Computeractive

From the Editor If you’re looking for fresh new year resolutions after realising you couldn’t go more than 48 hours without eating a Ginsters pasty (ahem), consider learning the skills we teach in our Cover Feature. They all involve free programs to help you master specific tasks to boost your daily computing capabilities. You may feel you’ve perfected some of the skills already, so we’ve focused on revamped software offering tools you probably haven’t come across – teaching you new and better ways to perform tasks. Even if old dogs might be reluctant to learn new tricks, they should certainly be taught how to improve what they already know. And yes, I apologise for labelling anyone an old dog, especially if you’re more of a cat person. Please let me know which skill…

Microsoft appears to have scrapped plans to show recommended websites in the Windows 11 Start menu following complaints from users. The feature, introduced in November in Preview Build 25247, showed websites that Microsoft thought you might be interested in based on your browsing history. The sites appeared in the Recommended section of the Start menu. In the screenshot (right) that Microsoft used when explaining the feature, it recommended online retailer Etsy and Twitter. Critics claimed it gave Microsoft the opportunity to clutter the Start menu with adverts that would detract from more important elements shown in the Recommended section, such as recently opened files and installed apps – also shown in the screenshot. Microsoft is also axing the option that lets you search online for words you paste into Windows. When you did this,…

Businesses and organisations can no longer pay Microsoft for security updates to Windows 7 after the company ended its Extended Security Update (ESU) program for the operating system on 10 January. It initially ended support for Windows 7 in January 2020, but offered further security updates every month for a fee. The end of support for Windows 7 affects browsers too. All versions of Chrome from 110 on – which Google says is “tentatively scheduled” for release on 7 February – will only receive updates if you run them on Windows 10 or 11. Microsoft, meanwhile, has confirmed that Edge 109, released in mid January, will be the last version to support Windows 7. The only major browser to continue supporting 7 and 8.1 is Firefox, though its developer Mozilla has said…

Property companies in England must guarantee that new homes can receive Gigabit (1Gbps) broadband under new laws that came into force on 26 December. The Government has encouraged the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to follow suit. Recent Government analysis showed that around 25,300 new homes (12 per cent) still didn’t have full-fibre broadband in a typical year. The law amends 2010’s Building Regulations to ensure that homeowners avoid “the need for costly and disruptive installation work after the home is built”. Equipment required for 1Gbps speeds, such as ducts, chambers and termination points, must be installed even if Gigabit services aren’t yet available in the area. “This will ensure that homes are fit for the digital age, but may not be connected straight away,” the Government said (see www.snipca.com/44669). The amount…

UK Amazon workers have voted to go on strike for the first time after rejecting a pay rise of 50p per hour last summer. Members of the GMB union based at the company’s warehouse in Coventry will walk out on 25 January, with more dates set to be announced. GMB senior organiser Amanda Gearing urged Amazon to give staff “a proper pay rise and avoid industrial action”. She added that people “working for one of the most valuable companies in the world shouldn’t have to threaten strike action just to win a wage they can live on”. Amazon responded by saying it appreciated the work carried out by staff and that it offered competitive pay. An Amazon spokesperson said pay rates, depending on location, starting at a minimum of between £10.50 and £11.45 per…

TIVO TO LAUNCH OWN SMART-TV SYSTEM TiVo is building a smart-TV system to rival Google, Amazon and Roku. The company, well known for making digital video recorders, said TiVo OS will be available by the spring on sets made by manufacturers including Daewoo, Hitachi and JVC. UK MALWARE ATTACKS ROSE BY 77% IN 2022 Malware attacks on UK organisations rose by 77 per cent in 2022, according to security analysts Check Point, more than double the global average of 38 per cent. The education/research sector was the most attacked industry in the UK, suffering a weekly average of 2,653 hacks – up 237 per cent from 2021. Worldwide attacks reached an all-time high in the final three months of 2022. Read Check Point’s report at www.snipca.com/44670. TOMORROW’S WORLD This robot’s clamp-like hand allows it to…