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Steam Linux User Share Hits All-Time High

2025-06-02

Steam Linux User Share Hits All-Time High

May 2025 saw Steam's Linux user share reach its highest point in years, a record not seen since at least 2018. This growth comes despite Steam's overall user base continuing to expand, indicating healthy Linux adoption. Windows held a 95.45% share in May, while Linux reached 2.69% and macOS 1.85%. Interestingly, this increase wasn't driven by SteamOS 3; popular distros included SteamOS Holo, Arch Linux, and Linux Mint. The decrease in Simplified Chinese language options, which usually impacts Linux numbers, didn't prevent this growth.

(www.gamingonlinux.com)

Game

Japanese Scientists Develop Artificial Blood with Years-Long Shelf Life

2025-06-02

Japanese Scientists Develop Artificial Blood with Years-Long Shelf Life

Scientists at Nara Medical University in Japan, led by Hiromi Sakai, have developed a new type of artificial blood compatible with all blood types. This artificial blood, created by extracting hemoglobin from expired blood and encapsulating it in a protective shell, is stable and virus-free. Remarkably, it can be stored for up to two years at room temperature and five years under refrigeration, a significant improvement over donated blood's 42-day shelf life. Human trials are underway, with the aim of practical application by 2030, promising a revolution in global healthcare, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

(www.tokyoweekender.com)

Tech artificial blood hemoglobin

MongoDB's Extreme Modeling: Conformance Checking in Practice

2025-06-02

MongoDB engineers experimented with TLA+ specifications and two conformance checking techniques (trace checking and test-case generation) to verify their product implementations against specifications. The trace-checking experiment, conducted on the MongoDB server, aimed to validate the implementation of the Raft consensus protocol; the test-case generation experiment, on the MongoDB Mobile SDK, aimed to validate the operational transformation algorithm. Results showed that trace checking failed due to the difficulty of snapshotting the state of a multithreaded program and discrepancies between the specification and implementation, while test-case generation successfully uncovered a bug in the algorithm and achieved 100% branch coverage. The article summarizes lessons learned and presents recent advancements in the field, highlighting the importance of continuous conformance checking for TLA+ mainstream adoption.

(www.mongodb.com)

Development Conformance Checking

Google Settles Massive Antitrust Lawsuit: A Pricey Resolution

2025-06-02

After years of battling antitrust lawsuits, Google has settled with multiple shareholders to avoid protracted litigation. Since 2021, Google has faced numerous lawsuits alleging monopolistic practices, culminating in recent high-profile losses against Epic Games and the US Department of Justice. These defeats expose Google to billions in fines and necessitate significant business restructuring. The settlement likely entails opening Google Play, sharing advertising data, licensing its search index, and potentially even divesting the Chrome browser. This costly resolution aims to mitigate further legal battles and address the damage caused by its antitrust woes.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Settlement

LLM-Assisted Programming: Hype or Revolution? A Veteran Coder's Perspective

2025-06-02

LLM-Assisted Programming: Hype or Revolution? A Veteran Coder's Perspective

Veteran programmer Thomas Ptacek refutes the notion that AI programming tools are just a fad. He argues that while LLM-generated code isn't perfect and requires human review and refinement, it dramatically increases coding efficiency, especially for repetitive tasks. Using agents, LLMs can autonomously handle code writing, testing, and debugging, significantly reducing the programmer's burden. The author contends that LLMs aren't meant to replace programmers but to become powerful assistants, boosting overall development efficiency, especially when dealing with large amounts of repetitive work.

(fly.io)

Development

Drone Deliveries: Navigating the Murky Legal Airspace

2025-06-02

Drone Deliveries: Navigating the Murky Legal Airspace

The rise of drone delivery services has brought to light significant legal ambiguities surrounding airspace ownership and privacy. Current regulations are unclear, leaving many practical questions unanswered regarding homeowners' rights to prevent drones from flying over their property. The article explores the conflict between landowners' rights and the public interest in utilizing drone technology. A proposed solution involves legally defining the height to which private property extends into the airspace, perhaps 60-70 meters. Below this, drone operators would need landowner consent; above, designated air corridors would be established. This approach aims to balance the needs of homeowners and the burgeoning drone delivery industry.

(www.rte.ie)

Tech

The Art of Grouping Attribute Values in HTML: Making Code More Readable

2025-06-02

The Art of Grouping Attribute Values in HTML: Making Code More Readable

This article introduces an improved way to organize HTML class attributes. By adding spaces, newlines, or other characters within the class attribute value, different CSS classes can be grouped more clearly. For example, using `[card] [section box] [bg-base color-primary]` or `card | section box | bg-base color-primary` instead of `card-section-background1-colorRed`. While this approach isn't without limitations (optimizers might strip spaces, pre-processors might reorder values), it can improve code readability and maintainability, especially in large projects. The author also demonstrates more creative ways to enhance class attribute readability using emojis or comments, reminding readers to prioritize code understandability and teamwork.

(shkspr.mobi)

Development

Snowflake's Growth Bottlenecked by On-Prem Renewal Cycles

2025-06-02

Snowflake's Growth Bottlenecked by On-Prem Renewal Cycles

Snowflake's growth in the large enterprise market is hampered by the renewal cycles of older, on-premises data warehouse and analytics technology, according to its VP of Finance, Jimmy Sexton. While Snowflake's Q1 revenue hit nearly $1 billion, up 26 percent year-over-year, and they secured two deals exceeding $100 million in the financial services sector, growth is constrained by the lengthy migration process from on-prem systems. Customers typically only initiate migrations near contract renewals, limiting Snowflake's ability to rapidly expand in this market segment. This reliance on renewal cycles applies to various legacy systems, not just Teradata, hindering faster adoption.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

The Reliability Bottleneck of LLMs: Four Strategies for Building AI Products

2025-06-02

The Reliability Bottleneck of LLMs: Four Strategies for Building AI Products

This article explores the inherent unreliability of Large Language Models (LLMs) and its implications for building AI products. LLM outputs often deviate significantly from the intended result, and this unreliability is particularly pronounced in tasks involving multi-step actions and tool use. The authors argue that this core unreliability is unlikely to change significantly in the short to medium term. Four strategies for managing LLM variance are presented: systems operating without user verification (pursuing determinism or 'good enough' accuracy), and systems incorporating explicit verification steps (end-user verification or provider-level verification). Each strategy has its strengths, weaknesses, and applicable scenarios; the choice depends on team capabilities and objectives.

(verissimo.substack.com)

AI AI Reliability Product Development Strategies

macOS CoreAudio Zero-Day Exploited in the Wild: A Deep Dive

2025-06-02

macOS CoreAudio Zero-Day Exploited in the Wild: A Deep Dive

In April 2025, Apple patched a CoreAudio bug actively exploited in the wild: CVE-2025-31200, a memory corruption vulnerability. A security researcher meticulously analyzed the bug by comparing old and new binary versions, pinpointing the culprit: apac::hoa::CodecConfig::Deserialize. The vulnerability stemmed from flawed array size handling during audio data parsing. Attackers could exploit this for out-of-bounds read/write, leading to a crash. Through reverse engineering and dynamic analysis, the researcher replicated the vulnerability, revealing its exploitation. It leverages the Apple Positional Audio Codec (APAC), using a crafted audio file to manipulate array sizes and achieve out-of-bounds memory access. While resulting in a crash, this vulnerability’s potential for more sophisticated attacks is significant.

(blog.noahhw.dev)

Development

DOJ Sides with ISPs in Copyright Infringement Case

2025-06-02

DOJ Sides with ISPs in Copyright Infringement Case

The Department of Justice sided with Frontier Communications in a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by record labels. The labels alleged Frontier failed to terminate accounts of numerous repeat infringers. The DOJ argued that holding ISPs liable for user infringement could incentivize them to terminate accounts indiscriminately to avoid liability, potentially harming innocent users. Frontier defended its actions, stating it had terminated many accounts flagged for infringement and hadn't directly infringed any copyrights. The case highlights the complex legal battle between copyright holders, ISPs, and users over the responsibility for online copyright infringement.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech ISPs

IoT Security: The Perils and Protections of the Root of Trust

2025-06-02

IoT Security: The Perils and Protections of the Root of Trust

Cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure have surged in recent years, with the security of Internet of Things (IoT) devices a major concern. This article explores two approaches to securing IoT: basic cybersecurity hygiene and defense in depth. Basic hygiene includes strong passwords, regular software updates, update validation, and understanding the software supply chain. Defense in depth emphasizes layered security mechanisms, including protect (layered architecture with integrity checks at each level), detect (using remote attestation technologies like Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs)), and remediate (self-testing and resetting). The article highlights the Root of Trust (RoT) as the cornerstone of secure systems, requiring careful protection. As hardware vendors integrate high-security mechanisms into embedded chips, securing IoT devices is becoming increasingly feasible.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Academic Websites Overwhelmed by AI Bot Traffic

2025-06-02

Academic Websites Overwhelmed by AI Bot Traffic

A surge in bot traffic is crippling academic websites. Sites like DiscoverLife, hosting millions of images, have experienced massive traffic spikes, rendering them unusable. The culprit? Bots scraping data, likely to train generative AI models. This isn't isolated; BMJ and Highwire Press report similar issues, with COAR finding over 90% of surveyed members affected, many experiencing service disruptions. While open access encourages reuse, the aggressive scraping is unsustainable. The release of DeepSeek, a less resource-intensive LLM, exacerbated the problem, fueling the bot explosion. Smaller organizations face extinction unless this issue is addressed.

(www.nature.com)

Tech bot traffic academic websites

Vanta: A Lightweight Network Behavior Analyzer – A Student's Thank You

2025-06-02

Vanta: A Lightweight Network Behavior Analyzer – A Student's Thank You

Vanta is a lightweight, fast, command-line network behavior analyzer that reconstructs protocol-level flows and extracts structured activity from captured data. Unlike full-featured GUI tools like Wireshark, Vanta prioritizes clarity, structure, and simplicity, making it ideal for custom scripting and minimal setups. It supports parsing HTTP, DNS, and TLS (with partial fingerprinting), automatically reconstructs bidirectional flows, and outputs clean JSON summaries. Developed on a MacBook Air M1 by an undergraduate student as a thank you to universities that supported international students.

(github.com)

Development

Microsoft Aims to End USB-C Chaos: Windows 11 Update Promises Consistent Functionality

2025-06-02

Microsoft Aims to End USB-C Chaos: Windows 11 Update Promises Consistent Functionality

Microsoft is tackling USB-C port inconsistencies with an updated Windows 11 Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP). The initiative ensures all USB-C ports will consistently support data, charging, and display functions. Additionally, USB 4 40Gbps ports will fully support both USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals. Microsoft states that certified Windows 11 laptops and tablets with Windows 11 24H2 already adhere to these rules. This should eliminate user frustration and ensure consistent functionality across all USB-C ports.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech

Onlook: An Open-Source, Visual-First Code Editor for Designers

2025-06-02

Onlook: An Open-Source, Visual-First Code Editor for Designers

Onlook is an open-source, visual-first code editor built with Next.js and TailwindCSS, enabling designers to edit directly within the browser's DOM and see code changes in real-time. It features AI assistance, drag-and-drop layout adjustments, and the ability to right-click an element to jump directly to its code location. Currently under active development, Onlook welcomes contributions from the community.

(github.com)

Development

Senior Backend Engineer Wanted: Defend the Brain Battlefield

2025-06-02

Senior Backend Engineer Wanted: Defend the Brain Battlefield

Piramidal is seeking a seasoned software engineer to build and maintain the backend infrastructure for its flagship neural data platform. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience at product-driven companies, proficiency in Python and other backend languages, containerization/orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes), relational databases (e.g., Postgres/MySQL), and web technologies (e.g., JavaScript, React). They will collaborate closely with ML engineers and internal customers, creating secure, efficient, and delightful user interactions and automations. The company is dedicated to using technology to maximize human potential, defending cognitive liberty, and opposing the commodification and manipulation of minds.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development Neural Data Platform Architecture

How the Environment Decided the American Revolutionary War

2025-06-02

This article details the suffering endured by British and Hessian soldiers during the American Revolutionary War due to the harsh environment. Extreme heat, swamps, mosquitoes, alligators, venomous snakes, and diseases like malaria and yellow fever resulted in a massive loss of life far exceeding battlefield casualties. Using soldier journals and letters, the author vividly portrays their fear and despair in the face of the American wilderness and the devastating impact on their physical and mental health. In contrast, American rebels portrayed America as a land of plenty and opportunity. The article highlights the decisive role of the environment in the war and the drastically different perceptions of it between opposing sides.

(www.historytoday.com)

Misc American Revolution Environmental History

Business Insider's AI-Powered Reading List Goes Wrong

2025-06-02

Business Insider's AI-Powered Reading List Goes Wrong

Business Insider, while encouraging AI use, apologized last year for accidentally recommending non-existent books generated by AI. A reading list intended to help staff understand good business journalism included several fabricated titles, such as a nonexistent Target CEO's memoir, a Jensen Huang biography, and a Mark Zuckerberg autobiography. This incident highlights the potential risks and need for rigorous vetting of AI tools in content creation, serving as a cautionary tale for news organizations using AI.

(www.semafor.com)

Tech Business Insider

Penny-1.7B: A 19th-Century Irish Prose Style Language Model

2025-06-02

Penny-1.7B: A 19th-Century Irish Prose Style Language Model

Penny-1.7B is a 1.7 billion parameter causal language model fine-tuned with Group Relative Policy Optimization (GRPO) to mimic the 19th-century prose style of the 1840 Irish Penny Journal. A reward model distinguishes original journal text from modern translations, maximizing authenticity. Ideal for creative writing, educational content, or stylistic pastiche in Victorian-era Irish English, but not recommended for contemporary fact-checking.

(huggingface.co)

AI

Gemini Cracks a 20-Year-Old Mac App Mystery!

2025-06-02

Gemini Cracks a 20-Year-Old Mac App Mystery!

After years of unsuccessful Google searches, the author finally used Gemini to identify a long-forgotten Mac/Windows application from his teens. The app, which tracked user actions and automated repetitive tasks, was revealed to be Open Sesame!, a 1993 intelligent software assistant capable of learning user patterns and automating tasks like bulk file renaming. The author remembered seeing a demo in the mid-90s but had failed to find any information about it until now. This story highlights the advancements in AI, using a 2025 AI tool to discover a 1993 machine learning application.

(blog.gingerbeardman.com)

Misc App Discovery

Three Optimized Algorithms for Computing Polygonal Mesh Edges

2025-06-02

Three Optimized Algorithms for Computing Polygonal Mesh Edges

This post presents three equivalent algorithms for computing the edges of a polygonal mesh, representing progressive optimization steps to achieve the same result with increasing efficiency. Starting with a description of mesh topology representation and edge concepts, it details three approaches: a map-based algorithm (O(n log n) complexity), a sort-based algorithm (O(n log n) complexity), and a novel minor valence algorithm (O(n) complexity). The author compares their performance, highlighting the innovative nature and potential game development applications of the minor valence algorithm.

(maxliani.wordpress.com)

Development mesh processing

The Rise and Fall (and Potential Resurrection?) of Stack Overflow

2025-06-02

The Rise and Fall (and Potential Resurrection?) of Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow, once a haven for developers, thrived on a culture of mutual help and knowledge sharing. However, a gamified reputation system inadvertently fostered competition over collaboration, slowly eroding its vibrant community. The advent of AI further exacerbates this trend, prompting reflection on the future of developer communities. Stack Overflow's journey serves as a cautionary tale: tech platforms that prioritize genuine community over mere content generation are more likely to thrive, particularly in the age of AI.

(www.infoworld.com)

Development

ThorVG: A Cross-Platform Vector Graphics Library Leading the WebGPU Revolution

2025-06-02

ThorVG: A Cross-Platform Vector Graphics Library Leading the WebGPU Revolution

ThorVG offers multiple raster engine implementations, letting you choose the best fit for your app and system. It's ahead of the curve, especially in web development. Leveraging WebGPU's compute shaders and low-overhead modern GPU access, ThorVG enables aggressive optimization and broader application. It fully supports vector rendering features on top of WebGPU and abstracts hardware acceleration (Metal, Vulkan, DirectX) for seamless cross-platform compatibility.

(www.thorvg.org)

Development

Android System Font Iterator Bug Hunt: A Tale of Hidden Symbols

2025-06-02

This blog post recounts a surprisingly lengthy bug fix. Android defines different API levels, with some symbols only available from a specific version. Firefox for Android (Fenix) uses `ASystemFontIterator_open`, available only from API 29. For backward compatibility, Fenix uses `__ANDROID_UNAVAILABLE_SYMBOLS_ARE_WEAK__` and `__builtin_available` for compile-time and runtime checks. However, Firefox's build system defaults to hidden visibility (`-fvisibility=hidden`), causing the weak symbol `ASystemFontIterator_open` to become undefined in the shared library, leading to crashes. The fix was a simple change to temporarily alter the default visibility when including Android system headers.

(serge-sans-paille.github.io)

Development Bug Fix

Shrinking Rust's Target Directory: A New Compiler Flag

2025-06-02

Large target directories are a common frustration for Rust developers. This post introduces a new method to significantly reduce their size. A new compiler flag, `-Zembed-metadata=no`, combined with a new Cargo flag, `-Zno-embed-metadata`, prevents redundant metadata storage in `.rlib` and `.rmeta` files. Tests show a reduction of up to 36.3% in release mode. This feature is currently unstable (nightly), with plans to make it the default, but backward compatibility concerns need careful consideration.

(kobzol.github.io)

Development

AI Art and Copyright: Hiroshi Kawano's Artificial Mondrian

2025-06-02

AI Art and Copyright: Hiroshi Kawano's Artificial Mondrian

In the 1960s, artist Hiroshi Kawano used a computer program to predict Piet Mondrian's painting style and hand-painted the "Artificial Mondrian" series. This sparked a debate about copyright and artistic creation: did the algorithm infringe on Mondrian's copyright? The article explores the applicability of US and EU copyright law to similar cases, analyzes the "fair use" principle, and delves into data copyright issues in AI model training. The author argues that overly expanding the scope of copyright protection for Mondrian's work poses risks and suggests that the UK adopt an "opt-out" system similar to the EU's for AI model training data copyright, balancing the interests of the creative industry and the development of AI technology.

(inferencemagazine.substack.com)

AI

China's 'Pretend to Work' Spaces: A Rising Trend Amidst High Unemployment

2025-06-02

China's 'Pretend to Work' Spaces: A Rising Trend Amidst High Unemployment

Faced with high unemployment, a growing number of young Chinese are paying to rent spaces where they can pretend to work. These companies offer desks, Wi-Fi, and a comfortable environment, allowing job seekers to avoid the pressure of explaining their situation to family and friends. While not officially registered, these spaces have become an internet trend, sparking debate about their social implications. Some see them as a way to relieve psychological pressure, while others worry they encourage job avoidance.

(english.elpais.com)

Startup job seeking pressure internet trend

Linux Format Magazine's 25-Year Run Ends: A Print Media Obituary

2025-06-02

Linux Format Magazine's 25-Year Run Ends: A Print Media Obituary

After 25 years, the UK-based Linux magazine, Linux Format, has ceased publication. The article explores the likely reasons behind its closure, pointing to the economic challenges faced by print media in the digital age. While some niche magazines have successfully transitioned to digital or employed other survival strategies, Linux Format's publisher ultimately decided to discontinue the title, even in a digital-only format. The author shares a personal anecdote about discovering Ubuntu through a Linux Format DVD and reflects on the future of print publications and the Linux magazine market.

(www.omgubuntu.co.uk)

Tech Linux Magazine Print Media Digital Transition

The Untold Story of the US's 1950s Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Program

2025-06-02

The Untold Story of the US's 1950s Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Program

This article details the largely unknown story of the US's ambitious nuclear-powered aircraft program (ANP) in the 1950s. The decade-long endeavor aimed to create planes with nuclear reactors for unparalleled range, driven by Cold War military needs. From the initial NEPA studies to the HTRE experiments, engineers tackled immense challenges: designing nuclear reactors, developing high-temperature materials, and creating advanced radiation shielding. However, the rise of ICBMs diminished the military necessity, leading to the program's cancellation in 1961, leaving a legacy of technological innovation and an ultimately unrealized dream.

(whatisnuclear.com)

Tech nuclear-powered aircraft ANP program Cold War technology

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