News

Excel gets Python programming power, thanks to Xlwings library

A new Python library allows Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and Python applications to share data and code

Apple will consume 25% of all DRAM in the world next year

Largest DRAM makers are ramping up production to meet Apple’s growing appetite as it introduces new products over the next year

Surface Mini saga portends end of Windows RT

Recently revealed details about Microsoft's aborted Surface Mini are a likely indicator that Windows RT is headed the way of the dodo

Former iPhone manager: Apple will struggle to analyze watch data

Former iPhone engineer Andy Grignon questions whether Apple will be able to use the data its smartwatch collects

Cloud will be key for Oracle at OpenWorld

The massive annual conference, which gets underway Sunday, will also introduce Oracle's new executive structure

‘Extortion’ claims fly, and telecom double-talk hits new heights

While AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon spin and lobby, the U.S. falls further on Internet speeds

C++ popularity, Lisp simplicity unite in Clasp compiler

The new implementation allows Lisp programmers to interoperate with C++ libraries and code

Shellshock Bash bug threatens Linux users

In today's open source roundup: Shellshock Bash bug threatens Linux, Unix and OS X users. Plus: GNOME 3.14 released, and Autumn is a relaxing game for Linux

Harvard researchers take aim at Shellshock-like woes with new scripting language

The Shill scripting language limits the rights of shell programs to what is necessary to get the job done

Four no-bull facts about the Shellshock Bash bug

Get the scoop on the security threat billed as the biggest since Heartbleed

Apple asks iPhone 6 users in trouble to revert to iOS 8

A fix for Wednesday's update, which caused phones to lose cellular service and Touch ID functionality, is coming in a few days

HP leads Microsoft in Metro app usage

Only 17 percent of Microsoft's usage was on Surface Pros, showing that people who have a choice rarely chose Metro apps

Microsoft, frustrated as ever with H-1B policy, considers options

Conference on immigration policy gives Microsoft an opportunity to voice its frustration, which is unaffected by its recent layoffs

Puppet Server drops Ruby for Clojure

The automation tool chooses Clojure on the JVM to improve speed and programming convenience, and shows the evolution of Puppet's design philosophy

Pedal to the metal: PyPy 2.4 powers up Python

An implementation of Python 2, PyPy is designed to give Python a speed boost

Apple yanks buggy iOS 8 update

Apple released an update to iOS 8 on Wednesday to fix a bunch of bugs — but the update itself is now causing all sorts of trouble

Hortonworks reignites Spark to boost Hadoop

Hortonworks puts its development expertise into bolstering Spark, Hadoop's in-memory processing system, to craft a next-generation tool

Broadcom unveils 25G Ethernet, SDN optimized chip

Broadcom announces availability of new Ethernet switch silicon optimized for cloud-scale data centers

Ray Ozzie’s Talko app stores calls in cloud, lets you search them

So far the free app and associated for-pay cloud-storage service is just for iPhone, but the goal is to support corporate work groups

Fiberlink wipes one smartphone or tablet every three minutes

A study shows 49 percent of the remote wipes are done automatically, 51 percent by someone at an organization

Pedal to the metal: PyPy 2.4 powers up Python

JIT-powered Python engine PyPy was already fast, but version 2.4 charges further ahead, thanks to multithreaded optimizations

Ubuntu Touch RTM released: Can it take on Android and iOS?

In today's open source roundup: Canonical releases the RTM version of Ubuntu Touch. Plus: Fourteen ways to contribute to open source without being a programmer, and advice for open source programmers

Run anywhere again: Java hooks up with Docker

Zulu JVM is the first Docker offering to be officially certified as Java-compliant

Functional programming gains Web, networking option with Elixir language

Elixir language, now at version 1.0, leverages Erlang VM to produce short, fast, and maintainable code for the Web and infrastructures

Red Hat’s open source expertise is no guarantee of cloud success

Red Hat faces significant obstacles in bringing open source to enterprise clouds, but at least one factor works in its favor: Docker

Smaller Windows PC makers nip at Apple’s heels in customer satisfaction

Macs take the top spot in customer satisfaction for the 10th year in a row, but smaller Windows PCs closed the gap

Crashing Apple’s iOS 8 party

Mobile apps performance management company Crittercism finds iOS 8 is outcrashing iOS 7 on iPhones and iPads in a big way so far

NPM 2.0 courts enterprises with Node.js module management

The Node.js default package management system hits version 2.0 with performance improvements and enterprise-friendly features

Run anywhere again: Java hooks up with Docker

Zulu JVM is the first Docker offering to be officially certified as Java-compliant

Lenovo to cough up $100 refunds, $250 vouchers to settle IdeaPad suit

IdeaPad U310/U410 owners can get either a $100 refund or $250 voucher as part of a class-action settlement

Ericsson acquires majority stake in Apcera for cloud policy compliance

Cloud software veterans created Apcera's Continuum platform with built-in policy and auditing controls

Netflix is finally coming to Linux

In today's open source roundup: Soon you'll be able to enjoy Netflix without hacks of any kind. Plus: A writer at The Verge loves Linux but doesn't use it, and five reasons why government organizations should embrace open source

EMC reportedly held merger talks with Hewlett-Packard

HP CEO Meg Whitman would have led a combined company, according to the Wall Street Journal

Microsoft mind games surround Windows Technical Preview

Whether Microsoft will release a public Technical Preview of Windows 9 at its Sept. 30 press conference remains in doubt

Here are the limits of Apple’s iOS 8 privacy features

Apple's new passcode-based encryption for the iPhone and iPad can be circumvented and provides only limited protection to data

Microsoft knocks iOS 8 install requirements, ups OneDrive free space

Adds 12GB-15GB more free photo storage for existing and new users on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows

Do’s and don’ts of using social media in your job search

IEEE standards group wants to bring order to IoT

Experimental JavaScript compiler shakes up ideas about speed, simplicity

Higgs demonstrates how lazy code generation and other techniques improve compiler performance

5 developer features IE still lacks (and 6 it might add someday)

Some HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript features used in other browsers still haven't landed in Internet Explorer, to its detriment

Apple’s iOS 8 fixes enterprise Wi-Fi authentication hijacking issue

A weakness in Apple's Wi-Fi implementation could give hackers access to enterprise wireless networks, researchers say

New leaked screenshots reveal more about Windows 9

New info from build 9841, including a resizable Start Menu and multiple virtual desktops, adds to expectations for Windows Technical Preview

Google to turn on encryption by default in next Android version

Law enforcement would have to approach a device's owner since the encryption keys are stored on the device

Experimental JavaScript compiler shakes up ideas about speed, simplicity

Higgs, an experimental JavaScript engine written in D, uses novel approaches to speed up JavaScript — and could inspire similar projects

AT&T’s Net neutrality proposal is a slick sidestep

AT&T plan for 'user-driven paid prioritization' as an alternative to fast lanes is meant to quiet demands for tighter regulation

Wanted: Puppet, Python, hottest of the red-hot tech skills

Along with security and big data expertise, Puppet and Python lead the list of desirable skill sets among hiring companies on Dice.com

What Larry Ellison should do as Oracle CTO

Larry Ellison's shift from Oracle CEO to CTO may not mean that much, but what if Ellison took the opportunity to make Oracle a technology leader again?

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison steps down as CEO, Catz, Hurd named co-CEOs

Ellison will become CTO and executive chairman of Oracle

SAP buying Concur for $8.3 billion to boost cloud portfolio

The travel and expense software vendor had reportedly been shopping for a potential buyer

Should Windows 9 steal more features from Linux?

In today's open source roundup: Can features found in Linux make Windows 9 better? Plus: Multiple desktops in Linux are still better than in Windows 9, and the future of Linux games might not be a bright one