Latest news with #Canary
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft Brings Notepad Closer to Word With New Features
Microsoft has started rolling out an update to Notepad for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11. The updated version 11.2504.50.0 brings lightweight formatting options to the classic text editor. With this update, Notepad now supports Markdown-style input and files, meaning that if you prefer to work directly with this markup language, you can do so more easily. The new formatting toolbar lets you apply text styling such as bold and italics, add hyperlinks, and create simple lists and headings. All this means that Notepad is now more effective for organizing notes or documents with basic formatting without needing to switch to a full word processor such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, now that WordPad is gone. You can switch between a formatted Markdown view and a plain Markdown syntax view from the View menu or by using a toggle button in the status bar. If you want to return to plain text at any time, you can clear all formatting using the toolbar or the Edit menu. And for those who prefer the original Notepad experience, there is an option in the app settings to disable formatting entirely. Microsoft has asked users to share their thoughts and suggestions through the Feedback Hub under Apps > Notepad.
Local Spain
3 days ago
- Politics
- Local Spain
Tenerife airport chaos strengthens case for Brits' e-gate access in Spain
Several UK tabloids recently reported how on May 26th hundreds of British holidaymakers faced "third-world', 'inhumane' and "cattle-like" conditions at Tenerife South Airport. As four UK flights landed in quick succession, a bottleneck formed at passport control which meant passengers queued for more than two hours in stifling and overcrowded airport lounges. Travellers complained that only two booths were manned for hundreds of British visitors, as well as speaking out about the 'claustrophobic' conditions and no access to toilets. The problems were reported to have been made worse by the fact that children were unable to use e-gates to check their passports. Rosa Dávila, president of Tenerife's Council, called an emergency meeting after the incident saying that chaos and long queues have become a common problem at the airport during peak tourist periods. Dávila called the situation 'unacceptable' and blamed Madrid for failing to provide sufficient immigration officers to the Canary island since Brexit. 'This is a structural issue,' she explained. We can't continue to operate with the same staffing levels we had pre-Brexit'. The incident strengthens the case for Britons to be able to use e-gates in Spain - without the need for a passport stamp - as soon as possible, in order to avoid repeats and potential crushes at passport control. Spain is one of only a handful of EU countries already allowing limited e-gate access for UK citizens, but only at selected airports. Even then, they often still require a passport stamp, despite their passport also being processed automatically. During the recent UK-EU 'reset' talks, the UK and the European Commission promised to "continue their exchanges on smooth border management for the benefit of their citizens, including the potential use of e-gates where appropriate". They stated that "there will be no legal barriers to e-gates use for British nationals travelling to and from the European Union member states after the introduction of the European Union Entry/Exit System". This means that it's likely that UK citizens will not have access to e-gates until the introduction of the new EES (Entry/Exit System), which scheduled for later this year in October 2025. "After that it's up to the member states. But this gives us the possibility, I'd say the probability, that people will be able to use the e-gates in future, which is not a possibility at the moment," Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden told the BBC. Unfortunately, this won't help the situation this summer when thousands of Brits will be descending on Spain for their annual holidays, with the potential to cause chaos at even more airports across the country, not just in Tenerife. Spain has long been a favourite holiday destination for British tourists and the Spain-UK route is one of the busiest flight routes in the world. Spain received more than 17.5 million British holidaymakers during the first 11 months of 2024. There are also over 400,000 UK nationals officially registered as living in Spain according to Spain's National Institute of Statistics (INE) data from 2024. Recent events at Tenerife South Airport highlight the recurring problems that come about since barriers were put in up between two countries linked together by more than 200 daily flights. Even though granting British travellers access to all Spanish airports' e-gates seems like a feasible way to reduce these Brexit-fuelled holdups, there are fears that the implementation of the EES across the EU in October will also cause chaos before the system is running smoothly. However, once EES is fully operational, and queues for passport stamps are no longer necessary, it's possible that scenes such as that at Tenerife South will be a thing of the past.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
Microsoft updates Windows 11 Notepad with new text formatting options
A few days after Microsoft started rolling out a generative AI-powered writing feature for Notepad users, the tech giant seems to be bringing the app a step closer to the now-deprecated WordPad by introducing text formatting options. Available for Windows 11 Insiders testers who are on the Canary and Dev Channel, Microsoft says Notepad users can now style text in bold, italics, add hyperlinks and is even adding Markdown support. In a blog post, the tech giant says the new lightweight text formatting options in the app offer 'additional flexibility in how you structure content across your files.' In case you are wondering, these text formatting options are conveniently placed in a new toolbar that is located at the top of the app window. These new features may be useful for some, but if you are one of the few users who want to use the app as a plain text editor, Microsoft says you can do so either by clearing all formatting from the toolbar or by heading over to the edit menu. Moreover, users will also be able to switch between formatted Markdown and Markdown syntax views by using the toggle button in the status bar at the bottom of the window. To get the new Notepad text formatting features, make sure that your app is updated to version 11.2504.50.0. In the last few months, Microsoft has been steadily adding new functionalities to Notepad. These changes are part of the company's effort to modernise the decades-old app. Back in 2021, the Redmond-based tech giant fully redesigned the Notepad app for Windows 11, and since then, Microsoft has added features like multiple tab support, a baked in character counter and other basic functionalities like autocorrect and spell check. Since the new formatting options are only available on the latest Windows Insider builds, it may take some time before Microsoft starts rolling them out on the stable channel.
The Verge
6 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Microsoft releases a bold new update for Notepad
Microsoft is adding text formatting to its Windows Notepad app. The significant Notepad update is available for Canary and Dev Channel testers on Windows 11, and introduces bold and italic styling, alongside hyperlinks and even Markdown support. The addition of text formatting in Notepad means there's now a formatting toolbar at the top of the app, alongside the existing File, Edit, and View options. The toolbar includes access to bold, italic, and hyperlink options, but it also includes support for lists and headings. 'The experience supports Markdown style input and files for users who prefer to work directly with the lightweight markup language,' explains Dave Grochocki, principal product manager lead for Microsoft's Windows inbox apps. 'You can switch between formatted Markdown and Markdown syntax views in the view menu or by selecting the toggle button in the status bar at the bottom of the window.' Since Notepad is usually used with plain text, you can also easily clear all formatting from the formatting toolbar or from the edit menu in the app. If you're not a fan of the lightweight formatting options, you can also fully disable this new support in the Notepad app settings. This formatting addition to Notepad comes just a week after Microsoft started testing a new feature in the app that can generate text for you using AI. The new Write feature in Notepad can be used to 'quickly draft text based on your prompt,' and alongside these formatting options Notepad is starting to look a lot more like Microsoft Word.
TechCrunch
29-05-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
A decade in, bootstrapped Thinkst Canary reaches $20M in ARR without VC funding
This month, cybersecurity company Thinkst will mark its 10th anniversary since the launch of its now-flagship product, Canary. The company debuted Canary after seeing companies spend millions of dollars on cybersecurity products, yet were still taking months or longer to realize that they had been breached. Thinkst believed it could make a digital tripwire product that would catch hackers in the act, and by all accounts, it did just that. Over the past decade, the company has grown to around 40 employees, mostly developers and engineers; hasn't taken on any outside funding; and is on track this year to make a healthy profit on $20 million in annual recurring revenue, almost double from 2021, Thinkst founder Haroon Meer told TechCrunch. It's an impressive, if not refreshing feat, at a time when many cybersecurity companies are driven by breakneck growth and speed and fueled by venture capital. Meer, who founded Thinkst and serves as its chief executive from Cape Town in South Africa, told TechCrunch in a call earlier this month that Thinkst made it this far by focusing on its customers and what they need — specifically a product that does what it says it does — and not growing the company at an uncontrolled rate. Meer said this approach is working, pointing to 60% of its first-year customers who are still with the company today. 'We're not artificially holding back growth, but we're also not doing any of the really silly, 'pour gasoline on the fire' growth-at-all-costs stuff,' said Meer. 'What you have to do is keep the promises that you make, and you'll grow into the people that are right for you.' In 2015, Thinkst launched its Canary hardware product — named after a canary in a coal mine, essentially a very early warning system — that can detect and alert when hackers are present on a company's network. A canary is set up like a honeypot, so that when a malicious hacker (or an authorized pen-tester stress-testing a company's defenses) accesses the canary thinking they struck it lucky by accessing a Windows PC with an open file share, or a server packed with customer data, secret API keys, or a vital service for a company's operations, the canary will send an alert about the breach and allow the company to take immediate action. The canary's purpose is to reduce the amount of time that hackers have to sneak around on a victim's network to search for sensitive data, plant malware, or otherwise cause damage before getting caught. The average hacker has around 24 days on a victim's network before detection, according to Verizon's most recent annual data breach report. The company also offers Canary Tokens, its free and public offering that lets anyone drop an item of ostensible value, like a password, document, or a credit card number, for example, in a safe place so that when someone accesses or opens the item, you are alerted at the same moment your safe place was compromised. 'One of the things we got accidentally lucky with is it's really hard to deploy a canary wrong,' said Meer. 'If you make it fit in, then you catch attackers, and if you make it stick out, you catch attackers.' After all, if a malicious hacker sees an advantage to get what they need faster, they're going to take the opportunity. 'It's rare for us to have a week without getting an email from a customer saying this saved our lives, or we had a pen test and this is the only thing that caught our attackers,' said Meer. It is these success stories that 'fuels' the company, said Meer, and helps drive the company's organic sales growth. Thinkst does not have an outbound sales team; instead, the company relies largely on word of mouth, or existing customers who want to buy more of the company's honeypots. Meer said that while Thinkst hasn't taken any outside funding to date, he does not begrudge the VC industry and values its insights. While conceding that some companies cannot get to where they are without heavy cash injections, he argues that money is 'not the gate that stops you from doing stuff.' Meer said that companies focusing on making their products work and their customers happy is core to good business. 'My main thing is that you should run the business in a way that you are still attractive for investment or acquisition,' said Meer. 'If you build a good enough business so that you don't need it, you can always ask for it when you do.' Meer was not shy about his company's ambitions. 'We think every company should be running at least five canaries now,' he said. Some companies have a handful of canaries and some into the hundreds or more. 'There's a bunch of stuff that we could do to make more money; we just don't think that's necessary right now, because what we're doing is offering a good product at a fair price, and that's growing.' 'We are $20 million now, but we don't think $20 million is our ceiling,' said Meer.
