Why do you need DDoS protection?

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Josh

You need DDoS protection because of the DDoS attacks, duh! With all seriousness, there are intentional cyber-attacks that hackers direct at websites or applications and use different weaknesses of the DNS. Those attacks are known as DDoS attacks, and you need special protection to keep your site afloat when they happen. Cause it is not a question of if, it is a question of when! 

What is a DDoS attack? 

DDoS (D – Distributed, D- Denial, o- of S- Service) Attack. DDoS attacks use different methods to generate traffic by using multiple botnets (devices that were compromised and stay in standby ready to attack) or exploiting vulnerabilities in the DNS to multiplicity the attack, and have the purpose of crippling or bringing down their target. The target – site, application, or another, gets so much traffic that its servers can’t respond appropriately and get overloaded or offline for a while. 

The DDoS attacks can cause even big sites to go down like Blizzard, BBC, and even Amazon’s AWS. 

So, you are not safe and definitely need protection! 

What is DDoS protection?

DDoS protection is an additional service that many of the DNS providers offer as an add-on to their typical services. It usually involves several DNS servers with extra protection that can intelligently monitor the incoming traffic and take measures to ensure the DNS’s proper function. 

Learn about one of the best Monitoring services!

First symptoms of DDoS attack

How can you see that a DDoS attack is coming? Here you have a few signals that can show you that a problem is coming:

  • A wave of traffic, from random devices, but with a similar profile like a group of old Android devices or Windows XP computers.  
  • Strong traffic that is coming from one particular IP address.
  • Strange traffic that results in spikes in a particular interval that could be 10 minutes, a half-hour, or another. 
  • Long-lasting connection to a specific IP address.
  • Connection attempts to another port that should not be in use. 

Why do you need DDoS protection?

Having DDoS protection means that you almost won’t suffer from any downtime. 100% uptime is getting impossible, but 99.9% is still good. Your site or application could still stay up, and your clients can still perform actions (buying or using your products). You will keep earning instead of being offline and just waiting for the attack to stop. 

The secure DNS or protected DNS will analyze the traffic coming to it. It will apply filters and take decisions based on the information that it gets. It has patterns of behavior that triggers different actions to save your DNS and allows it to run smoothly even under attack. 

Suggested article: Benefits of using Managed DNS

The benefits of DDoS protection

  • Resisting botnet attacks. If you have deployed a big enough loading balance, you will manage the traffic and resist the attack.
  • Increased speed. A network of recursive DNS servers, geologically located worldwide, will deliver DNS records resolving faster to your international clients.
  • It is cost-effective. It cost relatively cheap, and it can keep your site up. For just a few more dollars per month, you can get that extra security that your website will keep going even if it gets attacked. 

Conclusion

So, it is quite clear that everybody needs DDoS protection. It can keep your site or application running, even if somebody really tries to hurt you with a strong traffic attack. Now what you have to do is to find the best option for your case. Check different DNS protection plans and compare them with your needs.

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How to clear space on your Android phone?

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Josh

Every day, smartphones are more sophisticated. But despite their success, not everybody is interested in having the most innovative and expensive phone every year. 

Those millions of users who happily own useful but less advanced devices suddenly can face the need to download a new app for banking, navigation, or getting video calls. They press the download button, and a message appears “insufficient space”! 

Well, if it’s your case, don’t suffer! You don’t have to buy a new phone in a hurry. Just try to free up space on your Android phone with the following suggestions.

Buy a microSD card

An easy way to get extra storage is by adding a microSD card. Just check if your mobile has a microSD slot to add it. Move your music, videos, and other heavy files there, and leave the phone memory for applications. 

Free up space with the built-in Android tool

Your Android phone includes a tool to clean space. Go to “Settings” and pick “Storage”. Tap “Free up space” and select what to delete (temporary files, downloads, idle apps) and finally “Remove items”. This is the built-in Android feature to clean your phone storage by removing junk files and cache. Clear already backed up photos, videos, files, old docs from “Downloads”, etc.

*Be sure you haven’t forgotten something important in Downloads. 

Clear cache of apps

Web browsers and other apps save information to boost the load speed. After a time, mobiles could have a massive collection of old files. So clear those files (cache) and free up space on your Android. 

Go to “Storage” and see the apps list. Check by tapping every app’s name and see how much space is used by its cache. Then just tap “Clear cache” or “Clear storage” choices. 

Clear apps

You can directly remove complete apps if you really don’t use them. Besides taking immense amounts of your storage, they can also compromise your device’s performance by running in the background. If you don’t need them, better delete them. You can do it from the list of apps you have, by tapping the app and then “Uninstall”.

A very good practice, not to run out of space, on your Android is to use the browser instead of apps. Most of the social networks are available through the browser, and other apps have a web-based version. Check them out and save space!

Save your media on the cloud

Android storage can get full of photo and video collections fast. The files you create, plus the ones you download, can be enough to clutter your storage space.

Backup regularly all media files in the cloud and clear them from the mobile to free up space on it. You can backup them manually or by syncing up your device with a personal account of a cloud service. Go to the gallery, then “Settings”, and tap on “Add cloud account”. After that, you can “Backup & sync” and configure how regularly to do it.

Stop automatic downloads on your chat applications

Another source of many media files is communication apps such as WhatsApp or Viber. Configure them not to download automatically all media files you receive. Choose just the important ones. You will save data (money) and space on your phone. 

Clear maps from your phone

Navigation is a common need. Don’t keep maps on your Android phone that you just used once or don’t need frequently. Download them again when you need them. Maybe by then, the maps will include some useful updates. 

Conclusion 

Having your phone’s memory full does not automatically mean the phone does not serve anymore. You can extend its life longer. 

One day those tips for cleaning up space on your Android phone won’t be enough, but why should it be today?

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WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine” – latest updates

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Josh

WordPress, the worldwide popular and open-source content management system (CMS), released its new version, WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine”. The name honors William C. Eckstine, an American pop and jazz singer. 

This time, “Eckstine” involved upgrades in three critical areas: security, search, and speed. So let’s see what is new on it!

Security

The Auto-update feature for plugins and themes is available finally! This means you can configure them, and they can auto-update, without extra efforts. All or just a few, it’s up to you. But the auto-update is a good choice for being sure that your site works with the most recent version.

WordPress 5.5 also makes it easier to update themes or plugins. You don’t need to upload files one by one. Now you can directly upload a ZIP file.

Search

Everybody knows how important is the performance of a site in terms of a better position on search engines to succeed. WordPress 5.5 offers you a built-in XML sitemap that supports your site to be indexed better by search engines. With the update, you don’t have to add a sitemap through extensions like before. WordPress definitely lasted too much with this essential feature. 

Speed

Images are a double-edged sword. They make websites content more attractive for the audience, but they could make them slow too. 

So WordPress is trying a new trick. 

WordPress 5.5 includes a solution called “lazy Loading”, a technical term to describe that images wait to be loaded until the moment they are scrolled to be viewed. “Lazy loading” on mobile means saving of data and battery, for users, too. It avoids browsers to load files that are for different devices.

Although some SEO experts don’t like Lazy Loading, Google seems on the trend too. They have their WordPress Lazy Loading extension for a while now. 

Suggested article: Linux Manjaro – how to install it?

Other upgrades in WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine”

  • Images can be edited (zoom, rotate, crop) in the image block, so you don’t need to leave your post or page. The image editor now is compatible with the use of an assistant device.
  • The meta boxes can be moved with the keyboard for easier management of your publications.
  • Copying links are more comfortable now, thanks to a new button for that. 
  • The block directory is located precisely in the block editor. You can add blocks without leaving the editor.
  • There are new block patterns to create more complex layouts (text and image combinations). You can really refresh the look of your articles and pages. 

Upgrades for developers

  • PHPMailer library was updated. From version 5.2.27, it jumped to 6.1.6.
  • Block types endpoints to show all of the types of blocks registered on the particular server. With this change, people with permission to edit posts will also be able to access the block types endpoint. 
  • Dashicons library added 39 block editor icons. 
  • If your site uses PHP’s OPcache, you can now get more stable cache invalidation because of the new wp_opcache_invalidate() function when updating plugins and themes. 
  • The REST API adds official support for specifying metadata values via register_meta().

WordPress 5.5.1 – Maintenance update

WordPress 5.5.1 got public for patching some bugs from the original WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine” release. It is not a complete new version. Just some fixes to editor block, a few enhancements, and fixing of bugs (34 bugs). 

Among the most attractive:

  • Fix tiny editor preview when using Mobile or Tablet options with meta boxes enabled.
  • Fix specificity for buttons with outline style and background colors.
  • Fix missing selected block highlighting in list view.
  • Removing the ability to change the list of environment types with a new wp_get_environment_type() function.
  • Fixed incorrectly paginated XML sitemaps.
  • [site-status-tests] filter available for checking your site’s health.

More significant improvements are expected to be developed on WordPress 5.6. The updated version, most probably will be ready in December 2020. We can expect additional bug fixing, PHP 8 support, oEmbed updates and more. So we will see!

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Windows 10’s October update 2020 – what’s new?

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Josh

The new update of Windows 10 is here. The latest version is called October update 2020 or version 20H2. It is the second of the two big updates that Microsoft had planned for 2020. 

It is a free update for users of previous Windows 10.

How to update Windows 10? 

Microsoft launches one significant update each year in H1 and another in H2 of each year. Now is time for the October 2020 update. You can get it by going to Settings. Navigate to Updates and Security. There, you need to click on Windows Update and click on Check for Updates if it is not flashing you already with a message to update.

Visual changes – Start menu, notifications, icons

Start menu 

One of the most notable changes inside the 20H2 update is the updated start menu and tiles. Now it is “adaptive”. The color theme that you set to the system will also change the color of the tiles. That means that if you are using a dark theme, it will change the tiles and start menu to dark hue, and if you are using a light theme, it will change appropriately. 

The start menu is a bit transparent now. You can see a bit of the window or desktop behind it. 

The icons have lost their accent background square. It works well with the previous changes. 

Notifications

Notifications now have an application icon when they pop-up. It will also hide new notifications when the Focus Assist is on. 

All visual changes are welcome. Microsoft is still trying to uniform the design of its OS, and it is going the right way, but with snail speed. 

Microsoft Edge

You will get the latest version of Microsoft’s browser – Microsoft Edge. It is now preinstalled with Windows October Update 2020, and you can’t delete it. 

There is one nifty new trick. You can set your Windows to show Edge’s tabs on the “Alt+Tab” menu. It will show like any other window. This can be very useful for multitasking for some people. Of course, if you don’t like it, you can turn it off. 

Microsoft Edge is a good browser. Maybe now you can give it a try.  

Settings

Refresh rate

Now you can adjust the refresh rate of your monitor from the Settings. Under Advanced Display Settings, you will have a drop-down menu with the supported refresh rates. Before, you needed to go to the ancient Control Panel and fix it from there.  

In Settings, inside the About menu, you can now copy your computer’s specifications and use it to send them to the support IT team. 

Tablet mode updated

There are small changes. Now you don’t see Tablet mode on desktop computers anymore. 

Now Tablet mode is set to default when you put your device in the tablet state. There are bigger touch boxes on the icons, and the search bar hides when the Tablet mode is activated. 

You can change the settings and get back the “Ask me before switching modes” notification. You can find it in Settings, then Tablet. 

Tablet mode hasn’t been good since the beginning of Windows 10. These new changes are not really improving much. Still, it feels clunky to use and ages behind the experience with an iPad.  

Taskbar

The taskbar also has a few minor changes. The standard layout will change if you have added an Android phone to your computer or have a gaming computer and Xbox Live account. The change adds an icon in the end. 

Conclusion

Windows 10 October 2020 Update is trying to fix the design mess that Windows 10 currently is. It is going the right way, but painfully slow. There are some small updates, but in general, Windows 20H2 is nothing special. If you don’t update immediately, you won’t be missing much.

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Linux Manjaro – how to install it?

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Josh

This is a short, step-by-step guide for anyone who wants to install Manjaro. The goal is to download, install, and start using Manjaro, a Linux distribution. 

What is Manjaro Linux? 

Manjaro is an open-source and free Linux distro. It is based on another popular distro called Arch Linux. The OS is user-friendly, and you can choose the user interface you like (Xfce, KDE, GNOME, etc.). 

Linux MTR command – Everything you need to know

Dual-booting of Windows and Manjaro 

Some people like having 2 OSes on their computer. For those of you, there is a chance to install it on a separate partition. 

To create a new partition, you can use Disk Management. To start it, you can use Run and write “diskmgmt.msc” and press Enter. 

If you have an additional drive for this installation, you can format it, and after that, click on the free space and create a partition. If you don’t, you can use one that has some space, right-click on it, and choose to Shrink Volume.

Make sure you have at least 30GB if you are a casual user or a lot more if you want to use it for work (100GB+).

Pre-installation Manjaro Linux

Download the ISO file

First, let’s get the ISO file from the official site of Manjaro. There are many desktop environments: XFCE, KDE Plasma. GNOME or a custom version Manjaro-Architect, where you can choose between community builds and even older 32-bit version. 

Download the version you would like. 

Create a bootable USB drive with the ISO

For creating the bootable USB drive, you can use a 4GB drive or 8GB+ if you have chosen a heavier version. 

We will use a software called balenaEtcher (https://www.balena.io/etcher/) because it is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can use another one.

You will need to get and set up the software. Then run balenaEtcher and insert your USB drive. Inside the application, choose the ISO. After that, choose the correct drive (the USB drive) and click Flash.

Boot from an external USB drive

There is a different process to boot from the flash drive, depending on the manufacturer of your computer.

Usually, it involves pressing the power button and immediately after pressing one of the following keys DEL, ESC, F1, F2, F8, or F10.

You might need to start the BIOS and change the settings there to allow boot from another drive. 

Booting the Manjaro Live Environment

When you pick the “boot from the USB drive” option, you will see the Manjaro Welcome screen. 

If you have any external graphics card or another extra component, you better choose non-free (proprietary) drivers. You can select it by moving with the arrow keys to the “driver=free” sign and press Enter. From there, you can pick non-free. 

The next step is to choose “Boot: Manjaro.XXX” and wait. 

Installing Manjaro Linux

You will see an icon on the desktop that says, “Install Manjaro Linux” press it two times. 

Welcome

On the first screen, pick the right installation language for you. 

Location

Then choose location and time zone. There you can also select the language and the date formats for the OS.  

Keyboard

Choose the right configuration for you. You can add different languages now or later. Whatever you prefer.  

Partitions

Here you can choose from 4 options:

  • Install Alongside. Now you can use the partition on your drive that you have dedicated already and install it alongside your previous OS. 
  • Replace a Partition. If you had a dual-boating system already and want to change your current Linux or Windows with the new OS and keep one of them. 
  • Erase Disk. Install from 0 after deleting everything.
  • Manual Partitioning. Use for a custom installation and also can be used for Dual Boat. 

Choose the right option for you. 

Users

Create a user for this computer and a password. You will also be able to put the administrator’s account details.

Summary

This screen will show you your choices. When you verify your decisions, press the Install button. 

Finish

In the end, re-boat your computer. Now you are ready! You already have a Manjaro Linux installed on your computer, congrats!

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Alibaba Cloud – features and pricing

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Josh

We are all familiar with the 3 behemoths of cloud computing – AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. But is there any new player big enough to fight them? 

From the East, the wind is blowing a new cloud – Alibaba Cloud. Alibaba Group is massive. They have everything from e-commerce to online payment, entertainment, media, and also a cloud computing solution. 

Alibaba Cloud features

If you are coming from Amazon’s AWS and want an alternative to AWS EC2, the service you need is called Elastic Compute Service on Alibaba Cloud. 

  • Autoscaling: It is great to have auto options. You can set values, when to scale-out and when to scale-in based on specific needs. 
  • Auto-provisioning: Another automation that will follow your strategies, like the lowest cost or best performance, picks instances, chooses zones, and decides on purchase models. 
  • CPU options: You can disable vCPU cores to save on some licensing costs, or you can also switch off hyperthreading for some specific workloads. 
  • Different OSes options: Alibaba Cloud has its own Alibaba Cloud Linux OS. But if you want to get another OS that you are more familiar with or you need for specific applications, you can get SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Windows, or Red Hat Enterprise. 

You can also add additional services like Elastic IP, Load Balancer, use Elastic Container Instances, and more. 

There are 3 regions that Alibaba Cloud covers: 

  • The Asia Pacific. This is the strongest region, where it can make sense to check them out. They have 16 locations here, mostly in China, but also in Australia, Singapore, Japan, and more. 
  • Europe and America. It is strange to unite them together, but here there are not many options. Europe is represented just by London and Frankfurt and the US with Silicon Valley and Virginia. Maybe it is better to consider another cloud provider for both. 
  • The Middle East and India. Just 2 locations – Dubai and Mumbai. It is visible that they have a lot of catching up to do. 

Alibaba Cloud prices

The best option, as usual, is to get a subscription plan. But you can also have the options for paying as you go, preemptible instances, and reserved instances too.  

Let’s see some of their basic offers. Please take note that those prices may vary, depending on the region (prices updated on 18.09.2020): 

Entry 

NameInstanceSystem DiskBandwidthPrice per month (USD)
Burstable instance_2C4G2 Cores, 4 GB RAM20GB Cloud SSD1M12.06
Burstable instance_1C1G1 Core, 1GB RAM20GB Cloud SSD1M5.2
Starter Package1 Core, 0.5 GB RAMN/AN/A3.5
Starter Package1 Core, 1 GB RAMN/AN/A4.5

Enterprise

We are checking the General Purpose Type, and we will focus on the US (US East 1 Virginia). Here the ration between processor and memory resources is 1:4. There are two options here General Purpose Type (g6) (Intel Xeon Platinum 8269CY, and Maximum 6000000 PPS), and the second one is General Purpose Type (g5) (Intel Skylake Xeon Platinum 8163, and 4000000 PPS).

NameInstanceSystem DiskBandwidthPrice per month (USD)Price per year (USD)
G6 8 Cores, 32 GB RAMN/A25 Gbps174.81782.96
G6 16 Cores, 64 GB RAMN/A25 Gbps347.563545.11
G624 Cores, 96 GB RAMN/A25 Gbps520.325407.26
G5 8 Cores, 32 GB RAMN/A20 Gbps180.161837.64
G516 Cores, 64 GB RAMN/A20 Gbps358.283654.46
G524 Cores, 96 GB RAMN/A25 Gbps536.45471.28

Wrap it up 

Ok, currently, it is not the best offer out there. But it is important to have competition. More big players will result in better pricing and services for the clients. The other big clouds are all US-based, so it is good to have an alternative elsewhere.

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Best Wi-Fi routers in the world – Top 5 (2020)

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Josh

Are you sick and tired of your annoying, old, and slow Wi-Fi router? You want to smash it with hummer, but you don’t know what to by next. I will show you 5 best Wi-Fi routers in the world this year. Buckle up, and let’s check them out! 

There are thousands of routers out there, so I have conveniently selected you 5 devices, each great at a particular task. That way, you can choose, depending on what do you really care about. 

If you wait a bit, there might be some great deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you are desperate to buy now, you won’t regret any of these devices. 

Best Gaming Wi-Fi router – Asus RT-AX88U

First of all, it looks awesome! An alien hedgehog with plenty of antennas. It is one of the fastest routers out there. It has Wi-Fi 6, the new standard that is still getting popular. It works just right on the 5 GHz spectrum and brings excellent speed. You can also benefit from 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports, Trend Micro antivirus, and Adaptive QoS, where you can put your games as a priority.  

Best security-oriented Wi-Fi router – Netgear Nighthawk AX8

Just look at it! Look at it, really. It is the batman of the routers. Hackers will be scared to hack it, just by looking at it. It is a great all-around router that supports Wi-Fi 6, 2x USBs 3.0, Guest WiFi access. When we talk about security, it, of course, supports WPA2/WPA3 protocols, firewall and also has great features like VPN and DoS protection. Netgear has added extra Armor Advanced Threat Protection with multi-level security software for excellent results. 

Recommended article: Why do you need DDoS protection?

Best Performance Wi-Fi router – TP-Link Archer AX1800

You can argue that the best gaming Wi-Fi router or the most secured one can take this title too, but they look too exotic. This one is powerful enough and can easily fit in your office or home. 

It is again Wi-Fi 6 with speed up to 1.8 Gbps. It is also dual-band and has 4 antennas. You can expect 4 Gigabit Lan ports and an USB port too. 

Best Mesh Wi-Fi router – NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System

Here we are not focusing on speed. People who want a Mesh router usually live in a big bigger house or apartment, and one router is just not enough. You need a reliable Wi-Fi router that is easy to set up and can cover a large area. It is dual-band – 2.4 GHz and 5Ghz, so the speed is ok. It performs well, and the only problem is the lack of more Ethernet ports. 

Best budget Wi-Fi router – TP-Link Archer A6 AC1200

At this category, we are looking for just a few things – dual-band, at least 802.11ac standard (Wi-Fi 5), and of course, price! You are searching for something around 50 bucks.  This one is fast enough with speed up to 1.2 Gbps and Gigabit wire connection. It has a nice texture and black color. 

So, what do you think about those 5 best Wi-Fi routers? Yep, they are all great. Now check your pocket and see how much you have, search the one you want, and enjoy. You are welcome! 

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MacOS 11 Big Sur – First impressions

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Josh

This 2020, during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the macOS 11 Big Sur update was introduced.

Let’s review some of the new features we could enjoy this fall when macOS 11 will be released.

Safari 

In macOS 11 Big Sur, Safari runs faster, and there are battery benefits. 

Safari includes a new translation function. If you are on a compatible webpage, it can translate the content for you. 

Besides, Firefox and Chrome extensions are easier to be ported to Safari. And users can limit system access by choosing directly the websites that can use a specific Safari extension.

There’s a new customizable “smart page” to control attributes like background image or the displayed sections, such as “Favorites”, “Siri suggestions”, and more.

By the way, Siri now is more ‘talkative”. The list of questions she can answer has grown in MacOS 11.

Since privacy is the main concern for many, Big Sur implemented a new “privacy report”. With a click, you can get a report about how Safari protects your browsing through every webpage you visit. Blocked sites and trackers will be registered there.

Inside the passwords manager iCloud Keychain, you get a few perks – password monitoring with notification in case of a data breach and auto-generation strong passwords if yours are not so good. 

For million-tabs-open users, just like me, Safari includes “battery usage history”.

It registers the use of the past 24 hours and the past 10 days. With this info, Apple claims that our device will learn a charging routine to optimize battery charging and improve its lifespan. 

And if you hover the mouse over a tab, you could see the preview of it. So, no more one-by-one opening. I am not sure this can cure the million-tabs-open mania, but let’s try!

Messages app

MacOS 11 updated it to match with iOS and iPad OS 14. Users can pin and have multiple pinned conversations, more efficient search engine for phrases, photos, links inside the app, mentions in groups, and in-line replies. 

Notification center

Big Sur redesigned the widgets, making them look more like the ones in iOS 14, and they are now located in a single column alongside notifications. 

Notifications are more interactive, and now with “group notifications”, they are grouped by threads or app. You can expand them to see previous notifications, making macOS and iOS more in line.

Photo app

Video editing capabilities have grown. Actions to adjust or improve a video (rotate, crop, add filters or adjust exposure) can be done without importing the footage into a third-party app. 

User Interface (UI) redesign

Useful or not, every user will have an opinion. In general terms, the UI looks cleaner, more spacious, and modern.

– Translucency in the windows, dock, and menu bar is noticeable.

– Menu bars now interfere less with your content.

– Buttons and controls appear when needed and disappear when not in use.

– App icons are now shape uniform. 

– Full-height sidebars, like in iPadOS 14, make it easier to access and organize docs, notes, files, etc. 

– “Control center” concentrates items you might not need scattered throughout the top. And it gives you instant access to the tools you choose.

– The popular startup chime is back for those who missed the sound.

What else? 

MacOS can now run on ARM processors. macOS on an ARM will be able to run iOS iPadOS software.

Cryptographically signed volumes for better security. Now even single files can be protected. 

Software updates can now run in the background before a restart. 

MacOS 11 Big Sur will be a free update for all compatible Mac models. 

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How to update all packages on Ubuntu?

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Josh

All Linux newbies out there, please pay attention. I am going to show you a quick and easy way to update all packages on your Ubuntu computer. This tutorial will be useful for you, even if you use different Ubuntu-based Linux distros like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Linux Lite, or even Debian-based distros. It is the command-line interface – Terminal.

What do you need? 

Time: 2-3 minutes + downloading and updating time

Root privileges: Yes

Command: apt, apt-get, aptitude, or the application Software Updater. 

I will show you an example with apt command and later with Software Updater. 

How to update all packages on Ubuntu using the Terminal?

Here is how to update all packages on Ubuntu with Terminal, step-by-step guide:

  1. Let’s first fire up the Terminal. Just click on the Terminal’s icon on your desktop or press the combination of buttons Ctrl+Alt+T.  
  2. Write the text command sudo apt update. A message will appear, asking you to put your password. After writing it down, press the Enter button. The password is needed to get root access (sudo).
  3. Now the computer will update the repositories, not the packages yet. It will show you the info about what is available for updating. To get a more detailed list of each package, use the apt list –upgradable. 
  4. To update all of the packages that are available, directly type sudo apt upgrade. You will need to write your password again, and after that, Ubuntu will show you the data that must be downloaded. It will ask for confirmation once more.
  5. Wait until Ubuntu finishes the updating process. Done! 

Pro tip! 

You can unite the commands in one! You can use the &&and perform one command after another. And we will add –y to directly accept when Ubuntu asks us to confirm the updates.

Type this text:  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Ubuntu will need your password, provide it, and press the Enter again.

How to update all packages on Ubuntu using Software Updater (Package Updater)?

Now let’s use the graphic interface to update.

  1. Find the Software Updater and open it. You can use the search bar to find it fast. 
  2. Wait until it finishes checking for available updates. This might take a while. 
  3. A simple message will appear with options to install now or later. Press Install Now. Ubuntu will ask you for your password. Write it and then press Authenticate.
  4. Now you will need to wait until Ubuntu download the updates and install them. Bear in mind that some updates might ask you to restart your device. 

Remove what is not in use anymore

I just can’t stop giving you extra tips, can I? Here it is one more command: sudo apt autoremove. It will remove additional components that applications don’t use anymore. This can free up some space and just remove parts that are no longer needed. 

Wrap it up

If you are coming from another OS, you will discover that Ubuntu is not that scary. Update all packages is not a challenging task, and it takes just a few minutes. 

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Hello, everyone!

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Josh

What’s up! 

Josh Kitt here, straight from NY. Born and raised here. Welcome to my tech blog. Here we are going to talk tech. What is lit and what is trash. Cloud, consumer electronics, OSes, hardware, software, everything. 

So, who am I? 

As I mention, 100% New Yorker. Since I was a kid, I was hooked up on the gadgets. My mom was always trying to take me out to play. While my brothers were playing basketball, I was having a blast with my PlayStation. The couch was my castle. 

Good that I was smart at school, so my tech addiction was not a problem. 

Later I became the tech guru for the whole family. 

What computer should we buy? Josh will find out. 

What is the Internet? Should we get it at home? There I go again. 

The first mobile phone, Josh will know, right? 

One thing led to another, and I got a bachelor’s degree in Computers and Technology. University was OK, but where you really learn is the job. I got an IT job and started some programming hustle on the side. 

2,3 and even some times, more sources of income really are pushing me to improve continually. Yes, I study daily, even if I got my degree. Programming languages, new platforms, new tools. You name it, I read it already.   

I know well both of the worlds – the corporate business and its requirements and the personal IT needs. I can go in-depth about what’s new in Red Hat Enterprise and the next day comment on the new macOS or Windows. 

This blog is here to help you with all the vital news and tech tips. Here you will learn what you should keep an eye on, who are the big players and who are just posers. 

We are also going to talk about hardware. What is going on with Intel? Is it time for AMD to lead, or maybe ARM will be the new king? We will have many hardware topics too. 

So, I hope I will see you often browsing inside the blog. 

See you soon!

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