First Microsoft Edge extension appears in Windows Store
The feature that has been missing from Microsoft Edge for so long is just around the corner. We've known for a little while that extensions are due to make an appearance in an upcoming build of Windows 10, and ahead of this the first extension has made an appearance in the Windows Store.
Page Analyzer is an extension aimed at developers, so it's arrival in the Windows Store is a little odd. It's likely that extension support will be added in the next Windows 10 Redstone build, although there's no official timeline for this release at the moment.
Microsoft reportedly installing Windows 10 without consent -- again
We all know that Microsoft is using increasingly aggressive -- and desperate -- tactics to get people to upgrade to its newest operating system. A month ago it switched the update status from 'optional' to 'recommended', and last week it snuck Windows 10 advertising into a security patch.
So what dirty trick is next? Well, according to Reddit, it’s installing the OS without user consent -- and without much warning -- and hiding the decline button to make it much harder to abort the process.
Starship Technologies wants to deliver your groceries with robots
Six-wheeled robots could be delivering groceries to shoppers in the UK within the next six months. Starship Technologies, a company set up by two of the co-founders of Skype, is building up fleets of robots that can deliver goods within 30 minutes.
A pilot of the robotic delivery scheme is due to start in the UK, and a testing program will start in the US in April. The aim of the self-driving robots is not just to speed up deliveries, but also to keep costs to a minimum. The zero-emissions units also boast environmentally-friendly credentials.
Microsoft is desperately nagging enterprise users to upgrade to Windows 10 -- even if they can't
Microsoft's incredibly aggressive pushing of Windows 10 has been going on for some time now. In many regards it is something that home users have become accustomed to. While you might bemoan Microsoft constantly adverting Windows 10 to you if you've not yet upgraded, you must appreciate that it at last makes some sort of sense to the company -- it wants you to push that button and install the latest version of Windows.
But while this sort of nagging is nothing new, it seems that some of Microsoft's marketing efforts are wildly wide of the mark, particularly when it comes to enterprise users. Many have already been upset by the appearance of Windows 10 ads in an Internet Explorer patch but there's another level to this insipid pestering. Described by some as 'malware' the IE update tries to foist Windows 10 onto enterprise users, encouraging them to nag sysadmins to upgrade to the latest version of Windows.
Privacy and security killer: Obama supports backdoors to bypass encryption
The on-going battle between Apple and the FBI has brought encryption and security to the fore once again. After remaining silent on the subject for some time, President Obama -- speaking at SXSW -- said that he was opposed the idea of encryption mechanism that are so strong it prevents governmental access.
"If technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where the encryption is so strong that there is no key, there's no door at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer, how do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?" he wondered aloud, his almost rhetorical question playing neatly on two of America's biggest fears. He suggested that security keys should be made available to third parties, saying "you cannot take an absolutist view" when it comes to balancing security and privacy. But Obama has a solution: backdoors.
Expand short links with httpres
Link shorteners like bit.ly, tr.im and T.co offer a convenient way to share URLs, but they also hide their real destination. Is it a malicious site? Who knows?
Websites like LongURL or CheckShortURL will usually expand short links for you, as long as they’re using a supported service.
Scotts Miracle-Gro unveils open 'Gro' Internet of Things platform for the connected smart yard
When you think of the internet of Things, or IoT, indoor items likely spring to mind -- lamps, refrigerators, thermostats, etc. But "things" exist outdoors too. As the spring and summer seasons approach, more and more people will spend time in one of the most treasured parts of their property -- the yard.
Yes, many homeowners have yards -- grass, gardens, ponds, and more -- where they can enjoy the outdoors and spend time with family. If the inside of your home can be "smart", why can't your yard? Well, good news, folks -- Scotts Miracle-Gro is launching an open IoT platform, called 'Gro', that focuses on the outdoors. Yes, the connected smart yard is here.
Why cloud security should be a part of software development
The slogan "there is no cloud, it’s just someone else’s computer", accompanied by an image of a worried looking cloud, has been doing the rounds for some time now. It’s overly simplistic but it neatly sums up the mistrust that some computer users have about cloud technology.
The inference being that people who trust the cloud and believe the hype are in some way naïve. The extension of which is that, if you’re giving your data to someone else, how can you be sure it’s safe? This is why cloud security needs to be part of the software development lifecycle.
How to free up RAM from the command line
Most memory "optimizers" are a pointless waste of time, more likely to slow you down than offer any noticeable performance benefit.
But if you think your PC is using more RAM than it should, then there is one small and very simple tool which might be able to help.
HPE struggles as server market grows
The fourth quarter of 2015 saw an increase in servers shipped worldwide, compared to a year before, with revenue also rising. Those are the results seen in Gartner’s latest report on worldwide shipments of servers.
According to Gartner, Q4 2015 saw a jump in shipments of 8.2 percent year-on-year, with revenue up 9.2 percent. Looking at the year as a whole, shipments are up 9.9 percent, and revenue is up 10.1 percent.
How to fix Microsoft Edge's worst problems
Microsoft is definitely on the right track with Edge -- its new browser is a big improvement over Internet Explorer, but there’s still a long way to go until it’s good enough to challenge the likes of Firefox and Chrome. Extension support is still missing, although I hear from a Microsoft source that it will be coming to a Windows 10 Insider Preview very, very soon (and to the rest of us when the Redstone update for Windows 10 rolls out in June/July).
If you’re using the new browser and having problems, here are some solutions for the most common Edge issues.
Dell releases new XPS 13 Developer Edition, launches Linux-based Precision laptops worldwide
On the laptop side, Dell may be best known for its Windows devices, but, as some of you may already know, it also offers some killer Linux-based alternatives for prosumers. It all started out nearly four years ago with Project Sputnik, which led to the release of the first-gen XPS 13 Developer Edition, a Ubuntu-flavored version of the popular ultrabook, in late-2012.
Fast forward to today and Project Sputnik is more than just a one device effort, as Dell has expanded the reach of the program to also include some of its professional-grade laptops. Now, the company steps it up a notch by introducing the Intel Skylake refresh of XPS 13 Developer Edition, and making the Ubuntu-toting Precision laptops available worldwide.
UK government launches a fast online identity verification service
A new service has launched in the UK, which will allow the country’s citizens to easily verify their identity online. Called CitizenSafe, it is the brainchild of global specialists in identity data intelligence, GBG.
CitizenSafe was created after a survey had shown that people expect to access government services easily and securely online, and that online identity verification was a key step. It will be integrated within the UK government's gov.uk Verify service, and GBG says it will cut the time needed to verify an identity to mere minutes.
Nest introduces family accounts and a new way to track your activity
Nest, a company now owned by Google's parent Alphabet, makes products that home automation enthusiasts sometimes salivate over. What began with a thermostat has expanded somewhat to include such things as smoke detectors.
One drawback with the system was the way Nest's app works. If you have a family then controlling things could be a problem, and that's something Nest has set out to solve by introducing Family Accounts.
Fighting censorship: Edward Snowden, Amnesty International, AdBlock and Pussy Riot
Online advertising is incredibly divisive, and for World Day Against Cyber Censorship, AdBlock is opting to replace banner ads that would normally be blocked with links to Amnesty International. The human rights group is fronting an anti-cyber-censorship campaign, joined by Edward Snowden, Pussy Riot (famous for rubbing up Russia's President Putin the wrong way) and Ai Weiwei.
The aim of the campaign is to promote freedom of speech online but highlighting examples of free speech being censored -- not just in obvious places like China and North Korea, but also the United States and the United Kingdom. Government control of the internet is something that many think is restricted to limiting what journalists are able to publish online, but as the campaign highlights it's a problem that can affect anyone.
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