Software

Noteworthy software industry news, key players and software releases, patches, and features transforming our digital experiences.

windows activation microsoft edge

Software Download of the Week

Microsoft Edge beta introduces built-in RAM limiter feature

Similar to what Opera GX offers, Edge is introducing a new slider that allows you to set how much memory the browser is allowed to use. The latest release also includes Workspaces improvements and enhanced copy/paste features.

By Ivan Franco, May 22, 2024, 1:52 PM

mozilla firefox

Software The Web

Mozilla is adding vertical tabs, profile management, and local AI to Firefox

Giving Firefox users what they most want, according to Mozilla

By Alfonso Maruccia, May 22, 2024, 9:51 AM 16 comments

windows 11 file explorer

Microsoft Software

Windows 11 File Explorer adds version control, 7z, and TAR compression support

More productivity features from Microsoft this week

By Zo Ahmed, May 22, 2024, 7:38 AM

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Software The Web

Microsoft Edge will use AI to translate and dub YouTube and other videos in real time

The tool will initially support English and Spanish translations of YouTube, LinkedIn, and Coursera videos

By Daniel Sims, May 21, 2024, 7:47 PM

arm translation layer emulation windows on arm windows 11

Software Microsoft

Prism emulator will make x86 applications run faster on Arm-based Copilot+ PCs

Microsoft has a new translation layer designed to minimize compatibility issues

By Alfonso Maruccia, May 21, 2024, 12:38 PM 15 comments

microsoft recall windows microsoft surface qualcomm snapdragon windows 11 copilot with video

Software Microsoft

Microsoft Recall AI will log everything you do on Windows

It will all be processed and stored on-device, thankfully

By Zo Ahmed, May 21, 2024, 10:24 AM 28 comments

openai scarlett johansson- chatgpt voice assistant scarlett johansson with video

Software Tech Culture

OpenAI removes Scarlett Johansson-like voice from ChatGPT after actress hires legal counsel

No coincidence that Sam Altman's favorite movie is Her

By Rob Thubron, May 21, 2024, 8:09 AM 12 comments

handbrake converter encoding video

Software Download of the Week

HandBrake 1.8.0 adds FFV1 encoder support, TrueHD and FLAC audio

HandBrake has received a major update, featuring Dolby Vision dynamic metadata pass-through for SVT-AV1, support for VP9 tunes, and a new "Preservation FFV1" preset in the professional category.

By Ivan Franco, May 21, 2024, 6:44 AM

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The Web Software

Fake OS update screens let procrastinators buy extra break time

Careful not to get yourself fired

By Shawn Knight, May 20, 2024, 1:46 PM 7 comments

fortran cobol programming

Software Industry

Decades-old programming languages Fortran and Cobol are still thriving

Old Glories: Fortran and Cobol are still among the world's most popular programming languages despite being almost 70 years old. They're certainly overachieving, but for entirely different reasons, and neither seem unwilling to go out of fashion as new technological advancements like AI keep old skills relevant.

Full story By Alfonso Maruccia, May 20, 2024, 1:09 PM 11 comments

windows windows xp 4chan

Software Security

Dangerous nostalgia: Taking Windows XP online will result in auto-installed viruses in a matter of minutes

Using Windows XP in 2024? You should read this before going online

By Kishalaya Kundu, May 20, 2024, 10:26 AM 28 comments

windows intel cpu intel windows xp

Software Microsoft

Windows XP can run on an Intel CPU from 1989 thanks to dedicated modder

It's significant because the two never co-existed

By Zo Ahmed, May 20, 2024, 8:45 AM

slack security privacy salesforce generative ai

Slack has been siphoning user data to train AI models without asking permission

Smarter collaboration, but at what cost?

By Zo Ahmed, May 18, 2024, 8:01 AM

winamp llama group

Software Tech Culture

Winamp music player will soon become an open-source project

Holy Llamas!: Winamp is being relaunched as an all-around music platform for creators and artists, but the old desktop player isn't disappearing anytime soon. The corporation owning the brand has now announced that the program's code will soon be offered through an open-source license.

Full story By Alfonso Maruccia, May 17, 2024, 9:02 AM 18 comments

ghost tsushima dlss fsr amd nvidia ghost of tsushima nvidia dlss frame generation with video

Gaming Software

Ghost of Tsushima on PC allows simultaneous use of Nvidia DLSS upscaling and AMD FSR 3 frame generation

Great news for those without RTX 4000-series cards

By Rob Thubron, May 17, 2024, 7:36 AM 7 comments

pushy microsoft bing google windows search microsoft edge

Software Microsoft

Pushy Microsoft app wants you to "repair" your PC by switching to Bing

Another day, another new tactic from Microsoft

By Zo Ahmed, May 17, 2024, 6:58 AM 13 comments

intel thunderbolt share pcs intel usb thunderbolt networking with video

Software Hardware

Intel Thunderbolt Share aims to simplify connection and resource sharing between multiple PCs

A secure, innovative PC-to-PC experience

By Alfonso Maruccia, May 16, 2024, 12:51 PM

theft android security google pixel

Software Google

Android 15 new privacy push includes theft detection and secret app locker

Google can now tell when your phone gets snatched, and lock it down

In a nutshell: The second beta of Android 15 is here, bringing along a handful of useful features to enhance the operating system's security. Google now allows Android users to have a tighter grip over their phones thanks in part to a new trick that could become a nightmare for a grab-and-run thieves.

Full story By Zo Ahmed, May 16, 2024, 10:06 AM

iphone ios privacy icloud

iPhone users report resurfacing deleted photos after iOS 17.5 update

Not the kind of bug you would expect to run into on an Apple device

By Zo Ahmed, May 16, 2024, 8:09 AM 9 comments

genai-powered google siri opinion digital assistant google assistant openai gemini chatgpt with video

GenAI improvements bring back the promise of truly useful digital assistants

Call it Siri's revenge, but any AI assistant that Apple announces next will have an outsized influence in the mainstream market

By Bob O'Donnell, May 16, 2024, 6:11 AM

control iphone ipad apple ios accessibility eye tracking ipados

Control your iPhone and iPad using your eyes and voice with Apple's upcoming AI patches

Many existing accessibility features will also recieve AI functionality

By Cal Jeffrey, May 15, 2024, 3:58 PM

mozilla google firefox browser

Software Download of the Week

Firefox adds support for RTX Video, upscaling up to 4K HDR

Firefox 126 now supports RTX Video super resolution and HDR, enhancing streamed videos on PCs equipped with GeForce RTX graphics cards.

By Ivan Franco, May 15, 2024, 1:20 PM

vmware workstation fusion pro free acquisition virtualization broadcom vmware

Software Download of the Week

VMware Workstation and Fusion Pro desktop hypervisors are now free for personal use

A welcome silver lining emerging from Broadcom's messy VMware acquisition?

By Alfonso Maruccia, May 15, 2024, 8:59 AM 17 comments

avast free antivirus testing avast

Security Software

Avast Free Antivirus: Testing its features and learning about the six layers of protection

We installed the latest version of Avast Free Antivirus, how good is it?

Sponsored by Avast

openai gpt-4o voice assistant chatgpt gpt openai omni with video

OpenAI launches faster and free GPT-4o model – new voice assistant speaks so naturally you will think it's hoaxed

The multimodal model sets a new bar for chatbots

Forward-looking: OpenAI just introduced GPT-4o (GPT-4 Omni or "O" for short). The model is no "smarter" than GPT-4 but still some remarkable innovations set it apart: the ability to process text, visual, and audio data simultaneously, almost no latency between asking and answering, and an unbelievably human-sounding voice.

Full story By Cal Jeffrey, May 13, 2024, 6:26 PM 17 comments