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When Apple went all-in on USB-C/Thunderbolt with its MacBook computers, many people were upset. True, USB-C is the future, but the problem is, we don't live in the future -- we exist in the present. And so, consumers were forced to buy dongles and adapters to use their accessories. Need an Ethernet connection? Buy a dongle. Want to to read an SD card? Buy a dongle. Trying to connect a USB-A mouse? Buy a dongle. You get the point.

Thankfully, in 2021, Apple brought some previously eliminated ports back to the MacBook Pro. For instance, the newest laptops have an SD card reader and HDMI video. What they still lack, unfortunately, are Ethernet and USB-A. If you need those things, you will still need to invest in dongles and adapters.

Screen-recording specialist TechSmith has unveiled Snagit 2022 for Windows and Snagit 2022 for Mac, a major new release of its screen capture and recording tool.

The 2022 release offers several new features, including support for cloud libraries, improved picture-in-picture recordings and cross-platform compatibility improvements enabling users to move seamlessly between Mac and Windows builds.

Bots tend to have a poor reputation, launching cyber attacks, beating you to the best bargains on eCommerce sites and generally being a bit of a pain in the Net.

Nowadays bots are frequently available 'as-a-service' so it's possible to rent one for a period of time to execute an attack. But, according to research for Cequence Security, 32 percent of respondents say they've used a shopping bot before and 38 percent say they might in the future. So that's 70 percent of people who are thinking, 'If you can't beat them, join them.'

In the last year, 47 percent of all identity document fraud was classed as 'medium' sophisticated, a 57 percent increase over the previous 12 months.

A report from identity verification and authentication company Onfido says this points to organized groups attempting to create 'verified' accounts with fake documents before using them to embark on other types of fraud.

For fairly obvious reasons, Microsoft -- like other companies -- would much rather people did not pirate its software. The major concern for any software producer is the loss of income, and Microsoft has come up with a solution for people running pirated versions of Office.

Citing various benefits, including avoiding the risk of security issues, Microsoft is urging pirates to take out a Microsoft 365 subscription. To sweeten the deal, the company is offering a discount on the usual price.

The big news at Twitter recently may have been the departure of Jack Dorsey, but incoming CEO Parag Agrawa has wasted little time in stamping his mark on the company.

After revamping its privacy policy, Twitter has now acquired Slack rival Quill. As a result of the acquisition, the messaging service has a very short future ahead of it. Users have just a few days to export their messages before Quill servers close down and all user data is deleted.

If you have upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and noticed a reduction in the performance of your SSD, you are not alone. Since the launch of the operating system, online forums, Reddit and Microsoft's own support communities have seen increasing number of complaints about write speeds being significantly slower after upgrading.

What is key here is that the performance reduction is not just noticeable, it is also measurable. It would be easy to dismiss a handful of complaints about slowdown as being a matter of personal perception. But the observations and experiences of those complaining are borne out by benchmarks which show write speeds have been slashed.

Windows 11 might be available to install now, but it’s very much a work in progress with many of the touted features not currently available.

If you’re a Windows Insider, you can from today try out the new and improved Notepad which sports a redesigned UI and offers a smart dark mode.

Customer service bots, digital payroll workflows, fleet management and lest we forget the clever programmer who famously automated his own job -- the uses for and adoption of automation continues to expand. In fact, the automation market is expected to reach $136.5 billion by 2026 with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7 percent according to Industry ARC’s Automation Market Report.

But as growth and excitement build, confusion in the market also abounds. After all, the word "automation" is so overused and broad that it’s no longer descriptive.

Automation has taken over the job market. So much so that many people are convinced that their skills will eventually be rendered obsolete. Estimates show that around 85 million jobs will be lost to automation by 2025, a statistic that will undoubtedly concern skilled workers across various industries. But, while tech might seem to be a hindrance to job progression for many, automation is also expected to create close to 100 million tech jobs within the same period, allowing employers to offer opportunities they never previously thought about.

These new tech jobs include low-code and no-code app development for people without highly technical training or the strongest expertise. Innovative, easy-to-use technology allows existing workers to fill roles without forcing employers to look elsewhere for talent. Current employees can develop or refine their AI, computing, and mobile design skills. Companies can increase their competitive advantage by using resourceful, innovative methods to improve productivity by creating the next-gen worker and leveraging new technologies. But, how does low-code app development, in particular, improve a company’s competitiveness?

A new survey of 2,500 adults looks at how workforce burnout has opened businesses to attacks, with trends such as remote and hybrid work, the Great Resignation and worse behavior by cybersecurity professionals being the driving forces behind the threat.

The research, from password manager 1Password, finds that 84 percent of security professionals and 80 percent of other workers are feeling burned out, leading to serious backsliding around security protocols.

Companies are more than ever reliant on data, but siloed search deployments and a lack of organizational alignment on a strategy are among factors preventing truly relevant enterprise search results, according to a new study.

A survey conducted by Dimensional Research for Coveo Solutions shows that despite an increased investment in search over the past year by 85 percent of IT professionals, 99 percent of organizations still struggle to deliver relevant search results to their users.

A new survey of over 1,000 IT security professionals finds that 75 percent of organizations recognize zero trust as being important to bolstering their overall cybersecurity posture.

However, the study conducted by Dimensional Research for One Identity also shows only 14 percent have fully implemented a zero trust solution. Another 39 percent of organizations have begun to address this need, and an additional 22 percent say they plan to implement zero trust over the course of the next year.

Windows 11 has the potential to be a great operating system, but it’s not there yet. That’s to be expected of course, as it was only released two months ago, and it took multiple feature updates before Windows 10 became the OS it should have been from the get-go.

Microsoft is rolling out bug fixes for Windows 11 and testing new features and improvements in its Insider builds, which all points towards a bright future. However, if you’re annoyed by the new OS as it is now, it’s easy to fix some of the more frustrating issues.

Guess what, folks? Freespire 8.0 is available to download immediately. This version of the Ubuntu-based operating system utilizes Linux kernel 5.4.0-91 LTS while using Xfce 4.16 as its desktop environment. This no-nonsense distribution is fairly lightweight and easy to use, making it a good choice for Linux newbies; particularly with aging (not obsolete) hardware.

Surprisingly, the developers have decided to focus heavily on Google with this release. This includes the search giant's services (Translate, News, etc.) and the Chrome browser. Apparently, this new focus is a result of reading user feedback. While this may scare some privacy-zealots away, it should make the operating system more appealing to the average home computer user. Let's be honest, shall we? Google services are rather essential for many people.