Node.js 24: A faster, sleeker JavaScript experience

Greyhound decal on the front of a vehicle Node.js 24 officially arrives bringing a rather tasty selection of improvements to the table and making it even more in tune with the latest JavaScript standards.

Node.js 24 has officially arrived, and it’s bringing a rather tasty selection of improvements to the table.

If you're a developer knee-deep in web apps or wrestling with asynchronous code, this release is one for you. It’s all about making Node.js quicker on its feet, more versatile, and even more in tune with the latest JavaScript standards.

V8 engine revs up to 13.6

So, what’s making Node.js 24 tick? A big part of it is the V8 JavaScript engine ��� yep, the...

7 May 2025 | Developer

Coinbase x402 enables instant stablecoin payments over HTTP

Person sat on a pile of coins as Coinbase has just pulled the wraps off x402—an open standard that dusts off and gives new purpose to the long-dormant HTTP "402 Payment Required" status code. The big idea is to let developers, and even AI agents, slot stablecoin payments right into the back-and-forth of web interactions.

Coinbase has just pulled the wraps off x402—an open standard that dusts off and gives new purpose to the long-dormant HTTP "402 Payment Required" status code. The big idea is to let developers, and even AI agents, slot stablecoin payments right into the back-and-forth of web interactions.

Traditional payment systems were bolted onto the digital world rather than being born from it. They're often slow, can sting with unexpected costs, are fenced in by geography, and frequently...

7 May 2025 | Blockchain

Google improves Gemini 2.5 Pro ahead of I/O 2025

Logo as Google pushes early access to a souped-up Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview ahead of their I/O 2025 developer conference in a couple of weeks.

Google has pushed early access to a souped-up Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview ahead of their I/O 2025 developer conference in a couple of weeks.

Why the hurry? Well, Google put it down to "overwhelming enthusiasm" and the "amazing things" developers were already cooking up with the previous version of Gemini 2.5 Pro. It seems they're champing at the bit to get these beefed-up capabilities into the wild.

This isn't just a fresh lick of paint. The company is championing this new...

6 May 2025 | Artificial Intelligence

Android adds OpenID support for simpler digital credentials

A request for access to virtual identity data as Google gives Android an OpenID upgrade to make handling digital credentials like virtual driving licences much easier and more secure.

Google has given Android an OpenID upgrade to make handling digital credentials like virtual driving licences much easier and more secure.

With native support for OpenID standards, Android apps and services can talk the same language when it comes to verifying who you are digitally.

This update uses Android's existing Credential Manager system (specifically, the DigitalCredential API) to bring in support for OpenID4VP (for showing your credentials) and OpenID4VCI (for...

1 May 2025 | Android

Court slams ‘ludicrous’ App Store injunction arguments by Apple

Gavel as a US District Court delivers a sharp rebuke to Apple, criticising the tech giant’s interpretation of a court injunction in strong terms and rejecting its arguments for a narrow, literal reading of the order in ongoing legal proceedings led by Epic Games.

A US District Court has delivered a sharp rebuke to Apple, criticising the tech giant’s interpretation of a court injunction in strong terms and rejecting its arguments for a narrow, literal reading of the order.

The court’s findings signal trouble for Apple, suggesting its attempts to comply with only the strictest letter of the law – while ignoring its underlying purpose – will not suffice.

The core of the dispute centres on Apple's compliance with an...

1 May 2025 | App Stores

AI is changing software development, but not always for the better

A row of software developers with some humans and some digital as software development is changing before our eyes, with AI becoming a real workmate for developers everywhere as highlighted by a discussion between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg during the LlamaCon event.

Software development is changing right before our eyes, with AI becoming a real workmate for developers everywhere.

This change isn’t just happening in trendy startups either, the tech giants are all in. We got a fascinating peek behind the curtain recently, thanks to a discussion between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg.

AI has already changed software development

During Meta's LlamaCon AI event, Zuckerberg directly asked Nadella about the AI...

30 April 2025 | Approaches

Apple adds official Vision Pro support to Godot game engine

Photo of an Apple Vision Pro headset as the company begins contributing official support to the Godot game engine.

Apple has begun contributing official support for its Vision Pro headset to the popular Godot game engine. Ricardo Sanchez-Saez, a senior iOS engineer working on Apple's visionOS team, announced the effort via a pull request (PR) submitted to the Godot project on GitHub.

This first contribution lays the foundational groundwork for running Godot applications natively on the visionOS platform.

"We're really excited to be working with the Godot community on adding visionOS...

24 April 2025 | Development Tools

EU DMA: Apple and Meta hit with first major fines

Man punching as the EU flexes its regulatory muscles under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), imposing hefty fines on Apple and Meta for non-compliance over App Store and personal data practices.

The EU has flexed its regulatory muscles under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), imposing hefty fines on Apple and Meta for non-compliance. In its first enforcement actions of this kind, the Commission levied a €500 million fine against Apple and a €200 million fine against Meta.

The EU Commission found Apple breached its obligations regarding "anti-steering" practices within its App Store, while Meta was found to have failed to provide users with adequate choice concerning...

23 April 2025 | App Stores

Endor Labs deploys AI agents to counter vibe coding risks

Bright text as Endor Labs expands its application security (AppSec) platform with agents to address development risks posed by AI and vibe coding, including what the company claims is the industry’s most comprehensive security dataset.

Endor Labs is expanding its application security (AppSec) platform with agents to address development risks posed by AI and vibe coding.

Bolstered by agentic AI and what the company claims is the industry’s most comprehensive security dataset, the platform moves beyond mere risk identification to prioritise threats, propose solutions, and even implement fixes automatically.

The move comes amid a dramatic shift in software development practices. The rise of AI coding...

23 April 2025 | Approaches

Skills gaps hinder UK software deployment success

Business man walking past someone as according to research from Salesforce DevOps platform Gearset, UK teams are struggling to keep pace with industry standards for software deployment with significant inefficiencies and costly delays due to team skills gaps and lack of adoption of adequate software development automation tools.

UK teams are struggling to keep pace with software deployment standards due to skills gaps, leading to inefficiencies and costly delays.

According to Salesforce DevOps platform Gearset, UK software deployments are 26 percent more likely to be delayed than delivered ahead of schedule.

These delays are not isolated incidents and impact 82 percent of UK businesses surveyed. The financial impact is considerable, costing organisations an average of £107,000 annually due to...

23 April 2025 | Approaches