Latest Technology News

If you were waiting for another problematic Windows update to brighten up your week, Microsoft has come up with the goods again.

The KB5034765 update was released for Windows 11 earlier this week and it seems to be causing more than its fair share of issues for a lot of people who have installed it. Microsoft is yet to acknowledge any problems, but users on Reddit have a litany of complaints.

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After decades of service, Microsoft Publisher is reaching end of life and will be dropped from Microsoft 365. For fans of the desktop publishing tool, there's still time left on the clock.

And there is more good news. Microsoft says that it is "exploring modern ways to achieve other common Publisher scenarios across applications like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer".

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Google has decided to make Magika open source, but what exactly is it? Well, it is an innovative AI-powered system that the search giant designed to revolutionize the way binary and textual file types are identified. Magika stands out for its ability to deliver precise file identification within milliseconds, even when operating on a CPU.

Magika employs a custom, highly optimized deep-learning model that has been meticulously designed and trained using Keras. This model is remarkably lightweight, weighing in at just about 1MB. For inference, Magika utilizes Onnx as an engine, ensuring that files are identified swiftly, almost as quickly as non-AI tools, even on a CPU.

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Lenovo has announced a strategic partnership with Anaconda Inc., the leading provider of the world’s most popular artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data science platform. This collaboration aims to empower Lenovo’s renowned ThinkStation and ThinkPad workstation product portfolio by integrating Anaconda’s enterprise strengths in open-source leadership, security, and reliability.

The partnership comes at a time when the world of AI, deep learning, and generative AI is rapidly evolving, presenting new opportunities for businesses and data scientists. With the majority of AI innovation driven by open-source software and cloud-based solutions, and Python being a leading software language for AI applications, there is a growing need for secure and cost-effective AI development solutions.

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Roku has achieved a significant milestone, boasting over 80 million active accounts worldwide! This achievement highlights the shifting consumer preference towards streaming, with Roku being at the forefront of this transformation.

In an unprecedented feat, Roku users streamed more than 100 billion hours of content in 2023, averaging a record 4.1 hours per day per account in the fourth quarter. In the United States, Roku's active account base now surpasses the combined subscribers of the six largest traditional pay-TV providers.

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The US Government recently announced that state-sponsored Chinese cyber group Volt Typhoon has compromised multiple critical infrastructure organizations’ IT networks in the US and is preparing “disruptive or destructive cyber attacks” against communications, energy, transport, water and waste water systems.

The announcement, which was supported by national cybersecurity agencies in Australia, Canada, UK, and New Zealand, is a sobering reminder that modern life relies on digital networks. From healthcare, banking, and socializing, to energy, water, local and national government -- everything has a digital aspect. But while digitization has delivered great leaps forward in convenience, speed, and efficiency, it has also introduced risk. Malicious forces wanting to disrupt economies, governments, and people, know that targeting digital networks is the quickest route to maximum cross-border disruption.

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According to a new report by Harvard Business School and University of Toronto researchers,open source contributes trillions of dollars to the global economy. If you look at the direct supply-side valuation for widely used open source software, the valuation is $4.15billion. If you look at the demand-side figures, which cover all the indirect value generated by use of open source, open source software is worth $8.8trillion. When global gross domestic product for 2024 is estimated to be $109trillion, the value of open source comes into far sharper view.

Alongside this valuation, the report authors estimate that -- if open source did not exist -- companies would have to spend around 3.5 times more on their IT and technology investments to get the same results.

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Inspired by the age-old question, "Can it run Linux?", an intrepid YouTuber called DeCrAzYo successfully managed to get a "Unix-like" operating system up and running on that classic 1980s Nintendo games console, the NES. There was no cheating involved either. He didn't take any shortcuts by modifying the console's internal components or by sneaking a Raspberry Pi into the mix.

His goal was to have the operating system's code executed directly via the NES processor using no more hardware than a typical game cartridge would offer, and that's exactly what he managed.

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The latest ransomware report from GuidePoint Security shows a decline in activity in January compared to the final quarter of last year, with a drop in the total number of posted victims by 33 percent and 60 percent relative to December and November 2023.

However, this is consistent with the trends of January of 2022 and 2023, both of which also followed heightened Q4 activity from the previous year.

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A 'forest' -- in case you didn't know -- is the top-level logical container in an Active Directory configuration that holds domains, users, computers, and group policies.

This level presents a security challenge and a new survey of 1,000 IT professionals from Cayosoft reveals a 172 percent increase in forest-wide Active Directory outages since 2021.

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Oladance has rocked the open ear audio technology market with its development of Open Wearable Stereo (OWS). Unlike bone conduction technology, Oladance OWS utilizes air conduction to deliver a three-dimensional sound effect, which is designed to be more comfortable over extended periods.

Oladance's approach with OWS technology is to provide users with a connection to their surroundings that is both open and safe. Their products are designed to rest on the ear, avoiding the ear canal, which addresses potential discomfort, irritation, or hearing damage from long-term earphone use. Additionally, the Oladance app enhances the user experience by offering personalization options, including four sound modes, sound balance, and gesture and function controls.

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A new report from HP Wolf Security shows cybercrime groups are using professional advertising tools to optimize their malware campaigns and convince users to take the bait.

The report identifies the DarkGate campaign which uses ad tools to sharpen attacks. Malicious PDF attachments, posing as OneDrive error messages, direct users to sponsored content hosted on a popular ad network. This leads to DarkGate malware which hands backdoor access to cybercriminals into networks, exposing victims to risks like data theft and ransomware..

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With the end of support for Windows 10 approaching, and the launch of Windows 11 24H2 not being an option for many people because of hardware compatibility changes, Google is seizing the opportunity to push its own ChromeOS Flex.

ChromeOS Flex is Google's tweaked version of the ChromeOS operating system that can be installed on x86 hardware. The company is pitching its software at businesses and organizations promising that it has "been built with security as a first principle, not an afterthought". The self-promotion is to be found on the Chrome Enterprise blog, but there is nothing to stop home users from replacing Windows or macOS with ChromeOS Flex.

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Microsoft has confirmed the dates and location of this year's Build conference for developers. The event will be held from May 21 to 23 in the Seattle Convention Center's Summit building, and it may be a chance for everyone to learn more about not only the future of Windows 11, but also the upcoming Windows 12.

Like last year, Microsoft Build 2024 is an in-person event, although online attendance is also possible. So far, Microsoft is promising "AI, Copilots, and more for Developers" and while there are no firm details of precisely what to expect, it is possible to sign up to be notified when registration opens.

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Damn Small Linux (DSL), a name that should resonate with many veteran tech enthusiasts, has made a triumphant return after a 12-year absence (albeit as a pre-release Alpha) in 2024 with a fresh iteration designed for low-spec 32-bit x86 computers. DSL 2024 is a compact Linux-based operating system that packs a punch with a bunch of useful applications, all while maintaining a small footprint.

The new DSL 2024 is not just about nostalgia; it's a practical solution for older computers, keeping them functional and out of landfills. The distribution is tailored to fit on a single CD, with a hard limit of 700MB, a significant jump from its 50MB predecessor but still a marvel in today's gigabyte-centric world. This constraint has led to a meticulous selection of applications that are functional, lightweight, and have low dependencies.

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