What's old is new again: Why the mainframe thrives
Ask anyone why they want something new and you’ll usually get the same answer: new is the latest and greatest, new has advanced features, new is cooler than old. This state-of-mind is reinforced by social pressure and technical prejudice. "What, no face recognition? That’s so iPhone 8." This aspect of human nature isn’t new. Fashion has driven buying decisions for thousands of years.
What has changed is the sophistication by which motivated parties exploit this tendency to crave the latest and greatest. The mainframe offers the perfect example.
Connectivity trends to watch in 2018
In a hyperconnected world, the demand for connectivity is accelerating. That will continue in 2018 and the years to come, both in the business and consumer arenas. People want access to the technology that helps them stay connected whether at the office or on the road. Users have an increasing need and expectation for their technology to be easy to use and align with real world experiences that require instant access to high-resolution graphics and faster data backup.
Business professionals working in fields such as engineering, multimedia, finance and healthcare need the ability to access an enormous amount of data, as well as high-resolution, graphically intensive images on the fly. These requirements will be met by emerging connectivity solutions in 2018.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Spring Creators Update Build 17107 for the Fast ring
We’re edging ever closer to the release of the next big Windows 10 feature update. Rumored to be called the Spring Creators Update, it includes a number of high profile new features and improvements.
Last week, Microsoft rolled out two new Insider builds -- one for those on the Fast ring, and another for those who opted to Skip Ahead (the first in the Redstone 5 branch). Today, the software giant delivers a build just for those on the Fast ring.
Symantec no longer offers discounts to NRA members
Security firm Symantec has announced that it will no longer offer discounts on its products to members of the National Rifle Association.
Following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida last week, the gun debate is very much back on the table. There has been pressure on numerous companies to sever ties with the NRA, and Symantec is the first big name in tech to make the move.
Google Assistant will (probably) speak your language this year
It's easy to get excited about new technologies when you're privileged to live in one of the handful of markets and speak one of the few languages that tech companies support. Case in point: voice assistants. You can read about Cortana, Alexa or Google Assistant, but, chances are, for many people that's where the fun ends.
The problems are dead obvious, but, at least when it comes to Google Assistant, things will drastically improve this year, as Google today announces that it's expanding the availability of the service to include over 30 languages -- a huge increase over the eight it supports now.
Microsoft will let developers add support for multiple instances of their UWP Windows 10 apps
Starting with Redstone 4, Microsoft will give developers a new option for their UWP apps in Windows 10 -- support for multiple instances of an app. This is a feature that lots of Windows 10 users have been asking for, so it will be welcomed with open arms.
As of Windows 10 version 1803, multiple-instance support for UWP apps will be available to developers on an opt-in basis. Microsoft has published a detailed blog post that explains how the function can be used.
Nostalgia is not a good enough reason to buy the Acorn Micro Phone C5
If you grew up in the UK in the 1980s, you’re probably familiar with the Acorn Computers brand. The company produced a number of popular microcomputers, such as the Acorn Electron and the Acorn Archimedes. It’s best known as the maker of the BBC Micro -- the education focused computer found in many schools across the country (and which was the inspiration for the Raspberry Pi).
Brand nostalgia is a big thing right now, with modern versions of old computers -- like the ZX Spectrum and C64 -- making their way on to the market. If you were an Acorn devotee back in the day, the good news is there’s a new smartphone for you, arriving in time to commemorate the brand’s 40th anniversary. The bad news is it isn’t a great smartphone, or even a custom built one.
Businesses face rising costs from DDoS attacks
The financial impact of a DDoS attack is continuing to rise globally -- totaling on average over $120,000 per attack for SMBs and over $2 million for enterprises.
These findings come from a study by Kaspersky Lab which shows that the cost of a DDoS attack in 2017 was almost $20,000 higher for SMEs than in 2016 and more than half a million dollars more for enterprises.
Creating a culture of change
To stay competitive, organizations must be nimble and innovative and constantly reevaluate everything, not just a product. Taxis were not displaced by rideshare companies because private cars were better forms of transportation; taxis were displaced because the process of getting a ride was made quicker and easier using an app.
Often, staying at the top of a market is as much about the process as it is the product, but the processes that can make the most difference aren’t always customer-facing. Reevaluating, reworking, and automating internal work can have just as much of an impact on the bottom line as a new feature, however automation requires a new way of thinking that is brought to life with new tools, such as robots.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-seventy-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
The Fall Creators Update is on 85 percent of all Windows 10 PCs according to AdDuplex.
Intel failed to warn US government about Meltdown and Spectre flaws before going public
Intel is facing criticism from the US government after it was revealed that the company did not inform cyber security officials about the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities even though they had been known about for months.
Reports about the Meltdown and Spectre flaws were leaked by the Register, and it wasn't until this information hit the public domain that Intel decided to speak to US-CERT about the matter. The lack of communication from the chip-maker was revealed in a series of letters sent by technology firms to lawmakers this week.
Samsung launches data-saving and privacy-protecting Samsung Max app for Android
Samsung has revealed a new, free Android app -- Samsung Max, which it says is "designed to promote mobile data savings and application privacy management". The app replaces Opera Max and anyone with this app currently installed should find that it automatically updates to Samsung Max.
While Opera Max included a fully-fledged VPN tool, Samsung Max downgrades this to a DNS-masking service. There are, however, other security and privacy options, as well as tools for reducing data usage.
CORSAIR launches Obsidian Series 500D PC case
When it comes to art, some people paint. Other people write music. PC builders express themselves artistically too, by creating beautiful computers. If you don’t think PC building can be art, you are quite mistaken.
One of the most important components of a PC build is the case. True, it doesn’t make much of an impact on performance, but a well designed chassis can technically improve cooling. Ultimately, having an aesthetically pleasing case does matter, as it can make the PC user happy. Today, CORSAIR launches a drool-worthy full ATX case called "Obsidian Series 500D."
Welcoming PWAs: Apple now supports service workers on Safari
With Safari 11.1, Apple will introduce service workers to both macOS and iOS. Service workers are a crucial ingredient for Progressive Web Apps and will, therefore, bring a host of new capabilities and features to developers and Apple fans.
Google has been a big supporter for quite some time, but until recently, it looked like Apple was not on board. It seemed Apple would use it to draw a line in the sand between how it was going to do things and how Google wanted things to go. Apple introducing service workers to their OS platforms is beneficial to everyone, from business owners and developers to everyday app users.
Fall Creators Update now on 85 percent of Windows 10 PCs
It won’t be too long now until the next big feature update for Windows 10 rolls out. Expected to be called the Spring Creators Update, this introduces a number of big features, most notably Timeline, a welcome addition that lets you resume past activities you started on your main PC, other Windows PCs, or iOS/Android devices.
In preparation for the new feature update, Microsoft has been pushing the previous one -- The Fall Creators Update -- onto as many compatible systems as possible.
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