is the mouse pointer, but that's not a problem.

    • Mail has been pretty useless for a friend of mine, cos we could not change the server settings. It is so "automated" it always get the wrong info and screws up.

      Wonder if they will have more advanced settings / functionality. If not, it's back to thunderbird my friend goes.

  • How about telling us about what really matters (Score:5, Informative)

    by mykepredko ( 40154 ) on Thursday August 12, 2021 @02:40PM (#61685027) Homepage

    Like:
    - Security enhancements across the board
    - Using apps from previous versions of Windows or even different Operating Systems (ie Linux and OSX)
    - Efficient battery use for laptops
    - Gaming improvements
    - An update process that doesn't cause it's own problems/require updates

    I'm sure there are a lot more that people can come up with but hearing about how the snipping tool and calculator (and mail) are changing doesn't get me excited about Win11.

    • Are you saying the days of multiple stages of updates is over? It was very recent that Windows "updated" and forced to restart. But after logging me out but before actually restarting, it "updated" again. Several times. Then after restarting it needed to "update" again. Then restart. Then "update" again. Is all of that over?

      • I’d love to know what’s happening at the file system level when an update is happening. You can literally instantly Ubuntu from scratch in the time it takes for Windows to do an update and reboot.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Dracos ( 107777 )

      None of that matters in Windows. Windows has always been first and foremost designed to be sold, not used.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jwhyche ( 6192 )

        Windows has always been first and foremost designed to be sold, not used.

        An yet is probably the most used OS in the world. I don't really follow your logic here.

        • ... he says, typing on a Windows with Linux built-in, running on an Intel CPU with Minix built-in, sending the post across a dozen servers running Linux (and Minix probably) to Slashdot, running Linux, then across a dozen more Linux boxes to my Android phone running the Linux kernel too.

          No, Windows is a relic at this point. Indiana Jones is gonna come in to snatch it aaaany time now. :D

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by jwhyche ( 6192 )

            No, Windows is a relic at this point. Indiana Jones is gonna come in to snatch it aaaany time now. :D

            This maybe true to some degree but is even more so for Linux. Linux takes its design from a OS built, Unix, in the 70's, and the basic common desktop, xwindows, built around the same time. So, in many ways Linux is more of a relic than Windows.

            An yet, both OS have found places where they shine. 97% of all computers are running a windows desktop. That is down from 98% a few years ago thanks to the Chromebooks, but it is still a lions share of the desktop user base.

            Linux on the other hand does comman

    • You can do all that by installing Linux. :))

    • Windows 11 isn't going to fix Cyberpunk 2077.

    • Have you considered actually looking for a story that suits your interest rather than expecting every article to cater to every person all at once? The info is out there. Google it. And when you find it post it as a Slashdot story rather than bitching about stories other people post.

      You have the power to make Slashdot what you want. Embrace it.

    • What makes you think they're not actually also doing those things?
      I'm not really a Microsoft fan but they're always improving Windows internals along with the most superficial things (like the ones in TFA).
      One gaming improvement is DirectStorage which is a more efficient way of moving data from the secondary storage (SSD in this case) to the GPU. Though this is just bringing Windows to parity with the latest consoles is a very welcome addition.

      • What makes you think they're not actually also doing those things?

        Simply because in previous lead ups to an OS release, Microsoft touted performance/functionality improvements as the primary reason to upgrade. I don't see that with Win11, instead all I see are changes to the Smart window and trivial changes like announced here.

        Just doing a quick search, I found numerous articles like https://www.laptopmag.com/arti... [laptopmag.com] in which they're touting a new browser (which I guess became Edge), improved multi-tasking, game support, etc.

        I haven't seen anything like this for Wind

  • What about emoticons? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by bb_matt ( 5705262 ) on Thursday August 12, 2021 @02:49PM (#61685067)

    Seriously, no major OS update these days is complete without a whole bunch of new Emoticons - just ask Apple, it works for them!

    That is my major reason for upgrading - "New emoticons, you say! Well, that's better than "dark mode"! Count me in!" /s

    In all seriousness, I'd love a windows release that only has a bunch of shortcut icons on the screen so I can launch games.
    That's the only reason I still have a windows box - and I'm on the cusp of just going Linux for gaming - just need to finish RDR2 first (can't get that sucker to work on Linux).

    With Linux, I can actually achieve that goal - boot up a desktop that ONLY has what I need. And if that means it just has a bunch of icons that start the games I play, oh man, that is just heaven.

    Almost there... then goodbye windows forever...

    • Thank you for saying "emoticons".
      A last bastion of sanity.
      "Emoji" is a subset of "emoticons".
      Saying it is like calling the sun "sol" because one is such superior, much snob, wow. ;)

      And interestingly enough, the CISC character set of emoticons are actually a better system than memorizing a shitton of words in a RISC character set for my visual brain. (Like, if Chinese characters actually looked like what they meant. ^^)
      Tell that to the people who say they "hate emojis". ;)

      • Emoticons are built with text. Like this happy face :-)
        Emoji are an abomination in the eyes of God thy Lord and those who use it shall forever burn in the lake of fire. :-(

    • I used to think one advantage Windows had over Linux was the existence of a single UI: Only one way to do things (not counting command line equivalents), easier to help other people, etc. ....but that was because I liked that UI (Up until Windows 7).
      From Windows 8 on I'd actually like being able to have more than one UI so that I could use something similar to a classic one. I know there're substitutes for the start menu but I'd really like the whole UI to go in another direction

  • Came here to post sarcastic "Big Whoop!" (Score:3)

    by marcle ( 1575627 ) on Thursday August 12, 2021 @03:09PM (#61685133)

    But I see that's already been covered.

  • If only Apple had gone to OS 11 before Microsoft did. Now they get to use it as a marketing slogan [youtu.be].

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Merk42 ( 1906718 )

      If only Apple had gone to OS 11 before Microsoft did. Now they get to use it as a marketing slogan [youtu.be].

      Apple did go to (mac)OS 11 before Microsoft did. macOS Big Sur, which released on November 12, 2020, is macOS 11.

  • Operating systems are officially finished.
    (Probably were for a long time.)
    (And such tools are definitely not included in the definition of an OS in the first place anyway.)

  • Windows 11 the OS for (Score:4, Insightful)

    by oldgraybeard ( 2939809 ) on Thursday August 12, 2021 @04:42PM (#61685399)
    the new American work force, no reading, writing or math required.

  • How is this minutia news?

    A revised email app? Wow! Sign me up NOW!

  • I've been using the same combination of hot keys and tools for decades (with a few extra modifiers for RDP and ICA clients). The only thing I really want out of a snip tool is control highlighting and capture, similar to Spy++ and other tools but for bitmaps.

  • When innovation did slip from "new features" to "look ! a new color for a calculator nobody uses" ?!

    The Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut ... like there's not a dedicated key for this.
    As if "edit your keyboard shortcuts" was such a hard feature to add.

    In the meantime, Twitter "news" is all about a new font for its UI.

    I really wonder. Do end-user accept this as novelties ? Or do they laugh as I do ? (and die inside a little bit).

    Even Linux world is going this way. New distribs review spend their time braggin

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