Opera version 10.10 has been released and it’s very important that you upgrade as soon as possible. Click on the Help menu and then Check for updates.

According to ZDNet, the most serious flaw could allow an attacker to take complete control of the computer, and you don’t need me to tell you that’s a bad thing.

Posted by Tim Smith on November 24, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Apple has released an update for iTunes 9. It should come through on Apple Software Update, otherwise you can download the iTunes installer.

Here are the release notes from the Apple Software Update utility (I couldn’t find them on the Apple website.)

iTunes 9.0.1 provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

• Resolves issues browsing the iTunes Store.
• Addresses a performance issue where iTunes may become unresponsive.
• Fixes a problem where iTunes may unexpectedly quit.
• Fixes a problem syncing Podcasts in playlists to iPod or iPhone.
• Fixes a problem sorting albums with multiple discs.
• Improves application syncing for iPod touch and iPhone.
• Genius is now automatically updated to show Genius Mixes.

(I still have no idea why the Update utility is anxious to install the iPhone Configuration Utility, given that I’ve never plugged an iPhone or iPod into my computer.)

Posted by Tim Smith on September 24, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

We’re used to Firefox checking add-ons after an upgrade but the latest update has some extra advice on the webpage opened after restarting. There’s been an update to Adobe Flash for both security and stability. Keeping add-ons and such up to date on Firefox can become a confusing business so any extra help is most welcome

Posted by Tim Smith on September 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)

If you’ve been trying out software that doesn’t cost a penny, you’ve probably downloaded and installed Open Office. While very capable at what it does, it’ll be a little limiting for more desk top publishing (DTP) duties.

Enter Scribus, an open source DTP app, that has just been updated. It can now open more file formats and handles colour palettes better.

The big thing for me was the ability to import Adobe Illustrator .eps files. Having used sites like VectorStock for graphics, my biggest challenge was finding software to edit them with that suit my budget better than Illustrator.

Sadly the import of the first free eps on VectorStock didn’t go perfectly. I’m probably going to stick with Xara Xtreme (review of Xtreme 4, review of 5 coming soon) for eps editing for the moment, but the open source community does tend to keep improving features so hopefully it’ll

A full list of new features can be found here.

Posted by Tim Smith on August 19, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Be prepared for some updates coming for Windows Update. According to the Windows Update Product Team Blog it’s all automatic and won’t change any settings of when and how updates are installed. More information here.

Posted by Tim Smith on August 18, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

There's a new version of the Chandler task management software just released.

It's a great way to stay organised and can share information with other people over the internet even if they use alternative services like Google Calendar or iCal.

If I sound like a fan that's because I am. Chandler fits my working style and has helped me get through some very busy times at work, even though I'm only really scratching the surface.

My biggest frustration is that I don't have Java no my home server so I can't run the server side software myself for calendars. Still there's really no need as the Chandler Hub service is very good.

Posted by Tim Smith on April 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)

There’s a security update for Firefox. I’ve just applied the update, I hope you have too. Sadly not all of my add-ons are claiming compatibility, I shall have to wait before being able to download Flash videos again.

Hopefully, your About window will look like this.

Posted by Tim Smith on March 30, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (13)

I hope you’ve all done this already but there are some important updates for Adobe Reader and the Foxit PDF Reader. Adobe Reader should update itself automatically, but it’s worth checking.

Thanks to the F-Secure blog for the update.

Posted by Tim Smith on March 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (6)

You have probably received automatic notification that there is a new version of Java available.

It’s not quite as straightforward as clicking on Next as a Firefox toolbar is selected for installation by default. It might be useful if you use Yahoo for email and don’t have any other anti spyware protection, but it does irritate me that it’s opt-out rather than opt-in.

On a positive note, it seems that the old version of Java is now being removed as part of the installation process. I quickly checked  Add/Remove programs and couldn’t see the last version of Java. I’m pretty sure the Java 2 Runtime environments

Posted by Tim Smith on March 6, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Windows Vista blog has announced that Vista SP2 has reached Release Candidate status. This is the last stage before final release and means it is available to people with Technet and MSDN accounts. Hopefully we’ll get our hands on it soon and will take a look.

A full list of what Service Pack 2 will include can be found here. In addition to all of the updates released since SP1, it will install Windows Search 4 and an improved Windows Media Center.

Posted by Tim Smith on February 27, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (6)