How to use Windows Package Manager to streamline and automate app installation
Using a package manager to install software is something that will be familiar to Linux users, but it's not something that has been an option for anyone running Windows. But now this has changed since Microsoft released a preview of its Windows Package Manager utility.
You can think of using the winget command as an alternative to using the Microsoft Store to install app, or using traditional executable installers. But it's not just and alternative -- it also has the potential to be more flexible and powerful. Here's how to use Windows Package Manager and how to script it to automate the installation of several programs.
iHeartRadio is offering commercial-free streaming for Memorial Day weekend
As the holiday weekend kicks off things are going to be a bit different this year. For one, while it’s generally warm, it’s not swimming weather for most yet, and two, a lot of beaches are closed, although some have reopened with restrictions.
Nothing is stopping you from cooking out though, and if you want you can blast some music while doing so. Plenty of streaming services exist, but one, iHeartRadio, will be playing commercial-free music on many of its radio stations all weekend long.
Has the home server gone the way of the Dodo?
A while back I wrote about building a media center computer, something I last did about 12 years ago. I wanted to know if it was still worth the time and money. Your answers mostly told me to scrap the idea, probably best I suppose.
But around that same time as that aging media center I also built a home server, so I’m back to inquire about doing this again.
Happy 30th Birthday, Microsoft Solitaire!
Microsoft Solitaire is often remembered both fondly and with anger -- depending on the person. For many consumers, the game came pre-loaded on their computer and provided hours of fun. Unfortunately for some employers, the game had a negative impact on productivity over the years, as workers sometimes played the card game rather than do their jobs. Whether you love or hate Microsoft Solitaire, there is certainly one thing on which everyone can agree -- the game is iconic.
And that brings us to today, where Microsoft Solitaire is celebrating a huge milestone in 2020 -- a 30th Birthday! Yes, the digital card game has now been with us for three decades. To celebrate, the Windows-maker is asking everyone to play the free game today as a show of love for it.
One-in-50 online transactions was fraudulent in 2019
Two percent of transactions in online banking and online retail were carried out by fraudsters, and 16 percent of transactions were suspicious and required further investigation according to new analysis by Kaspersky.
Based on anonymized statistics of events detected by Kaspersky's anti-fraud solution from January to December 2019, the most common case of fraud (63 percent) was attempts to access personal accounts using malware or legitimate remote control software.
When your barista is a robot
As the name implies, a robot arm is identical to a human arm not only in appearance but also in its uses and functions. To carry out movements like that of a hand, the robot arm also has an end effector.
These machines are usually used for cutting, processing, and other industrial applications. But have you thought about combining it with a brewing device? This transforms the normal robot arm into a unique robot barista.
Key cybersecurity trends for 2020
With the current focus being very much on the shift to remote working and the challenges and opportunities it offers, it’s easy to overlook the fact that there's a whole world of other security issues out there, and it isn't standing still.
Ireland-based telecommunications company Paradyn has created an infographic looking at what it sees as the important cybersecurity trends of this year.
Move up to Windows 10 Professional for just $39.99 and tap into the benefits of Hyper-V virtualization
Hyper-V is Windows’ built-in virtualization technology, hard-wired into Windows 10 Professional to allow you to easily run multiple operating systems on a single PC. You can use it to resurrect old programs and hardware no longer compatible with Windows 10, explore alternative operating systems such as Ubuntu or use it as a test environment.
"But I can do all this for free with VirtualBox!" you’ll say. And you’d be correct -- to a degree. There’s one critical reason why Hyper-V is a better option than VirtualBox, and that’s raw performance. VirtualBox is a software emulator, which means that it sits on top of Windows and can never match native performance, whatever tweaks you perform.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Three-hundred-and-eighty-seven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft published a number of new tools this week. The company unveiled Windows Package Manager, an open source application to manage applications (first and third party) on Windows devices, and updated several other tools including PowerToys and Windows Terminal.
Cybersecurity best practices to help protect businesses
Cybercrime can hit any business and the costs of an attack can prove crippling. In order to protect themselves companies need to adopt best practices, but where to start?
Cloud-based customer identity access management (CIAM) platform LoginRadius has created an infographic looking at the risk and what organizations can do to protect themselves.
Sabrent unveils record-breaking 8TB Rocket Q NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSD
We recently told you about an exciting new drive by OWC -- the 4TB Aura P12 M.2 NVMe solid state drive. What made that SSD so interesting was its massive 4TB capacity, which was pushing the boundaries of what is possible with an M.2 drive.
Well, folks, a 4TB PCIe M.2 SSD is now "old hat." You see, Sabrent has a new drive that doubles that capacity! Yes, the company's Rocket Q NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSD will soon be available in a mind-blowing 8TB -- the first ever such consumer PCIe M.2 SSD to achieve that capacity.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 19631 and ARM64 VHDX
Microsoft has had a busy week at Build. Among the many announcements were new versions of Terminal and PowerToys, a Windows Package Manager, and support for graphical apps in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Today the software giant rolls out a new Windows 10 build for Insiders on the Fast ring.
How COVID-19 has accelerated the move from a 'cloud first' to a 'cloud now' approach
Recent market data from Synergy Research Group via CRN suggests 2019 was a milestone for IT and that for the first time ever, enterprises are spending more money annually on cloud infrastructure services than on data center hardware and software. For example, total spend on cloud infrastructure services reached $97 billion, up 38 percent year over year, whereas total spend on data center hardware and software hit $93 billion in 2019, an increase of only 1 percent compared to 2018.
This means that many companies that have historically owned, maintained, and managed their own IT operations in their own data center are now evolving how they support their business operations by transforming their IT to cloud.
Securing the cloud for healthcare
The Cloud is a $200 billion business that analyst firm IDC expects to nearly double in valuation by 2022. It enables collaborative productivity apps, on-demand entertainment, and promises much needed advances in telemedicine. But all this potential will come crashing to a halt unless we take seriously the corresponding rise of cloud-based cybersecurity threats. The increase we have seen in cyber-attacks seeking cloud-based data is worrisome and the potential for crippling the healthcare industry is high especially given the current global climate and their dependency on cloud-based services.
Recent warnings and actual attacks are a prominent example of the active and persistent threats to our global healthcare networks, economy, and connected infrastructure. Organizations involved in national and international COVID-19 responses are being actively targeted by hacking teams and threat groups. This is according to a recent alert from DHS ‘s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) Europe’s largest hospital. In addition, the Czech Republic warned of expected cyberattacks targeting healthcare systems designed to damage or destroy computers in critical healthcare infrastructure. And last month, Interpol announced that its Cybercrime Threat Response team had detected a significant increase in ransomware extortion schemes against healthcare organizations and infrastructures. The list goes on…
Awareness of the digital accessibility divide: A silver lining of The COVID-19 crisis?
Most of us have adapted quickly -- perhaps seamlessly -- to increased reliance on digital devices for the day-to-day processes of life and business. For many people with disabilities however, it’s a very different picture.
Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, so for a few minutes let’s put ourselves in the place of a person with a visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disability. With many physical places of business now closed, essential activities like banking, shopping and working must be solely conducted online or at great personal peril.
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