When I first started using Linux back in 1997, the open-source operating system was primarily used by computer science students, hackers, and programmers who wanted a more powerful, flexible, secure alternative to the Windows operating system. It was serious and geared toward serious work. Computer engineering students clamored to get Linux installed on desktops and laptops so they could help build for the future and expand their skills.

Fast forward to now and Linux is used for everything (from phones, tablets, cars, appliances, IoT devices, and much more). Why? Simply put, it's more flexible and secure than Windows. 

Linux can be bent and twisted into just about anything. But Linux is not only more flexible, reliable, and secure than the competition, it's also a lot more fun. I've spent many a day (and weekend) tweaking the Linux desktop simply because I could.

With Linux, I've configured desktops that have been so amazing my friends wanted to know how they could achieve the same look. Their disappointment upon realizing their operating system wasn't capable of such a feat was always telling.

Beyond the cool-looking desktop environments, what are some of the other really cool things that you can do with the Linux desktop that you can't do with other operating systems? I've rounded up eight compelling reasons below for why you should give it a try.

AfterStep on Ubuntu.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

With Linux, you can: 

1. Change it

Linux is about choice. Some might say too much choice can be a problem. The thing is, many Linux desktop distributions make the hard choices for you -- which kernel, which bash shell, which startup service, which network manager, which package manager. Some distributions intentionally limit those choices to keep users from being inundated with options. But even those distributions can be changed.

For example, if you opt to go with Ubuntu Linux and you don't like GNOME, you can install KDE Plasma, Xfce, Pantheon, Budgie, Enlightenment, or any number of Linux desktop environments. And that's part of the beauty of Linux… if you don't like it, change it. Or, you can choose a different distribution that defaults to a different desktop environment.

In a matter of minutes, you can change your desktop environment to one that resembles Windows, MacOS, or something completely different.

2. Revive old hardware

Remember when Windows 11 was released, and a lot of people soon discovered that the computer they bought three years prior wouldn't support the latest version of the operating system? That's not the case with Linux. In fact, there are versions of Linux (such as Lubuntu and Linux Lite) that are specifically created to run on older hardware (although they can also run on newer machines as well).

You might have a machine lying around in a closet that's five years old, and you assumed it was headed for the recycler. Grab a lightweight version of Linux, install it on that aging machine, and watch it run like an absolute champ.

3. Never worry about lock-in

One of the problems I have with operating systems like Windows and MacOS is vendor lock-in. With MacOS, you do things the Apple way. With Windows 11, you do things the Windows way. With Linux, you do things your way. 

In other words, if there's something about the way the desktop functions that you don't like, you can tweak it to fit your needs and workflow perfectly. And nearly every Linux distribution allows for such customization. I don't know about you, but I would much rather work in a way that perfectly suits my needs rather than in a way that aligns with a third party's idea of what is efficient. Most often, I find their idea of efficiency is nowhere near mine.

4. Upgrade without reboots

How many times have you gone to upgrade either Windows or MacOS, only to find out the upgrade actually happens during a reboot? For me, I could use that time actually being productive. That's yet another reason why I find Linux is superior to the competition. 

With Linux, I can do a full upgrade, all the while continuing to work on the desktop. In fact, with many Linux distributions, the only time you have to reboot after an upgrade is if the kernel is upgraded and even then, the reboot is only necessary to ensure the new kernel is loaded and running. Otherwise, you just keep on using the OS while the upgrade runs in the background. Some distributions (such as Fedora) run updates during a reboot. 

That, of course, only applies when using the GUI tool for upgrades. Run the same upgrades with sudo dnf upgrade and the only time you'll need to reboot is when the kernel is upgraded. When you check for Updates using the GUI, the package manager will download them and then prompt you to reboot so the updates are applied. There are other OSs, such as Pop!_OS, which require a reboot to install new firmware and for upgrading to a new major release.

5. Run Windows software

That's right, for those who must run Windows software on Linux, there's a way, and it's called Wine. Wine is an installable piece of software that allows you to install Windows software and run it on Linux. Wine is not generally installed by default, but it's found in most distributions' default repositories so that it can be installed from within the various app stores available on Linux.

Speaking of which…

6. Install tons of software… for free!

You might have heard many people say there's no software available for Linux. They're wrong. With Linux, you'll find thousands upon thousands of free software that can be installed from the GUI app store found on your desktop. And thanks to the likes of Snap and Flatpak, you can even install proprietary apps, such as Zoom and Spotify, on Linux with ease. 

I realize that MacOS and Windows both have a large selection of software to install from, but you won't find nearly the selection of free software (and without ads) available for installation. Also, managing installed software is so much easier with Linux (either from the command line or the GUI). Even better, you can add third-party repositories to your package manager to install even more software. In other words, Linux offers considerably more flexibility with regard to software installation.

7. Wow your friends

As I mentioned earlier, with Linux, you can create a desktop environment that is sure to wow your friends. Back in my early days, I used to spend hours tweaking the AfterStep and Enlightenment window managers to the point where they looked as if they were from the future. I used transparency and window effects that were unheard of on Windows, and everyone who saw my desktops wanted them. 

Although few Linux desktops are as flexible as those, there are still desktops (such as Xfce, Enlightenment, and KDE Plasma) that can be configured to look like technological works of art. Not only is this a great way to make everyone around you jealous… it's a lot of fun.

8. Enjoy unheard of reliability

In the years that I've been using Linux, I've rarely experienced any serious issues. Although I did one time wind up having a server hacked and a rootkit installed, that was an anomaly for me. Outside of that, the vast majority of the issues I've encountered were fixable within minutes. And because Linux gives you all the troubleshooting tools you need to solve those problems, resolving an issue is generally a log file read away.

Linux just works. It really is that simple. But more importantly, it works and works and works. So, if you're looking for a way to put the fun, flexibility, ease of use, and reliability back into computing, do yourself a favor and give Linux a try.

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The issue

Suddenly, Chrome downloads are no longer showing at the bottom of the window.

Quick fix

Change a download flag.

The full story

Earlier this month, Google made some changes to its Chrome browser, one of which was switching the download notifications from a bar at the bottom of the browser window to a drop-down icon at the top right of the address bar. Some users may like this new way of finding downloads — certainly, it’s neat, out of the way, and lets you quickly see all of your downloads from the last 24 hours.

However, I found it rather disconcerting. I’ve got a lot of muscle memory invested in clicking on the download links at the bottom of the Chrome screen, and while I may eventually get used to the new download tray, just now, I find it to be an inconvenience.

The full fix

I found this fix in the Google Chrome Help site, and it worked for me. However, it came with a warning that “this is a experimental flag and Google may remove it in the future.”

In your Chrome address field, type (or copy and paste) chrome://flags/#download-bubble

Use the drop-down menu to restore your downloads bar.

• At the top of the screen, you’ll see Enable download bubble highlighted. The drop-down menu on the right will probably be set to Default.

• Click on the drop-down menu and select Disabled.

• Click on the Relaunch button that is now at the bottom of the screen.

After Chrome relaunches, the downloads icon at the top right will be gone, and when you download a file, the download bar will appear at the bottom of your window, just as it used to.

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Here is the changelog:

What’s new in Build 25931

New features from the Dev Channel

This build includes new features from the Dev Channel such as Unicode Emoji 15 support, voice access is available to use on more areas in Windows such as the Lock screen, and more.

DC location will no longer use NetBIOS\WINS\mailslot-based discovery by default

We have previously announced the deprecation of both Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) and Remote Mailslots (see this blog post here for information on Remote Mailslots). These deprecations are legacy technologies that are no longer secure in today’s environments. As part of these deprecations, DC location in your environment may be affected mainly because many legacy applications still specify short NetBIOS-style domain names when trying to locate a domain controller (DC). To help ease this transition with these deprecations, we are making two improvements to the DC locator algorithm in Windows.

First, we are blocking by default the use of NetBIOS\WINS\mailslot-based methods for DC-discovery. This behavior can be reverted with the use of a new Group Policy setting (BlockNetBIOSDiscovery). In addition to disabling the new BlockNetBIOSDiscovery policy, reversion to default behavior also requires enabling the EnableMailslots SMB configuration option. (You can query and set the EnableMailslots setting using the Get-SmbClientConfiguration and Set-SmbClientConfiguration PowerShell cmdlets.)

PLEASE NOTE: Reversion should be considered only as a temporary measure while more viable, longer-term solutions are explored.

Screenshot of the BlockNetBIOSDiscovery Group Policy setting.

Second, we have added additional client-side logic to aid in the mapping of short NetBIOS-style domain names to DNS domain names. This improvement consists of two parts:

DC locator will now automatically download additional information about the child domains in trusting forests and use that information as part of the discovery algorithm.

As a last-resort fallback, and to accommodate unforeseen situations, forest administrators can manually configure a set of DNS-to-NetBIOS-domain-name mappings (using the Active Directory Domains and Trusts management snap-in) which are also downloaded and used by DC Locator during discovery.

Screenshot of the DC Locator domain name mappings property page in the Active Directory Domains and Trusts snap-in.

Additional information is available here for DC locator changes.

Changes and Improvements

[General]

• Insider Preview Build Expiration: The expiration date for Insider Preview builds flighted to the Canary Channel has been updated to 9/15/2024 starting with Build 25931. Please make sure you are updated to the latest build in the Canary Channel.
• In addition to the Camera app and Cortana, the Photos app, People app, and Remote Desktop (MSTSC) client can be uninstalled.

[File Explorer]

• Added more fields to show in the Details pane, including image dimensions for pictures, number of pages for .docx, space used and free information for drives, and many others.

[Dynamic Lighting]

• You can now instantly sync your Windows accent colour with the devices around you with the “Match my Windows accent colour” toggle under “Effects” for Dynamic Lighting via Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting.

[Windows Spotlight]

• After doing an OS update, in certain cases such as using the default Windows 11 background or a solid colour – Windows Spotlight may be enabled for you. If you decide you don’t want Windows Spotlight enabled, you can turn it off and in future OS updates it should not be enabled for you again unless you choose to re-enable the experience.

Fixes for known issues

• We fixed a major issue where you could no longer connect over SMB to a third-party storage device using guest (no username or password) credentials.

You can check out the full changelog here.

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@PhantomOfEarth was the first to spot the release. Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft's Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Program Team, later confirmed that the update is rolling out "but not yet available to everyone."

Microsoft Paint version 11.2304.30.0 brings the following improvements:

• Dark Mode support: Paint now follows your system theme preferences. However, you can override this setting and force-enable light or dark mode in the app's settings. Note that enabling dark mode does not change the canvas colour.
• Improved zoom controls now let you fine-tune your zoom level with more precision. You can use classic presets, the slider, or the pinch-to-zoom gesture on touchscreen-enabled computers. Another zoom-related improvement is the "Fit to window" option.

Earlier Paint updates also introduced a revamped properties dialog with improved visuals matching the rest of Windows 11's design language. Microsoft says the updated app features enhanced keyboard shortcut and access key support for better accessibility.

Paint is a stock Windows 11 app you can remove like any other program. To download the latest release, head to the Microsoft Store and check for available updates. Keep in mind that the update is rolling out gradually, meaning it will take a few more days before everyone gets it.

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Want to create tab group in Edge easier? Well, we’ve got some good news for you.

Microsoft Edge’s engineers are always working rigorously to bring new features and improvements to the browser. And, as recently unearthed by an insider, they’re reportedly working to bring a brand-new dropdown menu next to the New Tab button.

As spotted by Edge insider @Leopeva64, the Redmond-based tech giant is testing this feature in Canary, the experimental channel of the browser. There are a few options you can choose, including creating a new group or access the History hub, but more could be announced soon.

A short while back, the insider also said that there’s a niceenhancement in store for another convenient feature called Quick actions in Edge’s sidebar. 

Although it was first noticed last year that you could control YouTube video playback (play/pause) by hovering over it, this quick access functionality has now been introduced to other sidebar applications like Word (for crafting a new document) and Outlook (for composing a new email).

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If you use Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 (or 10), you can load sites through the built-in virtual private network (VPN) feature for a more secure experience. 

A VPN is a mechanism for creating a secure tunnel using encryption to connect a device or network to another network. Although companies use this technology on a regular basis to connect remote employees to their networks, many online services use this technology to provide an extra layer of security while browsing the web since connecting to a VPN allows users to redirect their traffic through a remote network, hiding their public IP address, increasing the protection against hackers in non-secure networks, and reduces online tracking.

On Microsoft Edge, the VPN service is known as "Microsoft Edge Secure Network," and it offers 5GB of free data per month through a collaboration with Cloudflare. At the time of this writing, it appears that the company isn't offering a way to add more data. 

This how-to guide will help you to start using the new VPN feature built into the Microsoft Edge for Windows 11. 

Set up VPN feature on Microsoft Edge

To enable and configure the VPN feature on Microsoft Edge, use these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the "Settings and more" button from the top right corner and choose the Settings option.
3. Click on Privacy, search, and services from the left navigation side.
4. Turn on the "Microsoft Edge Secure Network" toggle switch to enable the VPN feature under the "Security" section.
5. Choose the VPN mode, including "Optimized" or "Select Sites." 

(Image credit: Future)

• Quick note: The "Optimized" option turns on the virtual private network on public settings and non-secure networks or sites, while the "Select Sites" option enables the secure network feature when you try to load sites in the custom list. Also, you must be signed in with a Microsoft account in the browser to access the service. Otherwise, it'll not work.

6. (Optional) Click the "Manage Secure Network sites" setting.
7. Click the "Add a site" button in the "Always use Secure Network for the sites you choose" setting to create a list of the sites you always want to access through VPN.
8. Confirm the site to add to the list.

(Image credit: Future)

9. Click the Add button.
10. Click the "Add a site" button in the "Never use Secure Network for these sites" setting to create a list of sites you don't want to use through the Edge's VPN feature.
11. Confirm the site to add to the list.
12. Click the Add button.

Once you complete the steps, the VPN feature on Microsoft Edge will turn on automatically based on your configuration. 

It's also possible to turn the feature on or off from the "Browser essentials" (heart icon) setting next to the address bar. 

(Image credit: Future)

It's worth noting that the "Microsoft Edge Secure Network" feature is still in preview, and it may not be available for everyone. For example, in my case, I was able to use the feature in the latest stable version of the browser but on a device running the latest preview of Windows 11 in the Dev Channel.

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As Outlook is one of the best email clients on the market, using a nice Outlook email signature can increase your professionalism considerably, which can, in turn, have wide-encompassing consequences on your personal and professional life.

With the help of this article, you will learn how to create, add, and modify an Outlook email signature, giving you the ability to make a positive impression on your email contacts.

Best practices for Email signatures

To ensure the most-efficient email signature management and practice, there are a few elements that should be considered:

• Keep it short and visually appealing
• Include the necessary contact details
• To persuade readers to act, include a call-to-action (CTA)
• Make sure it works on mobile
• Use social media icons with links
• Respect the Outlook email signature image size (value lower than 650px width and a maximum of 10KB. When it comes to logo usage, a 100x100px size is recommended)
• Use separators and dividers

For Outlook email signatures, the image size should remain within 650 pixels wide. If you don’t want to resize an image in email signature Outlook, ensure your image is no larger than 10KB. A logo size of 100 pixels wide and up to 100 pixels high is suitable for an Outlook email signature.

Tip: If you want to gain access to the Signatures files for this email client, it is important to know where the Outlook email signature location is. To open that folder, press the Win + R key combination, and type the following path: 
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures

Now that we’re up to date with the latest practices let’s dive into the steps you need to take.

How to Create an Outlook Email Signature

1. Open the Outlook signature options

1. Click the Message option from the top toolbar, and choose Signature > Signatures.

    

   
2. Choose Mail from the left sidebar. The location of the option will vary depending if you are replying or creating a new email.

    

   
3. Find the Compose Messages section, and click on Signatures.

2. Design a new signature and add contact information

Note: You can also explore the Microsoft Outlook email signature templates for inspiration on this topic.

1. Click New under the Select Signature to edit section, and type a name for your Signature.

    

   
2. Create your Signature under the Edit Signaturesection. Be sure to use the options to change fonts, colours, and sizes, or use Word to customize your Signature by using the email signature gallery and then copy-pasting it in this text box.

    

   
3. Complete the information required in the Choose default signature by adding an email account and when to automatically have the Signature appear (replies or forward emails). If you don’t want this activated, leave the (none) value set, and press OK.

    

   

3. Include a professional touch

Add a logo or image to the Signature to have your email signature stand out from the crowd.

Follow these steps to do so:

1. Create a new message and choose Signature > Signatures.

    

   
2. Choose the Signature you want to use from the Select Signature to Edit box.

    

   
3. Please select the image icon, find your image, and select Insert to add it to the signature.

    

   
4. Resize and crop your image to fit your desires by right-clicking the image and choosing Picture. You can modify its size by using the Size tab. Ensure to enable the Lock aspect ratio option to maintain the file proportions.

    

   
5. After you’ve completed this process, click OK to save the changes.

 How to add a signature in Outlook 365?

Whether you’re wondering how to automatically add a signature in Outlook 365 or if you want to use the signature occasionally, you can find more information below:

Add signature automatically

After creating it, you’ll want to ensure your email signature displays by default on each new email you write.

1. Open the Signature options as described in Step 1.

    

   
2. Under the Choose default signature section, use the drop-down and select the email you want to use it with.

    

   
3. Choose the newly-created Signature, and click OK to save the settings.

Add signature manually

1. Open a new email message.
2. Click Signature found on the Message tab.

    

   
3. Choose the Signature you want to use from the drop-down menu.

How to Change Your Outlook Email Signature

1. Open the Signature Options by following the method in Step 1.

    

   
2. Choose the Signature you want to edit from the list.

    

   
3. Edit it by using the displayed options.
4. Click Save to have the settings applied.

Customizing Signatures for Different Accounts

You can change the signatures for each Outlook email account if you have multiple setups. This lets you modify your signatures based on the email’s goal or the intended audience.

1. Open Signature Options, and choose the email account you want to customize.

    

   
2. Edit the respective Signature to suit your new needs.

    

   

    

   
3. Click the OK button to save the changes.
4. Repeat the same process for all the emails if you want to use more custom signatures.

In conclusion, a robust email signature can help you build your business identity and encourage better communication.

Your Outlook email signature can be easily created, added, and changed by following the instructions in this article. Keep your communication straightforward, professional, and constant across all platforms by following these tips.

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The new 0.4 preview version that launched today in the Microsoft Store has a number of changes made to improve the accessibility features of the Dev Home app, along with some other general improvements and a few bug fixes as well.

Here is the changelog for Microsoft Dev Home preview 0.4:

Accessibility improvements

• You can now navigate widgets with the keyboard using Tab and the left and right arrow keys.

• Narrator will now appropriately read the names of available widgets in the Add Widgets dialog.

• The navigation experiences between scan and non-scan modes are now aligned.

• The banner is now scrollable on 200% zoom.

Miscellaneous improvements

• Dev Home now indicates if it’s run as administrator.

• Widget charts now use SVG to render.

• The Restore apps description now includes the last modified date.

• Close buttons are now consistently styled throughout the UI.

Bug fixes

• The banner text will be aligned appropriately in RTL languages.

• Dev Home should now remain responsive after the file picker dialog is closed.

• Dev Home is brought to the foreground when a second instance is opened with redirection.

Microsoft also announced today that it is working on a number of new features for future preview versions of the Dev Home app. Those features include "integrating Azure DevOps and creating Azure DevOps widgets for Dev Home."

Developers can get more info on the Dev Home app on Microsoft's documents site. They can also provide ideas for new features for the app, or report any bugs, to Microsoft's GitHub repository.

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Brave installations should receive the update in the coming days. Users who don't want to wait for this to happen automatically may select Menu > About Brave to run a manual check for updates. The browser should download and install version 1.57 automatically when the page is opened in the browser. The same page lists the installed version, which should be v1.57.47 after the update.

The official changelog for the desktop is available here. The main new feature introduced in Brave 1.57 is the Forget by Default browsing mode. Previously called Forgetful Browsing, Forget by Default adds a new option to Brave to have site data deleted automatically when a website is closed.

A click on the Shield icon in the address bar displays the new option as "Forget me when I close this site". The option is disabled by default and may be enabled on a per-site basis or globally in Brave. It instructs the browser to clear first-party storage of the site, including cookies and DOM Storage, when the last tab of the website is closed.

The global setting is available under brave://settings/shields. Brave will clear the first-party storage of all sites when that option is turned on. Users may then disable the feature for select sites, so that first-party storage remains locally after the site is closed. This option is better from a privacy point of view, but it may require some tinkering until important sites have been put on the allow list.

Brave users who don't see the option yet may load chrome://flags/#brave-forget-first-party-storage and set the flag to Enabled to get it after a restart.

Brave 1.57 includes other changes. The new version adds support for resizing the sidebar of the web browser to customize its width.

Brave users who have disabled Safe Browsing may enable the flag brave://flags/#brave-override-download-danger-level now to get rid of the download warnings and macOs users get a new preference to disable end off support warnings on macOS 10.13 and 10.14. Other changes include improved vertical tab scrolling and a delta updates fix on Windows.

The browser is now based on Chromium 116.0.5845.96, which includes the latest security updates. See the Chrome 116 article for details on those. Work continues on Web3 features, including Brave Wallet, NFTs and related features.

Now You: what is your take on the new Forget by Default option?

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I can’t believe I’ve been struggling with apps in the Task Manager randomly moving around without realizing there’s a simple keyboard shortcut to pause the Task Manager and stop its contents in their tracks. Yup, all you have to do is hold down the CTRL key and it will pause the Task Manager on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and perhaps even older versions of Windows, too.

This legitimately useful tip comes from Jen Gentleman, a Microsoft employee on the Windows engineering team that regularly shares helpful shortcuts and tips for Windows. I’ve used Windows for more than 20 years, and I’m still learning the many ways you can do tasks in the operating system on a monthly basis.

If you’re used to turning to the Task Manager to end faulty tasks then you might not even need to open it at all soon. Microsoft is working on a force quit option to close apps without the Task Manager in Windows 11 simply from a right-click option in the taskbar. But the hold CTRL option to pause the Task Manager will still be useful for everyone who hasn’t upgraded to Windows 11 just yet.

While I have your attention, you might also like to know that you can spin the gear in Windows 11’s Notepad app. It’s like a digital fidget spinner, and part of the many delightful little additions to Windows 11. Microsoft has hidden little Easter eggs like this in Windows for decades; there was even a hidden prompt in Windows 95 that was only discovered in 2021.

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Existing users on Windows, Linux or macOS systems may load chrome://settings/help or select Menu > Help > About Google Chrome to get the update downloaded and installed immediately on their systems. Google plans to roll out the update to the entire Chrome population over the course of days and sometimes weeks.

The same Help page should list the following versions after installation of the Chrome 116 update:

• Chrome for Mac and Linux: 116.0.5845.96
• Chrome for Windows: 116.0.5845.96 or 116.0.5845.97
• Chrome for Android: 116.0.5845.92

Google will release security updates more often starting in Chrome 116. The company is switching to a weekly security update cycle to reduce the time bad actors have to exploit new vulnerabilities.

Chrome 116: the security fixes

Google has fixed 26 different security issues in Chrome 116 for desktop systems and for Android. No publicly revealed security issue has the critical rating, the highest available rating. Google furthermore does not mention exploits in the wild, which suggests that there are none at the time.

The security fixes address different vulnerabilities in Chrome, including eight rated high. Vulnerabilities include use after free, heap buffer overflows, type confusions and insufficient validations.

The public list is available on the Chrome releases blog. Google does not disclose security issues that internal teams detected.

Chrome 116: Telemetry addition

Google Chrome 116 includes additional Telemetry. Google has added anti-phishing telemetry to the browser that logs user interaction data to Chrome and Safe Browsing servers. The company wants to use the data to better understand how " users interact with Safe Browsing phishing warnings and phishing pages".

The Enterprise policies MetricsReportingEnabled and SafeBrowsingProtectionLevel may be configured to stop Google Chrome from sending anonymous usage and crash-related data as well as more browsing information to Google.

Chrome 116: other notable changes

Google lists about a dozen changes in Chrome 116 on its Chrome Platform Status website. The majority of the listed changes are developer-specific. For home users, one of the interesting changes is a new Document picture-in-picture mode, which may be used to extend the functionality of picture-in-picture mode. Instead of using it solely to watch videos in a smaller overlay, documents are now also supported.

Google continues the rollout of the Google Search side panel in Chrome. Chrome users who right-click on selected text and select the search from the context menu have the results opened in the sidebar by default once the change lands. It is possible to restore the classic search behavior in Chrome, at least for now. Enterprise administrators may control the functionality using the GoogleSearchSidePanelEnabled policy.

Google improved the browser's Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes. Discarded tabs have improved visibility now in the Chrome tab strip and provide more information on memory usage. Tab Discarding exceptions management is expanded as well. Users may now add exceptions based on the tabs that are open at the time in the browser and the page action chip of a discarded tab includes an option now to opt that site out of future automatic actions.

Now You: do you have Chrome installed on your devices?

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The new driver update also has Game On support for Wayfinder, the new fantasy RPG from developer Airship Syndicate and publisher Digital Extremes. Both games launch on Steam on August 17.

In addition, the new drivers have firmware updates for some Intel Arc graphics cards. Intel says:

This latest version brings stability improvements, better fan behavior, bug fixes, and better compatibility with HDMI connections.

Here is the changelog:

GAMING HIGHLIGHTS:

Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc A-series Graphics for:

• Madden NFL 24

• Wayfinder

FIXED ISSUES

Intel Arc Graphics Products:

• UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection (DX12) may experience an application crash while launching game.

• System may hang while waking up from sleep. May need to power cycle the system for recovery.

• Blender 3.6 may experience an application crash during render operations when Hardware Ray Tracing is enabled.

KNOWN ISSUES:

Intel Arc Graphics Products:

• Shadow of The Tomb Raider (DX11) may experience an application crash after loading to game menu.

• UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection (DX12) may exhibit texture corruption on characters.

• Topaz Video AI may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.

• Adobe After Effects may experience an application crash during render operations.

Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics Products:

• Driver installation may not complete successfully on certain notebook systems with both Intel Iris Xe + Iris Xe MAX devices. A system reboot and re-installation of the graphics driver may be required for successful installation.

INTEL ARC CONTROL FIXED ISSUES:

• Virtual Camera may intermittently fail to engage on the Camera page.

• Release Notes in Intel Arc Control driver page may show unformatted HTML data.

• “Sort by" dropdown in the Games Page may be missing after using “Reset application to default.”

• Toggling the Virtual Camera enablement may show as disabled during onscreen capture in the Capture page.

• On-screen Capture and Highlights capture may turn off while using multiple displays when moving Intel Arc Control window across displays.

• Clean Installation option may not be available in Arc Driver page while updating to WHQL driver.

• Preview toggle may incorrectly enable when the camera is used by the Windows camera application.

• With Intel Arc Control installed, systems may experience slightly higher than expected power consumption during system sleep or hibernate.

• Background Blur effects with Virtual Camera may not change when setting blur strength from 50% to 100%.

• On-screen camera may not come up when capturing games in full screen mode

• Last captured image may persist in On-screen camera preview after disconnecting camera.

INTEL ARC CONTROL KNOWN ISSUES:

• Using Arc Control Studio capture with certain games may incorrectly generate multiple video files.

• The “Connector” type in the Display page may incorrectly show DP when using an HDMI display connection.

• May observe “stream has already ended” pop-up after the power events with Capture/Highlights/Broadcast toggle on.

• Performance Graphs may scale incorrectly after waking up from sleep.

You can download the new drivers here, and check out the full release notes here in PDF format.

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As mentioned before, the tests were conducted on Windows so you have to look elsewhere in case you are searching for browser comparisons on other operating systems, like say Linux or iOS. Speaking of that, Mozilla recently added a feather to its cap as Firefox has finally managed to surpass Google Chrome in the most recent SunSpider benchmark test on Windows 10 64-bit.

The performance data was posted by Mozilla's JavaScript team on the Are we fast yet website which keeps track of its browser's performance in JavaScript and how it compares to Chromium.

The chart above (click to zoom in) suggests that Firefox was able to get ahead of Chrome over the last two months. The tests are run daily. The performance is being measured via execution time (in ms) and hence, the lower the plot points, the faster it is.

For those unaware, SunSpider is a synthetic benchmark designed to test JavaScript performance. First released in 2007 by WebKit, it is a legacy benchmark at the moment which was last updated in 2013 and has since been supplanted for about a decade by newer tests like Google's V8 and Octane. Hence, the victory, even though commendable, may not be highly relevant.

Meanwhile, in Apple's JetStream 2, which is another synthetic test for measuring JavaScript performance, Google's Chrome continues to outpace Firefox and the gap is almost as big as ever, though Firefox did gain very slightly.

Finally, we have Speedometer, which also measures JavaScript throughput, among other things. In this metric, Firefox fell behind recently even though it had actually managed to catch up and slightly surpass Chrome.

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Windows enthusiasts noticed that the latest Photos app preview update now supports Windows 10. In addition, Windows 10's Photos app now says that a "new update for the Photos app is coming soon with exciting enhancements," possibly indicating an upcoming upgrade to the one Microsoft announced for Windows 11 almost one year ago.

The redesigned Photos app for Windows will bring a fancier-looking user interface with photo library management improvements, better OneDrive integration, enhanced "Memories," multi-window and multi-screen experiences, and new import from external source capabilities. Another thing worth noting is that the update will ditch the old built-in video editor in favor of Clipchamp, Microsoft's web-based video editor.

Those still using Windows 10 can try the new Photos app without waiting for the official rollout by doing the following:

1. Head to store.rg-adguard.net.
2. Select URL (link) from the first drop-down, then paste the following link next to it: https://www.microsoft.com/store/productid/9WZDNCRFJBH4.
3. Select Fast from the next drop-down list and click the button with a checkmark.
4. Scroll down the long list of available packages and find Microsoft.Windows.Photos_2023.11080.4003.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle.
5. Right-click the bundle and select Save link as.
6. Open the downloaded file and click Update. Wait for Windows 10 to update the app and open it.

Note that some parts of the redesigned Photos app are unavailable on Windows 10, at least in the current version. For example, iCloud integration remains a Windows 11-exclusive feature.

Microsoft understands that some customers might not like the new version, so it provides a quick and easy way to downgrade to the old one. To do so, open the Photos app, click the settings button, and then hit the Get Photos Legacy button.

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According to an insider source the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android (beta for Android 2.23.17.8) has a new "Create" button in the stickers tab. Tapping this button opens a screen where users can enter a text prompt and create a unique sticker that reflects that text.

Recipients of these AI-generated stickers will be able to recognize them by their "special signature". The stickers will likely have a signature look that indicates they were created with AI. They will also allow users to go beyond the same generic sticker packs and GIFs that are often overused in messaging apps.

The rollout is still in early beta testing on Android, but similar AI sticker features are rumored to be in development for Instagram and Facebook Messenger.

On the other hand, the use of AI also raises privacy and content moderation concerns that companies like Meta will have to address. Microsoft and OpenAI, for example, have been sued by users who claim the companies used personal data without permission to train their AI models.

Also, Meta is reportedly working on chatbots with personas in an attempt to retain and attract new users to its platforms.

Last year WhatsApp announced that users could express themselves through customizable avatars. The avatars can be used as your profile picture and in 36 custom stickers to respond to friends and family in a way that expresses your emotions.

These new features have the potential to make WhatsApp chats more expressive and personal. Users without artistic skills can simply describe the sticker they want with text, rather than having to design images from scratch.

Source: WABetaInfo

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What is new in Skype 8.102.76.210?

New features in the latest Skype Preview update include the following:

Introducing a Sleeker, More Intuitive File Design & Auto-download!

Seamless Auto-download: Tired of manually downloading each file? Navigate to Settings -> Messaging -> Auto-download files, and once enabled, your incoming files will automatically download. What's more, as they download, you'll see a vibrant icon specific to the file type, making it instantly recognizable.

Say Goodbye to Excess Buttons: In our earlier design, files came with a 'Download' button which, post-download, changed to an 'Open' button. We've streamlined this. Now, with auto-download enabled, simply tap or click anywhere on the received file to instantly open and view it. This experience is consistent across all platforms.

Save with Ease: While auto-download lets you view files immediately, we understand the need to sometimes save these to your device. On desktop platforms, right-click to select the 'Save-As' option from the menu, and on mobile, open the file, and select the 'Share' option.

Also, there are two important fixes for Android and iOS users:

• Video camera not working on Android
• Long pressing to schedule a call, was crashing the app on iOS & Android

You can become a Skype Insider on the program's official website. Preview versions are available on Windows, macOS, iOS (closed beta via TestFlight), Android, and Linux. Full release notes for the latest Skype Preview update are available in a post on the official Microsoft forum.

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Thankfully, Meta has acknowledged this need of users and introduced the WhatsApp Multi Account feature in its newest beta update.

You can see below the xeet of WABetaInfo, which closely follows WhatsApp updates.

Meta introduces the WhatsApp Multi Account feature

WhatsApp has recognized the demand for multi-account functionality and is working on its own solution. The WhatsApp Multi Account Beta program aims to make companion applications as powerful as the mobile app itself.

This feature is currently in beta and comes with certain requirements:

• The latest version of WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business on your primary device
• An active and stable internet connection on both devices
• Functional camera hardware on your devices

How to use the WhatsApp Multi Account feature

If you can fulfill these requirements, here is what you need to do to use the WhatsApp Multi Account feature:

• Enroll for the WhatsApp beta program using the links below
  • WhatsApp Beta for Android
  • WhatsApp Beta for iOS
• Download the latest beta and install it on your device
• Open WhatsApp and go to ''Linked Devices'' from top-right menu
• Select ''Link a device'' to pair additional devices to your account

Thanks to this update, managing multiple WhatsApp accounts on a single device is no longer a challenge. Meta, which always prioritizes user comfort, has offered the feature that users have been asking for a long time with this beta update.

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Instagram, a popular photo-sharing platform, is known for its consistent efforts to enhance user engagement and interaction. One of its recent endeavors was the introduction of a new Instagram like animation. This animation accompanies the process of liking a post on the platform, adding a touch of dynamism to the user experience.

See X user OTE's xeet about the new Instagram like animation below.

Users did not like the new Instagram like animation

However, what was intended to be a creative addition has resulted in a significant disruption of user experience for many. Users have reported that the new Instagram like animation feels intrusive and distracting.

Instead of seamlessly integrating into the platform, it draws excessive attention and detracts from the content being shared. This interference with the user's interaction flow has sparked dissatisfaction and backlash.

Another glaring issue that has emerged is related to the performance and responsiveness of the Instagram like animation. Users have noted that the animation can be slow to load, causing delays in their interaction with posts.

This lag in responsiveness can be particularly frustrating when scrolling through a feed and trying to engage with content swiftly. Such technical hitches undermine the smooth browsing experience that Instagram users have come to expect.

Read also: What to do if Instagram says ''This story is unavailable''.

Can you get the old like animation back?

It's easy to understand why users want to turn off the new animation. Unfortunately, for now, there's no way to go back to the old animation.

But there's a chance that Instagram might listen to what users are saying and make changes to how the animation works based on their feedback.

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The company today in a new blog post has once again reiterated some of these as well as going into more detail about what makes its latest OS and Surface a great combination. Microsoft says:

Surface and Windows 11 are designed to adapt to each other as the user changes postures, optimizing the experience as a tablet, as a laptop, as a desktop – effortlessly switching automatically between modes. When the Pen is removed, the Pen menu instantly opens.

Up next, the company stated the ways in which Windows 11 has been designed to make Surface devices more power efficient, by up to 61%. For example, its dynamic refresh rate technology helps switch from 60Hz to 120Hz and back, depending on the use case.

Microsoft engineers wanted Surface to have even more processing power, but they also wanted to increase battery life and performance. On top of that, the designers wanted an even slimmer, lighter form factor.

They achieved it through subtle innovations. For example, when an employee switches to inking, the display automatically increases to 120Hz to provide an optimal experience with the haptic pen. As soon as the Surface is changed to a different mode, the display reverts to 60Hz to reduce battery load. For all these challenges, Surface’s 61% longer battery life on average keeps employees working longer between charges.

Of course, Microsoft also talked about security improvements, something which the company has been pretty vocal about as one of the major advantages of Windows 11. Microsoft claims that enterprises and organizations have reported a 58% drop in cybersecurity issues.

.. organizations report a 58% drop in security incidents with Windows 11 Pro devices.

That’s made possible by the fact that Microsoft maintains all of the code in the Surface security stack, from firmware to the operating system to the cloud.

Surface devices run the most secure Windows operating system ever, and the CPUs have crypto-processor security measures built in.

Finally, Microsoft also talked about the ease of deployment and management of Surface devices thanks to the advent of Windows Autopatch. The tech giant claims that deployments were 25% faster and there were 80% fewer helpdesk calls too, essentially hinting at the advantage of having a service like Autopatch. It also claims it managed to save over a million dollars thanks to this.

... it’s easier than ever to deploy and manage Surface, resulting in 25% faster deployments and 80% fewer helpdesk calls.

Those savings are thanks to Windows Autopilot, designed, engineered, and tested on Surface to provide a zero-touch deployment experience.

If you want to read more, you can find the official blog post on the company's Tech Community website.

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Extensions for web browsers come in all shapes and sizes. They are invaluable to many Internet users, as they extend functionality of web browsers or websites accessed in the browsers.

Some extensions communicate with servers when they are installed, for instance, to download updates or load remote fonts. These connections happen in the background silently. While most of them are harmless, some are not. There are outright malicious extensions, even in the Chrome Web Store, that send data to remote servers, and Google is clearly not doing enough to combat them. Legitimate extensions may also be sold to less-scrupulous entities and then start sending data.  Users who want to know about the activity need to use third-party tools, such as network traffic monitors, to find out about it.

Little Rat is an open source extension for Chrome that changes this. It is designed to monitor the network traffic of any installed extension, alert the user about it and provide information on the the connections.

The extension alerts the user to new network traffic through its icon in the Chrome toolbar or extension menu. It is recommended to pin it to the toolbar to have it visible all the time. A click on the extension icon displays all installed browser extension. Each extension is listed with its name and the number of requests that it made during that session.

A click on an extension with network traffic lists the communication URLs, making it easy to find out more about the traffic.

There are some caveats to using the extension. Little Rat is not available on the Chrome Web Store and it is very likely that it won't be published there. The main reason for that is that it is using instructions designed for debugging only.

Note: there is always a risk associated with installing browser extensions, especially so, if they are hosted elsewhere and not on the official stores. This extension has just a few lines of code and anyone may check the code to make sure it is clean.

For now, users need to install the extension directly using the browser's Developer Mode. Here is how that is done:

1. Download the ZIP archive of the repository from GitHub.
2. Extract the downloaded archive on the local system.
3. Open the Chrome / Chromium-based browser and open the list of Extensions in it, e.g., by selecting Start > Extensions in Chrome.
4. Check Developer Mode.
5. Select Load unpacked extensions.
6. Use the file browser to select the main folder of the archive.
7. Select Open.

The extension should be installed in Chrome now. It starts to report on the network traffic of other extensions immediately after installation. Note that you may need to restart the browser after installing new extensions to have these picked up by the extension as well. The developer noted that they are working on adding a refresh option for this case to improve usability.

Closing Words

Little Rat is a useful extension for users of Chrome or other Chromium-based browsers who want to know which of their extensions communicate with servers on the Internet. To be frank, such a feature should be included natively in any browser that supports extensions.

Now You: do you use extensions? Do you know about their network activity?

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However, the update wasn't flawless as Microsoft confirmed a major bug that was causing video codec issues, and Windows 11 was affected too. Today, the tech giant has confirmed another bug in the update. Microsoft says that applications installed via ClickOnce are incorrectly showing as not installed. Microsoft has issued a known issue rollback for this bug.

On its health dashboard, Microsoft explains the bug in detail as well as its workaround:

After installing KB5028244 or later updates, apps which were deployed using ClickOnce might begin to prompt for installation even when the ClickOnce apps are already installed and marked as “trusted”.

Workaround: To temporarily workaround the issue, uninstall the impacted ClickOnce Application and reinstall the application again.

Resolution: This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). Please note that it might take up to 24 hours for the resolution to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices. Restarting your Windows device might help the resolution apply to your device faster. For enterprise-managed devices that have installed an affected update and encountered this issue can be resolved by installing and configuring a special Group Policy. The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> .

Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name:

Download for Windows 10, version 22H2; Windows 10, version 21H2 - Windows 10 20H2, 21H1, 21H2 and 22H2 KB5028244 230814_02353 Feature Preview
Important: You will need to install and configure the Group Policy for your version of Windows to resolve this issue.

You can find the official announcement post here on the health dashboard site.

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The upcoming redesign will make it easier to tell if a specific utility is on oroff (and run or disable it if necessary), provide quick insights into shortcuts and extra features (like remapping a key using Keyboard Manager or launching Hosts File Editor), and offer links to more settings for a specific "toy."

PowerToys is an incubation system for testing new work. Some features are on be default, others off. Most of the time, we will default them to on. This, from time to time, leads to unexpected results when someone quickly invokes find my mouse or other utilities.

Although the new home page for PowerToys is in the work-in-progress state, you can check out its early mockup in a screenshot below. Developers also want to hear your thoughts about the proposed UI and its features, so be sure to ping them on Twitter or GitHub.

"This is a very conceptual and quick-and-dirty comp of what a new homepage experience could look like."

In case you missed it, the latest PowerToys update, version 0.72, introduced some much-needed optimizations (the app now takes notably less space on your drive) and a new plugin for Run, allowing you to generate hashes and GUID values. There is also a new feature for Mouse Highlighter and improvements for PowerRename to make it work with bigger file sets without crashing.

PowerToys is available on Windows 10 and 11 for free. You can get this great toolset from the Microsoft Store, GitHub, or winget (use the winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys command). The project is open-source, meaning everyone with the necessary skills can contribute to the development and offer improvements or new tools.

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• Telegram Stories work like Stories on other platforms. You can share moments in your life quickly with your friends. To access them, just drag down your contacts and Stories will appear at the top of the window. You can share, reply privately, or react to Stories.

• Dual Camera Mode allows you to snap photos and record videos using your front and rear cameras simultaneously. One camera appears smaller while the other takes up the rest of the view, you can choose which camera goes in the full view and you can move the small windows around the screen.

• Granular Privacy Settings let you choose who can see the stories you share - the options include Everyone, Contacts, Close Friends, and Selected Contacts. You can completely customize who should be included or excluded from these groups so that you only share with those you actually want to share with.

• Stories in Profiles allow you to save stories to your profile for an unlimited time. When you share a story normally, you can do so for 6, 12, 24, or 48 hours but when you put them on your profile you can choose to keep them there forever for you and others to look back on.

• Editing Stories lets you update any element of your story at any time. You can change things like visibility, captions, on-screen text, stickers, or anything else without having to delete the story and start over again.

• Detailed View Statistics lets you see a full list of viewers of your stories. You can sort viewers by recent views first or reactions first. If you want to search to see if a particular user saw the story then you can type their name in the search field. Premium members can use Stealth Mode to erase their views from any stories they’ve opened in the last five minutes or hide what they view for the next 25 minutes.

The latest update is now available on Android and iOS. Just head to your respective app store and look for the option to install the update. If you don’t see that option just yet, wait a bit longer. In most cases, the app will automatically update anyway.

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Spend any time working and you're likely to get interrupted with notifications—whether it's incoming emails, system updates, new alerts, a pop-up about the next track on your playlist, or all of them together. This barrage of distractions makes it challenging to keep your flow and stay focused.

Microsoft feels your pain, and it has added a feature called Focus in Windows 11. It can be used to pause all or some notifications for a set period of time, as well as track what you get done during that time. You choose how long these periods are, and you can access the feature from various parts of the operating system.

Exactly how Focus works is up to you, but if needed it can activate Do Not Disturb in Windows, hide notification badges on taskbar icons, stop taskbar icons from flashing, and show a timer onscreen. If you choose to enable Do Not Disturb, you won't see any notifications pop up—they'll all be delivered quietly to the Notification Center.

Once your Focus session is over, you can open up Notification Center (by clicking on the time and date in the lower right corner) to see what you missed. While it's not the most sophisticated of productivity-boosting tools, Focus appeals in its simplicity and accessibility, and you may find it becomes a key part of your daily workflow.

How to Use Focus

Do Not Disturb is a big part of Focus, so it's worth getting this set up the way you want it. Open up Settings from the Windows Start menu, then click System, Notifications, and Set priority notifications. This lets you specify which apps and events are important enough to override the default Do Not Disturb behavior (where notifications are quietly delivered to the Notification Center in the background).

Further down on the Notifications menu, you're able to customize the way notifications work for individual apps: You can have some apps not show up in the Notification Center either, for example, and you can change the priority of app notifications (higher priority alerts appear higher up in the Notification Center list).

With that done, you can configure Focus. Open up Settings from the Windows Start menu, then click System (on the left) and Focus (on the right). You'll see you can customize how the mode operates: whether or not Do Not Disturb is enabled while you're focusing, whether or not a timer appears, and so on. You can also set the default duration for a Focus session.

You'll see that there's a Start focus session button here, which is just one of the ways to launch Focus mode. You can also initiate a session by opening up the Notification Center (with a click on the time and date in the bottom right corner of the screen), then choosing Focus. The default time duration you specified earlier will be used, but you can adjust this via the buttons next to it.

To launch Focus with the most available options, open the Windows Clock app from the Start menu, then choose Focus sessions from the navigation pane on the left. Here you can set how long you want to focus for, and whether or not you want the tool to insert regular breaks (which it will offer to do for sessions longer than 30 minutes).

On the right is a progress chart showing how much time you've spent focusing yesterday and today. You can also click the Link your Spotify button to do just that—you'll then be able to choose a playlist from Spotify to accompany your Focus sessions. (It can be a relaxing, chill-out playlist, but it doesn't have to be.)

There's also an integration with the Tasks app in Windows available here. Click Add a task and you can set up one or more jobs that you want to get done, which can then be picked when you're starting a Focus session. Click the three dots in the corner of the Tasks panel if you want to load in an existing list of tasks that you've already created.

With all that configured as needed, you can click Start focus session inside the Clock app. No matter how you start a Focus session, if you've enabled the timer feature you'll see it show up onscreen, either as part of the Clock app or in a separate floating window. You'll see a prominent pause button alongside the time, if you need to step away from your computer and your Focus session for a while.

Click the three dots below the timer and you can hide the remaining time if you find that distracting. Close the timer and the focus session keeps running—to end a Focus session before the specified time elapses, you need to open Notification Center by clicking on the date and time (bottom right) and then choosing End session.

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Also, a bit bizarrely perhaps, this month's Patch also enables a kernel security vulnerability fix by default, something Microsoft had cautioned back in June that it could potentially break something on your system.

Speaking of security patches, the company, a couple of days later also released a Microsoft Defender update for Windows 11, Windows 10, and Servers, installation images. It explains in the support article:

The first hours of a newly installed Windows deployment can leave the system vulnerable because of a Microsoft Defender protection gap. This is because the OS installation images may contain outdated antimalware software binaries.

Defender updates also contain critical performance fixes that will improve the user experience. Devices using either the Windows built-in antivirus or another security solution can benefit from these updates.

This article describes antimalware update package for Microsoft Defender in the OS installation images (WIM and VHD files). This feature supports the following OS installation images:

• Windows 11
• Windows 10 (Enterprise, Pro, and Home editions)
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2016

Version information

• Defender package version: 20230809.1
• Platform version: 4.18.23070.1004
• Engine version: 1.1.23070.1005
• Security intelligence version: 1.395.68.0

From Microsoft's security bulletin, we learn that the security intelligence update version 1.395.68.0 was released just a couple of days ago. It adds threat detections for various trojans, ransomware, and backdoor exploits, among others. It also blocks AutoKMS (Key Management Service) Windows patching software. For those wondering, the latest intelligence update is version 1.395.318.0 at the time of writing.

Aside from Windows, Microsoft also rolled out Office security updates for Outlook, Excel, Word, and more, which fix issues like spoofing and remote code execution (RCE). So you should probably update if you haven't already (find the download links here).

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