Software and Services - Features

Linux 2.6.28's five best features

While you were likely to be opening up Christmas presents, Linus Torvalds was giving Linux users around the world a special present: the release of the next major Linux kernel: Linux 2.6.28.

Windows 7 beta: your complete resource center to the OS

Microsoft Windows 7 beta is now available for public download. We've compiled all the information you need to understand what's different with the Windows 7 beta and decide whether it's the right option for you.

Windows 7 beta: Should you try it?

Microsoft is busily promoting Windows 7, its next operating system and successor to the much-maligned Vista.

Windows 7 public beta: first impressions

On Thursday at CES, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the public availability of the Windows 7 beta release. At PC World we've been running our own evaluations of the forthcoming replacement to Microsoft's much-derided Windows Vista for some time...

FAQ: How to get the Windows 7 beta

Late yesterday, Microsoft unveiled the public beta for Windows 7, the follow-on and follow-up to Vista, which from all signs the company is trying to forget as fast as possible.

How to get your mitts on the Windows 7 beta

Late Wednesday, Microsoft unveiled the public beta for Windows 7, the follow-on and follow-up to Vista, which from all signs the company is trying to forget as fast as possible.

Review: Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 adds speed and privacy

Firefox 3.1 may only be a point release -- from 3.0 to 3.1 -- but its just-released Beta 2 version is a good indication that the final release will be a must-have upgrade for anyone using Firefox.

Don't wait for Snow Leopard: Slim down, speed up a Mac now

Apple hasn't done much talking about Snow Leopard, the next-generation update to Mac OS X that's due to be released in 2009 (possibly within the first quarter of the year). But in what came as a surprise to many, the company has said that the new ope...

Vista SP2: six things you need to know

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 has been released as a public beta version.

Too good to ignore: 6 alternative browsers

When Microsoft, Mozilla or Apple comes out with a new version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari, it makes news -- mainly because most of us use one or more of these three Web browsers. In fact, with the exception of Google's Chrome (which made ...

How 10 Famous Technology Products Got Their Names

Coming up with a great technology product or service is only half the battle these days. Creating a name for said product that is at once cool but not too cool or exclusionary, marketable to both early adopters and a broader audience, and, of course,...

Windows 7: This time Microsoft gets it right

Microsoft may call the newest version of its operating system Windows 7, but you may want to think of it as Windows 6.5. In overall look and feel, it mimics Vista, although there are enough changes to make it far more than just a juiced-up service pa...

Specialty Linuxes to the rescue

Linux is, among other things, a customizable operating system. Clever developers can craft a Linux whose kernel and packages are configured for a specific purpose, to serve as a sort of vertical-market operating system. The benefit to users is somewh...

How best do I clean my Registry?

Has a surgeon ever told you that, although they're an expert and will do the best they can, the operation still has some inherent risks? Imagine replacing the surgeon with some cheap or free software.

If Windows is a dead end, what's next?

The writing is on the wall. Despite a major push to sell the much-maligned Windows Vista, customers aren't buying. Nearly two years after Vista's release, Windows XP remains the standard desktop OS in business, and Microsoft has extended its availabi...