Ubuntu 17.10 'Artful Aardvark' ditches Unity for GNOME
Six months after introducing Ubuntu 17.04 "Zesty Zapus," Canonical has released a new version of its popular Linux-based distribution. Ubuntu 17.10, also known as "Artful Aardvark," arrives with a host of major changes, including the highly-anticipated switch to a new desktop environment and display server.
Canonical has shipped the alpha and beta versions of Ubuntu 17.10 with Unity, but the first official release now comes with GNOME 3.26 as the desktop environment of choice. Wayland is the default display server, replacing Mir. And that is not all that is new.
Sony unveils officially licensed kid-friendly Mini Wired Gamepad for PlayStation 4
Nowadays, it isn't uncommon for young children to have parents that are into playing video games. Since many kids like to imitate their parents, they will undoubtedly want to get it on the action. Unfortunately, modern controllers are quite large and complicated. For instance, back in the 1980s, an NES controller was quite small, and just had a directional pad, 2 action buttons, plus "select" and "start." In comparison, a Microsoft Xbox One controller or Sony DualShock 4 can be intimidating.
Thankfully, there is a new officially licensed PlayStation 4 controller -- made by a company called "Hori" -- that aims to simplify the controller experience for young kids. The "Mini Wired Gamepad," as it is called, ditches the trackpad and some other features of the expensive DualShock 4 making it more approachable. It is even significantly smaller than the official controller -- perfect for the small hands of children. Best of all, since it has a cable, there is no need to worry about charging it.
Microsoft launch comparison tool for AWS and Azure
Microsoft has released a new tool to help IT decision makers understand the differences and similarities between Azure and Amazon Web Services easier.
The tool is called Cloud Services Map.
Samsung unveils 'Linux on Galaxy' for DeX -- run Fedora and Ubuntu on your Note8?
For whatever reason, people seem to forget that Android is Linux. Remember, folks, Linux is just a kernel -- not an operating system. Actually, Android is the world's most popular such distribution. Even the father of Windows, Mr. Bill Gates, now runs his life from Linux by way of Android.
That's why Samsung's new "Linux on Galaxy" -- which it unveiled today -- is sort of maddening. Don't get me wrong, the possibility of running a desktop Linux distro using your phone's hardware is amazing, but Samsung smartphones are already running Linux! In other words, the name of the project is sort of a misnomer that could confuse consumers, but I digress.
Financial services to boost security investment on account of breach risks
Virtually every second global financial services organization was a victim of a data breach sometime in the past, according to a newly released Thales report.
The 2017 Thales Data Threat Report, Financial Edition, says 49 percent of financial services organizations suffered a breach, with a fifth (21 percent) being breached more than once. Nine in ten (90 percent) feel more vulnerable to such incidents.
Qualcomm's first 5G mobile test highlights super-fast data speeds
Qualcomm has taken a major step towards 5G smartphones with the first successful test of the next-generation networks on a mobile device.
The US chipmaker confirmed it completed 5G connections trials at its San Diego headquarters, and that devices with 5G compatibility could be released as soon as mid-2019, ready for the expected worldwide launch of 5G networks in 2020.
Meeting objections: How enterprise CIOs can overcome doubts about Robotic Process Automation
For years, there’s been talk of robots infiltrating the workforce and eliminating human jobs. Now, it’s finally happening, but not in the way that most people envisioned. Amazon has led the charge by using 45,000 robots at its shipping and distribution facilities, but soon consumers may also see more robots cruising the aisles of well-known brands like Lowe’s and Target. While the idea of robotics may sound overwhelming to both brand and employee, the age of robotics is robust with one thing for the enterprise CIO: opportunity.
For many companies, digital transformation is at the heart of every strategy, and software robotics is becoming critical for brands to streamline processes, automate, and stay competitive. However, according to PwC, 41 percent of manufacturing companies are hesitant to adopt robotics technology. These companies feel that robotics isn’t cost-effective, there are insufficient resources and expertise to deploy these types of solutions, that any implementation will lower morale due to worker displacement, or that there simply isn’t the need for this type of technology. This epidemic isn’t just limited to manufacturing: many companies are dismissing software robotics for these very same reasons.
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Microsoft: Identity protection is more important than ever
As businesses of all sizes continue to put more and more of their data online, the need to ensure this information remains secure is more pressing than ever.
Microsoft has long been the preferred choice of partner for many companies, with its Microsoft 365 platform offering a comprehensive, and more importantly, secure way to ensure data stays protected. But just exactly what goes in to ensuring millions of enterprises can leave the office each evening feeling assured that their data is safe?
Leaked email: Twitter introduces yet more rules in latest attempt to tackle abuse
Twitter has made endless promises about clamping down on abuse, constantly tweaking existing rules and introducing new ones in an attempt to protect users. Following last week's #WomenBoycottTwitter protest, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey promised to start taking a more aggressive approach.
A leaked internal email gives details of just what this new stance will involve. The definition of "nonconsensual nudity" is to be expanded to include upskirt photos and so-called "creep shots," and symbols of hate -- a term that Twitter does not actually define -- will be hidden behind a "sensitive image" warning.
McAfee introduces advanced analytics to protect endpoints and the cloud
Security teams face ever larger and more complex amounts of data which can hinder their ability to defend against threats.
McAfee is introducing new solutions that make use of the automation, reasoning and data duration provided by advanced analytics technologies, allowing security teams to easily discover and assess data and root out threats.
Microsoft denies that BoundHook vulnerability is actually a vulnerability
Security researchers at CyberArk are reporting about a new technique that could be used to take control of Windows 10 devices.
Known as BoundHook, the technique takes advantage of the BOUND hooking technique in Intel MPX (Memory Protection Extensions). But while CyberArk says that it will "bring new capabilities to both software security vendors and malware writers," Microsoft is downplaying the issue, suggesting there is nothing to worry about.
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Microsoft introduces .NET Framework 4.7.1
With the release of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft pushed out a major update for .NET Framework, which arrives with a large number of changes, including support for .NET Standard 2.0, adding roughly 200 new APIs as a result, and improved performance.
And, for developers to be able to take advantage of the new features that are part of .NET Framework 4.7.1, Microsoft also updated the Visual Studio 2017 IDE to version 15.5.
Facebook is testing a temporary profile status feature
Facebook has confirmed that it is currently testing a feature that enables its users to setup a self-destructing status. It's something that's in a similar vein to the temporary profile image option that's already available.
There's something of a nostalgic feel to the feature as it harks back to the earlier days of Facebook when users were invited to share their status rather than being asked "what's on your mind?"
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