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Peppermint 9 accomplishes something most other Linux distros don't: It melds the best components from other desktop environments and integrates them into a solid operating system. The latest release nearly completes a process begun several upgrades ago, using more Xfce elements and fewer LXDE components. Peppermint is a good alternative to the Linux Mint Xfce release with a sprinkling of Cinnamon to spice up the desktop a bit more. Peppermint also uses Ice -- a cloud and Web application management tool. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2lFd5Aa

Facebook and Google have manipulated users into sharing data using so-called "dark patterns," according to a report from the Norwegian Consumer Council. The practices nudged users toward accepting privacy options that favored the tech companies rather than themselves, the NCC found. Facebook and Google have no intention of providing users with an actual choice, the NCC has claimed, and their use of dark patterns constitutes a violation of the General Data Protection Regulation implemented across Europe last month. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Mvumae

Network devices with better security will be hitting the market this year, thanks to Wi-Fi Certified WPA3, which the Wi-Fi Alliance launched Tuesday. The announcement paves the way for the proliferation of devices that support the new, more secure protocol for WiFi communication, which is designed to replace the 14-year-old WPA2. The new protocol adds features to simplify WiFi security, enable more robust authentication, and deliver increased cryptographic strength for highly sensitive data markets. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2ItdBdv

Apple plans to expand its audio product line next year with new AirPods, HomePods and possibly studio-quality over-the-ear headphones. The new generation of AirPods will feature noise cancellation, be water resistant, and have greater range, according to a report citing people familiar with the developments. "If Apple is making those changes, they're just competitive upgrades," said Paul Erickson, a senior analyst with IHS Markit. "Everybody else is already doing those things for earbuds in the $150 to $200 price range." from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2yJOsLV

IBM just showcased Project Debater, and it just won against a top human debater using actual facts. We need the production version of this tool yesterday. Fake news is getting worse. We have always had issues with politicians and con artists trying to convince us down is up and to get us to do things that, were we informed, we'd never do. It won't be long before criminals will be using artificial intelligence tied to information they have bought from a social network to better take our hard-earned cash from us or change our government. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2tD92aW

Facebook has announced new tactics to reduce the spread of fake news. Its efforts will include combining technology with human reviewers to identify and remove fake accounts; partnering with fact-checkers; and promoting news literacy. Facebook will expand its fact-checking programs to new countries, scrutinize photos and videos more closely, and increase the impact of fact-checking through new techniques that could include identifying duplicates and using Claim Review. It will monitor repeat offenders more closely and take actions as necessary. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2tlIKdY

The Linux Foundation's 2018 Open Source Technology Jobs Report shows rapid growth in the demand for open source technical talent, with Linux skills a must-have requirement for entry-level positions. Linux coding is the most sought-after open source skill. Linux-based container technology is a close second. The report provides an overview of open source career trends, factors motivating professionals in the industry, and ways employers attract and retain qualified talent. This year's report features data from more than 750 hiring managers. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Ia26HR

Amazon's latest gambit for taking over your living room is the Fire TV Cube. It works in much the same way as the Fire TV stick, but with the added impact this time around of stuffing in a smart speaker with the familiar tones of the Alexa voice assistant. You can use it to play whatever you want to see in up to 4K resolution from various streaming services. All the usual suspects are here, like Netflix and HBO Go, but sadly, there's no native YouTube app, thanks to a tiff between Amazon and Google. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2MJbKEM

Some logistics and mobility industry heavyweights have formed a group committed to improving the lives and opportunities of working Americans through adoption of autonomous vehicles. Its roster includes the American Trucking Associations, Daimler, FedEx, Ford, Lyft, Toyota Motor North America, Uber and Waymo. "Our autonomous vehicle future will bring many significant benefits for society, but we also must remember that it may change the way many of us work," said PTIO Executive Director Maureen Westphal. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2M7ARQt

Just like leaders in every other field you can imagine, academics have been hard at work studying information security. Most fields aren't as replete with hackers as information security, though, and their contributions are felt much more strongly in the private sector than in academia. The differing motives and professional cultures of the two groups act as barriers to direct collaboration, noted Anita Nikolich in her "Hacking Academia" presentation at CypherCon. For starters, academics and hackers have very distinct incentives. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2t85jmq

The next version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 12, automatically will share location data for iPhones used to make emergency calls. The system will use an IP-based data pipeline developed by RapidSOS to share location data from iPhones with 911 centers. "Communities rely on 911 centers in an emergency, and we believe they should have the best available technology at their disposal," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "When every moment counts, these tools will help first responders reach our customers when they most need assistance." from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2M3tc5P

To say we live in troubled times would be an understatement. It often feels like the politicians and executives who surround us are interested only in who can tell the biggest whopper while lining their own pockets and leaving their constituents and customers to pay the bills. I recently read that the real reason Jon Stewart stepped down from The Daily Show was that he was incredibly angry all the time, which had an adverse impact not only on his ability to be funny but also on his ability to enjoy life. Much of that is because those of us in media tend to focus excessively on the bad. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2JYyC1k

Apple plans to equip iOS 12 with USB Restricted Mode, a feature that requires users to unlock their iPhone with their passcode before USB accessories can connect if the phone last was unlocked more than an hour earlier. The company included this feature in the developer versions of iOS 11.4.1 and iOS 12. Apple will release USB Restricted Mode publicly in a future software update, it confirmed this week. USB Restricted Mode should work on iPads the same way as on iPhones because it's a software feature. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2HXPC5M

E3 had the usual hits and misses this year, and more drama than most of the games on the screens. With a strong lineup of first-party titles plus better third-party support, Nintendo is the comeback king. However, the battle for hardcore gamer dollars continues to be fought between Microsoft and Sony. With no new hardware news from the companies, this was another year about the games, but for every hit there were apparently a few misses -- and no doubt many of the games shown this year won't be released by the time next year's show kicks off. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2LVm0bU

Nintendo called in fan favorites, including Mario and Smash Bros., at this year's E3 in Los Angeles. Super Mario Party will be heading to the Nintendo Switch this October, joined by Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the giant robot combat game Daemon x Machina . However, it was Fortnite , the battle royale game that has become a worldwide phenomenon, that arguably stole Nintendo's E3 Direct show, with the announcement that a Switch version of the free-to-play game had become available for download via the eShop. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2t9ir9V

Sony gave PlayStation fans a hefty sampling of what's coming to its gaming consoles this year at E3. It gave them a long look at a relatively few offerings. "Sony's E3 event was a break with tradition, an experiment to test the way it could present its first-party output to the media," said Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games at IHS Technology. "It aimed to underline the depth of Sony's IP, its highly skilled development teams, and its ability to craft engaging and immersive stories and characters." from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2JAjGKE

Microsoft made a big splash at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles with its announcement of more than 50 games for its Xbox One gaming console. Among the games unveiled by the company were 18 designed to run exclusively on Xbox, including Forza Horizon 4 , Halo Infinite , Gears 5 , Session , Below and Ashen . Microsoft also offered the more than 6,000 people on hand at its E3 presentation peeks at major titles to be released next year. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2l32bE2

Dell's most forward-looking people spoke about the future at Dell World a few weeks ago. One of the sessions I attended dovetailed with something that appears to be glaringly obvious -- to me, anyway -- which is that is that robots likely will be the next big technology wave. I then wandered around to find out what Dell was doing in robotics, and I couldn't find anything. Dell is not alone, as I'm not aware of any of the current leading technology firms doing anything in robotics with one exception: Nvidia. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2JI4pXb

Microsoft sent tremors through the open source world last week, when it announced that it would acquire the popular developer platform GitHub for $7.5 billion in company stock. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the calendar year. GitHub, one of the world's largest computer code repositories, is home to more than 28 million developers for collaboration and distribution of projects. In recent years, Microsoft has stepped up its activity through several partnerships with GitHub. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2LGNqlp

"By using gender-neutral terms, we might change people's minds about what jobs they're qualified for and have a chance of getting. Getting rid of gender-biased terms helps level the playing field," said Heather Reed, VP of business development for G2 Crowd. "There are different phrases that we use and don't even think about it," she said, "like 'right-hand man,' or 'manning up,' or 'chatty Kathy.' We need to be cognizant of the subtle implications those terms have." from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2xWtAAV

Apple on Monday gave the world a peek at macOS Mojave, the next version of its operating system for Macintosh laptop and desktop computers. The preview took place at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. Mojave has a mix of new features that add to its good looks and utility as a productivity tool. Among its highlights is a new Dark Mode -- a darkened color scheme designed to make content pop on the desktop while controls blend into the background. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2JfFf2P

Red Hat has launched its Fuse 7 cloud-native integration solution and introduced Fuse Online, an alternative iPaaS. Red Hat Fuse is a lightweight modular and flexible integration platform with a new-style enterprise service bus to unlock information. It provides a single, unified platform across hybrid cloud environments for collaboration between integration experts, application developers and business users. The Fuse 7 upgrade expands the platform's integration capabilities natively to Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2sy7QWR

The next version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 12, will include a new feature that allows you to customize the way Siri works with applications on phones and tablets. The announcement was one of the highlights at the kickoff of Apple's WWDC on Monday. Called "Siri Shortcuts," the feature lets a user define a phrase that will trigger a set of actions by the apps on a device. For example, you could say, "Game Time" to get a team schedule from TeamSnap, or "Groceries" to fulfill a standing grocery order from a grocery app. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Hl0QBg

The most popular show on ABC was canceled last week because the star of the show, Roseanne Barr -- known for saying and writing stuff that would get most of us fired -- did exactly what she was known for doing and got fired. ABC now looks like it is run by idiots because, really, who didn't see this coming? The network now has to explain to its licensees why they no longer will be able to get the ad revenue that otherwise would have been coming to them. This outcome is one that could have been prevented relatively easily. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Jfxjuq

Ninety-five percent of teens have access to a smartphone, and 45 percent of teens are almost constantly online -- but younger Internet users do not connect on Facebook as much as their older peers do, suggests a new Pew Research Center study. Although Facebook dominated social media across all age groups over the past decade, it has taken a backseat to YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat among today's teens. Facebook is still used by more than half of all teens aged 13 to 17, the survey results indicate. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Jj79dn