Anti-virus company Avira’s latest application isn’t so much about protecting your computer from viruses as it is about giving you more control over the personal data collected by your web browser and other apps. It’s a free application called Privacy Pal that lets you delete the cookies, cache, browsing history, download history, and other data […]
software
VLC 3.0 media player launches with Chromecast, 8K support
Popular multimedia app VLC has just been updated to version 3.0. Among other things, the update brings support for streaming videos from a PC to a Chromecast… even in formats not natively supported by Chromecast hardware. Other highlights include support for 360-degree video, 3D audio, and hardware-accelerated decoding for 4K and 8K video on supported […]
Do desktop operating systems need desktop icons?
The desktop of just about every Windows PC I’ve ever used has ended up being a mess. It gets cluttered with files I’d meant to save temporarily, but which are usually still there for months or years, shortcuts to applications I’d installed but rarely use, and other litter. I don’t think about it much, because […]
Classic Shell goes open source (after developer abandons it): Customize Windows 10 and make it work more like Windows 7
Microsoft has a habit of tweaking the user interface of Windows every time the company puts out a major new release. Windows 8 replaced the Start Menu with a full-screen version called the Start Screen. Windows 10 brought back the Start Menu, but with a brand new design. Folks who prefer things the way they […]
Chrome to let you permanently mute websites
You’re minding your own business, surfing the web and suddenly you start to hear a commercial or news report blaring through your computer’s speakers. Most modern web browsers will help you figure out which tab the sound is coming from, by showing a speaker icon. Some, including Chrome and Firefox will also let you mute […]
LibreOffice 5.4 released (free and open source office suite)
Microsoft recently started earning more money from Office 365 subscriptions than it does by selling one-time licenses for its Office software. Meanwhile, the folks behind LibreOffice continue to develop a free and open source alternative that you don’t have to pay a penny to use. LibreOffice 5.4 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux […]
Avast buys Piriform, maker of CCleaner
Software company Piriform may not be a household name, but the company has been offering a handful of popular, powerful, and free apps for Windows computers for years. Piriform is the developer behind the popular CCleaner application for clearing up disk space, Defraggler disk defragmenter, and several other useful tools. And now all of those […]
UBports is keeping the Ubuntu Phone dream alive (through third-party development)
The company behind the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system may have given up on Ubuntu for phones and tablets. But as expected, third-party developers are picking up where Canonical left off. UBports was originally founded to port Ubuntu to devices that weren’t originally supported by Canonical. Now that Canonical doesn’t really support any of those devices […]
Opera Reborn web browser gets UI refresh, built-in chat apps and more
Over the past few years the developers of the Opera web browser have tried to integrate popular features directly into the browser so that you don’t need to install a plugin. Last year Opera added a built-in ad blocker and VPN (which is really more of a proxy than a true VPN). Now there’s a new […]
Microsoft steps up push for Office 365 subscriptions over single-license Office installs
There are currently a few different ways to get your hands on Microsoft Office. There are home and business versions of Office. And make a one-time purchase to get a version of Office that you can install on a single PC or pay for an Office 365 subscription that lets you install the operating system on one […]