Releases · Top stories
Pharo 14 Released with Modernized Tools, Refactoring, and Virtual Machine
Pharo, an object-oriented programming language, released version 14, focusing on modernizing development tools, rebuilding refactoring and command infrastructure, and updating the virtual machine. This release introduces new tools like Mission Control and Pulse, a driver-based architecture for refactoring, and RISC-V JIT support, marking a shift to a fall release schedule.
Kali Linux 2026.3 Released with 6 New Tools and Desktop Environment Updates
Kali Linux has released version 2026.3, its third update this year, introducing six new cybersecurity tools and significant desktop environment improvements. This release updates the kernel to 7.1.5 and refreshes build scripts, providing new capabilities for ethical hackers and security professionals.
MCP C# SDK 2.0 Released, Making HTTP Stateless and Adding Multi Round-Trip Requests
Microsoft released version 2.0 of the official MCP C# SDK, implementing the 2026-07-28 revision of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) specification. This update makes Streamable HTTP servers stateless by default, standardizes HTTP headers for routing, and introduces Multi Round-Trip Requests (MRTR) for interactive tools, significantly changing how MCP operates over HTTP.
NHTSA Proposes Cyan Lighting for Autonomous Vehicles to Indicate Self-Driving Mode
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed new lighting requirements for autonomous vehicles, suggesting cyan-colored lights to indicate when a vehicle is operating autonomously without human monitoring. This proposal aims to establish a uniform way of identifying autonomous vehicles and is part of a broader effort to update regulations for AV adoption and safety.
Xbox Game Pass Reportedly Planning Customizable Subscription Tiers
Xbox Game Pass is reportedly planning to allow subscribers to customize their bundles, rather than selecting from fixed tiers. This change aims to make the subscription service more flexible and potentially more affordable for users.
OBS Studio 33.0 Released with CEF Update, Plugin Overhaul, and Snapping Improvements
OBS Studio 33.0 has been released, featuring an update to the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) from July 2024 to September 2026, a complete overhaul of plugin loading, and improvements to source snapping in the preview. These changes aim to enhance the stability and functionality of the streaming software, particularly for browser sources and plugin management.
NASA Updates Artemis Lunar Lander Plans, Addresses Orion Docking for Starship
NASA detailed its updated Artemis Program plans for returning astronauts to the Moon by 2028, including significant changes to lunar lander architectures for SpaceX and Blue Origin. The revised plans address previous challenges, such as SpaceX's Starship docking with Orion in high-Earth orbit instead of lunar orbit, and outline Blue Origin's mission with multiple New Glenn launches.
US Space Force Seeks New Heavy-Lift Spaceport by 2030
The US Space Force aims to establish a third heavy-lift launch site by 2030 to alleviate pressure on existing spaceports in Florida and California. This initiative follows a congressional study identifying the need for additional launch infrastructure, though the location and land acquisition remain undetermined.
Windows Server 2022 Mainstream Support Ends, Extended Support Until October 2031
Microsoft announced that Windows Server 2022 has transitioned from mainstream support to extended support, which will continue until October 2031. This change means that while security updates will still be provided at no additional cost, IT administrators should plan upgrades to Windows Server 2025 to maintain full mainstream support.
NgRx v22 Released with Resource Extensions and Dynamic Deep Signals for Angular
NgRx, an Angular state management framework, released version 22, introducing resource extensions for customizing Angular's resource API and dynamic deep signals for union types. These updates address limitations in error handling and state modeling, providing more flexible and robust state management within Angular applications.
WhatsApp begins testing scheduled messages for iPhone beta users
WhatsApp is rolling out a message scheduling feature to select iPhone beta testers, following its debut on Android beta. This feature allows users to schedule text, photo, video, and link messages up to two weeks in advance, addressing a long-requested capability on the platform.
YouTube Removes Subscriptions Tab from Bottom Bar on Mobile, Introduces Custom Feeds
YouTube is updating its Android and iOS apps by moving the Subscriptions tab from the bottom bar to the top bar within the Home tab. This change is part of a broader redesign that includes the introduction of custom feeds, allowing users to create personalized content streams.
Amazon Polly Generative Engine Receives Upgrade, Adds 14 New Voices and Hindi/Finnish Support
Amazon Polly's Generative engine has been upgraded to provide more natural and accurate speech output with low latency. This update includes 14 new voices across 9 locales, with general availability for Hindi and Finnish voices for the first time, enhancing its utility for various applications requiring scalable voice output.
Apple iWork Suite Adds AI-Powered Intelligent Assistant for Creator Studio Subscribers
Apple has updated its iWork suite (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) with a new 'Intelligent Assistant' for Apple Creator Studio subscribers. This AI feature provides drafting, editing, content generation, and information search capabilities within the applications, enhancing productivity for users of these apps.
OpenShell 0.1.x Released with Stable Cadence, Isolation Primitives, and New APIs
OpenShell, a runtime for autonomous AI agents, released version 0.1.x, introducing a stable release cadence, new isolation primitives, and expanded APIs. This update provides kernel-level enforcement and formally verified policy changes to secure AI agent operations.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Launches on NVIDIA GeForce NOW with RTX 5080-Class Performance
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is now available on NVIDIA GeForce NOW, offering its campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ modes. Ultimate members gain access to GeForce RTX 5080-class performance, enabling ray tracing for the campaign, and Fire TV Stick users can now purchase memberships directly.
IBM Exceeds Q3 Expectations with Revenue Growth and Increased Free Cash Flow Forecast
IBM reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and revenue, with a 5% year-over-year revenue increase and a raised full-year free cash flow forecast. The company's software and infrastructure segments drove growth, while consulting revenue remained flat.
Tesla begins Optimus humanoid robot production in California factory
Tesla has started production of its Optimus humanoid robot at its Fremont, California factory, utilizing space previously used for electric vehicle manufacturing. This marks the company's first production-quality bots, despite ongoing hardware and AI development, as Tesla's Q3 profits dropped 43% due to increased spending on AI and autonomous driving initiatives.
DuckDB 2.0.0 LTS "Cinnamon Teal" Released with Quack Protocol and Asynchronous I/O
DuckDB has released version 2.0.0 LTS, codenamed "Cinnamon Teal," which introduces significant new features including a polished Quack protocol for client-server setups, asynchronous I/O, a VARIANT type, and agent mode. This release marks a major feature update for the in-process analytical database, offering extended long-term support until at least October 2027.
NVIDIA cuDSS Library for GPU-Accelerated Simulations is Now Generally Available
NVIDIA has released cuDSS, a CUDA-X library, for general availability. This library accelerates the solving of large sparse systems in engineering and scientific simulations by utilizing GPUs, allowing for faster results and increased simulation throughput.
Cilium 1.20 Expands Kubernetes Gateway API Support and Opens eBPF Datapath
Cilium 1.20 has been released, enhancing Kubernetes Gateway API support with features like ExternalAuth, ListenerSets, TCPRoute, and UDPRoute. This update allows for broader traffic management, including non-HTTP services and external authorization, and opens the eBPF datapath for third-party plugins, reducing the need for upstream contributions or forks for custom networking behaviors.
TornadoVM 7 Enables GPU-Native Workloads for Java Applications
TornadoVM, an open-source framework for accelerating Java programs on GPUs, released version 7. This update introduces architectural changes, including the use of the Foreign Function & Memory (FFM) API and removal of JVMCI dependency, alongside deeper integration with Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem and Apple's MXL library. This allows Java developers to offload data-parallel computations to GPUs, potentially improving performance for cloud and machine learning workloads.
NetWasm Compiler Produces Smaller WebAssembly Binaries for C# Than Rust
NetWasm, an independent compiler for .NET, now generates WebAssembly binaries that are smaller than those produced by Rust for a comparable workload. For a 'print-42' workload, NetWasm's output is 47,895 bytes compared to Rust's 53,635 bytes, including a precise garbage collector and runtime. This development offers C# developers a more compact deployment option for WebAssembly and WASI applications.
Meta's Muse App Reaches 10 Million US Downloads in 40 Days, Outpacing AI Competitors
Meta's Muse app achieved 10 million US downloads within 40 days of launch, making it the 12th app to reach this milestone since October 2015, according to Sensor Tower. The app also shows higher user retention rates compared to other AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, despite recent privacy concerns.
Apple acquires Samplab, continuing focus on Creator Studio expansion
Apple acquired Samplab, an audio editing company, as part of its strategy to expand the features of Apple Creator Studio. This acquisition follows others like MotionVFX and Color.io, indicating Apple's continued investment in its professional creative software ecosystem.
Apple Expands Self Service Repair Program to Include iPhone 18 Pro and Latest Mac Models
Apple has made repair parts and tools available for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, M5 Max/Ultra Mac Studio, and M6/M5 Pro Mac mini models through its Self Service Repair program. This expansion allows users to perform their own repairs on these newer devices, providing more options for device maintenance.
Windows Server 2025 gains Quick Machine Recovery support with October 2026 update
Microsoft is extending Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) to Windows Server 2025 via the October 2026 security update. QMR allows IT administrators to fix critical boot failures remotely using targeted Windows Update fixes, addressing issues like configuration changes or problematic drivers without physical access to the server.
PyTorch 2.15 Improves MPS Performance on macOS, Adds FP8 Support
PyTorch 2.15 introduces significant performance improvements for the MPS backend on macOS, including 5-6.5x faster Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model decoding and 8x faster softmax for LLMs. The update also adds FP8 support, reduces memory usage for video generation, and requires macOS 15 and Python 3.11 or later.
Japan launches MMX mission to retrieve samples from Martian moon Phobos
Japan's MMX mission launched on an H3 rocket, beginning a five-year expedition to land on Phobos and return samples to Earth. This mission aims to provide new insights into the Solar System's formation and determine if Phobos is a captured asteroid.
Endurance Energy Tests Subsea Geothermal Power Plant at Axial Seamount
Endurance Energy conducted the first subsea geothermal power plant test at the Axial Seamount, generating net-positive electricity for under 10 seconds. This demonstration proves the technical feasibility of extracting renewable energy from underwater volcanic activity, offering a potential alternative to fossil fuels for island nations.
Django Steering Council seeks community contributions for upcoming 6.2 release features
The Django Steering Council is requesting community assistance to test, review, and provide input on features for the upcoming Django 6.2 release. This outreach focuses on major features like CompositeField and DEFAULT_PK_FIELD, smaller enhancements such as QuerySet.executed_queries, and new feature ideas requiring technical vetting or community input.
GM expands Apple Wallet car key support to Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles
General Motors is rolling out Apple Wallet car key support to nine vehicle models across its Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands, with more planned for the future. This expansion, initially announced by Apple in June 2025, allows owners to store digital car keys on their Apple devices.
JEP 543 Finalizes Structured Concurrency in JDK 28 After Seven Preview Rounds
JEP 543, Structured Concurrency, has been finalized and integrated into JDK 28, making the StructuredTaskScope API a stable feature. This concludes the longest preview cycle for a Project Loom feature, providing a standardized way to manage groups of related subtasks as a single unit of work.
October Windows Server Updates Break Exchange Sign-in and Mail Flow
Microsoft confirmed that October 2026 Windows Server security updates are causing OWA sign-in and mail delivery issues on some Exchange Server systems. The problem stems from a new default memory limit for Endpoint Mapper, which can be insufficient under heavy Exchange Server load. Microsoft provided a temporary registry modification workaround while it works on a permanent fix.
Linux Kernel 7.3 Released with 18,765 Commits and New Features
Linux kernel version 7.3 has been released, incorporating 18,765 non-merge commits from 3,021 developers. This update includes binfmt_misc extensions, group-scheduling improvements, the new failfs filesystem, and completion of the sched_ext subscheduler.
NestJS 12 Released with ESM Packages, Standard Schema Validation, and Observability SDK
NestJS, a TypeScript framework for Node.js, released version 12, which transitions core packages to ESM, adds first-class Standard Schema validation, and introduces an official observability SDK. This update modernizes the framework's tooling and improves developer experience for validation and monitoring.
Netflix Releases libvmaf v3.0.0 and New VMAF v1 Models for Video Quality Assessment
Netflix released libvmaf v3.0.0, which includes optimizations, bug fixes, and removes deprecated APIs. Additionally, new VMAF v1 models have been released, offering updated perceptual video quality assessment capabilities.
Free Pascal Compiler and Lazarus IDE Add Dynamic Package Support
The Free Pascal Compiler and Lazarus IDE now support dynamic packages, allowing users to create and install components and extensions without rebuilding the entire IDE. This feature enables the development and deployment of plugins that expose native Pascal classes and types through dynamic package libraries.
Linux Kernel 7.2 Release Sees Record Development Activity and Developer Participation
The Linux kernel 7.2 release incorporated nearly 600,000 new lines of code and 16,418 non-merge commits, making it the second-busiest release in kernel history. This cycle also saw a record 2,652 developers contribute, indicating a continued increase in community involvement.
Mercedes-AMG Unveils 1,150hp Electric GT SUV with 710kW Fast Charging
Mercedes-AMG introduced its first ground-up electric SUV, the 2028 GT SUV, featuring up to 1,153 horsepower and 710kW fast-charging capabilities. This new model, built on the AMG.EA architecture, aims to combine high performance with SUV practicality, potentially surpassing competitors in power and charging speed.