operating systems - News, Features, and Slideshows

Features

  • How to get the most out of Windows 10 enterprise security features

    The enterprise edition of Windows 10 may be available only a day after the consumer version, with some immediately useful improvements for business. But some of the most important security features in Windows 10 Enterprise will either be included in a major update (that you can think of much like a service pack) that will ship sometime this fall, or will rely on enterprises and online sites and services making some substantial changes to move away from passwords. That means that, as with most upgrades, getting the most from Windows 10 security improvements will require planning.

    Written by Mary Branscombe30 July 15 23:45
  • Are you ready to support Windows 10?

    Sometime after July 29, Windows 10 is going to start showing up in your business as employees either bring new PCs to work or upgrade their existing machines. Microsoft says it has had millions of reservations for the free Windows 10 upgrade. But despite the launch date, that's not going to happen overnight.

    Written by Mary Branscombe29 July 15 23:53
  • 10 Windows 10 migration issues you need to consider

    Upgrading to a new client operating system is a massive headache for the CIOs of most organizations. That's because it's disruptive, it impacts hardware purchasing decisions, it drains IT budgets and it can take up hours of IT staff time.

    Written by Paul Rubens29 July 15 00:59
  • The end is near for OS X Mountain Lion support

    The security clock is ticking down for Apple's OS X Mountain Lion, which will probably be retired from support this fall before the Cupertino, Calif. company releases El Capitan.

    Written by Gregg Keizer21 July 15 23:47
  • Windows 10 fragmentation? What fragmentation?

    Microsoft's Windows 10 will not have a fragmentation problem, analysts argued, even though its rapid development tempo and a host of update cadences will spin off so many versions that not everyone will be running the same code, or even have the same features, at any one time.

    Written by Gregg Keizer13 July 15 22:04
  • Why Apple rules UX, its native iOS apps suck, and that's OK

    Every iPhone Apple sells today ships with 32 native applications but few, if any, are considered best in class. It may seem like Apple has lost its edge on mobile apps and software design, but the company's primary mission to sell hardware certainly hasn't suffered as a result. Indeed, the Apple experience -- a polished user interface married with premium hardware -- is as much about looks as functionality, and the technology ecosystem Apple has built continues to grow and mature.

    Written by Matt Kapko09 July 15 00:45
  • Is Windows Nano Server a data center game-changer?

    Back in April, Microsoft somewhat quietly previewed what its Windows Server engineering teams had been working on for quite some time. While it would be easy to write it off as just another iteration in a long line of never-ending releases, Windows Nano Server has the potential to reinvent your data center.

    Written by Jonathan Hassell08 July 15 23:41
  • Microsoft's Spartan browser vs. the rest: How will it stack up?

    Microsoft's upcoming Spartan browser is set to be the first big new release in the desktop browser market for quite some time, upsetting a tentative equilibrium that has existed for roughly the past two years.

    Written by Jon Gold14 April 15 20:57
  • Microsoft answers Windows device share slump with freemium strategy

    Microsoft's strategic shift to creating apps and services for rival operating systems was born from the hard realization that Windows' share of the total device market was in the middle of a three-year slump, according to new forecasts Thursday by research firm Gartner.

    Written by Gregg Keizer21 March 15 01:53
  • Microsoft endorses workaround for botched Windows patch KB 3000061

    This month's Black Tuesday crop of patches held <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/2834535/security/four-more-botched-black-tuesday-patches-kb-3000061-kb-2984972-kb-2949927-and-kb-2995388.html">more than a few surprises</a>. True to form, my choice for the "most likely to splat," the <a href="https://support2.microsoft.com/kb/3000061">KB 3000061</a> kernel mode driver patch, repeatedly fails to install on many machines. Although the Knowledge Base article hasn't been updated, Microsoft support engineer joscon confirmed a workaround for the problem on Thursday afternoon.

    Written by Woody Leonhard31 Oct. 14 22:59
  • Why Windows 10 isn't the big leap forward Microsoft says it is

    As I wrote for Computerworld, Windows 10 has a lot to answer for – and it sets itself up for answering these questions in a big way by skipping a version number and jumping straight to 10 from 8.

    Written by Jonathan Hassell10 Oct. 14 00:18
  • Surprise patch KB 3005628 bodes ill for Microsoft's patching strategy

    Yesterday Microsoft released <a href="https://support2.microsoft.com/kb/3005628">patch KB 3005628</a> for Windows 8, 8.1, Server 2012, and Server 2012 R2. It's a trivial, non-security patch. The fact that it wasn't kept and issued in the normal cadence (patches usually arrive on Update Tuesday, which is next Tuesday) points to either an accidental release to the Automatic Update chute -- which we've seen before -- or an unwelcome switch in Microsoft's patching strategy. Either possibility is troubling.

    Written by Woody Leonhard08 Oct. 14 22:06
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