The RAMpocalypse is hitting enthusiasts hard. We recently reported on the crisis seeping down to affect supplies of the decades-old DDR2 gen RAM. So it comes as no huge surprise that a well-known tech tinkerer has been inspired to look at the viability of Windows 11 on an even more ancient DDR1 platform. Step forward Omores, who demonstrates Microsoft’s newest OS running on a Core 2 Quad Q6600, using a DDR1 motherboard, supported by an ATI Radeon HD 4650 AGP graphics card. “The best part,” says our hacky hero. “It’s completely stable.”

Windows 11 on a DDR1 motherboard, with AGP support enabled from r/windows

DDR1 first became available to PC builders and DIYers at the turn of the century, replacing the aging SDR SDRAM. The DDR1 rollout began with data rates like DDR-200 and DDR-266, being the preferred choice over older platforms featuring PC100 or PC133 SDRAM. We don’t know the rated speed of the DDR1 sticks Omores used, as it isn’t shown, but DDR-400 was the best official non-overclocked standard (a couple of years later). It would make sense to use the best memory on a cherry-picked older system like this.

Other key components of this age-defying Windows 11 PC build include an ASRock ConRoe 865PE motherboard. This is regarded as something of a legendary board as it bridged generations and allowed folks to use the latest Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad chips from Intel while keeping their DDR1 RAM and AGP graphics cards. It isn’t only today that PC DIYers have cared deeply about component longevity.

The last significant component in this DDR1 system that we were told about was the ATI Radeon HD 4650 AGP graphics card. This seems to have required the most wrangling to make it work with Windows 11 / modern software. However, Omores reveals that “With some 'hacking' ... AGP 8X is fully functional and H.264 hardware decoding is active.” The key was finding, then crowbarring, ATI’s Windows 7 64-bit drivers from 2012 onto the system.

Once some details of the setup were confirmed in the video using tools like CPU-Z and GPU-Z, Omores showed the ‘fresh’ Windows 11 DDR1 system running modern browsers, with embedded video and hardware decoding. A handful of games and 3D benchmarks were also shown running without glitches. Last but not least, the system did indeed run Crysis.

In a later comment on the Reddit post, Omores elaborates on how to install the ATi driver on Windows 11 and shares a more detailed video link. “I like that Windows 11 is rock stable on these older systems with no UEFI whatsoever and only ACPI 1.1,” adds the adventurer in older PC tech. “A lesser-known fact is that Windows 11 actually officially supports BIOS systems via Windows 11 IoT, so it's kind of expected to run smoothly.”

Microsoft has extended its free consumer Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program by a year, pushing the cutoff for critical security patches to October 14th, 2027. The change came without any actual announcement, appearing instead in an edit to Microsoft's Windows 10 ESU support page. Devices already enrolled roll over to the new date automatically, with no action required from users. The program was originally set to expire on October 12th, 2026, one year after Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14th, 2025. With the extension, however, users who can’t or won’t move to Windows 11 now have a second free year of patches.

Speaking to BleepingComputer, Microsoft said that the change reflects “our ongoing commitment to helping customers stay secure during the transition,” adding that the extra year gives users “more time and flexibility to find the best PC for their needs while keeping them protected.”

In terms of enrollment, nothing has changed: users can enroll for free by syncing their PC settings to a Microsoft account through Windows Backup, by redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or with a one-time payment of $30. Users in Europe can enroll at no cost simply by signing in with a Microsoft account, a concession Microsoft made after pushback from consumer advocacy groups over its original requirements. A single ESU license covers up to 10 devices tied to the same account.

Microsoft's consumer program is limited to personal devices, however. Systems joined to an Active Directory domain or to Microsoft Entra, or managed through Mobile Device Management, are corporate-controlled and therefore not eligible. Personally owned machines that are only Entra-registered — e.g., a work account added to a personal device, rather than the device itself being organization-owned — still qualify.

Windows 11 has surged to roughly 73% of desktop share against Windows 10’s 26%, so it’s clear that the broader migration is working. Those users still on Windows 10 are increasingly the difficult edge cases, with around 400 million active PCs unable to officially upgrade to Windows 11 because their hardware fails its TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, or supported-processor requirements.

Users of those machines face a choice of remaining on unsupported Windows 10 or upgrading their hardware outright. But thanks to the AI-driven memory shortage, doing so has never been more expensive: DRAM contract prices have roughly doubled since early last year (and are expected to double again) as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron divert wafer capacity toward high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators.

IDC expects PCs, tablets, and smartphone prices to rise 10% to 20% through the end of 2026, with memory now accounting for a far larger share of a system's bill of materials than it did two years ago.

For users unwilling to buy new hardware at current prices, some third-party options remain. The security firm 0patch has pledged to provide unofficial Windows 10 micropatches through 2030, and Linux migration efforts such as the End of 10 initiative continue to court holdouts whose machines can’t run Windows 11.

Californians pay the highest gas prices in the U.S., and a proposed class action says that the issue has been exacerbated by an AI tool that smartly squeezes customers for the best profits. A newly filed lawsuit at the Sacramento, ​California, federal court says that gas station operators are using Kalibrate’s AI tool, which uses data from nearby competing gas stations, to drive up prices by as much as 30 ​cents a gallon in some areas, reports Reuters.

On Monday, gas station operators including BP, Circle K, Marathon Petroleum, 7-Eleven, Walmart, and Albertsons were named as defendents in the headlining class action, alongside Kalibrate. By implementing the AI-driven price-optimizing tool, these operators have allegedly violated the Cartwright Act, California’s main antitrust law, as well as Assembly Bill 325. The latter is a California law that was put in place at the start of 2026 to crack down on algorithmic price fixing. An open-and-shut case, then?

Looking at the numbers, it is easy to understand why the Californians have been spurred into legal action. AAA figures suggest that California residents pay an average of $5.58 per gallon for regular, which is already much higher than the $3.93 national average. Where Kalibrate’s AI tools are used to adjust gas pricing, pump prices have risen as much as 30 cents per gallon, say the complaints. The result is some operators charging as much as $7 a gallon, notes the source report.

Gas station operators “have conspired to ​put an end ​to competition”

The key compelling argument behind this class action is quoted by Reuters from the case files. “While families struggle to afford the commute to work, defendants have conspired to ​put an end ​to competition, joining ⁠an AI-powered trust to ensure that no matter where a driver turns, the price for gasoline is artificially ​high,” says the complaint.

Currently, it is easy to argue that the rise of AI hasn’t fulfilled its early promises. Sifting through our headlines, it has sparked the RAMpocalypse, and other key PC components like SSDs and GPUs have also been impacted by AI server demand. Moreover, we have seen huge environmental impacts from those AI servers straining infrastructure that is sometimes already under pressure, like electricity generation and water resources. They also cause heat and noise pollution, so people don’t want to be anywhere near them. Then there are the applications we have seen AI used for, thus far. Instead of cancer cures and smart government, we’ve got higher gas prices and divisive social media bots. The complainants are seeking unspecified damages.

People seem all too ready to anthropomorphize LLMs and AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Some humans even admit to ‘relationships’ with one or more of the various examples of machine intelligence. To illustrate how flawed this instinct could be, a Microsoft AI researcher built a tiny neural network inside Age of Empires II using goats, grass, and bridges. Adrian de Wynter shared his work in a paper dubbed If LLMs have human-like attributes, then so does Age of Empires II. The Microsoft researcher, based at the University of York, also talked to 404 Media recently about how he likes to turn absurdism up to 11 to make a point.

In the research paper, De Wynter doesn’t make the argument that LLMs do or do not actually have generalized anthropomorphic attributes. Instead, he illustrates that the AoEII goats can also power the kinds of models that lay behind today's most popular chatbots. That hammers home the argument that “in no case is a machine’s activity to be interpreted in terms of higher cognitive processes, if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes which stand lower in the scale of cognitive evolution and development.”

De Wynter also raises the well-known concept of confirmation bias. Those looking for human traits in tech like chatbots will tend to find them, he proposes. However, the big contrast between the absurdist goat example and the commercial LLM chatbot is the way people interact with them, the interface that makes the likes of Claude ‘conversation friendly.’ De Wynter’s research indicates that anthropomizing LLMs is a common trend in computer science papers. From 337 such papers De Wynter looked at, published in the last two years, he says that 57% assumed that LLMs could have human-like traits. This basic assumption could color the research, testing, and, of course, conclusions of these papers.

So, how did the Microsoft AI researcher build the goaty AoEII LLM? Well, he didn’t quite go as far as developing a full-blown LLM. Instead, De Wynter thought it sufficient to use AoEII’s scenario editor to build a working NAND gate, with a 1-bit perceptron, where the goats act as bits. This crude perceptron and the circuit to train it in-game are enough to demonstrate that the simplest building block of a modern neural network could be made this way. And if you think it is absurd that AoEII goats can embody consciousness, then it should be equally absurd to regard any of the well-known chatbots as anything more.

Companies behind the AI boom aren’t discouraging people from anthropomorphizing their wares. In many ways, they might benefit from these human perceptions. Chatbots they deploy are trained with natural language and use techniques to mimic the shape and tone of natural conversation. This makes it easy for users to project personality, emotion, or even consciousness onto them. Top AI company execs have leaned into the perception of their customers, publicly entertaining the idea that their systems could or might be exhibiting signs of consciousness. In his 404 Media interview, De Wynter also highlighted research indicating that people buy more products when they can empathize with them, and that includes AI/chatbot/LLM subscriptions.

A Reddit user has demonstrated that SteamOS, Valve's Arch-based gaming operating system built around AMD silicon, can boot and run on an Intel Arc B580 discrete graphics card. Posting in the r/SteamOS subreddit as SaperPL, they documented the feat this week, pairing the Arc B580 with a Ryzen 5 5600 processor and getting Valve's full gaming-mode interface running on the card. The catch is that reaching that point took a Radeon card, a workaround for a broken installer, and a motherboard setting that nearly sank performance along the way.

The opening exists because recent SteamOS beta builds quietly widened hardware coverage. Valve's changelog for the beta cites improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms, language clearly aimed at the wave of Intel-powered handhelds rather than desktop Arc cards. However, because the underlying Linux graphics driver is shared, the same Mesa stack that targets Intel handheld chips also recognizes a desktop Arc GPU. SaperPL's system reported the card as Mesa Intel Arc B580 Graphics (BMG G21) on Mesa 26.1.2, running SteamOS 3.9.

Getting there was not exactly plug-and-play. According to the post, newer SteamOS images that supposedly already include Intel Arc support failed during setup. These images did not boot into the older live desktop-style installer with install, update, and recovery options. Instead, they started installing directly to the drive, then failed when the system tried to connect to the network and pull its first update. SaperPL says the same problem occurred even when testing with a Radeon RX 9060 XT, suggesting the issue was not limited to the Arc B580 itself.

The workaround was suitably PC-gaming messy. SaperPL installed an older “repair-main” SteamOS build using the Radeon card, pulled the required updates, and then swapped in the Intel Arc B580. After that, SteamOS booted on the Intel GPU and ran from the Main channel. The poster also noted that users without a spare Radeon card may be able to follow a Steam Community workaround to bypass the installer’s update failure directly, although that still leaves the process firmly in enthusiast territory.

The first performance results were mixed. SaperPL tested 14 games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Helldivers 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Toxic Commando, Hades, Rocket League, and others shown in the SteamOS library screenshot. The interface itself appeared to behave well, with the poster saying the Steam library and store navigation worked smoothly, even while downloads continued in the background. Gamescope also reportedly worked similarly to Radeon, apart from a VRR bug on FreeSync displays with HDR that caused occasional flickering.

Frame rates were another story. Indiana Jones and Toxic Commando were initially barely above 20 FPS at 1080p on the lowest settings, while Helldivers 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales fell far below comparable Windows benchmark videos. The poster’s monitoring suggested the CPU was not the main problem, with the GPU often sitting around 80% to 90% usage while the Ryzen 5 5600 hovered between roughly 30% and 50%.

The biggest culprit turned out to be a familiar one for Intel Arc users: Resizable BAR. SaperPL later updated the post to say that ReBAR had been disabled on the Asus B450 Strix motherboard after a CPU change. Once enabled, Cyberpunk 2077 and Spider-Man appeared to perform as expected, while Indiana Jones and Toxic Commando improved significantly, though still not fully matching Windows reference results.

That detail matters because Intel Arc GPUs are unusually sensitive to Resizable BAR. Without it, the CPU cannot efficiently access the GPU’s full memory space, which can lead to severe performance drops. In this case, it made the difference between “SteamOS on Arc is broken” and “SteamOS on Arc is early, but actually running.” Even on Windows, leaving ReBAR off will severely impact Arc performance.

Commenters also pointed to another likely limitation: kernel support. Intel’s Arc drivers on Linux have improved considerably, but the newest performance work often depends on recent kernel and Mesa versions. If SteamOS’ Main channel is still behind the very latest Linux graphics stack, Arc performance may remain below what the same card can do under Windows or faster-moving Linux distributions.

For now, this is more proof of concept than a consumer-ready feature. Valve has not turned SteamOS into a general desktop gaming OS with clean support for every GPU, and the install path shown here is still too awkward for normal users. But the result is interesting. SteamOS running on an Intel Arc B580 suggests Valve's hardware net is widening, whether intentionally for desktop GPUs or indirectly through work on Intel-powered handhelds.

That could matter for future SteamOS machines. AMD remains the obvious fit for Valve’s gaming hardware today, but Intel has been pushing harder on Linux graphics support, and low-profile Arc cards could become attractive for small living-room builds if the driver stack matures.

Copilot PCs have been around for a couple of years since Microsoft launched them in 2024, and while the company tried to push NPU-equipped laptops towards users to take advantage of these new features, it seems that it’s planning to reverse course. According to Windows Latest, an experimental Windows App SDK available on GitHub now lets you run Language Model APIs on supported GPUs, starting with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series cards with at least 6GB of VRAM. However, it also requires a Windows Insider Experimental Channel and Developer Mode switched on. Hence, you need to go through some hoops to turn on local AI inferencing on Windows, even if you don’t have an NPU-equipped device.

You still won’t get all the features found in a Copilot+ PC even if you went through all the hoops to activate this feature, but it’s a sign of things to come for local AI on Windows PCs, in general. It’s still not clear why Microsoft is seemingly abandoning the Copilot+ PC advantage it has heavily marketed in recent years, though RAM pricing might play a role, but this is good news for the millions of users who were locked out of Copilot features simply because their processors don’t have a built-in NPU (neural processing unit). This also opens Windows’ AI features to desktop users, who typically don’t have processors that support NPUs.

What’s interesting is that NPUs aren’t necessarily more powerful than GPUs for AI processing — it’s just that they’re more efficient, making them crucial for laptops with limited battery life. And because not all laptops come with a discrete GPU (which are mostly found on gaming and high-end laptops), it also allowed Microsoft to include AI features on more affordable Windows 11 PCs. Another reason Microsoft could be looking to expand Copilot+ features to non-NPU-powered devices is that AI didn’t actually take off the way it had hoped. A research firm in 2024 said that people didn’t purchase AI PCs because of their features — instead, they bought them because they’re what’s available if they need to upgrade.

The situation is worsening in 2026, as the AI data center-driven shortage of memory and storage chips is pushing computer prices to unprecedented highs. This has resulted in a collapse in sales for PCs and their components, with entry-level laptops expected to disappear by 2028. People not buying new NPU-equipped PCs would limit the adoption of Copilot+ PCs and the AI features they offer. By expanding the availability of AI features to non-Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft will increase its user base and help differentiate Windows 11 from the competition, especially as Windows is slowly bleeding users to macOS and Linux.

A new and unique ASCII video streaming solution has been released under the MIT license. ASCILINE Engine by YusufB5 is pitched as a “high-performance, real-time ASCII video rendering engine” that can be used to broadcast “an unblockable video stream.” Examples of its capabilities are provided in the linked GitHub repository and social media posts by the dev, like the one embedded below. It's also stoked a bit of controversy due to fears of it potentially enabling unblockable ads.

I built an unblockable video stream. It renders 360p at 30 FPS using pure text instead of tags. from r/SideProject

From our perusal of the examples, ASCILINE does indeed look like it is capable of better fidelity than prior video to ASCII streamers, some of which have a surprisingly long history dating back to the 90s. The software does a pretty decent job of making color text-based videos from a source. The dev notes that this technique uses Mode 3, using a palette of 32K colors, and can output at 30 FPS. Though classic mono ASCII is also a render option.

Most impressive is the so-called real-time pixel streaming. The GitHub explains that this technique uses Mode 5 and “replaces characters with colored blocks, approaching 360p video quality.” Indeed, in the small embedded video on the page, it looks indistinguishable from the source MP4. We think the innate blockiness would become apparent quickly if it were rendered in a larger window, though.

In a mission statement of sorts, YusufB5 says that ASCILINE’s “core objective is to transform the web into a highly dynamic and interactive typographic canvas. By mapping pixels to text-based representations, we unlock new possibilities for web media delivery.” On social media, the dev simplifies this highfalutin vision by heralding ASCILINE Engine as a tool that can build “an unblockable video stream. It renders 360p at 30 FPS using pure text.”

The ‘unblockable’ claim gets plenty of pushback across various social media channels. For example, an adblocker put in element zapper mode can quickly remove the HTML5 Canvas that the ASCII video renders in. That’s just one option.

However, most commenters are fearful of those wanting to serve more ads to the public using this ‘unblockable’ tech. YusufB5 points to their “strict anti-ad clause to the MIT License to ensure this isn't abused to force unskippable ads on people.” That might work with registered companies, but malicious users won’t care about such a rule.

Beyond the unblockability and ad misuse controversies, ASCILINE has some more interesting frills and features to set it apart from the old guard of ASCII video. The ability to apply real-time CSS filters to the video stream sounds like it may be appealing in some instances. Also, the ASCII video generated is thought to “act as a perfect bridge for AI.” Thus, you can use lightweight LLMs to process semantic video summaries. The engine’s “ultra-low bandwidth & IoT compatibility” may also be attractive to some, with its ability to stream at only a few kilobytes per frame. Sending only the characters that change (delta frames) and applying GZIP compression both help in this regard.

Tens of officers have been fired, and some even arrested, for abuse of the Flock AI-powered license plate reader (ALPR) camera systems used by police departments throughout the U.S. 404 Media reports on this purported surveillance abuse, and reckons that the tens of Flock-assisted stalking cases tallied by investigators are just the tip of the iceberg. It also shares details of several cases where police officers go Flock crazy, repeatedly using the system hundreds of times to check on the activity of (ex)romantic partners.

The source report starts with the example case of Jarmarus Brown, an Orange City, Florida, police officer. Investigations reveal that Brown looked up his ex-girlfriend’s (and her close family members’) license plates over 100 times while on patrol. The police officer’s colleagues commented on the activity to Brown, hoping he would stop, and he indicated that he would. However, Brown couldn’t resist stalking using the easy-to-access Flock.

When he was eventually found out by authorities, Brown admitted he’d been "dumb" and blamed his emotional state for his Flock abuse. Research into this case revealed Brown was a very controlling person. For example, the source report says he would insist his girlfriend stay on FaceTime, even during work hours. He also put an AirTag in her wallet.

This wasn’t a one-off. 404 Media outlines several examples of police Flock abuse in Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, and Kansas. Most cases are pretty similar to that of Officer Brown. Obsessed romantically shunned police officers stalk (ex) partners using Flock for months or years before being found out. Mostly, their indiscretions come to light as a result of action from the person being stalked – a complaint, private investigation of some kind.

What we see on the surface is “almost certainly a vast underreporting of the overall abuse,” says 404 Media. This is because only the most egregious cases leading to police being fired or arrested would result in proper investigations and the documenting of the underlying issue.

Flock Security says that with 140,000 monthly active users, abuse is “rare.” It fights lawsuits and potential regulations, which would mean police need a warrant to use Flock. However, police departments allegedly rarely call out Flock abuse. Most complaints come from “victims who have found patterns of abuse in public records files they have obtained from their local police departments,” notes the source.

If you suspect you are being stalked, HaveIBeenFlocked.com is a good place to start by inputting your license plate number. The site has a searchable database of Flock ALPR inquiries released via public records requests. The site’s future could be uncertain, though, as 404 Media says that Flock Security “has repeatedly tried to get that website taken down.”

AI-assisted coding (or vibe coding) has infiltrated Linux driver maintenance, with Linux developers now using LLMs to help maintain old drivers in the Linux kernel. Phoronix reports that GitHub Copilot was used to clean up code pertaining to vintage AMD R6000 Linux graphics drivers, helping keep the driver relevant for people still using these late 2000s-era GPUs.

Specifically, the R600 Gallium3D driver saw 59 commits by Gert Wollny, all aimed at cleaning up shader compiler code in the driver. The refactoring process was done with Copilot, with notes in each commit citing Copilot in auto mode being used to help build the code.

This method of driver maintenance will inevitably become a staple of Linux driver maintainers moving forward, as the world adopts AI over human programmers for writing the vast majority of code written today. The Linux community often only has a handful or a single person updating these older drivers, making AI a very incentivizing tool to compensate for a lack of manpower and help keep these older drivers alive. The R600 Linux driver is designed to run the AMD/ATI HD 2000 through HD 6000 series of graphics cards. The HD 2000 series debuted in 2007, and the HD 6000 debuted in 2010, making some of these graphics cards nearly 20 years old.

Rather than rejecting AI, Linus Torvalds has opted to embrace the adoption of AI and allow Linux developers to use AI, but only when appropriate. A new policy enforces proper tagging if Linux kernel developers use AI to assist in code creation. Critically, this system puts the blame for any buggy code on the person publishing kernel driver changes, requiring the person to test their work before publishing.

Despite the use of AI, Linux developers are, regardless, discussing branching off the R600 drivers into a legacy branch dubbed “Amber2”. This would free up the main Mesa codebase and prevent legacy drivers from accidentally breaking as new features are added to Mesa.

Apple introduced its next major macOS release, macOS 27 Golden Gate, at its WWDC event. The new operating system update, coming this fall, includes a series of new artificial intelligence gestures, as well as iterations to the "liquid glass" design introduced in last year's release, macOS 26 Tahoe.

Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said that the 27 releases were focused on more polished and intuitive operating systems, trust and safety (including for children), and updates to Apple Intelligence and Siri. Unlike previous years, Apple spent most of its time highlighting changes that affect the entirety of its platforms, meaning that many of the improvements on Mac are also available in some form on the iPhone or iPad, and vice versa, reflecting the continuing deep integration in Apple's ecosystem of products, including iPhone (iOS 27), iPad (iOS 27), and watchOS (watchOS 27).

macOS will include some specific upgrades, including ultrawide display support with higher resolutions, and an updated video podcast player, while many others, like updates to iCloud shared albums and changes to Maps, are across multiple platforms. In many ways, the focus on fixes is reminiscent of 2009's OS X Snow Leopard, which was famous for fixing problems rather than introducing tons of new features.

Liquid Glass

Apple is making changes to Liquid Glass across its platforms to make content more readable and decrease distractions. Glass will now better diffuse content behind it.

A new slider in settings will let you move from from ultra-clear to fully tinted, letting you customize how much it affects readability.

Specifically on the Mac, Apple is adding a uniform tool bar across the top of apps, which harkens back to more traditional Mac design. Expanded sidebars will move to the edge of windows, and sidebar icons will regain their colors. Additionally, every window will have tighter corner radii, even if they're not updated, for improved consistency across the OS. These were all complaints from Mac diehards over the last year.

In app icons across platforms, there will be additional layers of glass in icons to make them sharper and more defined.

Improvements

Apple said that it is bringing a massive amount of improvements under the hood of macOS and other platforms, with focus on CPU usage, memory usage, display rendering, and more. Apple claims apps can launch 30% faster on the iPhone and iPad, while new photos will show up in the library up to 70% faster. The advanced CPU scheduler on the iPhone is being optimized and brought all the way back to the iPhone 11, which will be the oldest iPhone supporting iOS 27.

Network transitions — especially between cellular and Wi-Fi — were also highlighted, so you don't have to toggle as often.

The company also highlighted a new content index across Spotlight, photos, mail and more, which will index your existing files immediately and continue to do so as new content comes in. Apple demonstrated a new ranking system for mail on Mac, showing more relevant results, even if it's years old.

AI and Siri

Federighi claimed that the mission is to turn AI into helpful and intuitive products, rather than AI for the sake of AI.

"Truly helpful AI must be centered around you and your needs," Federighi said, saying it needs to be designed for devices, apps, and with privacy in mind. Surprisingly, Federighi briefly mentioned that its foundation models are integrated with Gemini and will be used "on-device and in servers" with private cloud compute. Additionally, Apple has a more powerful on-device model.

Apple SVP for Siri engineering Mike Rockwell showed off a revamped Siri. The new Siri grows out of the dynamic island with "Hey Siri" or when you hold the buttons. It retains context between interactions.

A new voice experience includes a more conversational tone. Voice can now be customized for expressivity and pace, with sliders to adjust them in a new Siri app.

Rockwell asked about a Suki Waterhouse concert, and Siri told him when the concert will be. You can even inquire about tickets, which in this case were part of a lottery. Rockwell asked to be added to the lottery and to play her newest single in separate requests, as it remembered context.

He also demonstrated finding photos from a recent trip, asking Siri to pick out photos that include just specific people, and then share them with family members via text – without even having to go into the Photos app.

On iOS, you can swipe down, use the side button, or say "Hey Siri." On the Mac, Siri is integrated into Spotlight, or you can use Siri requests in system menus. One demonstration included using Siri on a Mac to help build a Maker Space at a child's school. When "How should I think about building a maker space in a shed” was typed into Spotlight, macOS realized it was a question specifically for the assistant. Siri was able to search through texts from the demonstrator's son, to address lingering electrical issues and find a fix.

Siri AI is also coming to iPadOS, where you can use the dedicated Siri App. You'll be able to see a conversational history synced with iCloud across devices, including Mac, Apple Watch, and iPhone. On visionOS, you can simply look at Siri and initiate your query.

Visual Intelligence will be integrated into the iPhone camera app. You can tap the shutter button for Siri AI to “see what you see” and provide contextual information, powered by Apple Foundation models. Pointing your iPhone at a plate of food can give you nutritional information, while showing the camera an image of a restaurant bill will let you split it among friends. You can also use visual intelligence to ask about items presented on your screen.

You'll also be able to write with Siri anywhere you type. Siri can generate drafts, including emails, and will provide suggestions and automatic proofreading, available systemwide, even in third-party apps.

Siri AI won't be available in the European Union and China initially, as Apple deals with international regulation and privacy laws. Siri AI will first be available in English.

Apple Intelligence in apps

Apple also demonstrated how Intelligence can be used within and across applications, including Safari, Passwords, Photos, and Home.

In Safari, Apple has introduced tab management features, which can organize tabs into topics. Another option lets you monitor a page and asks you to "Notify me" for changes on a page, like a product coming back in stock or a ticket becoming available. You can then close the tab, but Siri will notify you when the page has changed. Perhaps the most impressive change is one to Shortcuts. You can describe what you want a Shortcut to do in natural language, and it brings together the steps automatically. One example: “When I’m leaving home, message Pedro” brings together a shortcut using Maps and Messages, which should open up Shortcuts to a much wider variety of people who may have been put off by its complicated nature.

Other demos included custom Safari extensions to adapt web pages for you, a Password app that can automatically fix compromised passwords for you on "eligible" accounts. In messages, you can get one-tap suggestions, and the phone app can find flight information when calling an airline.

For Home, Apple Intelligence can understand how a number of unrelated notifications work together to create fewer notifications and provide images from multiple security cameras. It can even track package deliveries across multiple cameras. 4K resolution will work on supported cameras.

In the Image Playground, you can create high-quality images in any style, with the image generation model running on private cloud compute. You can use natural language to adjust existing images and use it across the device, such as on your lock screen. The Photos app may have the most controversial aspects, as you can extend photos to change photo borders without cropping. There's also an option to reframe the entire scene with a spatial camera, as if you were moving the lens in the original shot. This feature works on any image in your library, even if you've taken the photos on other cameras or phones.

These features will support all languages Apple Intelligence works with. Some features will have usage limits that will adjust based on iCloud+ subscriptions.

Developers will have access to improved models, including server models, through a new API that will support natural language and images.

Lastly, Apple highlighted updates to XCode, including agentic coding, choosing the model and agent of your choice (including the newly added Google Gemini). It can connect to Figma and GitHub for design, and a new Device Hub will let developers simulate devices, including touch screens, alongside real-world testing devices.

Trust and Safety

Apple also demonstrated new child safety tools, with new child accounts and parental controls. Child accounts will automatically block adult websites and implement app store age restrictions.

Children will be able to ask parents for permission to buy or download apps in messages, as well as browse new websites in Safari for children under 13. There will be similar permissions for contacting new people outside of your family.

A new safety communication warns about nude images and intervenes, but will also be expanded to gore or violent content. Parents will have Time Allowances across entertainment, games, and social media, with shared allowances across all three, or you can set them individually. A redesigned Screen Time will let parents see how devices are being used. Developer tools are being made more capable for third-party apps to take advantage of the new features.

Golden Gate will be the first version of macOS to exclusively support Apple Silicon Macs. Last year, Apple announced that Tahoe would be the final major release to support Intel-based systems. (Intel-based Macs will still receive three years of security updates.) This is the last macOS release to support Rosetta 2, the tool that lets Apple Silicon computers run Intel applications through an emulation layer (though parts may stick around to keep legacy games running). Without Intel processors to support, Apple is urging developers to make native applications for its own silicon.

Support and Release Dates

Developer betas for the 27-suite of OS releases are available today, with public betas starting in July. Final releases are expected in the fall.

macOS 27 Golden Gate will be supported on devices with Apple Silicon. Apple's website specifies:

• MacBook Neo
• MacBook Air (2020 and later with Apple Silicon)
• MacBook Pro (2020 and later with Apple Silicon)
• iMac (2021 and later with Apple Silicon)
• Mac mini (2020 and later with Apple Silicon)
• Mac Studio (2022 and later with Apple Silicon)
• Mac Pro with Apple Silicon (2023)

However, adjustments to Siri's voice and advanced dictation will require newer chips on the Mac, iPad and iPhone. On the Mac, that means "an M3 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory." Otherwise, you need an iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPad models with M4 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory, or Apple Vision Pro with M5.

A “full-feature-parity version of Notepad” has been written in x86 assembly and it weighs in at just 2,749 bytes. Windows legend Dave W. Plummer is (inevitably) the coder behind this efficiency tour de force, and he’s made RetroPad available (code and exe) on his GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license.

Plummer announced this latest release of RetroPad on Thursday, describing it as a feature-for-feature match of the version of Notepad that shipped with Windows XP. That’s impressive enough in 2.7KB, rather than an app of about 65KB. However, Plummer’s work rate is such that he’s since added optional line numbers and a dark mode. He also decided to add “all of the Notepad keyboard shortcuts” on Saturday which added a few bytes. It won’t be long until there’s an accompanying YouTube video for a deeper dive into RetroPad, but for now we have the GitHub notes.

A few hours ago Plummer also added the trpad.exe to GitHub, so folks who don’t want to run the code through MASM/Crinkler can just download and run this little utility. The version of trpad.exe available on GitHub wouldn’t run on my Windows 11 laptop, though.

Windows app bloat

Windows bloat has become so bad that even Microsoft noticed. Earlier this year, Microsoft promised to go back and get the basics right, things like File Explorer, the Taskbar, and other Windows staples were going to get some tuning and polish. This was a much-needed initiative, but was precipitated by a tone-deaf exec post about the operating system “evolving into an agentic OS.”

The puffing up of Notepad is a fascinating case study in Windows bloat. As mentioned previously, the Windows XP era Notepad was approximately 65KB, not much more than Windows 9X releases (~50KB). According to a web search notepad.exe would grow to around 190KB to 200KB for the Windows 7 to 10 eras.

Windows 11 is a bit different, though. The notepad.exe in my current Windows 11 install appears to weigh in at 352KB but according to the Windows Control Panel, the install size is 808KB. Looking even deeper at this, and it seems like the moderately sized .exe file is just a ‘stub’ or ‘bootstrapper’ app to point to a UWP/WinUI app that is about 5MB in size. That’s where Microsoft has stuffed all the recently added features like spell check, autosave, multiple tabs, and Copilot writing tools.

Earlier this week, we reported on the Green Team officially retiring the creaky Nvidia Control Panel (NVCP), with all its major settings adjustments claimed to have been ported to the Nvidia App. Throughout its tenure, this long-in-the-tooth piece of graphics settings software stuck resolutely to the classic non-themed Win32 controls style, but we know there will be holdouts and those who miss it for one reason or another. Thankfully, Nvidia has left an NVCP installer in the Microsoft Store, for now. Let’s look closer at whether it is worth a separate download in mid-2026.

To be clear, you will still need to download a modern Nvidia graphics driver to use the separately available NVCP. The familiar control panel software that is now available via the Microsoft Store is simply a controls access UI - one that has now been relegated to a secondary, optional choice.

For existing Nvidia graphics card users, you probably won’t have to go out of your way to grab the old NVCP from the Microsoft Store. It should normally persist from previous driver installs and updates, unless you opt for a ‘clean install’ from now on.

Possibly the primary reason you will want to keep a copy of the NVCP handy is the updated Nvidia Apps’ missing “professional features.” From my nosing at the information available, RTX Pro / Quadro features - things like offering adjustments to Mosaic, Sync, stereo, and a few pro‑workflow toggles - are yet to be migrated. So, modern GeForce gamers shouldn’t worry about hanging onto NVCP for functionality.

Even if you don’t need the handful of missing features in new vs old, some folks will want to keep using the NVCP due to familiarity with Nvidia’s older lightweight settings software.

We’d also be tempted to download or keep a shortcut to the NVCP handy in case upcoming software from Nvidia messes up the controls accessible in the Nvidia App. The Green Team’s software has come under fire for a string of buggy releases lately. In the likely scenario that Nvidia will ship an upcoming version of its Windows drivers with some feature-breaking wrinkles or crashing issues, the NVCP might be handy for fallback or troubleshooting.

A short video has resurfaced in which Bill Gates promotes Windows 95 with DirectX as a gaming platform set to eclipse DOS. The video is part of footage from an internal Microsoft ‘Judgment Day’ developer/gaming event. So far, so ordinary, but the typically meek Gates appears dressed in a trench coat and holding a shotgun, standing inside a Doom-style environment littered with demon carcasses. You can watch the video by expanding the tweet below.

The Doom franchise began in 1993, well before Windows was widely used for games beyond the likes of Minesweeper and Solitaire desktop distractions. Throughout much of the 1990s, PC users would run games through DOS, with Windows seen as something to use for multitasking productivity tasks. With Windows 95, Microsoft wanted to change that; hence, this promotional video to developers, starring Gates himself.

Though there were (and are) DOS gaming devotees, Windows 95 was promoted as delivering improved multimedia, Plug and Play hardware support, and, with DirectX, even better gaming performance.

Gates begins his in-Doom spiel by saying that “these games are getting really realistic” before boasting that “Windows 95 is THE BEST game platform, whether it’s the best performance, the best setup, the best integration.” He then admitted that DOS can be hard work for end users, developers, and tech support. But the key improvement being dangled in front of developers was the new DirectX API.

During this brief presentation intro, Gates touted 75 new games coming for Windows 95 in the coming year. He reckoned with this push and collaboration between Microsoft and game developers, “we’ll be able to clean up this DOS mess, and get everything focused on Windows.”

This unusual video isn’t just Bill Gates standing and spouting about Windows 95 gaming, thankfully. Halfway through this clip, he is interrupted by an enemy grunt, and quickly turns to give it both barrels, “Don’t interrupt me.” But when delivering this punchline, Bill sounds more like Kermit the Frog than Arnie.

The video closes with Microsoft’s logo, some sinister laughing soundtrack, and the tagline “Who do you want to execute today?”

Key to the background collaboration between Microsoft and a host of game developers was the work of Gabe Newell. The future Valve co-founder initiated and led the Microsoft team responsible for porting id Software’s Doom to Windows 95, which would result in the release of Doom95 in 1996. Some sources say that Doom was installed on more computers worldwide than Windows 95 was at this time (late 1995).

Linux developers are looking into retiring the x32 ABI that was introduced into the Linux kernel in 2012. Phoronix reports that Sebastian Andrezj Siewior of Lintronix has proposed removing the x32 ABI from the Linux kernel due to its obsolescence and lack of serious adoption since its debut. If no objections are raised, the x32 ABI will likely be removed from the Linux kernel by 2027.

x32 ABI was introduced to Linux in an effort to optimize the memory consumption of 64-bit programs. The application binary interface was designed to allow 64-bit processors and applications to operate in semi “64-bit/32-bit” hybrid mode. With x32 ABI, software is allowed access to the full 64-bit register file and data path but is restricted to using 32-bit pointers. For the uninitiated, a pointer is a binary number that keeps track of data that is held in system memory.

This ability allows the OS to use more than 4GB of RAM while keeping pointer sizes at just 4 bytes instead of 8 bytes (for 64-bit). This size difference is x32 ABI’s main selling point, as cutting the pointer size in half improved the amount of data that can fit in a CPU’s multiple caches and improved performance.

Despite its potential, x32 ABI also had several disadvantages. Using x32 ABI adds additional complexity for developers to deal with and requires compilers to support the feature. Arguably, its biggest technical problem relates to the fact that individual processes running with x32 ABI cannot take advantage of more than 4GB of memory due to the pointer sizes being limited to 32 bits.

That said, the nail in the coffin for x32 ABI is its lack of mainstream adoption by software developers as a whole. This was likely helped by the fact that x32 ABI was ever only implemented on Linux and was not ported to Windows or Mac. Sebastian Andrezj Siewior highlighted further issues in his proposal, noting that the better performance x32 ABI realized was not great enough for certain workloads to move to it and use it exclusively.

An IBM ThinkPad user boasts that they can install “(almost) all versions of Windows from NT 4 to 10 22H2,” with driver support, without resorting to virtual machine (VM) technology. The ThinkPad T43 from 2005, used by Redditor MatiHalek, was already a firm favorite among retro tech enthusiasts and well known for being IBM’s final design prior to the Lenovo acquisition. The confirmation that it can run 26 years of Windows OSes certainly adds to the T43’s considerable charms.

I installed (almost) all versions of Windows from NT 4 to 10 22H2 on my ThinkPad T43 with drivers! from r/windows

So, what did Mati actually do? In the post embedded above, you can see they posted a gallery with 10 Windows screenshots, most of which show an iteration of the System > About control panel as evidence of the version of Windows installed and running. This gallery will take many readers on a journey down memory lane as the Windows UI evolves through the eras.

Mati says that they didn’t use VMs to install any of these Windows versions. They were all real software-to-metal installs on the single-core Pentium M CPU, though it wasn’t always an entirely straightforward process getting Windows to behave. We’d assume most difficulties would be due to support and drivers for graphics and storage interface hardware.

The Redditor didn’t install the 26 years of OSes sequentially in a strictly experimental fashion. “When I got this laptop, XP was installed, so I decided to dual-boot Vista with that XP. Then I did the upgrade path Vista-7-8-8.1-10RTM,” they explained. Subsequently, Windows 22H2 wrinkles forced them into doing a clean install for this pretty recent OS from Microsoft. However, modern OSes don’t appear to be Mati’s passion as “after that, I wiped the hard drive and multi-booted 98, NT 4, and 2000.” They end their post by indicating they will be keeping this 20th-century OS trio on the IBM ThinkPad T43, simply out of preference. It's probably the most responsive choice, given the hardware.

IBM ThinkPad T43 hardware

As we mentioned in the intro, the ThinkPad T43 was the final laptop from IBM’s stables, before Lenovo took the reins. Mati was correct to assert that it originally shipped with Windows XP, and it launched just a few months before Vista hit the scene.

Key components of the T43 were as follows:

• Intel Pentium M processor
• ATi Mobility Radeon X300 or X300SE graphics
• 14.1-inch screen in resolutions up to 1,400 x 1,050 pixels
• Support for up to 2GB of DDR2
• Storage config between 40GB and 100GB HDD
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and modem connectivity options
• Ports included 2x USB 2.0 ports, a parallel port, VGA, S-Video, a PC Card slot, and a docking station port

Beyond the hardware tech specs, the IBM ThinkPad T43 earned a lot of praise due to its durable, perhaps legendary, build and keyboard quality. It isn’t light for a 14-incher in 2026 terms, of course, weighing in at approximately 2.3 kg (5.1 pounds).

Do any readers still cherish an IBM ThinkPad T43? If so, do you still run an older version of Windows like Mati does, or have you moved to an alternative OS like Linux?

AMD has been accused of 'bait-and-switch' tactics following changes to the licensing of Vivado on Linux. As reported by It's Foss, AMD has decided that Linux users of the Vivado chip design environment need to pay up or stick with an older version that will become unsupported soon.

For the uninitiated, Vivado is AMD's proprietary design suite used to program Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). These special chips can be rewired via software to mimic nearly any kind of computer hardware. This makes them invaluable for simulations and design testing. If you are designing, simulating, or testing custom circuits for AI, aerospace, or advanced electronics, Vivado is the gateway to making that hardware actually work.

The core of the outrage stems from a change in Vivado's upcoming 2026.1 update. Previously, the free "Standard" tier supported both Windows and Linux. Under the new tiered model, the free "Basic" tier is restricted entirely to Windows. If you want to use Vivado natively on Linux, you'll be forced to step up to the "Core" tier, which demands an eye-watering $1,200 to $1,800 annual subscription.

AMD's defense on its community forums has also not landed well. The company claimed that 70% of Vivado users are on Windows anyway, alienating the academic researchers, engineering students, and open-source hobbyists who heavily favor Linux-native environments and rely on free tools to learn the trade.

A forum representative for the company stated, "No one is stopping users (students, etc.) to continue using the current versions of Vivado (any Vivado version prior 2026.1)," and developing using the free Vivado ML Standard Edition, arguing that it was only if users decided to update that they'd need the license.

"I guess no one involved in this decision thought about the millions of hobbyists and amateurs like myself using Vivado for their hobby projects," one disgruntled user replied. Another noted that many users are already discussing moving to alternate platforms like Lattice and Altera due to these changes.

AMD's forum representative confirmed they were "collecting all the feedback received and passing on to the relevant team/marketing" at AMD, leaving the door ajar for a possible change to this policy down the line.

California lawmakers may be backing away from a controversial age-verification requirement bill that alarmed Linux and open-source developers earlier this year, after a new amendment bill proposed exempting most open-source operating systems from the state’s upcoming Digital Age Assurance Act. In practice, that would likely exempt most mainstream Linux distributions — including Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch Linux, and Mint — from compliance requirements scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Assembly Bill 1856 (AB 1856), currently moving through California’s legislature ahead of committee reviews in June, would amend the state’s earlier age-assurance law by excluding software distributed under licenses that allow users to “copy, redistribute, and modify the software.”

The proposed amendment specifically states: “Operating system provider” does not mean a person or entity that distributes an operating system or application under license terms that permit a recipient to copy, redistribute, and modify the software.

The amendment follows months of backlash after California passed the original Assembly Bill 1043 (AB 1043), formally known as the Digital Age Assurance Act, in late 2025. The law sought to shift online age verification away from individual websites and apps and down to the operating-system level instead.

Under the original law, operating systems would be required to request a user’s age or birth date during device setup, then expose an “age bracket signal” to apps and app stores. The law, which defined brackets such as “under 13,” “13–15,” “16–17,” and “18+,” immediately raised questions about how such requirements would apply to decentralized, open-source software ecosystems.

Unlike Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android, most Linux distributions are not centrally controlled commercial platforms. Many are community-run projects maintained by volunteers, often without user accounts, telemetry systems, or even formal corporate ownership structures. Critics argued the law’s wording was so broad that it could technically force open-source operating systems to become age-verification platforms.

Privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, criticized the legislation as invasive and warned it could create infrastructure for broader identity tracking online. Linux developers also questioned how California could realistically enforce such requirements on infinitely forkable open-source software projects.

The controversy became particularly heated after reports suggested platforms like SteamOS could still fall under the law due to their ties to proprietary application ecosystems. Valve’s Linux-based gaming platform ships with the proprietary Steam storefront and client, potentially placing it closer to Apple’s App Store or Google Play from a regulatory standpoint.

AB 1856 does not repeal the original Digital Age Assurance Act. Instead, it narrows the definition of who qualifies as an “operating system provider” under the law. Commercial platforms with proprietary app ecosystems could remain subject to California’s age-assurance requirements even if most open-source Linux distributions are ultimately exempted.

California Assembly Member Buffy Wicks introduced the amendment on February 11, 2026. However, the open-source exemption language appeared in later revisions that began drawing attention across Linux and privacy communities. The latest version is dated May 18, 2026, and as of May 19, 2026, the bill was read a second time and ordered to third reading.

Valorant cheaters have watched their $6,000 investment turned into paperweights overnight as Riot Games updated the Vanguard anti-cheat software to block DMA (Direct Memory Access) cheating devices. Not content with just banning the offenders, there are reports of Vanguard "bricking" the hardware used by cheaters, necessitating a full operating system reinstall. The claims are somewhat misleading since the anti-cheat system only renders certain hardware temporarily unusable. Users have reported that reinstalling the operating system brings everything back to normal; don't install Valorant or Vanguard on it again, or you'll face the same result.

Riot Games took things a step further by openly mocking the cheaters on X: "Congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight." Some members of the gaming community have applauded Riot Games for dropping the massive ban hammer on cheaters. However, others are questioning the ethical implications of Riot Games' intrusive anti-cheat software, and even classifying it as borderline "malware." Kernel-level access is the highest possible privilege on a system, and some users fear potential vulnerabilities and misuse.

DMA cards allow external hardware to read and write directly to a computer’s memory without passing through the middleman, which is the processor. DMA cards are vital tools for professionals such as debuggers, developers, and cybersecurity researchers. Over the years, cheat developers have found another calling for DMA cards: bypassing anti-cheat software. The misuse has led to an ongoing cat-and-mouse game with cheaters and game developers. On this occasion, Riot Games came out on top.

Competitive online multiplayer games, such as Valorant, typically use kernel-level detection to continuously monitor the processor and operating system for unauthorized cheat software. As a result, software-level cheats are flagged instantaneously, which is why cheat developers have turned to DMA cards to separate the cheat software from the computer that's running the game, in this case, Valorant.

Phillip Koskinas, the Head of Anti-Cheat at Riot Games, recently shared an example (embedded below) of what a typical DMA cheating device setup looks like. It looks fascinating, like a Frankenstein project cobbled together in someone’s garage for a science fair. It shows the lengths some players are willing to go to just to have an upper hand in a free-to-play game.

There are many variations of a DMA cheating setup. At its core, the process begins by installing a DMA card into the primary computer that’s running the game. Cheat developers than flash them with custom-modified firmware to disguise the DMA card and trick the operating system into thinking it's another device, such as a network adapter or USB expansion card.

The setup requires a second computer, which can be a laptop or mini-PC, that acts as the command center for running the actual cheat software. This system connects to the primary gaming system through a standard USB connection. The DMA card provides direct access to the gaming machine's memory, allowing the second system to read real-time game data without being detected.

To complete the circuit, cheaters have to add a KMBox, a hardware controller that emulates physical keyboard and mouse inputs, to bridge both systems. The commands generated on the second system travel through the KMBox to the primary PC as legitimate movements and actions, paving the way for aimbots and wallhacks.

Logically, Riot Games won't disclose how it neutralized these DMA cheating setups. The prevailing theory is that the latest Vanguard update is now enforcing stricter IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) checks. The IOMMU is a component inside a processor that's responsible for managing and regulating how peripheral devices access system memory. Rumors suggest that Vanguard now blocks DMA firmware that attempts to communicate over SATA or NVMe protocols, two popular firmwares used by cheat developers to masquerade the DMA card as a legitimate storage controller.

Mozilla has successfully addressed a critical bug related to Firefox that caused the web browser to crash on desktop systems powered by Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs. With the latest stable release of Firefox version 151.01, the company has managed to patch the issue that has been under investigation for more than a year.

Mozilla engineers initially zeroed in on failures in a zlib-rs compression routine where certain dist values appeared incorrect, resulting in index out-of-bounds crashes. However, the root cause was tied to Intel’s Raptor Lake CPU instructions, specifically RPL050 and RPL060, which sometimes caused the CPU cores to read incorrect or outdated data.

Senior Staff Engineer Gabriele Svelto first flagged the issue last year, blaming Intel for its CPU instabilities and highlighting mass browser crash reports coming from systems powered by Intel Raptor Lake, specifically in locations suffering from heat waves.

“If you have an Intel Raptor Lake system and you’re in the northern hemisphere, chances are that your machine is crashing more often because of the summer heat. I know because I can literally see which EU countries have been affected by heat waves by looking at the locales of Firefox crash reports coming from Raptor Lake systems,” said Svelto on Mastodon.

He also noted that while Intel’s newer 0x12c microcode update significantly reduced the number of crashes, the bugs came back with the release of version 0x12F.

Intel’s Raptor Lake CPU instability issues first began surfacing in late 2022 before exploding the following year with users reporting widespread game crashes, browser instability, and system failures on 13th-gen and 14th-gen processors. Intel eventually confirmed after several months that the root cause was tied to a physical degradation issue caused by prolonged exposure to excessive voltage and heat. While the company rolled out several microcode patches, including 0x125, 0x129, 0x12B, and, more recently, 0x12F, these updates were only designed to mitigate the conditions triggering the degradation rather than reverse existing damage. Eventually, Intel announced an extended warranty for customers facing the issue from three to five years.

If you have been facing Firefox crashes on your desktop PC running Intel’s 13th-gen or 14th-gen Raptor Lake CPUs, it is recommended to update the browser to its latest stable version by heading to the official page here.

Linus Torvalds declared the Linux kernel's private security mailing list "almost entirely unmanageable" on Sunday in his weekly post to the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML), blaming a flood of duplicate vulnerability reports generated by researchers running the same AI tools against the same code. The complaint accompanied the release of Linux 7.1-rc4 and a pointer to newly merged documentation that formalizes how AI-assisted bug reports should be handled.

The problem, according to Torvalds, is the combination of volume and redundancy: multiple researchers are independently discovering identical bugs using automated tools and filing them separately on a private mailing list, where nobody can see what has already been submitted. Maintainers end up spending their time triaging duplicates and directing reporters to fixes that were merged weeks earlier.

"AI detected bugs are pretty much by definition not secret, and treating them on some private list is a waste of time for everybody involved," Torvalds wrote on LKML.

Torvalds pointed developers to the project's security bug documentation, which states that vulnerabilities found using AI tools should be treated as public disclosures and submitted directly to the relevant maintainers, not routed through the private security list. Reports must be concise, formatted in plain text, and include a verified reproducer.

In March, Willy Tarreau, the creator of HAProxy and a longtime Linux kernel stable maintainer, said in comments posted to LWN that the kernel security mailing list, which received roughly two to three reports per week two years ago, now receives five to 10 reports per day. Most are solid finds, but the duplication across researchers using similar tooling has overwhelmed the existing triage process.

Torvalds urged researchers to go further than filing raw findings. "If you actually want to add value, read the documentation, create a patch too, and add some real value on top of what the AI did," he wrote. "Don't be the drive-by 'send a random report with no real understanding' kind of person."

This Torvalds-endorsed approach is exactly what fellow maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman has been doing with his “Clanker T1000” system, a Framework Desktop-powered bug-finding tool: discover the issue, write the fix, take responsibility for the patch, and submit it publicly.

The Linux kernel project formalized its broader stance on AI-assisted contributions last month, establishing a project-wide policy that permits AI-generated code provided developers follow strict disclosure rules.

Under that policy, AI agents cannot use the legally binding "Signed-off-by" tag, and contributors must use a new "Assisted-by" tag for transparency. Every line of AI-generated code, and any resulting bugs, remains the legal responsibility of the human who submits it.

Google is reportedly testing a new storage policy that restricts new users to an initial 5GB of free cloud storage rather than its previous 15GB allowance. The change was first spotted by a Reddit user who was notified while setting up a new Google account that they would only get 5GB of free storage. The notice also mentioned that once the user linked and verified a phone number with their account, they would gain access to the full 15GB. Interestingly, Google’s support page does not mention this change and states that new accounts receive up to 15GB of free storage.

Google is yet to make a public announcement regarding the change in free cloud storage, however, it has given an official statement to Android Authority. As per a Google spokesperson, “We’re testing a new storage policy for new accounts created in select regions that will help us continue to provide a high-quality storage service to our users, while encouraging users to improve their account security and data recovery.”

Gmail now gives 5gb free if you sign up without phone number from r/degoogle

A crucial point to consider is that the test is limited to select regions. This may imply that the company is experimenting in certain markets where fake accounts and spam abuse are particularly high before deciding and rolling out the new storage policy globally. In all fairness, the phone number verification requirement does make sense, as it can help Google reduce fake or disposable accounts.

By requiring a verified phone number, users can be restricted from creating multiple free accounts for extra storage or potentially using them for malicious activities. Since verified accounts are tied to a recovery method, it also improves account security and recovery, which Google mentions in its official explanation.

Another possible reason for this change could simply be a tactic by Google to push more users into paying for cloud storage plans under Google One. While 15GB has remained unchanged for years, almost every smartphone user has far more photos, videos, and backups than they did a few years ago. Initially offering new users just 5GB of storage could make limitations much more noticeable, potentially encouraging more people to subscribe to paid plans for additional cloud space.

Microsoft is finally looking into fixing automatic GPU driver downgrades on Windows 11 that have plagued users since the OS's launch in 2021. Windows Latest reports that Microsoft has finally acknowledged the issue and is preparing a partial fix that will be released by Q4 of 2026.

Specifically, Microsoft is looking to start applying this fix to Windows 11 PCs in April 2026. Only by Q4 will the update be applied to everyone.

The fix Microsoft is cooking up narrows down how many devices Windows Update can target with specific GPU driver updates. GPU drivers that are published to the Windows Update catalog using this system incorporate a two-part hardware ID (HWID) in conjunction with computer hardware IDs (CHIDs). The latter is an ID designation designed to identify a specific PC model or hardware configuration.

This two-pronged approach gives Windows Update better information on when to expose GPU drivers to Windows 11 machines. The outgoing system Microsoft is using only considers a four-part hardware ID as part of a ranking system. The worst part about this system is that it will not take into consideration the GPU driver model specifically, which is what allows Windows Update to downgrade GPU drivers in the first place. Whichever driver is ranked highest in the Windows Update catalog for systems with a specified hardware ID, Windows Update will push even if the driver itself is outdated.

However, there is a caveat with this system — only device display drivers that target new devices can get the update. Existing drivers in the Windows Update catalog may still get forcibly applied on older systems.

Windows Update has long had a problem where the service will automatically downgrade GPU drivers in the right circumstances. This is specifically problematic with OEM machines when the OEM has uploaded a GPU driver to the Windows Update catalog. One issue I've run into personally is the inability to clean install Intel Xe drivers on my Windows 11 laptop. Doing so automatically triggers Windows Update to install several older Intel graphics driver revisions.

Unfortunately, Microsoft's update won't fix the issue entirely, but it is at least a start. To clarify, this specific fix is different from the Cloud-Initiated Driver Recovery feature Microsoft rolled out recently.

Microsoft has outlined a new feature of Windows called Cloud-Initiated Driver Recovery (CIDR). This newly introduced capability lets Microsoft remotely roll back a bad driver to a previously known good version on affected PCs. Moreover, it can work without user action or OEM intervention. It sounds like a magic bullet for a long history of Windows Update woes, but we’ll have to see if it works when the rubber hits the road. CIDR will only work with drivers distributed via Windows Update.

Windows Update can cause plenty of problems when a bad driver gets through testing and gets pushed to users. Indeed, buggy drivers have caused many a lost hour, gray hair, wrinkle, high blood pressure, and so on, among Windows veterans. Microsoft also notes that a bad driver often means a user has to manually intervene and roll back to “a low-quality driver for an extended period.” So, the new CIDR is cautiously welcomed.

Microsoft spells out the CIDR process in its Tech Community blog, and there we learn that recovery starts by the Windows developer triggering "a recovery action directly from the Hardware Dev Center (HDC) Driver Shiproom." Once a problematic driver is flagged, the system recovers the previously known-good version of a driver via the Windows Update pipeline. “This is handled through coordinated updates to the PnP driver stack and the driver flighting and publishing services,” says Microsoft.

Importantly, Microsoft notes that “recovery is delivered through the existing Windows Update infrastructure — no new client agent or partner tooling is required.” That should help CIDR work well with what we’ve already got and for it to become an established standard. Likewise, partners don’t need to get involved in CIDR, Microsoft will manage it. However, Microsoft asks that these partners “continue monitoring their driver quality metrics in the Hardware Dev Center dashboard and to respond promptly to any shiproom feedback on rejected submissions.”

CIDR is rolling out now for validation and testing, and it is expected to automatically support the Hardware Dev Center publishing process from September onwards.

Last week, news of Microsoft working on a new "Low Latency Profile" for Windows 11 was leaked by Windows Central. When enabled, it would increase CPU clock speeds momentarily to improve app opening times. This was met with widespread backlash, with the community thrashing Microsoft for essentially putting on a Band-Aid instead of addressing underlying Windows performance issues. Since then, the company has stood firmly by the decision on social media, reminding users that it's simply catching up to industry practice.

Senior developer and VP Scott Hanselman replied to a lot of concerned users on X and compared other operating systems to Windows 11, highlighting that this boosting functionality isn't anything new. That's true; every modern OS, including the bastion of efficiency, Linux, and even smartphones, already have this implemented. He went on to claim that "this isn't cheating" and implies that such a solution works in tandem with optimizing apps and code in further replies.

The Low Latency Profile (LLP) is part of Microsoft's broader "Windows K2" efforts to make Windows 11 smoother, more stable, and more efficient after years of sluggishness. As such, LLP works by boosting CPU frequencies for a quick assist in things like flyout delays for the Start Menu. Your CPU usage and clocks will spike for a fraction of a second to ensure the OS feels fast and responsive during those moments.

For all this to work on a technical level, though, you do require pretty aggressive clock parking so the CPU's prepared to shift into gear the moment it's needed to speed up an OS interaction. This is also important for mobile devices with batteries, such as laptops or handhelds that might consume more power when their cores are being utilized at a minimum for longer, compared to just idling in C-state after a quick burst at max speeds.

People across social media continue to dunk on Scott's replies, asking why Microsoft needed to wait until Windows 11 was in an intolerable state to think of this solution. That's entirely fair, too, considering just how long users have been complaining about the general reliability of the OS. Even devs who formerly worked on Windows have called out Windows 11 for its underwhelming navigation performance.

There's also the argument that perhaps Microsoft needs to optimize the operating system on a much deeper level before applying superficial patches like this, given complaints about the amount of bloatware a stock copy of Windows 11 comes with. Microsoft has even resorted to making an Xbox Mode just so games can bypass the bloat and run better.

It seems like the company is slowly realizing that the AI push it's been hiding behind for a few years at this point just isn't working out the way it was expected. Just look at Xbox — even with a new CEO that literally comes from Microsoft's AI department, it's making community-first changes like never before.

A recent update to Dell's pre-installed SupportAssist Remediation software is causing persistent blue screen of death errors and reboot loops on multiple Dell laptop models, according to user reports on Dell's community forum (spotted by Neowin).

The update, version 5.5.16.0 of Dell SupportAssist Remediation and the accompanying OS Recovery Plugin, was released on April 30th. Affected users report their PCs crash and reboot roughly every 30 minutes, with the cycle continuing indefinitely until the software is removed.

SupportAssist Remediation is a background service that Dell bundles on its Windows PCs to automate system recovery and repair tasks. Dell hasn’t acknowledged the issue or released a fix, but the problem has been confirmed across at least two Dell product lines so far: the XPS 15 9530 and the Dell Pro Plus 14.

Multiple users have independently analyzed their Windows crash dump files using WinDbg, Microsoft's debugging tool, and arrived at the same conclusion: The crash dumps show a bugcheck code of 0xEF (CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED), with the faulting process identified as DellSupportAssistRemedationService.exe, part of the SupportAssist Remediation package installed at C:\Program Files\Dell\SARemediation\agent\.

Forum user Sygent, who owns an XPS 15 9530 running Windows 11 with BIOS version 1.29.0, posted a detailed dump analysis on Sunday, showing the failure pointing directly to the Dell process. A second user, MartinHBS2026, reported the same findings on a Dell Precision 3571 and confirmed the crashes stopped after removing all SupportAssist components. A third user, Waddo, confirmed identical crash dump results on a Dell Pro Plus 14 the following day.

Users in the Dell forum thread have identified two workarounds. The first and less disruptive option is to disable only the Dell SupportAssist Remediation service by running sc.exe config "Dell SupportAssist Remediation" start= disabled from an elevated command prompt, then restarting the PC, thereby preserving the rest of Dell's update and diagnostic tools.

The second option is to uninstall SupportAssist Remediation and the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update entirely. Both approaches have stopped the crashes for users who have tried them.

This isn’t the first time that SupportAssist Remediation has caused similar crashes. A Dell forum thread from January last year described the same BSOD pattern on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines after a SupportAssist Remediation update, with WinDbg analysis again identifying the Dell software as the cause. That earlier thread went unresolved by Dell support.

Aside from causing blue screen crashouts, Dell’s SupportAssist suite has previously been found to contain significant vulnerabilities, allowing remote attackers to gain administrative privileges on Dell PCs.

A heavyweight games industry veteran says he is building a fully European alternative to popular game engines from American and Chinese companies. Arjan Brussee shared the plans in an interview hosted by the De Technoloog podcast (Dutch), reports the Video Games Chronicle.

Dutchman Brussee has some serious games industry credentials. His stint at Epic Games was split over two eras, the first one, which saw him programming the Jazz Jackrabbit games in the 90s. Then, from 2018 to 2023, Brussee returned to Epic as the global director of product management for Unreal Engine. Between those eras, Brussee became the co-founder of Guerrilla Games from 2003 (Killzone franchise), and Boss Key Productions from 2012.

The Immense Engine, a European alternative

Most readers will be familiar with game engines like Unreal and Unity (the latter was founded in Denmark but relocated to San Francisco in 2009). Brussee reckons that a European game engine will rival these offerings and alternatives from the Chinese, but The Immense Engine will be “fully European-hosted, built by Europeans, and complies with European rules and guidelines.”

Having a Europe-first game engine could be a boon for 3D simulations in defense or logistics on the continent. If it is built to adhere to the aforementioned European rules and guidelines, this could broaden its adoption in big government and local government projects, too.

Work already is underway with The Immense Engine, and other than gaming, it is clearly being developed with practical representations of 3D worlds in mind. We recently reported on the Japanese local government using U.S. game engines for large civil engineering projects, so Brussee is thinking along similar lines.

There has to be an AI angle

Software coding and AI are inevitably going to be further intertwined going forward, and Brussee embraces rather than shuns this trend. In the podcast interview, he said he sees opportunities with the rise of AI, especially by making the most of fewer human resources.

“If you are smart and know how to put a good framework of AI agents to work, you can do the work of ten or fifteen people,” noted the game industry veteran. Brussee strongly suggests the use of AI agents in developing the engine, but whether that means there will be AI tools built into The Immense Engine remains to be seen.

AMD’s landmark K5 processor family will no longer be supported by Linux when kernel version 7.2 arrives. The Linux-watchers at Phoronix noticed the forced retirement of the venerable K5 in a recent patch designed to “remove support for TSC-less Pentium variants.” The lack of TSC (Time Stamp Counter) in the K5 apparently makes it a burden for developers to support in the kernel.

The K5 holds a special place in AMD history as the firm’s first independently designed x86 processor. However, it wasn’t a very popular processor as it arrived late, then offered lackluster performance in the competitive environment it joined.

AMD’s shiny homegrown 4.3M transistor chip featured a “RISC-based internal architecture that decoded x86 instructions into micro-instructions before executing them,” we noted in a 2008 retrospective. However, launch SKUs in 1996 were limited to clocks from 75 MHz to 133 MHz, and, due to being late, Intel’s Pentium line was already faster. AMD still managed to get an edge on the Cyrix 6x86, though.

As was de rigueur at the time, these AMD K5 chips were sold with a ‘performance rating’ (PR) figure, suggesting an integer performance comparison with an Intel Pentium with the indicated clock speed. For example, a second revision K5 with a 116 MHz clock was marketed as a K5 PR166. Enthusiasts don’t like this kind of obfuscation, even when it is clearly on the surface. We also note that this era marked the introduction of the heatsink and fan as a CPU-partnering necessity.

Intel i486, AMD Elan SoCs, and AMD Geode CPUs also put out to pasture

We reported a month ago that Linux devs had started to remove support for the 37-year-old Intel i486 CPU in patches destined for the Linux 7.1 kernel. That was probably a bigger deal than today’s AMD K5 news, as many more of these processors were sold.

Other lesser-known processor lines have also been retired from Linux support, but are still worth a mention for the sake of completeness. Specifically, the AMD Elan (i486‑class, TSC‑less) SoC for embedded systems which first launched in 1995, looks set to be retired in Linux 7.2. Similarly the AMD Geode x86 embedded processors (early 2000s Elan replacements) will be cut off from Linux support from Linux kernel 7.2.

With no end in sight for the RAMpocalypse, it is a little sad to see older hardware getting dropped from support. However, machines packing these retired processors can still be used in fun projects where a fully up-to-date security-hardened internet-connected patched OS isn’t essential.

The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) published a briefing paper this week describing VPN use as "a loophole in the legislation that needs closing," as governments across Europe and the U.S. expand laws requiring platforms to verify users' ages before granting access to adult content.

The paper noted that VPN downloads spiked after enforcement began in the UK and several U.S. states, with one app developer reporting an 1,800% increase in downloads in the first month following the UK's Online Safety Act taking effect last year. Some policymakers, including England's Children's Commissioner, have called for VPN services to be restricted to adults only.

The EPRS paper acknowledges that current age-assurance methods are "relatively easy for minors to bypass," but offers no technical workaround to prevent VPN circumvention. In March, Utah became the first U.S. state to target VPN use in its age-verification law when Governor Spencer Cox signed Senate Bill 73. However, such efforts are technically flawed because the only reliable method for identifying VPN protocol signatures is deep packet inspection at the network level, which the EPRS paper doesn’t mention.

VPN demand in Florida surged 1,150% within hours of Pornhub blocking access in that state, and Utah saw a 967% increase after a similar withdrawal. Mozilla, Mullvad, and Proton, among others, sent a joint letter opposing the UK's proposals to mandate age verification for VPN access on May 5th, urging officials “not to undermine the open internet.”

The EPRS research paper comes less than a month after the EU’s own age verification technology, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described as being built to respect “the highest privacy standards in the world — failed a basic security test.

Security consultant Paul Moore found in April that the European Commission's official age verification app stored facial images from identity documents as unencrypted files and allowed its biometric authentication to be bypassed by toggling a single boolean value in a config file. Moore demonstrated a full bypass in under two minutes.

The EPRS paper also highlights France's "double-blind" verification model, in which the adult platform learns only whether a user meets the age threshold, while the verification provider doesn’t see which sites the user visits. California has taken a separate approach, requiring operating systems to collect age data at device setup. GrapheneOS has refused to comply with such laws.

Utah's law took effect on May 6th, defining a user's location as their physical presence, regardless of VPN use. The UK House of Lords voted 207-159 in January to ban VPN services for under-18s, while the EU Parliament adopted a resolution last November supporting a digital age of majority of 16 for social media.

To date, the only governments that have made meaningful progress blocking VPN traffic are authoritarian regimes with ISP-level surveillance infrastructure.

Linux mascot Tux the penguin was first conceptualized on this day in 1996. In an email to a mailing list 30 years ago, Linus Torvalds informed the unwashed masses of his vision for a Linux logo prototype. It should be a contented, cute, and cuddly, slightly overweight penguin, he argued.

Dialing down the details, pivoting from a world map

Torvalds’ contextual sketching of Tux came in response to another developer who was talking about using a clipart concoction involving a map of the world to represent the open-source OS.

The Linux supremo was open to holding a logo competition, but instead of a complex encapsulation of the world as a logo, he proposed a penguin. Penguins embodied three positives, thought Torvalds, being universally considered cute, cuddly, and contented. The Linux founder wanted the penguin to be highly stylized, “not a lot of detail - just a black brush-type outline,” as per the logotype rule of thumb. He also basically dismissed any complex penguin + world map fabrication.

A contented, but definitely not randy, penguin

First impressions count with logos. With penguins, the designer would have to be careful in their artwork to prevent any unintentional conclusions regarding its contented state, reasoned Torvalds at some length.

“Now, with penguins, (cuddly such), 'contented' means it has either just gotten laid, or it's stuffed on herring,” explained the lead Linux dev to mailing list subscribers. “Take it from me, I'm an expert on penguins, those are really the only two options.”

To give this overfed and content impression, Torvalds explained that Tux should be “sitting down after having gorged itself, and having just burped,” and overweight without going into fat territory.

Happy 30th, but is it time to mature?

Though we reckon Torvalds was correct in pushing for a penguin expressed in a simple brushstroke, the Tux mascot is still pretty detailed/ornate compared to a typical tech company logo. In 2026, even the fox from Firefox is on the way out, being reduced all the way to a circular spot, if we are reading the official teaser video correctly.

Other companies have vastly simplified and minimized their logos, so it seems inevitable that Tux will become a shadow of his or her former self in due course. It is true that a simpler logo for Linux would be good for branding, and a reduced detail/color identity could be a boon for merchandise and makers, too.

A top Microsoft exec has admitted that Windows 11 still relies on a bunch of old code from the 1990s. It is refreshing for Microsoft Azure Chief Technical Officer Mark Russinovich to highlight this fact on social media, but it might not surprise as many folks as he thinks.

As Russinovich eloquently puts it, those of us invested in the computer scene in the 90s “were thinking flying cars and moon stations by the year 2026, not Win32.” The admission that such old software tech is still the "bedrock" of Windows today may be the CTO strategically sharing a cold, hard truth, providing a 'let's be real' moment as part of Microsoft’s latest charm offensive. Sharing a candid confession indicates that the corporation is actually aware of the issues in its OS.

Remember, the firm is currently in the midst of a major transformation, targeting enthusiast hot button areas like Windows performance, overhead, and reliability. This drastic pivot was cautiously welcomed in contrast to Microsoft being widely slammed for boasting about Windows “evolving into an agentic OS” last November. Currently, Microsoft seems to be flailing around, trying to stop folks straying to pastures greener like Mac and Linux.

However, Win32 isn’t inherently labeled as ‘bad’ by the Microsoft CTO. Though it is ancient, it has probably stuck around for good reason. “I think one of the reasons it’s got this staying power is just a fundamental layer inside of Windows that so many apps have built on,” notes Russinovich. “So many technologies and ecosystems have been built on top of it that it’s kind of a bedrock.”

The CTO explains that Win32 has persisted even when facing targeted existential threats from within Microsoft, particularly in the Windows 8 era. “There’s been various times in Microsoft’s history where we thought we’d reboot the Windows API surface, like WinRT, that actually didn’t play out the way a lot of people expected it to.”

In closing, Russinovich highlights that Win32 was also the bedrock for tools like Sysmon and ZoomIt, which he actually wrote back in 1996. These tools are now “more relevant than ever in 2026,” as parts of Windows 11 and PowerToys, respectively, reckons the CTO.

Unreal Engine and Unity are game engines that will be very familiar to regular readers, and these successful tools are used in a vast range of game genres on the PC and beyond. However, due to their utility and flexibility, these 3D game engines are starting to be adopted in businesses far removed from the gaming scene. Today, Nikkei Asia shares some eye-catching examples of innovative game engine use in Japan, ranging from urban redevelopment companies and disaster planning agencies to consumer-facing businesses like the famous Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store.

Game developers have been using Unreal Engine and Unity to model the game worlds of your dreams and nightmares for decades. In that time, these tools have become increasingly broad, yet refined and accurate – designing everything between the magical and the grimly real worlds gamers love to be immersed in. In this context, it is no surprise to see them being leveraged for digital twin-style projects in Japan. Actually, we’ve also seen and heard Nvidia put forward the case for digital twins for a number of years.

In Japan, at least two companies in the civil construction infrastructure fields are using game engines to improve the way they work. General contractor Taisei is highlighted by Nikkei for using digital twins to present urban development plans, for example. The firm has been using this medium to show how its plans would unfold since 2020, according to the source.

Another example of this kind of macro-project being advanced using game engines comes from Tokyo-based Cluster. This company is using game engines to build a prediction platform, where the impacts of natural disasters can be considered. Cluster has worked with the city of Sendai in visualizing/simulating flooding based on existing hazard maps. This kind of work can aid greatly in planning for disaster relief.

In consumer-facing businesses, the use of 3D gaming engines couldn’t be more different than in another example singled out by Nikkei. The business news source says that department store Daimaru Matsuzakaya creates and sells digital kimonos to customers. These seem to be based on historic/real kimono designs that you might find inside the store, but are recreated in 3D models to dress your avatar on the VR Chat platform. These are said to be very popular digital goods, with 10,000 digital kimono browsers recorded in the week after launch alone.

Those running Japan's non-gaming game engine-adopting companies praise the tools for allowing metaverses to be created beyond the world of games. In addition to the amazing toolsets these 3D engines provide to such businesses, they are also attractive for cost savings and developer familiarity.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a newly disclosed Linux vulnerability, dubbed “Copy Fail,” to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on May 1st, warning that the flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-31431, is already being used in active attacks and urging rapid patching across affected systems.

The vulnerability resides in the Linux kernel‘s “algif_aead” cryptographic interface and allows unprivileged local users to escalate privileges to root. In practice, this means an attacker with limited access to a system can gain full administrative control.

Security researchers at Theori disclosed the flaw publicly last week, releasing a working proof-of-concept exploit alongside their findings. According to the team, the exploit is “100% reliable” and functions without modification across multiple major Linux distributions, including Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Amazon Linux 2023, RHEL 10.1, and SUSE 16. That level of portability is unusual and lowers the barrier for attackers seeking to weaponize the bug.

At a technical level, the bug enables attackers to write controlled data into the kernel‘s page cache, a low-level memory structure, ultimately allowing privilege escalation. While the exploit requires local access, it still allows attackers to break out of standard user restrictions and gain full control of the system.

Compounding the risk, a discussion on the Openwall oss-security mailing list suggests that the vulnerability and the working exploit were publicly disclosed without prior coordination with Linux distribution maintainers. In typical responsible disclosure processes, vendors are given advance notice to prepare and distribute patches before technical details are made public.

In this case, however, maintainers indicated that no such heads-up was provided, leaving some distributions without fixes ready at the time of disclosure. One contributor noted that older long-term support kernel branches had yet to receive backported patches, forcing developers to rely on temporary mitigations, including disabling affected cryptographic modules.

The result is a compressed response window in which defenders must scramble to deploy updates while attackers can immediately leverage publicly available exploit code.

That dynamic is reflected in CISA‘s unusually swift inclusion of the flaw in its exploited vulnerabilities list, signaling that the issue poses a significant and immediate risk. CISA has given U.S. federal agencies two weeks to apply patches, in line with Binding Operational Directive 22-01, and has also urged all organizations to prioritize remediation.

Linux vendors have begun rolling out kernel updates to address the flaw. However, with exploit code already in the wild, users running older or unpatched systems may remain vulnerable until the fixes are applied.

Reports of YouTube freezing browsers and consuming enormous amounts of RAM began spreading across Reddit and browser forums late last week, with developers now pointing to a bug in the platform's interface code that may be trapping browsers in an endless layout recalculation loop. What's emerging is that there is a runaway interface bug buried inside the platform's video controls.

Users across multiple browsers, including Firefox, Brave, and Microsoft Edge, have described videos stuttering, tabs becoming unresponsive, and systems slowing to a crawl while watching YouTube. Some users reported the individual YouTube tabs consuming more than 7GB of RAM.

Many of the initial reports blamed YouTube's ongoing war against ad blockers or recent browser updates, as the issues seemed to have first been noticed after a Firefox update. However, similar reports from Brave and Edge users have increased the spotlight on YouTube.

Following investigations, reportsMozilla's emerging from Mozilla’s open-source bug-tracking system, Bugzilla, suggest YouTube's frontend interface logic is the main culprit. Developers investigating the issue appear to have narrowed the problem down to the flexible menu container located directly beneath the video player — the section containing controls such as Like, Dislike, Share, and other interaction buttons.

Button peek-a-boo loop

According to comments related to the investigation, the interface repeatedly checks whether all buttons fit within the available horizontal space. If the controls overflow, the system hides one of the buttons to free space. However, hiding the button changes the container's width, immediately creating a new problem.

Once the button disappears, the available width appears enough for the interface to believe there is room again, causing the hidden button to reappear. The buttons then overflow once more, forcing the interface to hide the button again. The cycle repeats continuously at extremely high speeds.

While the visual behavior itself may appear minor, the consequences inside the browser can be far more significant. Modern browsers constantly recalculate page layouts whenever interface elements change size or position. If a webpage repeatedly triggers those recalculations thousands of times per second, the browser can become trapped in what developers often call layout thrashing or a reflow loop.

That forces the browser to continuously recompute layout geometry, redraw interface elements, and update rendering states, rapidly consuming CPU resources and memory. A user shared screenshots on Reddit showing CPU cores pinned near maximum utilization while YouTube tabs became nearly unresponsive. Others reported browser-wide slowdowns severe enough to temporarily freeze entire systems.

Mozilla developers are reportedly still investigating the issue, though no broadly confirmed fix appears to exist yet. The fact that both Firefox-based and Chromium-based browsers appear to experience similar problems further supports the suspicion that the issue may originate primarily with YouTube. For now, the exact root cause remains unofficial; neither Google nor YouTube has publicly confirmed the source of the problem.

If you were one of the people who went online during the mid-90s, you didn’t rely solely on Google to find things across the wild west of the internet. Instead, you may have visited a distinguished gentleman wearing a suit named Jeeves to guide you in the chaotic land that was known as the “information superhighway.” The page, Ask Jeeves, wasn’t just an early search engine — it was also a precursor to the AI chatbots we know today with its goal of answering users’ questions through natural language processing. Unfortunately, its parent company, IAC, has announced that it’s changing its focus and will retire Ask.com, the successor to AskJeeves.com, after 30 years of service.

When you visit Ask.com, you can read the company’s final statement: “As IAC continues to sharpen its focus, we have made the decision to discontinue our search business, which includes Ask.com. After 25 years of answering the world's questions, Ask.com officially closed on May 1, 2026,” Ask writes. “To the millions who asked... We are deeply grateful to the brilliant engineers, designers, and teams who built and supported Ask over the decades. And to you—the millions of users who turned to us for answers in a rapidly changing world—thank you for your endless curiosity, your loyalty, and your trust. Jeeves’ spirit endures.” The original AskJeeves.com page still appears to be online, and you can still get some results of a limited scope.

Despite being older than Google by a couple of years, Ask Jeeves wasn’t able to compete against it or Yahoo!, which soon became staples of internet search in the 2000s. Yahoo! itself is still surviving, although it has convincingly been left in the dust by its rival, which has since become an all-encompassing tech giant and a leader in the AI race. Ask Jeeves follows in the footsteps of Alta Vista, another '90s search engine that fell victim to Google’s groundbreaking PageRank algorithm.

Ask Jeeves stood out from the competition because it let users search using natural language queries — i.e., asking it questions like you’re talking to another person instead of using keywords and Boolean operators. This is how many AI-powered search engines run nowadays, and Ask Jeeves achieved that (to some extent) without using a large language model.

But it seems IAC is no longer interested in keeping Ask.com alive and is completely shutting it down. The company didn’t pivot towards AI, data centers, or semiconductors, something done by other companies ... even ones that aren’t even tech-related, like struggling shoemaker Allbirds and Japanese toilet-maker Toto. Nevertheless, this might be a fitting retirement for the search-engine valet — after 30 years of serving up answers online, it’s time Jeeves rested up and rode off into the sunset.

Utah's Online Age Verification Amendments, formally Senate Bill 73, take effect on May 6, making the state the first in the U.S. to explicitly target VPN use as part of age verification legislation.

Signed by Governor Spencer Cox on March 19, the controversial law establishes that a user is considered to be accessing a website from Utah if they are physically located there, regardless of whether they use a VPN or proxy to mask their IP address. It also prohibits covered websites from sharing instructions on how to use a VPN to bypass age checks.

NordVPN has called the law an "unresolvable compliance paradox" and a "liability trap," arguing that it holds websites responsible for identifying users whose tools are specifically designed to be unidentifiable. The EFF warned that the legal risk could push sites to either ban all known VPN IPs or mandate age verification for every visitor globally.

The law is also technically flawed, given that it assumes that a web provider can reliably detect VPN traffic and determine a user’s true physical location — they can’t. IP reputation databases such as MaxMind and IP2Proxy can flag traffic from known datacenter IP ranges, but commercial VPN providers rotate addresses constantly, and residential VPN endpoints are largely indistinguishable from standard home connections. Autonomous System Number analysis can catch traffic originating from datacenter networks, but can’t identify a personal WireGuard tunnel running on a cloud VPS, for example, which routes through the same infrastructure as ordinary web hosting.

The only detection method that reliably identifies VPN protocol signatures is deep packet inspection, which analyzes traffic at the network level, not system- or app-level. China's Great Firewall and Russia's TSPU system deploy DPI via ISPs, but a website operator can’t because it requires access to network infrastructure that sits between the user and the server, not on the server itself.

Meanwhile, setting up a personal WireGuard instance on any major cloud provider takes minutes, meaning the law will be more likely to negatively impact non-technical users who rely on commercial VPN services for legitimate privacy: journalists, people living under authoritarian regimes, political dissidents, and abuse survivors, among others.

Utah isn’t alone in trying to legislate the impossible into being. In the UK, the House of Lords — Parliament’s secondary chamber — voted 207-159 in January to ban VPN services for under 18s, with those amendments now due to be debated in the House of Commons. VPN use jumped by more than 1,400% on the first day of age verification enforcement in July last year. Meanwhile, France’s digital affairs minister, Anne Le Hénanff, has said that VPNs are “next on my list.” Wisconsin considered similar VPN provisions earlier this year but scrapped them due to heavy backlash.

To date, the only countries that have made progress in blocking VPN traffic with some success are authoritarian regimes with ISP-level surveillance.

Microsoft recently published a new support document for gaming on Windows, serving as a guide for what hardware people should choose in 2026. Just a day later, that post has already been deleted because it recommended 16GB of RAM as the "practical starting point," while suggesting users go for 32GB if they want to future-proof their system. That means 32GB is no longer overkill according to the Windows maker.

Despite the grim outlook of the market, if you follow recent hardware trends, the data actually backs up this argument. Last year, before the RAMpocalypse ushered in, we covered September 2025's Steam Survey that showed 16GB configs falling behind in popularity while 32 GB systems were gaining notoriety. The lines still haven't overlapped, though, and 16 GB remains more common than 32GB, especially with the current situation in mind.

RAM has gotten significantly more expensive in the past few months, thanks to the AI boom snatching production lines. Manufactures are trying to come up with solutions to alleviate the crisis, such as the HUDIMMs proposed by ASRock, Intel, and TeamGroup. Despite prices flatlining as of late, DDR5 in particular is still out of reach for most DIY builders.

The company does lay out its reasoning for this — it says that more RAM will help in running apps like Discord alongside your game, while AAA blockbuster titles also benefit from the extra breathing room. That's true in essence because, of course, having more RAM will always be nice; it'll allow the system to rely less on the page file, which is much slower, while keeping more things in memory.

GPUs with limited VRAM, such as those with only an 8GB pool, will also appreciate the higher system RAM capacity as assets spill over during intense workloads. If you're using an APU like the new Ryzen AI 400 series, a high-speed, high-capacity memory config is pretty much essential to squeezing out as much performance as possible from the integrated graphics.

All that being said, Microsoft is not "recommending" 32GB for gaming since most developers still outline 16GB as the actual baseline; it's just claiming that 32GB is the new norm we're working toward. Now, some titles actually do require 32GB of RAM, but many are edge-case scenarios tied to very high-fidelity presets (such as 4K Ultra in Stalker 2). Microsoft's own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 lists 64GB as the ideal RAM config, so the Redmont giant is definitely an exception to the rule.

Alongside memory, the company also recommends a much more reasonable upgrade: an SSD. It outright shuts down using any hard drive for either gaming or running Windows in 2026, saying that "active games and the OS should live on an SSD for the best experience." Moreover, the guideline states that "HDDs are best reserved for bulk storage." That much has been universally true for about a decade.

The SSD advice goes hand in hand with the memory advice, since your CPU will swap to system storage once the RAM fills up, so it's good to have a fast drive. Also, with features like DirectStorage poised to become the standard going forward, SSDs truly are a zero-compromise component. Unfortunately, we're in the middle of a global shortage right now, so even though the 32GB RAM recommendation is technically valid, it still comes off as tone-deaf for a company that's reportedly spending $190 billion on AI this year, which is the reason the shortages and high pricing exist.

Microsoft continues to make some of the earliest chapters of its operating system history open-source and freely available. Earlier this week, it announced that Tim Paterson's DOS listings, containing source code of the 86-DOS 1.00 kernel, various PC-DOS 1.00 pre-release kernels and utilities, and the Microsoft BASIC-86 Compiler runtime library, were available on GitHub. Microsoft VP Scott Hanselman tied the release to 86-DOS 1.00’s 45th anniversary. The exec confirmed that the code, transcribed from reams of old dot matrix printouts found in a garage, was perfect, "and recompiles byte for byte to the original binaries.”

If you head on over to the GitHub page to snag the code, you will see a photo of Tim Paterson standing in his garage with a pile of yellowed dot matrix printouts in the foreground. These pages contain the code for the software mentioned in the intro, and you can even see the original scans in PDF and PNG format via a link to the Internet Archive. These include the coder’s handwritten notes.

Probably more important to tinkerers, though, is the fact that the work of transcribing the printed code has been completed (for those three mentioned wares). Tips to compile and assemble the sources can also be found on Paterson’s GitHub.

From 86-DOS to MS-DOS

In case you aren’t familiar with the place of 86-DOS (or Tim Paterson) in Microsoft’s history, here's a short refresher. Microsoft took a shortcut and gained a foothold in the OS software market by purchasing 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products and inventor Tim Paterson for a figure in the region of $75,000.

In the GitHub repository, you can see 86-DOS’s transformation into the PC-DOS 1.00 kernel, alongside code for some well-known utilities (still in use today) such as CHKDSK. As the Microsoft blog asserts, this work “offers rare insight into how MS-DOS/PC-DOS came to be, and how operating system development was done at the time, not as it was later reconstructed.”

So, we have another old DOS release to tinker with. In April 2024, we reported on Microsoft releasing the code for MS-DOS 4.00 under the generous MIT License, allowing tinkerers free rein. It did the same with MS‑DOS 1.25 and 2.11 in 2018. Also in 2024, we coincidentally covered a video demo featuring 86-DOS version 0.1C being taken for a test drive (via the Internet Archive), and now version 1.00 of this OS has hit GitHub, straight from the files squirreled away in Tim Paterson's (the creator’s) garage.

We’re still waiting for any version of Windows to be open-sourced. You have to dig through leaks if you are curious enough to want to investigate the source code for Windows XP, for example.

Security engineer Andy Nguyen, known online as TheFlow, has publicly released ps5-linux on GitHub: a complete toolchain for booting Linux on PlayStation 5 Phat consoles running firmware versions 3.xx through 4.xx. The project, which Nguyen demonstrated running GTA V Enhanced Edition via a proof-of-concept in March, is now a documented, reproducible process that anyone with compatible hardware can follow.

The release includes a Linux payload that exploits a patched hypervisor vulnerability, a build script that produces a bootable Ubuntu 24.04 image, tools for M.2 SSD installation, and a fan and CPU/GPU boost control utility. Nguyen credits several contributors, including c0w, resulknad, flatz, and the fail0verflow and ps5-payload-dev teams.

Only PS5 Phat consoles on older firmware 3.00, 3.10, 3.20, 3.21, 4.00, 4.02, 4.03, 4.50, or 4.51 are supported, with Nguyen having said support for 1.xx and 2.xx may come later, but that it’s not a priority. Firmware 5.xx could eventually work, though Linux would run inside Sony's GameOS virtual machine with reduced performance and unknown limitations, while anything 6.xx or above is ruled out entirely. Users who want to downgrade or sideload a specific firmware version can do so using Sony's official reinstall process with the correct PUP file.

Installing the payload requires a separate jailbreak tool — the umtx2 exploit — for initial code execution. Users set up a fake DNS server and HTTPS host on a local PC, redirect the PS5's manual page lookup to trigger the exploit, then send the ps5-linux-loader payload over TCP. After the console enters rest mode and the LED goes solid orange, pressing the power button boots into Linux. If the LED turns white, it worked.

Once booted, the PS5 runs as an x86 Linux desktop with access to all eight Zen 2 CPU cores (16 threads) at up to 3.5 GHz and the RDNA 2 GPU at up to 2.23 GHz. A bundled control tool enables CPU and GPU boost clocks alongside an adjustable fan curve, and Nguyen warns users should always enable the fan profile when boosting, as the console's cooling was designed for Sony's own power management. You can see the hack running GTA V in the tweet above.

The system outputs video and audio over HDMI at 1080p, 1440p, or 4K at 60 Hz. All USB ports remain functional, so users can optionally install Linux onto an M.2 SSD inserted in the PS5's expansion slot, turning it into a dedicated Linux partition separate from the console's internal storage. The internal SSD is never modified, and the console can return to normal PS5 operation on a standard reboot.

It’s worth noting that ps5-linux is a soft mod, not a permanent installation, meaning that the exploit must be re-run each time you want to boot into Linux. Some monitors are also known to have compatibility issues with HDMI output at 1440p and 4K, and Nguyen in his FAQs directs users to try a 1080p fallback or join the project’s Discord for troubleshooting.

With discrete GPU prices remaining elevated and Valve’s Steam Machine delayed beyond its original early 2026 expected launch window, a used PS5 Phat on old firmware could easily serve as an affordable and surprisingly capable alternative for Linux gamers willing to work through the setup.

In a comprehensive post in the Ubuntu community hub on 27th April, Canonical VP of Engineering Jon Seager confirmed that AI is finally coming to Ubuntu, sketching out a plan that focuses on responsible adoption, local AI inference, among other tools, that lean into open-source tooling to align with company values.

Responding to complaints about the lack of a universal AI “kill switch,” Seager explained that the planned AI capabilities would be delivered as removable Snap packages layered on top of Ubuntu, allowing users to effectively disable them by uninstalling the associated snaps.

Since AI came to be as we now know it, numerous companies, organizations, and systems have incorporated the technology in their workflows or very architecture.

In the last few years, we’ve seen industry giants like Meta, Microsoft, X Corp, and Samsung, to name a few, weaving AI into the fabric of their ecosystems and corporate identities. Then there are countless organizations that have integrated the technology into their everyday operations. Through all these, Ubuntu and its parent company Canonical have remained silent, leaving their users wondering if and when AI would be coming to the platform.

Well, not anymore. Seager outlined in detail how the company plans to incorporate AI not just in Ubuntu but across the broader company. According to the post, and in typical Canonical fashion, the company will be focusing on responsible AI adoption, local inference infrastructure, context-aware operating system features, AI-assisted accessibility tools, and agentic automation workflows, while prioritizing open-weight models and open-source tooling as these align with its values.

Seager’s post covered six key areas: AI adoption within Canonical, responsible and cautious deployment, implicit versus explicit AI features, local AI inference infrastructure, a context-aware AI-assisted operating system, and performance and efficiency considerations.

AI adoption inside Canonical

Seager explained that Canonical has already begun encouraging internal experimentation with AI tools across engineering teams, though not through hard mandates or productivity quotas. Instead of forcing teams onto a single AI stack, the company wants different groups exploring different tools to better understand where they are genuinely useful.

“I will not be measuring people at Canonical by how much they use AI, but rather continue to measure them on how well they deliver,” Seager wrote, adding that AI itself will not replace engineers at the company, but engineers who effectively use AI tools could gain an advantage.

A cautious and responsible approach

A major part of the post focused on the risks surrounding AI adoption, particularly low-quality AI-generated code and overreliance on large language models. This is an extremely valid concern. We recently covered an incident where an AI coding agent deleted a company database.

Seager acknowledged growing concerns around “slop” contributions flooding open-source projects and stressed that Canonical does not want AI used carelessly. “We’ll need to help our colleagues and open source contributors develop good instincts by training them to be skeptical and not blindly trust what comes out of the machine,” he wrote. The company also signaled that transparency, auditing, and licensing concerns will heavily influence which AI technologies ultimately make their way into Ubuntu.

Implicit vs explicit AI features

Seager introduced a framework dividing Ubuntu’s future AI functionality into two categories: implicit and explicit AI features. Implicit AI refers to background enhancements to existing operating system functions, such as improved speech-to-text capabilities or AI-powered accessibility tools. Explicit AI features, on the other hand, would involve more direct AI-driven workflows and assistants. “Implicit AI features will improve what Ubuntu already does; explicit AI will be introduced as new features,” Seager explained.

Local inference and AI infrastructure

One of the strongest themes throughout the post was Canonical’s push toward local AI inference rather than cloud dependence. Seager highlighted the company’s “inference snaps,” which are designed to simplify the process of running optimized AI models locally on Ubuntu systems.

According to him, the goal is to make it significantly easier to deploy local AI models without requiring users to manually manage complex model configurations and dependencies. “The bottom line is that inference snaps provide simplified local access to inference with models that have been specifically optimized for your hardware,” he wrote.

Toward a context-aware operating system

Perhaps the most ambitious part of the roadmap involved turning Ubuntu into what Seager described as a more context-aware operating system capable of agentic workflows. He suggested that future AI systems inside Ubuntu could eventually help users troubleshoot system issues, automate administrative tasks, or even manage servers under tightly controlled permissions. “I love the idea that all the power and capability that Linux has acquired over the past few years could become more accessible to more people,” Seager wrote, while emphasizing that security guardrails and strict confinement controls would remain central to the approach.

Performance and efficiency

The final major point centered on the hardware realities of local AI processing. Seager acknowledged that smaller local models still struggle to match the capabilities of large cloud-hosted systems, but argued that advances in consumer AI hardware will gradually close the gap. Canonical believes its partnerships with chip manufacturers will help prepare Ubuntu for that transition. “We must consider both performance and efficiency in the conversation,” Seager wrote, pointing to the growing importance of AI accelerators and low-power local inference hardware.

Following strong reactions from the Ubuntu Community, Seager later published a clarification addressing concerns around privacy, user control, and forced AI integration.

He also stressed that the first AI-powered features planned for Ubuntu 26.10 would be strictly opt-in, and that local inference — not cloud processing — would remain the default unless users manually connect to external AI services themselves. Seager added that Canonical is not attempting to “force AI into every Desktop indiscriminately,” but instead wants to selectively introduce AI where it meaningfully improves functionality, such as accessibility, automation, and troubleshooting tools.

Security researchers have uncovered a cyber-sabotage platform that predates Stuxnet by at least half a decade. Sentinel Labs has published a blog on their fast16 revelations, discussing the scope of this state-level tool, which targets select high-precision calculation software, slyly introducing inaccuracies. Investigations suggest that fast16 was used to make key calculations in software used for projects involving nuclear reactors, dam design, and broader physics simulations, subtly but reproducibly erroneous.

“*** Nothing to see here – carry on ***”

Before looking more closely at fast16, it is interesting to ponder who may be behind it and the origin of the name. Sentinel Labs notes that the name ‘fast16’ can be found referenced in an infamous NSA ‘territorial dispute’ file leak. Specifically, it was mentioned in the strongest terms in a do-not-disturb list provided to operators. The line “fast16 *** Nothing to see here – carry on ***” singles out fast16 as being one of - if not the - most important NSA hack tools.

The security researchers, including Vitaly Kamluk & Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, found fast16 based on an architectural hunch. As a number of high-tier threats in this category were built on an embedded Lua virtual machine, they decided to see if there were traces of earlier Lua VM tools.

A file called svcmgmt.exe, which was uploaded to VirusTotal nearly a decade ago, would be a key link. This ‘unremarkable’ file was a 2005 file that was indeed a “Lua-powered service binary.” However, “it still receives almost no detections: one engine classifies it as generally malicious, and even that with limited confidence,” note the security researchers.

How fast16 was delivered

The aforementioned svcmgmt.exe acts as a carrier worm for delivering the fast16.sys kernel driver. It is surprisingly stealthy for a tool of its age. For example, it would check the machine registry for signs of malware monitoring tools from companies like Symantec, TrendMicro, McAfee, etc., to decide whether to abort or to deploy.

Spreading of fast16 would occur via wormlets propagating through Windows service control and file-sharing APIs. This version of fast16 targeted Windows 2000 and Windows XP environments and preyed on default and weak admin passwords on file shares.

The prime targets of fast16

Fast16 was designed to corrupt floating-point calculations in a subtle, predictable, reproducible way. It would seek out executable files, and in particular, EXEs that had been compiled with the Intel C/C++ compiler.

The corruption of output from targeted executables was controlled in such a way that fast16 would introduce “small but systematic errors into physical‑world calculations.” In effect, engineering projects based on these calculations may degrade more quickly than expected “or even contribute to catastrophic damage,” note the researchers.

In the Sentinel Labs blog, three era-appropriate software packages were specifically named as targets of fast16.

LS‑DYNA 970 (crash/explosion simulations; typically used in nuclear-related modeling)

PKPM (Chinese structural engineering suite, used to design expansive infrastructure projects)

MOHID (Portuguese hydrodynamic environmental modeling software)

Other infected machines using the same software, doing the same calculations, would get the same subtly erroneous results.

What else is out there?

Fast16 is a rather momentous discovery that indicates state-grade cyber sabotage existed in the mid-noughties, predating the discovery of Stuxnet by at least five years.

The lineage of fast16 may be much longer and deeper in history, though. Some strings in the malware files have fingerprints from Cold War-era Unix systems. These are basically fossilized traces of software revision control systems dating back to the 1970s and 80s.

It's true: London-based developer Iakov Sumygin has created a minimalistic playable video game using Gaussian splats for the environment data, and you can load it up and try it right now in your browser. There's not much to do, but we're a tech site, not a dedicated gaming site, and so, as you could imagine, the more interesting part of this story is the technology behind it rather than the extremely basic FPS gameplay.

To understand this post, you're going to have to understand what Gaussian splats are. If you're familiar with the concept of volume pixels, or "voxels," Gaussian splats can be thought of as "voxels of variable size and density." They're not really like voxels; they don't exist in a fixed grid, and they aren't physicalized the same way voxels are. In essence, Gaussian splats are a data type that you can use for representing a 3D world with extremely high visual fidelity, legitimately photo-realistic quality, yet with a modest rendering cost.

Splat scenes, sometimes called "3DGS" scenes, are created quite simply by taking many photos or even videos of a real space and then performing a process called "Structure-from-Motion," which essentially interprets the video data as a 3D scene and creates the sparse point cloud. Then, scene optimization is performed (often using AI) to adjust each Gaussian's position, shape, opacity, and color to match the input images or video.

Gaussian splats are a fairly new technology; while the core idea dates back to Lee Westover's work in the early 1990s, the modern version mostly stems from a paper published by French researchers in 2023 that refined the concept. Since then, the tech has been developed and used quite a bit; last year's Superman movie famously used Gaussian splats for complex visual effects, while musician A$AP Rocky has released music videos with the technique, including one ("HELICOPTER") based on a newer "4D Gaussian Splatting" method that bakes a temporal element into the capture, allowing for moving objects.

Now, you'll notice I said "visual" fidelity above, and therein lies the rub: Gaussian splats can't really be used for interactive media because they don't capture anything about the world except how it looks. Or can they? That's the real innovation of Sumygin's work: taking a pre-made scan of an abandoned building and running it through specialized tools (which he created) to voxelize the splats and create a collision mesh. Boom: workable 3D geometry for a video game.

After that, he baked a lighting grid to apply lighting to the object and character models he imported to the project, vibe-coded a basic AI and pathfinding method for the enemy soldiers, and dropped the whole thing on PlayCanvas, which is a browser-based game engine platform owned by Snap, the company that Sumygin works for. (Yes, that's the SnapChat guys.)

Speaking as a gamer, the demo isn't particularly interesting as a video game. There's one clumsy-looking gun, one enemy model with very static animations, many bugs (my gun was eating more ammo per shot every time I reloaded it), and it's very easy to break, such as by falling through the world. I'm also not as taken with the visuals as some people seem to be. While it does indeed look convincingly photorealistic at points, fine detail is basically nil; in parts, it reminds me of Id Software's Rage, which had gorgeous graphics until you looked too closely at things. Frankly, Unreal Engine 5 projects like Unrecord and Bodycam do the same thing better.

It's really what Sumygin's little game represents that is interesting, because Sumygin's project is completely fascinating from a technical perspective. He doesn't say how long it took him to make, but now that the tooling is done, it should be relatively straightforward and quick for anyone to 3D scan an environment and create a game with impressive visuals based in that environment. It's quite fascinating as a concept. Oh, and the whole project is under 100 megabytes, which is also quite impressive for the level of detail.

If you're a developer interested in the technique, Sumygin's project is completely open-source over on PlayCanvas, including the assets that he used. Frankly, the project is mostly an advertisement for his company's SuperSplat product, but it's an effective one, and it gives a tantalizing glimpse into what could be a very handy tool in the game developers' toolbox.

Greg Kroah-Hartman, the Linux kernel's stable branch maintainer, who is widely regarded as second only to Linus Torvalds in the project's hierarchy, posted a photo to Mastodon on Friday showing the hardware behind his AI-assisted bug-finding tool, dubbed a "clanker."

The setup, which Kroah-Hartman has dubbed "gkh_clanker_t1000," is a Framework Desktop powered by AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ "Strix Halo" processor, running a local large language model to hunt down kernel bugs without relying on any cloud infrastructure, as first reported by Phoronix.

Since April 7, close to two dozen patches assisted by the Clanker T1000 have been merged into the mainline Linux kernel, addressing bugs across a range of subsystems, including ALSA, HID, SMB, Nouveau, and IO_uring. Kroah-Hartman first began testing the tool against the kernel's ksmbd and SMB code earlier this month, choosing that subsystem because it was straightforward to set up and test locally using virtual machines.

The patches carry a Git tag reading "Assisted-by: gregkh_clanker_t1000," and Kroah-Hartman has been up-front about the need for human verification, writing in the patch submission that the patches "pass my very limited testing here," adding "please don't trust them at all and verify that I'm not just making this all up before accepting them."

The tool doesn’t write kernel code but instead acts as a fuzzer, bombarding code with unexpected inputs to expose crashes, memory errors, and other latent bugs. Kroah-Hartman then reviews what it finds, writes fixes, and takes full responsibility for the submitted patches.

The Framework Desktop is a 4.5-liter Mini-ITX system built around AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395, which pairs 16 Zen 5 CPU cores with 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units and up to 128 GB of unified LPDDR5x memory accessible to both the CPU and GPU. That large shared memory pool makes it capable of running sizable language models locally, a task that would typically require either a high-end discrete GPU with substantial VRAM or a cloud API.

Kroah-Hartman has not disclosed any details about the software stack powering the Clanker T1000, and the emergence of the tool follows the Linux project’s formal adoption of an AI code policy earlier this month, which permits AI-assisted contributions provided developers use an "Assisted-by" disclosure tag and accept full personal liability for any code they submit.

Kroah-Hartman's workflow with the Clanker T1000 predates that policy but already conforms to it.

Microsoft announced in a blog post yesterday that it would allow users to pause updates in Windows 11 indefinitely. This would be the first time the company officially allowed indefinite update pausing for everyday users since the launch of Windows 10 in 2015. The change is in response to countless user complaints over the years about its “mandatory update” policy.

Updates are necessary for the seamless functionality of the Windows OS and for security. However, users have had limited control over when and how these updates happen. You could postpone updates, but never for more than 35 days. There have been reports of forced update restarts right in the middle of meetings or gaming sessions after the extension period expires.

The upcoming changes, currently being tested in the Windows Insider Program before a wider public release, seek to give users much more control in four key ways: Delaying updates on new devices, indefinite update pausing and scheduling, restoring normal shutdown and restart options, and clearer update information.

First, new device owners would no longer be forced to install updates immediately after taking their devices out of the box. They have the option to go straight to the desktop and hold off on updates until a more convenient time.

Secondly, and most likely the answer to most complaints, users can now schedule updates for specific days or pause them indefinitely, in increments of up to 35 days. The initial 35-day extension limit remains, but this time, upon expiration, you can extend for another 35 days, and you can keep doing this as many times as you like.

“With a new calendar experience, you can choose a specific day of the month you want to pause until, up to 35 days, enabling you to plan around expected travel, conferences, exams, or even just busy weeks,” explained Microsoft’s Aria Hanson in the blog post. “When 35 days just isn’t long enough, we are also enabling you to extend the pause end date as many times as you need.”

The next change is the ability to shut down or restart your PC normally, even when updates are pending. Previously, whenever updates were due, the usual power options would change to “Update and shut down” or “Update and restart,” often accompanied by the familiar yellow notification dot beside the Shut down icon. This meant you couldn't simply perform a quick restart or power off your system without first installing pending updates. This change fixes that, allowing you to shut down or restart on your own terms, without being held hostage by a pending update.

“With this change, the Power menu will always show the standard Restart and Shut down options, meaning you will always have a choice to just restart or shut down your device without having to install the pending update. At the same time, update‑specific choices like Update and restart and Update and shut down will still be available when applicable,” said Hanson.

As the final key change, Microsoft would provide more insights on available updates, ensuring you know exactly what's being updated.

“Often, driver updates would have similar, if not identical, titles. To help provide you with more insights, we have added the device class to the driver title – ensuring pending or installed driver updates clarify whether they apply to display, audio, battery, extension, HDC, or other applicable driver update classes,” explained Hanson.

In addition to these changes, Microsoft said it will try to unify updates so that users won't have to deal with multiple system updates in a month.

With these changes, Microsoft is simply giving you more control and making updates far less disruptive to your workflow. That said, Microsoft is clear that updates remain critical for security, performance, and system stability — so the intention isn't to skip them altogether, but to plan them around your schedule rather than be ambushed by them at the worst possible moment.

Intel has quietly wound down its Open Ecosystem Community and Evangelism initiative, archiving the project alongside a fresh wave of open-source repositories on GitHub. This, unfortunately, seems to mark another step back from the company's long-standing role as a major open-source advocate.

The move comes as part of a broader pattern that has been unfolding over the past several months, with Intel steadily discontinuing or archiving internal open-source efforts amid corporate restructuring and cost-cutting measures. The now-archived evangelism initiative previously served as a hub for documentation, outreach, and community engagement around Intel's open-source strategy.

Its disappearance appears to coincide with a thinning of Intel's open-source leadership. Notably, one of the last prominent evangelists associated with the program, Katherine Druckman, apparently departed the company in mid-2025, leaving a visible gap in the kind of developer-facing advocacy Intel had historically invested in.

Alongside the program's closure, Intel has archived projects spanning AI, infrastructure, and developer tooling. These include a predictive maintenance platform built around time-series data, a high-density load balancer leveraging DPDK, an experimental FFT library targeting Intel GPUs, and an edge AI performance evaluation toolkit. Many of these repositories had already seen limited activity in recent months, suggesting maintenance challenges before their formal shutdown.

The changes follow a broader wave of open-source retrenchment at Intel dating back to late 2025, during which dozens of GitHub repositories were either deprecated or abandoned. While many of these projects were not core to Intel's product stack, they played a role in showcasing the company's hardware capabilities and cultivating developer ecosystems around technologies like Xeon processors and OpenVINO.

The closures point to a significant shift in Intel's open-source posture. For much of the past two decades, the company positioned itself as one of the industry's most active contributors to open-source software, particularly in the Linux ecosystem. That reputation now appears to be evolving as Intel narrows its focus and reallocates engineering resources. The pullback would seem to align with wider financial and strategic pressures facing the company, as Intel has been navigating declining margins, increased competition, and a multi-year turnaround effort, factors that have already led to layoffs, product cancellations, and the discontinuation of high-profile projects like Clear Linux.

While Intel continues to maintain some flagship open-source initiatives, the loss of its evangelism arm and the steady attrition of auxiliary projects may have longer-term implications for developer engagement and platform visibility, particularly in areas where community momentum has historically been a key differentiator. For now, the company's open-source strategy appears to be shifting from broad ecosystem cultivation toward a more selective, product-aligned approach, but the full impact of that transition is still playing out.

A computer tinkerer and hacker has posted a tool called WSL9x on Codeberg and taken to social media to boast that it might be “one of my greatest hacks of all time.” Hailey shared a summary of WSL9x on Mastodon, referring to it by its longer and more meaningful name, the Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux. Oftentimes, folks like to run old OSes inside their modern ones, but WSL9x turns that on its head, as it can run the most modern Linux kernels within some of the earliest versions of Windows. It works on systems sporting Windows 95 or newer, and even machines with 486 CPUs.

In her brief summary of WSL9x, Hailey highlights that the tool can “can run all your favorite Windows and Linux apps side-by-side with a modern Linux kernel running cooperatively with the Windows kernel in ring 0.” Moreover, it is even compatible with processors as far back as the 486, because no hardware virtualization is used. That contrasts with modern WSL in Microsoft's latest versions of Windows.

We can see from the more detailed Codeberg readme and repository that there are three main components to WSL9x. These are a patched Linux kernel, a VxD driver, and wsl.com. The tinkerer and coder explained that “wsl.com is just a client program, it exists to hold a DOS window open for the console driver in the kernel to push chars into. + It also handles shuttling keystrokes from DOS to the console driver on IRQ.”

With the tool built and run, following the guide at Codeberg, users will be able to run “a modern Linux kernel (6.19 at time of writing) cooperatively inside the Windows 9x kernel, enabling users to take advantage of the full suite of capabilities of both operating systems at the same time, including paging, memory protection, and pre-emptive scheduling,” writes Hailey. No reboots are required to fire this up and get your favorite Windows 9X and Linux apps running side-by-side, highlights the developer.

In an age of AI and vibe coding, readers may also be refreshed to hear that WSL9x was “proudly written without AI.” Hailey also reveals that WSL9x has been brewing for six years, ever since she finished her doslinux project.

Meanwhile, Linux is saying goodbye to the 486

Earlier this month, we reported on Linux kernel devs starting to remove support for the 37-year-old Intel 486 CPU. Linus Torvalds had previously telegraphed that there was 'zero real reason' to continue support for this ancient processor.

Developer Ingo Molnar will probably go down in history as the 486 on Linux gallowsman, though. Molnar authored a patch “that initially gets rid of the CONFIG_M486SX, CONFIG_M486, and CONFIG_MELAN Kconfig build option.” This patch is expected to be merged into Linux 7.1, so from that time, users won’t be able to build an i486 kernel image. Time to upgrade to a Pentium, perhaps.

The Linux kernel community is currently debating a significant proposal that could see countless legacy network drivers purged from the mainline source code to combat an unsustainable surge in AI-driven bug reports. This development follows a patch series submitted by OG developer Andrew Lunn to the netdev mailing list earlier this week.

Maintaining support for old hardware has always been a “thing” for Linux. However, thanks to AI-wielding “detectives,” the sheer number of reports is forcing a shift in the kernel’s long-standing philosophy. Developers must now choose between addressing countless low-quality or hallucinated reports on systems no one uses or focusing their limited time on modern, high-impact subsystems.

Andrew Lunn argued that while support for aging ISA and PCMCIA-era hardware was once a low-maintenance endeavor, it has recently become a disproportionate burden due to newbies using AI and fuzzers to uncover theoretical defects in code that likely have no remaining active users.

"These old drivers have not been much of a maintenance burden until recently,” writes Lunn. “Now there are more newbies are using AI and fuzzers to find issues, resulting in more work for Maintainers. Fixing these old drivers makes little sense if it is not clear they have users.”

Lunn notes that many of the Ethernet devices date to the late 1900s and feature ISA or PCMCIA interfaces (although there are a few that debuted between 2001 and 2002). If accepted, Lunn's proposal would remove specific drivers from 3Com, AMD, SMSC, Cirrus Logic, Fujitsu, Xircom, and 8390-based hardware families, eliminating approximately 27,646 lines of code from the kernel source tree.

More importantly, rather than nuking support all at once, Linux would handle the removal one patch at a time, meaning a user could restore any of these drivers if they still depend on them and are willing to step in as a maintainer. This approach would ensure that legacy systems are not permanently locked out, but no longer impose an ongoing maintenance burden by default.

YouTube tester NJ Tech has just shown that 4GB GPU users are not entirely left out of Valve's recent VRAM hack. Earlier this month, we covered a literal game-changing VRAM hack by Valve’s Natalie Vock for Linux gamers that lets you give priority to current gaming tasks. The hack fixes long-standing issues where gaming tasks are evicted from VRAM to make room for low-priority background tasks when VRAM is running low. The announcement focused on 8GB GPUs — understandably so, as most modern games are graphically demanding, requiring at least that much VRAM for high-visual-fidelity gaming.

However, this left 4GB GPU users wondering where they stood. At the time, it seemed like the options were: upgrade (for the love of God!), stick to older games (or lower graphics), or keep dealing with the visual glitches. Fortunately, YouTube gaming tech channel NJ tech demonstrated, through extensive testing with some recent gaming titles, that the options are not exhaustive — the VRAM hack does offer some improvement in 4GB GPU gaming, at least in terms of FPS in certain games at low graphics settings.

The test setup was a 4GB Radeon RX 6500 XT running CatchOS, paired with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a Ryzen 5 5600X with a stock cooler. The channel tested various recent titles in low- to medium-graphic settings, obtaining mixed results.

Alan Wake II saw the most improvement, with average frame rates nearly tripling from 14 FPS to 41 FPS, while 1% lows significantly increased from 12 FPS to 28 FPS. Two other titles, Resident Evil: Requiem and Silent Hill, showed more modest improvements. Conversely, a bunch of other titles showed little to no improvement.

The results showed that the Valve VRAM hack may offer some benefits to 4GB GPUs in certain scenarios. Of course, we will need more testing to conclusively assess the benefits across a wide range of titles. However, it is safe to say that 4GB-GPU users are not entirely left out.

It's important to note that the hack does not reduce a game's VRAM usage; it just optimizes it, ensuring the game gets priority access to the space. If you run a title that requires at least 6 GB of VRAM on a 4 GB GPU, the patch ensures that the game doesn't have to compete with background system processes for the available 4 GB of memory. However, the remaining 2 GB will still spill into the system RAM.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down from the top job to serve as executive chairman of the company's board of directors. He will be replaced by current senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, the company announced in a press release.

Cook will serve as CEO until Ternus takes the top job on September 1. The company notes that as executive chairman, Cook will continue to engage with "policymakers around the world," likely leaving him in charge of relationships with the Trump administration, China, India, and other areas where Apple has manufacturing and political interests.

Cook, 65, originally joined Apple in 1998 from Compaq. He was handpicked by Steve Jobs to become CEO in 2011, and became known for turning Apple's supply chain operation into a well-oiled international machine. Apple's press release highlights that during Cook's Tenure, "Apple has grown from a market capitalization of approximately $350 billion to $4 trillion, representing a more than 1,000% increase, and yearly revenue has nearly quadrupled, from $108 billion in fiscal year 2011 to more than $416 billion in fiscal year 2025."

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company," Cook said in the release. "I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world... I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with [Ternus] on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”

Ternus has worked at Apple for over 25 years and has served as an increasingly visible hardware mind in Cupertino, most recently showcasing the iPhone Air and the MacBook Neo. He also oversaw the Mac's shift to Apple Silicon and away from Intel.

Ternus began at Apple in 2001 on the product design team and rose through the ranks, overseeing hardware engineering across multiple products, including the introduction of the iPad and AirPods. Before working at Apple, he worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

At 50 years old, Ternus is the same age that Cook was when he became chief executive, affording him stability and a long tenure. He will serve as Apple's eighth CEO.

Cook's legacy is likely to be one that was safe and extremely profitable. While showing off his supply chain mastery, he also introduced Apple to the services business, including Apple TV and Apple News, which has become a sector worth more than $100 billion in its own right. During Cook's leadership, the company debuted the Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Silicon Macs. Cook also promised to reduce the company's carbon footprint, including a goal to become carbon neutral by 2030.

But under Cook, Apple also faltered with artificial intelligence, and the company hasn't been on the cutting edge of the latest technology. Apple is expected to release an update to its Siri voice assistant later this year, but it will have been several times delayed and will be based on Google's Gemini model.

When he becomes CEO, Ternus will join the company's board of directors. Arthur Levinson, the company's non-executive chairman for the last 15 years, will become lead independent director.

Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies, will immediately become chief hardware officer, leading the department that Ternus oversaw and getting a significantly expanded role. Srouji, who previously served at Intel and IBM, joined Apple in 2008 to lead development on A4, Apple's first system-on-a-chip, for the iPhone 4. Last year, Bloomberg reported that Srouji was looking for a bigger role or would consider leaving. Srouji told staff he "didn't plan on leaving anytime soon."

Linux 7.1 is bringing what might be the biggest under-the-radar storage change in years: a new in-kernel NTFS driver that finally treats Microsoft's filesystem like a native citizen instead of a tolerated guest. After years of half-solutions, including slow FUSE drivers and under-maintained kernel code, Linux users will finally get fast, reliable, and fully integrated NTFS support out of the box.

The headline feature under discussion here is a ground-up rework of NTFS support built directly into the kernel. Unlike the long-standing NTFS-3G driver, which runs in userspace via the "Filesystem in Userspace" (FUSE) module, or the more recent but somewhat neglected NTFS3 driver, this new implementation is designed around modern Linux filesystem infrastructure from day one.

That includes support for native in-kernel read/write operations, iomap (the same high-performance I/O path used by filesystems like XFS), folio-based memory management, removal of legacy buffer_head code, and delayed allocation for improved write efficiency. In practical terms, this isn't just "NTFS, but working again"; instead, it's Linux NTFS support rebuilt to behave like a contemporary Linux filesystem internally. It's a big philosophical shift from previous approaches that mostly treated NTFS support as a compatibility layer.

Microsoft's filesystem has always been unavoidable for Linux users in mixed environments; whether it's dual-boot setups, external drives, or just moving data between machines, support has existed, but it's never felt first-class. Historically, your options were the NTFS-3G driver, the newer NTFS3 driver, or the ancient kernel NTFS that was only capable of reading NTFS volumes, not writing them. NTFS-3G is stable, but it's slow due to userspace overhead, and the newer NTFS3 driver is faster, but has been largely unmaintained since it was added way back in Linux 5.15 in 2021.

The new driver in Linux 7.1 is actually based on that ancient NTFS kernel driver, but it's been fully rewritten from the ground up by developer Namjae Jeon, the very same genius behind the Linux exFAT driver. The original work was done under the name NTFSPlus before being merged simply as "ntfs" to replace the old driver. Thus, Linus Torvalds referred to the new driver as "NTFS resurrection" when announcing the merge.

If the new NTFS delivers, it removes one of the longest-standing friction points between Linux and Windows ecosystems. On paper, performance should improve, especially compared to NTFS-3G. Running in kernel space alone eliminates a lot of overhead from context switching, which has always been the Achilles' heel of FUSE-based filesystems. Add in iomap and newer memory handling, and the new driver should be noticeably better at large sequential reads and writes, with lower CPU overhead during file operations and more consistent throughput under load.

Compared to NTFS3, things are less clear-cut. The new driver is architecturally cleaner and more future-proof, but it's also new code, which means early releases may not immediately outperform NTFS3 in every scenario. However, the developer says single-threaded writes are 3-5% faster, while multi-threaded writes are between 35% and 110% faster. Mounting a 4TB drive apparently goes four times faster, too, which is promising.

Of course, because it's new code, it comes with the usual risks. Edge cases, especially around less-commonly used NTFS features like advanced permissions, compression, or journaling quirks, may take time to fully stabilize. It's also worth noting that even with a perfect driver, NTFS itself isn't designed around Linux semantics, so while compatibility improves, it's not suddenly going to behave exactly like ext4 or XFS in every case. The new driver passes 326 xfstests, though, which is better than NTFS3's 273 passing results, so it's already more than reliable enough for most users.

Still, for years, NTFS on Linux has been in that awkward "good enough, but..." category. It worked, but it never felt clean. Linux 7.1 is the first time it looks like the kernel is taking NTFS seriously as something worth doing properly, rather than just supporting it out of necessity. If the new driver holds up and gets consistent maintenance, it could finally make NTFS a genuinely seamless bridge between Linux and Windows. If not, it risks becoming just another entry in the long history of "almost there" NTFS support on Linux.

If you miss the old magazine cover-mounted demo disks of yore, the dominant channel for discovering new apps and games before the broadband internet age, be assured that many of these artifacts are preserved on the Internet Archive. Earlier today, our sister site PC Gamer revealed that there is now a treasure trove of its cover disks (floppies, CDs, and DVDs) archived and ready to enjoy.

PC Gamer’s headline highlights the 758 cover disks on the Internet Archive, but there are actually even more gems to be found. Our search uncovered over 1,500 PC Gamer software archives, thanks to a trove of floppy disk offerings from yesteryear. The total collection spans 1.2TB of material, according to the site.

The archive is a nostalgic reminder of the exclusive content these important printed media outlets used to offer. Such was the power of the printed word (plus cover disk) back then, app and games publishers would be eager to write custom demos and editions for the cover disks. PC Gamer highlights a few things, like its exclusive Freedom Force character skins on the June 2002 demo disk.

I remember Amiga Format cover disks going further, with special editions like Christmas Lemmings, Cannon Soccer, and even an exclusive Syndicate level put on cover disks for readers.

While rooting through the Internet Archive’s similar collections, I was also happy to find a bounty of PC Format disks of various eras, ST Format disks, CU Amiga disks, and Computer Shopper disks. There are surely many more - check for your favorite old magazine.

While you are there, browsing software cover disks at the archive, remember that many of the old print magazines have also been preserved. So, you’ll often be able to find both the cover disk and a PDF of the magazine it was originally attached to. That may be useful if a special code or instructions are needed to get the cover disk content up and running.

Internet Archive issues

There’s no doubt the Internet Archive is both a treasure and an important reference, but recent reports suggest its future worth may be being eroded. Last week, we noted that many news outlets were blocking the IA’s Wayback Machine from archiving their pages.

Among the reasons given for the blockages were that some publishers feared AI companies would abuse fair use policies and train their models on the snapshots of old articles. However, the good news is that Wayback Machine director Mark Graham is reportedly in talks with several outlets so that the archiver’s bot can gain access to these websites once more.