Terabyte update 2024

HARDWARE

By Will Fastie

This year, the numbers are bouncing around and the trends are muddled.

Except for the influences exerted by events such as floods in Thailand and global pandemics, pricing for storage usually follows a predictable trend line.

Prices are behaving slightly differently this time around. I will offer some thoughts about why this might have happened, but I admit to a lack of clarity.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.26.0, 2024-06-24).

Can’t get email?

Sometimes, the reason isn’t you, it’s them. Case in point a coworker is on a cruise right now and contacted me via text messaging to ask why he couldn’t get his Comcast email and it kept prompting him for a password. While you are on vacation you might not want to access technology, but then again if you need access to confirmations and what not, sometimes you need email.

It turns out, or rather, it appears that Comcast still is blocking the IMAP ports when you are not on a regular wifi and are on a Cruise ship. I told him to use the web URL and access it that way.

IMAP uses specific port numbers, specifically 993 or 143. On the Internet connection on the ship, clearly they are blocking those ports.

It reminds me that while email is so used by everyone, it’s still something that we don’t always have total control over. Vendors block ports, or change authentication methods, or change defaults and don’t communicate well what they are doing.

Like this… wouldn’t it be better if there was some sort of splash page provided by Comcast that indicated what the block was?

Have you ever been surprised about a change in email that no vendor told you about?

OneDrive and File Explorer

WINDOWS 11

By Will Fastie

Things are not going so well for Windows 11’s new File Explorer.

But it might be OneDrive’s fault.

In fact, it’s not really possible to discuss File Explorer without including OneDrive, and vice versa. They are inextricably linked now, a probable source of many problems with synchronization. And there may be a deeper problem, buried somewhere in Windows 11, that is the source of a strange behavior described below.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.25.0, 2024-06-17).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

Outlook signatures

MICROSOFT 365

By Peter Deegan

The Signature feature in Outlook is nice, but it has lots of gotchas at the moment.

It’s a mess. A lot depends on which Outlook software you’re using and what type of mailbox you have (i.e., Microsoft-hosted or not). This is hopefully a transitional situation, but it means that much of the online advice about Outlook signatures is either out of date, incomplete, or just plain wrong.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.25.0, 2024-06-17).

The fresh Paint in Windows 11

WINDOWS 11

By Mary Branscombe

The changes Microsoft made to Paint for Windows 11 make it better than the version I’ve used for 20 years.

The beauty of Microsoft Paint, especially in Windows 10, is how simple it is. It has all the basic tools for working with bitmaps, so if you need to crop or resize images; erase or blur a few pixels (such as personal information in a screenshot); or draw on the odd label, line, arrow, or box to create a diagram; Paint has everything you need.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.25.0, 2024-06-17).

Apple owns ‘AI’

APPLE

By Will Fastie

Its marketing skills are legend, but the Spaceship has taken it to a new galaxy.

Everything is about AI now. It’s getting to the point that a loaf of bread at the grocery will be marked “Baked in AI-enhanced ovens!”

We all know that “AI” is an abbreviation for “artificial intelligence.” But in the keynote address for Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference last week, presenters announced “Apple Intelligence.” No one specifically suggested that Apple would co-opt the abbreviation “AI” — just consider it a fait accompli. And also consider it a spectacularly brilliant marketing move.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.25.0, 2024-06-17).

Don’t patch while traveling

PATCH WATCH

By Susan Bradley

Recently, a Plus member asked whether they should patch before leaving for vacation or could patch while on vacation.

Then a coworker let me know about their own imminent multiweek vacation and wanted to know the same thing.

Both requests reminded me of my stance on updating machines right before, during, or just after travel. Don’t.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.25.0, 2024-06-17).

Patch List for June 11, 2024

We’re still in testing mode for this month’s updates.

In my early consumer testing I’m not seeing anything…. yet.

For business patchers I have some long term patching changes that I’ve listed on the Master Patch page.

As always, thank you all for supporting the cause! Remember we use the “name your price” model where you can choose how much you will pay for  a membership . Plus membership gives you access and if you donate $50 or more you’ll get a special code to enable text messages sent to your phone each time the Master Patch List gets updated and when I change the MS-DEFCON level.  More details in Monday’s newsletter.  You are missing out if you don’t sign up. All content is human made with our own blood, sweat, tears, fingers and brain power and 100% AI free.  Therefore, if I’ve fat fingered any KB numbers or if you have any questions, as always post in the forums and I’ll follow up!