The PC market is dominated by the Windows operating system. There are alternatives, but most commercial applications run Windows OS, and the usage for the average user makes sense. However, Linux users often dream of the "year of Linux on desktop," where Linux starts dominating the PC market and mass adoption starts. In reality, this isn't the case as most people use the default or install the Windows OS. Today, we learn that Linux broke the 3% market share number after 30 years of presence. Being the highest market share it ever recorded, the OSes based on the Linux kernel now represent 3.07% of the entire market.

The survey data conducted by StatCounter shows that Windows holds 68.23%, OS X for macOS holds 21.32, ChromeOS has a 4.13% share, while unknown OSes hold 3.24%. This includes BSD-based alternatives and others. It is worth noting that Linux adoption could be a part of Steam Deck, which runs on a SteamOS 3.0 distribution based on Arch Linux. It also includes a Proton compatibility layer, which helps Windows games run on Linux, so users have an easier time running their favorite applications.

The Razer Stream Controller X is Razer's newest addition to their streaming ecosystem of products, designed to captivate audiences during gameplay or casual socializing. With 15 programmable LCD buttons in a compact form factor, streamers can effortlessly flash stream lights, blast customized sounds, or switch between applications with a simple click, elevating their streams to the next level.

The Stream Controller X is powered by Loupedeck Software, ensuring play-and-play compatibility across all major streaming platforms such as OBS Studio, Twitch, Streamlabs, Adobe Premier Pro, and more. With access to Loupedeck's UI, streamers can effortlessly install popular applications, plugins, and even emotes to further enhance their streaming experience. Streamers can also easily drag and drop preferred applications via the Loupedeck Marketplace, for endless customizability. Popular plugins include Spotify, Phillips Hue, Adobe Photoshop, and even Voicemod which can help streamline creative processes. Additionally, Loupedeck's full suite software also provides users with access to native profiles that are preset for convenience and inspiration. Each comprehensive set of profiles contains premade macros and functions that can be easily interchanged to suit the user's needs, further enhancing the Stream Controller X's customizability.

M-Audio today introduced M-Game, livestreaming audio interfaces and software designed specifically for gaming and content creation. M-Game provides premium quality streaming, elevated performance, and entertainment for any audience. M-Audio's legendary contribution to music performance and audio production is distinguished by a history of sophisticated engineering with an emphasis on versatility and usability. Drawing on our expertise with audio interfaces, and in partnership with our gaming experts, we are proud to debut M-Game.

Powered by M-Audio, the new M-Game livestreaming audio interfaces, RGB Dual and Solo, and M-Game software provide an all-in-one simple solution that delivers unique and innovative features for seamless set-up and customization. Unlike other audio interfaces, M-Game delivers first-of-its-kind dual PC USB connection and the ability to add images to effects and samples allowing for a seamless setup of a livestream.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Stream Controller, an all-in-one solution that streamlines content creation and places all the functionality that creators will ever need right at their fingertips. The Stream Controller offers endless shortcuts, easy multi-tasking, and instant access to any function, with near limitless software compatibility through its fully customizable touchscreen, commands, dials, and more.

Streamers and content creators alike can let their creativity flow with the Razer Stream Controller, with its user-interface specifically designed for intuitive organization by prioritizing multi-tasking and customization. The 12 haptic switchblade keys are bindable to an infinite number of commands and macros while the customizable icons allow for easier visual navigation. Powered by Loupedeck, nearly every aspect of the controller is customizable, all the way down to the haptic feedback range, allowing for the ideal level of tactile response. The 6 tactile analog dials provide on-the-fly audio adjustments to conveniently tweak the levels of audio, media, and other channels, as creators manage it all at a glance using the controller's dynamic LCD touchscreen. The 8 programmable buttons also let creators seamlessly toggle between multiple workspaces or activate common commands.

Apple today previewed macOS Big Sur, the latest version of the world's most advanced desktop operating system. macOS Big Sur introduces a beautiful redesign that is entirely new yet instantly familiar. Safari is packed with new features, including a customizable start page, elegantly designed and more powerful tabs, quick and easy translation, and a new Privacy Report. The updated Messages app lets Mac users send and receive more personal and expressive messages, and easily keep track of and interact within group messages. Maps also offers an all-new experience with immersive features for exploring and navigating the world.

"macOS Big Sur is a major update that advances the legendary combination of the power of UNIX with the ease of use of the Mac, and delivers our biggest update to design in more than a decade," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "With its modern and clean look, huge improvements to key apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps, and new privacy features, we think everyone is going to love the breakthrough experience that macOS Big Sur offers."

Intel CPUs have been rather notorious for system bugs recently. Starting from 2018's Spectre and Meltdown which used speculative execution to exploit systems, the string of new vulnerabilities just continued to this day. Recently we had CrossTalk exploit which represents a threat to cloud providers, where one user could compromise another just by using the same CPU from which the virtual instances are powered. These types of exploits are even more dangerous than ones that require local access, as that is already dangerous by itself. A lot of these issues are said to be ironed out by Intel's new microarchitecture designs like Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, and future revisions.

However, it seems like Intel is encountering some problems with even the latest Ice Lake CPUs when it comes to system bugs. JetBrains, a Czech provider of software development tools has a Java programming language development environment called IntelliJ integrated development environment. It was recently reported that on MacBook Air 2020 and Microsoft Surface Pro models equipped with 10th generation Intel Ice Lake CPUs, IntelliJ IDE causes system restart or a complete OS crash. In the report, the CPU ran in a Linux VM that isolates itself from MacOS so the macOS XNU kernel is not to blame. In the report thread, another user running Windows on Microsoft Surface Pro experienced the crash as well.

The shadow of a ARM-based MacBook has been there for years. Rumors have been adding up, and the performance of their own mobile processors is more and more convincing with each new generation of devices. The recent launch of the iPad Pro has reinforced those signs after knowing its Apple A12X Bionic' Geekbench 4 results. According to this benchmark, the new iPad Pro isn't that far in raw performance from what we have with a Core i9-8950HK-based MacBook Pro (2018). We have a Single-Core/Multi-Core score of 5020/18217 in the iPad Pro vs the 5627/21571 on the MacBook Pro. If this seems nuts it's because it really is.

This comparison is pretty absurd in itself: TDPs are quite different on both (7 W vs 45 W) but there are also important distinctions in areas such as the memory used in those devices (most Apple laptops still use DDR-2133 modules) and, of course, the operating system on which they are based. Those numbers are just a tiny reference, but if we pay attention to Apple's recent keynote, that Photoshop CC demo can really speak for itself. And again, comparisons are hateful, but let's look for a slightly fairer comparison.

An update to the Steam survey results is always worth noting, especially with the added, tremendous growth Valve's online store service has seen recently. And it seems that in the Steam gaming world at least, quad-core CPUs, NVIDIA graphics cards, and Windows 10 reign supreme.

Windows 10 64-bit is the most used operating system, with 50.33% of the survey. That the second most used Windows OS is the steady, hallmark Windows 7 shouldn't come as a surprise, though it does have just 32.05% of the market now. OS X has a measly 2.95% of the grand total, while Linux comes in at an even lower 0.72%. While AMD processor submits may have increased in other software, it seems that at least in Steam, those numbers aren't reflected, since AMD's processor market share in the survey has decreased from 21.89% in February to just 19.01% as of June, even though the company's Ryzen line of CPUs has been selling like hotcakes. Quad-core CPUs are the most used at time of the survey, at 52.06%, while the next highest percentage is still the dual-core CPU, with 42.23%.

Apple today updated MacBook with the latest Intel processors, improved graphics performance, faster flash storage and an additional hour of battery life, making the thinnest and lightest Mac better than ever. Featuring an all-metal unibody enclosure, MacBook is now available in four aluminum finishes - gold, silver, space gray, and for the first time on a Mac, a gorgeous rose gold. With a stunning 12-inch Retina display, highly responsive full-size keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, versatile USB-C port and all-day battery life in a design that is just 2 pounds and 13.1 mm thin, MacBook is the future of the notebook.

"MacBook is the thinnest and lightest Mac we have ever made and it's our vision for the future of the notebook," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Customers are going to love this update to MacBook, with the latest processors, faster graphics, faster flash storage, longer battery life and a beautiful rose gold finish."

Samsung announced the SSD T3 line of portable solid state drives. Measuring 74 mm x 58 mm x 10.5 mm (LxWxH), and weighing in at 51 g, the drives are more compact than the T1 line of portable SSDs by the company. Available in capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB, the drives take advantage of USB 3.0 interface, with a single cable handling both power and host connectivity, and serving up sequential transfer-rates of up to 450 MB/s. The drives feature 256-bit AES native encryption, and a password authentication that works on Windows (Windows 7 and above), OS X (OS X 10.7 and above), and Android (4.4 "KitKat" and above). Backed by 3-year warranties, the 250 GB variant is priced at US $130, the 500 GB variant $220, 1 TB variant $430, and 2 TB variant $850.

Apple today updated the entire iMac family, bringing a stunning new Retina 4K display to the 21.5-inch iMac for the first time and the Retina 5K display to every 27-inch iMac. The new Retina displays make photos and videos more immersive and true-to-life thanks to a wider color gamut and spectacular image quality. The updated iMacs also feature more powerful processors and graphics, two Thunderbolt 2 ports and new storage options that make the high-performance Fusion Drive even more affordable.

Apple today also introduced a new lineup of wireless accessories including the all-new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2. The Magic devices have been redesigned to feel more comfortable than ever, and feature rechargeable batteries that completely eliminate the need for disposable batteries. The new Magic Trackpad 2 also brings Apple's revolutionary Force Touch interface to the desktop, adding a new dimension to the iMac experience.

Apple today updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display with the all-new Force Touch trackpad, fifth generation Intel Core processors and Intel Iris Graphics 6100, two times faster flash and longer battery life, bringing even more performance and capabilities to our pro customers.* Apple also today updated the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air with fifth generation Intel Core processors, Intel HD Graphics 6000, and Thunderbolt 2, and added up to two times faster flash to the 13-inch MacBook Air, making the perfect everyday notebooks even better.

"Today the popular 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, 11-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Air all received significant upgrades," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The 13-inch MacBook Pro has been updated with the latest processors, more powerful graphics, faster flash, longer battery life and the all-new Force Touch trackpad. We're also bringing the latest processors and graphics, and faster Thunderbolt 2 to the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air, as well as up to two times faster flash to the 13-inch MacBook Air."

Apple announced its slimmest MacBook yet, equipped with the Retina display. Barely ripping the scales at 1 kg, just 13.1 mm thin (at its thickest point). Dressed in an all-metal unibody, including the antenna. Bolstered by a slimmer "butterfly" keyboard that's slimmer and more precise; and a new 12-inch Retina display with 2304 x 1440 pixels resolution; and a slimmer Taptic-engine backed trackpad. The best part? It's versatile connector that combines power, USB-C (10 Gb/s), DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, and more.

Under the hood, the MacBook Retina features a completely fanless design, and a logic board that's 67% smaller than the previous generation. The notebook is driven by an Intel Core M processor (5W TDP). With a new space-efficient layered battery, it offers 24-hour battery life, including 10 hours video playback. Storage is care of a 256 GB PCIe SSD. Connectivity includes 802.11 ac and Bluetooth 4.0. And then there's OS X "Yosemite." The MacBook Retina comes in silver, space-gray, and gold. Prices start at US $1,299 for the base-model with 8 GB RAM, 1.1-2.4 GHz processor, 256 GB SSD storage; and $1,599 for a 1.2-2.6 GHz processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 512 GB storage.

After Epic's Unreal Engine 4 and Unity 5 game engines went "free,"with their source-codes put up by their makes for anyone to inspect freely, NVIDIA decided to join the bandwagon of showering game developers with technical empowerment, by putting up the entire source-code of PhysX 3.3.3, including its cloth and destruction physics code, on GitHub. The move to put up free-code of PhysX appears to be linked to the liberation of Unreal Engine 4 code.

NVIDIA PhysX is the principal physics component of Unreal-driven game titles for several years now. There's a catch, though. NVIDIA is only freeing CPU-based implementation of PhysX, and not its GPU-accelerated one, which leverages NVIDIA's proprietary CUDA GPU compute technology. There should still be plenty for game devs and students in the field, to chew on. In another interesting development, the PhysX SDK has been expanded from its traditionally Windows roots to cover more platforms, namely OS X, Linux, and Android. Find instructions on how to get your hands on the code, at the source link.

Apple today unveiled the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display, featuring the world's highest resolution display with a breathtaking 14.7 million pixels. At this amazing resolution, text appears sharper than ever, videos are unbelievably lifelike, and you can see new levels of detail in your photos. With the latest quad-core processors, high-performance graphics, Fusion Drive and Thunderbolt 2, iMac with Retina 5K display is the most powerful iMac ever made - it's the ultimate display combined with the ultimate all-in-one.

"Thirty years after the first Mac changed the world, the new iMac with Retina 5K display running OS X Yosemite is the most insanely great Mac we have ever made," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With a breathtaking 14.7 million pixel display, faster CPU and graphics, Fusion Drive, and Thunderbolt 2, it's the most beautiful and powerful iMac ever."

Apple today updated Mac mini with the latest technologies and a new lower starting price, making Apple's most affordable Mac an even better value. Mac mini now features fourth generation Intel Core processors, integrated graphics that are up to 90 percent faster, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Thunderbolt 2 and is still the world's most energy efficient desktop.

"People love Mac mini. It's a great first Mac or addition to your home network, and the new Mac mini is a nice upgrade packed into an incredibly compact design," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With the latest CPU and graphics, faster Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, OS X Yosemite, and starting at just $499, the new Mac mini is the best value ever."

Apple today announced that OS X Yosemite, the latest major release of the world's most advanced desktop operating system, is available as a free upgrade for Mac users from the Mac App Store. Yosemite delivers a fresh, modern look and introduces Continuity features that make it easy to hand off activities between Mac and iOS devices and even make and receive iPhone calls from your Mac. Yosemite also includes a new Today view, a redesigned Spotlight and updated versions of Safari, Mail, Messages and iTunes.

"OS X Yosemite is the most advanced version of OS X we've ever built, with a brand new design, amazing Continuity features and powerful versions of the apps you use every day," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "OS X Yosemite ushers in the future of computing, where your Apple devices all work together seamlessly and magically. It's something only Apple can do, and it's available today."

HighPoint Technologies RocketStor series Adapters revolutionize Thunderbolt storage solutions by offering dedicated Thunderbolt 2 transfer performance, small-footprint design, and dramatic cost-savings that remove the need for intermediate PCIe Expansion Chassis.

HighPoint RocketStor 6300 Series Adapters combine Thunderbolt 2 connectivity, PCIe expansion technology and the features of SAS/SATA storage/RAID controllers into single-device storage solutions. This unique, unified approach to storage connectivity allows customers to get everything they need from a single source. HighPoint's longstanding manufacturing and design expertise combined with industry proven RAID and storage technology ensure that RocketStor adapters minimize your storage hardware footprint while maximizing performance and cost savings.

Apple today introduced a new 21.5-inch iMac starting at just $1,099, making the world's leading all-in-one desktop even more affordable. Featuring a stunning ultra-thin design, brilliant display, Core i5 processors and the world's most advanced operating system, the new iMac is the perfect entry-level Mac desktop.

The new 21.5-inch iMac features a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost Speeds up to 2.7 GHz, Intel HD 5000 graphics, 8 GB of memory and a 500 GB hard drive. All iMac models include next generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and two Thunderbolt ports and four USB 3.0 ports for excellent expandability and support for high-performance peripherals.

Apple today announced OS X Yosemite, a powerful new version of OS X redesigned and refined with a fresh, modern look, powerful new apps and amazing new continuity features that make working across your Mac and iOS devices more fluid than ever.

The new Today view in Notification Center gives you a quick look at everything you need to know, all in one place; iCloud Drive is located within the Finder and can store files of any type; and Safari has a new streamlined design that puts the most important controls at your fingertips. Mail makes editing and sending attachments easier than ever; Handoff lets you start an activity on one device and pass it to the other; and Instant Hotspot makes using your iPhone's hotspot as easy as connecting to a Wi-Fi network. Yosemite even gives you the ability to make iPhone calls on your Mac.

HighPoint Technologies, a pioneering force in the storage industry for the past 19 years, is now shipping the industry's most affordable Thunderbolt 2 SATA Adapters - the RocketStor 6324L and RocketStor 6328L, to their global distribution and retail partners.

RocketStor 632xLseries Thunderbolt 2 SATA Adapter design is based on our proven SATA 6Gb/s technology, support industry standard AHCI devices, and utilize Thunderbolt 2 connectivity to maximize transfer performance. The RocketStor 6324L delivers Thunderbolt 2 speeds for up to 4 SATA devices via a single external Mini-SAS port. The RocketStor 6328L dual external Mini-SAS ports allows up to 8 SATA devices to share Thunderbolt 2 transfer bandwidth. Each external Mini-SAS ports can support any industry standard Mini-SAS and eSATA storage enclosure, including those with integrated RAID capability, or those hosting arrays created with Mac OS X's Disk Utility, via industry standard Mini-SAS and eSATA data cables, such as HighPoint's EXT-MS-1MEJ (external Mini-SAS to 4x eSATA) and EXT-MS-1MMS (External Mini-SAS to External-Mini-SAS).

Digging through the source code tree of Dota 2, developers discovered Valve's latest creation, ToGL. Simply put, it's a Direct3D to OpenGL translation layer, which works to reduce duplication of effort in developing games for multiple platforms (such as Windows, Linux, and OS X). The software can translate Direct3D calls to their OpenGL analogues. So far, it can translate only certain kinds of calls within the Direct3D 9.0c API, which should fit Valve's needs adequately. It features a bytecode-level HLSL to GLSL shader language translator. It features only a limited shader model 3.0 support. ToGL is currently being provided by Valve as-is on GitHub, and is unsupported. Developers are free to incorporate it into their projects, and make modifications to it.

AMD announced dual AMD FirePro professional graphics solutions (GPUs) deliver unprecedented levels of performance for the new Mac Pro. The AMD FirePro D300, D500 and D700 professional GPUs offer exceptional compute power and reliability for creativity and productivity in a wide range of applications. With industry-adopted OpenCL (Open Computing Language) support, Mac Pro users have the ability to seamlessly edit full-resolution 4K video and simultaneously render effects in the background, and still have enough performance to power up to three high-resolution 4K displays.

These new AMD FirePro GPUs are built on the strength of AMD's award-winning Graphics Core Next GPU design -- an architecture conceived from the ground up to intelligently manage rendering and compute workloads. The combination of AMD FirePro GPUs and OpenCL -- strongly supported by both Apple and AMD -- is designed to deliver massive compute and graphics performance in one compact solution.

Apple today redefined pro computing with the launch of the all-new Mac Pro. Designed around an innovative unified thermal core, the Mac Pro features the latest Intel Xeon processors with up to 12 cores, dual workstation-class GPUs, six Thunderbolt 2 ports, PCIe-based flash storage and ultra-fast ECC memory. Packing amazing performance in a stunning new design, the all-new Mac Pro starts at $2,999 (US) and will be available in December.

"The new Mac Pro is our vision for the future of the pro desktop, everything about it has been reimagined and there has never been anything like it," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The new Mac Pro packs up to 12-core Xeon CPUs, dual FirePro GPUs, ultra-fast ECC memory, new PCIe flash storage, Thunderbolt 2 expandability and more into a radical new design that is one-eighth the size of the previous generation Mac Pro."

Apple today announced that OS X Mavericks, the 10th major release of the world's most advanced desktop operating system, is available for free from the Mac App Store. With more than 200 new features, OS X Mavericks brings iBooks and Maps to the Mac, includes a new version of Safari, enhances multi-display support, introduces Finder Tabs and Tags and delivers new core technologies for breakthrough power efficiency and performance.

"Mavericks is an incredible release, which introduces significant new apps and features, while also improving the performance and battery life of your Mac," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "We want every Mac user to experience the latest features, the most advanced technologies, and the strongest security. We believe the best way to do this is to begin a new era of personal computing software where OS upgrades are free."