developers Archives

AppWizard

May 1, 2025

Google Play shrinks by 47 percent following policy overhaul

The Google Play Store has seen a 47 percent decline in app offerings, dropping from 3.4 million to 1.8 million apps since early 2024. This reduction is a result of Google's efforts to enhance app quality and security, including a policy overhaul that introduced stricter minimum requirements and targeted low-quality applications. In 2024, Google blocked 2.36 million policy-violating apps and banned over 158,000 developer accounts. Despite the decline in app numbers, developer activity remains strong, with over 10,400 new apps released in early 2025, a 7.1 percent increase from the previous year. The European Union's "trader status" rule did not significantly impact the decline in app numbers, as Apple's app count remained stable under similar regulations.

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

The Best PC Games of 2025 So Far (Spring Edition)

Spring 2025 has seen the release of several notable PC games, including: - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Released on April 24, 2025, by Sandfall Interactive, it sold over 1 million copies in three days and features a blend of French art nouveau aesthetics and JRPG combat mechanics. - Monster Hunter Wilds: Released on February 28, 2025, by Capcom, it introduces full narrative integration and dynamic monster interactions. - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered: Released on April 22, 2025, by Bethesda Game Studios, it attracted over 4 million players shortly after launch and features enhanced visuals and gameplay updates. Other early 2025 releases include: - Blue Prince (April 10, 2025) - Split Fiction (March 6, 2025) - Atomfall (March 27, 2025) - Assassin’s Creed Shadows (March 20, 2025) - Two Point Museum (March 5, 2025) - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (January 23, 2025) - Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (January 22, 2025) - Ninja Gaiden II Black (January 23, 2025) - The Talos Principle: Reawakened (April 10, 2025) Highly anticipated titles for later in 2025 include: - Grand Theft Auto VI (Late 2025) - Doom: The Dark Ages (May 15, 2025) - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (August 28, 2025) - The Outer Worlds 2 (Expected 2025) - Borderlands 4 (September 12, 2025) - Marvel’s Blade (TBA 2025) - Hades II (Full Release later 2025) - Frostpunk 2 (Summer 2025) - Slay the Spire 2 (Early Access Expected 2025) - Anno 117: Pax Romana (Expected 2025) - Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (October 2025) - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Expected 2025) - Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl (Expected 2025) In 2024, top-rated PC games included: 1. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 2. Metaphor: ReFantazio 3. UFO 50 4. Tekken 8 5. Caves of Qud 6. Animal Well 7. Satisfactory 8. Balatro 9. Thank Goodness You’re Here! 10. The Last of Us Part II Remastered The PC gaming landscape in 2024 was characterized by significant hardware advancements, improved game integration and compatibility, and thriving online communities.

Winsage

April 30, 2025

You can run Arch Linux in Windows now

Arch Linux has officially become available as a distribution for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). This release follows earlier reports from It's Foss News in February. WSL allows users to run a complete Linux environment on Windows, and the addition of Arch Linux introduces a rolling release model. The Arch Linux WSL image is maintained by Robin Candau and is built and released monthly through a GitLab CI schedule, with systemd support included. Users are advised to run pacman -Syu after their first launch to ensure they have the latest updates. To use Arch Linux on WSL, WSL 2 must be installed. The installation process involves running commands in PowerShell: PLACEHOLDER2f45746c1eb6702b for WSL 2, followed by PLACEHOLDERcebb97c90d3dc3e4 to add Arch Linux, and then PLACEHOLDERff7af59bfa5f1c11 to boot into it. Users should also update their system with PLACEHOLDERe23a8bb0ce81dc13. WSL 2 supports running Linux GUI desktops via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), but available images are primarily command-line based.

BetaBeacon

April 30, 2025

Epic Games for Android is bringing Flappy Bird back

Flappy Bird, a classic mobile game, is making a comeback on Android devices through the Epic Games Store app. The game will be available for free with in-game ads and ongoing support and updates. Players can access the Epic Games app on Android by downloading it directly from the company's website, bypassing the Google Play Store.

BetaBeacon

April 30, 2025

Epic Games store challenges mobile monopolies

- Flappy Bird has made a comeback exclusively for Android users through the Epic Games store, developed by Flappy Bird Publishing. - The game includes Classic mode and a new Quest mode with unlockable worlds and obstacles. - Epic Games Store has struggled to meet installation goals, achieving fewer than 30 million installs out of a goal of 100 million by the end of 2024. - Alternative marketplaces on iPhones are needed to increase competition and benefit consumers through improved pricing and innovation.

Tech Optimizer

April 30, 2025

PostgreSQL 18: Part 4, or CommitFest 2025-01

PostgreSQL 18 includes significant enhancements in monitoring capabilities and new features. Key updates include: - Buffer information in EXPLAIN ANALYZE is now enabled by default, providing detailed buffer statistics for better query performance insights. - The pg_stat_io view tracks I/O statistics in bytes (read_bytes, write_bytes, extend_bytes), simplifying monitoring of I/O operations. - Enhanced monitoring of Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) statistics is introduced, allowing tracking of WAL operations and new WAL segment initialization. - The pg_stat_get_backend_io function provides I/O statistics for specific client processes, aiding in performance tuning. - The VACUUM (verbose) command now includes visibility map information, detailing all-visible pages after a vacuum operation. - The pg_stat_all_table view tracks total vacuum and analysis times per table, and users can adjust autovacuum workers without server restarts. - A new uuidv7 function generates UUIDs with a Unix-epoch timestamp for ordered identifiers. - The passwordcheck extension enforces a minimum password length for better security practices. - Improvements to the jsonb type ensure correct handling of null conversions. - The casefold function facilitates case-insensitive searches. - The RETURNING clause in DML commands now supports returning both old and new values. - The to_number function can convert Roman numerals to numeric values.

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone hasn’t ‘really’ played a lot of other farming and life sims, but he appreciates the impact the game has had on the genre—’it seems to have inspired a lot more people to consider this kind of game’

Stardew Valley, released in 2016, has significantly influenced the farming simulator genre, leading to comparisons with new titles. Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, noted that he hasn't played many other farming games but mentioned Sun Haven and Graveyard Keeper as titles of interest. He expressed curiosity about Disney Dreamlight Valley due to its name, stating it resembles Animal Crossing more than Stardew Valley. Barone acknowledged that Stardew Valley has inspired many developers to create similar games, reflecting on his own gaming influences from titles like Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and The Sims. He appreciates the resurgence of farming simulators and the creative wave it has generated in the industry.

BetaBeacon

April 30, 2025

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Will be Out as a Free-to-Play Game on PC, iOS and Android on May 21

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad will have its full release on May 21 as a free-to-play game on PC, Android, and iOS. The game will feature field bosses with matchmaking for up to 12 players, and the frequency of boss spawns will be reduced. The developers are also planning to improve the RP system in response to player feedback, adding more content like exploration challenges and co-op content that won't require RP. The ultimate goal is to have the entirety of Westeros in the game, with the next major update focusing on bringing the Stormlands.

BetaBeacon

April 30, 2025

Flappy Bird Added To Epic Games Store For Android

Flappy Bird has teamed up with Epic Games to bring the modern version of the game to the Epic Games Store on Android. The Flappy Bird Foundation is spearheading the game's return and has acquired the official trademark rights. Planned future releases include desktop and mobile web browsers and native app versions on iOS and Android in 2025. The game features Classic mode and Quest mode with new worlds and challenges. The app on Epic Games Store will not have Web3 elements and is supported by ads and in-app purchases.

Winsage

April 30, 2025

Microsoft at 50: the 4 worst train wrecks in the company’s history

His public persona included performances like the “Monkey Boy Dance” and the “Developers” video, which gained viral attention but also led to ridicule. During his leadership, Microsoft experienced a decline, losing market share in internet search to Google, social networking to Meta, and mobile computing to Apple. Microsoft had previously dominated the tech industry with MS-DOS and Windows, but failures in its operating systems had significant repercussions for the company and the tech landscape.