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Android may be a Linux-based operating system, but the Linux roots are something that few people pay much mind. Regardless of whether it is known or acknowledged by many people, the fact remains that Android is rooted in software regarded as horrendously difficult to use and most-readily associated with the geekier computer users, but also renowned for its security.

As is easy to tell by comparing versions of Android from different handset manufacturers, developers are -- broadly speaking -- free to do whatever they want with Android, but with Oreo, one aspect of this is changing. Google is introducing a new requirement that OEMs must meet certain requirements when choosing the Linux kernel they use.

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It has been a few weeks since Microsoft launched an updated beta version of Outlook.com. Rather than making the beta available to everyone, the company chose to roll out the beta to a limited number of users -- although it was possible to jump the queue with a little trick.

Now Microsoft has decided to make the Outlook.com beta available to everyone. There's quite a lot to try out, with an updated look and a host of new and improved features. While the beta version is available to everyone, it's not enabled by default.

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Linux and Kodi go so well together. If you want to set up a lightweight media center distribution, you should look no further than LibreELEC. This open source Linux-based operating system exists solely to run Kodi, making it work on fairly meager hardware, such as a Raspberry Pi.

Today, a new LibreELEC Krypton version gets a release -- 8.1.1 BETA. If you are worried about compatibility with your favorite addons such as Exodus and Covenant, don't -- they should work absolutely fine. Of course, if you do encounter any issues, it can be very easy to go back. Might as well have the latest and greatest, right?

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When it comes to the Windows Insiders program, the Fast Ring is the most bleeding edge, right? Wrong. While it used to be, the "Skip Ahead" level has exceeded it in that regard. In other words, there is a Fast Ring, but now Skip Ahead can be seen as the Faster Ring. Eh, whatever...

Today, Microsoft releases Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16281 for PC, which is for the regular Fast Ring. While the Skip Ahead folks are now on builds based on Redstone 4, this is apparently based on RS3. If you like playing with virtual choo choo trains, I am happy to say there is an important fix for Train Simulator 2017.

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AMD has laid out its aim to make workplace PC and laptop devices more powerful thanks to its latest Ryzen Pro chips.

The company has unveiled the first enterprise computing devices that will feature its latest hardware, with the world's three biggest PC manufacturers all signed up for new releases.

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Okta has recently made three major announcements. First, it introduced new developer product toolkit capabilities, allowing developers to add Okta’s identity-driven security solution to their own applications with ease.

This has been announced during Oktane, its user event in Las Vegas. New features include easy and secure authentication, rapid customization and branding, out-of-the-box workflows, as well as securing APIs that are exposed to third-party developers.

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Traditional systems administration of servers, applications, and databases used to be a little simpler when it came to choices and costs. For a long time, there was no other choice than to hook up a physical server, put on your desired OS, and install the database or application software that you needed. Eventually, you could choose to install your OS on a physical server or on a virtual machine running on a hypervisor. Then, large companies started running their own hypervisor and allowed you to rent your VM for as long as you needed it on their servers.

In 2009, Amazon started offering the ability to rent databases directly, without having to worry about the underlying OS in a platform as a service (PaaS) offering called Relational Database Service (RDS). This added another layer of complexity to your choices when managing your infrastructure. Let’s explore AWS RDS pricing a little bit, and examine some of the features that comes with it.

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Ubuntu 17.10 should be available in October. With Canonical making GNOME the default desktop environment, and killing the much-maligned Unity, this will be the most exciting release in years. Quite frankly, the operating system had been feeling sort of stale lately, so a new default DE should shake things up.

Today, the first official Beta of Ubuntu 17.10 becomes available. This pre-lease version of the operating system, codenamed "Artful Aardvark," does not include the GNOME desktop, unfortunately. Instead, it includes several other spins, including Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and more.

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Kodi has been in the news a great deal recently, thanks largely to a surge in interest in addons for the media center software. High profile addons like Phoenix disappeared, as did (temporarily) the addons site TVAddons.

The latest victim is a Plex addon from MetalKettle -- MK Plex. Eager to avoid legal action after receiving a letter from Plex's legal team, MetalKettle decided to shut up shop rather than continue to provide an addon that could be used to access Plex through Kodi without a paid-for Plex Pass subscription.

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We've known for quite some time of Lenovo's Windows Mixed Reality headset, but it is not until today that we learn more about what it will bring to the table when it will finally arrive later this year.

First, let's talk about the name. Unlike ASUS, which calls its offering the Windows Mixed Reality Headset, Lenovo has come up with a more fitting name for its first device: the Explorer. This will surely make it more appealing in the eyes of early adopters.

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The launch of the iPhone 8 has been awaited with bated breath, and this time around there have been rather more leaks than normal. We've not only seen suggestions of what the new phone will look like, but also heard strong rumors about features such as wireless charging and Face ID 3D facial detection.

What we have not known for sure is just when Apple will reveal all. Now the wait is over. The company has just sent out invites to an event to be held at the Steve Job Center in Cupertino ("let's meet at our place"). The date: September 12. The time: 10am. On the agenda: iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, iOS 11 and more.

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Microsoft has confirmed what leaks have suggested for a little while (thanks, Lenovo!). The launch date for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is October 17, 2017 -- and no, there is no Autumn Creators Update!

This will be the fourth major update to Windows 10, and it is one that has been keenly awaited by users of the operating system, although it's not going to be without its share of disappointments. Microsoft confirmed the release date at IFA today, and pointed out two of the update's key new features: eye-tracking and Windows Mixed Reality.

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As we carry out more of our day-to-day transactions online, so the amount of information about us that exists out on the internet grows.

That means there are more and more opportunities for data to be leaked or stolen, but a new study by IT staffing company Modis reveals that people still aren't taking their privacy seriously.

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Everybody needs a backup -- with ransomware added to the list of threats to your data, now is the perfect time to take full advantage of our latest Downloadcrew giveaway: a full copy of O&O DiskImage 10.5 Professional, worth $49.95, across this coming weekend.

What makes O&O DiskImage special is that it allows you to back up both individual files and folders as well as take a full drive image, so you can protect key data alongside your fail-safe drive image covering your entire Windows installation -- all from one application.

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According to NetMarketShare, in July Windows 10 grew its usage share by 0.83 percentage points -- its largest increase in three months. (This, remember, is an OS that only managed to gain a grand total of five percent share in an entire year).

With a new major update to the operating system right around the corner, you might expect Windows 10 to have grown its share by a similar figure in August, but no. It's back to the glacial growth we usually see for the new OS.

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