Linus Torvalds wants Linux running on Apple's new M1 Macs
When Apple launched its new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Mini systems, there was much excitement about the performance boost the M1 chips are bringing to the table.
People who have been running Windows and Windows apps on Macs, however, are less happy due to the lack of support for Boot Camp, and the lack of M1-ready virtualization software from the likes of Parallels. But what about the prospect of Linux on M1 Macs?
Want to get verified on Twitter? It could happen in 2021
The blue tick of verification is something a huge number of Twitter users crave. Sadly for those who are desperate for validation, the company placed a paused of verifying accounts quite some time ago. But this is about to change.
2020 has been a terrible year for many people for numerous reasons, but for those seeking Twitter verification, things could be about to improve. The company has announced that its verification program is about to start up again. So... how do you get verified on Twitter?
Batterygate: Apple to pay $113 million for throttling iPhone performance
Apple has agreed to pay $113 million as part of a settlement in Washington DC and 33 states over the "batterygate" scandal.
Starting back in 2016, Apple used updates to iOS to throttle the performance of older iPhones in a bid to improve battery life. While the company’s intensions may have been good, the fact that customers were not warned about the reduction in performance did not work in its favor.
Google adds new privacy setting to Gmail for anyone happy to skip 'smart' features
The smart features of Gmail -- such as Smart Compose and Smart Reply to help speed up email composition -- are certainly handy, but they come at a price. Privacy.
As is often the case with Google products, sharing personal information with the company is par for the course. While it could be argued that some features simply could not function properly, or be personalized correctly, without such data-sharing, not everyone is happy with giving up their privacy in this way. Now Google has introduced an option that gives users greater control.
macOS Big Sur is bricking some MacBook Pros
With any big update to an operating system, there are usually warnings to hold off for a bit and make sure there are no bugs that you might be affected by. When Big Sur was released last week, there were similar warnings about not immediately installing the biggest update to macOS in years.
And it seems that those warnings were justified. People running some older MacBook Pros are finding that installing Big Sur bricks their laptops. It seems that the late-2013 and mid-2014 13-inch MacBook Pros are most problematic.
Security: Animal Jam warns of hack affecting 46 million accounts
The popular game Animal Jam, enjoyed by millions of children around the world, has advised parents of a hack which has exposed the personal details of 46 million account records.
The company behind Animal Jam, WildWorks, has issued a warning that details revealed in the attack include 7 million email addresses used to create accounts, and 32 million player usernames. A proportion of the 46 million accounts affected have had full name and billing address details exposed.
Microsoft is holding back on Windows 10 updates in December
Microsoft has announced that it will not be releasing any preview releases in December as the company winds down for the end of the year.
The Windows maker cites the "minimal operations during the holidays and the upcoming Western new year" as the reason for scaling things back. Microsoft adds that things will return to normal in January.
Failing KB4586781 update installations are causing 0x8007000d errors and more for Windows 10 users
The latest update for Windows 10 that is proving to be problematic for people is the recently released KB4586781. While not causing quite as many issues as other updates, it is still causing plenty of problems.
KB4586781 is a cumulative update for people running Windows 10 May 2020 Update and Windows 10 October 2020 Update. Among the issues being reported by users are error codes 0x8007000d and 0x800f0831.
How to disable transparent menus and dock in macOS Big Sur
For some people, transparent elements are a key component of any UI. Apple clearly thinks so, having introduced a new transparent menu bar in Big Sur.
But transparency is not to everyone's taste, and if you're not a fan of the new design language, you will be pleased to hear that there is a way to disable transparent menus in Big Sur.
What is a hard fork and what does it mean for your cryptocurrency holdings?
The technology that underpins cryptocurrencies is not understood by a lot of people, but you don't really need to fully grasp the idea of mining or know what a blockchain is in order to use them.
Whether you are a seasoned user of Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency, you may be aware of an impending hard fork for Bitcoin Cash (BCH). The date for your diary is November 15, but just what is a hard fork, and what are the implications?
Microsoft releases patch for Windows zero-day flaw found by Google
Last month, security researchers at Google's Project Zero released details of a zero-day vulnerability in Windows that was being actively exploited.
Hacklers were taking advantage of a Windows Kernel Cryptography Driver security flaw (CVE-2020-117087) to gain elevated privileges in Windows 7, 8, and 10, as well as Windows Server 2008 and higher. As part of yesterday's Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft has now issued a fix for the vulnerability.
Get ready to download macOS Big Sur
It has been a number of months since Apple first unveiled macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) with the promise that this major operating system upgrade was coming "later this year".
At yesterday's "One More Thing" event at which the company revealed details of its new M1-powered Mac Mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, we also finally learned the release date for Big Sur. And the good news is that there's not long to wait -- macOS 11 is available to download from tomorrow, November 12.
Watch Apple's 'One More Thing' event here
Apple is hosting a new hardware event today using "One More Thing" as its tagline. The Coronavirus pandemic means that -- like events earlier in the year -- this one is pre-recorded and has no audience… but what can we expect to see launched in Cupertino, California?
We are all but certain that this event will be the one at which Apple unveils new models of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro powered by its own custom silicon. But to find out everything about the company's switch to ARM, you'll have to tune in.
Microsoft is going to forcibly upgrade systems running old versions of Windows 10
It is only a month until Windows 10 version 1903 reaches end of service. When December 8 rolls around, any systems running this version of the operating system will no longer receive security updates.
But Microsoft has a solution to ensure that there are not millions of unsecured computers out there -- forcibly upgrading them to a newer, supported version of Windows 10.
Microsoft may have dropped Office 2010 but 0patch will still offer security patches
We have written about the micropatching outfit 0patch several times here on BetaNews. Offering "security patching simplified to the extreme" 0patch has previously offered security fixes for problem with Internet Explorer and Windows 7 either before Microsoft has been able to do so, or after the company has stopped offering support for a particular product.
Now 0patch has done it again, announcing that it has "security adopted" Office 2010. This version of Microsoft's iconic office suite is -- as of October -- no longer officially supported, but 0patch says that it will help keep users secured against vulnerabilities with its micropatches.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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