developers Archives

AppWizard

June 6, 2025

Psychological adventure game On Donuts and Holes announced for PC

Publisher room6, in collaboration with developers Atsuki Miyamura and Kako no Nikomi, has announced the psychological adventure game On Donuts and Holes, set to launch on PC via Steam in 2026. The game explores existential questions about identity and personal choices in a dreamlike realm. Players engage with two characters, You and I, where I poses thought-provoking questions and You represents the player's choices. Key features include over a hundred new questions, an expanded narrative, complex interactions, enhanced graphics, and support for multiple languages. An announcement trailer is available to showcase the game's artistic vision and themes.

Winsage

June 5, 2025

Leveling up your Microsoft Store on Windows experience

The Microsoft Store on Windows serves over 250 million users monthly and is enhancing user experience through customer feedback. The homepage is being redesigned to offer personalized recommendations based on user interests and activities. Significant improvements to search functionality include a more intent-aware search feature, the introduction of Copilot for assistance, a "Discover More" section on product pages, and badges for apps with AI features. Integration with Windows is being improved by allowing users to launch searches for Store apps and suggesting apps for specific file extensions. The Store now launches twice as fast, with improved installation reliability. Additional enhancements include the ability to install individual game components, faster in-app rating dialogs, and updated information on product pages. New developer partnerships have been established, and users are encouraged to provide feedback through the Feedback Hub.

Winsage

June 5, 2025

Windows 11’s Microsoft Store Gets Smarter Search and Copilot Integration

The Microsoft Store on Windows 11 is being transformed with a reimagined search experience that is more intuitive and responsive to user intent, utilizing signals like app updates and ratings for improved relevance. New product page badges will highlight applications with artificial intelligence capabilities. A Copilot button will be added to product pages for users in the United States, allowing them to ask questions about apps and compare products side by side. A "Discover More" section will curate related content based on user interests, and personalized home pages will adapt to individual user habits and trends. Additionally, integration of Store apps within Windows Search will allow users to install apps directly from search results, and new app suggestions will be tested in the "Open with" context menu for Insiders on the Beta Channel.

Winsage

June 5, 2025

Why I recommend this Linux distro to Windows 10 users who can’t upgrade to 11

SDesk is a free Linux distribution that can be installed on an unlimited number of computers. It uses the GNOME desktop environment designed to resemble Windows and macOS layouts, providing a user-friendly experience with a clean interface. Pre-installed applications include LibreOffice, Geary, GNOME Music, GNOME Video, Octopi, GNOME Maps, and Swirl. Users can install additional software easily through Octopi and Flatpak. SDesk features a responsive layout, quick application performance, and a window snapping feature for workspace organization. However, it has some issues, such as a login freeze after updates and the lack of multimedia codecs for MP3 and MP4 playback. These can be resolved by installing VLC media player. The latest version released is 19.1.

AppWizard

June 5, 2025

Jagex says job cuts are “unrelated” to cancelled project

Jagex has stated that recent layoffs are not related to the cancellation of Project Zanaris, which aimed to create community servers for Old School RuneScape. The layoffs primarily impact non-development and non-player-facing roles, with some developers also leaving the company. Jagex is restructuring its operations to reduce complexity and increase agility, focusing on enhancing teams that contribute directly to player experiences. The company is committed to supporting affected employees during this transition.

Tech Optimizer

June 5, 2025

Snowflake to Acquire Crunchy Data

Snowflake intends to acquire Crunchy Data, a provider of open-source PostgreSQL technology, to integrate an enterprise-grade PostgreSQL database into its AI Data Cloud. This acquisition aims to enhance the development and deployment of AI applications while ensuring governance, security, and operational standards. Snowflake Postgres will leverage Crunchy Data’s expertise in FedRAMP compliant environments, addressing the demand for secure Postgres functionalities. PostgreSQL is favored by 49 percent of developers, and Snowflake Postgres will simplify the management of AI-driven applications. Organizations like Blue Yonder and LandingAI can optimize their operations using Snowflake Postgres. The acquisition represents a significant market opportunity, with a focus on integrating Postgres into the Snowflake AI Data Cloud.

AppWizard

June 5, 2025

Playdate Season 2 unearths the best game about digging since Minecraft

Dig Dig Dino is a game from Playdate's Season 2 that allows players to excavate dinosaurs and treasures using a team of anthropomorphic animals. Players dig through layers of soil with limited energy, using a shovel and drill to overcome obstacles like rocks. After each excavation, players can use their finds to purchase upgrades that enhance gameplay. The game features multiple areas to explore, offering a variety of skeletons and artifacts, and incorporates puzzle elements that require strategic thinking. It is designed to encourage repeated play and showcases the potential of the Playdate handheld device.

AppWizard

June 5, 2025

Summer Game Fest 2025 preview: The big games and developers to expect at Friday’s livestream

E3 has transitioned into the Summer Game Fest, led by Geoff Keighley, featuring a livestream on June 6 at 2 pm Pacific on YouTube. New developers include Raw Power Games, working on a medieval sandbox game, and Soft Rains, developing a sci-fi action game. Big studios like 505 Games, 2K Games, Bandai Namco, Capcom, CD Projekt, Embark, IO Interactive, Square Enix, Techland, Xbox, PlayStation, Epic Games, Pearl Abyss, and Sega are expected to showcase new titles or updates. Additional partners include 1047 Games, Amazon Games, Annapurna Interactive, Atari, Bellring Games, Blumhouse Games, Coffee Stain, Devolver Digital, Dotemu, Dreamhaven, Enhance, Focus Entertainment, Frontier, Funcom, iam8bit Presents, Kakao Games, Kinetic Games, Kuro Games, Level Infinite, Magic the Gathering, Megabit, Meta Quest, Mundfish, NCSoft, Nekki, Neowiz, Netmarble, Niantic, Nintendo Switch 2, Nuverse, Playstack, PlaySide, PM Studios, Razer, Supermassive Games, Xsolla, and Yacht Club Games. An "intense body horror" game titled ILL and beta access to Soulframe will also be featured, with Hideo Kojima confirmed to attend.

AppWizard

June 5, 2025

If an NPC hates you in this adventure from the makers of Road 96, it’s probably because another player was mean to them earlier

Digixart's upcoming game, Tides of Tomorrow, features an innovative asynchronous multiplayer experience where players can choose another player to 'follow' during their adventures. This mechanic allows players to see echoes of the chosen player's actions, referred to as 'ghosts', which help navigate challenges and shape the narrative. Players can change their chosen companion if they find their path undesirable. The game is set to launch on February 24, 2026.

Tech Optimizer

June 4, 2025

Migrate Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL to Amazon RDS and Amazon Aurora using pglogical

PostgreSQL is a popular open-source relational database used by enterprise developers and startups, enabling rapid prototyping and supporting mission-critical applications. Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL and Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition facilitate easy setup, operation, and scaling of PostgreSQL deployments in the AWS Cloud, automating administrative tasks like software installation, storage management, and backups. The pglogical extension, compatible with PostgreSQL versions 9.4 and higher, allows for asynchronous replication and is supported on RDS for PostgreSQL and Aurora PostgreSQL from version 12. It uses a publisher/subscriber model for logical streaming replication. To migrate a PostgreSQL database from Google Cloud SQL to RDS for PostgreSQL or Aurora PostgreSQL, users must configure the primary database in Cloud SQL, create a PostgreSQL user with replication privileges, enable logical replication parameters, and create the pglogical extension. The RDS instance also requires a special user for replication, enabling logical replication parameters and creating the pglogical extension. Known limitations of pglogical include the inability to replicate primary key changes directly, the need to manually transfer extensions, and the lack of support for materialized views and large objects. Workarounds involve using surrogate keys for primary keys, manually creating extensions, and converting large objects to bytea columns or storing them in Amazon S3. DDL statements are not automatically replicated, but can be queued using the pglogical.replicate_ddl_command function.