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Microsoft Offers No-Cost Windows 10 Lifeline

1 month 2 weeks ago
Microsoft on Sept 24 announced new options for US and European customers to safely extend the life of the Windows 10 operating system free of charge just days before a key deadline to upgrade to Windows 11. From a report: The US tech giant plans to end support for Windows 10 on Oct 14, a move that has drawn criticism from consumer advocacy groups and sparked concerns among users who fear they will need to purchase new computers to stay protected from cyber threats. Users who are unable to upgrade or choose to forgo the extended security updates will face increased vulnerability to cyberattacks. In response to these concerns, Microsoft informed European users that essential security updates will be extended for one year at no additional cost, provided they log in with a Microsoft account. Previously, the company had offered a one-year extension of Windows 10 security updates for $30 to users whose hardware is incompatible with Windows 11. In the US, a similar free option will allow users to upload their Windows 10 profiles to Microsoft's backup service and receive security updates for up to one year.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Pocket Casts is Showing Ads To People Who Paid For an Ad-free App

1 month 2 weeks ago
Pocket Casts is being flogged for showing advertisements to legacy users who were promised an ad-free experience. From a report: The first reports started to appear in early September in the Pocket Casts support forum and subreddit. The issue is a bug, according to Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Pocket Casts' parent company Automattic, and will be corrected. Pocket Casts launched as a purchase-only app in 2010, charging users a one-time download fee of up to $10, depending on the OS and platform. The service later switched to a subscription-based model and made the app available for free in 2019. After backlash from users, the company gave anyone who paid for the web or desktop apps before the pricing changes free lifetime access to Pocket Casts Plus, its ad-free premium subscription service. The app was acquired by Automattic in 2021, and the Pocket Casts Lifetime memberships were rebranded to "Pocket Casts Champion" in August 2024.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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New string of phishing attacks targets Python developers

1 month 2 weeks ago
If you recently got an email asking you to verify your credentials to a PyPI site, better change that password

The Python Software Foundation warned users of a new string of phishing attacks using a phony Python Package Index (PyPI) website and asking victims to verify their account or face suspension, and advised anyone who did provide their credentials to change their password "immediately."…

Jessica Lyons