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.NET 8 arrives with new features for building intelligent apps

Microsoft is hosting its annual .NET Conf today through Thursday, and the company has kicked off the event by announcing that .NET 8 is now generally available. “With this release, .NET reshapes the way we build intelligent, cloud-native, applications and high-traffic services that scale on demand,” Gaurav Seth, partner director of product for developer platforms at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. “Whether you’re deploying to Linux or Windows, using containers or a cloud app model of your choice, .NET 8 makes building these apps easier. It includes a set of proven libraries that are used today by the many high-scale services at Microsoft to help you with fundamental challenges around observability, resiliency, scalability, manageability, and more.” In .NET 8, developers can integrate large language models, like GPT, into a .NET app. To improve compatibility with generative AI workloads, the company also added several enhancements in the System.Numerics library.  Microsoft has spent

Linux Foundation will High Performance Software Foundation with AWS, HPE, Intel, and others

The Linux Foundation has announced its intent to form a new subgroup dedicated to advancing high performance computing (HPC), which is the practice of combining multiple computing resources to power-intensive computing calculations.  According to the organization, the High Performance Software Foundation (HPSF) will “build, promote, and advance a portable software stack for high performance computing (HPC) by increasing adoption, lowering barriers to contribution, and supporting development efforts.” Specifically, the HPSF will provide developers with continuous integration resources, turnkey software stacks, architecture support, and performance regression testing and benchmarking.  The Linux Foundation explained that HPC has really taken off because of the increasing adoption of scientific computing and AI. By providing a neutral space for HPC projects, the organization hopes that industry, academia, and governments will be able to collaborate on the scientific software stack.

Google shares new Google Play updates that prioritize high quality apps

Google is continuing its ongoing effort to make Google Play a place for finding high-quality applications. The company has announced a number of new features that Android developers should be aware of. Earlier this year, Google had announced that developers would now need to meet new verification requirements before publishing their apps.  In acknowledgment of the fact that differently sized teams would need varying amounts of time to implement changes, Google is now allowing developers to choose their own deadline for meeting the requirements. The deadlines will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, according to Google, which means that developers should apply as soon as possible in order to get the date they desire. Developers who don’t opt to choose a deadline before February 29, 2024 will be assigned one automatically.  The next change is that new personal developer accounts will be required to have 20 people test their applications for a minimum of two weeks before

SD Times Open-Source Project of the Week: Amper

JetBrains has been experimenting with ways to improve the development experience for developers, focusing on both project definition and tooling support. One of these projects, called Amper , is now being shared publicly for feedback.  Amper is designed as a tool to enhance the user experience of project configuration, particularly focused on aspects like building, packaging, and publishing.  Its primary focus is on configuring projects for building, and it currently supports Kotlin, Kotlin Multiplatform, Java, and Swift (as a requirement for multiplatform), and the team is working on extending support to other languages and technology stacks in the future,. It is currently implemented as a Gradle plugin using YAML for project configuration,, according to the team behind the project in a post .  The decision to use YAML over Kotlin as the markup language is driven by a desire for a declarative approach. This choice aims to simplify configuration, reduce errors, and improve tooling

SmartBear integrates VisualTest and TestComplete to make visual regression testing more accessible

The software testing company SmartBear has announced that it has integrated its AI-powered visual regression testing tool VisualTest with its UI test automation tool TestComplete .  SmartBear believes this new integration will make visual regression testing more accessible. Testers can run visual tests and then compare screenshots across runs, without needing to write automation scripts.   “Historically, visual testing has been difficult to automate due to false positives that create extra manual work,” said Prashant Mohan, senior director of product management at SmartBear. “Now our new codeless AI solution adds human-like capabilities to automate visual testing in an efficient way. It can catch visual bugs that functional tests miss while also filtering out false positives, maximizing workflow efficiency.” VisualTest highlights only the changes in an application, while filtering out expected changes and ignoring false positives. Testers can then compare changes to baseline imag

Cloud Foundry updates Korifi to further simplify the Kubernetes developer experience

Cloud Foundry announced the latest release of Korifi, a platform that aims to simplify Kubernetes and enhance the application deployment process. It now supports Docker images and allows developers to easily deploy them to Kubernetes. This update streamlines container-based workflows by making Docker images compatible with existing containers in various development stages, which makes it a valuable tool for teams already utilizing container-based solutions. With support for Docker images, users no longer need to write or maintain intricate YAML configurations, as most lifecycle operations come with readily available workflows, Cloud Foundry explained. It also enhances productivity by simplifying scaling and streamlining container lifecycle management, all without the complexities of Kubernetes configuration. Additionally, a new installer simplifies the deployment of Korifi for first-time users, further enhancing its usability. “Korifi now offers users the power to transform contai

JFrog has introduced native integrations with developer tools at KubeCon.

JFrog, a company that powers organizations to build, distribute, and automate software updates to the edge, has introduced native integrations with developer tools like Atlassian, Datadog, and Splunk at KubeCon + CNC North America 2023 Chicago. The company also enhanced its platform to support secure application development in the cloud.  With the growing shift towards the cloud, organizations are under pressure to scale rapidly, and JFrog’s integrations aim to address concerns about software supply chain security. The company emphasizes its commitment to innovation and investment in its global partner ecosystem. The new JFrog Security within Jira Cloud allows JFrog security data to be integrated into Jira, making vulnerability management, application security, and compliance an integral part of developers’ workflows. It enhances collaboration and automation to ensure trusted releases at scale, and it is currently available in beta. JFrog Workers, available in open beta for JFrog S

Achieving the “Golden Record” for a 360-degree Customer View

One of the biggest challenges faced by companies who work with large amounts of data is that their databases may end up with several instances of duplicate records, leading to an inaccurate overall picture of their customers.  According to Tim Sidor, data quality analyst at Melissa , there are a number of reasons why duplicate records may end up in a database. They can be added unintentionally during the data entry process when data is entered across multiple transactions in different ways. Changes in how names are formatted, abbreviations of company names, or unstandardized addresses are common ways these issues can make their way into a database, he explained during an SD Times microwebinar in October. This becomes a problem if the database is merged with another source because most database systems only provide basic string-matching options and will not catch those subtle differences. Another way that these problems enter a database is that the database software itself adds ev

IBM launches $500 million enterprise AI venture fund to invest in AI companies

IBM is launching a $500 million venture fund to invest in AI companies at various stages of development. The fund’s focus is on advancing generative AI technology and research for businesses, from early-stage startups to those in hyper-growth stages. According to IBM, the approach it is taking with the Enterprise AI Venture Fund is unique because it combines domain expertise from across IBM and a dedicated portfolio development team to invest in AI companies that are making a significant impact in the business world.  The fund will offer startups the chance to form partnerships with IBM, receive operational guidance, and enhance their product and engineering strategies. IBM, with its established history in enterprise AI, is leveraging its expertise and the latest generative AI innovations to expand its AI partnerships and create value for AI leaders and clients, both new and existing. “AI is slated to unlock nearly $16 trillion in productivity by 2030. With the launch of the IBM Ent

Why decentralized architectures will power next-gen virtual worlds and gaming environments

People buy digital assets in games every day. In fact, 89.5 percent of all commerce associated with gaming in 2022 was digital, per The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association. True ownership of those digital assets, however, remains a huge, intrinsic problem for the gaming industry.  In practice, the sales of these assets are more akin to buying temporary licenses to use them, rather than true transfers of ownership. Gone are the days of selling your old game cartridges or trading them with friends. Today’s purchases can now only linger, bound to your subscription with one particular company. The issue with this model is that a t architectureemporary license with one company inherently carries less value than the true ownership of an asset, with all the powers that ownership implies; this is why carrier-locked cell phones are cheaper than unlocked ones and why owning land is often considered preferable to renting. There is utility and therefore value in having exclusive cont

OpenAI now allows users to create their own custom versions of ChatGPT

Today at its OpenAI DevDay event, OpenAI announced a number of updates across its platform. One of the announcements is that the company now allows users to create their own custom versions of ChatGPT, called GPTs, for specific purposes. Some examples of GPTs that have already been created include Game Time, which explains rules to board games; Tech Advisor, which provides step-by-step guides on troubleshooting technology; and The Negotiator, which helps people improve their negotiation skills.  Anyone can create a GPT, even if they don’t have any coding experience. Once created, GPTs can also be shared with others. “We believe the most incredible GPTs will come from builders in the community. Whether you’re an educator, coach, or just someone who loves to build helpful tools, you don’t need to know coding to make one and share your expertise,” OpenAI wrote in an announcement .  Later this month, OpenAI will launch the GPT Store so that you can find and use GPTs created by others

Red Hat releases Red Hat Device Edge, OpenShift 4.14, and donates new Backstage plugins to open-source community

Today at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2023 , Red Hat announced a number of updates to its portfolio . First, the company announced the general availability of Red Hat Device Edge , which was created to provide a platform for deploying devices at the edge. It includes an operating system optimized for the edge and a supported distribution of the lightweight Kubernetes project MicroShift, providing customers with two deployment options. According to Red Hat, other benefits include a minimal footprint, a consistent operational experience, workload flexibility, and simplified deployment.   Next, it released Red Hat OpenShift 4.14. The latest version includes the general availability of hosted control planes, which reduces management costs, improves cluster provisioning time, helps overcome limitations due to cluster scale, and decouples control planes from workloads for greater security. Red Hat claims that hosted control planes can save 30% in infrastructure costs and 60

Truebit Announces New Verified Computing Platform for Developers to Build Decentralized Applications Without the Constraints of Blockchains

Chicago, Illinois. – November 6, 2023 –  Today  Truebit   announced a new verified computing platform specializing in enhancing functionality and interoperability of Web3 enterprise applications, extending capabilities beyond traditional blockchains. Truebit’s integration framework allows developers to read and write code to any API, deploy applications iteratively and quickly, optimize workflow, as well as improve security, data integrity and process transparency. Truebit Verify leverages decentralization for developers to build applications that interact with multiple data sources, including blockchains, and verifiably execute complex code. Dr. Jason Teutsch, founder of Truebit, designed the original Truebit protocol to verify complex computations for smart contracts, as detailed in the white paper he co-authored with Christian Reitwiessner, creator of Solidity, Ethereum’s smart contract language. Today, Truebit’s next generation platform continues to use verification games to achie

Mac vs Windows for Programming Zainab Sutarwala The Crazy Programmer

The programming world is quite thrilling and daily there are many new software’s to exploit computer resources. When it comes to choosing the right operating system for your programming needs, MacOS & Windows are two operating systems that have their benefits and drawbacks. However, depending on what type of developer you are, one can be a little more convenient and effective than the other. Selecting between the MAC OS and the Windows operating system for your work will be exhausting as there are a lot of options and stuff you have to know before you think of buying your first setup. Mac OS is amazing for programmers who want to work with higher stability & security. Mac is quite practical in developing iOS apps or working with servers.  Windows, on the other hand, is highly recommended for developing graphics programs and video game developers. There are a lot of nuances to look at, and every operating system has got their benefits and drawbacks. In this post, we will evalu

OpenELA publishes its first release of Enterprise Linux source code

OpenELA, a trade association formed by CIQ, Oracle, and SUSE, has publicly released the source code for Enterprise Linux (EL), with a focus on EL8 and EL9 initially, and EL7 packages coming soon. In August 2023, CIQ, Oracle, and SUSE initiated the creation of OpenELA in response to alterations in the accessibility of RHEL source code.  OpenELA’s mission is to provide open source code, tools, and systems for the community. Key principles include adhering to established standards, delivering timely updates and secure solutions, maintaining transparency, fostering a sense of community, and ensuring that these resources remain free and shareable for everyone. Additional details on the project are available here .  “Today, we release the source code needed for anyone to build and maintain a downstream Enterprise Linux derivitive as a first-class open source citizen,” said Gregory Kurtzer, CEO of CIQ and founder of Rocky Linux. “For decades organizations standardized on CentOS because