benchmark Archives

AppWizard

May 4, 2025

A Minecraft Movie North America Box Office Day 28: Drops Below $1M On Its 4th Thursday, $400M Seems Out Of Reach This Weekend

A Minecraft Movie's box office performance has dipped below the million threshold in North America as of Thursday, with a current domestic total of 74.5 million. The film earned 1.7 million last weekend, placing it at #4, and experienced a 53.5% drop in earnings from the previous weekend. It is projected to earn approximately 2 million in its fifth weekend, bringing its total to 77.5 million, still short of the 80 million target. Internationally, the film has accumulated 126 million, leading to a global total of 200.5 million, making it the highest-grossing Hollywood film of the year. The film was released on April 4 and had a production budget of 90 million.

AppWizard

May 3, 2025

Grand Theft Auto 6’s delay makes me think we won’t be playing this thing on PC until 2027, or god forbid even 2028

Rockstar has announced a delay for Grand Theft Auto 6, now set for release in May 2026, extending the timeline by approximately six months. The game is currently confirmed only for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with no announcement regarding a PC version. Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, noted the growing importance of PC gaming. Historical patterns suggest that previous Rockstar titles have had significant delays for PC releases, potentially pushing the PC version of GTA 6 into early 2028.

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

Google’s Play Store App Deletion—What You Do Now On Your Phone

Google's Play Store has undergone a significant overhaul, resulting in a reduction of apps from approximately 3.4 million to around 1.8 million, a decline of nearly 47% since the beginning of 2024. This change was prompted by an increase in threats to mobile devices and stricter criteria for app inclusion and retention. Google is targeting the removal of static apps without specific functionalities, apps with minimal content, and applications that lack functional value. Removed apps will no longer be available for download, but users with the app already installed can continue to use it without updates. If uninstalled, users cannot redownload the app unless republished by the developer. Users are advised to manage their app collections to mitigate risks associated with low-quality apps. Subscriptions linked to removed apps will also be terminated.

Winsage

April 27, 2025

Legendary Voodoo4 GPU modded into laptop, benchmarks work with Windows XP

Daniel Simionescu, known as sdz, has been working on porting the Voodoo graphics from 3dfx to mobile platforms, resulting in a design that integrates a Voodoo4 GPU into a Dell Precision M4800 laptop via a custom MXM card. YouTuber Omores tested this setup with Windows 98 and XP, facing initial compatibility issues but ultimately achieving partial functionality. The Voodoo brand was significant in the late 90s for making 3D acceleration accessible. sdz created a PCB with the Voodoo4 GPU using the VSA-100 core and 64MB of SDR memory. During testing, various VBE drivers were explored, with Windows XP showing better compatibility for running 3DMark 2001 and Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Games using the Glide API may require wrappers, and the community plans to compile a list of supported titles. sdz intends to keep the design open-source for collaboration.

AppWizard

April 27, 2025

I miss old PopCap like you miss old BioWare

From 2000 to 2010, PopCap Games dominated the casual gaming market, influencing the design of many subsequent mobile games. The studio's notable titles included Peggle Extreme, featured in Valve's The Orange Box, and Gyromancer, a collaboration with Square Enix. PopCap's games often drew inspiration from earlier concepts, such as Zuma from Puzz Loop and Bejeweled from the Russian game Shariki. After being acquired by Electronic Arts, PopCap shifted towards mobile and free-to-play models, leading to the decline of its original PC titles. Despite this change, the spirit of PopCap's creativity persists in the indie gaming scene, with games like Donut County and Peglin reflecting its innovative approach. Bookworm Adventures remains accessible through the Internet Archive, contributing to PopCap's lasting legacy.

AppWizard

April 24, 2025

Technology behind private messaging app Telegram names Maximilian…

The TON Foundation will announce Maximilian Crown as its new CEO on Thursday. This appointment aims to stabilize Telegram, which has a user base of one billion, following the arrest of its founder Pavel Durov in Paris last year. Crown's leadership is seen as a significant step for Telegram, demonstrating its commitment to expanding its multi-functional app amid governmental pressures to access user data. Crown has experience as CFO and COO of MoonPay and has successfully secured operational approvals across various countries. Telegram has transformed into a “Super App,” integrating features such as gaming, shopping, and payment functionalities. The Telegram Open Network (TON) has 41 million active accounts and 121 million Toncoin holders. Toncoin's value is tied to Telegram's fortunes, experiencing fluctuations following Durov's arrest. Concerns have been raised regarding the impact of French authorities' actions on Telegram’s blockchain initiatives, especially related to digital privacy and government oversight. Durov was detained for 96 hours and criticized the scrutiny faced by Telegram, warning against legislative efforts that threaten individual freedoms.

Tech Optimizer

April 24, 2025

Meet Xata Agent: An Open Source Agent for Proactive PostgreSQL Monitoring, Automated Troubleshooting, and Seamless DevOps Integration

Xata Agent is an open-source AI assistant designed for PostgreSQL database site reliability engineering. It monitors logs and performance metrics to identify issues like slow queries and unusual connection counts, helping to maintain database integrity and performance. The tool automates tasks such as vacuuming and indexing and provides actionable recommendations through diagnostic playbooks and read-only SQL routines. The architecture is built as a Next.js application using TypeScript, organized in a monorepo structure. Developers can set up their environment using Node, install dependencies, and configure a local PostgreSQL instance with Docker Compose. Production deployment involves using Docker images and configuring environment variables in a production file. Key functionalities include proactive monitoring, configuration tuning, performance troubleshooting, safe diagnostics, cloud integration, alerting, LLM flexibility, and playbook customization. Developers can create new tools and integrate them into playbooks for cohesive workflows. Future plans include custom playbooks, support for Model Context Protocol, evaluation harnesses, approval workflows, and a managed cloud edition. The architecture promotes extensibility and community contributions, standardizing incident response and reducing human error in database management.

Winsage

April 23, 2025

I tried installing Windows on an ReFS drive, and I actually don’t hate it

Microsoft has been developing a new file system called ReFS (Resilient File System) to eventually replace NTFS. Users can boot Windows 11 from an ReFS drive, but the setup process is complex and requires formatting the drive using the Command Prompt. After installation, Windows 11 operates normally on ReFS, offering advantages in data resiliency and durability, especially for virtual hard disks and Storage Spaces. However, performance tests show that ReFS is slower than NTFS across various metrics, indicating it may not provide speed enhancements for general use. ReFS is seen as a promising alternative to NTFS, with potential future improvements in performance, particularly for specialized workloads.

Winsage

April 22, 2025

5 things the Surface Pro 12 needs to finally beat the Apple iPad Pro in 2025

The Surface Pro 11 has been praised as an excellent 2-in-1 device, but there are areas for improvement. Microsoft is set to release the Surface Pro 12 later this year, expected to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 SoC, which promises enhanced performance similar to Apple's M4 chip. Key improvements anticipated include more uniform bezels, a reduction in thickness, and a lighter design to enhance usability as a 2-in-1 device. There is also a desire for 5G models to be available at launch, as previous releases have seen delays. Consumers are calling for both Snapdragon and Intel options to have the same features, addressing the current disparity. Additionally, there is a request for the return of vibrant colors, particularly red, to the Surface Pro lineup.

AppWizard

April 22, 2025

Google releases Gemini 2.5 Flash with hybrid reasoning and boasts faster speeds

Google has launched the Gemini 2.5 Flash, an updated version of its Gemini AI model featuring hybrid reasoning capabilities that allow developers to adjust the model's 'thinking' process. This new model is designed to be faster, more cost-effective, and outperforms competing AI models in benchmark tests. The Gemini 2.5 Flash is available in preview through the Gemini API via Google AI Studio and Vertex AI. It builds on the foundation of the earlier Gemini 2.0 Flash models.