Microsoft releases first Windows 10 build from its new development branch
Now that Microsoft is nearly finished with the next big feature update of Windows 10 (2004), due out next year, Insiders on the Fast ring are starting to receive new builds from the active RS_PRERELEASE development branch.
In a bid to make things less confusing, Microsoft has dropped the Skip Ahead ring, and Fast ring insiders will now receive the freshest builds, with features not linked to a specific Windows 10 release.
Roku shares top 10 most searched Christmas movies, and sadly, Die Hard is on the list
Christmas may technically be a religious holiday, but for many folks, it is more about enjoying family rather than worshiping. And you know what? That's fine. People have the right to celebrate however they want. Me? I like to do both of those things -- Celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but also, spend time with the people I love. Heck, I even like gift-giving -- it is fun to make someone else happy with a present they really want. OK, fine, I like getting gifts too.
One of my favorite activities to do in December is watch Christmas movies. These holiday films really help me to get into the Christmas spirit. It's a great feeling to be wrapped up in a cozy blanket on a comfortable couch and enjoy some wholesome, family-friendly, Christmas movies. This year, popular streaming media platform, Roku, is sharing ts top 10 most searched Christmas movies. While the films on the list are rather predictable, the positions are a bit surprising.
Microsoft's new Windows 10 search feature is just a way to force Bing and Edge on to users
Bing is a godawful search engine. I try to avoid it as much as possible, but on the few occasions when I do use it -- when writing about the new Chromium version of Edge for example -- I find the results it returns are rubbish. In a blind usage test I can instantly spot the difference between it and Google just by the quality -- or lack of -- of the results.
In what it describes as a bid to bring "convenient, fast web results directly to the search bar in Windows" Microsoft has baked (yet more) Bing searches into Windows 10, including a brand new visual search.
DNS amplification attacks continue to grow
DNS amplification attacks have grown by over 4,000 percent over the last year according to Nexusguard's latest threat report.
DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) remains the main source of growth in DNS amplification attacks in the quarter, but Nexusguard analysts have also detected a sharp and concerning rise in TCP SYN Flood attacks.
5 ways technology is revolutionizing nightlife
A night on the town brings a feeling like no other. Letting your hair down, dancing with old friends and making new friends as you dance the night away. From alternative and underground to the VIP and luxury, there was something for everyone.
But it seems something has changed. In 2018, The Guardian reported that the value of the UK’s nightclub scene had dropped by an estimated £200m in the past five years. People are swapping gin for gyms and martinis for mini golf. So, is the nightclub industry on its way out? With some adapting, evolving and a heavy helping of tech, it’s possible that we’re seeing nightclubs claw back their popularity. Gone are the days of cheap pints and sticky floors. Nowadays people want uniqueness, something that’s worthy of uploading to Instagram, and something entirely experiential.
Majority of leaked records in 2019 came from financial services firms
According to a new report, more than 60 percent of all leaked records in 2019 were exposed by financial services organizations, despite only six percent of breaches affecting these organizations.
The 2019 Financial Breach Report from Bitglass says these figures are at least partially due to the Capital One breach, which compromised more than 100 million records.
Microsoft reveals a new Windows logo and scores of redesigned icons
Aesthetics are an important part of app design and branding, and change is not something that is undertaken lightly -- particularly when it comes to big names. Following on from revealing a new-look icon for its Chromium-based Edge browser, Microsoft has now taken the wraps off more than 100 redesigned icons.
This is not a minor undertaking. Here Microsoft is introducing new colors, materials and finishes as the company goes all-in with its Fluent design language.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lands in Facebook Messenger
It's that time of year again: time for a new Star Wars movie. Inevitably, this means there is lots of marketing and a lot of tie-ins, and Facebook is never one to miss out on a trend.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is here, and as such Facebook Messenger is getting something of a Star Wars makeover, with new themes, reactions, stickers and augmented reality effects. Facebook says that they are "limited-edition Messenger features" -- so move quickly, you must.
Google slaps blocks on some Linux web browsers
It may seem that the big names of tech are eager to embrace -- and to be seen embracing -- Linux, but Google is being a little selective.
Users of the Konqueror, Falkon and Qutebrowser web browsers for Linux-based operating systems have reported that they are unable to log into Google services. What's strange is that not all users of these browsers are affected, but many people are seeing a warning when they try to use them.
Microsoft now lets you make calls from your PC
Microsoft has added a much called-for feature to its Your Phone app -- the ability to make phone calls from Windows.
Working with a phone and PC at the same time can be a pain, and this was part of the reason Microsoft developed the Your Phone app. The feature had been available to insiders testing preview version of the software, and now the company is making the feature available to everyone.
What Google's focus on web frameworks means for front-end development [Q&A]
If the recent Chrome Dev Summit was evidence of what Google thinks is hot in web development, then frameworks were one of the clear winners. More specifically, client-side frameworks and libraries like Angular, Vue and React, and larger web frameworks like Next.js.
We spoke to Tim Neutkens, lead developer of Next.js -- which Google mentioned in its talk on Advancing the Web Framework Ecosystem -- to learn more about the rise of front-end frameworks and their general promise to get web developers out of the infrastructure weeds and focus more on building websites and apps.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Three-hundred-and-sixty-five 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 released two new Windows 10 version 2004 builds this week: build 19037 made PowerShell ISE a feature on demand, and build 19041.1 for the Fast and Slow rings made polishing fixes to the next feature update. Microsoft enabled the new Quick Search feature globally on Windows 10 as well. Previously, Quick Search was only available to devices set to EN-US.
The top 20 passwords that you shouldn't be using
Despite data breaches involving stolen or cracked passwords constantly being in the news, it seems people are still making poor choices when it comes to their login credentials.
Password manager NordPass has compiled a list of the 200 most commonly used passwords of 2019 and highlighted the 20 you should never be using.
Microsoft's Xbox Series X has a terrible name, but it looks incredibly cool
Microsoft has never been very good at naming things. Windows 10, for instance, isn't even the tenth version of Windows. The company plans to eventually release an operating system called Windows 10X -- since X is the Roman numeral for ten, is it technically "Windows 10 10" then? Sigh. The original Xbox was followed by the Xbox 360, which was then followed by Xbox One. In other words, the third Xbox is named "One" -- what kind of craziness is that? The company confused things even further by releasing Xbox One variants dubbed "S" and "X."
And now, Microsoft has unveiled its next generation Xbox, and following tradition, it has a terrible name! What has the company named it? Xbox Series X. Yup, that's the real name. Its name is way too close to "Xbox One X," and shows Microsoft is apparently devoid of any creativity in the branding department. Name aside, however, it does look really cool -- it is a vertical tower that can be positioned horizontally if you prefer. Thankfully, it appears to have an optical drive, so physical games disks will live on for at least one more generation of game console.
Zorin OS 15.1 Linux distro is ready to replace Microsoft's dying Windows 7 on your PC
Windows 7's death is imminent -- support for the popular operating system ends next month on January 14, making it extremely dangerous to use from a security standpoint after that date. This is very unfortunate for the millions of computer users that don't want to switch to the much-maligned Windows 10. Thankfully, in 2019, you don't have to run Windows anymore -- Linux is a totally legitimate option for both business and home use these days. Hell, even the Windows-maker sees the writing on the wall -- the company recently released its wildly popular Office 365 program, Microsoft Teams, for Linux.
If you are ready to ditch the soon-to-be-unsupported Windows 7 for a more secure Linux-based operating system, you have plenty of great options. One of the best choices, however, is Zorin OS -- a Linux distribution that specifically targets people switching from Windows. Today, the latest version of that operating system, Zorin OS 15.1, is released to the world.
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