Microsoft joins the Open Source Initiative

Microsoft continues to show its support for open source software, and now the company has joined the Open Source Initiative (OSI). Joining as a Premium Sponsor, Microsoft will help to promote open source development, communities and software.

The company joins the likes of Facebook, Google, GitHub and IBM, and it says that it will increase its advocacy for the use, contribution and release of open source software. The sponsorship is described as "a significant milestone for the OSI."

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Gretel GT6000 is a good entry-level Android smartphone [Review]

Gretel is not a company name you easily forget as it is associated with one of the more popular Grimm’s brothers fairy tales, Hansel and Gretel, one which features a house made out of cookies, biscuits, cake and chocolate and inhabited by a cannibalistic witch.

This is likely to be the most memorable aspect of the GT6000. It is Gretel's flagship model. Sadly, with a quad-core processor and a component list that fits more into an entry level smartphone, it is likely to face some stiff competition from an ever bulging list of rivals

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Over a quarter of Windows 10 systems STILL don't have the Creators Update

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is set to begin its rollout in a matter of weeks, yet over a quarter (27.5 percent) of Windows 10 users still haven’t received the Creators Update.

According to the latest figures from AdDuplex, while the Creators Update found its way on to another 7.5 percent of computers this month to give it a 72.5 percent share, it’s still well short of the 91.2 percent that the Anniversary Update reached before the Creators Update was released. AdDuplex warns that as a result of slow rollouts like this, fragmentation will only increase in the future.

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Adblock Plus introduces a new way to block ads on Facebook

Facebook keyboard

Facebook -- like many companies who exist solely online -- is highly reliant on ad revenue. As such, it goes to great lengths to outwit ad-blocking tools that seek to rob it of income by giving users a more enjoyable experience.

Adblock Plus is a well-known name in this field, having already had something of a back-and-forth with the social network as Facebook took steps to block adblockers. But now Adblock Plus has a new filter available to block ads on Facebook -- and improve privacy -- and it says it is more resilient than ever.

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Vacuum cleaner company Dyson to make a 'radical and different' electric car -- let's hope it doesn't suck

Dyson makes a lot of products -- ranging from hand and hair dryers, to fans and heaters -- but it’s still best known for its vacuum cleaners.

That might change in the future however, as the company has announced plans to create its own electric cars.

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Doogee Mix smartphone is great value for money [Review]

The Chinese smartphone market works in such a way that its insularity has caused the number of small vendors to surge over the past three years, all competing for the hundreds of millions of potential Chinese smartphone users.

At the last count, the number had reached 80, most of which are no household names; only Lenovo, Xiaomi and Huawei have managed to cross that east-west chasm. Now, a newcomer, Doogee, aims to challenge the status quo with a raft of new smartphones.

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USB 3.2 is finally here

Back in July, we reported that USB 3.2 was on the way. With USB being so popular nowadays, this was big news, despite the fact that it was merely an incremental update. While the average computer user probably has no reason to care, computer enthusiasts (aka nerds) will understandably be excited.

Today, USB 3.2 finally becomes official, as the USB Implementers Forum publishes the new standard. While it wasn't considered complete when it was announced in July, it is now properly finalized.

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DDoS attacks continue to target IoT networks

DDoS attacks

The second quarter of this year has seen DDoS attacks continue to target IoT networks according to attack protection specialist Nexusguard.

Nexusguard gathers DDoS attack data through botnet scanning, honeypots, ISPs and traffic moving between attackers and their targets, so the data is unbiased by any single set of customers or industries.

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Plex adds personalized news to its media software

Having recently added Live TV and DVR features to its media server software, Plex is now adding personalized news. The new feature pulls in news from "some of the most trusted sources on the planet," and it comes after Plex's acquisition of Watchup.

Working with over 190 partners, Plex News is tailored to suit individual users, taking into account which stories they watch and which they skip. The new feature integrates with an existing Plex media library and it will be available to all users free of charge.

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How to create a bootable macOS 10.13 High Sierra USB drive

macbook_highsierra_hero_desktop

There are times when you may not want to use the App Store or the recovery mode to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on your Mac. So Apple gives you the option of creating a bootable USB drive. You can use it anytime and anywhere to quickly get the operating system running on any compatible Mac. An Internet connection is not even required as everything you need is already on the drive.

Creating a bootable macOS 10.13 High Sierra USB drive is very easy. All you need is a Mac, as the tools provided for the process are only available on OS X and macOS, and a USB drive with a capacity of 8GB or more. I will also explain how to use a dedicated third-party tool, in case you decide that this option suits you better.

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Organizations unprepared for the ransomware onslaught

Ransomware sign

A new study shows that companies and government agencies are being overwhelmed by frequent, severe ransomware attacks that have become the number one threat organizations face.

The 2017 Ransomware Report from Crowd Research Partners, commissioned by Cybersecurity Insiders is based on the responses of over 2,200 cybersecurity professionals.

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Microsoft says Office 2019 previews are coming mid-2018

At Microsoft Ignite in Orlando, Microsoft today announced Office 2019. The next version of the office suite is scheduled for release sometime in the second half of 2018, with preview builds being made available in the middle of the year.

Despite Microsoft's love of the cloud, the company recognizes that not all customers are quite ready to go all-in. With this in mind, Office 2019 includes numerous new features that are not cloud-specific, and the suite is described as "a valuable upgrade for customers who feel that they need to keep some or all of their apps and servers on-premises."

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Comodo launches IoT security platform

Internet of things

We all know we need to protect our computer systems when they're connected to the internet, but there’s generally less awareness of the threat posed by the latest generation of Internet of Things devices.

Cyber security company Comodo wants to make these devices more secure with the launch of a new IoT Security Platform that will allow device manufacturers and network providers to issue and manage PKI and SSL certificates for private ecosystems.

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Stuck for where to visit next? The Hopper app will help!

Going on holiday is supposed to be relaxing (for the most part), but planning and preparing to go away can be a real headache. Do you want a beach, mountains, skiing or adventure holiday? Once you’ve settled on where to go, for most people, the price will be another issue. Flight costs will fluctuate and its very difficult to determine when to buy your tickets.

Hopper is an app which will help you save money on flights. Its algorithm tracks your selected dates and will let you know based on historical data whether it expects prices to drop further or go up. It will also notify you if either of these situations occurs, or tell you based on previous data if you should buy right now.

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Keep your system drivers up-to-date using the latest Driver Booster 5

You’re busy using your PC and it’s suddenly 2004 again. Your system is running slowly and your drivers are to blame.

Should you keep your drivers updated? Usually, the rule is "if it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it." It’s simply not true that out-of-date drivers will slow or your hinder your computer. Usually, Windows itself will make sure you have the most relevant drivers for your system and, if you have Windows 10, you’ll usually have the latest drivers. And even if you’re using Vista, and there are newer drivers, it doesn’t necessarily mean your system will be enhanced by installing them.

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