Developer Brandon Thomas, who previously built free alternatives to Adobe Creative Cloud apps using Claude AI, has now created WordCraft, GridCraft, and DeckCraft—open-source replicas of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The apps are written in Rust with Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.5 and released under MIT or Apache 2.0 licenses, running natively across Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD, and the browser via WebAssembly. WordCraft already supports .docx and other formats with offline spelling and grammar tools, while GridCraft reportedly implements 89% of Excel's ribbon commands and 98% of its worksheet functions.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-13
The Netherlands' Tax and Customs Administration has cancelled its planned migration to Microsoft 365, after roughly 5,000 employees had already switched over. The move follows a June recommendation from the Dutch Advisory Council on ICT Assessment to reverse the public-cloud rollout and a July pause of the plan, though officials have not specified what system will replace it.
zdnet.com
· 2026-10-13
NTDEV's open-source Tiny11 Builder now includes a GUI, simplifying the process of creating slimmed-down Windows 11 installation images from official Microsoft ISOs. The tool uses PowerShell scripts and DISM to strip preinstalled apps, services, and components, offering both a standard Tiny11 build that retains Windows Update and Defender, and a more extreme Tiny11 Core variant that removes them entirely.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-13
Microsoft President Brad Smith told ITV that AI systems face less regulatory scrutiny than milk or washing machines, urging governments to apply established safety practices and require companies to build emergency shutdown mechanisms into AI systems. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella followed with an X post arguing that major AI companies lack a 'mechanistic understanding' of their own tools and called for slower development, incident reporting and independent review.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-12
Norway's Data Protection Authority fined Xandr, an adtech unit now owned by Microsoft, 92 million kroner (about $9.6 million) for allegedly using sensitive Grindr user data for advertising without obtaining explicit consent. The agency said Xandr assumed Grindr had already secured user approval, and the case stems from a 2020 complaint by Norway's consumer council covering data practices between July 2018 and April 2020. It is the largest fine the NDPA has ever issued.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-12
Norway's Datatilsynet fined Xandr, a Microsoft-owned ad company, NOK 92 million ($9.6M) for unlawfully processing and sharing sensitive data of Grindr users between July 2018 and April 2020. The regulator found Xandr ran real-time ad auctions that exposed users' sexual orientation data to thousands of advertisers without verifying that Grindr had obtained valid consent. The case stemmed from a 2020 complaint filed by Austrian privacy group Noyb and the Norwegian Consumer Council.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-12
Microsoft President Brad Smith argued that everyday products like milk and washing machines are subject to more stringent safety regulations than artificial intelligence systems. He called for governments worldwide to establish stronger safety rules as AI capabilities continue to grow more powerful.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-12
Microsoft announced its third-generation Maia AI accelerator, the Maia 300, saying it will increasingly handle AI processing requests with its own silicon rather than Nvidia GPUs. The chip enters production in 2027, and Executive Vice President Scott Guthrie said Microsoft is targeting multi-gigawatt deployments of the Maia chip family across its Azure data centers.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-12
Microsoft president Brad Smith told the BBC that artificial intelligence faces less regulatory oversight than milk cartons or washing machines, and called for urgent safety rules including legal accountability for victims of breaches by rogue AI agents. He also urged companies to build 'kill switches' capable of pausing or slowing AI systems that grow out of control. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella separately called for AI models to include an 'emergency brake' so their behaviour can be observed and contained.
theguardian.com
· 2026-10-12
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said over the weekend that artificial intelligence development needs an 'emergency brake,' arguing that models should be built with containment mechanisms and independent oversight controls. His comments came as third-party evaluators such as METR and Transluce take on a larger role monitoring AI models from major developers, reportedly filling a gap left by the absence of a federal safety framework.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-12
Microsoft introduced Magnetic Connect, a magnetic charging solution for its new Surface Laptop Ultra that pairs a Power Delivery USB-C port with a magnetic cable using a funnel-shaped tip for easy alignment. Unlike Apple's proprietary MagSafe port, the underlying port remains standard USB-C, meaning it can be used for monitors, keyboards, phones or other peripherals when not charging. The Surface Laptop Ultra also includes two more USB-C ports, HDMI, USB-A, an SD card reader and a headphone jack.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-12
Microsoft president Brad Smith told ITV that AI systems are subject to fewer safety rules than washing machines or milk cartons sold in stores. He made the remarks as major AI firms, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta and Nvidia, recently signed a self-regulation pact at a 'Super Intelligence' summit rather than accept government rules, an approach favored by President Trump.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-12
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