community-driven Archives

BetaBeacon

July 14, 2026

The best app for Linux handhelds is now on Android

The Starboard app is an unofficial PortMaster client for Android that allows users to easily install and play games that have been ported to Linux. The app runs games via a Debian-based Linux runtime on Android and offers a community-driven review system to help users determine if a game will work on their device before installation. The app categorizes games as "ready to run" or "setup required" and offers additional settings for troubleshooting specific games. Users can download Starboard via GitHub or Obtainium and it is recommended for Android handheld users looking for a large repository of free titles.

Tech Optimizer

July 10, 2026

Google Cloud: PostgreSQL community contribution updates

Google Cloud actively participates in the PostgreSQL ecosystem by supporting community-driven events and contributing to open-source initiatives. Recent key events include: - **PGConf.dev 2026**: Featured strategic discussions on logical replication and global index architecture, with a consensus to adopt a deparsing-based approach for DDL replication. Dilip Kumar presented on global indexes. - **PGConf India 2026**: Attracted over 580 participants, featuring various sessions including keynotes and technical talks by Google Cloud contributors. - **PGDay Paris & PGDay France 2026**: Matt Cornillon was involved in organizing PGDay France, with sessions led by him and Yves Colin. - **PGDay FOSDEM 2026**: Focused on AI-assisted workflows in PostgreSQL development, with a technical talk by Matt Cornillon. - **PGConf Belgium 2026**: The session was selected as supplementary material for a database exam, indicating student engagement. - **Nordic PG Day 2026**: Google participated as a Partner-level sponsor and hosted a dedicated booth. - **Swiss PGDay 2026**: Featured a demonstration on processing vectors in PostgreSQL. - **Postgres Conference 2026 San Jose**: Google sponsored the event, with Vikas Arora discussing PostgreSQL adaptations for AI workloads. Community leadership roles included: - Dilip Kumar on the Program Committee for PGConf.dev 2026 and the Paper Selection Committee for PGConf India 2026. - Matt Cornillon on the organization committee for PGDay France, and Yves Colin on the Program Committee. Acknowledgment was given to various contributors for their dedication to PostgreSQL conferences.

AppWizard

July 6, 2026

What is Paralives? The creative life simulator game that could rival The Sims

Paralives, created by indie designer Alex Massé, launched on Steam in May 2026 as an early access title and sold 250,000 copies within eight hours, achieving a peak concurrent player count of 78,603. The game allows players to create and customize characters called Parafolk, featuring extensive representation and body inclusivity. It offers user-friendly building and decorating tools, enabling flexible item placement and personalization. The art style is a comic-book aesthetic reminiscent of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." Paralives was developed independently with community feedback, contrasting with EA's acquisition of The Sims, which raised concerns among players regarding corporate influence and representation. The game is priced at £33.50, with plans for free downloadable content updates.

AppWizard

July 5, 2026

You can now play Half-Life 2 right inside your browser at over 100 FPS with save states & console support — Ingenious port recreates the entire game campaign using WebGL 2

A fully playable browser version of Half-Life 2 has been released, created by developers Slqnt and 98006 in three months. This version includes the entire main campaign and two episodic DLCs, operating natively on devices without cloud streaming. It utilizes WebGL 2 and WebAssembly to run graphics-intensive tasks and translate C++ code into JavaScript. The port features a Source console for accessing developer commands, though it does not support Steam achievements. Testing on various devices showed the best performance on a Windows PC, achieving over 100 FPS. The future of the port depends on Valve's response, and while copyright issues pose challenges, many classic games are available for free online.

Tech Optimizer

June 22, 2026

The database that refused to die: How Postgres survived its own creators

Postgres, originally developed by Michael Stonebraker in the early 1980s, is an open-source database system that evolved from Ingres. It was designed to handle complex data types and introduced user-defined data types, operators, and functions, leading to the support for abstract data types (ADTs). The initial commercialization of Postgres occurred through a startup named Illustra, later acquired by Informix. In 1995, graduate students Andrew Yu and Jolly Chen revived Postgres, transitioning it from QUEL to SQL, resulting in Postgre95, which evolved into PostgreSQL. Today, Postgres is one of the most popular database systems globally, known for its extensibility and high code quality. However, it currently lacks features like file-level encryption (TDE), which are standard in commercial systems, relying instead on the operating system for encryption. Efforts to implement TDE have faced challenges due to the complexity of required code changes.

AppWizard

June 21, 2026

Sideloading Android apps is great — until you have to update them. Here’s my fix

Obtainium is a free and open-source sideload manager designed to simplify the updating process for sideloaded Android applications. Users can add their sideloaded apps to Obtainium’s tracking list after a one-time setup, allowing the app to monitor these sources for updates in the background. Obtainium supports various sources, including GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, APKMirror, and Uptodown. The app checks for updates every six hours and can either download and install updates automatically or notify the user. Setting up Obtainium involves downloading the APK, adding app source URLs, and ensuring the correct source is used for each app. However, it has limitations, such as relying on HTML scraping for websites without an API and potential API rate limits for GitHub apps. Additionally, Obtainium may have read-only access to certain sites, requiring users to manually update apps in some cases.

AppWizard

June 21, 2026

Guild Wars 3 isn’t the only new Guild Wars on the way: ArenaNet just announced a Guild Wars card game

ArenaNet, in collaboration with NC, has announced an official Guild Wars card game titled Mistbound, which follows the recent announcement of Guild Wars 3. Mistbound is developed with bilibili and features a dynamic 5x3 tactical grid for gameplay, allowing players to modify character attributes and reposition units and commanders turn by turn. It aims to simplify card game complexity by expressing strategic depth through battlefield mechanics rather than individual cards. The game will include various mechanics such as knockbacks and flanking maneuvers, and will feature beloved characters from the Guild Wars universe as commanders. The development emphasizes community engagement, incorporating player input, and there are expectations for the game to evolve into an esport. A specific release date has not been announced, but it may debut late this year or in 2027.

AppWizard

June 21, 2026

The best D&D videogame you’ve never played is one guy’s outsider art, personal Baldur’s Gate saga

Swordflight is a mod campaign for Neverwinter Nights, developed by Rogueknight333 since 2008. It consists of multiple modules, with the latest released in 2022, focusing on low-level gameplay and character customization. The mod emphasizes strategic gameplay through resource management, extending potion durations and limiting resting opportunities. Its narrative features moral dilemmas and character interactions influenced by race, class, and alignment, creating a dynamic environment. Swordflight is compatible with the Enhanced Edition of Neverwinter Nights and can be downloaded for free from the Neverwinter Vault. Players can support the developer through Patreon.

AppWizard

June 6, 2026

Now that Pixel Studio is dead, here are 5 other apps you should use instead

Google has discontinued Pixel Studio, a generative AI tool for creating stickers and editing images on mobile devices, following the rollout of the v2.3 update. Users are now redirected to alternatives within Google's ecosystem, with Gemini positioned as the direct successor to Pixel Studio. Gemini offers cloud-based image generation and excels in understanding natural language prompts. OpenAI's ChatGPT app, featuring the GPT Image 2 model, provides a conversational interface for image generation and accurately renders text within images. Microsoft Designer is designed for creating high-resolution digital assets and combines AI-generated imagery with traditional graphic design tools. Adobe Firefly emphasizes commercial compliance and offers a comprehensive editing suite for professionals. Picsart, while less polished, provides a wealth of features for community-driven photo editing and graphic design.

Winsage

June 1, 2026

Linux desktops finally learned restraint, and that’s the upgrade Windows still hasn’t made

The Linux kernel maintainers have decided to phase out support for outdated hardware, including processors over three decades old, to keep the system agile and relevant. The Ubuntu team plans to introduce AI tools with a focus on open-source and user experience, allowing users to opt-out. Linux distributions typically adopt a respectful approach to monetization, often allowing users to use the system without financial obligation, contrasting with aggressive marketing tactics from companies like Microsoft. Linux's measured approach to innovation fosters a sense of community and reliability among users.