Our last edition of WIG for March is filled with news link goodness such as 22% of users are keeping the Windows 8 Explorer Ribbon expanded, Facebook is upset with prospective employers asking for peoples’ account passwords, Firefox 14 nightly has added a new HTML5-based PDF viewer, and more.

Weekly News Links

• Chrome: The people’s Web browser choice
  For a day, Google’s Chrome was the most popular Web browser in the world. Before much longer it will be the most popular Web browser all the time.
• Firefox to get new home page and tabs in three months
  Mozilla has announced the arrival of the latest development version of Firefox 13 in the Aurora channel. This in-development version will arrive as the production version of Firefox in approximately twelve weeks. The development version includes a redesigned home page, changed “new tab” behaviour, and auto-completion in the browser address bar.
• Firefox 14 nightly adds new fancy default HTML5-based PDF viewer
  Mozilla Firefox has started the year 2012 with a new features-based attitude, continuing to bring exciting tools, as well as new themes, such as Australis that is to hit Firefox in the next months.
• Firefox 12 beta introduces automatic updates
  The beta version of Firefox 12 is bringing a new update system to Mozilla’s browser that addresses the problems of ensuring users install security updates: silent updates. A standalone update process will enable the next Firefox version to install updates to the browser without requiring user interaction.
• Windows 8 Comes with 1024×768 Minimum Resolution, No Maximum Limit
  In an attempt to ensure that applications built for the Windows 8 platform can deliver a consistent experience regardless of the devices they have been loaded on, Microsoft decided to set the minimum supported resolution on the platform at 1024×768.
• Windows 8 Explorer’s Ribbon Kept Expanded by 22% Users
  Following the launch of Windows 8 Consumer Preview in late February, Microsoft is offering some stats on how the platform is being used.
• A Windows 8 e-reader: If someone builds it, will they come?
  There are new hints that Windows 8-based dedicated e-readers sporting the Metro UI are in the works.
• Windows 8 reportedly set for October debut
  Bloomberg reports that Microsoft will release the final version of the upcoming operating system to manufacturers this summer, leading to a pre-Christmas launch.
• Android and Linux re-merge into one operating system
  For years, Android has been a Linux variant, but now, with the release of Linux 3.3, the two operating systems are united again.
• Facebook: Don’t reveal your password to snooping employers
  As more companies ask workers for access to their Facebook accounts, the social network says that sharing or soliciting a password is a violation of its own guidelines.
• Google looks to patent tech that listens to calls to promote ads
  One of Google’s numerous pending patents involves technology that would take note of background noise, like rain, during phone calls and serve users related ads, such as a pitch for an umbrella.
• ‘Dark trade’ in Web-censoring tools exposed by Pakistan plan
  A plan by Pakistan for a Web-filtering project prompts U.S. firms to take a stance on selling software to be used for government censorship.
• AT&T scammed Feds for Nigerian scammers, DOJ says
  The US Justice Department accuses AT&T of defrauding the government, alleging the carrier improperly billed for services intended for the hard of hearing. The system has become a method through which scammers, many from Nigeria, make purchases using stolen credit cards and fraudulent checks.
• Google users sue over changes to privacy policy
  Lawsuits accuse Google of violating users’ privacy rights and of deceptive business practices in regard to new privacy policy changes.
• Facebook fans flames with privacy policy tweaks
  Social network says no significant changes are afoot, but privacy advocates cry foul.
• Congress probing iOS developers on user privacy, address books
  Congress has sent another letter to Apple, as well as 33 mobile app developers on iOS, asking if, and how, they collect user information.
• Verizon finds “hacktivists” responsible for 58% of stolen data
  Verizon has produced its latest annual report on data theft, the 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report. The report highlights the increase in the proportion of attacks carried out, not by organised crime, but by “hacktivists”, such as LulzSec and Anonymous.
• Embarrassing security failure at PayPal
  Until just a few days ago, web sites belonging to the world’s largest online payment service contained a security vulnerability in a key component that could have been exploited by fraudsters to steal information from customers.
• Imuler/Revir Trojan for OS X resurfaces
  The malware scene in OS X is minimal when compared with other operating systems, but it is being developed at a snail’s pace.
• Safari bug could lure iOS 5 users to malicious Web sites
  A hole in Apple’s mobile Safari can be exploited to display a different URL in the address field than the Web site being viewed in the browser.

Random TinyHacker Links

• What’s coming in Microsoft Office 15?
  Curious to learn more about what’s coming in the next version of Microsoft Office? Paul Thurrott explains all in an interesting series of articles.
• A review of the new avast! v7
  Avast! has launched version 7 of their products. But… are they any better than their previous products? Find out from this review.
• Stop a Pending Shut Down in Windows
  Knowing how to stop the shutdown procedure can be useful at times.
• Beautiful Ferrari theme (Windows 7)
  Holy Maranello ! Awesome new themes from Redmond include Porsche, Ducati, Infiniti and Akrapovic.
• #tweetsmart – A Book about Twitter
  Are you searching for a good book on Twitter? Most probably you stumbled upon #tweetsmart. Read this review to learn if it is worth buying and reading.
• Discovr Movies (iOS)
  Discovr Movies, part of a trilogy (music, apps, movies) of paid but occasionally free apps from developer Filter Squad, is free for a limited time. It’s a wonderful way to search and discover new movies that are similar.
• Angry Birds Space to be Released Tomorrow, 3/22
  Even though the game has already went ‘live’, you can still get a peek at how it looks with this video.
• Infographic: Speedy America
  An infographic that discusses how much a one-second page load delay costs.

Super User Questions

• What are the risks of partitioning drives?
• Why does Windows not recognize files inside Linux partitions?
• Why did my flash drive become “read only” and (how) can I fix it?
• Can one take a partial screen shot in Windows 7?
• Any configuration on windows 7 to call a specific .exe file by hotkey( like ctrl+somekey) without installing any third party application?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

• How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image)
• The Best Articles for Backing Up and Syncing Your Data
• How to Work with the Network from the Linux Terminal: 11 Commands You Need to Know
• Here’s a Quick Alternative Way to Download Videos from YouTube
• How to Easily Optimize & Manage Multiple Computers with Soluto
• The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume
• How to Use Firefox’s Web Developer Tools to View Website Structures in 3D
• How to Extract High Quality Icons from Application Files
• Desktop Fun: Horses Wallpaper Collection Series 2
• How to Get Help With a Command from the Linux Terminal: 8 Tricks for Beginners & Pros Alike

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

• Just Another Routine Day in the IT Department [Humorous Image]
• What Happens on the Internet every 24 Hours [Infographic]
• The ‘Ultimate’ PC Cooling Setup [Funny Picture]
• Uses for Your Old iPad [Humorous Image]
• At Least the Program Crashed Politely [Humorous Image]
• How Would a Single Laptop Affect the Past? [Infographic Comic]
• If Computer Problems were Physical Life Events [Video]
• Screen Tweaker Swaps Windows 7 Logon Screen
• Hack a Linksys Router into a Ambient Data Monitor
• RUIN: A Post-Apocalyptic Short Animation [Video]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

• How to Get Amazing Color from Photos in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET
• Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET
• 10 Common Photoshop Frustrations (and How to Fix Them in Five Minutes)
• How to Create an Easy Pixel Art Avatar in Photoshop or GIMP
• Download the How-To Geek Photoshop CS5 Cheat Sheet

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• The Target Market
• He Disproved the Law of Averages
• A Second Opinion
• An Intense Video Game
• Unexpected Method of Identity Protection
• Life on the Island is Good
• Why He Started His own Business

How-To Geek Weekly Trivia Roundup

• What Common Electronic Device Was Once Remote Controlled By Ultrasound?
• Which Children’s Television Show Host Argued In Defense Of Home Recording?
• What Early Cinema Technology Was The First To Perfectly Synchronize Sound?
• Which Astronomer Is Currently En Route To The Planet He Discovered?
• What Was The First Console Video Game To Save A Player’s Progress?