tables Archives

Winsage

December 3, 2025

2025 – A year in recap

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Windows Accessibility team emphasizes their commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, guided by the principle of “nothing about us without us.” They collaborate with advisory boards from the disability community to enhance product features. Fluid Dictation on Windows allows users to dictate text seamlessly, correcting grammar and punctuation in real time, and operates offline on Copilot+ PCs. Voice Access has been improved to accommodate diverse communication styles, with features like adjustable wait time, a custom word dictionary, flexible command recognition, enhanced speech pattern recognition, and support for Chinese and Japanese. Narrator and Magnifier now feature human-like voices developed with Azure AI, enhancing the user experience with natural conversation nuances. Recent updates to Narrator in Microsoft Word improve navigation and text drafting, with clearer announcements and concise feedback on spelling and grammar. Additional enhancements include a Screen Curtain for privacy, richer image descriptions, and tools for speech recap and live transcription. Users are encouraged to provide feedback to guide further development, and technical assistance is available through the Disability Answer Desk.

Tech Optimizer

December 2, 2025

AWS Transform announces full-stack Windows modernization capabilities

AWS launched AWS Transform for .NET in May, aimed at modernizing .NET applications. In response to user feedback, AWS introduced AWS Transform for full-stack Windows modernization, which streamlines modernization tasks across the Windows application stack. This service enhances modernization efficiency by up to five times and supports migration from .NET Framework to cross-platform .NET and SQL Server to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition. It includes features for validating and testing applications, customizable deployment configurations, and modernizing ASP.NET Web Forms UI to Blazor. AWS Transform connects to source code repositories and database servers to analyze dependencies and create modernization waves. Users can configure database connectors for SQL Server and source code repositories, leading to a wave-based transformation plan. The service generates a SQL Modernization Assessment Report detailing the proposed modernization strategy. The transformation process involves converting SQL Server schema to PostgreSQL, migrating data, transforming .NET application code, and deploying applications for testing. AWS Transform exclusively supports codebases in .NET 6 or later. It also facilitates UI modernization from ASP.NET Web Forms to Blazor, managing the conversion of various project files. Additional features include support for porting to .NET 10 and .NET Standard, an editable transformation report, real-time tracking of transformation progress, and a markdown file outlining remaining tasks post-transformation. AWS Transform for full-stack Windows modernization is available in the US East (N. Virginia) Region, with no additional charges for the features beyond standard resource usage. It supports SQL Server versions from 2008 R2 to 2022 and Entity Framework versions 6.3 to 8.0.

Tech Optimizer

November 30, 2025

Netflix consolidates relational database infrastructure on Amazon Aurora, achieving up to 75% improved performance

Netflix operates a global streaming service using a distributed microservices architecture, with the Online Data Stores (ODS) team managing persistent data store solutions. The ODS team aims to enhance developer productivity and operational efficiency but faced challenges due to a fragmented relational database strategy involving multiple PostgreSQL-compatible engines, leading to operational inefficiencies and increased overhead for both infrastructure and application teams. To address these challenges, Netflix evaluated database solutions based on criteria focused on developer productivity, operational efficiency, performance reliability, and scalability. After thorough evaluation, Netflix selected Aurora PostgreSQL as the preferred database solution for relational workloads. Key reasons for choosing Aurora include its ability to handle single-Region and multi-Region workloads effectively, employing asynchronous storage-based replication for low-latency operations. Aurora's log-based write operations and shared storage architecture provide higher write throughput and lower latency. As a fully managed service, Aurora eliminates the manual operational overhead associated with self-managed databases, allowing developers to leverage existing PostgreSQL expertise with minimal code changes. Post-migration results for applications like Front50 and the Policy Engine showed significant improvements in latency and stability. Front50 experienced a 50% reduction in average latency and a 70% reduction in maximum latency. The Policy Engine noted overall latency improvements across all endpoints, with specific reductions in key functions, enhancing responsiveness and operational efficiency.

Winsage

November 27, 2025

Windows 11 Notepad now lets you create tables like in Microsoft Word, and it’s free

Windows 11’s Notepad now includes table generation capabilities, allowing users to create organized notes and lists. This feature is being rolled out and will be available to all users soon. Notepad previously received an update for rich text formatting, enabling options like bold and italic. The new table feature allows users to easily add tables by clicking a button on the formatting toolbar and selecting the number of columns and rows. Notepad supports Markdown-style tables and offers user-friendly editing options. Performance tests show that the new features do not negatively impact the application's efficiency. Users can disable new features through the Settings menu, including formatting tools and the file recovery feature. Notepad also integrates Microsoft 365 Copilot, which can be turned off in the Settings.

Tech Optimizer

November 27, 2025

How Letta builds production-ready AI agents with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL

AI agents benefit from persistent memory, enabling them to recall past interactions and maintain context, which enhances customer experience in scenarios like customer service. The Letta Developer Platform allows developers to create stateful agents with advanced context management features. It supports self-hosting within a virtual private cloud and uses Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL for long-term memory storage. Aurora PostgreSQL offers capabilities such as efficient similarity searches with the pgvector extension, sub-second query latency, and dynamic storage scaling. Letta operates as a persistent service, allowing agents to function independently and scale horizontally using Kubernetes. The platform supports multi-tenancy and includes enterprise features for security and monitoring. To set up an Aurora Serverless cluster for Letta, users must create a database on Amazon RDS, configure security group access, and install the pgvector extension. Letta connects to Aurora using a PostgreSQL connection string. After establishing the connection, users can create agents, send messages, and view agent states and conversation histories stored in Aurora. Letta organizes data in 42 tables, including those for agents, messages, and memory blocks. Users can explore the database schema and examine the structure of stored messages and embeddings. Finally, it is recommended to delete the Aurora cluster and associated resources after completing the integration to avoid charges.

Winsage

November 26, 2025

Windows: Notepad gets tables and streaming AI

Microsoft is updating its Notepad editor to version 11.2510.6.0, introducing native support for Markdown tables and enhanced AI functions through streaming technology. The new features include the ability to insert tables via a toolbar button or Markdown syntax, and AI functions such as Write, Rewrite, and Summarize that generate results word by word. The Rewrite function currently supports streaming only on Copilot+ PCs, and a Microsoft account is required to access the AI functions. The update is available to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, with no timeline for broader release. Users can disable the new features in settings or revert to older versions of Notepad if desired.

Winsage

November 26, 2025

Windows 11’s Notepad gets support for tables and bolstered AI powers – and not everyone’s happy

Microsoft is enhancing the Notepad application in Windows 11 with new features, including the ability to create tables and AI-driven text creation and rewriting capabilities. The latest preview is available to testers in the Canary and Dev Channels. The AI features allow real-time text generation but require devices with Copilot+ technology and a Microsoft account for access. There are concerns about Notepad becoming bloated and losing its minimalist design as it integrates more functionalities, especially following the planned discontinuation of WordPad in 2024, which may position Notepad as a more robust alternative for document creation.

Tech Optimizer

November 25, 2025

Protect sensitive data with dynamic data masking for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL

Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition has introduced a dynamic data masking feature that provides column-level protection, enhancing security alongside PostgreSQL’s row-level security. This feature is available for Aurora PostgreSQL versions 16.10 and higher, as well as 17.6. Dynamic data masking allows organizations to maintain a single copy of their data while applying role-based access controls, ensuring sensitive information is protected in real-time without data duplication. The pg_columnmask extension enables policy-based masking and runtime query rewriting, allowing different users to see varying levels of data based on their roles. For example, customer service representatives may see only the last four digits of account numbers, while executives see full details. The feature supports compliance with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Users can create masking policies using standard SQL commands, and the policies can be defined to utilize built-in or custom functions for data masking.

Winsage

November 24, 2025

Microsoft adds tables and more AI to Notepad — what happened to the app we loved?

Windows 11's Notepad app is receiving new features for testing by Windows Insiders, including support for bold and italic text, hyperlinks, lists, and headings. The introduction of AI capabilities, such as streaming responses for the Write, Rewrite, and Summarize tools, has led to mixed user feedback, with many expressing dissatisfaction over the integration of AI into the traditionally simple application. Users have voiced concerns about feature bloat, with some feeling that Notepad is losing its identity as a lightweight tool. There is a growing sentiment of AI fatigue among users, reflecting frustration with unnecessary AI tools in applications where they are not needed.

Winsage

November 24, 2025

Microsoft adds tables support to Windows Notepad

Microsoft has introduced new features to Windows Notepad, including support for tables and AI enhancements like Summarize, Write, and Rewrite, which are available to users with Copilot+ PCs. The table support is currently being rolled out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels. The AI features allow for quicker interaction with previews, but access requires a Copilot+ PC or a Microsoft account. The updates have raised concerns among users about Notepad straying from its original purpose as a simple text editor, with some feeling it is losing its identity.