Product updates may 2019

1. Identify Core Product Categories: Focus on major players in software, hardware, and online services that typically roll out monthly updates. Think about areas like:

   👉 Skip the hassle and get the ready to use 100% working script (Link in the comments section of the YouTube Video) (Latest test 31/05/2025)

   Check more on: How to Bypass Cloudflare Turnstile & Cloudflare WAF – Reddit, How to Bypass Cloudflare Turnstile, Cloudflare WAF & reCAPTCHA v3 – Medium, How to Bypass Cloudflare Turnstile, WAF & reCAPTCHA v3 – LinkedIn Article

   • Cloud Services: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud.
   • Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux distributions.
   • Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.
   • Productivity Suites: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace.
   • E-commerce Platforms: Shopify, Magento.
   • Cybersecurity Solutions: Antivirus software, VPNs.
   • Web Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
   • Smart Devices/IoT: Updates to smart home ecosystems.

2. Consult Official Release Notes & Blogs: The most reliable information comes directly from the source.

   • Microsoft: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/microsoft-product-updates-may-2019/ Example of a specific Microsoft update blog.
   • Google: Look for “Google Cloud Blog May 2019” or “Android Developers Blog May 2019”.
   • Amazon: Check the AWS News Blog for May 2019.
   • Apple: Review their press releases or developer news archives from that period.

3. Utilize Tech News Archives: Major tech publications often consolidate monthly updates.

   

   • Search “TechCrunch May 2019 product updates”
   • “The Verge May 2019 software news”
   • “ZDNet product updates May 2019”

4. Pinpoint Key Themes: Look for overarching trends in the updates. In May 2019, common themes included:

   • AI/Machine Learning Integration: Deeper AI capabilities across various services.
   • Enhanced Security Features: Bolstering data protection and privacy.
   • Performance Improvements: Faster load times, smoother user experiences.
   • Developer Tooling: New APIs, SDKs, and platforms for developers.
   • User Interface/Experience UI/UX Refinements: Aesthetic and functional changes.

5. Focus on Impact: Understand how these updates affected users, developers, and businesses. Were there new features that opened up possibilities? Did any updates cause compatibility issues or require significant adaptation?

By systematically approaching these categories and sources, you can build a comprehensive picture of the significant product updates that transpired in May 2019, allowing you to discern their strategic importance and user impact.

Unpacking Microsoft’s May 2019 Innovations: A Deep Dive into the Ecosystem

May 2019 was a significant month for Microsoft, marked by its annual Build developer conference.

This period saw a flurry of announcements and product updates geared towards enhancing productivity, empowering developers, and reinforcing the company’s commitment to cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

The updates were not just incremental but represented strategic shifts in how Microsoft aimed to integrate its services and tools across various platforms, from Windows to Azure and Microsoft 365. These developments were crucial for IT professionals, developers, and everyday users alike, laying groundwork for future features and experiences.

It’s a testament to the continuous evolution of technology, always striving for efficiency and innovation.

Azure Advancements: Fueling Cloud Development

Microsoft Azure, a cornerstone of the company’s cloud strategy, received a substantial number of updates in May 2019, many of which were unveiled or detailed at Microsoft Build. Breakpoint speaker spotlight pekka klarck robot framework

These updates focused on expanding capabilities, improving performance, and making cloud development more accessible and powerful for a wider range of applications.

The growth of cloud infrastructure is paramount for businesses seeking agility and scalability, and Azure’s updates reflected this demand.

Developers found new tools to build and deploy applications with greater ease, while businesses benefited from enhanced services that could handle complex workloads, leading to more robust and reliable digital solutions.

• Azure SQL Database Serverless: This was a major announcement, bringing a serverless compute tier that automatically scales compute resources based on workload demand. This innovation significantly reduced operational overhead and cost for intermittent, unpredictable workloads. According to Microsoft’s official documentation, this allowed for compute auto-scaling up to 1024 vCores, drastically cutting down on idle costs as users only paid for the compute used during active periods. This was a must for startups and enterprises managing variable database loads.
• Azure Front Door Service General Availability: Moving out of preview, Azure Front Door became generally available. This highly scalable, globally distributed application delivery network ADN provided enhanced performance, security, and global load balancing for web applications. It offered SSL offloading, URL-based routing, and a Web Application Firewall WAF to protect against common web vulnerabilities, making it a critical service for ensuring high availability and secure access to global applications. Its global footprint improved response times for end-users by routing traffic to the nearest healthy backend.
• Azure Kubernetes Service AKS Updates: AKS continued to be a focus, with new features aimed at simplifying Kubernetes management. Updates included improved integration with Azure Active Directory for enhanced security and better management of containerized applications. Microsoft reported a 50% growth in AKS usage year-over-year by mid-2019, highlighting its increasing adoption among developers for orchestrating containerized applications. These enhancements made AKS even more attractive for deploying and managing complex microservices architectures.
• Azure Blockchain Service Private Preview: Microsoft announced the private preview of Azure Blockchain Service, a fully managed service for building, managing, and governing blockchain applications. This marked a significant step in making blockchain technology more accessible to enterprises, offering ledger database capabilities powered by J.P. Morgan’s Quorum. It aimed to simplify the consortium management aspect of blockchain solutions, a critical barrier for enterprise adoption. This service promised to accelerate the development of secure, transparent, and immutable distributed ledgers.

Windows 10 May 2019 Update Version 1903: User Experience Refinements

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update, also known as version 1903, was a significant feature release that brought a host of improvements focused on enhancing user experience, performance, and security.

While not as visually transformative as some previous updates, its strength lay in its thoughtful refinements and under-the-hood optimizations. Introducing visual reviews 2 0

This update aimed to make Windows more pleasant and efficient for daily use, addressing common pain points and introducing subtle but impactful changes that collectively improved the overall computing experience.

It was also notable for Microsoft’s refined approach to feature rollouts, offering users more control over when updates were installed.

• Light Theme: A brand-new default “Light Theme” was introduced, offering a crisp, clean aesthetic across the operating system. This theme extended to the Start Menu, Taskbar, Action Center, and other core UI elements, providing a refreshing visual alternative to the darker default themes. User feedback indicated a strong preference for customizable themes, and this update catered to that.
• Windows Sandbox: This was a must for security-conscious users and developers. Windows Sandbox provided a lightweight, isolated, temporary desktop environment where users could run untrusted applications without fear of impacting their primary operating system. Once closed, everything in the sandbox was discarded, ensuring a clean slate. This feature was exclusive to Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions, offering a robust layer of security.
• Improved Search and Cortana Separation: Microsoft began the process of decoupling Search and Cortana, allowing users to interact with each function independently. The new Search interface provided a cleaner, more organized view of recent activities, top apps, and documents. This separation aimed to make both features more intuitive and focused on their core purposes, a move that was generally welcomed by users seeking a less integrated experience. According to internal telemetry, this separation led to a 15% increase in user engagement with the search bar.
• Pause Updates Feature: A highly requested feature, users gained more control over Windows Updates. The May 2019 Update allowed all Windows 10 users not just Pro and Enterprise to pause updates for up to 35 days, providing crucial flexibility for managing system downtime and avoiding unwanted reboots during critical work. This change reflected Microsoft’s commitment to addressing user concerns regarding update interruptions, a common source of frustration.
• Enhanced Emoji Keyboard Emoji 12: The emoji panel received an update to include Emoji 12, bringing new characters and a more diverse range of expressions. This seemingly minor update contributed to better communication and expressiveness for users across various applications, reflecting the growing importance of visual communication in digital interactions.

Microsoft 365 Enhancements: Boosting Productivity and Collaboration

Microsoft 365, the integrated suite of productivity tools, received continuous updates in May 2019, focusing on improving collaboration, enhancing individual productivity, and integrating artificial intelligence more deeply into everyday workflows.

These updates spanned across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, reflecting Microsoft’s strategy to provide a seamless and intelligent work environment.

The goal was to empower users to achieve more with less effort, by leveraging the power of AI and streamlined collaborative features, ultimately making remote and distributed teamwork more efficient, which aligns with modern work trends. Create browser specific css

• Microsoft Teams Updates: Teams continued its rapid growth, with new features aimed at enhancing its capabilities as a central hub for teamwork. May 2019 saw the introduction of custom backgrounds for video calls though still in early stages for some users, live captions in meetings, and improved integration with third-party applications. Microsoft reported that Teams had reached 13 million daily active users by July 2019, indicating its strong adoption trajectory and the importance of these collaborative enhancements. The live captions feature, for example, was a significant step towards greater accessibility in online meetings.
• Office Mobile and Web App Improvements: Microsoft focused on bringing more robust features to its mobile and web versions of Office applications. This included performance enhancements, improved inking capabilities in Word and PowerPoint on touch-enabled devices, and better offline functionality for web apps. The aim was to ensure a consistent and powerful experience regardless of the device or internet connection, empowering users to work productively from anywhere.
• AI-powered Features in Excel: Excel received new intelligent features designed to make data analysis easier. This included “Ideas” in Excel, which leveraged AI to automatically analyze data and suggest charts, pivot tables, and other visualizations to help users quickly gain insights. This feature dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for complex data analysis, democratizing data insights for a broader audience. Early data suggested users were able to generate actionable insights 30% faster using these AI-driven suggestions.
• Outlook Updates: Outlook saw refinements focused on streamlining email management and scheduling. This included enhanced search capabilities, improved calendar views, and better integration with other Microsoft 365 services. The goal was to reduce email overload and make managing communications more efficient, leading to higher productivity for individual users. For instance, the improved calendar view allowed users to quickly grasp their schedule and respond to meeting invitations with more context.

Edge Browser Chromium-based Developments: A Glimpse into the Future

May 2019 was a pivotal month for Microsoft Edge, as the company continued its ambitious transition to a Chromium-based browser engine.

While the stable release was still months away, the developer builds Canary and Dev channels were actively receiving updates, offering developers and early adopters a peek into the future of Microsoft’s web browser.

This strategic shift aimed to improve compatibility, performance, and feature parity with other popular browsers like Chrome, addressing long-standing criticisms of the original EdgeHTML engine.

This move was about creating a more reliable and interoperable web experience for users across Windows, macOS, and eventually other platforms, solidifying Microsoft’s commitment to open web standards.

• Ongoing Developer Previews: Microsoft continued to release frequent updates to the Chromium-based Edge preview builds. These updates focused on refining the user interface, improving performance, and fixing bugs. The public could download these “Canary” and “Dev” builds directly from the Edge Insider website, allowing for widespread testing and feedback collection. By engaging the developer community early, Microsoft aimed to iron out kinks before a broader public release.
• Extension Compatibility: A key benefit of the Chromium transition was direct compatibility with Chrome extensions. In May 2019, users of the preview builds could already install extensions from the Chrome Web Store, significantly expanding the browser’s functionality and addressing a major feature gap of the original Edge. This instantly provided access to over 100,000 extensions, a massive advantage for users.
• New Developer Tools: With the switch to Chromium, Edge’s developer tools largely aligned with Chrome’s DevTools, providing web developers with a familiar and powerful suite of utilities for debugging and optimizing web applications. Microsoft also contributed specific enhancements to the Chromium project, benefiting the broader web development community. This alignment streamlined the development process for web content across different browsers.
• Privacy and Tracking Prevention: Microsoft began to emphasize privacy features in its Chromium-based Edge builds. While not fully mature in May 2019, the groundwork was being laid for features like “Tracking Prevention,” which aimed to block known trackers on websites. This indicated a growing focus on user privacy, differentiating Edge from some other browsers and aligning with increasing user demand for better data protection.

Developer Tooling and Ecosystem Improvements: Empowering Creation

Beyond core product updates, May 2019 also saw significant advancements in Microsoft’s developer tools and the broader developer ecosystem. Breakpoint 2021 speaker spotlight erika chestnut calendly

These updates were crucial for nurturing the community that builds on Microsoft platforms, providing them with more powerful, efficient, and integrated tools to create applications, services, and solutions.

The focus was on accelerating development cycles, improving code quality, and enabling developers to leverage the latest technologies, such as AI and cloud services, with greater ease.

Empowering developers is paramount for any tech ecosystem’s growth, and Microsoft’s investments in this area were clearly visible.

• Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code Enhancements: Both flagship IDEs received continuous updates. Visual Studio 2019, which had just released in April, received its first major updates focused on performance improvements, C++ productivity enhancements, and .NET Core 3.0 preview support. Visual Studio Code, the lightweight but powerful editor, saw monthly updates bringing new language support, debugger improvements, and extension API enhancements. These updates aimed to make coding faster, more intuitive, and more powerful for a wide range of programming languages and frameworks, with Microsoft reporting over 8 million monthly active users for VS Code by late 2019.
• .NET Core 3.0 Preview 5: May 2019 saw the release of .NET Core 3.0 Preview 5, a critical step towards the next major version of Microsoft’s open-source, cross-platform framework. This preview brought significant advancements, including Windows Desktop Application support WPF and Windows Forms, improved performance, and new features for C# 8.0. This marked a major milestone, allowing developers to build modern desktop applications with .NET Core while leveraging its cross-platform benefits.
• Azure DevOps Updates: Azure DevOps, Microsoft’s suite of developer services for planning, building, and deploying applications, received numerous updates. These included improvements to Pipelines CI/CD, Boards project management, Repos version control, and Artifacts package management. The goal was to provide an end-to-end solution for the entire software development lifecycle, emphasizing agile methodologies and continuous delivery. New features enabled better integration with third-party tools and more flexible pipeline configurations.
• New Cognitive Services Capabilities: Microsoft continued to expand its Azure Cognitive Services, making AI capabilities more accessible to developers. May 2019 saw updates to services like Text Analytics, Computer Vision, and Speech Services, including improved accuracy and new language support. These services allowed developers to easily integrate AI into their applications without needing deep AI expertise, fostering a new generation of intelligent applications. For instance, the updated Text Analytics service offered more precise sentiment analysis, which could be used for customer feedback systems.

Cybersecurity and Privacy Initiatives: Protecting Users and Data

In May 2019, as concerns about data privacy and cybersecurity continued to escalate globally, Microsoft reinforced its commitment to protecting users and their data across its products and services.

The updates focused on enhancing built-in security features, providing users with more control over their privacy settings, and improving threat detection and response capabilities. Run cypress tests in chrome and edge

The focus was on a holistic security posture, from individual devices to enterprise-level cloud infrastructure, ensuring that security was not an afterthought but an integrated component of all product offerings.

• Windows Defender ATP Advanced Threat Protection Enhancements: Windows Defender ATP, Microsoft’s enterprise endpoint security platform, received significant updates. These included improved capabilities for threat analytics, automated investigation and remediation, and deeper integration with other Microsoft security services. The aim was to provide a comprehensive and intelligent defense against sophisticated cyberattacks, offering IT professionals better visibility and control over their organizational security posture. For example, new detection rules helped identify fileless malware more effectively.
• Microsoft Privacy Dashboard Updates: Microsoft continued to refine its Privacy Dashboard, giving users more transparent control over their data. Updates focused on improving the clarity of privacy settings, making it easier for users to view and manage their activity data across Microsoft services. This initiative was part of Microsoft’s broader commitment to privacy by design, empowering users with greater agency over their digital footprint.
• Data Residency and Compliance in Azure: For enterprise customers, May 2019 brought further commitments and capabilities related to data residency and compliance within Azure. Microsoft expanded its regional data centers and offered new tools for customers to ensure their data remained within specific geographic boundaries to meet regulatory requirements like GDPR. This was crucial for global businesses operating under strict data governance laws, providing them with the confidence that their cloud deployments met necessary legal and ethical standards.
• Improved Security Baseline for Windows 10: The Windows 10 May 2019 Update also included improvements to the default security baseline, making the operating system more resilient against common threats out of the box. This involved default configurations for various security settings, reducing the attack surface for new installations and ensuring a stronger security posture for average users who might not manually configure complex security options.

Gaming Updates Xbox & PC: Expanding Experiences

May 2019 also saw significant announcements and updates related to Microsoft’s gaming division, encompassing both the Xbox platform and PC gaming.

This period was crucial for expanding the reach of Xbox Game Pass, refining the Xbox experience, and preparing for future innovations like Project xCloud.

Microsoft’s strategy was clearly focused on broadening access to games, offering more value through subscriptions, and fostering a connected gaming ecosystem across devices.

These updates were keenly watched by the vast gaming community, impacting how they discovered, played, and interacted with games. Announcing breakpoint 2021

• Xbox Game Pass PC Announcement: A groundbreaking announcement in May 2019 was the official unveiling of Xbox Game Pass for PC. This brought a curated library of over 100 high-quality PC games to the subscription service, including new Xbox Game Studios titles on day one. This significantly expanded the value proposition of Game Pass and marked a clear commitment from Microsoft to PC gaming as a core part of its strategy. Early reception was overwhelmingly positive, with subscriptions growing rapidly.
• Xbox Console Updates: The Xbox One console received its regular monthly system updates, focusing on quality-of-life improvements, performance enhancements, and new social features. These updates included refinements to the Home screen, improvements to the Guide, and better integration with friends’ activities. These incremental updates continuously refined the core console experience, making it more fluid and user-friendly.
• Project xCloud Public Preview: Microsoft announced plans for a public preview of Project xCloud later in 2019. This cloud-gaming service aimed to allow users to stream Xbox games to various devices, including smartphones and tablets, bypassing the need for a console. While not fully available in May, the announcement highlighted Microsoft’s vision for gaming ubiquity and accessibility, laying the groundwork for a future where gaming was not tied to a specific piece of hardware. This was a bold move into the future of gaming delivery.
• Windows Store Microsoft Store Gaming Focus: Microsoft continued to refine the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 to better support PC gaming. While the full overhaul for PC gaming which came later wasn’t complete, May 2019 updates included improved discoverability for games within the store, better performance for game downloads, and clearer integration with Xbox Game Pass for PC titles. The aim was to make the Microsoft Store a more viable platform for acquiring and managing PC games, a shift from its earlier general app focus.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the biggest Microsoft announcement in May 2019?

The biggest Microsoft announcement in May 2019, specifically from the Build developer conference, was the official unveiling and deeper dive into Azure SQL Database Serverless and the comprehensive set of updates across Azure, along with the strong emphasis on AI and intelligent cloud services. Another highly impactful announcement, especially for gamers, was the official reveal of Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Did Windows 10 get a major update in May 2019?

Yes, Windows 10 received a major feature update in May 2019, known as the Windows 10 May 2019 Update Version 1903. This update introduced features like the Light Theme, Windows Sandbox, improved Search and Cortana separation, and enhanced control over update installations.

What is Windows Sandbox and how did it work in May 2019?

Windows Sandbox, introduced in the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, was a lightweight, isolated, temporary desktop environment.

It allowed users to run untrusted applications without impacting their primary operating system.

Once closed, the sandbox and its contents were discarded, providing a secure way to test suspicious software. Upgrade from selenium 3 to selenium 4

Was Microsoft Teams updated in May 2019?

Yes, Microsoft Teams received several updates in May 2019. These included continued improvements to its core collaboration features, better integration with other Microsoft 365 services, and the groundwork for features like custom backgrounds for video calls and live captions in meetings, reflecting its rapid growth as a central hub for teamwork.

What was the significance of the Chromium-based Edge browser in May 2019?

In May 2019, the Chromium-based Edge browser was still in its developer preview stages Canary and Dev channels. Its significance lay in Microsoft’s strategic shift to adopt the Chromium engine, aiming for improved web compatibility, performance, and the ability to use Chrome extensions, addressing major criticisms of the original EdgeHTML engine.

Did Xbox Game Pass expand in May 2019?

Yes, a significant expansion occurred in May 2019 with the official announcement of Xbox Game Pass for PC. This brought a curated library of over 100 high-quality PC games, including new Xbox Game Studios titles on day one, to the subscription service, vastly increasing its value and reach.

What new AI features were introduced in Microsoft Office in May 2019?

In May 2019, Microsoft Office specifically Excel introduced new AI-powered features such as “Ideas.” This feature leveraged artificial intelligence to automatically analyze data and suggest charts, pivot tables, and other visualizations, making data analysis more accessible and efficient for users.

How did Azure improve in terms of security in May 2019?

Azure improved its security in May 2019 through the general availability of services like Azure Front Door Service, which provided a Web Application Firewall WAF and enhanced security for web applications. There were also continued updates to security capabilities within Azure Kubernetes Service AKS and commitments to data residency and compliance. Run cypress tests on firefox

Were there any updates for developers using Visual Studio in May 2019?

Yes, developers using Visual Studio saw continuous updates in May 2019. Visual Studio 2019 received its first major updates post-release, focusing on performance, C++ productivity, and .NET Core 3.0 preview support.

Visual Studio Code also received its regular monthly updates with new language support and debugger improvements.

What was the status of .NET Core 3.0 in May 2019?

In May 2019, .NET Core 3.0 was in Preview 5. This preview was significant as it brought key advancements such as support for building Windows Desktop Applications WPF and Windows Forms using .NET Core, along with performance improvements and new C# 8.0 features.

Did Microsoft introduce any new privacy controls for users in May 2019?

Yes, Microsoft continued to refine its Privacy Dashboard in May 2019, aiming to provide users with more transparent control over their data.

Updates focused on improving the clarity of privacy settings and making it easier for users to view and manage their activity data across Microsoft services. Common web design mistakes

What was Project xCloud’s status in May 2019?

In May 2019, Microsoft announced plans for a public preview of Project xCloud later in the year.

This cloud-gaming service aimed to allow users to stream Xbox games to various devices, highlighting Microsoft’s vision for ubiquitous gaming accessibility.

How did the Windows 10 May 2019 Update impact system reboots?

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update significantly impacted system reboots by introducing the ability for all Windows 10 users not just Pro/Enterprise to pause updates for up to 35 days. This gave users more control over when updates were installed and reduced unwanted reboots.

Were there any updates to Microsoft’s Cognitive Services in May 2019?

Yes, Microsoft continued to expand its Azure Cognitive Services in May 2019. Updates brought improved accuracy and new language support to services like Text Analytics, Computer Vision, and Speech Services, making AI capabilities more accessible for developers to integrate into their applications.

Did Microsoft introduce a new visual theme for Windows 10 in May 2019?

Yes, the Windows 10 May 2019 Update introduced a brand-new default “Light Theme.” This offered a crisp, clean aesthetic across the operating system, including the Start Menu, Taskbar, and Action Center, providing a refreshing visual alternative. Differences between mobile application testing and web application testing

How did the May 2019 updates affect enterprise users of Microsoft products?

Enterprise users benefited from significant updates in May 2019, including enhanced security through Windows Defender ATP, improved compliance and data residency options in Azure, and advancements in Azure DevOps for streamlined software development and deployment processes, all geared towards greater efficiency and security.

What was the focus of Microsoft 365 updates in May 2019?

The focus of Microsoft 365 updates in May 2019 was on boosting productivity and collaboration.

This included significant enhancements to Microsoft Teams, AI-powered features in Excel, and general performance and feature improvements across Office mobile and web applications to facilitate seamless work.

Did the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 get any gaming-specific updates in May 2019?

Yes, while not a full overhaul, the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 received updates in May 2019 focused on better supporting PC gaming.

This included improved discoverability for games and better integration with the newly announced Xbox Game Pass for PC titles. What is test driven development

What was the role of Microsoft Build conference in May 2019 product updates?

The Microsoft Build developer conference, held in May 2019, served as the primary platform for announcing and detailing many of the significant product updates, particularly those related to Azure, developer tools, and the future of Microsoft’s cloud and AI initiatives.

It was a key event for major strategic revelations.

How did the May 2019 updates impact data analysis capabilities for users?

The May 2019 updates significantly impacted data analysis capabilities, particularly with the introduction of “Ideas” in Excel. This AI-powered feature automatically analyzed data and suggested relevant charts and pivot tables, making it much easier for users to gain quick insights from their data without manual effort.

Ansible vs jenkins

0.0 0.0 out of 5 stars (based on 0 reviews) Excellent0% Very good0% Average0% Poor0% Terrible0% There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one. Your review Your overall rating Select a Rating5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star Title of your review Your review Your name Your email This review is based on my own experience and is my genuine opinion. ​ Submit Review

Amazon.com: Check Amazon for Product updates may Latest Discussions & Reviews: