open source

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...

Microsoft’s new VibeVoice marks a striking shift in what open-source text-to-speech can do: from short, single-voice clips to hour‑scale, multi‑speaker spoken audio that resembles a produced podcast — and it’s available now for researchers and tinkerers to try. The framework packages a compact...

If you need to burn a playable DVD from a handful of home videos or make archival data discs for long-term storage, the software you choose matters more than most people think — compatibility with players, menu authoring, output quality, and reliability during the burn process are the difference...

Windows ships with a competent baseline of tools, but for users who prefer transparency, control, and long-term maintainability, the open-source alternatives on this How‑To Geek roster are worth considering — this article examines the nine apps the original author installs on every fresh Windows...

Windows PowerToys is one of those quietly powerful Windows add‑ons: a free, modular toolkit that can shave minutes off everyday tasks for heavy desktop users, but it’s deliberately optional — and for many casual users it’s a luxury rather than a necessity. Background / Overview Windows PowerToys...

Microsoft’s PowerToys 0.93 delivered a much-needed Settings dashboard overhaul and major Command Palette performance wins, but the suite still lacks a unified Settings search—and community work tracked on GitHub plus Microsoft’s own roadmap notes indicate a settings search bar is targeted for...

The shift from Windows habits to a Linux mindset is less about swapping a wallpaper and more about adopting a new set of expectations: about software freedom, update models, privacy defaults, tooling, and even the language you type into search boxes. A recent How-To Geek piece lays out five...

The arrival of an open-source AppLocker policy generator aimed at simplifying XML policy creation for Windows administrators deserves attention: AppLockerGen promises a lightweight, web-like interface to author, merge, inspect, and export AppLocker policies — but the tool’s appeal comes with...

Microsoft’s open-source transformation is no longer a talking point—it’s the operating system behind how the company builds cloud services, ships developer tools, and now delivers AI at planetary scale. From a headline‑grabbing 20,000‑line patch of Linux kernel code in 2009 to the containerized...

Windows 10’s clock is counting down to end of support, and with it comes a hard choice for privacy‑minded users: pay to keep an aging platform patched, accept newer versions of Windows with tighter cloud hooks, or make a clean break to something else entirely. The argument gaining traction is...

Flyoobe, the unofficial successor to the Flyby11 patcher, has quietly added a notable new convenience to its Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE) toolkit: the ability to set a default browser immediately after installation and even fetch and install a third‑party browser during first run. This addition...