motivation

Winsage
May 21, 2025
Microsoft has open-sourced its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) code, announced during the Build 2025 developer conference. WSL allows users to run Linux distributions natively on Windows, facilitating integration between Linux tools and the Windows environment. Since its introduction in 2016, WSL has become essential for developers needing Linux utilities without leaving Windows. As of the 2024 StackOverflow developer survey, 16.8% of programmers use WSL, surpassing traditional Linux distributions. The initial version, WSL 1, had performance limitations, but WSL 2 introduced a full Linux kernel in a lightweight virtual machine, improving compatibility and performance. The majority of WSL's codebase is now available on GitHub under the MIT License, including key command-line tools and Linux-side daemons. Some components remain closed source, but the move reflects a significant shift in Microsoft's open-source collaboration approach. Users can access various Linux distributions on WSL, including Fedora, Debian, openSUSE, and Ubuntu.
Winsage
May 19, 2025
Microsoft introduced a new command-line text editor, Edit on Windows, during its Build conference. This open-source tool allows developers to edit files directly within the command prompt by typing “edit” and is designed to enhance the developer experience. Edit on Windows is less than 250KB in size and includes features such as key bindings for menu options, support for multiple files with ctrl + P shortcut, find and replace functionality with match case and regular expression support, and word wrapping capabilities. The motivation for creating Edit was to provide a default CLI text editor for 64-bit versions of Windows, which previously lacked an integrated command-line editor. Edit on Windows will be available through the Windows Insider program in the upcoming months. Additionally, Microsoft is rebranding Windows Dev Home to Advanced Windows Settings, which will simplify customization for developers and integrate additional features into the main Windows 11 settings interface.
Tech Optimizer
May 15, 2025
Databricks intends to acquire Neon, a serverless Postgres startup, for approximately USD 1 billion. Neon specializes in a modern database service based on PostgreSQL, offering features such as near-instantaneous database provisioning, elastic scaling, and powerful branching capabilities. This acquisition aims to enhance Databricks' offerings for AI tools, particularly AI Agents. Databricks has a history of expanding through acquisitions, including the purchase of MosaicML for USD 1.3 billion in 2023 and Tabular for over USD 1 billion in 2024. The company has a valuation of USD 62 billion and projected annualized revenue of USD 2.4 billion by mid-year. The acquisition awaits regulatory approvals.
Winsage
May 9, 2025
Microsoft has issued a warning to the 240 million Windows users still on Windows 10 that they will lose all security support for their PCs, urging them to upgrade to a secure Windows 11 PC, preferably the Copilot+ PC. While 500 million Windows 10 users can upgrade to Windows 11 for free, many face the choice of buying new hardware or operating without security updates. The deadline for Windows 10 support is set for October 14, 2025. Microsoft has been using full-screen pop-ups to encourage users to reconsider their setups, as only 20 million users engage with Copilot weekly compared to 400 million using ChatGPT. Despite this, Microsoft claims strong early reception for Copilot+ PCs, with 15% of premium laptops sold in the U.S. during the holiday quarter being Copilot+ models. A feature called Recall, which tracks user activity, raises privacy concerns for those considering the upgrade.
AppWizard
May 3, 2025
Google I/O is an upcoming event where Google will announce new innovations, including updates related to Android. Presentations may cover complex topics that can be overwhelming for some audiences, but there are resources available to help distill this information. Android Central will provide a summary of announcements, including lesser-known developments. The event primarily targets developers and shareholders, with a focus on enhancing share value. For specific developments like Android 16 for the Galaxy S25, attending Samsung's developer conference may be more beneficial.
AppWizard
May 2, 2025
The Google Play Store has seen a decline in available apps from 3.4 million to approximately 1.8 million since the beginning of 2024, representing a loss of nearly 47%. The "games" category lost 200,000 apps, the education sector lost around 160,700 apps, and the business category saw a reduction of 115,400 apps. This removal is part of Google's effort to combat ad fraud, particularly from "vapor apps" that misled users and generated recurring advertisements. Over 56 million downloads were affected across 180 apps. Google has implemented new policies for tracking and removing spammy applications, including expanded verification requirements, mandatory app testing, and enhanced human reviews.
AppWizard
April 17, 2025
Armored Core, a series from FromSoftware, has gained popularity since its debut on the PlayStation 1. PC players recently accessed the franchise with Armored Core 6, and two more titles are on the way, though they will not have English language options. Developer G-Mode is set to release Armored Core Mobile Mission and its sequel, Mobile Mission 2, on Steam, with the first installment launching on April 30th. The original Mobile Mission offers a top-down shooter experience with mech customization, while the sequel aims for a more immersive gameplay experience. G-Mode is also porting Shin Megami Tensei titles, Tokyo Requiem and 20XX, to modern platforms, although release dates for these are not confirmed.
AppWizard
April 17, 2025
Gemini 2.5 Flash allows developers to set a token limit for reasoning or disable it entirely. Google charges [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: Gemini 2.5 Flash introduces a significant advancement for developers, enabling them to set a token limit for reasoning or opt to disable it entirely. Google has established a pricing structure that charges [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: Gemini 2.5 Flash will allow developers to set a token limit for thinking or simply disable thinking altogether. Google has provided pricing per 1 million tokens at $0.15 for input, and output comes in two flavors. Without thinking, outputs are $0.60, but enabling thinking boosts it to $3.50. The thinking budget option will allow developers to fine-tune the model to do what they want for an amount of money they're willing to pay. According to Doshi, you can actually see the reasoning improvements in benchmarks as you add more token budget. 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google Like 2.5 Pro, this model supports Dynamic Thinking, which can automatically adjust the amount of work that goes into generating an output based on the complexity of the input. The new Flash model goes further by allowing developers to control thinking. According to Doshi, Google is launching the model now to guide improvements in these dynamic features. "Part of the reason we're putting the model out in preview is to get feedback from developers on where the model meets their expectations, where it under-thinks or over-thinks, so that we can continue to iterate on [dynamic thinking]," says Doshi. Don't expect that kind of precise control for consumer Gemini products right now, though. Doshi notes that the main reason you'd want to toggle thinking or set a budget is to control costs and latency, which matters to developers. However, Google is hoping that what it learns from the preview phase will help it understand what users and developers expect from the model. "Creating a simpler Gemini app experience for consumers while still offering flexibility is the goal," Doshi says. With the rapid cadence of releases, a final release for Gemini 2.5 doesn't seem that far off. Google still doesn't have any specifics to share on that front, but with the new developer options and availability in the Gemini app, Doshi tells us the team hopes to move the 2.5 family to general availability soon." temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].15 for every million tokens used in input. The output pricing varies based on the reasoning capabilities employed. For outputs without reasoning, the cost is [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: Gemini 2.5 Flash will allow developers to set a token limit for thinking or simply disable thinking altogether. Google has provided pricing per 1 million tokens at $0.15 for input, and output comes in two flavors. Without thinking, outputs are $0.60, but enabling thinking boosts it to $3.50. The thinking budget option will allow developers to fine-tune the model to do what they want for an amount of money they're willing to pay. According to Doshi, you can actually see the reasoning improvements in benchmarks as you add more token budget. 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google Like 2.5 Pro, this model supports Dynamic Thinking, which can automatically adjust the amount of work that goes into generating an output based on the complexity of the input. The new Flash model goes further by allowing developers to control thinking. According to Doshi, Google is launching the model now to guide improvements in these dynamic features. "Part of the reason we're putting the model out in preview is to get feedback from developers on where the model meets their expectations, where it under-thinks or over-thinks, so that we can continue to iterate on [dynamic thinking]," says Doshi. Don't expect that kind of precise control for consumer Gemini products right now, though. Doshi notes that the main reason you'd want to toggle thinking or set a budget is to control costs and latency, which matters to developers. However, Google is hoping that what it learns from the preview phase will help it understand what users and developers expect from the model. "Creating a simpler Gemini app experience for consumers while still offering flexibility is the goal," Doshi says. With the rapid cadence of releases, a final release for Gemini 2.5 doesn't seem that far off. Google still doesn't have any specifics to share on that front, but with the new developer options and availability in the Gemini app, Doshi tells us the team hopes to move the 2.5 family to general availability soon." temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].60, while enabling reasoning elevates the price to .50. This flexibility allows developers to tailor the model's performance according to their budgetary constraints and desired outcomes. As noted by Doshi, enhancements in reasoning capabilities become evident in benchmarks as developers allocate more tokens to the budget. 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google Similar to its predecessor, 2.5 Pro, the new model incorporates Dynamic Thinking, which intelligently adjusts the processing effort based on the complexity of the input. However, Gemini 2.5 Flash takes this a step further by granting developers enhanced control over the reasoning process. Doshi explains that the model is being launched in preview mode to gather valuable feedback from developers regarding its performance—specifically, where it meets expectations and where it may either underperform or overthink. While such precise control may not yet be available for consumer-facing Gemini products, Doshi emphasizes that the primary motivation for developers to toggle thinking or set a budget lies in managing costs and latency—factors that are crucial in development environments. Google aims to leverage insights gained during the preview phase to better understand user and developer expectations. "Creating a simpler Gemini app experience for consumers while still offering flexibility is the goal," Doshi remarks. With the rapid pace of updates, the final release of Gemini 2.5 appears to be on the horizon. Although specific details remain undisclosed, the introduction of new developer options and their integration into the Gemini app suggests that the team is optimistic about moving the 2.5 family towards general availability in the near future." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"].15 per million tokens for input, with output pricing varying based on reasoning capabilities: [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: Gemini 2.5 Flash introduces a significant advancement for developers, enabling them to set a token limit for reasoning or opt to disable it entirely. Google has established a pricing structure that charges [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: Gemini 2.5 Flash will allow developers to set a token limit for thinking or simply disable thinking altogether. Google has provided pricing per 1 million tokens at $0.15 for input, and output comes in two flavors. Without thinking, outputs are $0.60, but enabling thinking boosts it to $3.50. The thinking budget option will allow developers to fine-tune the model to do what they want for an amount of money they're willing to pay. According to Doshi, you can actually see the reasoning improvements in benchmarks as you add more token budget. 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google Like 2.5 Pro, this model supports Dynamic Thinking, which can automatically adjust the amount of work that goes into generating an output based on the complexity of the input. The new Flash model goes further by allowing developers to control thinking. According to Doshi, Google is launching the model now to guide improvements in these dynamic features. "Part of the reason we're putting the model out in preview is to get feedback from developers on where the model meets their expectations, where it under-thinks or over-thinks, so that we can continue to iterate on [dynamic thinking]," says Doshi. Don't expect that kind of precise control for consumer Gemini products right now, though. Doshi notes that the main reason you'd want to toggle thinking or set a budget is to control costs and latency, which matters to developers. However, Google is hoping that what it learns from the preview phase will help it understand what users and developers expect from the model. "Creating a simpler Gemini app experience for consumers while still offering flexibility is the goal," Doshi says. With the rapid cadence of releases, a final release for Gemini 2.5 doesn't seem that far off. Google still doesn't have any specifics to share on that front, but with the new developer options and availability in the Gemini app, Doshi tells us the team hopes to move the 2.5 family to general availability soon." temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].15 for every million tokens used in input. The output pricing varies based on the reasoning capabilities employed. For outputs without reasoning, the cost is [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: Gemini 2.5 Flash will allow developers to set a token limit for thinking or simply disable thinking altogether. Google has provided pricing per 1 million tokens at $0.15 for input, and output comes in two flavors. Without thinking, outputs are $0.60, but enabling thinking boosts it to $3.50. The thinking budget option will allow developers to fine-tune the model to do what they want for an amount of money they're willing to pay. According to Doshi, you can actually see the reasoning improvements in benchmarks as you add more token budget. 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google Like 2.5 Pro, this model supports Dynamic Thinking, which can automatically adjust the amount of work that goes into generating an output based on the complexity of the input. The new Flash model goes further by allowing developers to control thinking. According to Doshi, Google is launching the model now to guide improvements in these dynamic features. "Part of the reason we're putting the model out in preview is to get feedback from developers on where the model meets their expectations, where it under-thinks or over-thinks, so that we can continue to iterate on [dynamic thinking]," says Doshi. Don't expect that kind of precise control for consumer Gemini products right now, though. Doshi notes that the main reason you'd want to toggle thinking or set a budget is to control costs and latency, which matters to developers. However, Google is hoping that what it learns from the preview phase will help it understand what users and developers expect from the model. "Creating a simpler Gemini app experience for consumers while still offering flexibility is the goal," Doshi says. With the rapid cadence of releases, a final release for Gemini 2.5 doesn't seem that far off. Google still doesn't have any specifics to share on that front, but with the new developer options and availability in the Gemini app, Doshi tells us the team hopes to move the 2.5 family to general availability soon." temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].60, while enabling reasoning elevates the price to .50. This flexibility allows developers to tailor the model's performance according to their budgetary constraints and desired outcomes. As noted by Doshi, enhancements in reasoning capabilities become evident in benchmarks as developers allocate more tokens to the budget. 2.5 Flash outputs get better as you add more reasoning tokens. Credit: Google Similar to its predecessor, 2.5 Pro, the new model incorporates Dynamic Thinking, which intelligently adjusts the processing effort based on the complexity of the input. However, Gemini 2.5 Flash takes this a step further by granting developers enhanced control over the reasoning process. Doshi explains that the model is being launched in preview mode to gather valuable feedback from developers regarding its performance—specifically, where it meets expectations and where it may either underperform or overthink. While such precise control may not yet be available for consumer-facing Gemini products, Doshi emphasizes that the primary motivation for developers to toggle thinking or set a budget lies in managing costs and latency—factors that are crucial in development environments. Google aims to leverage insights gained during the preview phase to better understand user and developer expectations. "Creating a simpler Gemini app experience for consumers while still offering flexibility is the goal," Doshi remarks. With the rapid pace of updates, the final release of Gemini 2.5 appears to be on the horizon. Although specific details remain undisclosed, the introduction of new developer options and their integration into the Gemini app suggests that the team is optimistic about moving the 2.5 family towards general availability in the near future." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"].60 without reasoning and .50 with reasoning. The model supports Dynamic Thinking, which adjusts processing based on input complexity. Developers can control the reasoning process to manage costs and latency. Google is currently in a preview phase to gather feedback from developers to improve the model. The final release of Gemini 2.5 is anticipated soon, with new developer options integrated into the Gemini app.
AppWizard
April 17, 2025
A trend known as "chicken jockey" has gained popularity during screenings of A Minecraft Movie, leading to chaotic experiences in theaters, including cheering and throwing items like popcorn and toilet paper. In one incident, a real chicken was smuggled into a cinema. The disruptive nature of this trend has caused some theaters to stop screenings and involve security or law enforcement. Tahlia Gass, who attended a screening in Victoria, described the chaotic aftermath, while police were called to a cinema in New South Wales following an altercation related to the trend. A Minecraft Movie has grossed nearly half a billion dollars in its opening weekend, becoming the highest-grossing video game adaptation launch to date. The term "chicken jockey" refers to a moment in the Minecraft game where a baby zombie rides a chicken, and the movie features a scene that prompts audience excitement. The trend's rapid rise has been attributed to social media, and while it poses logistical challenges for cinemas, it has attracted younger audiences. The trend began with the movie's premiere in early April and has drawn comparisons to cult classics known for audience participation.
Winsage
April 9, 2025
Microsoft has issued guidance advising users to consider disposing of computers that cannot upgrade to Windows 11, as support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. The document suggests recycling old devices responsibly and mentions that Microsoft Surface devices can be sent in for recycling in certain states. The trade-in program is limited to specific countries and applies only when purchasing certain new Surface PCs. The document does not explicitly instruct customers to discard outdated devices but promotes new hardware sales. It also notes that alternatives like installing a Linux distribution on older hardware exist. The lack of security updates for unsupported systems will increase vulnerability to cyber threats.
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