failure Archives

AppWizard

July 27, 2025

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Is One of the Best-Looking PC Games, but Patch 1.4 Breaks Resolution Scaling

The gaming community has had mixed reactions to the release of Fallen Feathers, with some players criticizing the game's performance and graphics, while others praise its visual quality. WUCHANG is noted for its impressive graphics, achieving stunning visuals at 4K/Extreme settings on high-end PCs, particularly with DLSS 4 Balanced Mode. The NVIDIA RTX 4090 yields a minimum of 36 FPS and an average of 41 FPS when running WUCHANG, similar to its performance with Black Myth: Wukong. A recent Patch 1.4 aimed to improve performance but introduced issues, such as low resolution defaults and problems with the Frame Generation feature. Suggestions for improvement include refining graphics settings and potentially transitioning to Unreal Engine 5.6.

Winsage

July 27, 2025

I’m not upgrading to Windows 11, but I’m not tolerating Linux either

The author has been using an HP Pavilion laptop for a decade, but its performance on Windows 11 has declined due to modern applications and web standards. The laptop's 4th-gen i5 processor struggles with current operating system demands, leading to slowdowns during simple tasks. Attempts to optimize Windows 11 provided only marginal improvements. The author considered switching to Chrome OS Flex for its lightweight nature but found its reliance on web applications and lack of support for certain software limiting. Linux was also considered but deemed too complicated and incompatible with essential Windows-native applications. Ultimately, the author decided to install Chrome OS using the Brunch Framework, which allowed the aging laptop to run more efficiently and support the Google Play Store, improving overall performance and user experience.

Winsage

July 25, 2025

Microsoft claims Windows 11 24H2 is the ‘most reliable’ Windows version ever

Microsoft announced enhancements to Windows 11 with the optional July update (KB5062660), which includes the new features Windows Recall for EU users and Quick Machine Recovery for repairing boot failures. The company claims Windows 11 24H2 is the most reliable version of Windows yet, citing a 24% reduction in unexpected restart failure rates compared to Windows 10 22H2. However, the reliability of this claim is questioned due to selective telemetry data and reports of disruptions in functionalities such as USB printers, audio output, Bluetooth connections, Windows Update, and Windows Firewall.

Winsage

July 25, 2025

Windows 11 Latest Update Is ‘Most Reliable’ Ever, Microsoft Claims

Microsoft has released Windows 11 version 24H2, claiming it to be the "most reliable Windows yet," supported by a 24% reduction in failure rates and unexpected restarts compared to previous versions. The update features a new black screen for the Blue Screen of Death, which includes a stop code and faulty driver information, reducing wait time from 40 seconds to 2 seconds. However, users have reported issues such as Blue Screen of Death errors, sluggish performance, and driver failures. Critics have raised concerns about compatibility issues with drivers and legacy applications. The update also introduces a quick machine recovery feature that automatically detects and resolves critical boot issues, although immediate patches for minor problems are not guaranteed. User sentiment regarding the reliability of Windows 11 24H2 remains mixed.

Tech Optimizer

July 25, 2025

I Lost My Production Database Overnight—Here’s the Tool I Built So You Don’t

A moment of fatigue led to a significant mishap in a production database, resulting in the loss of approximately 30% of revenue. This incident prompted the creation of an open-source PostgreSQL backup and monitoring tool called Postgresus, which is built using Go, gin, gorm, React, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL, and packaged in Docker. The tool allows for scheduled backups, storage in cloud options, and notifications about backup success or failure. It also alerts users if the database becomes unresponsive. The creator experienced a database corruption incident in 2023 while managing a pet project, which resulted in the overwriting of user emails and significant operational challenges. The initial version of the backup tool was developed in Java but later transitioned to Go for improved performance. The project aims to enhance PostgreSQL monitoring and expand notification channels and storage support. The creator has adopted safety rules for database management, including performing a SELECT before executing an UPDATE and conducting restoration drills every three months.

AppWizard

July 25, 2025

My heart’s already been stolen by this stop-motion adventure made out of wood and ‘mostly in a garden shed’

Éalú is a debut project by Beyond the Bark where players control a mechanical mouse navigating a wooden labyrinth animated through stop-motion techniques. The game features a unique presentation, with every scene recorded from physical sets located in a shed in Ireland. Players are reset to the beginning of the labyrinth upon failure, which may become monotonous without checkpoints. The gameplay involves taking notes or sketching maps, with puzzles reminiscent of challenges from games like Breath of the Wild and BioWare's Tower of Hanoi. The game has a wordless presentation, but an optional hint system could help players. Some players may find the controls sluggish, and enhancements to visual and audio feedback could improve the experience. Éalú is set to launch on October 2, and players can wishlist it on Steam.

AppWizard

July 24, 2025

7 years on, CliffyB is ‘still bitter’ about people gravedancing when his studio Boss Key failed: ‘It was amazing at first and then, well, it broke me for a good long while’

Cliff Bleszinski, a game designer known for his work at Epic Games and as the lead designer for the original Gears of War trilogy, founded Boss Key Productions, which launched the game LawBreakers in 2017. Despite innovative mechanics and unique characters, LawBreakers struggled in a competitive market dominated by games like Overwatch and PUBG, leading to its failure. Bleszinski reflected on the experience, expressing bitterness about the public's reaction to his studio's closure. He noted that shortly after LawBreakers' release, Epic Games introduced a new mode for Fortnite, further intensifying competition. Currently, Bleszinski prefers consulting over game development.

Winsage

July 24, 2025

Microsoft fixes bug behind incorrect Windows Firewall errors

Microsoft has resolved an issue causing erroneous Windows Firewall notifications after rebooting Windows 11 24H2 systems, particularly with the June 2025 preview update. This fix is included in the KB5062660 preview cumulative update released on Tuesday and will be more widely available with the August Patch Tuesday updates. The issue, acknowledged on July 3rd, was linked to a new feature in development and resulted in misleading Event Viewer messages (event 2042) indicating 'Config Read Failed.' Microsoft clarified that these messages did not reflect actual problems with Windows Firewall. An apology was issued on July 8th after mistakenly declaring the issue resolved. Additionally, Microsoft has addressed other recent issues, including invalid 0x80070643 failure errors during April 2025 WinRE updates and incorrect BitLocker drive encryption errors affecting managed Windows environments.

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 21, 2025

Scaling AI Inference at the Edge With Distributed PostgreSQL

Data is crucial for artificial intelligence, especially for inference workloads used in real-time decision-making across various platforms. Traditional centralized cloud-based AI inference struggles with demands for low latency and high availability, particularly in applications like autonomous vehicles and healthcare. Shifting AI inference to the edge reduces latency, enhances data privacy, and lowers bandwidth costs. Antony Pegg emphasizes the need for a multi-master active-active architecture that allows read and write operations at any node, ensuring data synchronization and high availability. Misconceptions about edge AI include beliefs that edge hardware can't handle AI workloads, that edge inference is limited to low-stakes use cases, and that centralized systems are necessary for data integrity. The shift to distributed inference can lead to reduced latency, faster insights, and lower costs, while supporting data compliance with regulations. Companies are adopting distributed PostgreSQL solutions with multi-master architecture for low latency and high availability. Enquire AI is an example of a company that improved performance and compliance by transitioning to pgEdge Cloud. This architecture allows for consistent data availability and supports scalable AI solutions at the edge.