Software

Although it probably had the biggest share in the web browser market, the bloat that was known as Internet Explorer soon dragged Microsoft's name down to the Internet Hall of Shame. Given than notoriety, it almost seemed that its new browser, Microsoft Edge, had an unfair disadvantage. Unsurprisingly, the company put its marketing and advertising machine into high gear, including tests that claim superior battery life for the Edge. However, most, if not all, of these proofs and counter-proofs were made by browser makers themselves. Fortunately, Linus Tech Tips decided it was time to have an independent test done, and the results might surprise you.

Continue Reading

Microsoft is dealing with a significant Windows 10 security headache this weekend, as the company has confirmed that a portion of the operating system's source code was in fact posted online. Shared on the online repository site BetaArchive earlier this week, Microsoft has said that the code is genuine and comes from the Shared Source Kit, which is shared with the company's trusted partners.

Continue Reading

Remember the days when Microsoft was mocked for having half a dozen editions of everything? Those days might be back. There are a few versions of Windows 10 already, with more from the server and enterprise coming soon. And now there are two versions of Microsoft Office in the Windows Store, in addition to the standalone Office suite. The full desktop versions of Microsoft Office applications are now available as a Universal Windows Platform or UWP apps, and we all have Windows 10 S to thank for that.

Continue Reading

Most computer users, be it on traditional desktops or mobile devices, mostly live in their web browsers. Almost all interactivity with the outside world happens through their favorite browser, from email to social networking to watching videos to plain old browsing. So it stands that the browser should also be one of the most reliable pieces of software on your device. With the latest Firefox 54 release, Mozilla inches closer towards doing just that with a new multiple process feature that takes advantage of modern computers' multiple CPU cores.

Continue Reading

One of the great things about Microsoft's new "Windows as a Service" paradigm is that you won't have to wait N years before getting some juicy features. Sure, Microsoft still does have annual major releases, but, especially if you're an Insider tester, you can get a glimpse of those upcoming treats very early. Microsoft has just released Build 16215 for PCs (and 15222 for Mobile) and it's shaping up to be one hell of release that Windows 10 fans will probably dying to get their hands on.

Continue Reading

Apple has pushed out an update for GarageBand that adds, among other things, support for the Touch Bar found on the new line of MacBooks. It's easy to see how the Touch Bar could come in handy during editing, particularly for quickly navigating through a project. That's not the only change coming to the software, though -- it has also received a new design that Apple calls 'modern.'

Continue Reading

The folks formerly designing and releasing CyanogenMod now working on Lineage OS have revealed their stance on SafetyNet. This is an Android safety precaution made by Google to stop users working with rooted and/or bootloader unlocked devices from accessing certain apps. It's a safety precaution made by Google - one that Google takes extremely seriously. As such, the team developing Lineage is going to take SafetyNet serious as well.

Continue Reading

The next update to Apple's desktop operating system macOS is called macOS High Sierra, and it's about to get a release date. This software includes a number of updates to apps across the Apple spectrum, starting with the web browser Safari. Lots and lots of updates will be delivered behind the scenes, but a few important parts will be right out in the open when the update is released. UPDATE: Ready for release for developers - download link below.

Continue Reading

The recently released adventure-puzzle game Rime has brought light to the subject of DRM and anti-piracy software this last week. Shortly after release, those playing the PC version began complaining about noticeable performance issues with the game as a result of the Denuvo software, which checks to make sure the DRM is still intact. Rime's makers then promised to remove the software if it was cracked. Now, only five days later, they're keeping their word.

Continue Reading

If you're a member of Microsoft's Windows Insiders program and you installed a new build on Thursday evening, you'll want to pay attention to this: the company has revealed that an internal build of Windows 10 (16212) still in development was accidentally released to users for both PC and mobile devices. Fortunately Microsoft was quick to catch the error and only a small number of people downloaded the updates, however, the mobile build is leaving devices in a bricked state.

Continue Reading

This week the folks at YouTube responsible for the rules it lives by have made another big change. Details have been shared this morning on what YouTube is allowing in or out - and which sorts of content all content judges will be considering "hate speech". As a result, there could be some major turn-overs for which videos are able to be monetized and which won't see any revenue from this point forward.

Continue Reading

Google released a list of smartphones this week that includes every device touched by a Security Update over the last two months. This includes devices from a bunch of different manufacturers - everything from BlackBerry to Vivo. Samsung has a bunch in there, as does General Mobile and Google (with its Pixel and Nexus devices). I and we recommend that every device on this list should be checked immediately to make certain these security updates have been downloaded - that means, you, Janice from accounting!

Continue Reading