What Is Shareware, and Why Was It So Popular in the 1990s? It’s a crazy idea: Give your software away for free and hope that people like it enough to send you money. That was the idea behind shareware, a popular commercial software model in the 1980s and 1990s. Here’s what made it unique and successful at the time.
Read moreWhat Is Amazon Sidewalk, and Should You Disable It? On June 8, 2021, most Amazon smart home devices—as well as certain other connected gadgets—will become part of a nationwide network called Sidewalk. Here’s what you need to know, and how to opt out if you choose to.
Read moreWhat Are Teletypes, and Why Were They Used with Computers? For a few decades, many computer system operators used devices called teletypes to interact with computers using a typewriter-style keyboard and output printed on spools of paper. Here’s why.
Read moreWhat Is Twitter Spaces, and Is It Different From Clubhouse? Social media websites tend to follow trends and reproduce popular features. You’ve probably noticed they all have “Stories” now. If you use Twitter, you may have noticed another new thing called “Spaces.” What are Twitter Spaces and should you care about them?
Read moreDo ISPs Track and Sell Your Browsing Data? When you’re shopping for a VPN or otherwise looking into your privacy, you’ll quickly run into claims that your internet service provider is collecting your data and selling it. Is that even true, though? What are the rules that govern what ISPs can and cannot do with your data?
Read moreThe First PC to Sell Millions: Commodore VIC-20 Turns 40 In 1981, Commodore released the VIC-20, a low-cost mass-market home computer that served up great video games and taught a generation of kids how to program. It sold millions of units and inspired a generation of programmers. Here’s what made it special.
Read moreWhat Is DuckDuckGo? Meet the Google Alternative for Privacy DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t track you. This alternative to Google, Bing, and Yahoo is growing fast. Here’s an introduction to DuckDuckGo and a look at how it protects your privacy.
Read moreWhat Is Google’s FLoC, and How Will It Track You Online? Third-party cookies are going extinct, but that doesn’t mean tracking is going away. Google is introducing a new tracking method called Federated Learning of Cohorts, or FLoC, as part of the “privacy sandbox” initiative it announced in 2019. Google claims its replacement for cookies will better protect user data, […]
Read more5G ultra wideband, 5GE, 5G Plus: Don’t fall for the carrier marketing fluff 5G comes in a lot of different flavors, and the carriers aren’t shy about slapping different labels on them. CNET breaks it down so you don’t have to.
Read moreDoes a VPN Really Make Your Online Activity Private? VPNs are advertised as the best way—maybe even the only way—to stay private online, but is that really true? If we look beyond the marketing copy, we find a much more messy reality than what is portrayed on the homepages of VPN providers.
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