ICT news

• Firefox Changes Its User Agent - Because of Internet Explorer 11

  01-01-2023 23:12 via news.slashdot.org
  2022 was the year that Microsoft retired its Internet Explorer web browser (to concentrate on its Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser).
  Yet Ghacks reports that Internet Explorer "is still haunting some from its grave."
  Some websites and apps use code to determine the user agent. The user agent informs the site about several parameters, including the used web browser (engine) and operating system. When done correctly, it may reveal the used browser and that may then lead to a custom user experi
  
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• In Bad Year for Tech Stocks, Three Boston Companies Dropped More than 99%

  01-01-2023 22:12 via slashdot.org
  A Boston Globe tech reporter checked last year's performance for the region's tech companies:A list of the worst local performers includes some truly bottom-of-the-barrel returns. Cannabis tech company Agrify in Billerica suffered a 99.6 percent stock drop in 2022. Wireless Internet service Starry and diet-device maker Gelesis were close behind with losses of 99.5 and 99.3 percent, respectively. (All stock prices are as of Dec. 28.)
  Agrify suffered a recent sales drop and growing losses while en
  
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• One Problem for Meta's Anti-China Stance? 'Made in China' Hardware

  01-01-2023 21:12 via tech.slashdot.org
  Companies like Apple have moved hardware production to places like India and Vietnam, reports the Washington Post. But Facebook "has hit walls, say three people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations."Until recently, the people said, Meta executives viewed the company's reliance on China to make Oculus virtual reality headsets as a relatively minor concern because the company's core focus was its social media and messaging apps.
  
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• CNN Political Commentator Predicts Bitcoin Rises to $103,000 in 2023

  01-01-2023 19:45 via slashdot.org
  "Cryptocurrency went through a transformation in 2022," writes CNN, noting that its peak price last year occurred on January 1 of 2022, at over $47,000:Since then, the asset — along with other cryptocurrencies — has seen a steep fall in price, remaining well below $20,000 since early November.... [Current price: $16,585]
  In the wake of the FTX collapse, Emily Parker rhetorically asked, "So who will save crypto now?" Whether the currency can be saved at all is a question that divides
  
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• Analyst Mocks the Idea That It's 'The End of Programming' Again

  01-01-2023 18:34 via developers.slashdot.org
  January's Communications of the ACM includes an essay predicting "the end of programming," in an AI-powered future where "programming will be obsolete."
  But IT analyst and ZDNet contributor Joe McKendrick remains skeptical, judging by a new essay sardonically titled "It's the end of programming as we know it — again."Over the past few decades, various movements, paradigms, or technology surges — whatever you want to call them — have roiled the software world, promising either t
  
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• Seeking Exotic Remote Work Locations? More Than 40 Places Now Offer 'Digital Nomad' Visas

  01-01-2023 17:34 via it.slashdot.org
  "Imagine starting your work day with a fresh coconut juice perched by your laptop as you gaze over the ocean or a tropical rainforest...." writes the Conversation.
  "More than 40 nations or territories now offer "digital nomad" visas to attract those able to be employed in one country while living, and spending their income, in another."Fancy the beach? A bunch of exotic islands are on the list. Prefer tropical forests? Try Brazil or Costa Rica. Looking for history? There's Spain or Greece. Love
  
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• NASA Images Showcase the Eerie Beauty of Winter on Mars

  01-01-2023 16:34 via science.slashdot.org
  CNN reports:
  Mars may seem like a dry, desolate place, but the red planet transforms into an otherworldly wonderland in winter, according to a new video shared by NASA....
  "Enough snow falls that you could snowshoe across it," said Sylvain Piqueux, a Mars scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement from a NASA release. "If you were looking for skiing, though, you'd have to go into a crater or cliffside, where snow could build up on a sloped surface."
  So
  
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• Will Gaming Become More Open in 2023?

  01-01-2023 13:34 via games.slashdot.org
  VentureBeat's lead gaming writer made 10 predictions for 2023. Prediction #8? "Gaming will become more open in 2023."There are many forces at play that will make gaming more open. The web browser is poised for a comeback. Companies are working on ways to get around the restrictions of the app stores by turning to the open web. In the past, this meant bad graphics and limited interactivity. But new standards like glTF and proprietary technologies could enable speedier delivery.
  The open web could
  
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• Ubuntu Blogger Chooses the 5 Best Linux Distros of 2022

  01-01-2023 09:34 via linux.slashdot.org
  Long-time Slashdot reader destinyland shares an article listing "the five best Linux distros of 2022" — as chosen by the editor of the blog omg! ubuntu!
  "Spoiler: they're not all Ubuntu-based!" the article begins, also noting that it's not a ranking of superiority of importance, but rather "giving a shoutout to some of the year's best Linux releases."Its top-listed non-Ubuntu distro?Fedora Workstation 37Fedora Workstation is a flagship desktop Linux distro for good reason: it's robust, it'
  
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• Better Than Expected: Astronomers Celebrate the Webb Telescope's Findings

  01-01-2023 05:34 via science.slashdot.org
  To hear the first results from the James Webb Telescope, 200 astronomers descended on the Space Telescope Science Institute for three days in December, reports the New York Times, with an update on what may be 2022's biggest science story. The $10 billion telescope "is working even better than astronomers had dared to hope" -- and astronomers are ecstatic:At a reception after the first day of the meeting, John Mather of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Webb's senior project scientist from
  
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• What Will Technology Do in 2023?

  01-01-2023 03:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  Looking back at 2022's technology, the lead technology writer for the New York Times criticized Meta's $1,500 VR headset and the iPhone's "mostly unnoticeable improvements."
  But then he also predicted which new tech could affect you in 2023. Some highlights:
  - It's very likely that next year you could have a chatbot that acts as a research assistant. Imagine that you are writing a research paper and want to add some historical facts about World War II. You could share a 100-page document with th
  
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• The Shameful Open Secret Behind Southwest's Failure? Software Shortcomings

  01-01-2023 00:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  Computer programmer Zeynep Tufekci now writes about the impact of technology on society. In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Tufekci writes on "the shameful open secret" that earlier this week led Southwest airlines to suddenly cancel 5,400 flights in less than 48 hours. "The recent meltdown was avoidable, but it would have cost them."Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes that the piece "takes a crack at explaining 'technical debt' to the masses." Tufekci writes:
  Computers become incre
  
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