behavior Archives

Tech Optimizer

June 21, 2026

Is Free Antivirus Safe in 2026? What Most Free Antivirus Apps Don’t Tell You

Some free antivirus software provides legitimate protection against malware, viruses, ransomware, trojans, and suspicious downloads, but not all are equal. Free antivirus programs often generate revenue through premium upgrades, advertising, partner promotions, data collection, or bundled software offers. Users may face upselling tactics, including pop-up notifications and upgrade prompts, which can create confusion between marketing messages and actual security threats. Many free antivirus apps collect data on websites visited, download activity, device information, and security events, raising privacy concerns. Devices often come with built-in antivirus protection, such as Microsoft Defender for Windows and XProtect for Mac, while smartphones have multiple layers of security. In 2026, the biggest cybersecurity risks are phishing attacks, fake websites, investment scams, account takeovers, social engineering attacks, and credential theft, rather than malware. Free antivirus software can create a false sense of security, leading users to believe they are safe from cyber threats. A reputable free antivirus may suffice for users who browse responsibly and maintain good online habits, while paid antivirus may be worth it for additional services like identity theft monitoring and VPNs. Not all free antivirus products offer the same level of protection, so users should choose reputable providers and scrutinize privacy policies.

Winsage

June 21, 2026

I used Windows 11 exactly the way Microsoft wanted, and it drove me crazy

The author has customized Windows for years, resisting Microsoft's default settings by changing the default browser, decluttering the Start menu, and preventing OneDrive from managing files. Upon acquiring a new mini PC, the author decided to experience Windows 11 with the default settings, allowing OneDrive to manage files and using Windows Search without workarounds. This led to frustration as files saved locally were often stored in OneDrive-synced folders, making the Desktop feel cloud-based. The author also found Windows Search to be cluttered with mixed results and promotional content, which detracted from its utility. The overall experience felt less tailored to personal workflow and more aligned with Microsoft's ecosystem. After three days, the author reverted to their usual practices, adjusting defaults and decluttering the interface, leading to a more user-friendly environment that matched their preferences.

Tech Optimizer

June 20, 2026

Chinese police bust cybercrime ring behind ‘Silver Fox’ Trojan virus

Chinese law enforcement has dismantled cybercrime operations linked to a new variant of the Silver Fox Trojan virus, which targets employees in enterprises and public institutions, particularly in financial roles. The malware allows cybercriminals remote access to steal account credentials, intercept SMS verification codes, and harvest personal information. A criminal syndicate in Jilin province, led by an individual named Chen, developed this Trojan and conducted mass phishing campaigns, resulting in losses exceeding 7 million yuan. Police have taken action against Chen and 26 accomplices, with ongoing investigations. Recommendations for enhancing personal cybersecurity include downloading software from official websites, scrutinizing website domains, verifying links before clicking, and disconnecting compromised computers from the internet. Under China's Criminal Law, unauthorized access to computer systems and data theft can lead to imprisonment and financial penalties.

Tech Optimizer

June 20, 2026

PostgreSQL 18 on Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS: Performance enhancements

PostgreSQL 18 addresses common performance challenges for users, including managing query performance across composite indexes, diagnosing memory spills in materialized Common Table Expressions (CTEs), and upgrading major versions without plan regressions. Key enhancements include skip scan optimization for multicolumn indexes, improved EXPLAIN functionality, and optimizer statistics that persist through major version upgrades. Skip scan optimization allows PostgreSQL to efficiently utilize multicolumn B-tree indexes even when leading columns are not specified in the WHERE clause, significantly improving query performance. The EXPLAIN command has been enhanced to include buffer statistics by default, providing deeper insights into query execution and resource usage. PostgreSQL 18 also introduces visibility into the storage of materialized nodes in query plans, indicating whether intermediate results were stored in memory or spilled to disk. A new metric, Index Searches, has been added to EXPLAIN ANALYZE output, indicating how many times the database traversed the index tree during query execution. Additionally, Self-Join Elimination (SJE) automatically detects and removes unnecessary inner joins of a table to itself, optimizing query performance. The autovacuum mechanism has been improved with the introduction of autovacuum_vacuum_max_threshold, which caps the number of dead tuples that can accumulate before autovacuum triggers a VACUUM, addressing issues with large tables. The vacuum_truncate parameter provides a server-wide control point to disable VACUUM’s file truncation behavior, reducing locking issues on busy systems. PostgreSQL 18 also separates the allocation of autovacuum worker slots from their usage, allowing for dynamic adjustments to autovacuum_max_workers without requiring a server restart. Finally, new columns in pg_stat_all_tables track cumulative time spent on maintenance operations, providing better insights into maintenance overhead for each table.

AppWizard

June 20, 2026

This 1986 Japanese adventure game showing up on Steam in 2026 guarantees it makes my GOTY list—you’ve really got to play it

Pasokon Retro highlights the rediscovery of the action-adventure game Relics, originally released in 1986 by Bothtec for platforms like MSX and PC-88/98. The game features distinctive blue and yellow graphics and a modest frame rate, offering players a unique experience filled with bizarre scenarios. Players encounter various challenges, including character deaths that require restarts, and the game’s design allows for different outcomes based on player choices. Relics concludes in a cyclical manner, emphasizing exploration and personal growth. It has recently debuted on Steam, inviting new players to engage with its unconventional gameplay.

Tech Optimizer

June 20, 2026

How Five PostgreSQL Optimizations Sped Up Our Dashboard

The dashboard operates on a Django monolith with PostgreSQL and is transitioning to ClickHouse for denormalization. The initial p50 metric was 0.7 seconds, but the p95 was 8 seconds, which was reduced to 1 second. Observability tools were established to monitor performance, and slow HTTP requests were identified using OpenTelemetry traces. Optimization techniques included late joining, asynchronous counting, creating a PostgreSQL replica for read operations, and improving full-text search. Denormalization was explored to enhance filtering performance by creating composite indexes. The production stack was upgraded to PostgreSQL 18, which provided incremental performance improvements. The final p95 value achieved was 1 second, below the target of 3 seconds.

Tech Optimizer

June 19, 2026

Looking Ahead to Postgres 19

Postgres has introduced new functionalities, including UPDATE and DELETE FOR PORTION OF, enhancing temporal use cases. The expansion of RANDOM() temporal functions is attributed to Paul Ramsey and Greg Sabino Mullane. Version 19 includes performance improvements in the planner and executor components, with contributions from Tom Lane. Key enhancements include refinements in anti-joins and semi-joins, constant folding optimizations, incremental sorting with append paths, enhanced aggregate processing prior to joins, improved join selectivity computation, and more comprehensive function statistics. These changes allow Postgres to better understand query structures, reducing unnecessary processing. The visibility of memoization in EXPLAIN has improved, sort performance has benefited from radix sort, and foreign key constraint checks have become faster. The COPY FROM command can now utilize SIMD instructions. Postgres 19 offers a range of improvements for application developers, operators, performance enthusiasts, and those building on Postgres, including enhanced graph queries, refined SQL syntax, improved window functions, better upsert behavior, REPACK CONCURRENTLY, advancements in autovacuum, improved monitoring capabilities, and new hooks. The release is still in beta, providing an opportunity for testing applications, migration, extensions, execution plans, and maintenance workflows.

Winsage

June 19, 2026

Microsoft finally admits its default Windows 11 25H2, 24H2 action broke key legacy component

Microsoft released Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11, specifically KB5094126 and KB5093998, along with dynamic updates KB5094149, KB5095971, and KB5094156. Two issues have been acknowledged: malfunctioning Office applications and complications with the Recycle Bin. In July 2025, Microsoft changed the default settings of Windows 11 to JScript9Legacy in versions 24H2 and later, continuing with version 25H2 in October 2025. This change aimed to enhance security by addressing vulnerabilities related to legacy scripting, particularly cross-site scripting (XSS). A support article details a compatibility issue arising from the transition from jscript9.dll to jscript9legacy.dll, which affects how JScript manages execution context. Functions and definitions established by one script are no longer accessible to subsequent scripts, leading to failures in legacy applications. To address this, Microsoft released the KB5077241 update, which requires manual activation of persistent JScript execution context through a Registry setting. The steps to implement this solution involve creating a feature control registry key and configuring a DWORD value for specific processes or all processes.

AppWizard

June 19, 2026

Minecraft’s 26.2 update just fixed a bug that’s 14 years old

Mojang released the Minecraft 26.2 update, named Chaos Cubed, on June 16, which introduced a new Sulfur Caves biome and the Sulfur Cube mob, along with various bug fixes. A significant fix in this update resolved a 14-year-old bug, designated as "MC-4," that affected item drops at the edge of blocks on online servers. This bug was first reported on October 24, 2012, and was officially marked as resolved in the recent update after 4,983 days. Mojang's Lead Designer, Jens 'Jeb' Bergensten, had previously noted attempts to fix the issue in 2016. Another unresolved bug, known as MC-14, involves minecarts occupying the same space while maintaining momentum.

Winsage

June 19, 2026

Microsoft confirms Recycle Bin bug across all versions of Windows

Reports have emerged about complications from the latest Patch Tuesday update, affecting users with issues such as access problems with OneDrive and Dropbox, BitLocker recovery lockouts, and Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors. Microsoft has acknowledged a glitch related to the Recycle Bin after the installation of June's Patch Tuesday update (KB5094126), where the confirmation dialog displays the internal file name instead of the actual name when deleting an item. This issue affects various supported Windows client and server versions, including Windows 11 (versions 26H1, 25H2, 24H2, 23H2), Windows 10 (versions 22H2, Enterprise LTSC 2021, Enterprise LTSC 2019, Enterprise LTSB 2016), and Windows Server (2025, 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2, 2012). Microsoft is working on a solution expected in a future update, but it is unclear if it will be part of the next Patch Tuesday or an out-of-band update. Commercial customers can implement a workaround by contacting Microsoft Support for Business.