Eliana Willis

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETMicrosoft has rolled out the initial build of this year’s annual update for Windows 11, known as 25H2. Now available for Windows insiders, the 2025 version should install and run without too many hiccups, promising a smoother experience compared with the launch of the 24H2 edition.Also: Can’t upgrade your Windows 10 PC? Here are your options before it all ends in 3 monthsIn an IT blog post published Friday, Microsoft explained how and why Windows 11 25H2 is supposed to go down easy — certainly easier than its predecessor. First, the 25H2 installation package is smaller than for prior versions. With Windows 11 24H2, Microsoft performed an OS swap, completely replacing all the system files, even ones that didn’t need updating. That resulted in a larger package that took longer to install. With 25H2, Microsoft is replacing only the files that do need to be updated, so the installation will be leaner and run faster. Second, Microsoft is applying the same technology used in regular Windows updates to the 25H2 update. Through a process called “feature updates via servicing,” the new annual update is designed to install with just a single restart — one that aims to get you back to Windows quickly and easily. Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – 2 free optionsThird, Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 share the same source code. The only difference is that any new features in the 2025 version are simply disabled in the 2024 version. This means that Windows insiders who want to test the new flavor only have to focus on the new features instead of all the apps, devices, and other OS components. Hopefully, Microsoft learned a few lessons from the debacle of Windows 11 24H2. Almost from the get-go, that edition was plagued by a series of bugs and glitches, one after the other. Updates that tried to fix one set of problems sometimes caused a whole new set. With all the issues and incompatibilities, the company was forced to block the update for a variety of PCs. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that 25H2 will be a much more stable and reliable version, even as Microsoft adds new features. More

It’s almost time to add to cart. Amazon confirmed in a June press release More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is available now, starting at $649. It’s the most powerful Chromebook Plus device yet, and earned our Editor’s Choice award for its fantastic battery, lovely OLED display, and ultraportable form. There’s a limit to its performance capabilities, and utilizing ChromeOS to its fullest comes with a […] More

islander11/Getty Images Industry eyebrows were raised recently at New York Federal Reserve Bank data showing software engineering graduates face higher unemployment rates than art history majors. The unemployment rates for computer engineering and computer science were 7.5% and 6.7% respectively. By contrast, the unemployment rates for art history and social services majors were 3% and 1.7% […] More

Jack Wallen/ZDNETI spend a lot of time looking for Linux distributions that fit in certain niches, and one of the most important niches is those open-source operating systems that can serve the general public.When looking for such distributions, I tend to consider those based on Ubuntu first, which one might think is limiting, but there are hundreds of distributions with that base. Every so often, however, I run into a Debian-based distribution that fits the bill. That makes perfect sense, given Ubuntu itself is based on Debian.Also: This city is dumping Microsoft Office and Windows for OnlyOffice and Linux – here’s whyRefreshOS is one such Linux distribution, and version 2.5 proves that it has what it takes to be a distribution for the masses. RefreshOS is solid, fast, and well-designed, with a minimal (KDE Plasma) desktop that offers a pleasant, easy experience right out of the box. Everything, from the installation to usage, is user-friendly and simple. This is exactly what a Linux distribution for the average user should look like.Also: This free Linux distro is the easiest way to revive your old computer. How it worksRefreshOS even takes Debian one step further by adding your user to the sudo group, so you don’t have to change to the root user to run admin tasks. That change from the basic Debian release makes a big difference for users who might not be familiar with Linux.And that is exactly the point — a Linux distribution that offers the incredible stability of Debian, with the user-friendliness of Ubuntu. That’s not to say Ubuntu isn’t stable (it is), but Debian has always been one of (if not the) most stable OS on the planet.But what else does RefreshOS do that makes it special?Let’s take a look.The desktopRefreshOS takes KDE Plasma and configures it such that it resembles just about any desktop environment you might have ever used. It offers a rather Windows 7-like layout that is also highly configurable (as is the way with Plasma). But, out of the box, the desktop will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used a computer in the past two decades.Also: 4 ways the latest KDE Plasma release is better than ever – and how to try it yourselfIt’s got a panel, a start menu, a system tray, clickable icons – you know the drill. Yes, it does (like so many Linux distributions) default to a dark theme (why???????), which is easily changed in the System Settings app. The RefreshOS desktop is about as easy as it gets. What better promotion does a Linux desktop need?The appsOut of the box, RefreshOS includes everything you need to get started. You’ll find the LibreOffice office suite, a calendar, contact manager, KDE Connect, an RSS feed reader, the GIMP image editor, KMail, VLC media player, a terminal, a speech synthesizer, a text editor, and several utilities.What’s interesting about this is that RefreshOS isn’t a collection of the usual KDE Plasma apps. Instead, it’s kind of a mixed bag, such as the Nemo file manager (instead of Plasma’s Dolphin) and the Pluma text editor (instead of Kate). Those choices could have been made to simplify things, or just because the developer(s) preferred those apps over the KDE Plasma defaults. Either way, all of the apps come together to make a well-rounded collection of tools for everyday usage.As far as the web browser is concerned, you get Brave. More

Getty/sasha85ru Let’s talk about proxy servers. Proxy servers are often confused with virtual private networks (VPNs) because their network architectures are very similar. But proxies and VPNs are very different beasts. Don’t worry: Below, I’ll introduce you to proxy servers, compare and contrast them to VPNs, and describe the many different types of proxy servers […] More

An Echo device, like the Echo Show 8, can give you deal notifications when one of the items you’re watching goes on sale. Maria Diaz/ZDNETIt’s prime time to prepare your Amazon wish lists as we near the company’s biggest sales event of the year, which runs from July 8 through July 11. And if you’re looking for help finding the best deals for Prime Day, we have you covered, from the best selection of early deals you can see right now to walking you through how to sign up for exclusive invite-only deals. Also: Best Prime Day Apple deals: My 15 favorite sales live nowBut if you are looking forward to the big event and already enjoy the features that an Echo speaker delivers through Alexa, you’ll be glad to learn that you can set up the voice assistant to find the best deals on items that interest you during Prime Day. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways A Shine Turbine kit, which includes a turbine, stand, guy lines, and pegs, costs $399, while the Essentials Kit, which adds a few more bits such as a wind speed meter, costs $488 – though both are on sale right now The kit includes everything you need to turn wind into […] More