open source

  1. ReactOS Demonstrates Working WDDM Display Path Using BasicDisplay.sys

    ReactOS has taken another visible step toward supporting modern Windows graphics drivers: developers have demonstrated a working WDDM display driver path inside ReactOS, with the Microsoft Basic Display sample and even some vendor drivers showing a display at native resolutions — a milestone...
  2. EarTrumpet: The Lightweight Per App Volume Mixer and Device Router for Windows

    EarTrumpet slips into the Windows taskbar like the small but decisive fix Windows’ audio UX has been silently begging for, turning a fragmented set of volume controls into a single, practical mixer that actually fits real workflows. The app is tiny, open source, and — for many users — the only...
  3. GitHub Moves Core to Azure to Scale Copilot and AI Workloads

    GitHub has quietly launched one of the most consequential infrastructure reorganizations in its post‑acquisition history: a full-scale migration of its production estate onto Microsoft Azure that GitHub engineers and Microsoft leaders describe as necessary to scale AI services like Copilot and...
  4. Windows 11 Gets First Party CLI Editor Edit: A Tiny Modeless Text Editor

    Microsoft has quietly made good on a longstanding small-but-important gap: Windows 11 now includes a new, first‑party command‑line text editor called Edit — a compact, modeless Text User Interface (TUI) editor that ships as part of recent 24H2/25H2 builds, is open‑source on GitHub, and can be...
  5. Windows 10 End of Support 2025: ESU Bridge and Windows 11 Upgrade

    Windows 10 reaches its official end of support on October 14, 2025 — after that date Microsoft will stop shipping regular OS security updates, quality fixes, and standard technical support for mainstream Windows 10 editions unless a device is covered by an approved extension program. Background...
  6. ExplorerPatcher Weather Fix and the Fragile Shell Mod Ecosystem

    ExplorerPatcher’s latest maintenance release restores a broken weather widget and a raft of Windows 11 tweaks — but the fix also lays bare the fragile ecosystem that surrounds third‑party shell mods, where changes made by Google, Microsoft, or antivirus heuristics can suddenly break a feature...
  7. Ditto Clipboard Manager: Best Open Source Windows Clipboard History Tool

    After testing six popular Windows clipboard managers, the open‑source utility Ditto emerged as the most practical, reliable, and configurable option—delivering persistent history, powerful search, and keyboard‑first workflows that restore what Windows’ built‑in clipboard should have been...
  8. Files for Windows: Boost Productivity with Dual Pane Column View and Omnibar

    Windows File Explorer still does the basics, but for anyone who spends a lot of time organizing, searching, or moving files, the third‑party Files app replaces friction with speed, polish, and productivity features that Microsoft’s default tool simply hasn’t prioritized — from dual‑pane and...
  9. Switching from Windows 10 to Linux: a Practical Migration Guide

    If your Windows 10 PC is approaching the end-of-support cliff, moving to Linux is a realistic and often smart choice — but it requires honest trade-offs, careful testing, and a migration plan that protects what you can’t afford to lose. Background / Overview Microsoft will stop shipping security...
  10. Move to Linux from Windows 11: Real World Reasons and Safe Migration

    Most people who try Linux for the first time are surprised by how small changes — a lighter update schedule, a different package manager, a new desktop environment — can feel like reclaiming control over their PC. Background / Overview The argument to "move to Linux instead of Windows 11" is no...
  11. Legacy Update 1.12: Reviving Legacy Windows Updates with MinGW ActiveX

    Legacy Update’s latest stable release, version 1.12, quietly rewrites a last‑man‑standing lifeline for unsupported Windows installs—and arrives at an awkwardly strategic moment as Windows 10’s official support window closes next month. The project, a community‑run, open‑source restore of the old...
  12. Top Open Source Apps for Windows: Fast, Private, Free

    Open‑source software gives Windows users a fast, private, and flexible path away from closed ecosystems — and ZDNet’s compact list of “10 open‑source apps I always recommend Windows users try — and they’re free” is a practical starter kit for anyone ready to swap proprietary defaults for...
  13. Windows Remains Desktop Leader as Linux Dominates Servers and Cloud in 2025

    In 2025 the long-running duel between Windows and Linux looks less like a single “winner takes all” contest and more like a partitioned battlefield: Windows still rules the desktop, powering the majority of personal and enterprise PCs, while Linux has entrenched itself across servers, clouds...
  14. Flyoobe 1.21.411: Practical Windows 11 OOBE Toolkit for Unsupported Hardware

    Flyoobe 1.21.411 lands as a pragmatic evolution of the Flyby11 project: a compact, portable toolkit that preserves the original installer‑bypass mechanics for Windows 11 while folding in a richer Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE) customizer and deployment conveniences aimed at enthusiasts...
  15. Fedora KDE Plasma: Polite Updates, App Removal, Deep Customization

    Fedora KDE Plasma’s combination of a less intrusive update model, true desktop-level customization, and the ability to remove unwanted preinstalled apps is convincing enough that some users say they don’t want to go back to Windows. Background Fedora is a mainstream Linux distribution known for...
  16. Zorin OS 18 Beta: The Windows 10 End-of-Support Migration Ally

    Zorin OS 18 Beta arrives at a pivotal moment: with Windows 10’s extended lifespan ending on October 14, 2025, millions of users face either an enforced upgrade to Windows 11, costly hardware refreshes, or the security risks of running an unsupported OS — and Zorin OS 18 Beta positions itself as...
  17. Flyoobe: Install Windows 11 on Older PCs Without TPM/Secure Boot

    Windows 10’s October 14 end-of-support deadline is forcing a reckoning: buy new hardware, pay for extended security updates, or accept community workarounds that let older PCs run Windows 11. Flyoobe — the rebranded evolution of Flyby11 — aims to be more than a bypass tool: it bundles an...
  18. Zorin OS 17.3: Windows 10 Replacement With a Faster Linux Desktop

    Zorin OS has quietly set the stage for a major push into the Windows-replacement market, teasing a “faster, more powerful” update that builds on the momentum of the recently released Zorin OS 17.3 and explicitly positions the distro as a practical alternative for machines that can’t, or won’t...
  19. Windhawk: Open-Source Mods to Personalize Windows 11 UI

    Windhawk arrives as a surprisingly polished bridge between what Microsoft ships in Windows 11 and what many users actually want: a lightweight, open‑source mod platform that makes the Start menu, taskbar, File Explorer and other core UI elements genuinely customizable — and, in many cases...
  20. Flyoobe 1.20.400: Portable Windows 11 OOBE Tweaks and Bypass Toolkit

    Flyoobe’s latest release, version 1.20 (tagged 1.20.400), ships a visible, Windows 11–style redesign and continues to position the project as a compact, portable toolkit for bypassing Windows 11 installation gates and customizing the Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE). Background Flyoobe began life as...