Want to keep an eye on the world’s events beyond the corporate eye of Twitter? Then the microblogging platform Mastodon might just be for you. Here’s a look at what it is, how it works, and how it compares to Twitter. | Continue reading
Software and game preservation is an increasingly important topic, and the best way to keep software accessible for future generations is by releasing the original source code. That’s exactly what just happened for Microsoft 3D Movie Maker, originally released in 1995. | Continue reading
If you’ve considered signing up to a decentralized VPN network, you may have wondered whether or not they’re safe. If the dVPNs themselves are to be believed they’re actually safer than regular VPNs, is that true? | Continue reading
Many popular services have reported data security breaches over the past two weeks, including LastPass, Plex, and DoorDash. You can now add Samsung to the list, as the company just confirmed some customer data was stolen. | Continue reading
Reverse proxies are a useful tool in any system administrator’s toolkit. They have a lot of uses, including load balancing, protection from DDOS attacks | Continue reading
Roku is a name that has become so common to see that you probably don’t think much about where it came from. Roku devices can be found in millions of households, but what does “Roku” actually mean? Is it anything? | Continue reading
Over the past 36 years, Microsoft has included over a dozen different games with its Windows releases (depending on how you count.) We took a look through history and ranked them, worst-to-best. Which game would you rank as number one? | Continue reading
When we wrote about what happens when you install the top ten apps from CNET Downloads, about half of the comments were from people saying, “Well you should download from a trusted source.” The only problem is that there isn’t a freeware download site that is free of crapware or … | Continue reading
45 years after the Apple II personal computer launched, the tech industry has arguably moved away from a few of the core principals that launched Apple and the personal computer into the mainstream. We spoke with industry luminaries Tim Sweeney, John Romero, and Steve Wozniak abo … | Continue reading
It’s been 50 years since Nolan Bushnell co-founded Atari, which brought video games to the mainstream. To celebrate, we asked Bushnell what he learned during the early years—and what we’ve lost sight of since then. | Continue reading
It’s no mystery that some fonts are easier to read than others. “Bionic Reading” is a tool that’s more than just font, and it could improve your reading speed and comprehension. Here’s what you need to know. | Continue reading
Thirty years ago today, id Software released Wolfenstein 3D, a thrilling first-person shooter game set during World War II. It broke new ground for action-based PC games and continued a string of growing successes for id Software. With help from John Carmack, John Romero, and Tom … | Continue reading
Most websites and web applications are written in JavaScript, or at least something that is converted to JavaScript. There have been many attempts over the years to change that, but don’t expect JavaScript to completely go away anytime soon. | Continue reading
Google has been testing a Reader Mode in Chrome for a while now, which hides page elements outside the core text. The option mysteriously disappeared in the most recent Chrome 101 update, but it’s coming back. | Continue reading
Over the past 37 years, Microsoft has used a variety of logo designs to represent its flagship product, Microsoft Windows. We’ll take a look at each major version as the design has evolved through the ages. | Continue reading
There’s a good chance you’ve been watching television and working at your computer for years in a way that fatigues your eyes, increases your chance of headaches, and decreases your overall enjoyment and comfort. Read on as we show you how to create a comfortable and high contras … | Continue reading
Screen savers are a left-over solution from a previous technology. In spite of their name, screen savers no longer “save” anything – all they do is waste electricity. Screen savers are not necessary on modern, flat-panel LCD displays. | Continue reading
Electric vehicle (EV) charging station networks have grown in recent years, but navigating the different types can get confusing. Here we’ll explain types 1, 2, and 3, their connector plugs, and what situations they’re best for. | Continue reading
30 years ago—on April 6, 1992—Microsoft released Windows 3.1, which brought the company to a new level of success, kept the PC platform competitive with Macs, and set the stage for Windows PC domination. Here’s what was special about it. | Continue reading
Sixty years ago this month—in April 1962—a group of hobbyists at MIT released the pioneering computer game Spacewar! on the DEC PDP-1, which set the stage for the video game revolution. Here’s a look at its origins and its impact. | Continue reading
If you’re a fan of Linux, you might have seen “Tux,” the friendly penguin mascot for the operating system. But why a penguin, and why Tux? We’ll explore the history behind the semi-aquatic bird mascot with a little help from Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux himself. | Continue reading
If you’d like to merge your love of electronics projects with a bit of wireless charging magic, this DIY guide is for you. | Continue reading
Starting in 1991, every copy of MS-DOS (and many versions of Windows) included a hidden artillery game called Gorillas. It inspired a generation of programmers and drew the ire of computer lab instructors everywhere. Here’s how it came to be—and how to play it today. | Continue reading
You’ve probably heard the name a million times: “Microsoft Windows.” But how did the operating system get that way, and why isn’t it named after something else—like doors or ceilings? We’ll explain. | Continue reading
To maintain transparency, Mozilla has made all of the data Firefox collects about you and your machine available to view. Using a hidden page in your browser, here’s how to see what’s sent to the company’s servers. | Continue reading
Sonos sued Google over the way Google Home speakers sync up and work together, and Sonos won. Unfortunately, this means your existing speakers will lose a helpful feature, which is never a good thing. | Continue reading
A big part of CES is seeing products that are coming soon. Concepts for the future are as important, though. Dell knocked it out of the park with its Concept Flow, a future docking station designed to make moving between workspaces seamless and secure. | Continue reading
Microsoft is taking the browser wars to the extreme. First, the company said that it would block all default browser workarounds in Windows, and now it has done it in the latest Windows update. | Continue reading
Verizon emailed customers about a new program called “Custom Experience,” which is the company’s excuse to collect all kinds of data on you to help it provide more relevant information. That’s all well and good, but the program is opt-out, which means you’re enrolled by default. | Continue reading
Microsoft is always trying new stuff with its Edge browser, and its latest move is rather interesting. Rather than going through a retailer, Edge will offer a buy now, pay later (BNPL) option on the browser level. | Continue reading
Windows 11 comes with Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft really doesn’t want you using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or anything else as your default web browser. Sure, you can still change your default browser—if you want to jump through some extra hoops. | Continue reading
Windows 11 lets you choose your default browser, but it takes a lot of clicks and Microsoft sometimes forces you to use Edge, anyway. Firefox had a workaround, but Microsoft calls it “improper” and will soon block it. | Continue reading
Fifty years ago—on October 15, 1971—Nutting Associates debuted the first-ever commercial video game for sale: Computer Space, a coin-operated arcade machine. Unlike arcade games before it, it utilized a TV set for a display—and it launched the video game industry. Here’s what it … | Continue reading
Firefox now sends more data than you might think to Mozilla. To power Firefox Suggest, Firefox sends the keystrokes you type into your address bar, your location information, and more to Mozilla’s servers. Here’s exactly what Firefox is sharing and how to control it. | Continue reading
In a move that’s sure to make no one happy, Firefox is getting sponsored address bar suggestions. This is sure to upset many Firefox users, and it’ll be interesting to see what the move does to Mozilla’s market share in the browser space. | Continue reading
Chrome 94 has officially dropped. As is always the case with a new browser version, there’s plenty to be excited about. However, there are also some items to be skeptical about, including a feature Mozilla claims enables surveillance on you. | Continue reading
Google Chrome has a hidden feature tucked away inside Developer Tools that lets you take full-sized screenshots of any web page. This feature captures the entirety of a page, similar to a scrolling screenshot, without the use of a third-party extension. | Continue reading
If you’re a Linux user, you’ve probably heard that you don’t need to defragment your Linux file systems. You’ll also notice that Linux distributions don’t come with disk-defragmenting utilities. But why is that? | Continue reading
According to a report from Reuters, the EU is proposing legislation that all devices come with a common mobile charger in September. This move would affect Apple the most, as it uses Lightning cables, while most Android phones use UBC-C. As you might expect, Apple objects to this … | Continue reading
In 1984, Brøderbund Software released “The Print Shop,” a pioneering desktop publishing app that allowed anyone with a PC to easily make large banners, signs, and greeting cards at home for the first time. Here’s what made it special. | Continue reading
Fifty years ago, IBM introduced the first-ever floppy disk drive, the IBM 23FD, and the first floppy disks. Floppies made punched cards obsolete, and its successors ruled software distribution for the next 20 years. Here’s a look at how and why the floppy disk became an icon. | Continue reading
Thanks to a MS-DOS emulator called iDOS 2 on the App Store, you can install Microsoft Windows 3.1 on your iPad—then play classic Windows games or simply shock your friends. Here’s how to set it up. | Continue reading
After revolutionizing PC gaming with Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, id Software pulled off a hat trick with Quake, released on June 22, 1996. Quake mixed polygonal 3D graphics, networking, and grunge into a groundbreaking hit with wide influence. Here’s what made it special. | Continue reading
In June 1981, Texas Instruments released the TI-99/4A, a 16-bit home computer and gaming platform that became a huge cultural success in America after selling 2.8 million units, although it resulted in a business loss for TI. Forty years later, here’s what made it special. | Continue reading
Amazon Sidewalk is a wireless standard that has advantages over a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. However, there are privacy concerns, as it enables your smart home devices (such as Echo and Alexa speakers) to communicate with others outside of your home. Here’s how to disable and … | Continue reading
Windows needs manufacturer-provided hardware drivers before your hardware will work. Linux and other operating systems also need hardware drivers before hardware will work — but hardware drivers are handled differently on Linux. | Continue reading
In 1981, Commodore released the VIC-20, a low-cost mass-market home computer that served up great video games and taught a generation of kids how to program. It sold millions of units and inspired a generation of programmers. Here’s what made it special. | Continue reading
Before Microsoft and Intel dominated the PC market with a common platform, the CP/M operating system did something similar for small business machines in the late 1970s and early 1980s—until MS-DOS pulled the rug out from under it. Here’s more about CP/M, and why it lost out to M … | Continue reading