With Windows 10's end-of-year date approaching this October, people still using the operating system have been given a choice: upgrade to Windows 11 or lose support. People have devised solutions for the latter path, including third-party apps that will keep the OS secure. However, it seems that people sticking with Windows 10 will also lose Microsoft 365 support.

Happy 2025! Microsoft has rolled out the first big updates for Windows 10 and 11 for the year, but don't get too excited. Across the board, we're seeing security fixes for the operating system, which, while very useful for warding off attacks, doesn't really get me excited to give it a spin. However, if you're a fan of Roblox, you may notice some issues playing it in the future.

Is your computer just a tool, or is it an expression of yourself? Just like how people once went to extreme lengths to decorate their journals and diaries, you can do the same with your desktop. Programs like Rainmeter have long offered deeper customization options than you might get by default, but Rainmeter doesn't get the love it once did, and it's down to sporadic, few-and-far-between updates.

Once your home network starts getting more complex, like if you were to start self-hosting apps and services, you might want to consider setting up a reverse proxy to shield those services from the internet. This is essentially another server that sits between the device your self-hosted apps are on and the internet, but instead of providing access outward to the internet, it provides access to those apps.

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5090 is now the fastest graphics card in the world. But when it hits store shelves on January 30, 2025, I won't be upgrading from my RTX 4090. And that's because I don't necessarily feel the need to do so. The RTX 4090 is still more than adequate for all the games that I play, even at 4K resolution. But that's not all; I'm not impressed by the RTX 5090 either. I feel like Nvidia is exaggerating RTX 5090's performance with AI-powered technologies like DLSS 4 and multi-frame generation. So, let me list the reasons why I'm keeping my RTX 4090 this year.

Whether you are a seasoned programmer, a network engineer in training, or a cybersecurity expert, a well-equipped home lab can be your secret weapon for experimentation and skill development. But, with so many tools and technologies available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Before you give up or drain your budget on unnecessary items and software, glance over my listicle to form the foundation of your home lab.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge TikTok’s executives are “planning for various scenarios” ahead of the Supreme Court likely upholding a US ban of the app.In an internal memo obtained by The Verge, employees were told that the company is “continuing to plan the way forward” ahead of the court’s imminent decision, which is expected as soon as Wednesday, January 15th. “We know it’s unsettling to not know exactly what happens next,” reads the memo, which notes that TikTok’s offices will stay open regardless of what happens to the app over the next several days. “The bill is not written in a way that impacts the entities through which you are employed, only the US user experience [of TikTok],” according to the memo.Inside TikTok, the mood is grim. One source describes the situation as “definitely stressful,” while another notes that even the employees who survived the first US ban attempt now “seem rattled.”The Chinese government, which has the final say on any sale of TikTok, is reportedly considering allowing Elon Musk to buy the app. Frank McCourt, a billionaire real estate and former owned of the LA Dodgers, has also floated a proposal to buy the app’s US operations. “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary... Read the full story at The Verge.

By now, Nvidia's new RTX 50 series GPUs might be all over your feeds. People are in awe of the massive performance leap Nvidia showcased and the price cuts that came out of nowhere. However, there have also been a lot of less-than-exuberant reactions to CEO Jensen Huang's CES keynote due to the fact that it didn't come across as fully transparent.

Experimenting with wacky projects is one of the biggest perks of a home lab, though spinning up a VM with the same ol’ OS and configuration settings can get tiresome after a while. Thankfully, certain apps like Ansible can make your life a lot easier by helping you automate the tedious virtual machine provisioning process.

Ray tracing is much more than just a marketing term in 2025. Most games released these days have RT features in them; reflection and lighting have always been difficult for game developers to get right, and ray tracing helps by doing a lot of the heavy lifting for them. It still has to be implemented correctly, and a lot of titles just don't justify the performance tax it places on your system. Among gamers, it hasn’t always been popular, but here are 3 reasons why ray tracing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

There are simply too many laptops to choose from if you're in the market for something new. Of course, we'd recommend some of the best laptops available, but if the prices aren't within your budget, there's a good chance that this one from MSI will be. The Summit E16 AI Studio not only looks good, but also has a large screen and powerful internals as well.

Self-hosting your own data can be a rewarding experience, knowing that you control all of it and can upgrade the amount of storage you have as you need to. However, you may be weighing whether you should get a NAS or a DAS, and there are pros and cons when it comes to a DAS specifically.