Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Acronis True Image Causes Explorer.exe High CPU Usage

2025-08-24

The author discovered that after installing Acronis True Image, plugging or unplugging an external monitor would cause Explorer.exe to consume a significant amount of CPU resources, resulting in system sluggishness. Through ETW tracing and debugging, the culprit was identified as a shell extension within Acronis True Image. This extension repeatedly calls CreateToolhelp32Snapshot to retrieve a list of running processes, leading to performance issues. Acronis is aware of the problem and plans to fix it. A temporary workaround is to delete a registry key or uninstall the software.

(randomascii.wordpress.com)

Development performance issue

Floating-Point Comparisons: Pitfalls and Practical Solutions

2025-05-15

This article delves into the complexities of comparing floating-point numbers. The author highlights the unreliability of simple equality checks due to inherent precision limitations and accumulated rounding errors. Two comparison methods are detailed: relative error (epsilon) and ULP (Units in the Last Place), along with their strengths and weaknesses. The article emphasizes the failure of relative error comparisons near zero, proposing a solution combining absolute error. A compelling example using `sin(π)` demonstrates catastrophic cancellation and how floating-point representation errors can improve π's accuracy.

(randomascii.wordpress.com)

Development precision

Google Maps Doesn't Know How Street Addresses Work (Anymore?)

2025-04-25

A former Google employee discovered multiple significant address errors in Google Maps, with several addresses plotted miles away from their actual locations. These weren't simple typos; they suggest a systemic issue, causing real-world problems like job applicants missing auditions. The author explores potential causes, including database errors and a lack of address validation, noting Google Maps' feedback mechanism isn't always effective. The article calls for Google to fix these errors and shares the author's experience finding and reporting them.

(randomascii.wordpress.com)

Tech address errors mapping data

Windows Explorer's O(n²) Icon Arrangement Algorithm Causes Hangs

2025-03-10

A Windows user encountered explorer hangs, and the author used performance analysis tools to pinpoint the culprit: an inefficient icon arrangement algorithm. The algorithm's O(n²) time complexity resulted in excessively long arrangement times with many icons, even when hidden. The author experimentally verified this, highlighting the need for developers to avoid such inefficient algorithms.

(randomascii.wordpress.com)

Development