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Tech Optimizer

June 30, 2025

‘PostgreSQL Eats the World, But CockroachDB Digests It’

The database market is shifting due to increasing demands for scalability, resilience, and AI integration. CockroachDB, led by CEO Spencer Kimball, focuses on distributed SQL databases built on PostgreSQL, emphasizing horizontal scaling capabilities. CockroachDB is designed for high operational data volumes, aiming to support hundreds of terabytes to petabytes. The company prioritizes operational databases over analytical ones, catering to both human and AI access for high concurrency and strong consistency. Kimball envisions AI enhancing observability and support, potentially reducing issue resolution times significantly. CockroachDB is also developing vector indexing for nearest-neighbor searches in high-dimensional spaces but does not aim to compete with general-purpose vector databases. Cost reduction is a priority, with potential improvements in utilization and cloud cost efficiencies projected to reduce costs by 10 to 16 times. CockroachDB's geographic scalability allows it to serve customers across multiple regions, ensuring compliance with data locality laws. The database is cloud-agnostic, supporting hybrid deployments, and is positioned as a solution for self-hosted enterprise customers. Kimball highlights the challenges of integrating AI into distributed systems and notes that cloud vendors view CockroachDB as both a competitor and a partner. CockroachDB maintains a PostgreSQL-like experience while adapting for distributed environments, particularly in ID generation. The company was founded in 2015 by former Google employees, inspired by Google’s Bigtable and Spanner databases, and aims to combine the benefits of SQL with the scalability of distributed systems.

AppWizard

June 29, 2025

Minecraft Remains in 1st on the Swiss Charts, RAIDOU Remastered Debuts in 9th

Minecraft is the top-selling game in Switzerland for the 25th week of 2025. RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army debuted in ninth place. EA Sports FC 25, Mario Kart World, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are in second, third, and fourth places, respectively. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is in fifth place, while The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom is sixth and The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is seventh. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is in eighth place, and Cyberpunk 2077 is in tenth place. The top 10 best-selling games in Switzerland are: 1. Minecraft 2. EA Sports FC 25 3. Mario Kart World 4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 5. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 6. The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom 7. The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 8. Super Mario Bros. Wonder 9. RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army - NEW 10. Cyberpunk 2077

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

4 classic PC games that prove just how well pixel art can age

Pixel graphics emerged as a limitation of hardware capabilities but have been embraced as an artistic choice, especially in indie games. A criterion of at least ten years since release is used to define "retro" games. Papers, Please: Players act as a border checkpoint officer in a totalitarian state, balancing duty and family needs. The game utilizes pixel art for its static user interface and characters, maintaining its unique visual identity over a decade later. Platform: Steam. RollerCoaster Tycoon: Known for its iconic pixel art, the game features vibrant landscapes that complement its amusement park theme. Its late-90s aesthetic remains impressive even two decades after release. Shovel Knight: Launched over a decade ago, it pays homage to retro 2D platformers with an 8-bit-inspired aesthetic. The game blends nostalgia with originality, featuring backgrounds that enhance gameplay. Backyard Baseball: A late '90s arcade-style baseball simulation known for its distinctive art style and memorable characters. The pixelated character models are well-defined, showcasing impressive pixel artistry. Platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch. PC games may not always match the pixel artistry of console games from the 80s and 90s, but there are many iconic pixel art games from that era and the early 2010s.

AppWizard

June 26, 2025

This month 25 years ago in PC gaming, our biggest concerns were pro gaming, moral panics about violent games… and we still thought Halo was a PC exclusive

In June 2000, PC Gamer UK highlighted the emerging world of esports, featuring professional gamers Amir Haleem and Sujoy Roy, who had earned significant prize money and were considering transitioning to full-time gaming careers. The magazine suggested that gaming could become a viable profession, drawing parallels to sports figures like David Beckham. By 2025, Haleem became CEO of a blockchain company, while Roy led partnerships at OG esports, reflecting the evolution of professional gaming careers amid ongoing concerns about sustainability and burnout. The 2000 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary 'Video Nasties' sparked debates about violent video games, claiming they could influence players' perceptions of real-world situations. Anticipation for Team Fortress 2 was high, with promises of innovative gameplay elements, while Bungie's Halo was initially expected as a PC-exclusive but was designed for console controls. The summer of 2000 saw few notable game releases, with The Longest Journey receiving modest reviews. Additionally, Bluetooth technology was beginning to gain traction in the market, although its use in competitive gaming was met with skepticism.

AppWizard

June 26, 2025

These Three Messaging Apps Are Encrypted, but One Stands Above the Rest

Telegram is a cloud-based messaging service that collects and retains metadata, including IP addresses. In 2024, Telegram updated its privacy policy to allow sharing of user data with law enforcement upon valid requests, leading to 900 information requests from U.S. authorities affecting 2,253 individuals. The platform has experienced data breaches, including a 2020 leak of data from approximately 42 million Iranian users and a 2019 incident involving the exposure of Hong Kong protestors' identities. Telegram supports public channels that lack end-to-end encryption, allowing anyone on the platform to view content. It offers secret chats with end-to-end encryption, but these can only be accessed on the user's device. The platform features an automatic message deletion option with a minimum interval of one day and a self-destruct feature for accounts, messages, and contacts after specified inactivity periods. Telegram's client applications are open-source, but the server-side code is closed-source. The company's cloud servers are encrypted, and encryption keys are stored across various jurisdictions. Telegram operates on a freemium model, providing additional features through a paid subscription while displaying ads in public channels with over 1,000 subscribers. The app is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store at no cost.

AppWizard

June 26, 2025

Will College Football 26 be on PC? What about PS4 and Xbox One? Here’s why it won’t

EA Sports has announced that Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State and Ryan Williams from Alabama will be on the cover of College Football '26. The game is set to release on July 7 for pre-orders of the Deluxe Edition and on July 10 for general release. College Football '26 will not be available for PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One. The game will be released exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with the Standard Edition priced at .99, the Deluxe Edition at .99, and the MVP Bundle at .99.

AppWizard

June 25, 2025

Inside Former Minecraft Boss Jonas Mårtensson’s Cleeks Culture Play

Jonas Mårtensson is the general manager of Cleeks Golf Club, a LIV Golf team, after previously leading Mojang Studios, the company behind Minecraft, which Microsoft acquired for .5 billion in 2014. He enjoys his current role more than his time with Minecraft, appreciating the smaller team dynamic and the opportunity to refresh the Cleeks brand. Mårtensson has initiated a brand revamp with design firm AKQA and adopted the tagline “tradition refreshed” to honor golf’s heritage while appealing to new fans. Collaborations with Public Drip and designer Martin Key are part of this strategy, along with a future partnership with The Rookies, a platform for emerging digital artists. Mårtensson aims for the Cleeks logo to achieve cultural significance similar to iconic logos in sports and emphasizes the importance of building a community around the brand. The team currently ranks 12th in standings, but Mårtensson focuses on long-term brand development and consistency. He engages with fans through events, akin to beta testing in gaming, to gather insights for brand building. The team recently added Frederik Kjettrup to the roster, prioritizing personality compatibility alongside performance. Mårtensson envisions achieving cultural relevance and winning trophies in the next five years.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

Rematch review

A new 5v5 football game developed by Sloclap is available for £21, playable on Windows 11 and compatible with the Steam Deck. It performs well on systems with a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, Intel Core i7 12700F, and 16 GB of RAM. The game lacks an instant rematch feature, which can disrupt player camaraderie, and has experienced technical issues, including bugs affecting gameplay. Despite these challenges, the game's visual presentation is impressive, featuring dynamic environments and rewarding notifications that enhance the experience. It emphasizes strategic gameplay over current rosters, making it accessible to a wide audience, including those unfamiliar with football.

BetaBeacon

June 23, 2025

The Best Android Games for 2025

The highest downloaded mobile game in the world as of April 2025 is Block Blast, with over 500 million downloads.

AppWizard

June 23, 2025

Minecraft Retakes 1st on the Swiss Charts, Mario Kart World Drops to 3rd

Minecraft has reclaimed the top position in the Swiss gaming charts for the 24th week of 2025. Mario Kart World has dropped from first to third place, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has risen to fourth. The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is now in fifth place, and The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom has fallen to ninth. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hogwarts Legacy have returned to the top 10, occupying sixth and tenth places, respectively. EA Sports FC 25 has moved up to second place, and Super Mario Party Jamboree is now seventh. Cyberpunk 2077 has dropped to eighth place. The current top 10 features five Nintendo titles and five multiplatform games.