Daily Archives: March 24, 2025
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Classic and Extended Control Panel — no need to say goodbye
ISSUE 22.12 • 2025-03-24 FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT
By Deanna McElveen
Microsoft is migrating applets out of the Windows 11 Control Panel and into the fancy Settings app in Windows 11, but not all of us are ready to give it up just yet.
Whether Control Panel is retired quickly or slowly, its days are numbered.
Peter Panisz created a program for Windows 10 and Windows 11 called Classic and Extended Control Panel, and it is just great. It retains the simple layout and feel of Windows Control Panel, launches the traditions applets, and does so much more.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.12.0, 2025-03-24).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
Things you can do in 2025 that you couldn’t do in 2024
LEGAL BRIEF
By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.
Rejoice! The new year brings a new batch of things that were once protected by copyright but are now public domain.
Let’s review my copyright primer. Under current US law, a copyright comes into existence as soon as an original work of authorship is fixed in a tangible medium. Originality is not a very high bar — the work needs only to be something created by the author rather than copied.
Tangible media include electronic storage, so websites qualify.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.12.0, 2025-03-24).
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Revisiting Windows 11’s File Explorer
WINDOWS 11
By Will Fastie
Have there been any recent improvements?
In a word, no. The new File Explorer is not getting any love and continues to suffer from major problems.
This is highlighted by my ongoing study of macOS. I will eventually write about the two world views of file management, comparing Microsoft’s File Explorer with Apple’s Finder.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.12.0, 2025-03-24).
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Planning ahead for migration
TAME YOUR TECH
By Susan Bradley
March 20, last Thursday, was the spring equinox. For me, that means I start planning ahead for gardening season.
I’ll review seed catalogs and study how things worked out last year. Making a plan well ahead of turning that first bit of soil is essential for me, and I put it all on paper. From determining how much fertilizer and mulch I need to computing compost density and selecting the best seeds for this year, I want that plan.
Okay, I know that as Will was editing this column, he was asking himself, “What the heck is she talking about? This is a tech newsletter!” I’ll explain.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.12.0, 2025-03-24).