open source

The tiny11builder project has received a significant refresh: the PowerShell-based builder now supports Windows 11 version 25H2 builds, adds explicit removal of Copilot and the new Outlook for Windows client, switches to more efficient recovery compression for smaller ISOs, and introduces...

Microsoft’s PowerToys is about to plug one of Windows 11’s most persistent annoyances: a built‑in way to automatically switch between Light and Dark modes on a user-defined schedule — delivered as a PowerToys module rather than via the core Settings app. Background / Overview For years Windows...

Microsoft has published the assembly source for “BASIC for 6502 Microprocessor — Version 1.1” on GitHub under a modern permissive license, making the exact code that powered a generation of home computers readable, buildable, and reusable by anyone — hobbyists, historians, educators, and...

Microsoft's decision to put the original 6502-targeted Microsoft BASIC source into the public eye is both a tidy act of software preservation and a reminder of how much of modern computing grew from tiny, highly optimized assembly programs—code once written by Bill Gates and his earliest...

The end of Windows 10 has sharpened a decision many hobbyists and professionals have been postponing: if you’re ready to ditch Windows, should you move to macOS or switch to Linux? The answer isn’t a slogan — it’s a set of practical trade-offs rooted in apps, hardware, support, budget, and how...

Microsoft’s PowerToys just filled two of the most persistent usability gaps in Windows 11: a built‑in way to surface and resolve keyboard shortcut conflicts, and a promised scheduler that will automatically switch the system between light and dark themes—features that many power users have asked...

If you’re seriously contemplating ditching Windows and can’t (or won’t) keep both, the choice between Linux and macOS comes down to a handful of practical questions — ecosystem, apps, hardware, cost, and how much control you want over the machine. ZDNET’s “7-step” checklist frames the decision...

Microsoft’s PowerToys is about to plug one of Windows 11’s most conspicuous gaps: an official, supported scheduler that automatically toggles between Light and Dark modes, coming as a new PowerToys module in the next release cycle. The feature was teased in the PowerToys v0.94 announcement and...

Files v4.0 arrives as a major rework of one of the most polished third‑party File Explorer replacements for Windows 11, introducing a unified Omnibar, a refined Dual Pane workflow, expanded cloud drive support, and built‑in cryptographic verification tools — changes that push Files from a...

Microsoft’s PowerToys team has quietly moved to fill a conspicuous gap in Windows’ personalization features: beginning with PowerToys v0.94 the project teased a scheduled automatic theme switching utility that will let Windows switch between light and dark modes on a timetable — a capability...

NanaZIP’s preview of version 6 lands as a clear evolution of the 7‑Zip fork: deeper Windows 11 integration, a host of interface rewrites using XAML, a controversial new extract‑on‑open workflow, and security‑minded codec changes that move the project further from its 7‑Zip lineage while...

KDE Plasma’s window manager added a built-in, FancyZones-like layout editor and snapping workflow long before the same combination of features landed as a first-class, fully integrated experience in Windows — and the comparison exposes both the strengths of modern Linux desktop development and...

Windows 11’s insistence that low-level drivers must be signed is the single most effective consumer-facing defense Microsoft has built for the Windows kernel — and it’s also one of the clearest examples of security that feels, at times, actively hostile to the people who own the hardware it runs...

Flyoobe — the successor to the community-built Flyby11 tool — just took a decisive step away from a one‑trick “requirements bypass” utility toward a polished, Out‑of‑Box Experience (OOBE) toolkit with the release of version 1.6, adding a refreshed home view, Ventoy support for USB media, a...

For a handful of hours this week a small but important piece of the Edge browsing experience vanished for some users: uBlock Origin — the widely trusted, open‑source content blocker used by millions — was effectively replaced by uBlock Origin Lite in Microsoft Edge after an accidental upload and...

Flyoobe’s latest update tightens the shift from a simple Windows 11 requirements bypass into a polished, OOBE-centric installer and debloat toolkit — delivering smarter app removal, refreshed views for first-run setup, and performance tweaks while also raising fresh support and security...

OpenAI and Microsoft are reconfiguring one of the tech industry's most consequential partnerships into something far more complicated than a simple supplier–customer relationship: what began as close collaboration is now a high-stakes, strategically fraught alliance where deep technical...

File Explorer is fine for most people — and with six focused PowerToys add‑ons it can be quietly transformed into a faster, smarter, and more forgiving file manager without leaving the familiar Windows shell. Overview Windows File Explorer has improved over the years, but it still leaves gaps...

Alibaba’s latest AI push reads like a two-act drama: a crescendo of product releases and developer traction on one side, and an equally loud chorus of pricing pressure, competition, and heavy-capex obligations on the other. In the past year the company has rolled out its Qwen3 model family and...

Windows users facing the October deadline for Windows 10 support are being offered a realistic, battle-tested alternative in Zorin OS — a Dublin-born Linux distribution that promises to keep older PCs secure, fast and usable for years to come, and which the Irish Times frames as a timely option...