Windows, Security & Privacy, Open Source and more
Microsoft’s Windows operating system may use Windows Updates to install driver updates. One of the main purposes of the feature is to ensure that recent drivers are installed for all components. While that sounds good on paper, it has led to issues in the past: from releasing older drivers to the installation of extra tools,…
Amazon is reportedly integrating three new ad formats into Prime Video that advertisers may run. Among them video pause ads, something that Google has also been experimenting with on YouTube. Prime Video used to be advertisement free. This changed in early 2024 when Amazon launched ads for all Prime customers on its platform. Customers who…
Mozilla is working on improving the profile management capabilities of its Firefox web browser. While Firefox has supported profiles for a long time, managing and switching between profiles has not been exactly user friendly. Currently, Firefox users have two main options to manage profiles. The first is accessible by loading about:profiles in the Firefox address…
Microsoft is working on bringing a duplicate tab feature to the File Explorer of its Windows 11 operating system. The company rolled out tabs support in Windows 11’s File Explorer in 2022. The initial implementation lacked several features. Notably, support for dragging tabs and reopening closed ones was missing. Updates introduced some of these features….
Mozilla’s Firefox web browser could soon block sites and services from bounce tracking Firefox users to improve privacy. Bounce tracking is a widely used form of tracking that redirects requests. This form of tracking happens in the background, which means that users are usually not aware of it. Here is an example. A click on…
With ads starting to appear in numerous places in Windows 11, users are trying to find ways to stop these on their devices. Microsoft does not call these integrations ads most of the time. The company prefers terms such as promotions, experiences, or tips instead. Recent integrations include ads for apps in the Start menu,…
HP Insights Analytics Service is a service that runs on many HP devices by default. It may run, even if you install Windows 10 or 11 from scratch. It is usually an effective way of reducing bloat that manufacturers of PCs like to add to their devices. A quick check of the Windows Task Manager…
Microsoft is testing a new search suggestions feature in Microsoft Edge Canary currently. These are shown in Progressive Web Apps (PWA) windows based on activity. Sites and services like YouTube, Google Maps, the Financial Times, or Alibaba are available as PWAs. The main idea is to give websites a few features of dedicated apps. This…
Depending on the Android phone that you use, you may either use a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen or swipe gestures to navigate. Google Pixel devices, for instance, use swipe gestures by default. Most, if not all, Android devices let you switch between the two options. If you prefer one over the…
Mozilla plans to release Firefox 125.0.3 later today. The point update fixes five non-security issues in the browser. Here are the bugs: Firefox users affected by one of the issues may want to update the browser as soon as possible. Everyone else should not feel in a hurry to update to the new version. The…