Items tagged with Software
Do you remember what you were doing two decades ago? Depending on your age, you might have been waiting in a long line for Windows 95. Yes, there were lines to purchase Windows 95, the revolutionary operating system that launched at midnight on August 24, 1995, 20 years ago to the day. Codenamed Chicago, Windows 95 was a big upgrade over Windows 3.1. It was a 32-bit OS with a customized version of MS-DOS baked in to serve as a boot loader and a compatibility layer for legacy 16-bit device drivers. Enhanced multimedia features accompanied the dressed up graphical user interface, and so did built-in Internet support, a critical component as the Internet was just beginning to bloom.To run Windows...
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One of the first things we all do when firing up a new smartphone for the first time is to see which unwanted apps we're allowed to uninstall. It's not just wireless carriers and smartphone manufactures that are guilty of pre-loading their software on our phones, but also Google, which doesn't let phone makers cherry pick its apps. The good news is, Google's trimming the selection of apps that are required.At this point you might be wondering, "Isn't Android open source and free?" True and true, and any manufacturer or individual can do pretty much anything they please with the platform. That's why some OSes based off of Android look nothing like what you're used to seeing on smartphones, such...
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The wait for Windows 10 is finally over, and has been since July 29, the day Microsoft released what it says will be the last version of Windows. So too is the wait for official support from Apple's awesome Boot Camp tool, which allows users to install Windows on compatible Mac desktops and laptops. What's neat about Boot Camp is that it offers native access to Windows via a dedicated partition -- Boot Camp is not virtualization software.Apple's latest Boot Camp build supports 64-bit flavors of Windows 10 on several Macs, including MacBook Air models from mid 2012, MacBoo Pros from mid 2012, MacBook Pro with Retina display models from mid 2012, iMacs from late 2012, Mac mini systems from late...
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Somewhere out there Jimmy Hoffa's body is buried. Right next to him is a classified document detailing what really goes on at Area 51, and on top of that is a piece of paper with an official count of Windows 10 installs to date. That's to say, we simply don't know how many devices are running Windows 10, though there are a few figures floating around the web, the latest of which pegs the number 25 million.Or it could be as high as 27 million, "sources" tell Neowin. So if going by those un-named sources, Windows 10 is installed on somewhere between 25 million and 27 million machines -- let's split the difference and call it 26 million, shall we?That's a far more conservative estimate than the...
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Microsoft's strategy to offer Windows 10 as a no-cost upgrade option to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users is paying off. Just one day after launch, the Redmond outfit announced that Windows 10 had found its way onto more than 14 million devices. By Friday morning, that number unofficially ballooned to 67 million devices.An anonymous Microsoft employee revealed the updated statistic to Windows Central. According to the employee, the 67 million figure was accurate as of 8 AM on Friday, meaning that 53 million more Windows 10 installs took place since Microsoft's announcement on Thursday.This is a sign that the phased upgraded plan is going smoothly. In addition to revealing 67 million Windows 10...
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How do you top the release of Windows 10, the last version of Windows ever, which by the way Microsoft is giving away for free to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users? Quite frankly, you don't, though there's another freebie that ties into that. If you already own Minecraft for PC or Mac -- and 20 million of you do -- then you can get the new version for Windows 10 at no cost.Called Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, the new edition of Minecraft that was announced at Minecon 2015 a few weeks ago is now rolling out. To grab your copy, just log into your Mojang account and click the "Redeem" button on your account page. From there, sign into your Microsoft account and follow the instructions. Easy,...
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One of the reasons Windows 8 never resonated with the public is because there were too many jarring changes, both in appearance and functionality. To make matters worse, Microsoft dismissed the criticisms by taking a 'father knows best' approach -- you'll use it and you'll like it! But users didn't like it, and even one of Windows 8's designers eventually admitted that the Metro UI "is the antithesis of a power user." Well, that's all water under the bridge, old news, yesterday's events. Windows 10 is here, finally. And unlike Windows 8, early impressions are mostly positive. Make no mistake, Windows 10 isn't Windows 8/8.1 with a Start menu, it's much more, and perhaps Microsoft was spot on to...
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After all the hype, hoopla, and anticipation, tomorrow is the big day. We're of course talking about the initial roll out of Windows 10, which will be delivered to users in waves to ensure everything runs smoothly, and the beginning of a new era for Microsoft. In preparation for the big day, some users have reported around 3GB of downloaded Windows 10 installation files sitting dormant on their PCs.There are multiple reports of users seeing a folder named $windows.~BT on their operating system partition, which for most people is going to be the C:\ drive (C:\$windows.~BT). While the contents haven't been confirmed, the size of the folder and timing of its appearance strongly suggests that Microsoft...
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We're in the homestretch now, folks! In just nine days, Microsoft will launch Windows 10 and begin doling out free upgrades to registered Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users in waves. Make no mistake, this is a big launch for Microsoft, as it can ill afford to release another OS that lands to heavy criticism the way Windows 8 did. To help avoid that, Microsoft's message in a new ad campaign is that you should upgrade to Windows 10 because "it's familiar." It's a simple message that provides the foundation for the 46-second clip titled "10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 10: IT'S FAMILIAR," and it's one that should resonate well with Windows users who found the changes in Windows 8 to be too jarring....
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It's been an interesting year for fans of fighting games. With Mortal Kombat X, gaming buddies can finally settle the debate as to who would win in a fight, Jason Voorhees or Predator. And with Street Fighter V, Capcom is introducing a new way to play, one that features a brand new service-based approach with regards to downloadable content (DLC). Straight to the point, you'll never have to buy DLC. Additional content will either be free to download outright, or can be earned simply by playing the game. Balance changes and system adjustments will fall into the former category, while the latter category covers post-launch gameplay related content. By going this route, Capcom is able to promise...
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In some ways, you can think of Windows 10 as a 'do-over' for Microsoft. Windows 10 is set to achieve what Windows 8 set out to do, which is bring interoperability between totally different devices, and do it without shoving the Metro UI down users' throats. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, the revolution has already begun, and it gains steam today as Microsoft unlocks functionality for all Xbox One owners to stream their games to a Windows 10 PC. Previously that function was only available in Preview form, but as of now, it's expanded to everyone who owns an Xbox One and has a PC or tablet (or 2-in-1, etc) with Windows 10 installed. To get started, go into your Xbox One's Settings menu,...
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Here's the deal folks, if you own a valid copy of Windows 7 with SP1 installed or Windows 8.1, you can upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge for the first year. You may have even registered for your upgrade via a taskbar icon. If not, go ahead and get in line -- Microsoft will begin doling out Windows 10 updates on July 29, which will roll out in waves.What if you don't own a copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and plan on building a new system? Well, you'll have to pony up for Windows 10. If you're feeling anxious, you can place your pre-order right now at Amazon. The online seller is offering Windows 10 Home for $120 and Windows 10 Pro for $200, both of which will arrive on a USB flash drive.Which...
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In the wake of recent security threats that have come to light, Mozilla has made the decision to block Adobe Flash content by default on all versions of its Firefox browser. Mark Schmidt, head of Firefox support at Mozilla and CEO of SupportHacker, announced the change via Twitter on Monday, adding that this is a temporary thing. "BIG NEWS!! All versions of Flash are blocked by default in Firefox as of now. To be clear, Flash is only blocked until Adobe releases a version which isn't being actively exploited by publicly known vulnerabilities," Schmidt said. This has been a bad month for Adobe and its Flash software. A well known Italian hacking group called Hacking Team that sells software exploits...
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Microsoft has been busy kicking out Windows 10 Technical Preview builds at a furious pace as of late (three releases in a week, including two that came on subsequent days), but what we haven't seen is a Release To Manufacturing (RTM) candidate. Until now, that is. It appears that Build 10176 is the first RTM of Windows 10, though it may not represent the final product that ships July 29.Traditionally speaking, RTM releases are those with finished code in need of a bit of last minute testing before going gold. However, there are still two weeks left before Windows 10 is set to ship to the public, so we're likely to see at least one more RTM build in the interim, especially with how rapidly Microsoft...
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Today's video games can cost more to make than a blockbuster movie. The level of graphical detail is pretty amazing in some cases, and when you throw in ambient sound effects and an engaging storyline, it's easy to be sucked into a virtual world. It shouldn't really be surprising, then, that college students enjoy being scared by horror games, according to a recent study.What's perhaps eye opening, however, is that researchers in the U.S. found that playing games scares people more than watching movies. That's based on the findings of assistant professor Nicole Martins and student Teresa Lynch from Indiana University. The duo surveyed 269 college kids with questions about their experiences playing...
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Developing an application isn't a cake walk, although it can seem like one if all we're talking about is getting a program up and running. Perhaps the biggest chore with developing an app is securing it tight, analyzing the code until you arrive at Eye Strain City. Security is king. It's also time-consuming. MIT knows this reality all too well, so it's decided to do something to help ease the pain. The result is a system called CodePhage, one that takes advantage of other applications to help bolster the security in its own. I wouldn't blame you if you thought that such mechanics were impossible, but indeed they are. Rather than just analyze source code from other projects and assume snippets...
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If your computer meets the system requirements for a video game, you can reasonably expect that it will run smoothly at the proper settings. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for scores of PC gamers who purchased the much anticipated Batman: Arkham Knight title. Following a rash of complaints over performance issues and graphical glitches, publisher WB Games has suspended further sales of the title until developer Rocksteady Studios can iron out the wrinkles. "We want to apologize to those of you who are experiencing performance issues with Batman: Arkham Knight on PC. We take these issues very seriously and have therefore decided to suspend future game sales of the PC version while we...
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Windows XP enjoyed a nice, long run, but after over a decade of faithful service, Microsoft finally pulled the plug on the legacy operating system and discontinued support in April of last year. All but the most diehard fans have since moved on, though it's still installed on more desktops than Windows 8.1, and on almost as many as Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 combined. You can count the U.S. Navy's system among them. According to a contract page at the U.S. Department of Defense, the Navy opted to pay Microsoft over $9.1 million dollars to continue offering custom support services for Windows XP. The contract also covers Office 2003, Exchange 2003, and Server 2003. As part of the...
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Opting for the Fast ring on Microsoft's Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview program means you'll gain access to new Windows builds before everyone else, but it also means having to put up with bugs that get squashed before the build trickles over to Slow ring subscribers. Case in point, Microsoft has made available Build 10136 on the Fast ring, and if you're using the previous Fast ring release (Build 10080), you'll have to jump through some hoops to upgrade. Microsoft says there's a migration bug that prevents upgrades from 10080 to 10136, and so the Redmond outfit isn't supporting that upgrade path. Instead, users of 10080 have to revert back to Windows 8.1 using Microsoft's Windows Phone Recovery...
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Remember when skirmishes were fought on land, air, and sea? They still are, though in today's world, you can add cyberspace to the list. Cyber warfare has become a point of focus, and lest anyone doubt it, consider that that the U.S. Navy is looking to buy zero-day exploits, particularly those used on commercial software that foreign threats might be using. Dave Maass, a researcher for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, stumbled upon the zero-day request on FedBizOpps, a site that government agencies use to post contracting requests. On the site, the U.S. Navy posted a listing saying that the government was looking for "access to vulnerability intelligence, exploit reports and operational exploit...
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A lot of work goes into a creating a video game. Development studio CD Projekt Red knows that as well as anyone, and after three years of blood, sweat, and tears, the company's newest title, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, released to the public. Just two weeks after launch, the title reached 4 million sales, which is something CD Projekt Red doesn't take lightly. "Since day one, you have given us tons of positive feedback and support -- the sheer volume of emails we’ve gotten since launch simply congratulating us for our efforts is both epic and heartwarming, and I wish every developer comes to have such a fantastic community," CD Projekt Red said while announcing the two-week sales figure. "In terms...
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Get ready to relive all the fun (and frustration) that came from playing all those old school 8-bit Mega Man games from yesteryear, as Capcom is bringing them back. In just a few months, the original Mega Man games -- all half a dozen of them -- will be released in enhanced form, sporting Full HD 1080p graphics and "modern bonuses," the developer announced today. It's called the "Mega Man Legacy Collection" and it will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC digital storefronts this summer. There's also a digital release scheduled to arrive for the Nintendo 3DS, though that one will come sometime in the winter season. "In addition to the original six games, you also get challenges, a...
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