Windows convertible notebooks promise the best of a laptop and a tablet, and now Microsoft is testing a new Windows 10 feature to better compete with iPadOS on the iPad Pro. Previewed to a select handful of users brave enough to dip a toe into the Windows 10 Insider Preview Fast ring, Build 18970 (20H1) samples a few new tweaks and enhancements to how 2-in-1s work when you flip between form-factors.
Once the darling of the young Web, Flash eventually became a liability because of its gaping security holes and heavy resource usage. But for all the flack it has received, it's hard to deny the amount of legitimate and noteworthy content produced using flash, particularly 2D animations and games. To make sure those are never lost forever, one developer has taken upon the rather grueling task of creating Ruffles, the open source WebAssembly Flash emulator.
Computers today are super powerful and yet at times they can also be frustratingly simple-minded. Truth be told, you really need to tell them what to do or, at the very least, have software that lets you do so. Sometimes even something as simple as starting up the same apps after you restart the computer is something that doesn't come naturally to some operating systems. Actually just one operating system. Thankfully, it seems that Windows 10 is finally catching up with that in next year's major update.
Software giant Microsoft has practically admitted that, after decades, it can no longer really compete in the browser market on its own. Ironically, adopting a Google Chrome base may have, in fact, renewed interest and trust in the Microsoft Edge name. At least enough to gain 1 million downloads of the preview version alone. Microsoft is probably hoping that the final launch will be just as warmly received but, in the meantime, it's launching a new beta version and beta channel fans can use to get the latest but somewhat stable features.
Web browsers, particularly Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, have lately taken stronger actions against unscrupulous, not to mention potentially illegal, tracking by websites and third parties. Curiously silent is one browser maker who has painted itself as the champion of privacy in the modern digital and tech world. Apple, however, was simply waiting for the right moment to announce its own new policy against the misuse of tracking and cookies. But while it might be the harshest and strictest policy among web browsers, it could also be one of those that breaks the Internet the most for users.
This week's been a bad one for Windows updates. A couple of relatively important Windows updates were released, then found to have unexpected effects on some of the computers on which they were loaded. It's extremely unfortunate when this sort of thing happens because it deters users from downloading patches of all sorts - not least of all security patches and Windows Updates from Microsoft. The good news is that negative results seem to have been reported only by a relatively small subset of Windows users.
When Microsoft launched its own app store back in the Windows 8 and Windows RT days, it was criticized for being a practical ghost town. It has admittedly grown these days but it seems it's on the verge of shrinking again. Some developers seem to be advocating for Progressive Web Apps or PWAs, whether or not they are on the Store. The latest one to jump ship is Plex who just announced its shiny new desktop app while also announcing the death of its Windows Store app.
There's a security patch for Windows 10 out right this minute that you're going to want to take the time to download. This piece of software aims to stop some new wormable* RDP vulnerabilities. It's bad news and you should patch the flaw with the relatively simple process provided by Microsoft for updating Windows 10 of several sorts.
Streaming service Twitch is making it easier for anyone to stream on its platform via Twitch Studio, a streaming app that has arrived for beta testing. Twitch describes the software as an all-in-one solution for new streams, simplifying the setup process and offering tools for engaging with viewers.
Fire up your phones: Google has pushed out the new Android Q Beta 6, and it's time for your fingers to get to grips with another change to how gestures work. The new beta is the final that Google has planned, with the next big drop being Android Q itself.
Compared to iOS, Chrome OS, and even Android, Windows is a powerful platform that lets users install almost anything and do anything they need to get things done. Microsoft, however, has had the ironic problem that it has trouble locking Windows down and selling it that way to businesses and schools. Not that it didn't try but it has repeatedly failed before finally reaching a compromise in Windows 10 in S Mode. Given that history and the company's flip-flopping policy, users may have started panicking when they couldn't get out of S Mode. The good news is that it's apparently just a bug. The bad news: Microsoft still hasn't fixed it yet.
When talking about bugs affecting operating systems, you often hear about Windows and Android, sometimes iOS, and, from time to time, even Linux. Rarely to RTOS, short for Real-Time Operating Systems, get any coverage. One RTOS, however, is used in so many critical computer systems in critical industries that big security bugs could prove to be catastrophic. That is apparently what faces users of equipment that run on VxWorks that has been reported to have no less than 11 zero-day vulnerabilities that have been around for the last 13 years.