Let’s Encrypt is a free certificate authority that simplifies obtaining and managing server certificates, addressing the challenges of cost and complexity.
Supported by major organizations like Mozilla, Cisco, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), it aims to make Internet security accessible and open to all.
Key principles of Let’s Encrypt include being free, automatic, secure, transparent, open, and cooperative, with opportunities for sponsorship or contribution to support the initiative.
Let's Encrypt, celebrating its 10th anniversary, has transformed internet security by offering free HTTPS certificates, democratizing secure connections.
Despite its widespread adoption, some sectors, such as banking, require longer certificate validity, posing challenges for Let's Encrypt's use.
The service has improved web security through its open protocol and automation, though it remains reliant on donations, underscoring its non-profit mission.
There is a suggestion that if HR 9495, a proposed bill, passes, it could potentially classify the Internet Archive as a terrorist organization without clear justification.
The concern is raised by an anonymous source, indicating that this classification might not be a primary focus or priority of the bill.
The implication of such a classification could have significant consequences for the Internet Archive, a digital library offering free access to a vast collection of digital content.
Epic Games has permitted the Internet Archive to distribute Unreal and Unreal Tournament indefinitely, sparking hopes for potential open-source releases similar to Quake.
The Unreal Tournament community remains vibrant, with discussions about preserving and updating classic games, especially after Epic's decision to delist older titles from stores.
Open-sourcing Unreal Engine 1 could eventually occur, but it requires significant cleanup, and this move could benefit learning, development, and the preservation of gaming history.
Tiny Glade, a relaxing building game by Pounce Light, sold over 600,000 copies within a month of its release on Steam, indicating significant commercial success.
The game gained popularity through viral videos and participation in Steam's Next Fest, resulting in over 1.3 million wishlists, showcasing effective marketing strategies.
Its success is attributed to its serene, goal-free sandbox experience and engaging procedural generation technology, appealing to fans of cozy and city-building games.
Tiny Glade sold over 600,000 copies in a month, attributed to its advanced custom lighting engine and the expertise of developers Tomasz Stachowiak and Anastasia Opara.
The game, developed using Rust and Vulkan, became popular through effective marketing and community engagement, showcasing Rust's potential in game development.
Despite some criticism for lacking depth, Tiny Glade offers a zen-like building experience, emphasizing the importance of community building before a game's launch.
Analytical Anti-Aliasing is a technique designed to remove jagged edges (jaggies) in rasterized images by pre-calculating the fade of shape borders, ensuring smooth edges without artifacts.- This method is efficient as it does not require additional buffers or hardware and is compatible with basic WebGL 1.0, making it accessible for various applications.- It is highlighted for its professional use in platforms like Unity and Valve Software, offering clarity and sharpness without the blurriness common in other anti-aliasing methods, such as SSAA (Super-Sample Anti-Aliasing), SMAA (Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing), and DLAA (Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing).
The article "AAA – Analytical Anti-Aliasing" delves into anti-aliasing techniques, emphasizing analytical methods and their application in graphics programming.
It discusses the debate between linear and sRGB color spaces, limitations of WebGL, and challenges with overlapping shapes, providing a comprehensive exploration of these topics.
The article is noted for its depth, interactive elements, and feedback on its presentation, highlighting the complexity of graphics settings in games.
The "lake tank" meme features a submerged Panzer IV tank in the Meuse River, Belgium, from WWII, and is popular among military enthusiasts and gamers.
It draws humor from the concept of receiving wisdom from unexpected sources, akin to the "Lady of the Lake" from Arthurian legend and the "senpai of the pool" meme.
The meme's niche appeal is partly due to its connection to historical and gaming contexts, resonating with specific online communities.
In software modernization projects, estimates should be viewed as flexible guidelines rather than strict deadlines due to the unpredictable nature of such projects.
Indu Alagarsamy likens architecture modernization to car repair, highlighting the need for adaptability and additional approvals when unforeseen issues arise.
Effective leadership in these projects involves asking insightful questions, embracing experimentation, and utilizing suitable frameworks to navigate complexities and achieve success.
The post discusses the common issue of management treating project estimates as strict deadlines, often ignoring factors like changing specifications that can cause delays.
This practice leads to inflated estimates as a defensive measure to avoid blame for missing so-called "deadlines," which can stifle innovation and honest work.
The suggested solution is to cultivate a company culture that tolerates mistakes and focuses on continuous improvement rather than assigning blame, promoting a more innovative and productive environment.
SpaceX's Super Heavy booster performed a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico as a safety measure after automated health checks aborted the landing attempt on the "chopsticks" at the launch site.- The test flight successfully demonstrated engine relighting in space, marking a significant milestone for future orbital flights and SpaceX's goal of rapid reusability with Starship.- While SpaceX aims for frequent launches and missions like Mars colonization, the timeline for achieving these goals is uncertain due to potential technical and regulatory challenges.
Underjord, an Elixir consulting team, investigates Erlang's hot code updates, a distinctive feature allowing code changes without stopping the system.
Although Elixir, based on Erlang, supports hot code updates, the standard mix release lacks the necessary files, prompting experts to recommend learning this skill.
Hot code updates are particularly useful in development with Nerves for embedded devices, and more tooling in Elixir could enhance this process.
Erlang's hot code updates enable rapid deployment of fixes without disconnecting users, which is particularly advantageous for systems with long-lived connections, such as telephony.
Although these updates can be complex and risky, potentially leading to non-replicable states, they are essential for maintaining continuous connections in real-time systems.
While some advocate for simpler rolling deployments, hot code updates provide unique benefits in scenarios where uninterrupted service is critical, despite the challenges they present.
Apple has acknowledged zero-day attacks on macOS systems and advised users to update to the latest versions: iOS 18.1.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1.1, and iOS 17.7.2.
The vulnerabilities involve malicious web content that could allow arbitrary code execution, highlighting the critical need for timely software updates.
This incident is part of a recurring issue with iPhones, which have previously experienced web-exploitable security vulnerabilities, including web-based jailbreaks.
BM25, or Best Match 25, is a widely used algorithm for full-text search, implemented in systems like Lucene/Elasticsearch and SQLite, and often paired with vector similarity search in hybrid search systems.
It ranks documents based on relevance to a query using factors such as query terms, Inverse Document Frequency (IDF), term frequency, and document length normalization, following the Probability Ranking Principle.
BM25 scores are context-specific, meaning they are comparable within the same document collection but not across different collections or over time, due to potential changes in the collection affecting scores.
The discussion focuses on the BM25 search algorithm and its integration with modern search technologies, such as hybrid systems like Typesense that combine BM25 with vector-based semantic search.- Participants debate the effectiveness of BM25 compared to newer learning models, with some advocating for its continued use and others suggesting more advanced statistical models.- The conversation also explores tools and methods like Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF) and the role of machine learning in enhancing search capabilities.
Blender 4.3, released on November 19, 2024, brings significant updates, including EEVEE's Light and Shadow Linking, a new Metallic BSDF node, and Gabor Noise texture node.
Enhancements include interactive multi-pass compositing, improved UV editing, and significant updates to Geometry Nodes and Grease Pencil for better performance and new tools.
The release also features user interface improvements, Video Sequencer enhancements, Vulkan backend support, and remains free, supported by community donations.
Blender 4.3, particularly with the Bonsai add-on, is recommended for home remodeling due to its detailed planning capabilities.
The software is praised for its open-source model, strong community support, and development fund, contributing to its success and continuous improvement.
Users highlight Blender's versatility in art and 3D printing, and suggest tutorials like the donut tutorial for beginners to overcome its learning curve.
OpenRiak is a modern fork of the Riak database, maintained by engineers from its major customers, focusing on enhancing stability in complex failure scenarios.
Supported by the Erlang Ecosystem Foundation, OpenRiak remains a niche product but may attract users with specific non-functional requirements.
The OpenRiak community is currently concentrating on Riak KV, with other forks being maintained by TI Tokyo, and plans to share future developments soon.
WebVM is a Linux virtual machine that operates within a web browser using HTML5 and WebAssembly, utilizing the CheerpX virtualization engine to support x86 binaries.
It offers a server-less, client-side environment with networking capabilities enabled through Tailscale, a VPN network, making it accessible without traditional server infrastructure.
WebVM is open-source under the Apache License 2.0, with specific restrictions for organizational use, and can be deployed by forking the repository, enabling GitHub Pages, and customizing Dockerfiles.
WebVM, developed by Leaning Technologies, is a virtual machine designed for web use, with potential applications in virtualizing corporate apps and plans to support Docker containers.
CheerpX, a proprietary component, is crucial for WebVM's offerings, providing support for Flash and Java, although WebVM itself is open-source.
Despite its inability to run offline due to large data needs, WebVM supports Tailscale for networking, and there is user interest in the feasibility and performance of web-based virtual machines.
Bluesky, a social network with over 20 million users, provides personalized control over social media algorithms, allowing users to choose their content.
Unlike platforms like X (formerly Twitter), where algorithms dictate content, Bluesky offers a "marketplace of algorithms" for users to select feeds based on interests.
This approach empowers users to shape their social media experience and could set a new industry standard, despite challenges in finding or creating the right feed.
Bluesky is launching customizable algorithms for social media, enabling users to select how they view content, either chronologically or through algorithmic sorting.
The introduction of these features sparks a debate on whether algorithms improve or diminish user experience, with opinions divided between the need for user control and the advantages of curated content.
Bluesky aims to balance user preferences and engagement by offering a chronological default feed while allowing for personalized content viewing options.