Software-Programming

Mac OS X users are familiar with warnings like the one shown here. Apple's "quarantine" has been in place for awhile, and it offers some minimal protection against accidentally opening files which have been downloaded from the Internet.

What most Mac OS X users probably don't know is that Mac OS X keeps a log of all files downloaded. Files are added to that log even if you are using "private" browsing in Safari or "incognito" in Google Chrome, and the log does not appear to ever be cleared.

A bunch of hardcore Nokia hackers and developers are currently working on a usable port of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Nokia N9, which uses the now-defunct Meego operating system.

The N9 comes with the Harmattan user interface and a 3.9-inch touchscreen that has no physical button (just what Ice Cream Sandwich needs).

For the third consecutive release of Firefox, Mozilla has pushed users a patch shortly after launching a new version of the browser.

On Friday, Mozilla updated Firefox to 10.0.1 to patch a crash bug that "may be potentially exploitable" by attackers. The company rated the vulnerability as "critical," its highest threat ranking.

Google issued a beta release of Chrome for Android last week. The port, which brings Chrome's feature set and excellent support for Web standards to Android, is a major improvement over the mobile platform's current default browser.

As we reported in our coverage of the beta, Android's default browser has historically had difficulty handling sophisticated application-like Web experiences. The new port of Chrome has the potential to remedy that weakness and bring highly competitive HTML5 support to Android.

Open source and open standards are the direction for UK government IT, the civil servant leading the government's technology change agenda has said.

Liam Maxwell, Cabinet Office director of ICT futures, said Tuesday in London that open source has grown up and it's time to dispel lingering misconceptions about this technology and development process.

There's good news for people who love bad news about the security of industrial control systems. At the SCADA Security Scientific Symposium (S4) in Miami Beach in January, there were a host of new security vulnerabilities unearthed in popular programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, the devices and software that are used to control all manner of critical infrastructure and industrial plants.

Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) released Thursday a preview of nine security patches scheduled for release on Valentine's Day to fix almost two-dozen vulnerabilities, some critical, in Windows and other software.

The four critical fixes, which Microsoft calls bulletins, get the highest rating because they could allow a hacker to run malicious code in Microsoft software from a remote location. Three of the patches will require a computer reboot to install.

A new version of the PS3's internal system software is being rolled out and it revolves around one major change, though in earnest, gamers won't even notice a real difference.

Sony company plans to roll out software version 4.10 to the console today. Users will be required to download and install the new firmware before they are allowed to take the system online for Web browsing, online gaming, or any other purpose.

In the latest issue of Which? Computing (January 2012) we have the lab results of the best security software for keeping your computer safe. Surprisingly, we found that free software can hold its own against paid-for suites.

It’s more important than ever to protect yourself while you’re online. But that shouldn’t mean having to pay through the nose for security software suites that require you to pay out all over again every 12 months.

Google has just released Chrome version 17, which brings several minor enhancements to the company's web browser— including a new web address preloading feature and improved protection against malicious downloads.