Blogroll

Look at almost any mission-critical computer system in the world—servers, workstations, embedded computers, and many more—and you'll see Linux in some form. The open-source juggernaut may not have a large share in the desktop market (yet), but when stability, security, and uptime actually matter, Linux seems to be the OS of choice.

2025 has proven to be a strange year for PC hardware, with DRAM prices surging late in the year just as graphics cards released at the start of the year began to fall in price.

The movie Flow was made on a small budget, with a modest team of people, all within the open-source 3D modeling software Blender. Yet, the result was good enough to snag this plucky film an Oscar for "Best Animated Feature."

Retractable door handles, popularized by Tesla, are now found on many electric vehicles. However, if automakers want to do business in China, they will have to adjust their approach to handling door handles in the country.

As noted by the outlet Autoblog, under new draft rules released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, all vehicles in the country weighing under 3.5 tons must have interior and exterior handles with a mechanical emergency release.

SEE ALSO: Apple removes popular gay dating apps from China's App Store

This move will effectively ban all retractable EV door handles on new cars released in the country. The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2027.

Regulators didn't have to work too hard to make their case that electric-only retractable door handles are a safety issue. A recent Bloomberg analysis tied 15 auto deaths directly to Tesla's doors not opening. Although many EVs feature mechanical releases within the vehicle, there have been numerous cases where owners were unable to locate or operate them in the event of an accident.

China's ban will affect all EV companies, including BYD, which is based in the country. However,  no company will likely be more affected by the ban than Tesla. Every Tesla model features these retractable door handles, which means that if Elon Musk's EV company wants to continue operating in China, it has roughly one year to start producing cars with a different handle.

Tesla's woes regarding its door handles might not end with China either. US regulators are also investigating safety concerns related to Tesla's flush-mounted electronic door handles, following reports from owners who were unable to enter or exit their vehicles due to battery power loss. In fact, in some cases, first responders had to break the car windows in order to get to children who were trapped inside a Tesla vehicle. 

In 2020, Apple pulled off one of the rarest events in the world of computers—a multi-generational leap. The first generation of Apple Silicon chips weren't just better than the Intel Macs that had come before, they were substantially better in every way. They were so good, that most people didn't need anything more than the cheapest Mac Apple sold—five years later, they still don't.

I love tinkering with my smart home. It's provided me with endless hours of fun and has made many aspects of my home life simpler. I have one terrible smart home habit, however, and it's one I don't see myself shaking any time soon.

Electric vehicles are becoming more capable, but long range and affordability rarely go hand in hand. Many EVs that promise 300 miles of driving on a single charge come with price tags that put them out of reach for mainstream buyers. That’s what makes this particular model so compelling. It delivers true long-range capability while remaining one of the most affordable electric vehicles you can buy today.

It is very likely that Apple will release a foldable iPhone in 2026.

Rumors have been circulating about the foldable iPhone for some time now. Bloomberg's Apple insider, Mark Gurman, has reported that Apple plans to release a foldable smartphone next year. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that the device is real, will be released next year, and Apple is already having trouble building enough of them to meet the expected demand.

And now, YouTuber Jon Prosser is sharing visuals and exact specs for the device in his most recently released video.

In a video posted to his FrontPageTech YouTube channel just days before Christmas, Prosser showcases 3-D renders of what he says the foldable iPhone will look like. In the video, Prosser focuses on one of the major issues for Apple that kept them from previously releasing a foldable iPhone: The crease down the middle of the foldable screen. 

According to Prosser, Apple has devised a solution to this issue by utilizing a "metal plate that disperses the pressure of bending the display" in conjunction with liquid metal in the smartphone's hinge.

Credit: Jon Prosser / FrontPageTech

Prosser also shares that the foldable iPhone will have a 5.5-inch external display, and the foldable screen will measure 7.8 inches when opened. Basically, the foldable iPhone will open into a mini iPad.

When closed, the foldable iPhone will be 9mm thick, and when opened, its thickness will roughly be 4.5mm, which is even thinner than the iPhone Air. The device is equipped with a total of four cameras.

According to Prosser, the foldable iPhone is expected to be released alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max next year.

Credit: Jon Prosser / FrontPageTech

While people like Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo have shared details about the foldable iPhone, Prosser's report is the most detailed yet. But is he to be believed, like the two former Apple leak veterans? As Gizmodo points out, Apple filed a lawsuit against Prosser earlier this year over his accurate leaks about iOS 26 and Liquid Glass. According to the lawsuit, a second person named in the lawsuit used an Apple employee's phone to send Prosser information about the iOS update, so his sourcing certainly seems to be legitimate.

With three separate and trustworthy Apple leakers now reporting on a foldable iPhone in 2026, it seems almost a sure thing, barring some significant change in direction from the company. 

Smart switches are the usual go-to choice for reliable, full-featured smart home lighting. Be that as it may, they're not always the right option, and sometimes they're not even an option. While tech geeks like to scoff at smart bulbs, I personally love them for one simple reason—they're plug-and-play. Allow me to explain.

Microsoft included a new Terminal app with the 2022 update of Windows 11, and it quickly became one of my go-to apps. Before Terminal, you had to load PowerShell, Command Prompt, and WSL windows separately, which made me want to avoid using the command-line on Windows whenever possible. The Terminal app unifies all those shells and the apps I run inside them save me a lot of time.

All we need is for Apple to release a foldable iPhone, and we can officially say that the 2020s are the decade of the foldable phone. But we did have foldables in the 2010s, too. Kind of. Here's what they looked like.

There are tons of Linux distributions out there, and for better or worse, the list keeps growing. Here are some 2025 arrivals fresh out of the open source operating system development oven.

Are you exhausted by the “Year of Linux” predictions that never pan out? Do you roll your eyes every time someone declares Linux’s breakthrough is imminent? I don’t blame you for being skeptical—but there are six major shifts converging in 2026 that could finally make desktop Linux mainstream.

Luxury sedans don’t always have the same rugged dependability as hatchbacks or mainstream cars. RepairPal puts the average reliability for full-size luxury models at just 2.5 out of 5—not shocking when you consider brands like BMW, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, and Audi dominate the segment.

OpenAI is hiring a new Head of Preparedness, a role that CEO Sam Altman calls a "critical role at an important time."

What is a Head of Preparedness? It's a role that basically helps OpenAI consider all the potential harms of its models and what can be done to mitigate them. Those harms encompass a wide range of issues, from mental health concerns to cybersecurity risks. 

"We have a strong foundation of measuring growing capabilities, but we are entering a world where we need more nuanced understanding and measurement of how those capabilities could be abused, and how we can limit those downsides both in our products and in the world, in a way that lets us all enjoy the tremendous benefits," Altman said in a post on X announcing the company's hiring for the role.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

As Engadget points out, OpenAI hasn't had a dedicated Head of Preparedness since July 2024. At the time, the role was assumed by two OpenAI executives as a shared position. However, one executive left just months later, and the other moved to a different team in July 2025. The company appears to have lacked a Head of Preparedness since then.

"This will be a stressful job, and you'll jump into the deep end pretty much immediately," Altman said.

OpenAI is no stranger to lawsuits at this point. Mashable's parent company, Ziff Davis, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems. The New York Times and many other publications have filed lawsuits against the AI company, alleging similar infringement.

However, over the past few months, OpenAI has faced a new type of lawsuit: wrongful death lawsuits. In August, the parents of a teen who committed suicide filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT helped their son take his life. Earlier this month, a family filed a lawsuit against OpenAI after a man killed his mother and then took his own life. The lawsuit alleges ChatGPT gave in to the man's delusions and pushed him to commit the acts.

Altman isn't mincing words when he says it will be a stressful job.

According to the job listing, the role is based out of San Francisco and pays a salary of $555,000 plus equity. So, maybe that will help with the stress of the job.

As much as we’d like our devices to last forever, the sad reality is that many need replacing long before they’ve stopped working entirely. This sometimes takes the form of a welcome and considered upgrade, but too often it’s an early retirement due to servers being switched off and a lack of support.

Are you planning a dual-boot setup but worried about Secure Boot compatibility? Fear that disabling Secure Boot will compromise your Windows installation? Here are five Linux distros that work seamlessly with Windows Secure Boot—no BIOS tweaking required.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 28, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 28, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 28 Pips

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this red space must be equal to 6. The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 5-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 28 Pips

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this or space must add up to 6. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 28 Pips

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (15): Everything in this purple space must add up to 15. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 4-5, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (15): Everything in this orange space must add up to 15. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 4-0, placed vertically; 5-2, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this green space must be equal to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically.

Number (15): Everything in this green space must add up to 15. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Do you want to try Linux but don’t want to relearn a new interface? Worried that an unfamiliar desktop might slow down your workflow? You’re not alone—and these five Windows-like desktop environments (DEs) are designed to help you feel right at home.

Linux Mint is famous for offering a familiar Windows-like desktop experience, but did you know it’s also one of the most customizable distros—with built-in tools to tweak its look and feel? To give you an idea of what's possible, here's how I made Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition look like macOS.