Software

Among the major web browser makers, Firefox is still hailed as the most open and most privacy-respecting option around, despite a few hiccups in its history and some problems with performance. Its parent organization, Mozilla, however, doesn’t have the same near limit-less resources as, say, Google or Microsoft or Apple. The not-for-profit organization is always looking for ways to stay afloat, not all of them successful or warmly received. Its latest attempt doesn’t involve ads, fortunately, but does involve users forking a bit of money if they want.

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It’s not Halloween yet but Windows 10 version 1809, a.k.a. the October 2018 update, is already starting to fill with horror stories from users. It won’t be long before the update becomes a scary anecdote in Microsoft’s history again. After it had pulled the problematic update for deleting the files of a few users, some Insiders are reporting that the supposedly fixed version of the update is again riddled with frightening errors. One that won’t directly delete your files but won’t tell you that it deleted them either.

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Social media not enough distraction for you? If you ever needed the ability to watch web videos of whatever sort while working away on some important thing in another browser tab, then Google Chrome has got you covered. As of today, Google has enabled Picture-in-Picture functionality in the stable version of the web browser. This means that users can now continue playing and watching videos even while navigating away to other tabs or even other apps. Well, at least for some videos.

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Software delivered to your Android (Samsung Galaxy in this case) smartphone can be confusing - so today we're breaking down what's most recent to your device. This set of updates includes a Samsung Galaxy S7 October security patch update, an October 20th security patch for the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Note 8 security patch update, Galaxy S9 security patch update, and a Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta program for good measure. There's a Galaxy J7, J7 Prime, Galaxy A7, and Galaxy A8 update in the mix as well.

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Microsoft is gradually allowing the deletion of more default apps in Windows 10. This comes after many, many years of presumption that the most major operating systems in the world would come with a catch. If you downloaded or bought an OS from Microsoft or Apple, you'd be getting the apps they wanted you to have. Now, that trend might be fading.

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Web apps have been battling for supremacy ever since browsers could display more than just text and images. Initially there were these heavy and clunky web applets vying for space against desktop apps. Things then took a different turn with the arrival of smartphones and mobile apps. Now with Google as its biggest champion, web apps have taken on a new name and a new strategy. With Chrome 70, Google is aiming to put Progressive Web apps on the same level as native apps, be it desktop or mobile, though it may still need a few rounds of polishing before it gets there.

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The folks at AdGuard created a service called AdGuard Home, a bit of software that creates a DNS server for your home network to block ad tracking. This is for the people who aren't comfortable with every website using their browsing information to serve ads without asking. This isn't just to block advertisements, it's to block companies like Facebook from watching your every move, using your movements without your permission.

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Almost everything is connected to the Internet these days. One benefit of that is the availability of data and services almost everywhere. One disadvantage is that it can take little to bring connected devices down. That was the hard truth that PlayStation 4 owners learned over the weekend when a simple message sent through Sony's PlayStation Network or PSN would cause the console to crash repeatedly. That exploit has reportedly now been fixed but, for some PS4 owners, the damage has already been done.

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Forget 160 characters. GIFs and videos are the new thing in social media and the Interwebs. Creating those, however, aren't exactly easy unless you've got a knack for video editing. Or you have tools that simplify the task. The latter is what Adobe is aiming for with the new Premiere Rush. Revealed as Project Rush a few months back, this new member of Adobe's suite practically puts an "all-in-one" video editor in the cloud, ready to export your latest masterpieces to YouTube, Facebook, and more.

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Microsoft has pledged to help individuals with dyslexia access important technologies used for education and more. As part of its mission, Microsoft says its will be expanding its Educational research, products, and materials to help support students with dyslexia. One important change is the addition of a dictation tool to OneNote and Word online.

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Yes, Adobe Flash is still around, unfortunately, and that means it's still used as a way to target unknowing users with malware. As you'd expect, the latest malware to gain attention disguises itself as an update to Flash to trick users into installing malicious software. This time around, the malware is a cryptocurrency mining bot that uses system resources to mine for Monero. But there's an interesting twist: it actually does update the Flash software. Thanks, malware!

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Microsoft has announced that it is joining the Open Invention Network, a collective that aims to protect open source software and Linux from patent issues. The company acknowledges that joining the OIN is "surprising to some," that due to its previous "friction" with the OSS community. Despite that, Microsoft has made more than 60,000 of its patents open source.

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