Articles about Software

Norwegian browser company Opera has launched a major update for its desktop browsers Opera One and Opera GX, adding a privacy-focused translation feature, improved multitasking tools, and a new level of personalization for GX users.

The update rolls out as Opera continues to try to compete with bigger players like Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox by leaning into user-driven customization and features.

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Stardock has released Fences 6.0, a major new release of its desktop organization tool for Windows users. The app, which allows users to create windowed 'fences' to keep desktop icons under control, adds two major new features in this latest release.

The biggest update by far is the support for tabbed fences. Like web browsers, each window can now support multiple tabs to provide an additional level of organization for both desktop shortcuts and Folder Portals, which make it possible for users to mirror any folder to the desktop for ease of access.

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According to recent projections from Gartner, by 2028 90 percent of enterprise software engineers will use AI code assistants, up from less than 14 percent in early 2024. But relying on AI in development roles also introduces risks.

Snyk is launching a new AI-native agentic platform specifically built to secure and govern software development in the AI Era.

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There are a number of great tools you can use to improve Windows 10 and 11, including Winhance and BleachBit, both of which have been recently updated.

Crapfixer, which we’ve covered before, is another tool you can use to remove bloat, ads, creepy data collection, and more. It was originally created seven years ago but has been resurrected and completely rewritten for Windows 11. The modern incarnation appeared two weeks ago, and it has now reached the 1.0 milestone, meaning it’s considered stable and safe to use.

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For those who like to live on the cutting edge, beta software, preview programs and the like are incredibly enticing. Just about every major software title -- operating systems, even -- has one or more preview builds available, and web browsers like Firefox are no different.

But Mozilla has a slightly different option for anyone who feels uncomfortable with the idea of installing alpha, canary, or beta builds of apps -- Firefox Labs. This is Mozilla’s way of giving users access to optional features which have not yet made it into the main version of the browser. Here are the unreleased features you can try out right now.

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With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) due to come into force next month, 84 percent of respondents to a new study say that digital accessibility is a priority for their company.

The EAA aims to make technology products and services easier to use for people with disabilities. The study, from quality and testing specialist Applause, shows 94 percent of organizations are preparing for the EAA by the June 28, 2025 deadline.

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A new survey of 200 chief information security officers (CISOs) from across diverse industries and regions finds that 49 percent of CISOs say buyers now factor application security (AppSec) into their purchasing decisions.

The study from Checkmarx shows 24 percent say that application security is 'always' a factor in those decisions. This trend is most pronounced in Europe, where 58 percent of respondents report that security is always a factor, compared to 33 percent in the Asia Pacific region and only eight percent in North America.

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Open-source system-cleaning tool BleachBit 5.0 has been released for Windows and Linux users. The tool, which is used to clean up drive space and shred sensitive data, provides a way for users to remove unwanted and unused data from their machines.

Version 5.0 comes with the promise of new and improved cleaners alongside numerous other updates and security fixes.

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Artificial intelligence has found its way into many areas, not least software development. But using this technology isn't without problems around security, code quality and more.

We talked to Vibor Cipan, senior manager -- developer relations, community and success at AI coding agent Zencoder to find out more about the challenges of AI development and how to address them.

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Although 63 percent of organizations claim their architecture is integrated throughout development (from design to deployment and beyond), a new study shows more than half (56 percent) have documentation that doesn't match the architecture in production.

The research from vFunction shows the impact of this architecture disconnect has potentially resulted in project delays (53 percent), security or compliance challenges (50 percent), scalability limitations (46 percent), and reduced engineering team productivity (28 percent).

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Canadian developer FastStone Software has released Faststone Image Viewer 8.0, a major new release of its powerful -- and free for personal and non-commercial use -- image toolkit for Windows PCs.

Despite the name, FastStone Image Viewer is more than just a simple tool for viewing images. Users can view multiple files courtesy of its two-pane File Explorer interface, with the ability to view a folder full of images as a slideshow, complete with access to detailed file properties (including EXIF data).

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Berlin-based O&O Software GmbH has unveiled a major new release -- and edition -- of its backup software for Windows. O&O DiskImage 21 Premium is a new entry into the DiskImage family, aimed firmly at home users.

The application, which can back up everything from individual files to entire drives, is relaunched with a brand new interface as well as several new features. As with previous releases, the app is sold with a lifetime license as opposed to a time-limited subscription.

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Software engineering organizations often grapple with challenges that hinder their output -- including productivity blind spots, duplicate work, deadlines that don't stand a chance, burnout, and other hidden costs that eat up time and energy.

And while metrics can signal a problem, they don't always uncover the root cause or -- more importantly -- how to fix it. To explore this, we spoke to Joe Levy, CEO of Uplevel, an engineering optimization system helping developers independently measure the ROI of AI adoption.

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If you’re in dire need of quickly transferring a file between devices -- whether desktop to desktop, mobile to mobile or desktop to/from mobile -- then you’ll know the usual routine often involves transferring through an intermediary like a cloud or network folder or resorting to emailing or messaging yourself with the file as an attachment. Fiddly, time-consuming and often frustrating.

Apple’s AirDrop makes it easy to transfer files between Apple devices simply by bringing them into the same network, and now Flying Carpet 9.0 offers similar functionality across all major mobile and desktop platforms.

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A new report from Grafana Labs looks at the maturity and evolution of the observability landscape, from the complex challenges teams are facing to the tools and tactics they're implementing to overcome them.

The study, based on 1,255 responses, shows 75 percent of respondents are now using open source licensing for observability into software performance, with 70 percent reporting that their organizations use both Prometheus and OpenTelemetry in some capacity. Half of all organizations have increased their investments in both technologies for the second year in a row.

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