Apple relaxes App Store rules to permit game emulators

Apple has loosened its App Store rules to permit the inclusion of "retro game console emulator apps" on its platform.

This move comes after years of pressure from users and legislators, particularly in Europe, where enthusiasts previously had to resort to jailbreaking their devices or using complex workarounds to access emulation apps on their iPhones.

In an update to its App Review Guidelines at the end of last week, Apple confirmed the policy change. While app...

8 April 2024 | App Stores

Jpegli boosts high-quality image compression by 35%

Google has introduced Jpegli, a JPEG coding library that maintains high backward compatibility while offering enhanced capabilities and a 35 percent compression ratio improvement at high quality compression settings.

According to Google, the new JPEG coding library is designed to be faster, more efficient, and more visually pleasing than traditional JPEG. It employs several new techniques to deliver:

Compatibility: Jpegli provides a fully interoperable encoder and decoder...

5 April 2024 | UX/Design

JetBrains launches 2024.1 with local AI code completion

JetBrains has released the 2024.1 updates for its IDEs with several major new features, headlined by full-line code autocompletion powered by local AI models.

The new full-line code completion functionality ensures code suggestions are processed entirely on the user's device, minimising latency and providing a seamless offline experience.

“We’ve developed models that run directly on your device, and the IDE verifies each suggestion,” explained Mikhail Kostyukov,...

4 April 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

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

Bitwarden strengthens passwordless authentication with magic links API

Credential management firm Bitwarden has announced an enhancement to its Passwordless.dev platform with the release of a magic links API.

Bitwarden’s latest offering empowers developers to seamlessly integrate passwordless authentication into their applications, providing a more secure and user-friendly experience for end-users.

The magic links API enables developers to send unique one-time-use links via email, allowing users to securely access their accounts or easily...

2 April 2024 | API

PyPI suspends registrations amid malware attack

The Python Package Index (PyPI) has suspended new project creation and user registration to mitigate an ongoing malware upload campaign. This move comes as security researchers at Checkmarx uncovered a campaign involving multiple malicious packages related to the same threat actors.

The attackers are targeting victims through typosquatting attacks, tricking users into installing malicious Python packages through their command-line interface. This multi-stage attack aims to steal...

28 March 2024 | Developer

Puppet explores the benefits of platform engineering for security

An increasing number of organisations have built platform teams to help improve the developer experience – and the latest State of DevOps Report from Puppet has looked to show how platform engineering is improving security as well.

The 13th annual State of DevOps Report – which is also being called the State of Platform Engineering Report by Puppet – polled approximately 500 respondents, drawn primarily from IT practitioners and leaders who work either as part of or...

28 March 2024 | Developer

Apple refutes all of the DoJ’s antitrust claims

Apple has firmly rejected the US Department of Justice's (DoJ) antitrust claims, dismissing them as either outdated or misrepresentations of the company's business model.

The DoJ's antitrust lawsuit against Apple alleges that the tech giant has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act on multiple fronts, including imposing restrictive contracts and commissions on developers, limiting the functionality of non-Apple apps, and diminishing the capabilities of competing products...

27 March 2024 | App Stores

Backend Software Engineers are Designers Too

In technology, we typically associate 'design' with front-end developers and visual aesthetics - a beautiful website or a visually appealing user interface. But, backend developers are designers too. They are masters of System Design, meticulously crafting the architecture, dependencies, and data structures that influence user experiences. This post will explore the hidden artistry in their work.

The internet is overflowing with memes of “dev vs designer”, and it’s...

26 March 2024 | Developer

New OutSystems data fabric unifies data across the enterprise  

OutSystems, a specialist in high-performance application development, has unveiled what it describes as one of the most significant updates to OutSystems Developer Cloud since its initial release.

With the launch of OutSystems Data Fabric, organisations can lay the groundwork to build dynamic applications, harness data across the enterprise, and increase developer productivity. 

In an era where outdated data can cost businesses more than $15 million annually (per IDC...

25 March 2024 | Analytics