Windows has been my consistent operating system for the last fifteen years. I started with XP Service Pack 3 in my school days and bumped up to Windows 7, then 8 (short-lived), and so on. My family members also began trying their hand at my first laptop after a few years, and Windows 8.1 and 10 became a part of their small, routine computer interactions. Now that Windows 10 support is ending and one of my spare laptops is free, I'm moving my niece and mother to a Linux distro that feels immensely comfortable to use.

If you're firmly on the Windows 10 holdout train, I've got some concerning news for you. Almost everyone knows about Microsoft ending support for Windows 10, which would leave millions of machines exposed to security vulnerabilities. Many of you might be thinking about bypassing this problem by switching to a third-party antivirus. However, the security gap with Windows 10 lies not with the built-in Defender antivirus, but with the OS itself. An up-to-date antivirus software will do nothing about the lack of security patches for Windows 10 as time goes on. In fact, Microsoft will continue pushing updates for the Microsoft Defender Antivirus (MSDA) on Windows 10 for a while, but switching to Windows 11 is the only way to fully protect your machine.

On November 18th, Operation: Infinite will be released for Halo Infinite players with a battle pass and lots of new customizations, but according to the team, that’s it for this game’s content updates:With multiple Halo titles in development, we’ll need our whole team’s combined focus to deliver new experiences with the same passion and care that our community has given us. While we remain committed to supporting Halo Infinite on the road ahead, Operation: Infinite is the last major content update currently planned.Putting this game into maintenance mode is an awkward counterpart after last month’s news of a 2026 multiplatform release for the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake, but that’s the way things have gone for Infinite ever since it came out of the blocks stumbling with an ugly, unpolished eight-minute gameplay trailer in 2020.The game was eventually delayed another year to late 2021, missing the launch of the Xbox Series X / S consoles, and shipping without features like campaign co-op and the Forge customization mode. The infamous Craig did get a glow-up, and subsequent updates checked off some of the community’s wishlist items. Still, it’s clearer than ever that the future of Halo is cross-platform and doesn’t include the free-to-play multiplayer of Infinite, as Xbox hardware sales continue to slow, and Microsoft’s profitability push shuts down studios and raises prices.Now, the team writes, “we’ve been floored by the response” to Campaign Evolved, which will be released on both PS5 and Xbox next year.

I used to open Edge with good intentions—research a topic, answer one question—and end up with 47 tabs I'd never revisit. My browser sometimes turned into a graveyard of curiosity.

For years, the Raspberry Pi has been the default choice for tinkerers who want to host their own media server. It is small, affordable, and flexible enough to run almost anything. But with the Raspberry Pi 5, handling media streaming has shifted in a meaningful way. This is no longer just a hobby board for light workloads. It is finally capable of tackling tasks that used to require a much larger system, including limited real-time transcoding for home media.

Like many other people, I've been taking steps to "de-Google" my life. Targeted ads have become a bit too targeted, and daily life is starting to have a touch too much corporate influence. But getting rid of Google is easier said than done, especially with how deeply ingrained the platform is in our day-to-day lives. Just look at Google Workspaces; there are few tools as convenient as Docs and Sheets for collaboration. Before I could really get rid of Google's influence on my day-to-day workflow, I needed to find a replacement for its suite of tools.

Most of us keep an eye on our CPU and GPU temperatures during heavy workloads like gaming, rendering, or stress tests, but our PCs have a bunch of other components that can run hot under load. I used to think that as long as my CPU and GPU were under 80C, I was doing fine from a cooling standpoint. While you could argue that these two sensors matter the most, they don't always tell the whole story when you push your PC for extended periods.

Moving to an ultrawide monitor can be a jarring experience for some, but the added benefits can be a game changer to others. Samsung makes some of the best in the business, featuring high-quality panels that deliver impressive colors, deep black levels, and excellent performance.

It's easy to get enamored by the large server racks and cabinets that seem to be all over homelab internet lately. Multiple switches, gateways, redundant systems, a rack-mounted server, and so much more. I was much the same. However, there comes a point when your home lab stops being a hobby and starts feeling like a part-time job. For some, it is an extension of their job. But if you're a hobbyist like me, it can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Look, I tried to convince myself that it was part of learning and experimenting, but when you're spending more time updating, patching issues, and fixing things, you know things are getting out of hand.

As someone who has teetered on the fine line between the Millennial and Gen-Z identity for their entire life, I've been gaming online for longer than I've been able to grow a full beard. Counter-Strike 1.6 lobbies, Halo 3 custom games, and LAN parties in internet cafés with Hamachi — that's the era I grew up in. I don't think I've ever laughed harder than during those chaotic, unplanned, beautifully stupid nights when nothing mattered except having fun with strangers who somehow began feeling like family.

When I first started building my smart home network, I felt like a networking rockstar. I was trying out every new feature, shortcut, and pro-tip I found online. After all, we all want a fast, secure, and reliable home network. But between all the tutorials and recommendations, it’s easy to set up your gear in a way that actually hurts performance or, worse, compromises your security.

A good product and loyal audience is a winning formula for everyone except, it seems, Peloton. For years - through its pandemic-fueled highs and its post-quarantine malaise - Peloton has held its earnings calls at a bright and bushy 8:30AM ET. Not yesterday. Instead, the company broke different news first thing in the morning: it issued yet another recall for 833,000 of its original Bike Plus units, before posting its Q1 2026 results after the markets closed at 4 o'clock.Peloton CEO Peter Stern addressed the recall right away during the company's earnings call, stating the facts - that there were only three reports of breakages and two injuries, plus the company was offering a free replacement seat. Later, when asked in an Q&A with …Read the full story at The Verge.