97 percent of companies now use agile development methods


Agile is clearly becoming the norm in the development community according to the findings of a new report from CollabNet VersionOne which has been charting the agile landscape for 13 years.
The report shows 97 percent of organizations now practicing agile development methods. That's not to say its use is universal, however, only 22 percent of respondents report that all their teams are agile, 26 percent more than half and 48 percent less than half.
Reported data breaches up more than 56 percent


According to the latest Data Breach Report from Risk Based Security the number of reported data breaches was up 56.4 percent in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period last year.
The increase in reporting could be a result of new legislation like GDPR that obliges businesses to be more open about security issues. The number of exposed records was also up by 28.9 percent. Already in 2019, there have been three breaches exposing 100 million or more records.
It's decision time: Samsung tells buyers it will cancel their Galaxy Fold pre-orders unless told not to


The launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold is probably going to go down as one of the most problematic phone launches ever. After review handsets were found to have serious problems with the folding screen, Samsung decided to postpone the release for an unspecified length of time.
With this being one of the first foldable phones, there was obviously a great deal of interest in it, and many people placed pre-orders in spite of the high price. Now the company is giving buyers the chance to back out of their purchase, saying it is "making progress in enhancing" the phone -- but still does not know when (or, indeed, if) it will be ready for launch. In fact, Samsung will be automatically cancelling orders unless it is told to do otherwise.
VisionTek launches VT4500 Dual 4K USB-C Docking Station with Power Delivery


Thunderbolt 3 docking stations, such as this one from IOGEAR, can be a great way to transform your laptop into a makeshift desktop. The problem? Most computers don't have TB3. While that speedy interface is starting to show up on more affordable laptops, it is still, for the most part, reserved for premium machines.
Thankfully, USB-C docking stations exist, allowing more consumers to take advantage of the single-cable dock experience. There are plenty of USB docks on the market, so it can be hard to stand out, but today, VisionTek has done exactly that. Called "VT4500," it is a dual display USB-C Docking station with power delivery. What makes it pretty damn cool is its inclusion of four video outputs on the rear -- 2x DisplayPort and 2x HDMI. Sadly, they can't all be used at once -- you are limited to just two. By offering both connection types for Display 1 and Display 2, VisionTek essentially eliminates the need for adapters. And yes, this thing can push two 4K monitors at 60Hz.
Microsoft's core platform isn't software, it's trust


For the first time in a half-decade, I watched a Microsoft Build keynote this morning. Time gives fresh perspective, looking at where the company was compared to where it is today. Listening to CEO Satya Nadella and other Softies, I repeatedly found myself reminded of Isaac Asimov's three laws or Robotics and how they might realistically be applied in the 21st Century. The rules, whether wise or not, set to ensure that humans could safely interact with complex, thinking machines. In Asimov's science fiction stories, the laws were core components of the automaton's brain—baked in, so to speak, and thus inviolable. They were there by design; foundationally.
Behind all product design, there are principles. During the Steve Jobs era, simplicity was among Apple's main design ethics. As today's developer conference keynote reminds, Microsoft embraces something broader—design ethics that harken back to the company's founding objectives and others that share similar purpose as the robotic laws. On the latter point, Nadella repeatedly spoke about "trust" and "collective responsibility". These are fundamental principles of design, particularly as Artificial Intelligence usage expands and more corporate developers depend on cloud computing platforms like Azure.
Open source champion Microsoft announces Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2) at Build 2019


It used to be, Microsoft was seen as the enemy of Linux. For some folks in the Linux community, that is still the case -- even though that viewpoint is totally wrong. Look, under the leadership of Satya Nadella, Microsoft has transformed itself, becoming a genuine champion of Linux and other open source projects. Anyone that doubts Microsoft's newfound Linux love should look no further than Windows 10 to see it is the real deal. You see, the latest version of Windows contains the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) -- a compatibility layer for developers and others, allowing them to stay within Windows 10 without the need to dual-boot a Linux distro or run one in a virtual machine.
Today, at the Build 2019 developer conference, Microsoft announces the future of this project -- Windows Subsystem for Linux 2. Believe it or not, WSL 2 will ship with an actual Linux kernel, meaning full system call compatibility! This will also allow Microsoft to issue kernel improvements by only updating the kernel -- no need to update the entire WSL. Best of all, WSL 2 will be tremendously faster than WSL 1.
Windows Terminal is a new Linux-inspired command line app for Windows 10

Microsoft announces Internet Explorer mode for Edge to aid enterprise compatibility


As part of this week's Build 2019 Microsoft is announcing a number of enhancements to the Edge browser including an Internet Explorer mode for enterprises.
This is aimed at cutting the need for IT staff to manage multiple solutions. Allowing legacy IE-only content -- such as intranet sites -- to be opened in Edge without the need to change any settings or launch a different browser.
Why firewalls still matter [Q&A]


Firewalls have been used to protect networks and endpoints from the very early days of the web. In recent years many people have been predicting its demise, yet the firewall is still with us.
Why is this and how has the firewall evolved to protect enterprises in the 21st century? We spoke to Ruvi Kitov, founder and CEO of network security specialist Tufin to find out.
Watch Microsoft's Build 2019 keynote here


Today is a big day for Microsoft as Build 2019 kicks off with a keynote from CEO Satya Nadella.
There likely won’t be too much to excite consumers, as the event is aimed squarely at developers, but as usual there will be some interesting news coming out of the event in Seattle, including more information about the next version of Microsoft Edge.
Physical threats rank alongside cybersecurity for many US businesses


A new study into the threats faced by US businesses produced by Securitas Security Services reveals that in many sectors businesses are concerned as much or more with physical threats such as shootings than they are with cyber security.
It also shows rising concern about the threats posed to organizations by insiders, of the 27 threat categories security executives consider to be a concern, 21 may be caused or carried out by an insider.
IBM uses technology to help hurricane-hit communities


To mark the start of US National Hurricane Preparedness Week this week, The Weather Company, an IBM Business, is releasing not just its 2019 hurricane forecast, but also analytic data that looks at how weather affects preparedness, emotion and consumer habits.
In addition, through its Code and Response deployment initiative which aims to put open source technologies to use for social good, IBM is taking action to help save the lives of people in communities that are vulnerable to natural disasters.
Is it game over for the Microsoft Store? (And if not, why not?)


Microsoft’s app store came into being at the same time as Windows 8. It was, as I said at the time, part of an attempt to copy Apple's successful model. I think most people expected the Store to be a bit rubbish, but it turned out to be even worse than that. Seven years on and it’s wasteland full of knock offs and junk apps. It hasn’t fallen on hard times, it’s always been that bad.
Part of the problem is there’s no longer a need for the Store, or the apps that it offers. If you want a piece of software to run on your PC, or your Windows tablet, you can download it from a wide range of sources, and the versions you’ll find elsewhere -- programs, legacy apps, whatever you want to call them -- tend to be superior to the crippled and/or packaged apps Microsoft is offering. So what’s the point of the Store?
EU said to be ready to investigate Apple following complaint from Spotify


A new report says that the EU is ready to launch an antitrust investigation into Apple. The report says that the European Commission will begin a probe into the company after Spotify complained that Apple was using the App Store to stifle competition.
The investigation is said to be due to begin "in the next few weeks". It will look at Spotify's complaint that Apple is "monopolistic" and abuses the App Store to "deliberately disadvantage other app developers".
Mozilla issues new Firefox update to fix add-ons problems and warns users not to try dubious workarounds


Mozilla has pushed out Firefox 66.0.4, properly addressing a problem that prevented add-ons from working in the web browser.
On Friday, an expired security certificate caused frustration and confusion for Firefox users as extensions were disabled and rendered unusable. Having delivered a patch through its Studies system (which did not work for everyone), Mozilla has now issued a browser update which it says will fix the problem for more people, although it warns that "there are remaining issues that we are actively working to resolve".
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