Internet and Crossword

Keeping up to date

THEREcomes a time when any computer device begins to show its age. It seems slower than it used to be and struggles with that great new app. The battery does not last as long and the screen does not seem as clear as the ones in the adverts. With NICK SPARKS Perhaps that new model with a better camera, one which can control your heating, opens your garage door and talks back to you with a kindly voice becomes a temptation.

Then suddenly the day arrives, its operating system is no longer supported, and the machine is incapable of running the new well-advertised replacement operating system. It will become more vulnerable due to undiscovered flaws not being patched and therefore, open to malicious attacks. It is less likely to run the latest software efficiently as it is not being kept up to date. When that happens, the pundits tell you to continue using the device at your peril.

For an example, it has been announced that this will be happening to some older machines using Windows 10 which will only be supported until 2025 following the launch of its successor Windows 11 that those older machines may not run even now.

So can the life span of a machine be measured at time of purchase? The answer is only approximately by rule of thumb and reputation of the manufacturer. What applies now may not apply when the next new model or operating system comes out, you just need to do some research (using your favourite internet browser) close to the time of your purchase. You must weigh up the choice of paying the full price when the device comes out against a discounted one later: the same device with possibly a shorter lifespan, although it will probably have better performance and features than your existing one in any case.

Just another choice to be made from a multitude of others when buying some expensive “smart” new thing in the January sales . . . (and perhaps just before you Google “The most valuable companies in the world” to try it out and wonder how many noughts there are in a trillion?) Happy New Year.

This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer. I.T. for the Terrified <it4ttcvh@gmail.com> Submitted for IT for the Terrified by Nick Sparks. Although we have now ceased our one to one tuition, a number of us will continue with this column under the heading "IT for the Terrified" to keep the name alive for the time being

The Mendip Mindbender

ACROSS

1 What is the first ‘Area of

Outstanding Natural Beauty’ that was designated so in 1956 (8,5) 8 Andrew was known to stray (anag.) (6) 9 Musical instructions meaning

‘with each note detached’ (8) 10 Recollection of past events (12) 11 Utilize the sound of sheep (3) 13 The skin of a rabbit (5) 15 Go back over the route just taken (7) 17 Tympanic membrane (7) 18 Bunch of flowers, bouquet (5) 21 Footwear for use in the snow (3) 22 Husband, wife and lover were surprised to see to a margin develop (6,1,5) 25 Rewards by airlines for frequent passengers travelling with them (3,5) 26 As a whole (2,4) 27 Gathering of people who share a common inquisitiveness (8,5)

DOWN

2 An egg goes bad (5) 3 A white ant (7) 4 The main protein in milk and cheese (6) 5 Which town has a market cross dating back to 1795 that was demolished by a drunk motorist and is again looking like new again (9) 6 Artist who painted Well’s

Cathedral in 1791 complete with cricketers using curved bats (1.1.1.6) 7 Boxer (3) 10 Happen again (5) 12 In which town would you find the Fleet Air Arm Museum? (9) 14 Return to usual working condition (9) 16 A very deep gorge or chasm (5) 19 A division of hairs (7) 20 A sweet liqueur made with blackcurrants (6) 23 Putin troubles will find the opening (5) 24 A quote from one of 11 across (3)

Clues in italics are cryptic

By greendandelion