The modern (or “Metro”) version of Internet Explorer in Windows 8 supports Flash, but only for some Microsoft-approved websites. You can add your own favorite websites to Microsoft’s whitelist to view Flash on any website. The desktop version of IE supports Flash on every website, but you don’t have to leave the new Windows 8 user interface if you don’t want to. This trick works on both Windows 8 and Windows RT....
Ever wondered how to discover what files are currently open and in use on your system? The Linux lsof command lists open files and provides plenty of extra information. Learn how to use lsof with these practical examples. What Is lsof? Available natively within any Linux operating system, the lsof command provides a list of open files. However, the output can be a bit cryptic and long, especially when using many applications on a given system....
As you become more and more experienced with systems engineering/admin work, you tend to ask yourself, “Can PowerShell make this easier for me?” It almost always starts a learning journey that only helps you to understand PowerShell even more. Thinking about the task of configuring various IIS components for multiple servers, the steps can be broken down into logical steps, which are basically the steps you would take in the GUI on a single Windows Server....
PHP 8.1 adds support for a readonly modifier on class properties. A property that’s tagged in this way can only be set once. Trying to change a readonly property’s value after initialization will throw an error. “Readonly” is quite a vague term, with varying implications in individual programming languages. In this context, “readonly” really means “immutable”—you can set a property’s value, but it can’t be changed afterward. Writing Readonly Properties Add the readonly modifier to make a property readonly....
If your cellular provider’s mobile hotspot/tethering plans are too pricey, skip them and tether your phone to your computer without inflating your monthly bill. Read on to see how you can score free mobile internet. We recently received a letter from a How-To Geek reader, requesting help linking their Android phone to their laptop to avoid the highway robbery their cellular provider was insisting upon: Well Double Dipping, this is a sentiment we can strongly related to as many of us on staff are in a similar situation....
While it’s usually pretty clear if your system is running out of memory or using too much CPU time, disk usage is another key metric that can sneak up on you over time if you leave your server unattended. You’ll want to regular check your disk usage using these commands. Checking Disk Usage On Linux The utility used to quickly check disk usage on almost all Linux systems is df, which stands for “disk filesystems....
The Myth of IoT Security After decades of digitizing all aspects of security, claiming that people are the weakest link—and they still are—it’s easy to turn a blind eye to IoT networks because they’re technology-based. But replacing physical tasks with remote gadgets and devices that do them better isn’t always a flawless solution. You can think of implementing additional IoT devices and networks to a business, like adding more doors to your offices....
Syncing your existing iOS device with a new computer can be a daunting task, especially when you don’t want to lose any data that’s already on the device. Making the new computer accept your iOS device can be difficult, but certainly not impossible. So let’s go ahead and see how you can sync your existing iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad with a new computer, without losing any existing content on the device....
How does the screen automatically adjust brightness? How does the phone know to rotate the screen when you turn it? It’s all thanks to the dozens of sensors hidden inside. We’ll explain a few of the most important ones. Ambient Light Sensor The Ambient Light Sensor is responsible for a common feature on iPhones and Android devices called “Auto Brightness.” This sensor makes it possible for your phone to detect the lighting conditions around you and adjust the screen brightness accordingly....
GitOps describes a way of operating and managing software using methodologies rooted in the Git version control system. Use of GitOps-based workflows makes it easier to develop, deploy, maintain, and collaborate on software by requiring the system’s characteristics to be defined as files in a Git repository. Git’s role as the single source of truth is implied by the terminology. However, the actual implementation of GitOps-driven processes has historically been open to interpretation....
A smart phone in your pocket is great for on the go news, web browsing, and—of course—mobile gaming. It’s also fantastic for comparison shopping. Today we take a look at four Android scanners and price comparison engines. It’s quite a neat time to be a consumer. Historically if you wanted to do serious price comparisons you had to haul yourself around town, gather flyers from the newspapers, and otherwise invest way too much energy into potential savings that might not even break into double digits....
In this article, you’ll learn what the JWT structure includes and how you can generate your own tokens. JWTs are a popular way to secure APIs and authenticate user sessions because they’re simple and self-contained. How JWTs Work One of the most common tasks in any API is validating that users are who they claim to be. Authentication’s usually handled by having the client include an API key with requests it sends to the server....
Microsoft Planner is a to-do app that comes with Office 365. It’s used for personal and teamwork planning, with a simple card-based interface that’s similar to Trello. Here’s a quick look at how to use it. Planner is available for anyone with a paid subscription to Office 365 (O365), whether that’s a personal subscription you’ve paid yourself or an enterprise license your company pays for. It’s not available for free, but our sister site Review Geek has a list of great alternatives if you don’t have a paid O365 subscription....
Image available as wallpaper here. By far the most popular method of photo sharing was to upload the pictures to cloud-based storage. Many readers took advantage of sizable SkyDrive accounts. Dragonbite writes: Even users who had shifted away from using Skydrive were still tempted to return to it. Jer writes: I have another (desktop) computer where all of the pictures are stored from mine and my wife’s camera’s imports so if I need to free up some space on SkyDrive or my Windows 7 laptop, I double-check they are in the desktop computer before deleting them from my laptop (and thus from SkyDrive as well)....
Series X or S: What’s the Difference? First, we need to take a moment to address Microsoft’s confusing naming conventions. The new, next-generation Xbox consoles are the Series S and Series X. These are not to be confused with the Xbox One X or One S, both of which are last-generation machines. With that out of the way, the following are the main differences between the Series X and Series S:...
This is a Black Friday deal that carried over to Cyber Monday, and it ends on November 29, 2021. That means you don’t have much time to jump on this one if Apple News+ interests you. Whether you’re looking to read some newspapers or popular magazines like Edge, Wired, Rolling Stone, and all the others, you’ll want to sign up. Redeem now: https://t.co/ugwhqhZ9a8 pic.twitter.com/JBqmNskLpF — Apple News (@AppleNews) November 25, 2021...
Android’s default browser, named “Internet,” is a very simple browser that’s tied to your Android OS version. Other, third-party browsers offer more powerful interfaces, greater configurability, and more frequent updates. Unlike on Apple’s iOS, Android browsers can implement their own rendering engines, although not all do. That Firefox app isn’t just a shell over the stock browser, like it is on iOS – it brings Mozilla’s Gecko to Android....
The Echo Show 15 comes with a 15.6″ screen with a slim design that’s begging to be mounted to the wall. It also comes with a camera that can actually see who is in front of it, allowing it to offer custom information based on each person’s needs. This feature is optional, so if you’d prefer the camera not identify you, you don’t need to turn it on. The new device introduces Alexa Widgets, which are designed to show key pieces of information that’ll help keep everyone around the house organized....
There must have been an occasion when you launched a video and got sound but no picture. The most likely cause is that you never had the correct codec installed, so here’s how to find out exactly which codec is needed to play any media file. Finding the Codec Head over to the developer’s website and grab a copy of CodecInstaller (full package). Once downloaded, launch it and run through the install wizard....
Looking for a little DIY fun this holiday season? Open up familiar tool MS Word and create simple, beautiful Christmas and Holiday cards, and impress your family with your crafting skills. This is the first part of a two part article. In this first section, we’ll tackle design in MS Word. In our second, we’ll cover supplies and proper printing methods to get a great look out of your dusty old inkjet....
