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Windows 10's redesigned Terminal is available in preview
It's a good time to be a Windows power user. Microsoft has released a preview version of Windows 10's redesigned Terminal (known as just Windows Terminal) through its app store, giving you a considerably more powerful command line tool. You can run the Command Prompt, PowerShell and Linux features from one central place, complete with tabs, a hardware-accelerated text engine and extensive customization -- it's just what you've wanted if you thought the all-black background was a little too austere.
Google warns banning Huawei could increase security risks
According to a Financial Times report, Google execs are concerned that banning Huawei could lead to increased security risks. Sources warn that if Huawei is not allowed access to Android updates, it could develop its own, similar software, which would be more susceptible to being hacked. Google is reportedly asking the Trump Administration to delay the ban or exempt the company altogether.
Apple might wave goodbye to Dashboard in macOS Catalina
One of the Mac's longer-serving features appears to be going away. Appleosophy and others using the developer preview of macOS Catalina have discovered that Dashboard, the secondary screen for widgets, isn't present. The app is missing in Launchpad, and you can't even force it to appear using Terminal. We wouldn't completely rule out a return in a later beta, but iTunes also has a missing icon and is clearly falling out of favor.
Control4's new hub connects 13,500 smart home devices on one screen
Smart home connected devices can control everything from lighting and temperature to security systems and music. But with products from so many different companies, they don't always work together. Control4 wants to change that. Yesterday, it debuted its Smart Home OS 3.
Huawei may debut its Android alternative as soon as this fall
Huawei's consumer business CEO Richard Yu reportedly said the company's own mobile OS will debut as early as this fall. Huawei hasn't confirmed plans to launch its OS, and Yu supposedly shared the information in a private WeChat group. But that timeline wouldn't be surprising given the recent US trade restrictions and Google's subsequent decision to suspend Huawei's Android support.
The new Android Q beta is a mostly cosmetic update
The Android Q beta 3 is here, and like the first public beta of this OS, there's not much to get excited about. This beta doesn't offer the meatiest update, but it is our first look at some of the user-facing features coming to Android Q. Things like Dark Mode and full gesture navigation are here, but more exciting highlights like Live Caption and Focus Mode are both missing. You can try the beta yourself if you're not afraid of potentially buggy software, and if you own one of the 21 handsets that will work with it. That's double the number of devices that supported the beta last year.
Microsoft is giving Windows 10 users more control over updates
The next major Windows 10 update is scheduled for late May, and with it, Microsoft is giving you more control over how you install updates. You'll be able to pause them for up to 35 days (in seven-day increments), when you previously were only able to set an installation time or snooze updates. That should reduce the chances of your computer automatically installing them at the dirt worst times.
Windows 7 message alerts users to the end of security updates
Microsoft really, really wants you to know that Windows 7's security updates will end soon. A newly deployed update will warn users that Microsoft will stop providing security updates for the operating system after January 14th, 2020, with a not-so-subtle reminder that the software has been around for 10 years. The updates should start appearing on April 18th. The alert will be hard to miss when it arrives the first time, though you'll thankfully have the option of disabling future reminders.
Huawei confirms it has a backup OS in case it's cut off from Android
In the event that tensions between Huawei Technologies and the US reach a boiling point, Huawei has a backup plan: its own operating system (OS) for phones, tablets and computers. The OS has been rumored for years, but Huawei confirmed its viability with the South China Morning Post, saying it could be used if the company were cut off from Android or Windows. It's seen as a last resort, but given the current discord between the US and Huawei, it's not entirely surprising that the company has a plan B.
Ubuntu 14.04 is ready for a world filled with high-resolution touchscreens and tablets
Has it truly been six months already? It feel like just yesterday we were kicking the tires on a fresh install of Saucy Salamander. Now Canonical is pushing out the latest version of its popular Linux distro. Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (code named: Trusty Tahr) is part of its long term support series which means it will receive support and security updates for five years rather than the usual nine months. That's a major deal for companies using either on desktops and servers. But servers and enterprise desktops aren't where the excitement lies. What makes Trusty a huge deal for Canonical is that it finally makes the OS ready to use on touchscreens, high DPI displays and tablets. Until now Ubuntu didn't scale properly on high resolution displays (which this editor discovered the hard way when he installed it on his shiny new Carbon X1). The bigger news though is that 14.04 marks the first stable version of Ubuntu for tablets. The OS is packing a number of improvements to its touchscreen support, which will be essential when commercial tablets hit the market, which Canonical suggest will be happening this year in its press release. You can go download Ubuntu 14.04 now for free.
Breaking the smartphone mold isn't easy. Just ask Jolla
Jolla's got a big problem, and the company knows it. The small Finnish startup has grand plans to upend the smartphone paradigm with its modular phone and unique gesture-based OS, but that foreign approach has left some users confused. The MeeGo-derived Sailfish OS relies entirely on swipe navigation -- there are no soft keys onscreen -- and the current tutorial does a poor job of explaining how it all works. "Many people have difficulties because we suck," said Senior Designer Jaakko Roppola here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. "We're not very good at the first-time user experience." That candid admission may ring true for the startup now, but what Jolla is exceedingly good at is listening to and quickly addressing community feedback. That eagerness to please has not only led to recent improvements in battery life and connectivity for the nascent operating system, but also the integration of a user-created WiFi hotspot option.
Firefox OS 1.1 arrives, bearing MMS support and performance enhancements
Firefox OS is unquestionably a work in progress, but with a point upgrade a few weeks after launch (and the release of the ZTE Open), at least we can confirm that Mozilla is, in fact, putting the work in. The 1.1 version of the software is available now for users of the mobile operating system, featuring a number of enhancements. At the top of the list is the arrival of MMS support, letting you send and receive images, audio and video files and the like via messages. Performance has also been enhanced, with smoother scrolling and faster load times. There's music search built in now, too, plus an API for push notifications for app developers. All that, plus improvements to email, contact management, calendar and keyboard. If you want to drill down on any of the above, have a look at the source link below.
Windows 8.1 is available to pre-order, not that you'll get any discount
If you've been actively waiting to pre-order a brand new operating system on DVD, then a) We're glad this article found you, and b) You might be gratified to hear that boxed copies of Windows 8.1 are currently available to purchase at the source link, for delivery on October 17th. Unlike Windows 8.0, which came with all manner of introductory deals and discounts, pre-ordering 8.1 on DVD will set you back the regular, final price of $119. Of course, if you're already running Windows 8, your resurrected Start button will be offered as a free-of-charge download on the same day as everyone else.
Amazon's Fire OS 3.0 'Mojito' arrives just in time for those new tablets
New hardware without a software refresh? Don't make Jeff Bezos laugh. Today's arrival of three new slates also marks the unveiling of the company's latest tablet operating system. And this time, it even has a name. See, Amazon's been using "Fire OS" internally to describe the software powering its tablet line, and now we get to use it as well, with the arrival of version 3.0. As ever, Bezos and Co. have based the OS on Android (Jelly Bean, this time out), with this year's codename being "Mojito" -- a move from candy names to sugary cocktails. The operating system will ship on the new HDX and HD devices. We weren't able to confirm that it will roll out to older devices, but an Amazon rep we spoke with implied that there's a good chance of that, given earlier precedents. First thing's first: there's still no Google Play access. No surprise there, of course. After all, the company's in the habit of subsidizing the cost of its hardware based on future content sales. Still, as ever, the company was quick to point out the speed with which its proprietary app store has grown in recent years. UI-wise, things look familiar. Content is still king, with the home screen built around a river of apps, games, movies, music, et cetera. The company did respond to customer concerns, however, by adding a more familiar grid-style layout that you can access with a swipe up, which should appease all you Android users out there. Swipe from the right, and you'll see Quick Switch, which lets you switch between different recently used pieces of content.
Apple announces iOS 7
Apple has announced a new iPhone operating system, iOS 7. On stage today during the WWDC keynote, Tim Cook said iOS 7 is the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the new iPhone. As expected, the new operating system features a much flatter and cleaner look, a sort-of 3D home screen and bigger and wider icons. It definitely looks different. Stay tuned for lots more on this brand-new iteration of the iPhone's terrific operating system. Apple has announced that iOS 7 is available today as a beta to developers, and will be a free update to the public this fall.
Macworld discovers the most loved (and hated) features of OS X
With WWDC and revamps of iOS and OS X on the horizon, Macworld conducted an interesting survey, asking its readers what they liked and disliked most about Apple's desktop operating system. As Macworld admits, the survey isn't scientific and only polled 5,000 responses, which is a drop in the bucket for OS X's user base. Still, the results are interesting. OS X's Facebook and Twitter integration and Dictation were identified as the least-used features; 65 percent of respondents said they "never" use them. Apple has highlighted Facebook and Twitter integration at past keynotes, but I'd agree it's not nearly as big a deal on OS X as it is on iOS. Game Center is the biggest loser here, though, with 84 percent of respondents saying they never use it on the desktop. As for the most popular features, Messages is used "all the time" by 44 percent of respondents. And Notification Center, too, has found a fairly big audience in the short time it's been available. So Apple has both some successes and some fizzles in bringing iOS features over to OS X. We'll have to wait and see what's new at WWDC this year to find out if research like this has changed Apple's approach to improving both operating systems.
Debian 7.0 'Wheezy' now available, lets Linux users mix architectures
In a market crowded by ocelots, cows and mountain lions, it's nice to see an operating system that isn't named after an animal. The trend bucking OS? Debian's 7.0 update, Wheezy. Okay, it's technically the name of a penguin from Toy Story, but we'll give it a pass. The distro's latest revision hit over the weekend, offering users an improved installer, new media codecs, UEFI support and a handful of tools to help users create their own XCP and OpenStack cloud severs. Perhaps even more significant is multiarch support, which allows the OS to install packages for both 32 and 64-bit machines simultaneously, improving support for legacy applications. The update includes a ton of software updates as well. Thinking of upgrading? You'll find release notes and download information at the source link.
Facebook considered building an operating system for Facebook Home, but wanted greater reach
"The [story behind the history of Home] was about making an experience that flows through friends and people. We saw three ways that we could do this. One, we could go and build an operating system. Second, we could dig into Android deeply in order to see how we could we fundamentally change / fork Android to make it different. Or, we could build an app to make it different." Those were the words just spoken by Cory Ondrejka -- the director of mobile engineering at Facebook -- here at D: Dive Into Mobile in NYC. This, in fact, confirms that Facebook not only gave thought to actually crafting its own operating system in order to usher Facebook Home into the world, but moved forward with prototypes. Host Kara Swisher asked the duo how far along things actually got, to which Ondrejka replied: "The OS path was the least fleshed-out of the paths. Mark [Zuckerberg] talked on launch day that he wanted to build something for everyone. It's hard to get to the type of scale that's necessary for us [when building an OS]. We wanted Home in front of hundreds of millions of people -- even a successful OS would only give that experience to a few of them." The two continued to talk about Facebook's internal shift into mobile. At this point, the company has broken down most every wall between desktop and mobile, and Home is the first major product to ship under this new scenario. "You can see the engines throttling up," Schroepfer said, speaking of how fast updates will soon be coming to iOS, Android and beyond. In fact, he confirmed that the first major update to Home was coming "during the second week of May," while international users will start to get Home access on select Android phones today. And, while Facebookers have been testing Home on tablets, it wants to truly nail the experience on phones first before pushing it elsewhere.
Patch 5.2 PTR: Mac OS X 10.6 no longer supported as of 5.2
Mac OS X 10.6 will no longer be supported in patch 5.2, so if you happen to be running under that operating system, you may want to consider upgrading. While World of Warcraft has long been known for running on ridiculously outdated computers, it has over time dropped support for older operating systems. Does this mean you can't play if you're running OS X 10.6? Nope -- but it means it will no longer be supported, so if your game suddenly stops functioning correctly with that operating system, there's not much to be done about it other than upgrading your OS. There is no need to panic if you're currently running with said operating system, however -- your game isn't going to suddenly stop running tomorrow. Daxxari posted more information about the changes, as well as some helpful links to follow as a polite heads-up warning in advance, so players using this OS will have time to make any changes they need. Daxxari In the upcoming Patch 5.2: The Thunder King, players using Mac OS X 10.6 will be presented with a message stating that we will no longer support Mac OS X 10.6. During this time, you will be able to continue playing; however, Mac OS X 10.6 will no longer be supported. We recommend Mac users upgrade their systems to Mac OS X 10.7.5 (or newer) as soon as possible. We are giving players advance notice of this change to ensure Mac users have enough time to update their operating systems in preparation for the release of Patch 5.2: The Thunder King. We will provide an additional update when we no longer provide technical support for Mac OS X 10.6. Mac OS X 10.7 and Mac OS X 10.8 will continue to be fully supported per the recently posted Mac OS Support policy here. For more Mac-related information and help, visit the support site. source
Microsoft moves another 20 million Windows 8 licenses over holiday season, 100 million total app downloads
Ready for your quarterly dose of Windows 8 sales figures? After hearing that some 40 million licenses had been sold through last November, the company's CFO and CMO for Windows Tammi Reller announced here at CES that Microsoft has sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses to date. According to her, that number includes "sell in to OEMs for new PCs," but she didn't clarify whether or not it includes blockbuster deals like the $617 million one it recently landed with the US Army, Air Force and DISA. Reller also noted that the numbers are "roughly in line with where we would have been with Windows 7." Moving 20 million of anything over a single holiday season is pretty impressive, and we'll be keeping an ear out for more details should they emerge. Update: Microsoft also announced that "since the opening of the Windows Store the number of apps has quadrupled and it passed the 100 million app download mark – just two months after general availability."
