Microsoft Build 2019: the biggest news from the developer conference

Microsoft has surprised many in the Linux developer community in recent years. Surprises have included bringing things like the Bash shell to Windows, or native OpenSSH in Windows 10, and even including Ubuntu, SUSE Linux, and Fedora in the Windows Store. Microsoft is now going even further, with plans to ship a full Linux kernel directly in Windows 10.

“Beginning with Windows Insiders builds this Summer, we will include an in-house custom-built Linux kernel to underpin the newest version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL),” explains Microsoft program manager Jack Hammons. “The kernel itself will initially be based on version 4.19, the latest long-term stable release of Linux. The kernel will be rebased at the designation of new long-term stable releases to ensure that the WSL kernel always has the latest Linux goodness.”

Microsoft has started to tease what appears to be a new Minecraft game for mobile devices. The software giant used a video at the end of the company’s Build 2019 keynote today to show Minecraft in augmented reality, running on a phone. In the video, Minecraft creative director Saxs Persson leaves his phone on a bench outside the Washington State Convention Center where Microsoft’s Build developer conference is being held. A passerby picks it up and is able to see Minecraft running in AR, suggesting that Microsoft is preparing a new game.

It’s not clear what this Minecraft game will be, but it could be a killer app for augmented reality. We’ve not seen many apps or games since Pokémon Go that have demonstrated the potential for augmented reality, and Pokémon Go has been downloaded more than 500 million times.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was frustrated.

Microsoft’s Edge web browser, released in 2015, hadn’t made much progress by the summer of 2017. “Satya came to us and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to see us make more progress on the browser,’” says Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore, in an exclusive interview with The Verge. Nadella pointed out where the web was heading, and he wanted more from Microsoft’s Edge browser.

Microsoft first released its Edge Chromium browser as early Canary and Dev builds on Windows last month. While Windows 10 users can test the new browser, Mac owners have been waiting to hear more details about when Edge will be available on macOS. Microsoft doesn’t have any solid dates to announce just yet, but the company has started teasing what Edge will look like on macOS.

During the company’s Build 2019 developer conference, Microsoft is announcing new features for Edge on Windows and teasing the upcoming macOS release. We understand that the release will be available very soon, and Mac users should be able to access both the Canary and Dev builds of Edge just like Windows.

Microsoft is unveiling a whole new Fluid Framework developer platform today at the company’s Build 2019 conference. Fluid Framework is designed to let developers build more shared and interactive services and apps on the web. Microsoft’s framework will include support for co-authoring on the web at a speed and scale “not yet achieved in the industry,” says the company. Microsoft has dabbled with multiperson collaboration on the web in both Office and its Whiteboard app, and it appears it’s bringing those learnings and benefits to everyone.

As part of this Fluid Framework, the content produced using this system will also be more componentized so developers can use it across apps or in a new flexible document format. Microsoft is also integrating digital assistants like Cortana to translate text, pull in content from the web, suggest edits, and other tasks. Microsoft is making the Fluid Framework available to developers, and it will be integrated into apps like Word, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and other products. The first software development kit will be available for developers later this year.

Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, fell behind Google Assistant and Alexa in 2018. The software giant has been slowly repositioning Cortana as a skill that can run anywhere, rather than a rival to Google, Amazon, or Apple’s assistants. Microsoft now appears to be targeting Cortana at more conversational interactions for workers who are organizing their days. At Microsoft’s Build developer conference this year, the company is showing examples of how Cortana will be able to respond to conversations and organize meetings and reminders proactively.

Cortana can already do a lot of these features today, but it’s the conversational element that has been improved. Microsoft acquired Semantic Machines last year, and in combination with Microsoft researchers, it’s building conversational AI that will combine skills and context to let digital assistants like Cortana actually do the things you ask them to do. It’s designed to connect services that are owned by Microsoft and even third-party ones, so digital assistants like Cortana can get the right context when you ask it to add a calendar entry or organize reservations.

Microsoft is unveiling a number of new features for its upcoming Edge Chromium browser today. The first big addition is a new “IE Mode” for Edge that will allow businesses to load old sites directly in the new Edge Chromium browser, using the Internet Explorer rendering engine. Microsoft is building IE directly into Edge for this purpose, so businesses aren’t forced to directly use IE for ancient internal sites.

“What we’re going to do is make this totally seamless,” explains Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore, in an interview with The Verge. Currently, the existing version of Edge will open Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 10, which has a separate interface, favorites, and doesn’t work well on modern websites. This new IE mode literally loads the content within Edge, so you’d never be able to tell the difference, apart from a small IE logo on the tab that indicates that this mode has been enabled.