Santa Claus pulls Manjaro Linux 15.12 'Capella' out of his sack
Santa Claus is a cool dude. Not only does he live at the North Pole with a bunch of elves, but he has a magically massive sack too. Santa's sack can hold an infinite number of toys and presents. It's kind of like Dr. Who's Tardis -- it looks like a normal sack, but the inside is much bigger than the outside.
Today, Santa is emptying his sack all over the Linux community, by delivering Manjaro Linux 15.12. Sure, Christmas is not for a couple of more days, but if you are a fan of the Arch-based operating system, you can begin celebrating early.
Hyatt Hotels computer system breached by malware -- monitor your credit card ASAP
When I go to a hotel, there are plenty of things I worry about. Are there bed bugs? Was the prior guest disgusting? Dear God, is there room service? For the most part, I have satisfying hotel stays, as I check online reviews beforehand. Any mention of cigarette smells, high noise levels, or yellow stains on the sheets, and I move along.
Sadly, there is yet another thing to worry about -- malware. Yes, today, Hyatt Hotels announces that its payment processing was breached by malware. Sigh. This type of news is becoming too commonplace nowadays, and quite frankly, I am getting fed up.
ASUS users will see fewer ads in 2016 thanks to Adblock Plus
Ad blocking is something of a contentious issue, but it's one that has been brought to prominence in 2015. The adblockalypse arrived this year as the debate about whether disabling ad blockers was preferable to paying for content.
Adblock Plus -- one of the best known ad blockers out there -- recently updated its acceptable ads policy which gives people the option of permitting certain ads to appear in their browser. But a new deal struck with ASUS means that anyone buying a phone or tablet from the Taiwanese company in 2016 will find that ad blocking is baked in and enabled by default.
Software bug leads to early release for thousands of prisoners
More than 3,000 prisoners in the state of Washington have been released early from prison as a result of a software bug. The formula used to calculate sentence reductions was found to be inaccurate, and while the average early release prisoner mistakenly had 49 days shaved from their sentence, one was set free almost two years early.
The software bug stems from a software update way back in 2002. The update introduced a new way to apply good behaviour credits, and governors are astonished that the problem has been on-going for 13 years. The Washington Department of Corrections says that it has been aware of the issue since 2012.
UK government working with eBay and Amazon to catch tax-evading sellers
When it comes to tax avoidance, it's usually big companies that come under the spotlight. Of course, there is nothing -- legally speaking -- wrong with tax avoidance, but it's a very different story with tax evasion. With eBay and Amazon providing a platform for vendors around the world, it is perhaps little surprise that the retail sites are home to a large number of tax evaders.
An investigation by the Guardian found that there are a huge number of overseas sellers who fail to pay VAT in the UK. HM Revenue & Customs is currently looking into whether eBay and Amazon could be held responsible for the tax bills, or what could be done to track down offenders.
Google+ is too much ghost town for me
As the New Year approaches, and I contemplate 2016, my online social space surely will change; my like-affair with Google+ draws close to an end. Nearly six weeks ago, the service "reimagined", as a "fully redesigned Google+ that puts Communities and Collections front and center".
Since then, my Google+ engagement has dropped by more than 90 percent. I don't find as many posts to Plus-one, to share with others, or on which to comment. Similarly, I see shocking decline in the number of responses to my posts—not something I actively seek so much as by which to judge interest in what I write and also to interact with other Plusers. After years of misguided critics calling Google+ a ghost town, the tumbleweeds roll.
Generate passwords you can actually remember with WordCreator
It’s important to use strong passwords to secure web accounts, and there are plenty of free generators around to help.
But most produce random results, and although cryptic garbage like "gKlephjjDe" will be hard to guess, it’s also not what we’d call memorable.
Oracle agrees to warn Java users of malware risk
Oracle is about to issue a warning that Java users could be exposed to malware, the media have reported on Tuesday.
The exposure is the result of a flaw that existed in Java’s software update tool. After an investigation conducted by the US Federal Trade Commission, Oracle (Java’s distributor) has agreed to issue a warning over its social media channels and on its website, otherwise it would have been fined.
Expect faster adoption and more localization in a cloudy 2016
The growing maturity of the cloud has been one of the major trends of the past year and this is something that looks set to continue into next year.
There will be new challenges, however, and we've looked at what some of the industry's experts think the cloud will have in store for 2016.
Here are the system requirements for Microsoft Azure Stack
Microsoft has announced the hardware requirements needed to run its Azure Stack – the upcoming on-premise hybrid version of the Azure cloud.
The Azure Stack first gets installed on a server and delivers Azure services in a customer’s datacentre, enabling developers and IT professionals to build, deploy and operate cloud applications using consistent tools, processes and artifacts.
Microsoft releases first firmware upgrade for Lumia 950 family
Windows 10 Mobile was officially introduced in November, launching alongside Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. But, even though it was deemed ready for prime time, Microsoft released a new build of its latest smartphone operating shortly after, to fix various issues reported by users of the two new flagships. And, now, there is a new firmware available too.
This is actually the first firmware update for the Lumia 950 family. The build number is 01078.00027.15506.020xx. Here are the changes that it brings to the table.
In the end the Beatles finally come to streaming services
It's been a long and winding road to get the Beatles on your devices and streaming services, but you've finally reached your destination and the iconic band has given in to demand. Sadly two members of the Fab Four won't be around to experience this blockbuster event, but you can still enjoy the magical mystery tour of the group's catalog of hits and more obscure songs.
At 12:01am local time on December 24th the Beatles music officially launches on streaming services Spotify, Apple Music, Slacker, Tidal, Groove, Rhapsody, Deezer, Google Play and Amazon Prime.
Privacy-focused Tails 2.0 beta 1 Linux distro is here -- Debian 8, GNOME shell classic, and more
With clueless politicians, the media, and scared citizens calling for a ban on encryption, it can feel like the Internet is under attack. Such basic rights to privacy are the foundation of the net -- once we lose them, it can be impossible to get back.
Unfortunately, even mundane aspects of computing, like operating systems -- which should fade into the background -- are threatening our privacy. Windows 10, for instance, sends much data to Microsoft, while Android is partly a means for Google to collect data. Traditional Linux distributions are not inherently privacy-focused, but generally speaking, many are. For the gold standard in privacy and security, Tails -- a distro recommended by Edward Snowden -- can be used. Today, the first beta of the 2.0 version operating system becomes available.
Another delay and a major price increase -- is it time for Microsoft to kill the Surface Hub?
The Surface Hub looks cool. The giant wall-mounted Surface, aimed at businesses, comes in two sizes -- 55-inch and 84-inch -- and boasts 100 points of multitouch, up to three simultaneous pen inputs, dual 1080p front-facing video cameras and a four-microphone array. And the larger model has a 4k touch-screen display that refreshes every 8.33 milliseconds, which is faster than the human eye can detect.
But here’s the problem. Seven months ago Microsoft said the Surface Hub would be available to order in 24 markets -- including Australia, North America, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the UK -- from July 1, with a shipping date of September 1. But then five months ago, based on "strong demand" it delayed things (with no word of a ship date) and then a month later said orders would start shipping on January 1 2016. But guess what? They won’t.
Windows 10 patch messing with your Office 2016 templates? Here's how you can get them back
A cumulative Windows 10 patch has had some Word 2016 users cringing in despair. The patch, titled Cumulative Update KB3124200, is causing the Word 2016 template file Normal.dotm to be renamed.
Then, once the text processing program is restarted, it sees the file missing and creates a new one, basically restoring it to factory settings, which is a bummer. The Normal.dotm file is where Word stores all the custom macros, custom spellcheck and auto-correct features.
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