Wednesday 27th May 2020
Windows 10 – Version 2004
The latest twice-yearly big update to Windows 10 will start being released from 28th May. This will move from the current version (1909) to version 2004. There is a range of relatively minor changes, but most users will notice very little difference. For more details see:-
Installing
Linux On An Old PC
If
you have an old PC which has an out-of-date version of Windows, you could
consider installing Linux for free. John talked through the process of
installing Linux Mint.
Linux
was developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Unlike Windows, Linux is free. It is
available in slightly different “distributions” – Mint, which John demonstrated, being one of them. The distributions come with a number of apps such as LibreOffice, Firefox browser, GIMP photo editor etc.
If you want to learn more about downloading and installing Linux Mint, take a look at this YouTube video:-
When you have created the Linux Mint installation USB stick, you can boot from it. You have the option to run Mint straight from the USB stick or to install it onto the hard drive. Just running it without installing it means you can see if it works with your hardware. It's also a handy way of diagnosing or fixing a Windows system that will not boot.
If you want to learn more about using Linux Mint, here is a 7-part video tutorial:-
Windows 10 Mail App
While you can stick with the Mail app that comes with Windows 10, I think there are some better alternatives. I suggested Mozilla's Thunderbird which is free and open-source. Other apps are available, some of which are paid for. This site reviews some of them:-
Contactless
Payments
In
the current circumstances, no one wants to physically handle cash, so, in
supermarkets and other shops, contactless payment is encouraged, if not
compulsory. Contactless payments with
Credit or Debit cards can be made up to £45.
If
you have a modern smartphone with NFC (Near Field Communication), you can use
it to make contactless payments which link to one of your Credit/Debit
cards. The three major systems which use
this feature are:-
Apple
Pay on iPhones, and
Google
Pay (formerly called Android Pay) on Android phones.
Samsung
Pay on Samsung phones (these are Android phones, so you could opt to
use Google Pay instead).
Your
bank or card provider has to support the relevant system, which most major
banks do. Once set up on your phone, the
device uses a virtual card number known as a token, rather than the
actual credit/debit card number. This
means that you could cancel the virtual card, if, for example, your phone was
lost or stolen, without cancelling the real card that it links to.
Provided
your phone is unlocked, there is no limit to the amount you can pay, although
some retailers may impose their own limits.
For
more details, have a look at this Which? article:-
(Note,
the above article was written on 4th March this year before the
basic contactless card limit was increased to £45 on 1st April).
This
Which? article compares Samsung Pay with Google Pay:-
If
you have a smartwatch, you may be able to use this to make contactless payments
– see this article for more details:-
Chat in Gmail
Brian found the Chat label in Gmail on the web rather irritating and wanted to remove it. To do this, go to gmail.com and sign in and then:-
- Click on the Cog symbol (near top right)
- Select Settings
- Click on the Chat tab across the top
- Select Chat off
- Click the Save Changes button
Pinning Browser Tabs
When using a browser on a PC or Mac, it can be set to go to a particular web page or several web pages (each in a tab) when the browser is opened. The way you set the Start/Home page(s) varies depending on which browser you are using. There is some information on this in my Browser Basic document:-
Or you can google for how to do it in a particular browser.
However, having to delve into the browser’s settings can be a challenge, so wouldn’t it be great if there was any easier way to have specific web pages loaded each time you launch the browser? Well, there is, by pinning a tab. This feature is now found on most modern browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on the Mac.
Here’s how it works. If there is a web page you always want to be there every time you open the browser, just go to that web site, right-click on the tab and select Pin Tab. If you change your mind, it’s just as easy to unpin a tab. Why not give it a try.
Zoom
Although we aren't using Zoom for the Computer Club, some of you may have already encountered it in other group video conference calls. You can find an article called Join a Zoom Meeting under the Tech Hints and Tips section of my website:-
Chromium
John raised this. Chromium is an open-source software project from Google. It is the foundation of a number of other web browsers including Chrome, Opera and Brave. It is also the basis of the new version of Microsoft Edge. The current version of Edge which is built into Windows 10 will, in due course, be replaced by the new Chromium-based version. If you want to try the new Chromium Edge, you can download it from:-
When you install the new Edge using the above link, it will be installed in addition to, and independent of the current version.
Chromium OS is an open-source operating system designed around the Chromium web browser. Chrome OS is Google's commercial product which runs on Chromebooks and shares the same code-base as Chromium OS. Chromium/Chrome OS is essentially another version of Linux.
Jitsi
Jitsi
is a free, simple and easy-to-use alternative to Hangouts, Zoom etc for video conferencing,
i.e.making group video calls. On a PC it
runs completely in the browser, so no software needs to be installed. On mobile devices, you need to install the Jitsi
Meet app from the App Store. Unlike
some other group video software, you do not need an account.
I
would like to switch to Jitsi for future Computer Club meetings. So, if you are using an iPad or Android
tablet, please install the Jitsi Meet app. If you are using a PC, you don’t need to do
anything. I will open the meeting room
about 10 minutes before the meeting and send you a link by email as usual. If you open that email on the device you want
to use and click on the link, you will gain access to the meeting room, either
in your browser on a PC or in the app on a mobile device. You will be asked to permit use of your camera and microphone. To increase security I will use a password of
“Northwich” which you will be requested to enter.
If
you want a bit more information on using Jitsi, have a look at this:-
Next Session
Wed
10th June 2020 at 2pm via Jitsi Meet.
