Ubuntu Linux 20.04 LTS 'Focal Fossa' Beta now available for download
Today is Friday, meaning later this afternoon, we will officially be starting the weekend! Woo-hoo! Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, many of us will be spending our weekend downtime indoors once again. Sigh. The weekend is far less exciting when you've been self-quarantining for weeks due to a pandemic.
Thankfully, we can all still have plenty of fun while indoors thanks to the internet. Not only can we stream video and music, but we can play online video games too. If you are a computer nerd, however, I have a much better suggestion -- install the Ubuntu Beta! That's right, Linux fans, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS "Focal Fossa" Beta is now available for download. This doesn't just include the "vanilla" GNOME version either, but other variants like Kubuntu and Xubuntu as well.
Hands-on with Facebook's relaunched Messenger for Windows and Mac
As the world goes into lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, staying in touch with loved ones both near and far has never been more important. The explosion in popularity for video chatting makes it entirely appropriate that Facebook should relaunch Messenger on the desktop platform with support for video group calling.
In addition, brand new versions of Facebook Messenger for Windows and Facebook Messenger for Mac finally bring all Messenger features to the platform along with some major new video-chat features.
IBM Open Source Community Grant goes to internship and mentoring program Outreachy
Last October, IBM began awarding quarterly grants to encourage diversity and inclusion among the open source community.
The company has today announced the winner of its second grant as Outreachy, an organization that provides internships in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for people from under served communities.
Apple accidentally leaks details of its unreleased AirTags tracking tags
Heads are likely to be rolling at Apple after details emerged online about its unreleased AirTags. A video that references the tracking tags appeared on Apple's official Support account on YouTube but it was removed after the company seemingly realized its mistake.
The revelation came in a video tutorial about how to erase data from an iPhone. In the footage, a screen can be seen which makes reference to AirTags under an Enable Offline Finding heading.
qBittorrent warns users not to install the Microsoft Store version
The developers of one of the most popular torrent clients, qBittorrent, warn users not to install the Microsoft Store version of the application.
The warning, which is displayed on the release notes page on the official qBittorrent website, informs users that the Microsoft Store version is not created by the team nor officially licensed or sanctioned by the original development team. In addition, the Microsoft Store release is not free but needs to be purchased.
How to lock down Zoom to improve your privacy and security
Zoom has received a lot of attention because of the increased number of people working from home, some good, some bad. There have been various security and privacy issues with the video conferencing app, but there are steps you can take to lock things down a little.
Following numerous controversies, Zoom has not only issued an apology but also put a stop on the development of new features while it gets itself in order. In the meantime, there are a various things you can do to increase your privacy and security when you're using Zoom.
Get 'Virtual Teams for Dummies' ($17.99 value) FREE for a limited time
In the global marketplace, people can work practically anywhere and anytime, and that’s something we’re seeing a lot of right now thanks to COVID-19. Virtual teams cut across the boundaries of time, space, culture, and sometimes even organizations.
Packed with solid advice, interviews and case studies from well-known companies who are already using virtual teams in their business model and their lessons learned, Virtual Teams for Dummies provides rock-solid guidance on the essentials for building, leading, and sustaining a highly productive virtual workforce. It helps executives understand key support strategies that lead virtual teams to success and provides practical information and tools to help leaders and their teams bridge the communication gaps created by geographical separation -- and achieve peak performance.
Is coronavirus going to break the internet?
With the current pandemic leading to many more people working from home, we could be looking at a permanent shift in working patterns over the longer term.
But the question many people are asking is can the internet cope? Tech education site Computer Science Zone has created an infographic looking at the effect of more remote working on the internet.
If you used Firefox to access Twitter, your non-public info may have been exposed
Mozilla Firefox is damn good web browser that is largely open source and focuses on privacy and security. That is why I choose it as my default browser on both Windows 10 and Linux-based operating systems such as Ubuntu and Fedora. Many people wisely choose Firefox for the same reasons.
Sadly, today, we discover that if you have been using Mozilla Firefox to access Twitter, you may have had non-public information data saved locally to cache. Twitter makes it clear that other major browsers, such as Google Chrome and Apple Safari, are not affected. Thankfully, the social network says it fixed the issue on its end.
Rivet Networks unveils Killer E3100 2.5 Gbps gaming Ethernet controller
If you've purchased a gaming PC or motherboard lately, there's a very good chance it has a Killer Ethernet controller by Rivet Networks. These controllers are supposed to provide better performance for gaming thanks to Killer's software for Windows that prioritizes gaming traffic. Some swear by Killer's technology, while others call it snake oil.
Today, Rivet Networks announces its latest such Killer Ethernet controller for gaming. Called "E3100," it provides 2.5 Gbps performance, more than double that of gigabit. True, 2.5 Gbps networks are still fairly rare -- especially in homes -- but its popularity is growing. Some people prefer 2.5 Gbps to 10 Gbps , as the former can use existing cabling.
Grand National goes virtual to give fans their racing fix
The Grand National is a highlight of the British sporting calendar. An event that prompts people who never normally bet on a horse race to venture a few pounds at the bookies or take part in a workplace sweepstake.
With this year's race canceled due to the coronavirus it looked like they might miss out, but virtual reality is coming to the rescue.
Events tracking tool helps track and guard against phishing and spam campaigns
It's not unusual for phishing attacks to focus their efforts on major events. The end of the tax year is always popular as are major sporting occasions. The latest lure of course is the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The problem for IT admins is how to protect against a sudden deluge of threats and spam messages while ensuring that important legitimate communications aren't accidentally blocked.
Poor audio quality on calls can lead to lost productivity
On average end-users are losing almost half an hour of productivity each week due to poor sound quality on voice calls, time spent double checking information via follow-up emails or calls.
Research from Danish audio brand EPOS shows 87 percent of end-users surveyed have experienced at least one pain point due to poor sound quality on calls, whether in the office or working from home.
Zoom issues an apology for privacy and security issues, will enact a feature freeze to focus on fixes
Zoom has been in the headlines a lot recently -- and not always for the reasons the company might have wanted. Thrust into the spotlight due to massively increased usage during the coronavirus pandemic, Zoom has been plagued with numerous security and privacy issues.
Now company CEO Eric S Yuan has issued a lengthy statement to Zoom users, apologizing for "unforeseen issues" and promising to improve things. For now, Zoom will get no new features as the company is focusing on fixing what is wrong, and regaining customer trust.
Cloudflare launches DNS-based parental control service 1.1.1.1 for Families
Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver has been around for a couple of years now, helping to cater for those looking for a more private and secure internet connection. Now the company has announced a new version of the product, this time with extra protective layers.
1.1.1.1 for Families is essentially a parental control filter, automatically blocking access to "bad sites". This means not only sites that deliver malware, but also adult sites that might not be suitable for younger internet users. But while parents may welcome this automated filtering, 1.1.1.1 for Families has already come in for criticism for incorrectly blocking sites.
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