DuckDuckGo isn’t just a private alternative to Google and Bing’s web search. It has a built-in online mapping solution designed with privacy in mind. If you want to leave Google, you don’t have to stick around for Google Maps. | Continue reading
Thirty years ago—on January 15, 1991—an American college student named Tim Sweeney released ZZT, a low-key adventure game with a revolutionary element: It shipped with a free, built-in game editor. ZZT’s success spawned Epic Games, Unreal Engine, and most recently, Fortnite. Here … | Continue reading
LastPass offers a free version of its password manager, but it’s limited to only one device type at a time. If you’re looking to switch password managers, Bitwarden offers a free, open-source service with no limits. Here’s how to transfer your LastPass passwords to Bitwarden. | Continue reading
On February 1, 1991, John Romero, John Carmack, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack officially founded id Software. The group went on to revolutionize the game industry with franchises such as Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake. Here’s a look back at id Software over the last 30 years, with a … | Continue reading
There’s one font that is almost universally reviled. Just the sight of it causes people to cringe in disgust. You know exactly what font I’m talking about (even if you ignore the title.) Why does everyone hate Comic Sans? | Continue reading
Version 1.0 of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard was released in January 1996. 25 years and three attempts later, we’ve gone from USB 1.0’s 12 Mbit/s speeds to USB4’s 40 Gbit/s speeds. Here’s how USB conquered the world. | Continue reading
On Dec. 14, 1990, Apogee Software released Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons. It was the first in a series of PC shareware games that brought fluid, Mario-like platforming to the PC. It also launched legendary developer id Software. Here’s why it was special. | Continue reading
Microsoft released Windows 1.0 on Nov. 20, 1985. Starting as an environment that ran on top of MS-DOS, Windows became the most popular desktop operating system in the world. Let’s travel back in time, and take a look at what the original Windows 1.0 was like. | Continue reading
Launching with Steve Jobs’ NeXT Computer in 1988, NeXTSTEP advanced desktop operating systems. It became the technological bedrock for Apple’s macOS, iOS, and others. Let’s look at what was so special about NeXTSTEP. | Continue reading
In a world where rapidly changing technology feels increasingly disposable, one thing remains constant in my computer setup: my 34-year-old IBM 101-key Enhanced Keyboard, commonly known as the Model M. Here’s why I’ll never give up its clicky keys and ideal layout. | Continue reading
That old Atari eight-bit computer (like the Atari 800, XL, or XE series) you have is useful for more than just retro gaming. If you pair it with the new FujiNet network adapter and a weather program, you can get live local weather info on it. Here’s how it works! | Continue reading
In the mid-1990s, Be Inc. had the audacity to create a brand-new personal computer operating system from scratch. It gained critical acclaim for its ahead-of-its-time features, but failed to capture significant market share. It’s still a cult favorite 25 years later, and here’s w … | Continue reading
On Oct. 8, 1990, Microsoft put a dent in global productivity when it released Minesweeper as part of the Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows. It was aimed at those who used Windows 3.0. For the last 30 years, Minesweeper has thrilled millions with its simple, but deep, strat … | Continue reading
IBM’s OS/2 operating system, first released in 1987, occupies a strange place in PC lore. If you were around back then, you probably heard that it was once better than Windows, yet few people used it. So, what was the deal with OS/2? Let’s find out! | Continue reading
It seems like every browser has a hidden game these days. Chrome has a dinosaur game, Edge has surfing, and Firefox has . . . unicorn pong? Yep, you read that right—here’s how to play it. | Continue reading
If you use an iPhone and see a telephone number in a note or on a website, you can often tap it directly to place a call. But if that special link doesn’t show up, you can also “Copy” the phone number and “Paste” it directly into the Phone app. Here’s how. | Continue reading
These days, social media gets all the attention, but the Bulletin Board System (BBS), a relic from a kinder, gentler time in computer communications, persists. Each BBS is its own retro-flavored community with messages, text-based games, and files you can download. And you can st … | Continue reading
Last month, I bought myself a “new” Mac, and it only cost me $50. How is this possible, when the cheapest Apple computer (the Mac Mini) costs $799, or 16 times what I paid? | Continue reading
If you used a computer between 1997 and 2005, you probably burned valuable data to at least one recordable CD (CD-R) or DVD-R. Unfortunately, these have a limited lifespan, and many have already become unreadable. That’s why it’s important to back up your recordable discs before … | Continue reading
In 1995, Nintendo released an unusual stereoscopic game console called Virtual Boy. It capitalized on the early ’90s media hype for virtual reality, but delivered on none of its promises. Here’s what made the Virtual Boy unique—and why it failed. | Continue reading
Before the rapid growth of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, a protocol called Gopher briefly made the internet easy to use by combining the world’s online resources. Here’s what made it special, and why it was quickly eclipsed by the web. | Continue reading
systemd is 10 years old, but feelings about it in the Linux community haven’t mellowed—it’s as divisive now as it ever was. Although it’s used by many major Linux distributions, the hardcore opposition hasn’t relented. | Continue reading
Twenty years ago, Microsoft released Windows 2000. A rock-solid, 32-bit business-oriented alternative to Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition, it paved the way for future consumer versions, including Windows 10. Here’s why we remember it so fondly. | Continue reading
The mouse is a great invention, but don’t sell the keyboard short—even for web browsing. Thanks to a very effective browser add-on called Vimium, you can browse the web without ever touching your mouse. | Continue reading
UPnP comes enabled by default on many new routers. At one point, the FBI and other security experts recommended disabling UPnP for security reasons. But how secure is UPnP today? Are we trading security for convenience when using UPnP? | Continue reading
The year is 1995. You’re stuck with slow floppy disks that only hold 1.44 MB of data. But there’s an exciting new technology: Zip drives, which can hold 100 MB and free you from floppy disks! | Continue reading
Having a complex Wi-Fi password increases your security, as well as your likelihood to forget a long chain of letters and numbers. Fortunately, there are two quick methods for retrieving your home Wi-Fi password quickly and securely. | Continue reading
Chrome 75 has a hidden “Reader” mode that strips web pages down to the bare minimum to make them easier to, well, read. But it’s not enabled by default—here’s how to get it now. | Continue reading
This article had the headline Warning: Don’t Download Software From SourceForge If You Can Help It when we published it back in 2015. Since then, much has changed. SourceForge was sold to a new company that immediately stopped the DevShare program in 2016. We’re leaving the rest … | Continue reading
Fake recruiters are catfishing desperate job-seekers, seducing them with the promise of a high-paying job before stealing their money and identity. We recently posed as a gullible recruit and let a scammer sucker us so we could learn their tricks. | Continue reading
Project Connected Home over IP is a new industry group announced by Apple, Google, Amazon, and the ZigBee Alliance. The group will create a new unifying standard for smart home devices, and that’s a big deal. Here’s why. | Continue reading
Get a snapshot of the processes running in your Linux computer with the ps command. Locate processes by name, user, or even terminal with as much or as little detail as you need. We show you how. | Continue reading
Does your new pair of noise-canceling headphones put a painful feeling of “pressure” on your ears? It turns out that your mind is playing tricks on you. | Continue reading
Dark mode is everywhere these days, and the backlash has begun. As Adam Engst points out over at TidBITS, dark-on-light backgrounds are better for readability. But “Dark mode can hurt your productivity” isn’t the final word. Dark mode is great. | Continue reading
Newer isn’t always better. Recently, SSD manufacturers have begun to trade off speed and reliability in the interest of cramming more storage space into their drives. Protocols like NVMe and PCIe are getting faster, but some SSDs are going backward. | Continue reading
macOS Catalina introduces new security controls. For example, apps are now required to ask your permission before accessing parts of the drive where documents and personal files are kept. Let’s take a look at what’s new for security in Catalina. | Continue reading
Sales of commercial Unix have fallen off a cliff. There has to be something behind this dramatic decline. Has Linux killed its ancestor by becoming a perfectly viable replacement, like an operating system version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers? | Continue reading
Windows 10 has a lot of built-in advertising. This isn’t just about the free upgrade offer: Even if you purchase a new PC that comes with a Windows 10 license or spend $200 for a copy of Windows 10 Professional, you’ll see ads in your operating system. You can, however, disable a … | Continue reading
If you think the only correct version of your password is the exact capitalization and letter/symbol sequence you use, you may be in a shock. Facebook will accept slight variations of your password, for your convenience. And it’s perfectly safe. | Continue reading
Microsoft makes much more money from Android than Windows Phone. Every time you buy an Android smartphone or tablet, Microsoft is likely receiving $5 to $15. They likely make at least $2 billion per year from Android. | Continue reading
It’s 2019, and Windows 10 has too many useless and annoying features. Don’t get me wrong: Windows 10 has gotten better and, overall, I love it compared to Windows 8. But some things just need to go. | Continue reading
The equation editor in Google Docs is the perfect feature for people who use mathematical equations inside their documents. Here’s how you can quickly add math equations with ease in any of your Google documents online. | Continue reading
This commotion all started with the publication of CVE-2019-13615, which is marked as a “critical” vulnerability with a score of 9.8 out of 10. VLC’s developers aren’t happy they weren’t even contacted before the publishing of this flaw. | Continue reading
Have you ever opened an email only to find it’s spam or blackmail that seemed to come from your own email address? You’re not alone. Faking email addresses is called spoofing and, unfortunately, there’s little you can do about it. | Continue reading
To the surprise of Windows watchers, the latest Windows 7 “security-only” update includes telemetry. The telemetry in question is Microsoft’s “Compatibility Appraiser,” which checks PCs for problems that could prevent upgrading to Windows 10. | Continue reading
Typography is so overwhelmingly ever-present we hardly notice it there anymore. As elemental as it is to our culture, it’s actually bizarre to think it has a history at all. This article will serve as a condensed education on the basics of typography, including typographic terms, … | Continue reading
We tend to trust the content of video and audio recordings. But with AI, anyone’s face or voice can be recreated with pin-point accuracy. The product is a deepfake, an impersonation that can be used for memes, misinformation, or porn. | Continue reading
Microsoft has released an Insider Preview Build that includes the new Windows Sandbox feature. If you’re on the Fast track, you can download and start using it today. | Continue reading