Category Archives: Patches and updates

Opera, Patches and updates

Opera 30 released

Leave a comment

It’s been over a year since I last posted about a new version of Opera. I’ve been much less interested in that browser since the developers switched to the WebKit engine. Combined with the total lack of anything resembling new version announcements, the result is that I’ve missed a year’s worth of new versions.

Opera 30 was released today, with the usual lack of a formal announcement. I only learned of the update because I ran FileHippo’s update checker. There was a post on the Opera blog that coincided with the arrival of the new version, but the post says nothing about a new version, and only mentions the current version in passing.

In any case, the changes in Opera since version 22 are numerous, as you can see below. The good news is that there is now a bookmark sidebar. The bad news is that bookmarks don’t actually appear in the sidebar, but in the main window. Still, it’s progress. At least it’s better than Chrome in this regard.

Changes since Opera 22

  • Stability enhancements.
  • Fixes and enhancements for how Opera handles plugins.
  • Heart menu – Add or remove currently viewed pages to Speed Dial, Stash, or the bookmarks bar from a single place on the combined search and address bar.
  • New user-interface element added for allowing blocked content in a secure session.
  • Hover your mouse over a tab to preview its contents.
  • On Windows, the chrome has been improved to better distinguish private windows.
  • Fixes and enhancements for how Opera handles HiDPI on Windows.
  • A bookmark manager allows you to collect and organize your favorite content, including a thumbnail preview for visually recognizing pages.
  • Web notifications let developers deliver native alerts or status information to their users.
  • A PDF viewer displays documents directly in the webview, without the need for installing an extension. The built-in PDF viewer will only be enabled if no other PDF handlers are in use.
  • Memory and loading improvements for the start page.
  • Enhancement for the Opera tile icon on Windows 8.
  • Share bookmarks from the bookmark manager anywhere a URL can be sent. Opera provides external access to select bookmarks or an entire bookmark folder for an extendable 14-day period.
  • Opera now imports data from other browsers. Import bookmarks, cookies, history, and passwords from Opera 12, Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari.
  • Preview pages before printing to either software or hardware printers without the need of the system dialog.
  • A new tab menu helps you find tabs in a list view once a large amount have been opened. Look for the button on the far right of the tab bar.
  • Opera internal pages, like Bookmarks, Speed Dial and Discover, now have a new navigation at the bottom of the start page.
  • Opera’s print preview has been restyled.
  • Context menus and issues with empty bookmark folders in the bookmark manager have been tweaked and fixed.
  • Enhanced support for Pepper Flash Player (PPAPI) solving issues with Chromium’s discontinuation of Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) plugins like Adobe Flash Player.
  • Sync bookmarks between your computer and your phone or tablet.
  • Bookmark suggestions now appear when typing in the combined search and address bar.
  • The bookmark manager has been improved. It now includes batch operations and a tighter sidebar.
  • A new look for the start page and Speed Dial.
  • View a revamped history page directly from the start page.
  • View the tabs you have open on other devices.
  • Quickly see which tab is playing sound with the audio indicator in the tab bar.
  • Customize your keyboard shortcuts.
  • Use mouse gestures to open links in a new tab or window or in a background tab.
  • View and manage the Speed Dial start pages of your other devices in the bookmark manager.
  • New functionality with the extensions sidebar. View sidebar extensions available at addons.opera.com/.
  • Access recently-closed, synced, and currently open tabs in the tab menu. Enable tab previews and a new tab cycler.
  • Better manage bookmarks and bookmark folders using a trash folder in the bookmark manager. Restore bookmarks if you accidentally remove them or clear them from your browser for good.
  • Opera now syncs your browsing preferences and settings.
  • HTML5 video media source extensions support for high-definition screens.
Firefox, Patches and updates

Firefox 38.0.5

1 Comment

Mozilla continues to shovel more features into Firefox. This week we have Firefox 38.0.5, which adds support for Pocket (a ‘save for later’ service) and Reader mode, which provides simplified views of any web page. Version 38.0.5 also fixes a couple of nasty performance and display bugs that were introduced in recent versions. The 38.0.5 release notes provide additional details. No security issues were addressed in this update.

Mozilla is re-evaluating Firefox’s release notes, even going so far as to ask the community for feedback. Now if we can just get them to do something about the total lack of new version announcements. As usual, there was no proper announcement for this new version, although there was a post on the Mozilla blog that discusses Pocket and Reader.

Update 2015Jun10: I recently encountered an article on a site that displays everything as white text on a black background. I can only read a site like that for a few seconds before my eyes start to go blurry, so I decided to try Firefox’s new Reader mode. The near-unreadable text was transformed into beautiful, uncluttered, easy-on-the-eyes text. So apparently my offhand dismissal of Reader mode was a mistake: it’s actually a very useful feature, especially for those of us past a certain age.

Adobe, Patches and updates, Security, Shockwave

Shockwave 12.1.8.158

Leave a comment

The latest version of Adobe Shockwave is 12.1.8.158, which was actually released on April 22. The release notes don’t even mention it.

You can check the version of Shockwave on your computer by going to the Windows Programs and Features control panel, where it appears as Adobe Shockwave Player. Alternatively, you can check your browser’s add-ons: in Firefox, Shockwave appears in the Plugin list as Shockwave for Director. You can also check the installed version and install the latest version on the Shockwave Player Help page.

Firefox, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 38.0 released

Leave a comment

Another stealth release from our friends at Mozilla, Firefox 38.0 fixes at least thirteen security issues.

Other changes in this release include tab-based preferences, as well as HTML5 enhancements and improvements to developer tools.

If you’re tired of waiting for Mozilla to issue proper release announcements, you can always get your Firefox news from another source, like the CERT alerts blog.

Update 2015May14: Two days later, and Firefox still isn’t updating itself. I’m not sure if there’s a problem with Mozilla’s update process, or if it’s just sluggish. According to Mozilla:

By default, Firefox is set to automatically update itself but you can always do a manual update. Here’s how:
1. Click the menu button, click help (question mark icon) and select About Firefox.
2. The About Firefox window will open and Firefox will begin checking for updates and downloading them automatically.

What I’m finding is that while the About box may be checking for updates, it’s not finding one, or in any case even if it finds one, it’s not downloading anything. It just says ‘Firefox is up to date’.

In any case, since this release contains fixes for security issues, I’m going to install it manually from the main download page. That page correctly identifies that I’m running an older version and offers a link to download the new version.

Update 2015May14: Via the official #firefox IRC channel, I was just informed that once again, a new version of Firefox is causing crashing problems. Version 38.0 has been pulled from release, and we can expect a fixed version 38.0.1 later this week.

Flash, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Patches and updates, Security, Windows

Microsoft updates for May 2015

Leave a comment

It’s the second Tuesday of the month, so Microsoft is pushing out another set of updates. This month there are thirteen updates, addressing about 50 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, .NET, Office, and Silverlight. Three are flagged as Critical.

As always with security updates affecting Windows, you should install these as soon as possible.

Two of the updates (MS15-044 and MS15-049) affect Silverlight. Once you install these updates, your version of Silverlight should be 5.1.40416.0, which you can confirm on the Get Silverlight page. Installing from that page will also update Silverlight to version 5.1.40416.0. That’s also the only way you can get the latest version if you’re using Windows XP.

Adobe, Chrome, Flash, Google, Patches and updates, Security

Security updates for Adobe Flash and Reader

Leave a comment

Updates for Flash and Reader/Acrobat, released earlier today by Adobe, address a variety of security vulnerabilities “that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.”

Flash 17.0.0.188 includes fixes for at least eighteen vulnerabilities, all of which have been flagged as Critical.

Adobe Reader/Acrobat version 11.0.11 addresses seven Critical vulnerabilities.

Anyone still using Flash in a web browser should update Flash as soon as possible. If you use Adobe Reader to open PDF files from unknown sources, you should update Reader as soon as possible. As usual, newer versions of Internet Explorer will auto-update, as will Chrome (to version 42.0.2311.152).

Internet, Patches and updates, Security, WordPress and other CMS

WordPress 4.2.2 and critical theme updates

Leave a comment

A new version of WordPress addresses several critical security issues. Version 4.2.2 also fixes some non-security issues that were introduced in WordPress 4.2.

The vulnerabilities fixed in WordPress 4.2.2 are being actively exploited on the web, so anyone who operates a WordPress site should immediately check whether the new version has been auto-installed, and if not, install it.

Another vulnerability was recently discovered in the Twenty Fifteen theme that comes packaged with newer versions of WordPress. An updated version of the theme that addresses the issue is now available.