Daily Archives: January 27, 2025

• Windows 11, or a Mac?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:45 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 22.04 • 2025-01-27

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Microsoft is ending all security and feature updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. (There are exceptions, but they require fees.) Some of my readers who resist upgrading to Windows 11 — which can require a whole new PC — are instead considering the previously unthinkable: buying a Mac.

  This kind of speculation has been spawned, in part, by Apple’s introduction of the new 2024 Mac mini last October. If you buy computers based on their cuteness factor, brace yourself. The latest mini is adorable. At only 5 inches (12.7cm) square and 2 inches (5cm) high, it’s a shiny little block of aluminum that you can fit into one hand.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Public Defender Apple, Apple M4, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• What are we doing, and why?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:44 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Now you know what I alluded to a few weeks ago: Windows fanboy Brian Livingston is writing a comprehensive series about Macintosh — specifically, the Mac mini.

  No, we’re not changing course. This newsletter covers all things Microsoft and Windows and will continue to do so.

  But as I have noted in my news coverage of Apple over the last few years, there has been a seismic shift in personal computing as Apple transitioned into its own silicon. This cannot be ignored, especially because Microsoft has made strong efforts to make its software solutions available beyond Windows’ borders and into the Apple folds.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Apple Apple, Apple M4, Apple Mac, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• PC or Mac — any legal difference?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:43 CST by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  LEGAL BRIEF

  

  By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

  If you are trying to decide whether to buy a Windows-based PC or a Mac, one of the factors you will certainly consider is a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of their respective license agreements.

  We’ve previously reviewed the Microsoft Terms of Service. Today, we look at the license terms for the Mac.

  Do not be discouraged when you look at the terms of Apple’s 726-page Software License Agreement online. We’ll whittle that down for you. How, you may ask?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Legal Brief Apple, Legal, Macintosh, Newsletters, Terms of Service

• TextWorx — Writing or coding will never be the same

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:42 CST by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  I am lightning.

  No, not fast — but I like to take the path of least resistance. If there is an easier way to do something, that’s the way for me! I do a lot of writing. Randy, the other Older Geek, does his fair share of coding. So when he told me he’d been using a program he had tested a while back that made both of these easier, I perked up.

  TextWorx is a free program by fellow Missourian BGMCoder. TextWorx works with pretty much any program and makes writing or coding so much easier. I’ve been using it for only a week, and I can’t imagine writing without it. I’m using it right now.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Freeware Spotlight Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, TextWorx

• Understanding CVE

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:21 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Vendors track issues using the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database.

  Maintenance of the database is handled by the MITRE Corporation under the sponsorship of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the US Department of Homeland Security. It has been operating since 1999. In 2021, MITRE launched a new website with the domain cve.org and with new features and capabilities.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Patch Watch CISA, CVE, CVE-2025-21309, Documentation, Newsletters, Outlook, Outlook (classic), Outlook (new), Patch Lady Posts, Windows Mail