consistency Archives

Winsage

July 25, 2025

Microsoft Edge’s settings menu is now so big it can’t fit on a single screen

Microsoft Edge has introduced a new shortcut for creating tab groups in its dropdown menu. Users have reported challenges with the "Settings and more" menu, particularly regarding visibility and the need to scroll to access options. Concerns about context menu inconsistencies in Windows have been raised since at least 2015. Microsoft has made improvements to user interface elements but still faces criticism for certain design choices. Recent testing of rounded context menus in Windows 11 did not make it to the final product, as the company opted for a traditional design instead. Implementing changes in Windows can be complex due to its extensive legacy. There is a call for more customization options in context menus to improve user experience.

Tech Optimizer

July 24, 2025

Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database is now available in 22 additional Regions

The Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database has launched in various regions, including the US West (Northern California), Africa (Cape Town), Asia Pacific (Hyderabad, Jakarta, Melbourne), Canada (Central and West), Europe (London, Milan, Paris, Spain, Zurich), Israel (Tel Aviv), Mexico (Central), the Middle East (Bahrain, UAE), and South America (Sao Paulo). It features a serverless endpoint that distributes data and queries across multiple Amazon Aurora Serverless instances, ensuring transactional consistency and enhancing performance. The database includes distributed query planning and transaction management, dynamically allocates compute resources based on workload fluctuations, and supports PostgreSQL versions 16.6 and 16.8. Users can create an Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database via the Amazon RDS console.

AppWizard

July 24, 2025

5 Must-Have Open-Source Android Apps to Simplify Your Life

Five standout open source Android applications highlighted for their utility, user-focused design, and privacy-conscious features are: 1. Tomato: A minimalist Pomodoro timer that helps maintain focus by dividing work into customizable intervals, offering productivity insights through visual graphs. 2. Grit: An all-in-one task and habit tracker that categorizes tasks, provides a visual habit map, supports scheduled reminders, and includes home screen widgets for quick access to daily goals. 3. Momentum: A habit tracker with a straightforward interface, calendar view, streak tracking, and an AI assistant that suggests habits, while prioritizing user privacy with offline functionality and local data storage. 4. Toolbox: A versatile utility app that includes features like a stopwatch, compass, text manipulation utilities, and advanced tools for developers, all while being lightweight and ad-free. 5. Thor App Manager: A tool for precise management of Android applications, offering features like batch installation, app freezing, and APK management, with additional controls for rooted users.

Winsage

July 22, 2025

9 features I want Microsoft to add and improve in Windows 11

Windows 11 has received several feature updates, with version 25H2 upcoming, but it still lacks many user-requested features. Key issues include: 1. Users want more control over Windows Update, including the ability to disable automatic updates or schedule them flexibly. 2. There is a demand for the option to set up devices with a local account instead of being forced to use a Microsoft account. 3. Users miss the ability to resize the Taskbar, which is currently fixed in size. 4. The option to relocate the Taskbar to the top of the screen has been removed, and users want this flexibility restored. 5. A fully consistent dark mode across the operating system is desired, along with customizable live tiles. 6. Users would benefit from charging limit options for laptops to extend battery lifespan. 7. The settings page for File Explorer needs modernization to align with the Windows 11 aesthetic. 8. There is a call for a variant of Windows 11 that supports older PCs that do not meet current hardware requirements.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business PC Performance Analysis

NACON unveiled RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business for PC, utilizing Unreal Engine 5. The benchmarking process used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM at 6000MHz, and various graphics cards including AMD Radeon RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, RX 9070XT, and NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3080, RTX 4090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090, on a Windows 10 64-bit environment with specific drivers. The game lacks a built-in benchmark tool, so testing was conducted in the police station area, a demanding segment early in the game. It features a range of graphics settings and supports advanced technologies like DLSS 4, AMD FSR 3.0, and Intel XeSS 2.0. At 1080p with Epic Settings, all tested GPUs exceeded 60FPS, with the RTX 2080Ti achieving over 65FPS. At 1440p with Epic Settings, the NVIDIA RTX 3080 is the minimum requirement for smooth gameplay, while the RX 6900XT did not reach 60FPS. The RTX 4090 and RTX 5090 maintained framerates above 60FPS at Native 4K with Epic Settings. Benchmarks indicate that Unfinished Business performs better than its predecessor, with the RTX 2080Ti in Rogue City dipping below 60FPS, while Unfinished Business consistently exceeds 65FPS. At 4K, the RTX 4090 struggled to maintain 60FPS in Rogue City, whereas Unfinished Business remained above 70FPS. Both games experience occasional stuttering during world traversal, and while Unfinished Business matches Rogue City in visual fidelity, it surpasses it in performance. The game employs Lumen for global illumination but has noticeable artifacts and subpar facial and lip-sync animations. Unfinished Business has a smaller environment compared to Rogue City, contributing to its enhanced performance, and offers support for DLSS, FSR, and XeSS for optimization.

Tech Optimizer

July 22, 2025

PostgreSQL services from hyperscalers raise downtime conerns

Recent research shows that 82 percent of PostgreSQL users are concerned about cloud region failures, with 21 percent experiencing such failures in the past year. In the first half of 2025, PostgreSQL gained over 13 points in database popularity rankings, becoming the fourth most popular database. A survey found that 91 percent of organizations using PostgreSQL expect no more than four minutes of downtime per month, with 24 percent aiming for less than 30 seconds. Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google offer various PostgreSQL services, while alternatives like CockroachDB and YugabyteDB focus on reliability. PlanetScale recently launched a PostgreSQL service that is 100 percent compatible with open-source PostgreSQL. Convex is transitioning from AWS Aurora to PlanetScale for better performance. pgEdge offers a multi-master distributed database for high availability. AWS claims its Amazon Aurora DSQL is designed for up to 99.999 percent availability, while its Aurora for PostgreSQL guarantees 99.99 percent uptime.

Tech Optimizer

July 17, 2025

AWS Open-Sources pgactive PostgreSQL Extension

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched pgactive, an open-source extension for PostgreSQL that enables active-active replication, allowing databases to stream data asynchronously between instances. Announced in June 2025, pgactive was previously proprietary within AWS's Relational Database Service (RDS) and first appeared in late 2023. The extension supports conflict resolution and bidirectional data syncing, enhancing resiliency for high-availability applications. It is available under the Apache 2.0 license, encouraging community contributions and customization. Pgactive's architecture includes logical replication slots and customizable conflict handlers, essential for fault-tolerant systems. The open-source model promotes transparency and peer review, with potential integrations discussed in developer communities. The initiative aims to transform enterprise database replication and empower developers to innovate without vendor lock-in.

Winsage

July 16, 2025

Microsoft Update Copilot Vision AI: Five New Business Use Cases

Microsoft has upgraded its Copilot Vision AI, now available to Windows Insiders, enabling the tool to scan and analyze all content on users' screens instead of just two applications at a time. This enhancement allows Copilot Vision to function as a comprehensive assistant, providing real-time insights and guidance across all on-screen content. Users must activate the feature through the Copilot application. The AI can interpret text, images, and application contexts simultaneously, offering contextual insights and verbal coaching across various professional applications. Key use cases for Copilot Vision AI include: 1. Customer Service and Support: Assists support representatives by providing real-time suggestions while navigating multiple systems. 2. Sales Process Optimization: Analyzes sales workflows to offer insights into prospect behavior and suggest optimal next steps. 3. Content Creation and Marketing Operations: Provides real-time feedback on visual consistency and brand compliance across design tools. 4. Project Management and Collaboration Enhancement: Identifies bottlenecks and suggests resource optimizations for project managers. 5. Training and Professional Development: Offers contextual coaching to guide employees learning new software systems. The upgrade aims to improve productivity and decision-making by addressing information fragmentation and workflow inefficiencies across organizations.

AppWizard

July 12, 2025

Ken Levine wanted System Shock 2’s final level to be set in outer space, but the idea was shot down by its senior designers: ‘They’re like dude, we have 14 months to make this game’

System Shock 2 is a highly regarded PC game known for its storytelling and gameplay, but its final act, The Body of the Many, has received criticism for not matching the quality of earlier parts. This level features a challenging environment that can leave players unprepared for the final confrontation with the antagonist, Shodan. Ken Levine, the game's designer, acknowledged that the finale's shortcomings stemmed from his ambitious vision for a zero-gravity environment outside the ship, which was impractical given the tight development timeline. Despite his colleagues' skepticism, he created a level that differed significantly in appearance and gameplay, which he later admitted was not one of the game's strongest. Levine's initial concept of an exterior level influenced later games like Dead Space and Prey. System Shock 2 recently received a remaster from Nightdive, which has been well-received, while Levine is working on a new project called Judas.

Winsage

July 11, 2025

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 (Canary Channel)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 has been released to the Canary Channel. Key features include: - Taskbar Icon Scaling: Icons on the taskbar can automatically resize when the taskbar is full, with options to keep them at original size or always small. - Quick Machine Recovery: This feature identifies and resolves common issues automatically via the Windows Recovery Environment, reducing downtime. - Custom Words in Voice Access: Users can add custom words to the voice access dictionary to improve dictation accuracy. - Screen Curtain in Narrator: This feature blacks out the display for privacy while using Narrator. - Privacy Dialogs Update: Privacy dialogs for app permissions have been redesigned for better focus. - Accessibility Enhancements: Text descriptions for assistive technologies have been added to the Accessibility flyout. - File Explorer Improvements: Dividers have been added to the context menu for better organization. - Adaptive Energy Saver: An opt-in feature that manages energy saver settings based on power state and system load. - Windows Share Updates: Visual previews are now shown when sharing links or web content. - Expanded Voice Access Support: Voice access now supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese. - Narrator Guidance: Narrator will guide users through its features with modal windows. - Settings Adjustments: The selected country or region during setup is now displayed in Settings. Fixes include performance improvements in File Explorer, resolution of input issues with the touch keyboard, and fixes for crashes in Settings. Known issues involve potential loss of Windows Hello PIN on new Copilot+ PCs and graphical issues with Remote Desktop on Arm64 PCs.