News

Video: Get ready for ASP.Net 5 and Visual Studio 2015’s mobile, cloud dev future

Microsoft is packing lots of new features into its key developer tools; here's what to look for

Redline Smalltalk connects to the JVM world

Unlike other Smalltalk-to-JVM efforts, Redline does not need a separate compile cycle

Io.js beta release could lead to reconciliation with Node.js

Obama proposes new 30-day data breach notification law

The president previewed a new data breach notification law today in a speech to the Federal Trade Commission

Nine Linux distros to keep an eye on in 2015

In today's open source roundup: Nine Linux distributions worth watching in 2015. Plus: Security problems in North Korea Linux 3.0, and Xubuntu or Linux Mint Xfce for an old laptop?

Temporary sales ban hits SanDisk’s SSD server business

The ban could also have consequences for server vendors IBM, Huawei, Lenovo, and Supermicro

Amazon, Google clock best cloud uptimes as Azure struggles

Cloud statistics show Amazon and Google with the least downtime in 2014; many lesser-known players and newcomers sported impressive numbers as well

Citrix aims to cut virtual desktop costs with next-gen XenServer

Version 6.5 offers better performance and improved GPU virtualization capabilities

Enterprises win as cloud and on-site software vendors duke it out

The CRM market will see the biggest price declines in the next couple of years

Only 8 percent of companies can track shadow IT

Most organizations don't know how dark the shadows are, according to a new survey by the Cloud Security Alliance

New service wants to rent out your hard drive’s extra space

Storj would allow anonymous users to store data on your drive

Obama revives call for immunity to companies sharing threat data

The president is expected to announce the liability protection and a measure to increase penalties for computer crimes on Tuesday

Redline Smalltalk connects to the JVM world

Unlike other Smalltalk-to-JVM efforts, Redline does not need a separate compile cycle

Io.js beta release could lead to reconciliation with Node.js

As the Node fork ships in beta, leaders of both camps say they would like to merge the technologies back together

Next-gen Rust language moves to 1.0 alpha

A beta release for the systems programming language is expected for February with a general 1.0 release to follow

Obama calls for data breach notification law, privacy bill of rights

The White House will push Congress to pass new laws addressing data privacy and ID theft, the president says

Note-taking apps for Linux

In today's open source roundup: Seven apps for note-taking in Linux. Plus: Samsung's Galaxy A7 phone announced, and DistroWatch reviews Linux Mint 17.1 Cinnamon

IT hiring ends 2014 on an upswing

The 7,900 IT jobs added in December were good news, even as questions persist about stagnant wages and low job participation rates

Google surges into top 10 in patent race; IBM retains huge lead

IBM ranks first in the U.S. patent race, as it has for 22 years, while Google climbs to No. 8 and Apple lands at No. 11

Google’s latest zero-day disclosures further fuel feud with Microsoft

Microsoft protests after Google discloses details of another Windows flaw over the weekend, but can it be trusted to expeditiously fix flaws without pressure?

Obama aims to tighten laws on data hacking and student privacy

The moves come in the wake of the hacks of Sony Pictures and retailers like Target and Home Depot

Which cloud providers had the best uptime last year?

Amazon and Google recorded impressive statistics for how reliable their public IaaS clouds were in 2014

Next-gen Rust language moves to 1.0 alpha

A beta release for the systems programming language is expected for February with a general 1.0 release to follow

US lawmakers push bill to permanently ban Internet access taxes

Sponsors say it will promote the U.S. digital economy

Google Go upgrade banks on Go itself

Version 1.5 of the language will use a tool chain written in Go as Google seeks to eliminate C programs from the source tree

Azure keeps pace with Amazon with new Docker, key management features

Azure's latest update also explores how Microsoft can grow its hybrid cloud ideas in other directions

Linux-powered rifle can hit targets a mile away

In today's open source roundup: TrackingPoint's Mile Maker Linux rifle. Plus: Microsoft and Linux in 2015, and SparkyLinux 3.6 GameOver has been released

OpenSSL patches eight new vulnerabilities

The flaws are of moderate and low severity, but server admins should still update

Advanced OneDrive feature to miss first version of Windows 10

Sync placeholder 'core capabilities' will be added in a later update before end of 2015

Glitch in OS X search can expose private details of Apple Mail users

Performing a Spotlight search opens email previews that load external images, even when the Mail client is asked not to do this

How to prepare for Verizon’s 2-day cloud shutdown

Verizon cloud users should get their apps, data, and users ready for the extended downtime

Microsoft adds key management to Azure cloud

A new Azure vault provides a way to store encryption keys in the cloud

Microsoft to charge Windows users for advanced security notifications

By abruptly stopping free warnings for Black Tuesday patches, Microsoft continues to alienate those who are trying to keep Windows afloat

White House declines to act on petitions to fire Aaron Swartz prosecutors

Petitions are not the right mechanism for dealing with government personnel issues, the White House says

New year brings new hope for Net neutrality supporters

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler reverses course, makes a strong statement in support of Title II regulation and against fast lanes

Try out JavaScript 6 features while you wait for the real thing

The 6to5 project transpiles ECMAScript 6 to ECMAScript 5 code

Java seeks stronghold in networking for Internet of things

The proposed Kona Project would define Java APIs for use on embedded devices.

Java seeks stronghold in networking for Internet of things

The proposed Kona Project would define Java APIs for use on embedded devices

Novm challenges the definition of what’s a container and what’s a VM

The experimental hypervisor from a Google developer behaves like a container and explores the possibilities of both

Linux Mint 17.1 KDE released

In today's open source roundup: Download Linux Mint 17.1 KDE. Plus: A look at Manjaro Linux 0.8.11, and Steam Machines might launch at GDC 2015

Apple blocks tool that brute-forces iCloud passwords

The tool allowed attackers to try a large number of passwords for Apple ID accounts

Yahoo’s U.S. share on Firefox quadruples after deal

But 61 percent of Firefox 34's users still prefer to search with Google

Marco Arment sparks debate about Apple software quality

Analysts agree with prominent blogger's premise but not necessarily the solution: Slow down upgrade pace

AT&T to allow monthly data rollover; plan includes businesses

AT&T's 50 million Mobile Share Value subscribers will soon be able to roll over unused data to the next month

Try out JavaScript 6 features while you wait for the real thing

6to5 project transpiles ECMAScript 6 to its current counterpart, letting you use many future features right now

BlackBerry’s IoT plans start close to home: cars, asset tracking

The company announced a cloud-based platform for building and managing networks of things

JavaScript surges past Swift, R for top programming language honors

Objective-C's stumble cleared the way for JavaScript to become Tiobe's Language of the Year, while PyPL gave the title to Swift

DMCA dragnet targets porn downloads, hits GitHub instead

A takedown notice delivered to Google on behalf of a porn publisher has ended up blocking links to GitHub projects as well

Intel Compute Stick will run Linux

In today's open source roundup: A version of Intel's new Compute Stick will offer Linux. Plus: Upcoming distro releases in 2015, and a screenshot tour of PCLinuxOS 2014.12 MATE

Macro-based malware is making a comeback, researchers warn

Attackers bypass defenses aganst macros with social engineering to install malware