Windows 10 Version 1607 can be installed and activated from scratch using the previous Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 Product Key.

Windows 10 is the latest addition to the Windows Operating System line, and was available as a free update for one year from its July 29, 2015 debut for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.

Microsoft intends Windows 10 to be a service with a regular stream of updates and upgrades rather than introducing new versions of Windows every couple of years.

When installing Windows 10, be careful to select 'Customize Settings' rather than 'Use Express Settings' which by default sends a lot of personal information to Microsoft including contacts, user details and passwords for wireless connections. ]]> Thu, 23 Mar 2017 14:55:03 -0300 http://www.opera.com/ Opera 44 has been released. Opera 44 is based on Chromium release version 57 and features security patches and user interface enhancements. The Opera web browser is a free download.

As of Opera 37, Opera no longer supports Windows XP or Windows Vista. ]]> Tue, 21 Mar 2017 16:16:33 -0300 http://getfirefox.com Mozilla has released version 52.0.1 of its popular Open Source web browser Firefox. This is a security update. Mozilla Firefox is available in 64-bit and 32-bit versions.

Mozilla Firefox 52 introduces built-in support for WebAssembly to better run web-based games and apps, automatic opening of wifi web portal pages in a new tab, new non-https security warnings, and has removed support for Netscape Plugin API (NPAPI) plugins except Adobe Flash. Plugins from Java, Silverlight and Adobe Acrobat are no longer supported. There have also been some interface updates including a new failed download notification.

Mozilla Firefox is available for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Apple OS X 10.9 or newer, Android, iOS, and Linux.

Mozilla Firefox support for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista is now only in the ESR (Extended Support Release) version of Firefox.

Mozilla Firefox ESR is now the only major web browser still supporting Windows XP and Windows Vista. Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer are no longer supported and are no longer safe to use on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Only 32-bit Firefox is supported on Windows XP and Vista.

As of Mozilla Firefox 48, Apple OS X 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8 are no longer supported. Mozilla Firefox will no longer work in Windows on older pre-SSE2 instruction set CPUs (e.g. original Intel Pentium, AMD Athlon XP). ]]> Fri, 17 Mar 2017 22:12:39 -0300 http://www.libreoffice.org/ The Document Foundation has released Libre Office 5.3.1. Release notes advise uninstalling Apache OpenOffice and earlier versions of OpenOffice.Org before installing Libre Office. Libre Office is a free Open Source office productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and Linux. A rebranded fork of OpenOffice.org, Libre Office provides full Open Document Format compatibility and is distributed with several major Linux distributions by default. ]]> Thu, 16 Mar 2017 21:21:15 -0300 https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/desktop/ Google has updated version 57 of its Chrome web browser.
Current version is: 57.0.2987.110.

Google Chrome is available in 64-bit and 32-bit versions. Google Chrome will run on Windows 10, 8.1, 8 and 7; Macintosh OS X 10.11 El Capitan, 10.10 Yosemite and 10.9 Mavericks; Linux; Android and iOS.

As of version 50 released in April 2016 Google Chrome no longer supports Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Macintosh OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, OS X 10.7 Lion, or OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. ]]> Thu, 16 Mar 2017 21:17:49 -0300 http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ Microsoft has released a number of Critical-rated security updates for Microsoft Windows. Windows Update supports Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP2, and Windows Server 2008.

Starting November 2016, Windows 7 and 8.1 users will receive a single Monthly Rollup update, with all current security fixes and updates, through Windows Update and also available through the Microsoft Downloads Center. The Monthly Rollup updates are issued on the second Tuesday of the month.

The January 2016 Windows update marked the end of support for Windows 8. Windows 8 users should update to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Internet Explorer versions 8, 9, and 10 are also no longer supported. Only Internet Explorer 11 (which runs on Windows 7 and above) and Windows 10's Microsoft Edge browsers now receive new security updates.

Windows Vista users should stop using Internet Explorer since there is no longer a supported version of Internet Explorer for Vista. Mozilla Firefox ESR (Extended Service Release) is free and is now the only major web browser still supporting Windows Vista.

*** Microsoft support for Windows XP ended with the April 8, 2014 Windows Update and the May 1, 2014 Internet Explorer out-of-band update. ***]]> Tue, 14 Mar 2017 14:38:03 -0300 http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer Adobe Flash has released a new critical security update. Current version is 25.0.0.127.

The Adobe Flash website includes optional downloads of McAfee Security Scan Plus and Intel Security True Key password manager. It is not necessary to accept these offers to download Adobe Flash.

We recommend setting Adobe Flash to 'Ask to Activate' in your browser settings or options. When needed, use 'Allow for now' rather than permanently enabling it. Flash updates on the same schedule as Microsoft's Patch Tuesday (2nd Tuesday of the month with optional 4th Tuesday for patches that cannot wait). Flash for Linux will not be supported past version 11.2, though security updates for Linux Flash are still being released. ]]> Tue, 14 Mar 2017 13:06:39 -0300 http://get.adobe.com/shockwave/ Adobe's Shockwave Player has been updated. Current version is 12.2.8.198. As Shockwave Player may contain elements of earlier unpatched versions of Adobe Flash Player that can be exploited, it is best to uninstall or if still required, disable this browser add-on and set it to 'Ask to Activate' and 'Allow for Now' when needed. ]]> Tue, 14 Mar 2017 13:05:01 -0300 https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ The free Open Source email client Mozilla Thunderbird has released version 45.8.0. This is a security update release.

Version 45 has a number of new features including improved XMPP chat support, addition of a Correspondents column combining sender and recipient, and assorted interface refinements. ]]> Tue, 07 Mar 2017 17:09:13 -0400 http://www.apple.com//support/downloads/ Security updates have been issued for macOS 10.12 Sierra, bringing the version up to 10.12.3. Latest supported versions of macOS and OS X are OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite (security and printer driver updates only), 10.11.6 El Capitan and macOS 10.12.3 Sierra. Latest macOS version is 10.12.3. ]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:55:38 -0400 http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html Oracle Java 8 Update 121 released. This is a security update. For best results, uninstall all previous versions of Java when prompted during the install and restart any open web browsers. Most users should download the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). We recommend disabling any Java browser plugins unless specifically needed to run some particular program from a known reputable source. Studies have shown 93% of business computers are running insecure out-of-date Java versions. ]]> Wed, 18 Jan 2017 16:32:22 -0400 http://get.adobe.com/reader/ Adobe has security updated their Acrobat/Reader software. Latest supported versions of Adobe Acrobat/Reader: version 2015: 2015.023.20070; version 11: 11.0.19 (Supported until November 15, 2017). Adobe Acrobat/Reader version 10, the last version to support Windows Vista, is no longer supported; last update: 10.1.16 (November 15, 2015). ]]> Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:34:51 -0400 http://www.seamonkey-project.org/ Mozilla SeaMonkey 2.46 is a feature and security update for the Mozilla Suite web browser and email all-in-one program. With browser based on Firefox and email client based on Thunderbird, SeaMonkey also features a built-in WYSIWYG HTML editor and IRC client.]]> Thu, 22 Dec 2016 13:48:16 -0400 http://www.ubuntu.com/ Canonical has released Ubuntu version 16.10 'Yakkety Yak' featuring a number of performance and compatibility updates including the Unity 8 desktop and the 4.8.0 Linux kernel.

The April 2016 Ubuntu 16.04 release is the most recent LTS (Long Term Support) version, supported for five years.

Ubuntu is one of the most popular distributions of the free Open Source Linux Operating System.

]]> Thu, 13 Oct 2016 22:04:12 -0300 http://www.openoffice.org/ The free Open Source office software suite Apache OpenOffice has been updated. Current version is 4.1.3. Apache OpenOffice is a continuation of Oracle's OpenOffice.org, now maintained by The Apache Software Foundation. ]]> Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:31:12 -0300 http://www.apple.com/osx/ Apple has released macOS 10.12 Sierra, the newest version of their flagship Operating System. Available as a free download from the Apple App Store. Latest macOS version is 10.12.3. ]]> Tue, 20 Sep 2016 15:15:48 -0300 https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA16-105A Apple has announced it will no longer be supporting QuickTime for Windows. Version 7.7.9 is the final released version and is vulnerable to at least two current Zero-Day attacks according to US-CERT. While current installs of QuickTime for Windows will continue to work, it is recommended to uninstall it completely as it will be increasingly unsafe to use as time passes. Other free media players such as VLC and Media Player Home Classic will open Apple's .MOV video file format. ]]> Fri, 15 Apr 2016 17:31:31 -0300 https://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/security/2963983 UPDATE 14:00 1 MAY 2014:
Microsoft today released emergency patches for all affected versions of Internet Explorer including for Windows XP, going against their earlier policy of no more updates for Windows XP. The updates are available through Windows Update.

Microsoft released a Security Advisory earlier this week about a Critical vulnerability affecting its Internet Explorer web browser versions 6 to 11. Microsoft recommended installing its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 4.1 as protection. Using a different web browser such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Opera is also effective. ]]> Thu, 01 May 2014 14:12:01 -0300 https://plus.google.com/109471644185457910515/posts/P2h3krckYsA Microsoft has released the final updates to the Windows XP Operating System. Debuting in 2001, Windows XP was the longest running of Microsoft's Windows versions. Now that all support for Windows XP has ended, running Windows XP is a very bad idea. We recommend upgrading to a new computer with a supported version of Windows or converting older Windows XP computers to Ubuntu Linux or any other version of the free Open Source Linux Operating System.

Update 1 May 2014:
Microsoft released an emergency update to Internet Explorer for Windows XP, available through Windows Update. This is supposed to be the final update for Windows XP. ]]> Tue, 08 Apr 2014 14:02:01 -0300 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=e1605e70-9649-4a87-8532-33d813687a7f Microsoft has released a new free anti-virus program for Windows Vista and Windows 7: Microsoft Security Essentials 4. Providing excellent real-time anti-virus protection with a very well designed simple user interface, Microsoft Security Essentials is the security solution most home users have been waiting for. Requires genuine Windows.
Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 include Windows Defender, a rebranded version of this program. ]]> Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:10:48 -0400 https://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/ Mozilla has set up a Plugin Update Check website so users can easily see what Mozilla Firefox web browser plugins need updates. Web browser plugins are frequently not updated by users and represent a critical security hazard. ]]> Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:47:39 -0300 http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ Use this Adobe Flash website to check the version of Flash used in your web browser. ]]> Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:57:39 -0300 http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/PPP/securemail.shtml Chebucto Community Net offers secure encrypted mail access. Securely receive and send mail from any Internet connection anywhere in the world. We support SSL and TLS encrypted IMAP, POP3 and SMTP, even SSH2 encrypted terminal access to email. Our Webmail is secured with Extended Validation SSL certificates. ]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2005 03:53:08 -0300 https://www.chebucto.ns.ca/chebuctonews.xml Chebucto Community Net's RSS Newsfeed, featuring important software and security information.]]> Fri, 24 Jun 1994 09:03:01 -0300 http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/ Home page of the Chebucto Community Net, a non-profit federally registered charity based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.]]> Fri, 24 Jun 1994 09:00:01 -0300