Articles about Software

Google has released Google Web Designer 3.0 Beta, its HTML5 content-producing tool for Windows, Mac and Linux. Although targeted primarily at advertisers, the tool can be adapted for other content too, and also supports JavaScript, CSS and XML.

Version 3.0 introduces several new features. First, users are now able to change the ad environment via the File > Ad environment menu. When supported, users can switch between DoubleClick, AdMob, AdWords and Non-Google Ad easily.

Continue reading →

Unless you're a fan of using a computer that looks and feels the same as everyone else, you probably want to spend some time tweaking Windows so it works the way you want it to. Broadly speaking, tweaks fall into three categories -- those that change appearance, those that boost performance, and those that change the way things work.

Windows 10 does -- through Settings and the Control Panel -- afford you a decent degree of control over how the operating system looks and works, but if you want to get serious about things you have two options: head into the registry, or turn to a dedicated tweaking and customization tool. Now there are endless apps to help make life easier, so here's a roundup of the best Windows 10 tweaking and customization tools.

Continue reading →

For some people, Firefox Sync is a great way to synchronize browser settings, add-ons, bookmarks and so on between computers. For others it's a privacy nightmare and a massive annoyance.

Starting with Firefox 60, Mozilla is making it possible to not only disable the feature, but also hide it. This might seem like a minor change, but for anyone irritated by the mere presence of Firefox sync, it's something that should have happened sooner.

Continue reading →

Starting with Redstone 4, Microsoft will give developers a new option for their UWP apps in Windows 10 -- support for multiple instances of an app. This is a feature that lots of Windows 10 users have been asking for, so it will be welcomed with open arms.

As of Windows 10 version 1803, multiple-instance support for UWP apps will be available to developers on an opt-in basis. Microsoft has published a detailed blog post that explains how the function can be used.

Continue reading →

We all back up our data, right? That's what everyone does! But of course, that's far from true. Most people don't get much further than thinking about putting a backup plan in place, promising themselves it's something they'll sort out one day -- and, all of a sudden, it's too late.

Deleting files by accident is easily done. If you're tinkering with partitions, it's also scarily easy to wipe out the wrong one! These are just two of the ways in which you can lose files, and if you don’t have a backup to hand, you're going to need help from a data recovery tool. Here we look at five of the best free options to help bring your files back from the dead.

Continue reading →

In the world of media playing software, VLC is a perennial favorite -- and with good reason. This open source tool is one of the most feature-packed players out there, and it has just received a huge and long-awaited upgrade with the release of VLC 3.0 'Vetinari'.

Many software releases are described as being major or significant, but VLC 3.0 really is a huge release -- it's a truly massive update from its predecessor. Available for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chromebooks and Windows Phone, just about everyone can take advantage of the power of this incredible player.

Continue reading →

There’s so much negative press about 'mature' security software from the likes of Kaspersky, maybe it’s time to consider an alternative? And it’s not limited to Kaspersky. Brands such as Norton have been questioned recently by allowing Russian authorities to examine source code for potential backdoors.

In our experience, people avoid change and often only seek an alternative when their system (somewhat ironically) is compromised. Little do people know that they are actually fewer daily threats than they realize, unless you spend the day downloading dodgy software or looking at rogue websites, your everyday computing experience will be trouble-free.

Continue reading →

Java established itself as one of the leading programming languages shortly after its debut, over two decades ago. According to the TIOBE Index for January 2018, it is actually the programming language that most people are interested in. For newcomers, it is among the top picks, no doubt due to the sheer number of jobs available.

The TIOBE Index, which provides a glimpse into our interest in programming languages based on searches on Google, Bing, Wikipedia and YouTube, among other major resources, puts Java at the top of the pack with a 14.21 percent rating. It holds a comfortable lead over its main rivals, though at least one of them is starting to gain ground again -- C.

Continue reading →

Christmas must be just around the corner -- IObit has unveiled Advanced SystemCare Ultimate 11, a major new release of its flagship system security and optimization product for Windows. It arrives around 12 months to the day after version 10 was released.

Version 11 unveils a new Anti-Ransomware engine, one-click security audit and major improvements to core features like Performance Monitor, Disk Optimization and IObit Undelete. Some of these features made their bow in IObit Advanced SystemCare Free 11, which was released back in October.

Continue reading →

Literature and Latte has released Scrivener 3.0 for OS X, a major new version of its writer-centric tool. The app combines traditional word-processing features with project management and organization tools to provide a one-stop shop for any writing project.

Version 3.0 unveils a number of new and enhanced features, alongside an updated user interface, Touch Bar support and rewritten codebase for 64-bit.

Continue reading →

Any company which has to provide customer support for software products will say one of their key concerns is the inability of users to fully remove applications from their computer.

Security software is the most difficult software to remove, which is why companies provide dedicated removal tools. Kaspersky, AVG and others develop specific software to fully remove their installed security suites as many of these tools embed plugins into third-party tools, such as your web browser, to keep you protected.

Continue reading →

Binary Fortress Software has released DisplayFusion 9.1, a minor update of its multi-monitor management tool for Windows. It follows a month on from the major release of version 9.0, which added a single new feature (monitor fading) alongside compatibility improvements and a host of tweaks and fixes.

Version 9.1’s most notable change is the use of a new code-signing certificate. Users are warned they may receive a Smart Screen warning from Windows -- although this didn’t appear on our test PC.

Continue reading →

Backing up your data to the cloud makes sense. But using an existing service such as Dropbox is more complicated as these cloud services insist on mirroring your content across your devices.

The most obvious solution is to create your own cloud. This is easy to achieve through a service such as Amazon S3 (Amazon Simple Storage Service). The Amazon S3 is a cost-effective virtual hard drive in the cloud. You are charged depending the amount of storage you use, the number of times you access your content and the location. It’s competitively priced, too. We backup our server content to Amazon S3 and our monthly bill rarely tops a dollar.

Continue reading →

Development teams have turned to continuous delivery to help them adapt software features whilst rolling them out to customers. At the same time project management teams have used feedback mechanisms to get information on how well the software is working.

The problem is that in many businesses these two operations are separate, which leads to delays and duplication of efforts.

Continue reading →

You have to admire some of the recent design work from Microsoft. Windows 10 has transitioned into a robust and visually-appealing operating system, whilst Office 2016 really is a superb, well-designed, cross-platform office suite.

In addition, Office 365 offers reasonably priced subscription and includes a fair number of licenses for your devices. We have Office 365 installed on our Mac and Windows computers and it’s seamless switching between the two platforms. So, why would you need anything else? That’s certainly a valid question. We do not see too many Office 365 subscribers complaining about the price and home users can pick up a license for as little as $5.99/month for a single device.

Continue reading →