OS and programs

Discord has issued a clarification regarding its upcoming age verification system, stating that most users will not be required to scan their face or upload a passport. The statement came just a day after the original announcement sparked widespread outrage.

The debate over the best operating system never ends. However, putting aside subjective preferences, Linux retains several undeniable technical advantages over Windows 11 that matter to a specific audience. Windows Central laid out five objective reasons why Linux still outshines Windows 11 in certain areas.

It seems the era of "sixes" in the Linux world is coming to an end. Linus Torvalds just released kernel version 6.19 and immediately announced that the next one will be called 7.0. The reason for the major version change is mind-bogglingly simple: big numbers are confusing, and for counting past 19, you run out of fingers and toes.

Discord has announced a global rollout of mandatory age verification for all users, starting in March. The new policy will apply to both new and existing accounts: users who do not verify their age will be restricted to a limited “teen” version of the service.

Automatic driver updates are supposed to be about convenience and security. A recently discovered vulnerability in AMD's official AutoUpdate utility turns that idea on its head, and the company's response raises serious questions about its priorities. Instead of a swift patch, users got a refusal to fix the issue.

A mandatory Windows update is causing headaches for gamers using NVIDIA graphics cards. While NVIDIA has typically fixed such issues with its own patches in the past, the company is now officially recommending the removal of the January update KB5074109. Following its installation, GeForce owners are reporting widespread FPS drops and visual artifacts in games.

Google's plans to create a unified operating system for all devices have turned out to be much more drawn out in time. According to internal documents leaked online during an antitrust case, the company is in no hurry to say goodbye to Chrome OS.

It seems the saga of unstable Windows 11 updates continues. Following a series of issues earlier this year, a number of users have encountered a new frustrating bug: upon booting up, their entire interface vanishes—leaving a blank screen instead of the familiar icons and taskbar.

For six months, users of the popular text editor Notepad++ could have unintentionally downloaded malware onto their computers while installing official updates. An investigation revealed that the project's servers were compromised, allowing attackers to substitute the legitimate installers with malicious ones.

Mozilla has announced the introduction of granular control over artificial intelligence tools in its browser. With the release of update Firefox 148, users will get a centralized panel allowing them to disable all current and future AI features with a single click or configure them selectively.

Testing on a configuration with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor and a Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card shows that Windows 10 can still be the winning choice for gamers. Compared to the latest Windows 11 25H2, the older system delivers equal or even slightly higher frame rates in most modern titles.

Microsoft is shifting its strategy for Windows 11, stepping back from its aggressive push to saturate the operating system with artificial intelligence. Facing mounting user criticism, the corporation is set to overhaul some of its most controversial AI features.

Many modern browsers come with AI assistants, telemetry collection, and sponsored content enabled by default. For users who don't plan to use these features, they become a drain on system resources and a potential invasion of privacy. In response, a simple solution has appeared online—the open-source script Just the Browser.

Despite debates around its refreshed interface, stricter system requirements, and a host of issues, Microsoft's latest operating system has proven its mass appeal. According to the company, Windows 11 has crossed a major milestone, and it did so notably faster than Windows 10 did in its day.

Android smartphone owners are encountering an unexpected change in how YouTube works. The previously available feature for free users to listen to videos in the background using alternative browsers appears to have been blocked. Numerous complaints suggest the platform is systematically closing this popular workaround, reserving background playback exclusively for YouTube Premium subscribers.

A new tool has emerged that could change the way we run classic PlayStation 2 games. The PS2Recomp project proposes converting the code of old console titles into native applications for modern operating systems, bypassing the emulation stage. This paves the way for more stable performance and easier access to the legendary console's vast library.

Google is beginning to transform Chrome from a page-viewing tool into an active AI assistant. The browser is getting deep integration with Gemini, including an Auto Browse mode capable of independently performing multi-step tasks online—from product searches to trip planning. A number of the new features are already available to users.

As statistics reveal a shrinking market share for Windows 11, Microsoft has embarked on a large-scale, yet under-the-radar effort. The company has started making changes to the very foundation of the operating system—its core platform.

A mistake on Google's public bug tracker briefly provided access to an early version of the interface for the company's upcoming desktop operating system. The obtained screenshots showcase what a hybrid of Android and ChromeOS for computers might look like.

NVIDIA has rolled out a major update for its FrameView monitoring utility. Version 1.7 brings a fully customizable overlay, improved measurement accuracy at extremely high FPS, and a lengthy list of fixes aimed at boosting stability and compatibility with popular games.