8 superb -- and cheap -- Raspberry Pi alternatives
As great as the Raspberry Pi is -- and let's be honest, all of the devices in that family are excellent, especially for the money -- it’s not the only such device available to buy, and some of the rival systems are arguably better as they come with Wi-Fi built-in, and other tricks, such as the ability to double as a wireless router, run Android, or display on-board scrolling messages.
While there are plenty of pricier (and therefore more powerful) options available, I’ve focused on the more affordable choices here -- ones that match, or better, the Raspberry Pi for value and will do everything you'd expect from them, and more.
Slack’s morning after
The rite of passage from youth to adulthood is filled with "morning after” moments -- those times when you realize that only 24 short hours ago (or less) you had bad judgment. Last Wednesday is Slack’s morning after... it thought it mattered as much as Microsoft.
Slack is a great product with deeply devoted fans, there’s no doubt about that. Its management has embraced the "accidental genius" narrative ("We don’t know why people use our product"), have talked about revolutions, and have driven one hell of a valuation. Good for them. Sadly, witty narratives, claims that your technology is disruptive and a lot of paper wealth doesn’t often translate into success as an enterprise software company.
(Un)colored is a rich content HTML and Markdown editor
#(Un)colored is a distraction-free HTML and Markdown-compatible document editor for Windows, Linux and Mac.
The program opens with an empty window, no toolbars, ribbons or anything else -- it’s just an empty frame where you can start to type.
What you need to know about enterprise collaboration
Enterprise collaboration, sometimes abbreviated to EC or ECS for enterprise collaboration systems, is becoming an increasingly vital tool for many businesses. Essentially, it comprises various forms of hardware and software used to enable the seamless and efficient sharing of information and resources within a particular company.
Enterprise collaboration systems can simply be relatively common communication tools such as email and instant messaging. Increasingly though businesses are turning to more bespoke solutions that combine these functions with project management and document management software. It is also worth noting that enterprise collaboration can prove beneficial for teams based in the same office, or those separated by thousands of miles. Collaborative technology is about breaking down the barriers preventing enterprise co-operation from taking place, whether they are departmental, geographical, temporal, or anything else for that matter.
Apple makes 2016 MacBook Pro's dongle hell less expensive
With the latest-generation MacBook Pro, Apple made a giant leap forward and fully-embraced USB Type-C. It went so far as to drop all other ports on its new prosumer-oriented laptops, even if the consumer market is not ready for it. The end result is that, if you want to use your existing peripherals and accessories, you will need (quite) a few dongles.
And this creates a problem. The new MacBook Pro does not come with any dongles in the box, so you will have to buy them yourself. This has angered quite a few prospective buyers, so, to make up for it, Apple has decided to do something it rarely does -- cut prices.
US launches website to share open-source software code
The US government has just launched its latest website, Code.gov with the aim of preventing the replication of code across government agencies in order to conserve valuable time and resources.
The site, which was launched on Thursday, already contains almost 50 open-source projects from a number of government agencies. Code.gov is the product of the Federal Source Code policy that was first announced in August by the White House.
SoftPerfect RAM Disk no longer free for personal use
SoftPerfect has released SoftPerfect RAM Disk 4.0 with a major license change: the program is no longer free for home users.
After the 30-day trial is up, version 4.0 now requires a $29 license for home users. As before, it’s $49 for businesses.
FBI says Clinton emails show no signs of wrong-doing, but Trump has his doubts
Just over a week after the FBI announced it was re-opening the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails, bureau director James Comey has announced that the previous investigatory conclusion of no wrong-doing remains.
Looking at a new batch of emails that were discovered during a separate investigation has "not changed our conclusion", he said. But while the Clinton camp welcomed the news, Donald Trump was more suspicious. "You can’t review 650,000 emails in eight days," he said.
How biometrics are addressing privacy concerns [Q&A]
As traditional password security methods become increasingly discredited, enterprises are turning to other technologies to secure systems and transactions.
Though many of the technologies are still in their infancy, others are becoming mainstream. We spoke to David Gerulski, vice president of fingerprint device specialist Integrated Biometrics to find out more about then latest technologies and how they're being used to address privacy concerns.
Tesco Bank suspends online banking following fraudulent activity
Tesco Bank has taken the extraordinary measure of temporarily halting online transactions after thousands of customers experienced criminal activity in their accounts over the weekend. The move also means that customers are unable to use contactless payments.
Customers were alerted over the weekend via text message after suspicious activity was noticed in numerous accounts. Some have found that hundreds of pounds have gone missing from their accounts, but it is not clear whether the problem stems from a direct hack of Tesco Bank, or if a retailer suffered a security breach.
What you need to know about containerization
Just as in shipping physical cargoes where a load in a container can share transport on a train or ship with other similar loads while remaining separate, so in computing a containerized application is able to share machine space with many others whilst remaining separate in its own "box".
You might be wondering how this differs from full virtualization? A virtual machine provides a complete environment running an operating system and applications totally separate from the OS of the host server. A containerized application on the other hand is fully self-contained in terms of a business application, but is designed to work with the operating system kernel of the host. This provides a lighter weight alternative to full virtualization, allowing the application to be run on any physical machine that shares the same operating system, but otherwise behaving as though it’s independent.
Clean PC Smart is a fake Registry cleaner
Running Registry cleaners generally makes us nervous, as they're far more likely to remove some important setting than make any measurable difference to your system speed.
Most developers try to address this by building real intelligence into their code, but "Clean PC Smart" takes a different route: despite listing thousands of "issues" and claiming to fix them, it never deletes anything at all.
SEO alert: Google search to rank sites according to their mobile versions
Having recently said that it will show different search results to mobile and desktop users, Google now has another search related announcement. Reacting to the fact that most searches are conducted from mobile devices, search results will be ranked according to sites' mobile content.
Google says that it has "begun experiments to make [its] index mobile-first", and it's a move that essentially says that mobile searchers are more important than the rest. In light of the recent splitting of mobile and desktop indexing, the announcement is hardly a bolt out of the blue, but it's still something that many site owners will need to take action about.
Neil Young returns to Apple Music and Spotify
Neil Young is one of my favorite musicians. He is second only to Joni Mitchell for touching my heart and soul. Surprisingly, I haven't listened to his music for well over a year. Why? He pulled his tunes from streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music. He claimed that he did this because he was dissatisfied with the sound quality of these online platforms.
Quite frankly, I was very angry with Young for this move. True, he was totally within his rights to remove his music catalog, but many fans -- such as yours truly -- were perfectly happy with the sound quality. Now, after a long absence, Neil Young returns his music to services like Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify and Apple Music.
Sonos brings a new color sub to your home
Most people with a passing affinity for home media likely know the name Sonos. The company has become the go-to whole-house media system. It's a bit high-end, but those who buy in swear by the setup.
Perhaps just as important as the sound and overall capability to many people is the aesthetics. After all, if a device is sitting in your home in plain view then it's nice if it looks like it belongs and isn't some alien object.
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