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Yashica Vashishtha

Yashica is a Software Engineer turned Content Writer, who loves to write on social causes and expertise in writing technical stuff. She loves to watch movies and explore new places. She believes that you need to live once before you die. So experimenting with her life and career choices, she is trying to live her life to the fullest.

The Users Can Now Fund the Open-source Devs With the New Sponsorship Program on GitHub

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Open-source software has been a boon for people, and there is a lot for the developers to learn through it. But still, these open source software have never been so profitable for the developers financially. To resolve that matter, now the biggest web-based hosting service GitHub has come with a new feature in order to provide financial support to the developers, ‘GitHub Sponsors’.

GitHub Sponsor Me
Image Source: mspoweruser.com

GitHub Sponsors is a Patreon type of service, that will help the developers raise funds from the people using their codes or the open source software. The feature will allow the developers to create different levels or tiers of services, based on the amount the user will pay. The users will get access to special perks depending upon the tier they choose to support the developers and their work. They would need to pay the amount every month in order to continue to access those special services and the perks from the developers.

The feature will add a ‘Sponsor Me’ button on the developer’s profile, including the different funding options in it. Through the button, users can fund the developers individually, through Patreon, Tidelift, Ko-fi or Open Collective. According to GitHub, there will be no extra charges or any payment processing fees on using the very feature in its debut year, and the company intends to match up to $5,000 in contributions.

“The world runs on open source. None of it would be possible without the global team of maintainers, designers, programmers, researchers, teachers, writers, leaders and more who devote themselves to pushing technology forward. These extraordinary developers can now receive funding from the community that depends on their work, seamlessly through their GitHub profiles.” the product manager Devon Zuegel at GitHub wrote in a blog post.

The company has introduced a social feature, too, that lets the users see who has developed the code they are using, the usage of the code, and who else is using the same code. The feature though is, currently, in private beta and is only open for the open-source developers, the company has already made it open for the users who want to join the sponsorship program.

Though the open source software has been challenging and encouraging enough for the developers, the addition of a sponsorship program can motivate the developers on working even harder. But, there can be a drawback of the same too, as the developers may find their interest in jobs that are paying more.

A Forgotten Tool in Gmail Tracks Your Purchase History Through the Receipts

Google, News, Tech News / By
google
Image Source: searchengineland.com

According to a piece of recent news from CNBC, “Google has been quietly keeping track of nearly every single online purchase you’ve ever made, thanks to purchase receipts sent to your personal Gmail account.”

CNBC broke the news on Friday afternoon, according to which Google has been saving the purchase history of the people who have used their Gmail account during their purchase on the various e-commerce websites through the receipt they receive on Gmail. Though the company has included privacy settings that can enable the users to stop the tracking, most of the people have got to know about the purchase history tracking only after the revelation from CNBC.

The way CNBC has said about the mentioned matter, it seems like Google had been hiding the fact that it was saving users’ private information and might be using it somewhere else without letting the users know, but Google has come in front to defend itself.

“To help you easily view and keep track of your purchases, bookings and subscriptions in one place, we’ve created a private destination that can only be seen by you. You can delete this information at any time. We don’t use any information from your Gmail messages to serve you ads, and that includes the email receipts and confirmations shown on the Purchase page.” Google told The Verge in a statement.

In the past years, the company used such information to personalise ads for its users, but in 2017, Google had decided that it won’t collect and use any of the users’ information from Gmail for displaying personalised ads.

Google did not mention how long this tool has been there to track the purchase history of its users, but many Gmail users have found their purchase history even older than a decade. According to Google, this history is hard to find, and the users can delete the history or disable the tracking. Also, no one else except the users can see their purchase history on the tool.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise to Acquire Cray in a $1.3 Billion Deal

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The HP’s spin-off company Hewlett Packard Enterprise revealed that it is planning to acquire supercomputer maker brand, Cray. Cary is the company founded by Seymour Cray, the father of ‘supercomputing’, in 1972 and is the leading company developing the supercomputers since then.

hewlett-packerd cray
Image Source:coindesk.com

The data industry is moving at a rapid speed and people want faster solutions. Together HPE and Cray are looking forward to work in the field of in cloud computing, high-performance computing and AI.

“Cray is a global technology leader in supercomputing and shares our deep commitment to innovation. By combining our world-class teams and technology, we will have the opportunity to drive the next generation of high-performance computing and play an important part in advancing the way people live and work,” said Antonio Neri, the President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Cray has been providing sophisticated machines for computing works to many of the federal agencies. In fact, 80 per cent of its services are for government projects, whereas HPE is one of the leaders in the private sector. So the acquisition will definitely help make the two expand in each others’ field. Recently, Cray even partnered with AMD in order to build a new supercomputer for the Department of Energy. This supercomputer will be able to do quintillion calculations within seconds.

HPE announced on Friday that it will be acquiring Cray, in an all-cash deal worth $1.3 billion. With the acquisition, HPE will be able to experiment with and use the Cray’s knowledge and technology in the field of supercomputing, and with its own powerful position, it will become the leader in the supercomputing industry. In fact, recently, Cray had revealed that it is working on something, which can be the fastest supercomputer in the world. This way the deal between the two tech giants can get HPE great opportunities of benefits in the coming future.

Microsoft and Sony Joins Hands on Cloud-based Streaming for Games and Other Content

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Microsoft and Sony have been the biggest rivals with their major consumer interactive entertainment franchises – Xbox and PlayStation. But for the surprise of all, the game lovers and the other rivals and even the partner companies of the two, Microsoft and Sony have partnered with each other for sharing a few of each other’s services to get benefits from them.

sony-microsoft-xbox-playstation
Image Source: techcrunch

The two tech giants announced on Thursday, that they are seeking to join hands such that Sony will be able to use the Microsoft’s Azure cloud to stream games over it and will participate in the research works along with the latter on Azure, in order to explore its scope for the game and other content streaming. Similarly, the two will be working together in order to develop new image sensors.

“Our mission is to seamlessly evolve this platform as one that continues to deliver the best and most immersive entertainment experiences, together with a cloud environment that ensures the best possible experience, anytime, anywhere. I believe that our joint development of future cloud solutions will contribute greatly to the advancement of interactive content.” Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO of Sony, said in a statement.

The partnership between the two can be considered as the prevention for the tough competition, that they may face in the coming future, as Google and Apple both have announced their new game streaming platforms, Stadia and Arcade. Both the game streaming services are expected to be threats for both their contemporaries, Sony and Microsoft. In fact, Apple’s Arcade game streaming service is the world’s first game subscription service for both desktop and mobile, which has already attracted the attention of many and are eagerly waiting for the same.

On the other hand, the other biggest gaming company, Nintendo, has also refurbished its Switch consoles giving a tough competition to the other gaming companies and leaving them behind with their outdated gaming services.

The deal between Sony and Microsoft is still at its early stage, and the two companies, along with developing the image sensors is also planning to work together in the field of semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Though the plans look pretty promising, seeing the two rival companies work together will be interesting.

Amazon Opens its OnePlus 7 Pro Sale for All Users; Offers No Cost EMI on the Purchases with Credit Card

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After making a lot of buzzes, finally, OnePlus 7 Pro is available in India on the official website of OnePlus, its physical stores, the other partner stores including Chroma, as well as at Amazon. Earlier, the company had made the One Plus 7 Pro sale open for only the Amazon prime users on the Early Access Sale and the OnePlus Early Birds Sale. But now the other Amazon users can also take advantage of the sale, and buy this OnePlus ultra-premium flagship smartphone.

oneplus-7-pro
Image Source: bgr.com

The sale of the phone started at 12 am today, and it, currently, is selling the three variants of the smartphone. The three variants of OnePlus 7 Pro includes 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant, which is available at the price range Rs 48,999, a Rs 52,999 variant, having an 8GB RAM/256GB storage as well as the 12GB RAM/256GB storage that costs the buyers a Rs 57,999. There are two other variants to this flagship smartphone, which will be launched in June this year and will cost Rs 32,999 for the base 6GB RAM/128GB option, and Rs 37,999 for the 8GB RAM/256GB version.

The smartphone was launched at an event in Bengaluru, on 15th May, along with the OnePlus Wireless Bullets V2 earphones. All the OnePlus 7 Pro variants are available in Almond, Mirror Grey, and Nebula Blue shades. But for now, the buyers will only get their hands on the smartphones in Mirror Grey colour, as the Almond shade of the phone will be rolled out after May 28 and the third one, i.e. Nebula Blue will be available in the month of June.

The OnePlus 7 Pro is packed with OxygenOS based on Android 9.0 Pie and has got the 6.67-inch Fluid AMOLED display with Quad-HD+ resolution (1440×3120 pixels). After various leaks and rumours, people were excited for its great quality triple cameras and its sleek design. The smartphone has got the motorised selfie camera, hidden inside the screen of the phone, whereas it has three cameras on the back, one of which is a 48MP Sony IMX 586 sensor with OIS, the secondary camera features a 16-megapixel sensor, which is a wide angle camera, and the third one is an 8-megapixel camera.

OnePlus 7 Pro is a bigger phone and has got new features including stereo speakers, new X-haptic vibration motor, noise cancellation support, Dolby Atmos support, native Screen Recording, and a Zen Mode, etc.

As the smartphone is available online, the company is also offering up to Rs 2000 cashback on purchase using SBI debit and credit cards. On the other hand, JIO is also providing benefits of worth Rs 9300 to the buyers, as well as people can buy the smartphone through no-cost EMI of 6 months. The buyers will also get up to 70 per cent Servify Guaranteed Exchange Price and up to 60 per cent Cashify buyback value with a special upgrade bonus for previous OnePlus smartphone owners.

Instagram is Killing its Standalone Messaging App ‘Direct’ Only After Two years of its Inception

Facebook, News, Tech News / By
instagram direct app
Image Source: marketingland.com

Facebook is going forward on the way to integrating most of its apps, and after its announcement of bringing chat back to the Facebook app, the company is now planning to kill the Instagram’s standalone Direct app.

Instagram revealed that by the next month, it will pull off the support for its direct messaging app. But the Instagrammers doesn’t have to worry about their messages, as the platform will migrate all the messages from the Direct app to the Instagram app DMs.

With the launch of Direct app in 2017, Facebook and Instagram both were up to adding new features and making it a standalone messaging app to stand against rivals like Snapchat. Similar to the Snapchat app, the Direct app opens with a camera. In fact, after logging in to the Direct app, the DM feature also disappears from the Instagram app.

But as a step of Facebook in the way of consolidating all its major apps, now Direct will have to face a young death. Instead, all the features it possesses will be merged into the DM feature of Instagram.

The company has already stopped providing updates to both the versions of the app. The latest update that the Android app had received was in April, whereas the iOS app had received the latest update in December last year.

The users have been receiving messages from the company about the closure of the app, upon which, a Direct user Matt Navarra, posted a tweet in a thread, saying, “Confirmed: Instagram is killing its standalone Direct Messaging app.” Upon which Instagram also posted a tweet, “Your conversations will automatically move over to Instagram, so you don’t need to do anything.”

Shutting down the Direct app might not be a big deal for either company as the app has failed in gaining as many users as Instagram has. In fact, the Instagram app’s DM feature has been a source of business promotion for many, and it is way more popular than Direct app despite having lesser features than the Direct app.