Articles about Beta

There are a lot of accessibility options built into Windows 10 at the moment, and soon there'll be a new feature. Brought about by an idea raised at Microsoft's 2014 hackathon, the company is bringing Eye Control to its operating system.

As the name suggests, Eye Control gives users the ability to control and interact with Windows 10 using eye movements -- something which is incredibly useful for anyone with limited movement. The feature is destined for inclusion in a future version of Windows 10, but a beta version will be made available to Windows Insiders.

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As Windows 10 continues to disappoint some users, Microsoft is increasing its focus on Linux. Whether or not the company will ever take the big step of making its own distribution based on the kernel remains to be seen. With that said, the company has sort of come close -- it has allowed Linux to infiltrate its beloved Windows operating system by way of the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" feature. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer would probably be rolling in their graves right now -- if they weren't alive, of course.

Today, Microsoft takes its commitment to Linux a bit further. You see, it has announced that "Windows Subsystem for Linux" will be shedding its "beta" designation in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. In fact, the Beta tag has already been removed in Windows 10 Insider Build 16251. In other words, the beta label on the feature has been taken off in a beta version of the operating system. Confused? Welcome to the party, pal!

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When Twitter revealed its Q2 earnings yesterday the figures weren't quite as bright as people would have hoped. With growth stalling, the company is seeking new ways to bring in money, and its latest idea is a tweet promotion service for a fixed monthly fee.

Twitter is testing a new ad program which automatically promotes tweets and profiles for $99 per month. The program is currently in private beta, but it could be rolled out to a wider audience at any stage.

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Adobe accidentally treated Creative Cloud subscribers to a sneak preview of Project Nimbus. The company had already said a little about the cloud-based, Lightroom-like photo editor, but now it has inadvertently made the app available to a number of users.

Adobe quickly realized its mistake and rectified the matter, but the slip-up gives an interesting glimpse into what we can expect to see from Project Nimbus -- or whatever it ends up being called -- when it is finished.

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Apple will not officially release macOS High Sierra until later this year, but, in the meantime, Mac users who want to check out the new features early can enroll in the public beta program to install preview builds of the new operating system.

The first public beta build lands today, coinciding with the release of a revised second beta for developers. Apple typically gives developers the option to sample a new Mac operating system early, so that casual testers can enjoy a more stable experience.

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Just a few weeks ago, Apple revealed iOS 11 at WWDC 2017. While a few things have been taken away in this version of the operating system, plenty have been added, and this is being seen as one of the most significant upgrades for iPhone and iPad owners.

iOS 11 will be an important aspect of the upcoming iPhone 8, but it's also going to be a substantial update for anyone with an iPhone 5s or newer, or a supported iPad. We've already seen a developer preview released, but now there's an official public beta of iOS 11, and you can install it right now.

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Last month Microsoft gave us a glimpse of its upcoming Whiteboard app -- now the app has leaked online. This means that we have the opportunity to not only see what Microsoft has in store for inking in Windows 10, but we can also get hands on with it.

The tool is part of Microsoft's recent education focus, and it gives students and tutors the chance to collaborate on an interactive whiteboard. Features include automatic shape completion (draw a square freehand, and it will be converted into a geometric square), equation support, and angle calculation.

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Fedora 26 Beta is finally here! Why do I say "finally?" Well, as is becoming more common nowadays, the Beta release was delayed. This isn't the end of the world, however, as there is nothing wrong with making sure everything is ready -- especially a beta.

While you never want to run pre-release software on a production machine, I must confess that the Alpha version has been rock solid on my laptop -- it is probably safe. With that said, if you can be patient, we should have a final version on July 11. Can't wait for a stable Fedora 26 and like living dangerously? You can download the Beta today -- at your own risk.

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This has been an interesting week for Linux Mint. The team released the official beta for the Cinnamon and Mate versions of "Sonya," signaling a final release should be here soon. While that is good news, there was some bad news too. While technically not a Linux Mint issue, it was discovered that the MintBox 2 had a bios vulnerability. Luckily, there is already a patch for the diminutive computer.

Today, we can get back to the positive news, as there are two new Linux Mint releases. You can immediately download Linux Mint 18.2 'Sonya' Beta ISO images with the KDE or Xfce desktop environments. True, the Mint experience is usually all about Cinnamon and Mate, but the team offers a choice to those that dislike the standard environments.

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On top of the official software releases, OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 users also have access to beta versions of OxygenOS. The builds, which are labeled "Open Beta," typically add new features and improvements to the Android distribution, but may also cause some issues -- something that's to be expected, given their nature.

The latest Open Beta build, which was just released, bears the 17/8 version number and comes with a number of new features, improvements, optimizations and changes to OxygenOS. Here's what you should be looking forward to.

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There is a common misconception that companies can't make money from open source solutions, such as Linux. While a company like Canonical -- maker of Ubuntu -- is in a state of confusion, Red Hat continues to see success in the enterprise. The company is quite profitable with is popular Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) operating system, serving as a great example for the open source community.

Today, Red Hat announces that RHEL 7.4 has achieved Beta status. The pre-release version of the distribution is available immediately, and administrators can begin testing now. The company promises many security additions including Network Bound Disk Encryption and OpenSSL HTTP/2.0 enhancements.

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Android can be a bit of a pain in the butt, as new versions of the operating system don't reach all devices -- even new ones. Unlike iOS where Apple provides updates to all of its devices for years, many Android manufacturers seldom ever issue updates. Heck, it is possible to buy a phone or tablet and never get an OS update!

The best way to avoid such madness is to buy a Nexus or Pixel device directly from Google. This will guarantee you a reasonable amount of updates, although not on the same level as iOS. If you own a Nexus or Pixel device, I have good news. Starting today, you can download the first official Android "Oreo" Beta. While Oreo is not yet the official name, many folks are predicting it to eventually be named after the famed cookie.

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Google is preparing to launch the Android O beta, and ahead of this the company has officially closed the Android Nougat beta program. We've already seen a developer preview of Android O, and a second release is due later this month.

But many Pixel and Nexus users are waiting for the Android O beta as the developer preview is not really intended for public consumption. While we're not really any closer to knowing for sure when the new beta program will begin, we're clearly nearing the time that Google will make an announcement.

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Any organized soul worth their salt has a good to-do service (or two) to support them. This is something that has been strangely lacking from Microsoft, but this is all set to change with Microsoft To-Do.

This reminder app has been in the works for a little while under the codename of Project Cheshire, but Microsoft has just launched a preview version of it. The online service works in conjunction with apps for iOS, Android and Windows, and you can try it out for yourself right now.

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Mozilla has announced plans to eliminate one of its release channels for not only Firefox but also Thunderbird and SeaMonkey. Starting today, the Aurora release channel will no longer be updated, and the Developer Edition of the web browser will be based on the Beta build.

The change is part of a drive to streamline the release process, and to make sure that stable new features make their way out to not only developers, but also normal users faster than before. Mozilla says: "Developer Edition users will maintain their Developer Edition themes, tools, and preferences, will keep their existing profile, and should not experience any disruption."

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