window Archives

AppWizard

September 2, 2026

Minecraft 26.3 Pre-Release 1 patch notes: Number system overhaul, bug fixes and more

Mojang has launched the pre-release phase for Minecraft Java Edition 26.3, introducing the Wilderness Drop. The pre-release includes extensive bug fixes and a technical upgrade to the Number Provider system, which has been restructured into separate registries for integer and float calculations. Key changes include new integer-specific providers and float-specific providers, as well as mandatory cooking times for recipes. Block State Providers can now be defined as standalone types. Notable bug fixes address issues with Blast Furnaces, Endermen, Drowned, music events, ore generation, and more. Players can download the pre-release to explore the new features.

Tech Optimizer

September 2, 2026

Connecting My LangGraph AI Agent to Postgres

A stateful LangGraph agent was developed to streamline a 15-minute booking process, mimicking a customer service representative. It features a user-friendly Streamlit UI and a backend powered by a Postgres database. The agent can respond to customer queries, calculate service prices, manage acceptance or rejection of services, propose appointment time slots, and confirm booking details. The agent operates in two persistence modes: in-memory for quick testing and Postgres for durability. Testing can be conducted locally with Streamlit or using Docker to simulate a production environment. Docker allows the application to interact with a PostgreSQL server without local installation, enhancing reproducibility. The project includes a docker-compose.yml file to initiate a PostgreSQL container, and users can also utilize a cloud-based Postgres solution. The application behavior remains consistent regardless of the database setup. The complete source code is available on GitHub for testing and further enhancements.

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

Everyone assumed the Windows taskbar copied a rival OS. Microsoft says no

The Windows taskbar originated from the Microsoft project "Cairo," launched in 1991, which introduced a design with visible fields at the bottom of the screen. The Windows 95 taskbar combined this design with the window-minimizing functionality from Windows 3.1. Although a similar concept appeared in the 1988 NeXTSTEP operating system, Microsoft veterans assert that the Windows taskbar was developed independently, without inspiration from NeXT. The NeXTSTEP solution later influenced the macOS Dock. The taskbar continues to evolve while maintaining its significance in user interface design.

AppWizard

September 1, 2026

Crumbl Builds Minecraft in Cookie Form, One Square Block at a Time

Crumbl is collaborating with Minecraft for its first character licensing venture, offering a limited-time menu from August 31 to September 5 featuring six square-shaped treats inspired by the game. Pre-orders opened on August 30. The desserts include: 1. Grass Block Cake: Cinnamon vanilla cake with chocolate crumb streusel and brown cream cheese frosting. 2. Creeper Key Lime Sandwich: Lime cookies filled with lime icing and topped with a creeper figure. 3. Lemon Poppyseed Cookie: Lemon base with lemon curd and buttercream, topped with a bee. 4. Cookies & Cream Sandwich: Purple marshmallow mousse with brownie and cookies & cream crumbs, topped with an Enderman. 5. Cherry Blossom Cookie: Pink dough with maraschino cherries and cherry cream cheese frosting, topped with a pig. 6. Cookie Butter Cookie: Spiced marbled cookie-butter square with melted cookie butter and topped with a chicken figure. The packaging resembles earth blocks from the game. The first 200 customers on launch day will receive a Launch Day Exclusive spoon, while pre-orders will include an in-store Mystery Spoon. A 12-pack will feature two spoons with rotating designs. Pre-orders do not come with a spoon.

Tech Optimizer

September 1, 2026

Connecting My LangGraph AI Agent to Postgres

A stateful LangGraph agent was developed to streamline a 15-minute booking process, featuring a user-friendly Streamlit UI and a backend powered by a Postgres database. The agent responds to customer queries, calculates service pricing, manages service acceptance, suggests time slots, and confirms appointment details. It operates in two modes: in-memory for rapid testing and Postgres for persistent storage. Testing can be done locally using Docker, which simulates a Postgres environment, or with a hosted Postgres instance. The project includes a docker-compose.yml file to initiate a PostgreSQL 16 container, allowing the application to connect to the database. Data persistence is ensured through Docker volumes, and the application can be run with specific commands after setting up the environment variables. The system has been tested successfully, demonstrating its ability to manage bookings and maintain data integrity across sessions. Future enhancements are planned to improve the booking workflow and integrate additional communication channels.

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.

Winsage

August 31, 2026

AltTabby makes Windows 11’s window switcher do things I didn’t think were possible

Stardock has introduced AltTabby, a customizable app-switching tool for Windows 11 that enhances the traditional Alt + Tab experience. It offers various styles, including thumbnail views, icon layouts, a list format, and a 3D carousel style reminiscent of Windows Vista. Users can customize the number of columns, thumbnail sizes, and themes, as well as utilize a built-in search bar for quick access to applications. Additional features include right-click options for pinning windows, color labeling, grouping similar applications, and hiding certain apps. AltTabby allows hotkey customization, enabling users to replace default shortcuts and create specific ones for different functionalities. It is available for a lifetime license or during a beta period, with a 30-day free trial for users to evaluate its features.

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

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

Yt-dlp is a free tool that allows users to download media from over 1700 websites, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, without a graphical interface. Installation for Windows involves downloading the .exe package from GitHub and using the terminal to run commands. Yt-dlp offers features like specifying download locations, batch downloading from playlists, and adjusting file resolutions. Microsoft PowerToys is a suite of utilities from Microsoft that enhances the Windows experience by adding features such as window pinning, custom layouts with FancyZones, and automated theme changes. It includes PowerToys Run for quick searches, Power Rename for mass file renaming, and tools for quick file previews and text extraction from images and PDFs. KSnip is a screenshot tool available on Linux, Windows, and macOS that allows users to capture and edit screenshots efficiently. It features customizable hotkeys, robust editing tools, and options for automatic uploads to FTP servers or Imgur.