merge Archives

AppWizard

March 3, 2026

Blender temporarily abandons Apple iPad app development in favor of Android

Blender has integrated with GitHub to enhance its collaborative capabilities, allowing users to share projects and collaborate in real-time. This integration enables users to track changes, merge different project branches, and engage with the community for feedback and suggestions.

AppWizard

March 2, 2026

12 Free PC Games to Play in March 2026, Thank You Steam

In March 2026, a selection of free PC games includes: - Novel Haven: A management simulation where players transform a lighthouse into a bookshop and engage with villagers. - DJ Bunny: A 2D music-puzzle adventure where players craft tunes to help DJ Bunny perform at a music festival. - Metal Goose: A retro first-person shooter where players battle robotic birds as the MG-1 super soldier. - Vampire’s Fall 2: A 2D RPG where players rise as a vampire amid a civil war between humans and vampires. - Snowbot: A third-person adventure featuring a robot navigating snowy mountains and solving puzzles. - Witch You Want: A game where players create a witch character, engage in potion-making, and explore romance. - Another Day With You: An adventure game filled with mini-games set in a quaint city corner. - Where Winds Meet: A game that launched in November, returning with a free expansion titled Hexi, adding new maps, enemies, and quests. - D1AL-ogue: A cyberpunk game where players repair androids using a circular puzzle mechanic. - Hackinal: A browser-based hacking game with various difficulty levels for cracking passcodes. - Faehnor Online: An MMORPG developed by a solo creator, encouraging exploration with real paper maps. - A Date With Chester 2: A standalone story reflecting on memories while celebrating an anniversary with Chester.

AppWizard

February 27, 2026

RedOctane Games announces rhythm action game Stage Tour for consoles, PC

RedOctane Games has announced its new rhythm action game, Stage Tour, set to launch this fall for consoles and PC via Steam. The game combines traditional note-highway gameplay with modern elements and will feature partnerships with brands like Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer. Stage Tour aims to enhance the rhythm game experience with new instruments, intricate charting systems, and a focus on community engagement. Players can build their bands, customize their ensembles with official designs, and compete for high scores while unlocking unique bandmates and rewards. Further details about supported platforms will be revealed later.

AppWizard

February 22, 2026

Monster Hunter rival Wild Hearts might have been left to die, yet I can’t help but love it

Wild Hearts, developed by Koei Tecmo's Omega Force and published by EA, was released in February 2023 but faced performance issues that affected its reception, earning a score of 7/10. The game features innovative mechanics, including a unique weapon system and the Karakuri system, which allows players to summon structures for strategic gameplay. It showcases captivating creature designs, merging animal traits with nature. As of July 2025, it was released on the Nintendo Switch 2, but performance issues persisted, with only 55% positive ratings on Steam. The game is available through EA Play, Game Pass, and frequent sales, often up to 90% off.

AppWizard

February 21, 2026

Meta Will Shut Down Messenger Website, Merge Back with Facebook

Meta will close the Messenger website in April, redirecting users to the messaging feature on Facebook. Users' chat history will be preserved during this transition. The Messenger desktop application for Windows and Mac has already been discontinued. Users can still access Messenger through the mobile application. Meta aims to simplify its services by reducing standalone platforms. Messenger was first introduced as Facebook Chat in 2008, separated in 2014, and will reunite with Facebook in 2023.

Tech Optimizer

February 20, 2026

Linux 7.0 Shows Significant PostgreSQL Performance Gains On AMD EPYC Review

Initial benchmarking of the Linux 7.0 kernel on the Core Ultra X7 "Panther Lake" platform revealed performance regressions. In contrast, testing on an AMD EPYC Turin server showed no regressions and highlighted significant performance enhancements for PostgreSQL database operations. The benchmarks compared Linux 6.19 and Linux 7.0 Git, using an AMD EPYC 9755 single-socket setup on a Gigabyte MZ33-AR1 server. The upgrade to Linux 7.0 resulted in modest improvements for CockroachDB and notable enhancements in PostgreSQL 18.1 for read and write operations. Performance for in-memory databases like Memcached and Pogocache remained unchanged, while slight improvements were observed for the Nginx HTTPS web server and the Open Image Denoise library. The Panther Lake tests had shown increased context switching times, which were not replicated in the AMD EPYC Turin tests. Both platforms indicated enhancements in kernel message passing performance and improvements in socket activity and pthread performance. Ongoing benchmarking will continue as the Linux 7.0 merge window approaches its conclusion.

AppWizard

February 16, 2026

World of Warcraft leads pledge more player customization — housing, race updates, custom animations, and glyphs to merge with transmog?

World of Warcraft will release its new expansion, Midnight, with early access on February 28, 2026, and a full release on March 3, 2026. The expansion introduces a player housing system available to pre-order customers, allowing customization of personal spaces. There are currently limited housing styles for goblin players, but Blizzard plans to expand options. The development team is also working on enhancing character customization and animations, as well as integrating glyphs into the transmog system. Pre-orders for Midnight are available for .99 on Windows PC.

Tech Optimizer

February 12, 2026

Snowflake unveils Postgres to make enterprise data AI-ready

Snowflake has introduced Snowflake Postgres, which will be generally available soon, designed to unify transactional workloads, analytics, and AI development within its AI Data Cloud. It is fully compatible with open-source Postgres, allowing for seamless migration of existing applications without code modifications. Snowflake Postgres integrates Apache Iceberg through pg_lake, enabling users to manage Iceberg tables using standard SQL, reducing data movement between systems. Companies like BlueCloud and Sigma Computing have adopted it for operational applications and real-time analytics. Alongside Snowflake Postgres, Snowflake has enhanced data governance and interoperability through the Snowflake Horizon Catalog, which allows for better access and governance across various systems. The Horizon Catalog supports querying Iceberg tables and managing data stored in them. Snowflake has also launched Open Format Data Sharing, extending its zero-ETL sharing model to open formats like Apache Iceberg and Delta Lake, and has integrated with Microsoft OneLake for secure data sharing. Additionally, Snowflake has made Snowflake Backups generally available to safeguard business-critical data and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, allowing for quicker recovery from disruptions.

Tech Optimizer

February 12, 2026

Databricks launches PostgreSQL Lakebase to aid AI developers

Databricks Lakebase has transitioned to general availability, launched on AWS on February 3, following the acquisition of Neon for billion in May 2025. Lakebase is a PostgreSQL database designed for AI development, integrating with Databricks' Data Intelligence Platform to provide an operational database alongside data lakehouse capabilities. It decouples compute from storage to improve resource management and includes autoscaling features to manage costs. Lakebase also offers unified governance through Databricks' Unity Catalog. Analysts highlight its ability to reduce friction between operational and analytical data, enabling real-time applications with up-to-date governed data and minimizing extensive ETL processes. Key features include serverless autoscaling and instant database branching for enhanced developer productivity. Databricks aims to simplify database management at scale and demonstrate a lower total cost of ownership to compete with Snowflake.

Tech Optimizer

February 12, 2026

Simplyblock provides Postgres Git-style branching

Simplyblock has developed Vela software, enabling instant Postgres database branches without data copying, utilizing its block storage capabilities. CEO Rob Pankow emphasizes Postgres as a key database for AI applications, with companies like Databricks and Snowflake making significant advancements in serverless Postgres technology. Pankow identifies challenges with managed Postgres instances, including IOPS limits, throttling, latency spikes, and high costs due to overprovisioning. Vela allows developers to run Postgres in their cloud accounts, co-locating data and GPUs, and employs a copy-on-write mechanism for database branches, facilitating Git-like version control. Vela is cloud-agnostic, integrates with Kubernetes, and supports features like autoscaling and lifecycle orchestration. Simplyblock has also launched a hosted Vela Sandbox for users to explore the software. A Vela Beta is available with documentation and access to the sandbox.