Python skills ‘increasingly essential’ to dev teams venturing into advanced AI

Python’s status as the primary language for AI and machine learning projects, from its extensive data-handling capabilities to its flexibility and portability, is well-founded. Just how well-founded can be seen in new user data from Snowflake.

The cloud data provider reported that, year on year, use of Python grew 571% in Snowpark, Snowflake’s set of libraries which securely deploy and process non-SQL code. In other words, it will not be a surprise to see Python, Scala and...

3 April 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Redis switches to more restrictive license

Leading in-memory database vendor Redis is adopting a dual-licensing model, imposing far stricter terms on companies offering Redis as a service. 

In an official announcement, Redis Labs stated that starting with version 7.4, Redis will be dual-licensed under the Redis Source Available License (RSALv2) and the controversial Server Side Public License (SSPLv1).

This is not the first time Redis has changed licensing terms. In 2018, it shifted some modules to a more...

22 March 2024 | Databases

Use open-source digital twins to track live systems

Recent technology innovations have made real-time monitoring of live systems easier and more powerful. Digital twins are one of the latest game-changing technologies.

The Digital Twin Consortium defines digital twins as virtual representations of real-world entities and processes, synchronised at a specified frequency and fidelity. They use real-time and historical data to represent the past and present and simulate predicted futures.

Michael Grieves first introduced the...

12 March 2024 | API

Linux Kernel closes in on 10M git objects

Linus Torvalds has announced version 6.8 of the Linux Kernel, inching ever closer to a major milestone in the project's codebase. In his announcement on Sunday, Torvalds noted that the git repository tracking the kernel's development now contains 9.996 million objects.

"This is the last mainline kernel to have less than ten million git objects," Torvalds wrote, though he was quick to add, "Of course, there is absolutely nothing special about it apart from a nice round number. Git...

11 March 2024 | Linux

GitHub enables secret scanning push protection by default

In response to the alarming trend of API keys, tokens, and other confidential data being inadvertently exposed, GitHub has taken further steps to fortify its platform against potential breaches.

Within the first two months of 2024, GitHub has uncovered one million leaked secrets across public repositories, averaging over a dozen incidents per minute. Such alarming figures underscore the pressing need for robust safeguards to protect users and their data.

Since August...

1 March 2024 | Developer

Python packages caught using DLL sideloading to bypass security

ReversingLabs researchers have uncovered Python packages using DLL sideloading to bypass security tools.

On 10 January 2024, Karlo Zanki, a reverse engineer at ReversingLabs, stumbled upon two suspicious packages on the Python Package Index (PyPI). These packages – named NP6HelperHttptest and NP6HelperHttper – were found to be utilising DLL sideloading, a known technique used by malicious actors to execute code discreetly and evade detection from security tools.

This...

21 February 2024 | Hacking & Security

Asahi Linux’s OpenGL support leapfrogs Apple’s on M-chip Macs

The team behind the Asahi Linux project, which aims to support Linux on Apple Silicon Macs, has achieved a major milestone: its open-source graphics driver now fully supports up to OpenGL 4.6 and OpenGL ES 3.2, surpassing the OpenGL 4.1 support currently offered in macOS.

Asahi developer Alyssa Rosenzweig announced the new driver in a blog post, noting it had to pass "over 100,000 tests" to be deemed officially conformant with the OpenGL standards. This was achieved despite...

15 February 2024 | Gaming

GitHub invites open-source AI developers to apply for Accelerator

GitHub has announced applications are now open for the next cohort of its Accelerator program, which provides funding, mentoring, and other benefits for early-stage open-source projects. There is a particular focus this year on developers building AI solutions.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 5 March 2024. Ten projects will be selected to participate in the 10-week program beginning 22 April 2024.

The 2024 GitHub Accelerator cohort focuses on the...

14 February 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Open source wins concessions in new EU cyber law

The European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) has undergone substantial revisions, bringing relief to the open-source community.

Back in April, the Python Software Foundation (PSF) had expressed concerns about potential repercussions for CPython and PyPI if the initial form of CRA were to be enacted.

The primary worry was that, in the course of providing open-source software, the PSF and the Python community might assume legal responsibility for security issues in products...

15 January 2024 | Open Source

AOUSD unveils roadmap towards OpenUSD standardisation

The Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) has unveiled a roadmap outlining its journey towards establishing OpenUSD (Universal Scene Description) as an international standard.

AOUSD's two-year roadmap is a strategic plan to make OpenUSD an international standard for interoperability in describing 3D scenes and environments.

The Core Specification working group, a key component of this roadmap, will lay the foundation for OpenUSD by defining the structure and interpretation of...

13 December 2023 | Gaming