Dr. Bill | The Computer Curmudgeon

The new browser called “Edge” in Windows 10 will be really stripped down, and that is a good thing!

Microsoft confirms its new Edge browser won’t support Silverlight

Windows Central – By: John Callaham – “Microsoft has already announced that its new Microsoft Edge web browser in Windows 10 will not be using many of the features that were a part of its old Internet Explorer browsers. That includes support for ActiveX-based plug-ins. Today, Microsoft confirmed that the ditching of ActiveX also means Edge won’t support the company’s own Silverlight web-based media player.

In a blog post. Microsoft said:

‘Support for ActiveX has been discontinued in Microsoft Edge, and that includes removing support for Silverlight. The reasons for this have been discussed in previous blogs and include the emergence of viable and secure media solutions based on HTML5 extensions. Microsoft continues to support Silverlight, and Silverlight out-of-browser apps can continue to use it. Silverlight will also continue to be supported in Internet Explorer 11, so sites continue to have Silverlight options in Windows 10. At the same time, we encourage companies that are using Silverlight for media to begin the transition to DASH/MSE/CENC/EME based designs and to follow a single, DRM-interoperable encoding work flow enabled by CENC. This represents the most broadly interoperable solution across browsers, platforms, content and devices going forward.’

Silverlight was first introduced in 2007 as an alternative Adobe’s Flash player for web-based media. It was most famously used by Netflix for its desktop streaming video service. The last major release was Silverlight 5 in 2011 and Microsoft has not indicated plans to release a major new version. Most sites have now abandoned Silverlight and Netflix is transitioning its web player to HTML5.”

Bluestacks is a free emulator to run Android apps on your PC, now, Bluestacks is available for your Mac as well!

I use OpenDNS at home, and have for years… it is kinda cool that they are being acquired by Cisco, I just hope that the free service doesn’t change!

Cisco to buy cybersecurity firm OpenDNS in $635m deal

ZDNet – By: Charlie Osborne – “Cisco has announced its intention to purchase threat protection security firm OpenDNS in a deal worth $635 million.

Announced on Tuesday, the tech giant said the move will accelerate the development of the Cisco Cloud Delivered Security Portfolio, and OpenDNS will prove a boost to advanced threat protection services for Cisco clients.

In addition, the OpenDNS cloud delivered platform will give Cisco better visibility and more insight into the threat landscape.

Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will play $635 million in cash and equity awards, as well as ‘retention-based incentives’ for OpenDNS.

Cisco’s latest portfolio addition will be made in light of the Internet of Everything (IoE), linked to the Internet of Things (IoT) concept. With over 50 billion devices expected to become connected by 2020, the rush to create smart devices and appliances also gives threat actors a far wider reach and more opportunities to breach networks and break corporate security.

This is where cloud-based security solutions come in — bolt-on Software-as-a- Service (SaaS) models which can provide better security for the enterprise without requiring vast in-house teams or expertise.

‘In a world in which devices and people can connect from anywhere at anytime, enterprise IT teams have increasingly limited visibility into potential threats from these unmonitored and potentially unsecure entry points into the network, creating tremendous security risk,’ Cisco says.

‘Combining OpenDNS’ broad visibility, unique predictive threat intelligence and cloud platform with Cisco’s robust security and threat capabilities will increase awareness across the extended network, both on- and off-premise, reduce the time to detect and respond to threats, and mitigate risk of a security breach.’

The OpenDNS team, based in San Francisco, will join the Cisco Security Business Group organization led by David Goeckeler.

Hilton Romanski, Cisco chief technology and strategy officer said in prepared remarks:

‘As more people, processes, data and things become connected, opportunities for security breaches and malicious threats grow exponentially when away from secure enterprise networks. OpenDNS has a strong team with deep security expertise and key technology that complements Cisco’s security vision. Together, we will help customers protect their extended network wherever the user is and regardless of the device.’

The deal is expected to close in the first financial quarter of 2015, subject to regulatory approval.”

This is evil at it’s worst! Oracle has signed a deal such that, if you download Java, during the install, if you are not VERY careful, and uncheck a box, the install will change your web browser search to Yahoo! Man! This is rotten on Oracle and Yahoo’s part. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to uninstall browser hijackers off friends computers! Grrrr!

The checkbox is checked by default, so users have to uncheck it to opt out of the Yahoo setting. Anyone rushing through a Java installation in an effort to get some piece of Web software working quickly could pass over this screen and accidentally reset their browser settings.

‘We have definitely made sure that our onboarding process is one that is highly transparent and gives users choice,’ a Yahoo spokesman said in an interview.

Oracle has bundled software with Java downloads for years. The deal with Yahoo replaces a previous exclusive deal with Ask.com.

This notice went out today about the Amazon Echo:

“Dear Customers,

Today, we are excited to announce that Amazon Echo is available to everyone.

We launched Echo as an invitation-only program in November to learn how customers would use and enjoy it most. The response has been overwhelming.

Echo was born from a simple idea: create a computer, controlled entirely by your voice. This idea required some incredible invention. It had to understand natural language requests, from many voices, from across a room, even when music is playing. It also needed to be informative, entertaining, and useful—while always getting smarter.

With seven microphones, beam-forming technology, and noise cancellation, Echo achieved this goal by enabling far-field voice recognition. And Alexa, our cloud-based voice service that powers Echo, provides information, music, news, weather, and more—and she is constantly learning new skills.

Since launch, we have added streaming music from Pandora, audiobooks from Audible, calendar access, live sports scores and schedules, traffic reports, Amazon.com re-ordering, control of connected devices such as lights and switches from WeMo and Philips Hue, and more. Many of these features are a result of feedback and suggestions from our customers—thank you.

I am excited by what the team has done in a short period of time with your help—and we’re just getting started. We hope you enjoy Amazon Echo.

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO”

I have been “playing” with mine, and I should have a review for you this weekend on the show!

I know what this means… the Gamemaster will want one!

Sony’s new PlayStation 4 arrives with 1TB of storage next month

The Verge – By: Rich McCormick – “Microsoft’s Xbox One isn’t the only console getting a storage upgrade. Sony today announced its new PlayStation 4 1TB Ultimate Player Edition, a new version of the console that comes with twice the hard drive space of the previous model. The new console is coming to Japan before the end of June, Europe on July 15th, and North America in the same month. Sony has not yet provided pricing information for the new machines, suggesting instead that you check with your local retailer.

In addition to a bigger hard drive, The new console is a slight technological improvement on the previous model, weighing in at 10 percent lighter and using 8 percent less power than the 500GB PS4. The new console’s hard drive bay is also now decked out with a matte finish, a stylistic choice Sony says somehow makes the system look more “casual,” as if the current shiny finish was trying too hard. The new console comes in both white and black variants, with neither looking as nice as the console’s 20th anniversary edition.

The existence of a new PS4 Ultimate Player Edition was rumored earlier this month when FCC filings were uncovered that pointed to a console with a bigger hard drive in development at Sony. A bundle with the same name that appeared to include both a PS4 console and a PlayStation Vita also appeared on Amazon France for €579.99 ($657). Such a bundle that combined both devices could have helped drive sales of Sony’s flagging handheld, but today’s announcement makes no mention of the Vita, referring only to the increased storage capacity of the PS4 itself.

The Japanese company also used today to roll out changes to its PlayStation companion app. The software, available on iOS and Android, now lets you redeem gift codes without powering your console on and displays comments received from viewers while you’re streaming.”