Happy Birthday to Windows!
Windows just had its 38th birthday! Windows 1.0 was first released in the States on 20th November 1985. It didn’t appear in Europe until the following year. It introduced the idea of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the mouse, but it still had to run on top of MS-DOS which was a command-line operating system.
Windows 11 – 23H2
This version update to Windows 11, which we mentioned in August and September, was finally released on 31st October. Qualifying hardware running Windows 11 should receive this update automatically, although it is being rolled out gradually, so you may not get it straight away. See this Microsoft announcement:-
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-11-version-23h2-update-history-59875222-b990-4bd9-932f-91a5954de434
AI Everywhere
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around in some form since Alan Turing’s theoretical ideas, but the excitement that seems to have spread everywhere over the last year started with the introduction of generative AI. This technology can produce text, images, audio and video based on a set of information which it analyses. We first discussed this a year ago at the Club in December 2022 just after Open AI (a company based in San Francisco) released ChatGPT – see the blog at:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2022/12/
You can still interact with ChatGPT, using a free account, by going to:-
https://chat.openai.com/
During the year, we have seen Microsoft add AI chat to their search engine, Bing. In any browser, you can go to:-
https://www.bing.com/
and click on the Chat tab at the top.
Alternatively, in the Edge browser, click the new Copilot button at the top right.
You can also install the Bing app on your mobile device and tap the Chat button.
Google followed Microsoft’s lead and introduced their AI chatbot call Bard which you can access at:-
https://bard.google.com
On mobile devices, you can use the Bard app.
For example, I asked ChatGPT to generate a limerick about the Computer Club – this was one of its responses:-
In a club where tech trends would be seen,
Gathered folks with their gadgets so keen.
Each month they would meet,
On devices, a feat,
Spreading cheer through the digital screen!
In April, we mentioned ChatPDF, which allows you to upload a PDF document and then ask questions based on its content. The free service has limitations, but you can access it here:-
https://www.chatpdf.com/
You have probably noticed that AI has become a significant news topic over the year. In March, Bill Gates wrote a blog comparing the impact of AI to that of the Graphical User Interface in 1880:-
https://www.gatesnotes.com/The-Age-of-AI-Has-Begun
Others have compared the AI revolution to the introduction of the Internet:-
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/qc1x9jcho
ChatGPT Voice on Mobile
OpenAI have now produced an app for your mobile device (iOS or Android) - you can download the free ChatGPT app from the App Store. You will need a ChatGPT account, but this is also free. If you have already tried ChatGPT on your PC as described above, you can use the same account.
Once you have signed in, you can type your message or tap the Headphones icon, wait for it to display “Listening” and then speak. ChatGPT will respond (using 1 of 5 possible voices which you can select) and you can hold a conversation. It uses ChatGPT-3 which was based on training data up to January 2022, so you cannot get information on more recent events – but then, it is free!
As a demonstration, I asked the following 3 questions, verbally and we listened to the audio response. You can use the app and repeat this demo or try other voice prompts:-
Give me a brief summary of the history and development of AI technology.
Who were the key people involved in the development of AI?
Tell me more about Alan Turing.
You can read more about ChatGPT Voice and how to use it on this GHacks site:-
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/11/23/we-take-a-closer-look-at-how-chatgpt-voice-works-on-ios-and-android/
Copilot
Copilot, the new AI assistant, is probably the most significant new feature in the 23H2 update to Windows 11, although it is not clear whether (all) UK users will receive this yet. You may see a new icon next to the Start Button on the Taskbar as shown here:-
You will also find the Copilot icon at the top right of the Edge browser, replacing the Bing button which was previously there. Both operate in a similar way. Information will be found using the Bing search engine. Copilot uses generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create stories, poems, summaries or even computer code.
If you just want to do a simple search, you can still use Bing by going to bing.com, or searching from the Address Bar if you have set Bing as the default search engine in your browser.
Although Microsoft said that no more features would be added to Windows 10, they are updating it to include Copilot. They really want all Windows users to have easy access to Copilot. See this ArsTechnica article:-
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/11/microsoft-is-revisiting-windows-10-by-backporting-the-copilot-ai-assistant/
RCS Support Coming To iMessage
You may remember that we discussed Text Messaging at the Club in October – see the blog at:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2023/10/
We mentioned that the older SMS/MMS technology was being gradually replaced on Android devices by RCS (Rich Communication Services). This gives the benefits of end-to-end encryption, typing indicators and message receipts. Apple use their own proprietary system called iMessage which provides similar benefits. Currently, iMessage does not support RCS, so messages from an Android phone to an iPhone are reduced to SMS/MMS and appear on the iPhone as a green bubble instead of iMessage’s blue bubbles.
However, Apple have recently announced that they will add support for RCS to iOS next year – probably when iOS 18 is release in Autumn. This will improve messaging between Android and iOS devices giving encryption, typing indication, group messaging, etc.
Apple will probably still give some indication that you are messaging with RCS, rather than another iMessage user – this will probably still be a green bubble, unless they introduce a third colour for RCS.
See this GHacks article from 17th November for more:-
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/11/17/apple-to-add-support-for-rcs-in-ios-next-year/
Word & Excel on Mobile
Word and Excel apps are available to install on your mobile device(s) free of charge from the app store. On smaller screens up to 10.1 inches, these apps will work without any payment to Microsoft. You will need a Microsoft Account (i.e. a logon) which is free and gives you 5GB of OneDrive storage. However, on larger screen devices, while you will be able to open and view documents or spreadsheets, you cannot save any changes or create new files. For full functionality on these devices, you will need to subscribe to Microsoft 365. Essentially, there are 2 price plans:-
- Personal for £59.99 pa.
- Family for £79.99 pa.
The Family package can be used by up to 6 users, each having 1TB of OneDrive storage and each user being able to use apps on up to 5 devices (mobile, PCs and Macs). For more details or to purchase a subscription, go to:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products
If you have, say Excel, on several devices and save your spreadsheets to OneDrive, then you can access them on any of those devices.
In addition to Word and Excel, the following Microsoft apps are also available and can be downloaded on mobile devices from the app store:-
PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, Edge, Bing, Phone Link, Microsoft Lens, Yammer, Teams and Stream. There is also a Microsoft 365 app which can be used to link to any of the other apps mentioned previously.
I should also have mentioned that you can use apps such as Word and Excel completely free on a PC, Mac or Linux machine in any web browser by going to:-
https://www.office.com/
You will need to sign in with a Microsoft Account, but you do NOT need to pay the Microsoft 365 subscription. These web-based apps have less features than the fully installed versions (e.g. of Word) which you have to pay for, but they are probably adequate for many people's needs. I would recommend trying the free versions of the Microsoft apps, either the web apps or mobile apps, and see if they meet your needs before paying the M365 subscription.
iPad Not Printing
Tony had an issue where his iPad was not printing to his wireless printer, yet he can print from his iPhone. The iPad 'sees' the printer but nothing happens when he taps it. I can't think of a reason for this, and suggested rebooting the iPad and trying again.
Microsoft File Formats
Microsoft introduced new file formats in Office 2007. So, the file extension for Word files became ".docx" instead of ".doc" and for Excel files it became ".xlsx" instead of ".xls". Older software, e.g. Office 2003, cannot open the newer versions ending in x.
Cancelling iCloud Storage Plan
By paying 99p per month to Apple, you increase your iCloud storage from 5GB to 50GB. If you subsequently want to cancel your subscription plan and revert to the free 5GB, this Apple support page explains how:-
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207594
Note that it does advise you to first download or remove content that exceeds the new storage amount to avoid loss of information.
Next Session
Wed 10th January 2024 at 2pm by Zoom
