After Torvalds' apology, the Linux community is adopting a new code of conduct


Following years of questionable behavior and ranting, the grandfather of Linux Linus Torvalds issued an apology and announced his intention to take a break from kernel work. Now the Linux community is adopting a new code of conduct to help make the environment more welcoming.
Based on the Contributor Covenant, the new Code of Conduct seeks to make participating in the community "a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation".
Chrome OS 69 rolls out with Linux app support and new Material Theme


Google is in the process of rolling out Chrome OS 69 to the stable channel, giving more users the chance to enjoy the new Material Theme and take advantage of new features such as support for Linux apps.
The updated look will be familiar to Android users -- rounded corners abound -- and there are numerous other changes and additions including a new Night Light mode, better dictation options, and an updated Files app.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 October 2018 Update Build 17763 to the Fast ring


Three days ago, Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 Build 17760 to Windows Insiders. This build for the forthcoming October 2018 Update (aka Redstone 5) was the first with "no known issues”, showing how close we're getting to the actual release.
Since then, however, the company has found and fixed a number of additional problems, and encountered a couple more which will be addressed in a subsequent build.
Logitech unveils K600 TV Keyboard


Nowadays, it seems like everyone owns either a smart TV or a media box. They are a great way to consume streaming media, including Netflix, Hulu, and more.
The problem? Searching for content using a remote can be very tedious. Quite frankly, it can be maddening to search for movies, TV shows, and music using an on-screen keyboard. Sure, voice search is a passable alternative, but it’s far from perfect. In an effort to improve both navigation and search on smart TVs and media boxes, Logitech unveils an elegant new product. Called K600 TV Keyboard, it features a full keyboard, trackpad, and d-pad.
Half of adults look for online recommendations rather than ask their partners


More than half of adults worldwide are more likely to consult digital resources than their significant other (SO) for recommendations for products and services according to a new report by cloud database company DataStax.
In the US, 64 percent of adults choose digital resources over their SO, in the UK it's 61 percent, and Germany, 52 percent. The French, however, are still inclined to the offline approach with only 45 percent of adults choosing digital resources over their SO.
Android emulator BlueStacks 4 brings massive performance improvements


The latest version of the popular Android emulator for Windows, BlueStacks 4, is now available, bringing with it a huge performance boost over its predecessor. The new release also sees the emulator jumping from KitKat to Nougat as its base -- specifically Android 7.1.2.
The developers say that BlueStacks 4 is many times faster than the Samsung Galaxy S9+ -- or "any mobile on Earth" according to the blurb -- and features Hyper-G Graphics for unparalleled visuals in games. But besides performance, there are lots of other changes in the latest version of this emulator.
Employees engage in unsafe online behavior despite understanding risks


A survey of more than 400 full-time employees in the US shows that, despite having a general understanding of security risks, people still tend towards unsafe behavior.
The study by Spanning Cloud Apps finds many are under-prepared for the increasing sophistication and instance of ransomware and phishing attacks. More than half (55 percent) admit to clicking links they don't recognize, 59 percent say they would allow a colleague to use their work computer and 34 percent are unable to identify an insecure eCommerce site.
93 percent of execs report positive long-term outlook for mainframes


Far from them being the technology of the past, attitudes towards mainframes are increasingly positive according to a new survey.
The study from IT solutions company BMC finds 93 percent of executives and 92 percent of all respondents view the mainframe as a strong long-term platform -- the highest level in five years.
Enterprises need to adopt 'zero-trust' security posture


Privileged access management specialist Thycotic has released the results of its latest survey, conducted at this year's Black Hat, on hackers' perspectives on vulnerabilities and the attack vectors they find easiest to exploit.
It shows that 50 percent of hackers surveyed -- 70 percent of whom describe themselves as ethical -- say they easily compromised both Windows 10 and Windows 8 within the past year.
Everything removed or deprecated in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update


Microsoft is introducing a number of new features in Windows 10 1809, aka the October 2018 Update, including a dark theme for File Explorer, a new screenshot tool, and clipboard, search, Notepad, and Edge improvements. Sadly what promised to be the big new feature, Sets, hasn't made it into the OS this time around.
With each new Windows 10 update, some existing features get dropped, or stop being actively developed. Here are all the features that have been removed or deprecated in this forthcoming release.
CCleaner updating itself against users’ wishes [Updated]


It’s fair to say CCleaner has lost a lot of fans since Avast took over Piriform last year. We’ve seen problems with malware, bundled software, and pop-up ads, and then most recently Avast made a number of unwelcome privacy changes to the popular system cleaner, and removed the ability to quit the software.
It eventually pulled the most recent problematic update, and released a replacement, CCleaner 5.46, without the privacy issues, but it turns out that this release has problems of its own.
Trump imposes $200bn of import tariffs on China -- but the Apple Watch is spared


Donald Trump has imposed import tariffs of $200 billion on Chinese goods brought into the US, with the threat of even more on the way.
The tariffs have been blamed on China's "unfair policies and practices", but despite the president's pleas for Apple to shift production from China to the US, the Apple Watch will be exempt from the 10 percent import tax. Also exempt are Apple's AirPods and a range of other technology products.
Hooray! The option to view your Twitter timeline chronologically is coming!


People have many complaints about Twitter, but one that crops up time and time again from users is how the timeline is displayed. Like many other social media sites, Twitter ditched the idea of showing your tweets in the order in which they were posted in favor of using algorithms to show you what it thinks you want to see.
But now this is about to change again. After vocal outpourings from critics of the algorithm-driven timeline, Twitter is going to give users a choice -- have your timeline controlled by an algorithm, or view a chronological timeline instead.
Apple releases iOS 12 -- update your devices now!


If you own an iPhone (5s or newer), or an iPad, you can now officially update it to iOS 12, the latest and greatest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
iOS 12 offers performance improvements, new AR experiences, Memoji, Screen Time, and Siri Shortcuts for apps, to name just a few of the new additions.
Microsoft and Canonical release Ubuntu Linux virtual machine image for Hyper-V Quick Create


Linux may be the future of computing, but Windows is the present -- on the desktop, at least. For now, both business and home users are wise to stick with Microsoft's operating system. With that said, tech savvy users might be better served by, say, Linux Mint or Ubuntu. While Windows 10 is riddled with privacy and user interface issues, it is still the least stressful way to use your computer -- you are less likely to have hardware or software compatibility issues.
If you are interested in Linux but need to use Windows 10, there are many ways to also run operating systems based on the open source kernel, such as dual-booting or running a virtual machine. Not to mention, with Windows Subsystem for Linux, you can even download and install distros directly from the Microsoft Store! Today, the Windows-maker and Canonical announce a new way to run Ubuntu on Windows 10 -- a special "Hyper-V Quick Create" VM image
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