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Worried About Losing Your Job? Pack a Digital Go Bag

Getting fired by email or by being locked out of your work laptop is not normal. And yet it's happening to US workers who have few rights and protections under the law. Even federal government employees who formerly had some of the most secure jobs and strong unions are getting axed without warning. You may not be able to protect yourself from an unexpected job loss, but you can make sure that your most important information doesn't get held hostage by your former employer. To do that, you need

How I easily transfer files between my Android phone and Mac - for free

QuickDrop / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Sharing files between Android and MacOS couldn't be any easier. QuickDrop is a free app that can be used by anyone. A few extra steps to take on MacOS, but it's still quite easy. Any app that is designed to transfer files should do one thing and one thing well -- make the process simple. If it's not simple, the app shouldn't be considered for general usage. There are severa

macOS dotfiles should not go in –/Library/Application Support

#macOS dotfiles should not go in ~/Library/Application Support One of my pet peeves is when command-line tools look for user configuration files in ~/Library/Application Support when running on macOS. In addition to offering poor ergonomics for users, I believe this behavior is incorrect according to the documentation which is cited to justify it. Instead, command-line tools should implement the XDG Base Directory Specification and look for configuration files in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME , which defaul

In-Memory Filesystems in Rust

In-memory Filesystems in Rust I’ve been working on a CLI tool recently, and one of the things it does is manage files on disk. I have written a lot of file management tests for Bundler, and the two biggest reasons that the Bundler test suite is slow are exec and fstat . Knowing that, I thought I would try to get out ahead of the slow file stat problem by using an in-memory filesystem for testing. A collaborator mentioned being happy with the Go package named Afero for this purpose, and so I se

Git-Annex

use case: The Archivist Bob has many drives to archive his data, most of them kept offline, in a safe place. With git-annex, Bob has a single directory tree that includes all his files, even if their content is being stored offline. He can reorganize his files using that tree, committing new versions to git, without worry about accidentally deleting anything. When Bob needs access to some files, git-annex can tell him which drive(s) they're on, and easily make them available. Indeed, every drive

Topics: annex bob drive files git

My ZIP isn't your ZIP: Identifying and exploiting semantic gaps between parsers

ZIP is one of the most popular archive formats. It is used not only as archive files, but also as the container for other file formats, including office documents, Android applications, Java archives, and many more. Despite its ubiquity, the ZIP file format specification is imprecisely specified, posing the risk of semantic gaps between implementations that can be exploited by attackers. While prior research has reported individual such vulnerabilities, there is a lack of systematic studies for

APT36 hackers abuse Linux .desktop files to install malware in new attacks

The Pakistani APT36 cyberspies are using Linux .desktop files to load malware in new attacks against government and defense entities in India. The activity, documented in reports by CYFIRMA and CloudSEK, aims at data exfiltration and persistent espionage access. APT 36 has previously used .desktop files to load malware in targeted espionage operations in South Asia. The attacks were first spotted on August 1, 2025, and based on the latest evidence, are still ongoing. Desktop file abuse Altho

You can search for files in Windows using Copilot now - here's how

Microsoft ZDNET's key takeaways You can now search for files through the Copilot app. The new search requires a Copilot+ PC and Windows 11 insider access. The feature works by scanning the files in your Recents folder. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Microsoft continues to expand the power and reach of its Copilot AI to provide greater assistance, especially to Windows users. A new skill now rolling out will let you use the Windows Copilot

Microsoft asks customers for feedback on reported SSD failures

​Microsoft is seeking further information from customers who reported failure and data corruption issues affecting their solid-state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs) after installing the August 2025 security update. Microsoft told BleepingComputer on Wednesday that it is aware of reports that installing the KB5063878 security update is causing SSD and HDD data corruption and failure issues. In a service alert seen by BleepingComputer, the company added that it couldn't reproduce the i

Microsoft asks customers for feedback on SSD failure issues

​Microsoft is seeking further information from customers who reported failure and data corruption issues affecting their solid-state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs) after installing the August 2025 security update. Microsoft told BleepingComputer on Wednesday that it is aware of reports that installing the KB5063878 security update is causing SSD and HDD data corruption and failure issues. In a service alert seen by BleepingComputer, the company added that it couldn't reproduce the i

Windows 11 test brings AI file search to the Copilot app

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Microsoft is testing out a Windows 11 update that lets you use AI to search through your files and images directly from the Copilot app. This test is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs and allows you to use more descriptive language wh

Microsoft reportedly fixing SSD failures caused by Windows updates

Recently released Windows 11 24H2 updates are reportedly causing data corruption and failure issues for some SSD and HDD models on up-to-date systems. This issue was first reported on Friday by a Japanese PC building enthusiast who saw drives with Phison NAND controllers disappearing from the OS during heavy write operations (like writing large files or many files at once) after installing the KB5063878 security update and the KB5062660 preview update. While some of the impacted drives were re

My internet went down - but this TV USB port trick made the outage more bearable

Adam Breeden/ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Most smart TVs have USB ports that are greatly underutilized. The outputs can be used to broadcast local media files, troubleshoot bugs, download updates, and more. I've been using my USB port to play older media files, especially when the internet is down. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. These days, the internet and Wi-Fi connectivity seem to be virtually ubiquitous. In the

Topics: drive file files tv usb

Anna's Archive: An Update from the Team

An update from the team annas-archive.li/blog, 2025-08-17 About recent events. We are still alive and kicking. In recent weeks we’ve seen increased attacks on our mission. We are taking steps to harden our infrastructure and operational security. The work of securing humanity’s legacy is worth fighting for. Since we started in 2022, we have liberated tens of millions of books, scientific articles, magazines, newspapers, and more. These are now forever protected from destruction by natural di

Android phone backups may soon get an option to save all your downloads (APK teardown)

Damien Wilde / Android Authority TL;DR Android offers convenient built-in backup tools, but these don’t automatically save every file on your phone. Google appears to be working on a new option to explicitly back up downloaded files. At the moment it’s not clear if this would support any and all files types, or be limited to documents. Backing up your data is easily one of the most important thing you can do if you’re looking to avoid a smartphone accident causing you a lot of heartache, but

The future of large files in Git is Git

If Git had a nemesis, it’d be large files. Large files bloat Git’s storage, slow down git clone , and wreak havoc on Git forges. In 2015, GitHub released Git LFS—a Git extension that hacked around problems with large files. But Git LFS added new complications and storage costs. Meanwhile, the Git project has been quietly working on large files. And while LFS ain’t dead yet, the latest Git release shows the path towards a future where LFS is, finally, obsolete. What you can do today: replace

Topics: clone files git lfs noise

The Future of Large Files in Git Is Git

If Git had a nemesis, it’d be large files. Large files bloat Git’s storage, slow down git clone , and wreak havoc on Git forges. In 2015, GitHub released Git LFS—a Git extension that hacked around problems with large files. But Git LFS added new complications and storage costs. Meanwhile, the Git project has been quietly working on large files. And while LFS ain’t dead yet, the latest Git release shows the path towards a future where LFS is, finally, obsolete. What you can do today: replace

Topics: clone files git lfs noise

I found the easiest way to send files between my Android phone and desktop - and it's free

Jack Wallen/ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Localsend makes sharing files on Android a breeze. You can share and receive files. Localsend works with Android, Linux, MacOS, and Windows. Android is my mobile OS of choice. As far as the desktop is concerned, I switch back and forth between Linux and MacOS (depending on what I'm doing). Often, I need to transfer files between Android and my two desktop operating systems, but finding the easiest method of doing so has been a bit of a chore. Until I

Files by Google’s swanky Material 3 Expressive redesign is now rolling out for all

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Files by Google is starting to receive its Material 3 Expressive redesign. The new design brings bigger media thumbnails, flatter folder icons, and reorganized floating buttons. These changes are starting to roll out with the app’s stable version, suggesting a broader release in the coming weeks. Google is starting to drape an array of apps with the new Material 3 Expressive theme. It has already rolled out splashes of the latest design philosophy to

Your Windows PC has a secretly useful backup tool - here's how to access it

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Windows has a hidden backup tool in Windows 10 and 11. It can save files to discs, drives, or network locations. Deprecated by Microsoft, so expect occasional errors. Regularly backing up your files is always a good idea, just in case any important or irreplaceable ones go missing. For that, you can turn to a variety of programs. But Windows itself has a built-in backup tool that's simple and flexible. The catch is that you

The equality delete problem in Apache Iceberg

The Equality Delete Problem in Apache Iceberg Yingjun Wu 9 min read · 14 hours ago 14 hours ago -- Listen Share Press enter or click to view image in full size Since last year, Apache Iceberg has been one of the hottest topics in the data infrastructure world. Databricks recently spent $1 billion to acquire Neon, a startup building a serverless Postgres. Snowflake also spent about $250 million to acquire Crunchy Data, a veteran enterprise-grade Postgres provider. These are not random acquisi

The Equality Delete Problem in Apache Iceberg

The Equality Delete Problem in Apache Iceberg Yingjun Wu 9 min read · 6 hours ago 6 hours ago -- Listen Share Press enter or click to view image in full size Since last year, Apache Iceberg has been one of the hottest topics in the data infrastructure world. Databricks recently spent $1 billion to acquire Neon, a startup building a serverless Postgres. Snowflake also spent about $250 million to acquire Crunchy Data, a veteran enterprise-grade Postgres provider. These are not random acquisiti

Windows has a secret backup tool - here's how to use it

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Windows has a hidden backup tool in Windows 10 and 11. It can save files to discs, drives, or network locations. Deprecated by Microsoft, so expect occasional errors. Regularly backing up your files is always a good idea, just in case any important or irreplaceable ones go missing. For that, you can turn to a variety of programs. But Windows itself has a built-in backup tool that's simple and flexible. The catch is that you

Files by Google will finally be able to natively display text files (APK teardown)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google’s file manager for Android is working on integrating a viewer for text files. Evidence first appeared in Files by Google version 1.8436.793259964.0-release but the tool is not yet active. When available, it should let you view text files and copy data out, but won’t support editing. Android, as a platform, was never designed to be one-size-fits-all, and that’s a huge part of its appeal. Some users will go their whole lives never thinking twice

5 file management apps you should use instead of Files by Google

Andy Walker / Android Authority Every Android smartphone needs a file explorer, and for Pixel smartphones and many others, the default option is Files by Google. This free, lightweight app offers essential file management features, and its clean design makes viewing content in folders or categories quick and easy. It’s a great way to clean up duplicate files and maintain free space on your device, but it’s not the best file management app on Android. I’ve used many file explorers on Android ov

Abogen – Generate audiobooks from EPUBs, PDFs and text

abogen Abogen is a powerful text-to-speech conversion tool that makes it easy to turn ePub, PDF, or text files into high-quality audio with matching subtitles in seconds. Use it for audiobooks, voiceovers for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or any project that needs natural-sounding text-to-speech, using Kokoro-82M. Demo demo.mp4 This demo was generated in just 5 seconds, producing ∼1 minute of audio with perfectly synced subtitles. To create a similar video, see the demo guide. How to install?

Json2dir: a JSON-to-directory converter, a fast alternative to home-manager

json2dir : a JSON-to-directory converter, a fast alternative to home-manager for managing dotfiles TL;DR: file.json : { "file" : " Hello, world! " , "dir" : { "subfile" : " Content. " , "subdir" : {} }, "symlink" : [ " link " , " target path " ], "script" : [ " script " , " #!/bin/sh echo Howdy! " ] } cat file.json | json2dir Here, four files will be added to the current directory: file , dir , symlink , and script . Using json2dir as a home-manager alternative. Input schema Objects re

This app lets Mac users take full advantage of Android’s Quick Share with new QR code support

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR NearDrop allows users to send files from their Android device to their Mac. A new update adds support for sending files using QR codes. This update now allows you to send files from your computer to your Android device. It would be nice if Google created a Quick Share app for macOS that allowed you to share files quickly between your Android phone and your Mac. The NearDrop app can help fill that gap, but it’s not a perfect solution. However, a new up

Git-fetch-file – Sync files from other repos with commit tracking and safety

Fetch and sync individual files or globs from other Git repositories, with commit tracking and local-change protection git-fetch-file(1) is a utility for importing specific files from other Git repositories into your own project while keeping a manifest (.git-remote-files) that remembers where they came from and what commit they belong to. It’s like a mini submodule, but for just the files you want. Features Pull a single file or glob from a remote Git repo Track origin, commit, and comment

Dotfiles feel too personal to share

I love dotfiles. “Dotfiles” is a term that refers to configuration files used to configure software and operating systems. They are called such because often these files start with a dot. You may have seen .bashrc , .tmux.conf or .zshrc in the wild. Whenever a software doesn’t offer direct file-based configuration, I feel sad because it means I need to take extra steps to keep my configuration across different devices in sync or when setting up a new machine. I love sharing. I regularly publ