decoupling Archives

Tech Optimizer

May 15, 2025

Databricks to acquire serverless database startup Neon for USD 1 Billion

Databricks intends to acquire Neon, a serverless Postgres startup, for approximately USD 1 billion. Neon specializes in a modern database service based on PostgreSQL, offering features such as near-instantaneous database provisioning, elastic scaling, and powerful branching capabilities. This acquisition aims to enhance Databricks' offerings for AI tools, particularly AI Agents. Databricks has a history of expanding through acquisitions, including the purchase of MosaicML for USD 1.3 billion in 2023 and Tabular for over USD 1 billion in 2024. The company has a valuation of USD 62 billion and projected annualized revenue of USD 2.4 billion by mid-year. The acquisition awaits regulatory approvals.

Tech Optimizer

May 15, 2025

Databricks to Acquire Neon in USD 1 Billion Deal to Power AI Agent Workflows with Serverless Postgres

Databricks intends to acquire Neon, a cloud-based serverless Postgres platform, for approximately USD 1 billion. Neon, founded in 2021, offers a managed, open-source Postgres service with features like effortless database cloning, isolated environment testing, and point-in-time data restoration. Over 80% of databases on Neon are created by AI agents. The acquisition aims to enhance Databricks' infrastructure for AI-native applications, allowing developers to create isolated Postgres instances quickly and decouple compute and storage resources. Neon has raised USD 129.5 million from investors, while Databricks has secured over USD 19 billion in funding, with a valuation of USD 62 billion. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals, and Neon's team will join Databricks post-acquisition.

Tech Optimizer

May 8, 2025

The Search Stack That Nearly Broke Us — Until We Did This

The initial architecture for the finlight.me real-time financial news API utilized Postgres full-text search, which was effective for early needs but faced limitations as article volume increased. Key challenges included performance degradation due to the inability to combine GIN indexes with regular B-Tree indexes, leading to slow query performance, especially with complex user queries and pagination. The decision was made to transition to OpenSearch for its optimized search capabilities while retaining Postgres as the source of truth for data integrity. Testing with OpenSearch revealed the need for production-grade resources, which led to a successful deployment that improved search response times significantly. The current architecture separates ingestion, storage, and retrieval responsibilities, with Postgres managing data storage and OpenSearch handling user-facing search queries. Regular snapshotting and thoughtful index management ensure resilience and scalability.

Tech Optimizer

April 2, 2025

Bun 1.2 Improves Node Compatibility and Adds Postgres Client

Bun v1.2 has been released, enhancing compatibility with Node.js and introducing a native S3 object storage API and a built-in Postgres client alongside the existing SQLite client. The update focuses on Node.js compatibility, achieving a 90% pass rate on the Node.js test suite for core modules. The team adapted the Node test suite for Bun to address challenges with error message verification. New features include support for the node:http2 module, which offers a 2x speed enhancement, and additional support for node:dgram, node:cluster, and node:zlib. The built-in S3 support allows file operations with a 5x speed improvement over Node.js packages. The new Postgres client includes optimizations such as automatic prepared statements and connection pooling, potentially increasing read speeds by 50% compared to popular Node.js Postgres clients. Bun is developed in Zig and uses WebKit’s JavaScriptCore as its JavaScript engine, with the first version launched in September 2023.

AppWizard

March 20, 2025

Google Play Services could soon make tracking system app updates much easier (APK teardown)

Google is introducing a new "System services" section within Google Play Services to streamline the tracking of updates for essential Android system applications. This feature aims to help users distinguish between regular app updates and important system app updates, addressing confusion about the status of core system components. An APK teardown of Google Play Services v25.11.32 beta has revealed references to this section, which will notify users of available updates and direct them to the Google Play Store. The app listings for core system applications will also be simplified to focus on essential information, reducing user confusion and improving understanding of system app updates. The "System services" page and updated app listings are not yet live but represent a step towards enhancing user trust and clarity regarding system app updates.

Winsage

September 17, 2024

Microsoft Claims 50% Faster Load Times For Windows 11 Apps Via Native AOT Support

Microsoft has introduced enhancements for Windows 11 applications, including a 50% increase in loading speeds and up to eight times reduction in memory usage through native Ahead-Of-Time (AOT) compilation support. The Windows App SDK 1.6 aims to improve user experience by addressing performance issues faced by developers. Key benefits of Native AOT support include accelerated app launch times, reduction in app size, and enhanced package management APIs. Microsoft has also decoupled WinAppSDK from Edge WebView2 and transitioned it to a NuGet package to minimize app sizes and improve performance. Additionally, various bug fixes have been implemented to enhance user experience.

Tech Optimizer

August 16, 2024

Neon: Serverless Postgres Database Company Raises $25.6 Million Strategic Investment

Neon, a serverless Postgres database for developers, has secured a strategic investment of .6 million led by M12, Microsoft's venture fund, with participation from existing investors like Abstract Ventures, General Catalyst, Menlo Ventures, and Notable Capital, totaling .6 million in funding since 2021. Postgres has surpassed MySQL as the preferred database among developers, attributed to its open ecosystem and performance. Neon features include instant provisioning of databases in under a second, efficient scaling that adjusts resources based on demand, and integrated workflows for CI/CD pipelines. Andrew Smyth from M12 highlighted the commitment to integrating Neon into Azure, while CEO Nikita Shamgunov emphasized the aim to enhance the developer experience within Microsoft Azure.

Tech Optimizer

August 7, 2024

Neon Secures $25.6M Strategic Investment to Enhance Postgres Integration with Azure

Neon, a serverless Postgres database, received a strategic investment of million led by M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund, with participation from Abstract Ventures, General Catalyst, Menlo Ventures, and Notable Capital. This brings Neon’s total funding to .6 million since its founding in 2021. The investment aims to enhance Neon’s integration into Azure and reflects the growing preference for Postgres among developers, as indicated by recent Stack Overflow survey data. Neon's architecture allows for instant database provisioning, efficient scaling, and integrated developer workflows, contributing to its popularity. Founded in 2021, Neon supports over 3,000 projects daily, catering to various applications including AI tools and platforms like Vercel, Replit, and Retool.

AppWizard

May 2, 2024

Android System WebView Explained: What It Is, And Do You Need It? – SlashGear

The Android System WebView is an integral part of the Android experience, allowing apps to display web content within the app itself, streamlining the user experience. Users can manage the WebView service in their device settings, where they have the option to disable, force-stop, or reset the service's data. Maintaining optimal performance on Android devices may involve routine maintenance tasks such as clearing the device's cache, as issues with WebView can lead to app crashes.

AppWizard

April 2, 2024

Microsoft splits Teams from Office app suite globally

Microsoft has expanded its unbundling strategy globally, decoupling Teams from the Office suite in response to scrutiny from EU competition authorities following a grievance by Slack in 2020. The new standalone version of Microsoft Teams for enterprise users will be available for .25 USD.