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Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 36 years
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Category: Networking

Adam Engst 47 comments

You Know What an Email Address Is, Right?

Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge of what makes for a legal email address.

Adam Engst 4 comments

Dia AI Browser Introduces $20 Monthly Pro Plan with Unlimited Chat

The Browser Company has launched a paid subscription for its AI-powered Dia browser, even though it’s still in beta. But with increasing competition from Microsoft, Google, and others, Dia faces an uphill battle for user adoption.

Adam Engst 12 comments

How T‑Mobile’s New T‑Satellite Compares with Apple’s Free Satellite Features

T-Mobile’s new T-Satellite service brings Starlink-powered satellite communications to both iPhone and Android users, but Apple’s free satellite features likely already satisfy most iPhone users’ needs.

Adam Engst 32 comments

Do You Use It? Revisiting Websites with Windows, Bookmarks, Tabs, and Pinned Tabs

Our recent tab management poll revealed that many readers don’t fully understand pinned tabs and thus aren’t taking advantage of them. Adam Engst takes a deep look at the history and goals of Web navigation to explain where pinned tabs came from, why many people don’t use them, and how usage varies by browser.

Adam Engst 12 comments

Cloudflare’s “Pay-Per-Crawl” Points to a New Model for Paying Content Creators

As AI threatens traditional publishing business models, Cloudflare proposes a solution that could ensure content creators get paid when AI crawlers ingest their work—and potentially revolutionize how we pay for online content.

Adam Engst 2 comments

SaneBox Sponsoring TidBITS

Please welcome our latest long-term sponsor, SaneBox, a powerful email filtering service that works within your existing email setup.

Adam Engst 104 comments

Do You Use It? Browser Tab Management

How many browser tabs do you keep open? This week’s Do You Use It? poll explores tab management habits and examines how different browsers handle the challenge of tab overload.

Adam Engst 25 comments

Dia Browser Debuts with Contextual AI Chat, But Arc Users Feel Left Behind

After stopping development of its innovative Arc browser, The Browser Company is back with Dia, a stripped-down browser that aims to make AI-augmented Web interactions mainstream. It won’t win over Arc users yet, but it offers some interesting capabilities.

Adam Engst 27 comments

Do You Use It? VPN Use Is Widespread

The results of our poll about how you use VPNs reveal widespread VPN usage, with most respondents using VPNs for security, privacy, and bypassing access restrictions.

Adam Engst 39 comments

AFP Support Disappearing: Another Nail in the Time Capsule Coffin

Enterprise release notes for the recent macOS 15.5 update reveal that Apple plans to remove AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) entirely in a future version of macOS. Howard Oakley explains how this impacts Time Capsule backups and network shares, while Adam Engst offers practical alternatives for Time Capsule users.

Adam Engst 36 comments

Text Fragments Enable Deep Linking on Web Pages

After decades of only being able to link to the top of Web pages or specially prepared named anchors, modern browsers now support text fragment links that can scroll to and highlight any text on any page. This long-awaited feature brings us closer to Ted Nelson’s original vision for hypertext and makes sharing specific information dramatically more efficient.

Adam Engst 96 comments

AI Answer Engines Are Worth Trying

Looking for better search results? Adam Engst explores how AI-powered answer engines are transforming online research by providing direct answers rather than just links.

Adam Engst 5 comments

Beware Comcast Deleting “Inactive” Email Accounts

Concerned about losing your Comcast email account? New activity requirements could lead to closure. Adam Engst investigates Comcast’s recent actions surrounding email accounts that may not be as inactive as they seem to Comcast.

Adam Engst 90 comments

Microsoft to Shut Down Skype in May

After years of dwindling relevance, Skype will finally shut down in May 2025. Microsoft is directing users to Microsoft Teams, although it remains unclear if Teams will provide all of Skype's calling features.

Glenn Fleishman 69 comments

Tailscale Gives You Remote Access to Your LAN from Anywhere

Remember Back to My Mac, which let you access your network from afar? There’s a new game in town. Tailscale creates a secure virtual LAN for your devices that lets you access your own resources and share that access with groups, working around NAT connections that often make inbound connections fragile, erratic, or impossible.