Passmark PerformanceTest 11.1 Build 1014 is a sophisticated benchmarking tool designed for evaluating personal computer performance across multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. Since its inception in 1998, it has become an industry standard, offering a wide array of speed tests that measure the performance of CPU, GPU, memory, and disk speeds. Users can analyze their results to compare their systems against others, providing an objective understanding of how well their PC performs in comparison to similar machines and current technology standards.

Blank And Secure 8.44 has been released, enhancing its capabilities as a portable tool designed for the permanent and secure deletion of data. This software is essential for users who require assurance that deleted files cannot be recovered. It achieves this by overwriting the data with zeros before deletion, making recovery impossible.

Fotera 2.1 has been released, enhancing its reputation as a freeware photo-editing software designed for users who require quick, efficient, and non-destructive editing capabilities. This program stands out by ensuring that all modifications are saved separately from the original images, thereby preserving the integrity of source photos.

Darktable has released version 5.6.1, focusing on stability fixes and security improvements since the previous version 5.6.0. Key updates include resuming AI model downloads after interruptions, preserving workflow metadata during AI operations, and enhanced AMD OpenCL support on Windows. The release also addresses various bugs and rendering issues, while several compression formats, including ProRAW, remain unsupported. This maintenance update adheres to the project's biannual release schedule, with hopes for the next stable version to launch in January

PCManFM-Qt 2.4.1 has been released as a stability update for LXQt users utilizing Qt 6.11.2 under Wayland, addressing a geometry regression caused by the upstream Qt build. The update locks in the desktop screen setting, restores middle-click tab closure for improved usability, and includes a workaround for unexpected window placement issues on Sway and Hyprland. Additionally, routine CMake cleanup has been performed to streamline the build process. Maintainer tsujan and contributors have focused on enhancing Wayland compatibility while responding to the rapid changes in Qt's release cycle

Godot 4.8 Dev 4 has been released, featuring 224 fixes from 86 contributors and enhancements that extend beyond just stability improvements. Key updates include multi-bounce ambient occlusion, specular lightmaps, and the introduction of a native Trail3D node, along with significant editor improvements such as a hierarchical script outline and faster object property access. The rendering system benefits from new shader capabilities, including VisualShader Node Groups and enhanced light mapping techniques, while the editor has seen a transformation with customizable dock-based screens and an automated Android SDK manager. Overall, the release showcases substantial development progress and a range of new features, indicating a more comprehensive update than previously anticipated

Seafoam Labs has released Shelly ALPM v3.1.1, a native Arch Linux package builder that improves upon its predecessor by directly parsing PKGBUILDs with enhanced security features like integrity hashing and Landlock sandboxing. The v3.1.1 patch introduces new functionalities such as makesrcinfo generation for CI workflows and standard proxy environment variable support, along with fixes for the Flatpak backend. Shelly ALPM offers a graphical interface, CLI, and compatibility with Wayland, marking a significant advancement in package management for Arch Linux users. Although still not a complete replacement for makepkg, it showcases rapid development and aims to modernize the user experience in package management

Node.js has released updates for both its Current line (26.8.0) and LTS line (24.20.0 "Krypton"), introducing features such as native Zip support, RAII-style resource management for SQLite, and new cryptographic cipher modes. An unusual follow-up patch (26.8.1) was issued the same day to correct a metadata bug in the version reporting. The updates also include a new permission.drop API, runtime package maps, and various performance improvements, particularly for the LTS version. The releases are accompanied by active security advisories, highlighting the importance of updating for users running production workloads

BUtil has released version 2026.08.27, enhancing its capabilities as a robust tool for creating encrypted backups of documents and data on your PC. Regular backups of important files and folders are essential to safeguard against data loss, and BUtil simplifies this process, making it more likely that users will adhere to a routine backup schedule. Unlike traditional Windows tools, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming, BUtil allows users to configure backup tasks in mere seconds.

RemotePC has recently released version 7.7.14.3, further enhancing its capabilities as a secure remote desktop access tool. This application allows users to connect to their computers from virtually any location, at any time, promoting flexible work arrangements and boosting productivity.

Bottles 66.9 has been released as a hotfix that integrates xz and dconf into its experimental cpak containerized runtime, addressing issues with custom bottle folders and game process termination. This update concludes an intense 15-day period during which ten versions were launched, building on the major features introduced in the 66.0 release, such as native UMU integration and Adaptive Launch. The focus of the 66.x cycle has been to eliminate friction points in running Windows software on Linux, enhancing user experience with reliable operation of bottle folders and better process management. Overall, Bottles 66.9 marks a significant step towards a seamless Windows-on-Linux experience, making the cpak runtime more viable for daily use

LibreOffice 26.8 has been released with a focus on typographic quality, support for complex writing systems such as N'Ko and Adlam, and improved document exchange fidelity, while intentionally excluding AI features. The update includes automatic bidirectional text handling, a new paragraph composer for balanced word spacing, and compatibility improvements for OOXML chart types, ensuring that document definitions remain intact during edits. It also enhances the Calc and Impress applications with new functionalities such as calculated fields in pivot tables and support for multiple page sizes in presentations. LibreOffice emphasizes digital sovereignty by advocating for open document formats and providing a robust suite available across multiple platforms without requiring network access, ensuring data confidentiality

BootRacer has released version 9.60.2026.826, a freeware tool designed to measure the boot speed of Windows operating systems. Users can evaluate their boot performance and receive a boot rating, which indicates whether their startup time is good, average, or excellent. The software is user-friendly, making it accessible even for those with limited technical skills. It tracks the logon duration as well as the complete boot time, providing comprehensive insights into system performance. Additionally, BootRacer can document results in the Windows event log and offers a feature to clean up logs and unnecessary files through its Uninstall function. Notably, it operates with minimal resource usage, ensuring it does not significantly impact system performance while running.

The Tree Style Tab extension for Firefox, version 4.4.1, has been released, offering users a streamlined method to manage their tabs through a side-tree view. This extension is akin to Treely: Tree Style Tab Manager, serving similar functionalities but created by a different developer.

ManicTime version 2026.2.2 has been released, enhancing its functionality as a time management tool that operates discreetly in the background to monitor daily activities. This software eliminates the need for manual time tracking, allowing users to focus on their work without the hassle of starting or stopping a timer. At the end of the workday, users can analyze the collected data for precise time tracking.

Visual Studio Code 1.135 introduces the Agent Host Protocol, which allows coding sessions to transition seamlessly between applications while utilizing AI agents. An experimental feature called "Rubber Duck" enables AI models to review each other's work, significantly improving performance on coding benchmarks. The update also includes the ability to resume work from other tools through External Agent Sessions, although this requires a Copilot subscription. Microsoft has reverted the sandboxing feature to focus on developing the new host infrastructure and a streamlined user interface, emphasizing a commitment to making VS Code a universal runtime for AI coding agents

Wappalyzer has released version 6.12.6 of its browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. This tool is designed to identify and reveal the various technologies employed by websites, including content management systems, eCommerce platforms, web servers, JavaScript frameworks, and analytic tools, among others. By utilizing Wappalyzer, users can gain insights into the underlying technologies that power the websites they visit, enhancing their understanding of web development and technology trends.

The OCR - Image Reader extension, now at version 0.5.3, is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers, and it simplifies the process of converting images to text through advanced optical character recognition (OCR) technology. This extension features a user-friendly toolbar button that allows users to select any portion of the active window for text extraction. Utilizing the robust Tesseract OCR engine and the "tesseract.js" library, the extension can automatically detect text orientation and scripts, supporting over 100 languages.

AnyTXT Searcher is a robust search utility designed to streamline targeted searches within documents. This powerful, straightforward local data full-text search engine functions effectively as a desktop search application, ensuring rapid file retrieval, especially when searches by name prove ineffective.

The latest release of DLSS Swapper, version 1.2.6.1, brings an innovative solution for gamers looking to optimize their gaming experience. This versatile tool allows users to easily download, manage, and swap DLL files for various upscaling technologies, including NVIDIA's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), and Intel's Xe Super Sampling (XeSS).