ICT news

• Linux Drops Support For 486 and Early Pentium Processors

  08-05-2025 23:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet: RIP, 486 processor. You've had a long run since Intel released you back in 1989. While Microsoft stopped supporting you with the release of Windows XP in 2001, Linux kept you alive and well for another 20+ years. But all good things must come to an end, and with the forthcoming release of the Linux 6.15 kernel, the 486 and the first Pentium processors will be sunsetted.Why? Linus Torvalds wrote recently on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML), "I r
  
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• Delta Air Lines Class Action Cleared For Takeoff Over CrowdStrike Chaos

  08-05-2025 22:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A federal judge has allowed key parts of a class action lawsuit against Delta Air Lines to proceed, stemming from massive flight disruptions caused by CrowdStrike's faulty Windows update in July 2024. The Register reports: Delta blamed its reliance on Microsoft software and the CrowdStrike incident for its woes. However, according to the plaintiffs in the action (PDF), both companies offered the airline assistance, which Delta turned down. Customers of the Atlanta-based carrier affected by the d
  
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• Maintainer of Linux Distro AnduinOS Revealed to Be Microsoft Employee

  08-05-2025 22:00 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  After gaining attention from Neowin and DistroWatch last week, the sole maintainer behind AnduinOS 1.3 -- a Linux distribution styled to resemble Windows 11 -- decided to reveal himself. He turns out to be Anduin Xue, a Microsoft software engineer, who has been working on the project as a personal, non-commercial endeavor built on Ubuntu. Neowin reports: As a Software Engineer 2 at Microsoft (he doesn't work on Windows), Anduin Xue says he's financially stable and sees no need to commercialize A
  
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• Senate Passes 'Cruel' Republican Plan To Block Wi-Fi Hotspots For Schoolkids

  08-05-2025 21:20 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The US Senate today voted along party lines to kill a Federal Communications Commission program to distribute Wi-Fi hotspots to schoolchildren, with Democrats saying the Republican-led vote will make it harder for kids without reliable Internet access to complete their homework. The Senate approved a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to nullify the hotspot rule, which was issued by the Federal Communications Commission in July 2024 u
  
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• Microsoft Effectively Raises High-End Surface Prices By Discontinuing Base Models

  08-05-2025 20:42 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: When Microsoft announced new Surface devices earlier this week, we noted that there wasn't a lot of daylight between the starting prices of the new but lower-end devices ($799 for the 12-inch Surface Pro, $899 for the 13-inch Surface Laptop) and the starting prices of the older-but-higher-end Surfaces from last spring ($999 for both). It appears Microsoft has quietly solved this problem by discontinuing the 256GB versions of the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 and
  
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• Judge Dismisses Most Charges Against FTX's Celebrity Boosters

  08-05-2025 19:27 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A Florida federal judge has dismissed the majority of claims against celebrities who endorsed Sam Bankman-Fried's now-collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Judge K. Michael Moore ruled that investors failed to demonstrate the high-profile endorsers -- including Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, Kevin O'Leary, Larry David, Shohei Ohtani, and Stephen Curry -- knew about FTX's fraudulent activities.
  In his ruling, Moore wrote that while the celebrity endorsers may have been "uninformed, negligent, or ev
  
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• Wikipedia Legally Challenges UK's 'Flawed' Online Safety Rules

  08-05-2025 18:50 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Wikipedia is taking legal action against the UK's new Online Safety Act regulations it says could threaten the safety of its volunteer editors and their ability to keep harmful content off the site. From a report: The Wikimedia Foundation -- the non-profit which supports the online encyclopaedia -- is seeking a judicial review of rules which could mean Wikipedia is subjected to the toughest duties required of websites under the act.
  Lead counsel Phil Bradley-Schmieg said it was "unfortunate that
  
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• Plastics Industry Pushed 'Advanced Recycling' Despite Knowing Problems

  08-05-2025 18:17 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Plastic producers have pushed "advanced recycling" as a salve to the plastic waste crisis despite knowing for years that it is not a technically or economically feasible solution, a new report argues. The Guardian: Advanced recycling, also known as chemical recycling, refers to a variety of processes used to break plastics into their constituent molecules. The industry has increasingly promoted these technologies, as public concern about the environmental and health effects of plastic pollution
  
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• Apple Asks Court To Halt App Store Rule Changes While It Appeals

  08-05-2025 17:36 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple asked a judge to halt an order forcing it to give up control over App Store payments while it appeals the decision. From a report: In a filing on Wednesday, Apple says the order contains "extraordinary intrusions" that could result in "grave irreparable harm" to the company. Last week, California District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple was in "willful violation" of a 2021 injunction issued as part of the Epic Games v. Apple case.
  As a result, the judge ordered Apple to
  
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• Switzerland To Hold Referendum on Introducing Electronic ID

  08-05-2025 16:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Switzerland will hold a national referendum on the introduction of electronic identity cards after opponents of the legislation secured enough signatures to force a public vote. The Federal Chancellery confirmed Wednesday that 55,344 valid signatures were submitted against the Federal Act on Electronic Identity passed last December.
  The proposed e-ID would enable citizens to apply online for criminal record extracts, driving licenses, and age verification when purchasing alcohol. This marks the
  
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• Zuckerberg's Grand Vision: Most of Your Friends Will Be AI

  08-05-2025 16:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is aggressively promoting a future where AI becomes the dominant form of social interaction, claiming that AI friends, therapists, and business agents will soon outnumber human relationships. During a recent media blitz across multiple podcasts and a Stripe conference appearance, Zuckerberg cited statistics suggesting "the average American has fewer than three friends" while claiming people desire "meaningfully more, like 15 friends" -- positioning AI companions as the s
  
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• Ghost Students Are Creating an 'Agonizing' Problem For California Colleges

  08-05-2025 15:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from SFGATE: When the pandemic upended the world of higher education, Robin Pugh, a professor at City College of San Francisco, began to see one puzzling problem in her online courses: Not everyone was a real student. Of the 40 students enrolled in her popular introduction to real estate course, Pugh said she'd normally drop three to five from her roster who don't start the course or make contact with her at the start of the semester. But during the current sp
  
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• Figma's Big AI Update Takes On Adobe, WordPress, and Canva

  08-05-2025 12:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  At its Config 2025 event on Wednesday, Figma unveiled four new AI-powered tools -- Sites, Make, Buzz, and Draw, positioning itself as a full-stack design platform to rival Adobe, WordPress, and Canva. These tools enable users to build websites, generate code, create marketing content, and design vector graphics without leaving the Figma ecosystem. The Verge reports: Figma's first solution is Figma Sites, a website builder that integrates with Figma Design and allows creators to turn their projec
  
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• Dangerous Fungal Spores May Travel the Globe On 'Stratospheric Superhighway'

  08-05-2025 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  sciencehabit shares a repot from Science.org: Scientists have captured fungal spores cruising in the inhospitable environment of the stratosphere, much higher than commercial aircraft fly. When brought back to the lab, the researchers found that some of the spores -- including pathogens of plants and people -- had survived intercontinental trips and could be cultured in the lab. Although spores and microbes have been detected in the stratosphere before, the new results come from a cheap, homespu
  
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• AI of Dead Arizona Road Rage Victim Addresses Killer In Court

  08-05-2025 07:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Chris Pelkey was killed in a road rage shooting in Chandler, Arizona, in 2021. Three and a half years later, Pelkey appeared in an Arizona court to address his killer. Sort of. "To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances," says a video recording of Pelkey. "In another life, we probably could have been friends. I believe in forgiveness, and a God who forgives. I always h
  
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• Google Refutes Apple's Claims of Search Traffic Decline

  08-05-2025 05:15 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google has pushed back against Apple executive Eddy Cue's testimony that Safari searches declined last month, asserting it continues "to see overall query growth in Search" with "an increase in total queries coming from Apple's devices and platforms."
  The statement comes as Apple's Senior VP revealed under oath that the company is "actively looking at" revamping Safari to focus on AI-powered search engines, potentially threatening the estimated $20 billion-a-year deal making Google the default s
  
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• Google To Fund Development of Three Nuclear Power Sites

  08-05-2025 01:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Google has partnered with Elementl Power to develop at least 600 MW of nuclear capacity at each of three planned sites. It's unknown where the three proposed sites will be located or how much Google is investing. World Nuclear News reports: The two companies will work "with utility and regulated power partners to identify and advance new projects" and Elementl "will continue the evaluation of potential technology, engineering, procurement and construction, and other project partners, while prior
  
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• Netflix Debuts Gen AI-Powered Search Tool, Tests Vertical Videos For Mobile

  08-05-2025 01:00 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Netflix has officially launched a new AI-powered search feature that uses OpenAI's ChatGPT to deliver a conversational content discovery experience, allowing users to describe what they're looking for in natural language. The streaming giant is also getting into short videos with a new vertical feed set to rival Instagram Reels and TikTok. TechCrunch reports: Users can enter their preferences using natural phrases like "I want something funny and upbeat" or even more detailed requests, such as "
  
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• New GNOME Executive Director Named

  08-05-2025 00:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Phoronix's Michael Larabel reports: Last July it was announced Holly Million was stepping down as the GNOME Foundation's Exeuctive Director after less than a year at the helm. Richard Littauer took over as interim Executive Director while this week a new GNOME Foundation Executive Director was hired.GNOME's new Executive Director is Steven Deobald. Steven Deobald is a Canadian free software advocate and has been a GNOME user since 2002. As the GNOME Foundation Executive Director, Steven wants to
  
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