efficiency Archives

AppWizard

September 2, 2026

Fully Playable Scream Game Found in Steam Leak [2026]

A horror game based on the Scream film franchise was discovered in the Steam data leak that occurred from August 29 to 31, 2026. The game, an unfinished multiplayer prototype created by Fatshark, was found by a Twitter user named Roly Poly Reaper, who managed to run it on their computer and enable online multiplayer. The prototype included several unfinished builds, with one featuring operational networking code that allowed players to take on the roles of survivors evading a player-controlled Ghostface. The project appears to have been a pitch build, never fully greenlit for production, and was stored in Valve’s old Steam2 backend for approximately 15 years before the leak. Roly Poly Reaper used the Goldberg Steam emulator and Radmin VPN to run the game, circumventing the need for a live connection to Valve’s servers. Fatshark, known for cooperative shooters, had reportedly built the Scream prototype around 2011, coinciding with the release of Scream 4. The prototype's existence predates the popularization of the asymmetric horror genre by several years. The Steam2 leak itself involved approximately 12 to 13 terabytes of data, including various internal builds and beta versions from Valve and third-party developers. Valve has not publicly commented on the leak.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Windows has been hiding these 4 powerful features in plain sight this whole time

Windows has several advanced features that can enhance productivity, including: - Clipboard History: Activated by pressing Windows+V, this feature stores the last 25 copied items and can be enabled through Settings > System > Clipboard. Users can pin frequently used items for easy access. - Virtual Desktops: Allows users to create multiple workspaces on a single monitor by pressing Windows+Ctrl+D. Users can switch between desktops using Windows+Ctrl+Left Arrow/Right Arrow or Windows+Tab. - Focus Sessions: A built-in Pomodoro timer in the Clock app that promotes productivity by working for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. - Snipping Tool: Accessible via Windows+Shift+S, it allows users to capture screenshots and includes features like screen recording, a color picker, and a Text Extractor for converting text from images. - PowerToys: A suite of free and open-source tools from Microsoft that enhances Windows functionalities, including additional utilities and personalized templates.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Don’t miss Windows 11 Pro for one PC for only $7.97

Windows 11 Pro is available for .97, reduced from its regular price of 9. This limited-time promotion expires at 11:59 p.m. PT on September 1. The upgrade offers a modern interface, improved multitasking, and robust security features, including Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, BitLocker encryption, and Azure AD integration. It also includes Copilot, an AI-powered assistant for various tasks. The offer is available through StackSocial.

Tech Optimizer

September 1, 2026

Autoscaling Lakebase Postgres

Choosing a database instance size without prior knowledge of the workload can lead to inefficiencies and excessive compute usage. Lakebase Postgres addresses this with an autoscaling feature that eliminates manual sizing, utilizing in-place VM resizing and a monitoring algorithm for CPU, memory, and working set size. Lakebase Postgres separates compute and storage layers, allowing independent resizing of compute nodes without affecting the database. The autoscaling algorithm relies on three signals: CPU load (cpuGoalCU), memory use (memGoalCU), and compute-cache working set size (lfcGoalCU). The CPU load is monitored every five seconds, aiming to maintain it at or below 90% capacity. Memory usage is tracked at two frequencies: overall memory every five seconds and Postgres-specific memory every 100 milliseconds, with a goal to keep usage below 75% of allocated RAM. The compute cache evaluates active data access efficiency, adjusting size based on workload. The working set is estimated using a modified HyperLogLog algorithm that records timestamps for page accesses, allowing for distinct page estimates over various time frames. The algorithm projects future working-set growth to allocate sufficient cache while capping it at 75% of RAM. Resizing the compute involves four components: the autoscaler-agent, vm-monitor, Kubernetes scheduler, and NeonVM. Scaling up occurs when any of the three goals indicate a need for more resources, while scaling down includes verification to ensure sufficient memory remains for operations. Timely adjustments in both directions are prioritized to minimize costs.

Tech Optimizer

August 31, 2026

Gen Digital stock holds steady as investors await next earnings update

Gen Digital Inc. (US3687361044) is a significant player in the consumer cybersecurity software market, with its stock trading steadily as of late August 2026. The company emerged from the merger of NortonLifeLock’s consumer security business and Avast, focusing on antivirus, identity protection, and privacy tools for individual and small-business users. It reported multi-billion-dollar revenue from consumer security subscriptions in its most recent fiscal year, demonstrating year-over-year revenue growth and solid profitability. The company’s management has provided guidance for stable to moderately rising revenue and strong operating margins for the current fiscal year. Analyst consensus indicates expectations of modest earnings per share growth. Gen Digital's strategy includes offering subscription bundles that integrate various security services, enhancing customer retention and average revenue per user. The company has a diversified global reach and reported substantial free cash flow, supporting debt servicing and product development investments. Its consumer security suite combines antivirus protection, VPN services, and identity monitoring into a single subscription offering. As of late August 2026, Gen Digital's stock trades on a major U.S. exchange, reflecting balanced expectations between earnings growth and competitive risks.

Winsage

August 31, 2026

Microsoft proves Windows 11’s modern UI can beat legacy Win32, if it works hard enough

Microsoft is modernizing Windows by transitioning legacy features to its WinUI framework, including a redesign of the Run dialog. The new Run dialog, implemented with C#/WinUI 3, shows improved performance with a median time-to-show of 94 milliseconds, compared to 103 milliseconds for the legacy version, reflecting an 8.7% speed increase. Despite this improvement, Microsoft acknowledges that WinUI requires further performance enhancements in various areas. The development of the Run dialog utilized .NET AOT compilation to achieve native code speed while maintaining C# flexibility. Concerns about performance on lower-end machines persist, as seen with the Task Manager and File Explorer. Microsoft aims to modernize Windows features without sacrificing performance, with the Run dialog serving as a potential model for future updates.

Winsage

August 30, 2026

Windows 11 26H2 is almost here, but where is the flagship Surface to sell it?

Microsoft is set to release a significant update to Windows 11, version 26H2, in the Release Preview Channel, with a general rollout expected in a few weeks. The update includes a new user interface, such as the ability to reposition the Taskbar, and various enhancements. There is currently no new Surface device to showcase these changes, which is seen as a missed opportunity. Microsoft has integrated Windows 11 with Snapdragon technology, as shown by the Surface Pro 11, which highlights the potential of fanless, Snapdragon-powered PCs. However, marketing the new features of Windows 11 poses challenges, particularly for under-the-hood enhancements.

Winsage

August 30, 2026

Dear Microsoft, where is the Surface to showcase all these improvements to Windows 11?

Microsoft has introduced Windows 11 version 26H2 to the Release Preview Channel, signaling a broader rollout in the coming weeks. This update includes user interface enhancements such as the ability to reposition the Taskbar, resize the Start menu, and disable web and Store suggestions. Over 7,000 applications are now optimized for Arm architecture, indicating growing support for Windows on Arm. PowerToys has also updated with a feature called Window Hopper for easier window management. Despite challenges in communication and design consistency across its products, Microsoft is focusing on the advancements in Windows 11, particularly in relation to Snapdragon technology, which has encouraged the production of Snapdragon-powered laptops. There is currently no unified marketing strategy or event planned to showcase the upcoming changes in Windows 11.

Winsage

August 30, 2026

In a rare move, Google is bringing native Windows 11 and WSL support to its new AI tools

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is gaining popularity among developers, with GitHub introducing experimental support for WSL in its Copilot desktop application, allowing Linux environments to be used directly within Windows. Google is also integrating WSL support into its Antigravity development platform, marking a shift in its approach to Windows support. Rody Davis from Google confirmed that both WSL and native Windows support are being developed for Antigravity, which will enable file operations and shell commands in a Linux environment. GitHub Copilot now allows users to create sessions inside WSL, enhancing the development experience by enabling real-time interaction with projects in a WSL environment. Additionally, Microsoft is focusing on improving Windows for developers, with initiatives like Coreutils for Windows and the open-sourcing of WinUI, while Ubuntu is reportedly gaining traction on Windows 11.

Winsage

August 30, 2026

These lightweight open-source apps should be built into Windows 11

Yt-dlp is a free tool that allows users to download content from over 1,700 websites, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. It is available for various platforms and can be installed on Windows by downloading the .exe package. Users can download videos by entering the command yt-dlp in the terminal, and they can specify download locations, formats, and resolutions. Microsoft PowerToys is a suite of utilities designed to enhance the Windows experience by adding features not included in the standard installation. It includes tools for pinning windows, creating custom layouts, automating theme changes, quick file access, bulk renaming, and extracting text from images and PDFs. KSnip is a screenshot tool available on Linux, Windows, and macOS, which allows users to capture screenshots quickly with customizable hotkeys. It includes built-in editing tools for annotations and can automatically upload screenshots to an FTP server or Imgur.