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LibreOffice at 40: New Tricks for an Old Dog

2025-02-13
LibreOffice at 40: New Tricks for an Old Dog

LibreOffice, the open-source office suite celebrating its 40th anniversary, showcased impressive new features at FOSDEM 2025. Allotropia's work on distributed real-time collaboration for Writer, using CRDTs, enables simultaneous editing similar to Google Docs but locally, without needing an internet connection. Furthermore, ZetaOffice, a WebAssembly port of LibreOffice, runs in any browser on any OS and CPU, and is scriptable via JavaScript. This offers powerful rich text editing capabilities for web apps, potentially challenging Microsoft's dominance and breathing new life into LibreOffice.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development Open Source Office Suite

Ellison: Governments Need to Pool All Data for AI Success

2025-02-13
Ellison: Governments Need to Pool All Data for AI Success

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison argues that governments must consolidate all data, including genomic information, to leverage AI effectively for improved services and security. Speaking at the World Government Summit, he envisions AI-driven advancements in healthcare and agriculture, but acknowledges the potential for widespread surveillance. Ellison highlights Oracle's substantial investment in AI infrastructure, including a massive new data center and participation in the Stargate project, to support this vision.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Data Consolidation Government

Australia's Treasury Copilot Trial: ROI Positive, But Employee Confidence Lags

2025-02-13
Australia's Treasury Copilot Trial: ROI Positive, But Employee Confidence Lags

A 14-week trial of Microsoft 365 Copilot by Australia's Department of the Treasury showed a positive return on investment (ROI), but employee confidence in its workplace effectiveness fell short. The trial revealed Copilot's actual applicability was lower than anticipated, with most participants using it less than three times a week. While Copilot excelled at basic administrative tasks like summarizing information and generating meeting minutes, it struggled with more complex tasks. The Treasury concluded that more careful staff selection, comprehensive training, and ongoing monitoring of AI's impact are crucial. The findings also hinted that AI-as-a-service might not be suitable for organizations handling sensitive data like the Treasury, suggesting on-premises AI infrastructure may be preferable.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

The Information Deluge: Coping with the News Overload

2025-02-12
The Information Deluge: Coping with the News Overload

Reflecting on a 45-year career in tech, the author laments the shift from singular news sources to highly personalized strategies in the age of information overload. From the initial era of TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines, to the explosion of USENET and the web, news sources have multiplied exponentially, exceeding human information processing capacity. Faced with a deluge of information that's often untrustworthy or irrelevant, people have developed coping mechanisms, including complete disconnection and digital sabbaths. The author argues we need a fundamental rethink of our relationship with information, cultivating better discernment skills and building psychological and cultural defenses to navigate the chaos. This isn't a problem solvable by technology or law; it requires individual effort to improve our capacity to manage information overload.

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(www.theregister.com)
Misc information filtering

US, UK, and Australia Sanction Russian 'Bulletproof Hosting' Provider Zservers

2025-02-11
US, UK, and Australia Sanction Russian 'Bulletproof Hosting' Provider Zservers

The US, UK, and Australia have jointly sanctioned Zservers, a Russian 'bulletproof hosting' provider, and several individuals linked to it. Zservers provided services to the LockBit ransomware operation, helping them evade law enforcement. This trilateral action aims to disrupt cybercrime and protect national security. Sanctions target Zservers, its UK subsidiary XHOST Internet Solutions, and six key individuals, two of whom are alleged Zservers administrators accused of providing services to LockBit and other ransomware groups, and managing related cryptocurrency transactions.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Microsoft's Open Source PostgreSQL Extension Challenges MongoDB's Dominance

2025-02-11
Microsoft's Open Source PostgreSQL Extension Challenges MongoDB's Dominance

Microsoft's release of an open-source extension stack for PostgreSQL to handle document-style data is not only a challenge to MongoDB's NoSQL dominance but also blurs the lines between relational and non-relational databases. This move, from a company built on proprietary software, aims to attract developers with its lightweight approach. The extensions, pg_documentdb_core and pg_documentdb_api, support BSON and provide MongoDB-compatible commands. They work with FerretDB, an open-source MongoDB alternative. Experts see this as document databases becoming features within relational systems. MongoDB dismissed the move, while FerretDB sees it as an opportunity to build a stronger, collaborative foundation for MongoDB alternatives. The move highlights the evolving landscape of database technology and the increasing convergence of relational and NoSQL approaches.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

IT Hiring: A Rollercoaster Ride?

2025-02-10
IT Hiring: A Rollercoaster Ride?

While US Bureau of Labor Statistics data paints a bleak picture of IT hiring, Janco Associates argues otherwise. A reclassification of job titles led to a downward revision of over 111,000 positions in November and December 2024, resulting in a net loss of 123,200 IT jobs for the year. However, Janco reports that IT hiring is actually on the rise, with 11,000 new roles added in January 2025. Despite this, January's IT unemployment rate remained at 5.7%, higher than the national average. High demand exists for AI specialists, security professionals, and new technology programmers. Janco predicts IT job growth in the next five years, but anticipates the elimination of many white-collar IT roles due to AI automation.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech IT hiring

Google Discovers Critical AMD Processor Vulnerability: Microcode Manipulation

2025-02-09
Google Discovers Critical AMD Processor Vulnerability: Microcode Manipulation

Google researchers have uncovered a critical security flaw in AMD processors. Attackers can manipulate the microcode to control processor behavior, bypassing security features like Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) and the root of trust. The vulnerability exploits an insecure hash function in the processor, allowing the loading of unauthorized microcode. While kernel-level access is required, it poses a significant threat to systems running virtual machines. AMD has released a patch, but it requires updating microcode and BIOS through system manufacturers. The vulnerability affects Zen-based processors dating back to 2017.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech processor security microcode

Chrome's Manifest V3: A Nightmare for Ad Blocker Developers?

2025-02-08
Chrome's Manifest V3: A Nightmare for Ad Blocker Developers?

Google's Chrome Manifest V3 (MV3) extension architecture overhaul continues to cause headaches for developers of ad blockers, content filters, and privacy tools. While Google claims MV3 aims to improve security and performance, developers like those behind AdGuard and uBlock Origin find its restrictions far more severe than anticipated, limiting or even preventing core functionality. Developers complain that MV3 increases development difficulty and accuse Google of slow responses to developer feedback, even subtly undermining extensions through UI changes. This raises questions about Google's true intentions: is it about improving security and privacy, or subtly limiting extension capabilities?

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(www.theregister.com)
Development Chrome Extensions

Microsoft's Sneaky Copilot Price Hike: Opt-Out or Pay Up

2025-02-07
Microsoft's Sneaky Copilot Price Hike: Opt-Out or Pay Up

Microsoft is notifying users of a price increase for their Microsoft 365 Personal subscriptions, attributing it to the inclusion of the AI assistant, Copilot. However, this isn't a simple price adjustment; Microsoft is automatically adding Copilot to subscriptions unless users actively cancel and choose a Copilot-free plan. This has sparked backlash, with accusations of using 'dark patterns' to force users to pay for an unwanted service. While Microsoft offers a cheaper Copilot-less option, the default inclusion of Copilot is drawing criticism.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Price Hike

Arm Drops Qualcomm Lawsuit, Paving Way for Oryon's Continued Success

2025-02-07
Arm Drops Qualcomm Lawsuit, Paving Way for Oryon's Continued Success

Arm has abandoned its attempt to terminate a key license with Qualcomm, allowing Qualcomm to continue producing its own Arm-compatible chips for PCs, phones, and servers. The lawsuit stemmed from Qualcomm's 2021 acquisition of Nuvia, which held an advanced Architecture License Agreement (ALA) and whose Oryon CPU cores power Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips. Arm argued Nuvia transferred designs without permission, but the jury largely sided with Qualcomm. This benefits Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Series and Snapdragon 8 Elite chips (for PCs and high-end phones respectively), bolstering their position in the AI market. While Arm notes other lawsuits are ongoing, its financial forecasts already account for this outcome, expecting continued royalty payments from Qualcomm. Both companies expressed confidence that the rise of smaller, powerful LLMs won't significantly impact their businesses and are committed to supporting on-device LLM execution.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech chip licensing

Linux Kernel Maintainers Resist Rust: A Programming Language War

2025-02-06
Linux Kernel Maintainers Resist Rust: A Programming Language War

The integration of Rust into the Linux kernel is proving bumpy. Several kernel maintainers strongly oppose using Rust, citing increased complexity and risk associated with multiple languages. Recent discussions surrounding a Rust driver's use of the DMA API reignited the conflict. Maintainer Christoph Hellwig explicitly rejected Rust code, arguing that maintaining multi-language projects is painful and that Rust developers should handle interfacing with C code themselves. While the Rust for Linux project aims to simplify integration through an abstraction layer, Hellwig maintains this adds maintenance overhead. This controversy highlights differing stances within the Linux community on programming language choices and the challenges of integrating new technologies into existing large systems. A maintainer even resigned because of the situation. The ultimate outcome remains to be seen, but it will have a profound impact on the future direction of Linux.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development

Oracle's JavaScript Trademark Dispute: A Protracted Legal Battle

2025-02-06
Oracle's JavaScript Trademark Dispute: A Protracted Legal Battle

A community effort led by Deno Land CEO Ryan Dahl is challenging Oracle's ownership of the "JavaScript" trademark, sparking controversy. Oracle is accused of submitting false materials in its trademark renewal application and attempting to delay legal proceedings. The core of the dispute lies in whether JavaScript has become a generic term and whether Oracle has abandoned the trademark. Oracle counters that it has legitimate grounds and submits additional evidence. This legal battle reflects the strict protection of trademarks by tech giants and the efforts of the open-source community to secure fair use.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development trademark dispute

DHS OIG Audits TSA's Airport Facial Recognition

2025-02-04
DHS OIG Audits TSA's Airport Facial Recognition

Following concerns from lawmakers and privacy advocates, the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General (DHS OIG) has launched an audit of the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) use of facial recognition technology at US airports. The audit will examine the technology's effectiveness in enhancing security while protecting passenger privacy. Despite TSA's claim of 99.7% accuracy, thousands of misidentifications could still occur daily with widespread deployment. This audit comes in response to senators' concerns about TSA's planned expansion of facial recognition, following the failure of a bill to halt it.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Dell Mandates Return to Office: Hybrid Work Policy Scrapped

2025-02-01
Dell Mandates Return to Office: Hybrid Work Policy Scrapped

Dell Technologies is ending its hybrid work arrangement in March, requiring all employees previously allowed to work from home part-time to return to the office for a full five-day work week. Those working remotely within an hour's drive of a Dell office must also commute daily. CEO Michael Dell justified the decision by emphasizing the benefits of in-person communication and citing the full-time office presence of sales, manufacturing, and engineering teams. This contradicts previous statements about remote work flexibility and has sparked employee discontent. Dell claims the change is aimed at boosting innovation and market leadership.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Microsoft's New Surfaces: Intel-Powered Models Cost $400 More

2025-01-31
Microsoft's New Surfaces: Intel-Powered Models Cost $400 More

Microsoft launched new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models for business customers, powered by Intel's Core Ultra processors. These are $400 more expensive than their Qualcomm Snapdragon-based counterparts. The Intel-based models start at $1499 with a second-gen Core Ultra 5 processor, 16GB RAM, and 256GB storage. Qualcomm-based Surfaces start at $1099. Consumer models currently only offer Qualcomm options. Available February 18th, the new Surfaces support Microsoft's new AI-enhanced mobile device management portal.

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(www.theregister.com)
Hardware

Zyxel Firewall Bricked by Buggy Update: On-Site Fix Required

2025-01-29
Zyxel Firewall Bricked by Buggy Update: On-Site Fix Required

A faulty application signature update released by Zyxel last Friday is causing reboot loops, ZySH daemon failures, and login issues for some users. Affected devices include USG Flex and ATP Series devices running ZLD firmware with active security licenses and dedicated signature updates enabled in on-premises/standalone mode. The only workaround requires physical access to the firewall via a console/RS232 cable for recovery. Zyxel has disabled the application signature on its servers to prevent further impact.

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(www.theregister.com)
Hardware Software Bug

Oracle's Java Pricing Changes Spark Mass Exodus

2025-01-29
Oracle's Java Pricing Changes Spark Mass Exodus

Oracle's January 2023 shift in Java SE licensing from per-user/processor to per-employee pricing has triggered a massive backlash, with costs skyrocketing. Dimensional Research reveals that 88% of Oracle Java users are considering switching to open-source alternatives, reaching 92% in France and 95% in Germany. This reflects a growing need for cost-effective Java solutions, forcing organizations to reassess their long-term Java licensing and support strategies.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development

UK Council's Oracle Project Costs Balloon to £40M

2025-01-28
UK Council's Oracle Project Costs Balloon to £40M

West Sussex County Council in the UK is undertaking a £40 million ($50 million) Oracle-based transformation project, a massive escalation from the initial £2.6 million estimate. To fund this, the council is selling off assets like property, including a former fire station. The project, initially slated for 2021, has faced repeated delays, a system integrator change, and a new contract with Oracle extending it to 2030. This highlights the risks of runaway costs in large IT projects and the financial challenges faced by local governments.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech IT project cost overruns

Microsoft Open-Sources Document Database Built on PostgreSQL

2025-01-27
Microsoft Open-Sources Document Database Built on PostgreSQL

In a surprising move, Microsoft has launched an open-source document database platform built on a relational PostgreSQL backend. The fully open-source platform, requiring no commercial licensing fees, suggests using the open-source FerretDB as a front-end. This signifies Microsoft's increased embrace of open source and offers a new option for the NoSQL database community. The database leverages two PostgreSQL extensions: pg_documentdb_core (optimizing BSON) and pg_documentdb_api (implementing CRUD and query operations). FerretDB 2.0 integrates with it, boasting a significant performance boost, with up to 20x speed improvements for certain workloads. This move is poised to challenge existing document databases like MongoDB.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development

Self-Proclaimed 'First AI Software Engineer' Fails Miserably in Real-World Tests

2025-01-26
Self-Proclaimed 'First AI Software Engineer' Fails Miserably in Real-World Tests

Devin, marketed as the first AI software engineer, has fallen short of expectations in recent evaluations. Despite claims of building and deploying apps end-to-end and autonomously fixing bugs, Devin succeeded in only 3 out of 20 tasks. Testers found Devin struggled with straightforward tasks, getting stuck in technical dead-ends and pursuing impossible solutions. While offering a polished user experience, its infrequent success and tendency to waste time on unachievable goals highlight the limitations of current AI technology and raise concerns about the hype surrounding AI tools.

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(www.theregister.com)
AI AI software engineer testing results

Intel's Modular PC Design: A New Approach to E-Waste?

2025-01-23
Intel's Modular PC Design: A New Approach to E-Waste?

Intel has proposed a modular PC design aimed at reducing e-waste by simplifying repairs and upgrades. Current PC designs are typically monolithic, leading to disposal when a component fails or becomes obsolete. Intel's approach allows for easy component replacement, extending device lifespan. Three designs targeting different market segments are proposed: Premium Modular PC, Entry/Mainstream Modular PC, and Desktop Modular PC. While modular PCs aren't new, Intel's proposal directly addresses the growing e-waste problem and aligns with the right-to-repair movement. However, widespread adoption depends on cost-effectiveness and market acceptance.

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(www.theregister.com)
Hardware Modular PC E-waste Right to Repair

Gartner Warns: Large-Scale VMware Migrations Are Long, Costly, and Risky

2025-01-21
Gartner Warns: Large-Scale VMware Migrations Are Long, Costly, and Risky

Gartner's latest report warns that migrating from VMware to alternative virtualization platforms will be a long, expensive, and risky undertaking. For organizations running 2,000+ VMs, migrations could take 18-48 months, with per-VM costs ranging from $300 to $3,000. The report highlights the complexity stemming from VMware's deep integration beyond just virtualization, encompassing networking, storage, and management tools. Many VMware users haven't started migration planning; Gartner advises starting early to avoid potential Broadcom price increases. Alternatives exist from vendors like Red Hat and Oracle, but migration still demands extensive planning and testing.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech VMware Migration

Microsoft's AI Red Team: Securing AI is a Never-Ending Battle

2025-01-17
Microsoft's AI Red Team: Securing AI is a Never-Ending Battle

Microsoft's AI red team, after testing over 100 of the company's generative AI products, concluded that AI models both amplify existing security risks and introduce new ones. Their findings highlight seven key lessons learned, emphasizing that securing AI systems is an ongoing process requiring continuous investment and a combination of automated tools and human review. The report also stresses the importance of considering the model's intended use when assessing risks, noting that simpler attack methods are often more effective than complex gradient-based attacks. Furthermore, the ethical and societal biases introduced by AI are highlighted as critical concerns.

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(www.theregister.com)
AI red teaming

GM Settles FTC Charges Over Secret Sharing of Driver Location Data

2025-01-17
GM Settles FTC Charges Over Secret Sharing of Driver Location Data

General Motors (GM) has settled with the FTC over privacy concerns related to its discontinued Smart Driver program. The FTC alleged that GM collected and shared precise geolocation data from millions of vehicles without informed consent, providing this data to insurance companies and impacting drivers' premiums. The settlement prohibits GM from sharing such data for five years and mandates obtaining affirmative consent for data collection, along with data access and deletion options for users. This case highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the privacy of automotive data and consumer protection.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Google Cuts Code Migration Time in Half with AI

2025-01-16
Google Cuts Code Migration Time in Half with AI

Google reports using its AI tools to halve the time required for code migrations. This involved projects like migrating 32-bit IDs to 64-bit IDs in the Google Ads codebase, upgrading JUnit testing libraries, and replacing the Joda time library. While human review is still necessary, the AI significantly sped up the process, reducing what would have taken hundreds of engineering years to just months. Google emphasizes the AI should be used in conjunction with traditional methods for optimal efficiency and cost management.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development Code Migration

EU Accuses Apple of Failing to Comply with DMA Interoperability Rules

2025-01-16
EU Accuses Apple of Failing to Comply with DMA Interoperability Rules

EU digital rights advocacy groups accuse Apple of failing to meet its interoperability obligations under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). In a letter, they urge the European Commission to take stronger action to ensure Apple's compliance with Article 6(7) of the DMA, which requires gatekeepers to provide non-discriminatory access to or interoperability with designated software and hardware. The groups propose several recommendations, including prohibiting Apple from unilaterally imposing NDAs, creating a standardized interoperability request form, and revisiting DMA clauses allowing Apple to hide frameworks and libraries for security reasons. They also criticize Apple's 'Feedback Assistant' and lack of a public bug tracking system. Apple counters that DMA's interoperability requirements could expose personal data.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

AI's Energy Hog: Data Centers Face a Power Crisis

2025-01-15
AI's Energy Hog: Data Centers Face a Power Crisis

The rapid growth of AI is creating a massive energy demand, catching many enterprises off guard. Research reveals that while most companies are aware of AI models' high energy consumption, few monitor actual power usage. High-performance GPUs and complex AI models are the main culprits. To address this, efficient AI hardware and more effective cooling systems (like liquid cooling) are crucial. Data centers need upgrades to handle higher power density, requiring substantial investment and time. Some companies are exploring using waste heat for regenerative power generation or community heating.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Data Centers Energy Consumption

Return to Office Mandates? Employees Would Rather Quit

2025-01-15
Return to Office Mandates? Employees Would Rather Quit

A survey of 5,395 US adults reveals that nearly half would leave their jobs if forced back to the office. Tech companies are increasingly mandating a return to in-person work, but many employees prioritize flexible work arrangements. Even figures like Elon Musk, who deems working from home "morally wrong," are met with resistance. The survey shows a strong preference for remote work, especially among women and those under 50, sparking debate on productivity, company culture, and talent retention. Many companies seem to prioritize control over trust and flexibility.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech employee retention

Microsoft Code Change Nearly Breaks Linux 6.13 Release

2025-01-15
Microsoft Code Change Nearly Breaks Linux 6.13 Release

A code change contributed by a Microsoft engineer nearly caused a major disruption to the upcoming stable release of Linux kernel 6.13. Intended as a performance improvement, the change introduced issues on certain systems, especially those with Control Flow Integrity (CFI) enabled, such as machines with Intel Alder Lake processors. An urgent patch from Intel engineer Peter Zijlstra disabled the problematic code, preventing a delay in the 6.13 release. This incident highlights the critical importance of code review and thorough testing before merging code into large, open-source projects.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development
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