6 Key Software Updates You Should Be Doing

Have you updated the software on your computer?

A recent survey by Skype suggests that 40% of users don’t do so when prompted, with 25% of them not understanding why they should.

Software updates are released for three reasons: to patch a security hole, to fix bugs and to add features.

Security updates are the most important. Periodically, hackers find vulnerabilities in software that can allow accessing your files, tracking what you type and even taking full control of your computer. Timely updates can keep you safe.

How to Check for Updates

Most software now includes the ability to periodically check for updates. Apple’s App Store and Microsoft’s Marketplace check for updates to software purchased through them.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 can be set to “wake” your computer up at night, even if it’s not turned on, and check for updates.

Apple’s new OS X Mountain Lion operating system does something similar with its “Power Nap” feature that allows downloading and installing updates while the computer “sleeps” in low power mode. Though these options greatly simplify installing updates, many still require your approval, so pay attention and respond when they prompt you.

What Needs Updating?

Any software code on your computer may need an update at some point. But these are the six most important categories:

1. Operating Systems

The operating system essentially controls everything and inevitably offers many vulnerabilities that Apple and Microsoft regularly discover and patch. You should install updates as soon as you see a prompt to do so, or set the computer to install them automatically.

2. Web Browsers

Web browsers are constantly evolving and need to be secure due to their direct access to the internet. Updates for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Apple’s Safari are provided through the operating systems update process. Google’s Chrome, and more recently Mozilla’s Firefox both get automatic updates, so no checking is required.

3. Productivity Software

Applications like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite only occasionally need security updates, but more often need bug fixes that prevent crashes, freezes and commands not behaving the way they are supposed to.

4. Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware Software

New malware, including Trojans and viruses, emerge daily. This is why your anti-virus software should be set to automatically update itself at least on a daily basis.

5. Supporting Software

Packages like Adobe Flash and Reader, Sun Java and Microsoft Silverlight play a supporting role for many applications and file types. Due to their popularity, they are often the target of hackers. It is especially important to update this type of software as soon as you see an alert.

6. Firmware and Drivers

Firmware tells your computer hardware what it can do, and drivers allow the rest of your software to access the hardware. Firmware updates most often expand the capabilities of your hardware. As an example, an Apple firmware update enables the new Power Nap feature. Driver updates most often fix bugs and expand features, such as providing additional display resolutions for larger screens.

(Mashable.com)

Raspberry Pi production grows, $35 Linux computer now available in bulk

The Raspberry Pi foundation has announced it will lift the purchasing restrictions on its $35 Linux computer. The organization's manufacturing partners will soon make the board available for bulk purchase.

The highly anticipated computer faced enormous demand when it launched in February. Retail partners were unable to cope with the traffic hitting their websites on the night when the tiny system became available for preorder.

The foundation had originally intended to work with a manufacturer in China, building the system in increments of 10,000 units. When it became clear that such an approach would never be able to fulfill demand for the product, the foundation transitioned to a licensed manufacturer model. It partnered with RS Components and Premier Farnell, two major electronics distributors based in the UK.

The two companies agreed to sell the initial batch of units for the foundation and then take over subsequent manufacturing and distribution. Due to the limited supply of units available from the initial manufacturing run, availability of the Raspberry Pi computer was constrained. The foundation limited purchases to one per customer.

Now that RS and Farnell have ramped up their Raspberry Pi manufacturing efforts, the little Linux computer is soon going to be easier to obtain. According to a statement published today by the Raspberry Pi foundation, the manufacturers are producing approximately 4,000 units every day.

The purchasing limits have consequently been lifted, making it possible to purchase the system in much larger quantities. The ability to bulk order Raspberry Pi units is a major win for schools and businesses that want to take advantage of the low-cost Linux computer. Schools, for example, can finally buy enough to be able to hand one to every student in a class.

We first reported on the Raspberry Pi computer in January when it entered the manufacturing stage. The inexpensive computer was originally conceived as a tool for teaching computer programming to young students, but it also attracted a large following of Linux hobbyists and embedded computing enthusiasts. The computer is a bare board, roughly the size of a deck of playing cards, with a 700MHz ARM11 CPU and 256MB of RAM.

Source: http://arstechnica.com