IBM uses generative AI to accelerate mainframe application modernisation

IBM has unveiled a generative AI-assisted product to accelerate the modernisation of mainframe applications.

‘Watsonx Code Assistant for Z‘ is the latest addition to the Watson Code Assistant product family. The solution – along with the upcoming IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed – is powered by IBM's watsonx.ai code model.

Watsonx.ai boasts an impressive knowledge of 115 coding languages and has been trained on a staggering 1.5 trillion...

22 August 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

Mozilla is launching Android support for Firefox extensions

Mozilla has announced its plans to introduce an open ecosystem of extensions for Firefox on Android, offering a range of possibilities for developers to optimise their desktop extensions for mobile usage.

The exact launch date is set to be revealed in early September, with expectations of the rollout occurring before the close of this year. Firefox will then become the sole major Android browser to support an open extension ecosystem.

While Firefox for Android has been...

14 August 2023 | Android

Intel joins PyTorch Foundation as a ‘Premier’ member

Intel has become a ‘Premier’ member of the PyTorch Foundation in a move aimed at propelling the advancement of AI.

PyTorch is a popular open-source framework that accelerates AI application development and facilitates experimentation that can lead to creative breakthroughs in the field. The framework was originally developed by Meta AI and is now part of the Linux Foundation.

Intel's involvement with PyTorch dates back to 2018, with a clear vision to democratise AI...

11 August 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

State of Rust: Increasing global adoption supports positive outlook

The Rust Survey Working Group has reported impressive growth and increasing global adoption of the much-loved programming language.

The ‘State of Rust’ survey has been conducted for the past six years and provides valuable insights into the community's sentiments and preferences regarding Rust.

9,433 “Rustaceans” completed the most recent survey, an impressive 82 percent completion rate compared to 76 percent in the previous year. The increased engagement...

7 August 2023 | Languages

Apple will require developers to explain their API use

In an effort to bolster user privacy and crack down on fingerprinting, Apple has announced that developers will soon be required to provide detailed explanations for their app's use of certain APIs before submitting them to the App Store.

The APIs in question are now classified as "required reason APIs," meaning developers must articulate the purpose of these APIs in their apps when submitting them for review. Currently, there are around 30 APIs to which the new rule...

28 July 2023 | App Stores

Stack Overflow unveils OverflowAI to support developers with AI/ML solutions

At the WeAreDevelopers World Congress in Berlin, Stack Overflow took the stage to reveal six innovative capabilities and features as part of its OverflowAI offerings.

These AI/ML solutions aim o revolutionise the way developers find solutions within their workflows, catering to both the public platform and Stack Overflow's popular SaaS product, Stack Overflow for Teams.

By integrating AI into its platform, Stack Overflow aims to accelerate the growth of GenAI, bringing...

27 July 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

Developers sue Apple over ‘excessive’ App Store fees

More than 1,500 developers in the UK have banded together to sue Apple, alleging that the tech giant's App Store fees are "excessive" and harmful to both developers and consumers. 

The class-action lawsuit, led by Sean Ennis, a professor at the University of East Anglia Centre for Competition Policy and a former OECD economist, is seeking £785 million (€912 million) in compensation for the affected app creators.

At the core of the legal challenge is Apple's policy of...

25 July 2023 | App Stores

Checkmarx uncovers supply chain attacks targeting banking

Checkmarx has uncovered a new and sophisticated cyber threat targeting the banking sector.

The security testing firm's research team detected two distinct open-source software supply chain attacks targeting financial institutions. These attacks, which involved advanced techniques and deceptive tactics, have raised alarm bells among cybersecurity experts.

Attack one: NPM

The first attack occurred on April 5th and 7th when a threat actor exploited the NPM platform,...

21 July 2023 | Hacking & Security

JetBrains launches code quality platform Qodana

JetBrains has officially launched Qodana, a cutting-edge code quality platform that aims to revolutionise modern CI-centric workflows.

Qodana is the only code quality platform on the market that leverages inspections native to JetBrains IDEs and extends the smartness of these IDEs to the CI server.

The platform has now transitioned from its preview phase and is now commercially available, offering developers the opportunity to automate code reviews, build quality gates,...

20 July 2023 | Development Tools

UKIE publishes guidance on loot boxes

UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) has published new principles to address concerns surrounding loot boxes in video games and provide better protections for players. 

The industry body has published 11 principles in total, developed by the Technical Working Group convened by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). These principles aim to ensure that loot boxes are used responsibly and transparently within video games.

John Whittingdale, Minister for...

19 July 2023 | Developer