Good Morning! Microsoft's latest Excel update brings Python integration, empowering data analysts with powerful libraries and a seamless coding experience. Snap's new AR operating system and Spectacles 5 glasses are pushing the boundaries of augmented reality, offering developers exciting tools to create immersive experiences. GNOME 47 'Denver' drops with a host of improvements, including customizable accent colors and enhanced remote desktop functionality, making your Linux desktop more personalized and efficient than ever.

— Forrest Knight & Meghanadh Vasireddy

Microsoft Brings Python Power to Excel: A Game-Changer for Data Analysts

Excel has long been the go-to tool for data analysis, but it's had its limitations. Enter Python, the darling of data scientists everywhere. By bringing these two powerhouses together, Microsoft is bridging the gap between traditional spreadsheet users and hardcore data crunchers.

What's New:

• Python libraries like pandas, Matplotlib, and NLTK are now at your fingertips within Excel

• A Python Editor similar to Visual Studio Code for seamless code writing

• Copilot in Excel with Python (in public preview) - write Python code using natural language prompts

The best part? No setup required. The Python environment runs in secure, isolated containers on Azure, ensuring your data stays private. Plus, with the new Python Editor, you get syntax highlighting, code completion, and other modern editing features right in your spreadsheet.

But wait, there's more! The Copilot integration means even if you're not a Python pro, you can leverage its power through natural language prompts. It's like having a data scientist assistant right in Excel.

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Snap Unveils OS for AR

Snap's been in the AR game for a while, but this move signals a serious commitment to becoming a major player in the space. They're not just making cool gadgets; they're building an entire ecosystem.

What's New:

• Snap OS: A custom operating system designed for AR interactions

• Spectacles 5: Lightweight (226g) AR glasses with impressive specs:

  • 4 cameras for spatial awareness and hand tracking

  • Dual Snapdragon processors

  • 46-degree diagonal FOV

  • 37 pixels-per-degree resolution

  • 13ms motion-to-photon latency

Dev-Friendly Features: Snap's making a big play for developers with Lens Studio 5.0, which now supports TypeScript and JavaScript. They've also introduced the Spectacles Interaction Kit to simplify Lens creation. Plus, there's a partnership with OpenAI to bring multimodal AI models to the platform.

The Catch: $99/month with a one-year commitment. But for serious AR devs, it might be worth the investment.

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GNOME 47 'Denver'

GNOME 47 is the result of six months of hard work from the community. It brings a slew of improvements, from UI enhancements to under-the-hood optimizations. This release is all about making your desktop experience smoother, more customizable, and more efficient.

What's New:

• Accent Colors: Finally, you can break free from the default blue! Customize your UI with a range of accent colors, applied system-wide.

• Screencast Hardware Encoding: Intel and AMD GPU owners, rejoice! Hardware encoding support for screen recording means less CPU strain and smoother performance.

• Persistent Remote Desktop Sessions: No more lost work due to disconnects. Remote sessions now persist, allowing you to pick up right where you left off.

Enhanced Small Screen Support:

• Optimized icon and interface element rendering for lower resolutions

• Automatic scaling for improved visual accessibility

New File Dialogs:

• Based on the Files app codebase for feature consistency

• On-demand thumbnail generation

• Faster, more comprehensive search capabilities

For the developers out there, GNOME 47 includes experimental fractional display scaling with better X11 app support. To test it out, run:

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features '["scale-monitor-framebuffer", "xwayland-native-scaling"]'

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