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Twitter Shifts to Paid API

Twitter Safety Mode

Twitter has announced that it will no longer allow free access to both versions 1.1 and 2 of its API. Instead, the social media giant intends to launch a “paid basic tier,” the pricing structure of which has yet to be announced. This policy adjustment has implications for both platform developers and users.

Third-party developers can use the Twitter API to obtain and analyze public data from Twitter, connecting programmable bots to platforms like Pikaso, Thread Reader, and RemindMe OfThis. Twitter previously provided limited free API access and a premium, scalable tier for developers who require unrestricted endpoint access and other enterprise capabilities.

However, this policy change has already impacted numerous popular third-party Twitter applications, including Tweetbot, Fenix, and Twitterrific, which have been inaccessible since mid-January owing to “longstanding API rules.” How the switch to a paid API would influence these apps remains to be seen.

Twitter’s move to a paid API is part of the company’s efforts to monetize the platform following Elon Musk’s acquisition. This shift can also be seen in the growth of Twitter Blue, which has become a $7.99 monthly membership service. Users can use this service to purchase blue checkmarks for previously unknown websites.

It appears that the paid API is primarily aimed at large developers who use the API to support commercial projects. These developers will need to weigh the cost of continuing the service against its benefits.

7 Features of Advanced Manual Software Testing

Advanced Manual Software Testing

Testing is an essential element in the software development process and it often requires time and effort. As a result, you must improve the testing process to produce high-quality products.

The seven software principles can assist you in doing so. These software testing principles describe how testing engineers or software testers should create error-free, clear, and maintainable code. The seven software testing principles, as defined by the ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board), are as follows:

Testing shows the presence of defects

Testing focuses on the presence of defects rather than the absence of defects. i.e,Software testing services reduce the likelihood of undiscovered defects remaining in the software, but finding no flaws is not proof of correctness. But what if you work extra hard, take all precautions, and make your software product bug-free 99% of the time? And the software needs to meet the client’s needs and requirements. This brings us to the following characteristic: the absence of error.

Absence of errors fallacy

If your software is 99% error-free but does not meet the needs of your users, it still needs to be made usable. That is why it is essential to run tests that are relevant to the system’s requirements. Software testing is more than just looking for bugs; it is also about ensuring that the software meets the needs and conditions of the user.

As a result, you should also run user tests on your software. During the usability testing phase, you can test against early prototypes to get feedback from users on whether the software is usable. Even if your software has few bugs, it needs to be ready to ship and meet your customers’ requirements and expectations.

Early testing

Involving testing early is also a core characteristic, which observes testing as an ongoing activity rather than a phase (which would be at the end of a traditional waterfall approach) since it allows quick and timely continuous feedback loops. When a team encounters stumbling blocks or impediments, early feedback is one of the most effective ways to overcome them, and testers are essential for this. Consider the tester to be an “information provider,” which is an important role to play. Testing early can help you prevent defects in the very first place.

Exhaustive testing is impossible.

It is only possible to test some things – all possible combinations of inputs and preconditions – and one could argue that trying to do so is a waste of time and money. However, one of the abilities of adequate testing is evaluating risks and planning your tests around them; this allows you to cover a large area while ensuring you test the most critical functions. Without trying every single line of code, your test coverage can remain excellent and provide the necessary confidence in your software with careful planning and assessment.

Defect clustering

Defect Clustering states that most of the defects detected are contained in a few modules. This characteristic applies the Pareto Principle to software testing: nearly 80% of the problems are found in 20% of the modules. Such risky modules can be identified through good experience. However, this approach has its own set of issues. If the same tests are run repeatedly, the same test cases will eventually stop finding new bugs.

Pesticide paradox

This is based on the saying, – if pesticides are used repeatedly on crops, insects will develop immunity, rendering the pesticide ineffective. Similarly, if the same tests are run continuously, while they may confirm that the software is working, they will eventually fail to find new issues in the code. To help prevent the pesticide paradox from occurring, keep reviewing your tests and modifying or adding to your scenarios – using varying testing techniques, methods, and approaches in parallel can work.

Testing is context-dependent

The context is everything in testing. The methods and types of testing used can be completely different depending on the context of the software or system – for example, an e-commerce website may need additional testing and approaches than an API application or a database reporting application. What you are testing will always have an impact on your policy.

Conclusion

By using all the seven principles mentioned above in your testing, you can become more focused and efficient while improving your testing strategy’s overall quality. When you combine all these points, you can achieve maximum efficiency by effectively and economically utilizing your time and efforts.

Furthermore, when you apply one characteristic, the other principles may organically fall into place. For example, testing early in the software development lifecycle can mitigate the absence-of-errors fallacy since testing at the requirements level can help ensure that the software meets the requirements of your users.

Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile Will Be Discontinued: EA and Respawn Announce End of Support

Apex Legends Mobile Discontinued

Electronic Arts (EA) and Respawn Entertainment have announced that support for the Apex Legends Mobile version will end on May 1, 2023. 

The decision to discontinue support was taken due to issues beyond the creators’ control that prevented them from maintaining high-quality gameplay and content. Apex Legends Mobile was released globally in May 2022, including popular characters, classic maps, and standard game modes such as battle royale. Despite the release of upgrades and season passes, the producers could not match gamers’ expectations.

EA has also put an end to the development of Battlefield Mobile, which Industrial Toys were working on. The decision to stop the project was made to “change the current direction of the series to better fulfil its vision and meet the expectations of the players,” according to the company.

Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile have been closed due to low content quality that does not fulfil user expectations. The mobile battle royale servers will be shut down on May 1, 2023, and in-app purchases have already been removed.

The decision to discontinue support was made to focus on a fresh vision for the series and match the players’ expectations.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Series: Four New Laptops With S23 Series

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Series

Along with Galaxy S23 Series, Samsung has expanded its product line by introducing the Galaxy Book3 laptops. The Galaxy Book3 laptops are available in 4 variants: the Galaxy Book 3, 3 Pro, 3 Pro 360 and 3 Ultra. 

For its new laptops, Samsung has used aluminium shells and more eco-sustainable materials, such as recycled plastic obtained from fishing nets removed from the oceans and the elimination of plastics from the packaging. To ensure a certain degree of protection, there is a fingerprint reader on the power button surrounding the backlit keyboard.

The Galaxy Book3 and 3 Pro include 13th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 CPUs with Intel Iris X GPU and support the S Pen. The Pro model has two screen sizes, 14 and 16 inches, with a 2880×1800 pixel OLED screen resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. Both models are equipped with USB-C connectors with Thunderbolt 4, a microSD memory card slot, USB-A 3.2, HDMI 1.4, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. 

It comes with 63/76 Wh batteries with USB-C charging from 65W. In addition to the 1080p webcam, video call quality is improved by two AI Noise Canceling microphones and Studio Mode to improve lighting and framing, together with four 14W AKG speakers with Dolby Atmos. 

The Pro 360 variant has the same resolution and aspect ratio as the Pro model, plus a 16-inch screen that can be folded back 360 degrees. It also supports S Pen, which is included with the laptop. It packs a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 configuration, with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, 76Wh of battery, and 65W charging.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Book3 Ultra has a 16-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and is equipped with 13th-generation Intel Core i7 or i9 processors and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 or 4070 video card. It comes with a 76 Wh battery with faster charging at 100W; another difference is the HDMI 2.0 port instead of 1.4. 

The device also features two USB-C connectors with Thunderbolt 4, a microSD slot, USB-A 3.2, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The base model of the Galaxy Book3 Ultra is priced at $2,199, while the maximum version is priced at $2,799.

Samsung has also worked hard on software to improve the ecosystem’s interconnectivity. Samsung Multi Control allows you to quickly switch between smartphones, tablets, and PCs, as well as perform shared copy/paste and use the notebook keyboard and trackpad on the smartphone; with Second Screen, the tablet transforms into a second wireless monitor of the PC; and, thanks to the synergy with Windows, the history of websites from smartphones is also shared with the PC to continue reading on a larger screen.

Overall, the latest Galaxy Book laptops from Samsung offer high-quality displays, powerful processors, and versatile connectivity options, making them great for personal and professional use. The Galaxy Book3 laptops will be available worldwide on February 17th, while the Galaxy Book3 Ultra will be available for sale from February 22nd. The new Galaxy Book3 series starts at $1,449, $1700 for Book 3 Pro 360 and $2200 for Ultra.

Samsung Unveils Galaxy S23 Series: Featuring Special Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series

At the Samsung Unpacked event, Samsung officially unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. The devices are set to ship on February 17 and come with a few design changes, upgraded hardware, and a slight price increase.

All three models are equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in Samsung Galaxy features a faster main clock speed of 3.2 GHz to 3.36 GHz and a faster GPU clock speed of 680 MHz to 719 MHz. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is what a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 would have looked like. 

All phones run on Android 13 and Samsung’s One UI 5.1 overlay. They also feature wireless charging 2.0, wireless power share, IP68 dustproof and waterproof rating, and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the display. The devices also support 5G and Wi-Fi 6E and have an upgraded Vision Booster in the camera.

The Galaxy S23 and S23+ have a 6.1-inch and 6.6-inch Dynamic Full HD+ AMOLED display, respectively, protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The rear camera has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The selfie camera is a 12-megapixel sensor.

Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus

The battery on the S23 is 3,900mAh with 25W charging, while the S23+ has a 4,700mAh battery with 45W charging. The S23 comes in 128GB and 256GB variants with 8GB of RAM, while the S23+ comes in 256GB and 512GB variants with 8GB of RAM.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a huge 6.8-inch QHD+ display at 120Hz, slightly curved but flat compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The big upgrade on the Ultra is in the camera department, with a 200-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HP2 camera sensor on the back. The camera uses pixel binning to create a sharper and brighter final image by combining 16 pixels into one. The rear camera has a 12MP ultra-wide camera and two 10MP sensors with 3x and 10x telephoto lenses. The Ultra also supports the S Pen, stored in the main body. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

It has a 5,000mAh battery and supports 45W charging and high-speed wireless charging. Samsung claims that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Galaxy’s superior power efficiency gives it up to 20% more battery life than its predecessor.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 starts at $799, the Galaxy S23+ at $999 and the Galaxy S23 Ultra at $1,199. Pre-orders have started today.

What Is Proxy: How It Is Used To Enhance Security, Improve Privacy, Bypass Filters And Censorship

Everything Aout Proxy

A proxy is a server that operates as a gateway between the user and the internet. Proxies are used to strengthen security, increase privacy, bypass filters and censorship, and speed up web access through caching.

It is used to keep cyber attackers out of a private network and to ensure network security. A proxy server can be set as a web filter or firewall to protect the computer from viruses and other internet risks. In this article, we will look at the many types of proxy servers, how they may be used to increase security and privacy, and their benefits for organizations.

Proxy Servers and Network Security

A proxy server is an internet-connected computer with an IP address. When a computer connects to the internet, it is issued an IP address, which allows incoming and outgoing data to be properly routed. The proxy server acts as a link between the computer and the internet, redirecting data as necessary.

A proxy server is especially useful when combined with a Secure Web Gateway (SWG) or email security products. It may be used to filter data based on the desired level of security or network capacity. This can be valuable for large businesses that need to balance internet traffic, offload the network, and prevent failures.

How a Proxy Server Works

A proxy server routes data between the PC and the internet. Any internet request from a specific device inside the network is routed through the proxy server first. After then, the proxy server delivers the data to the web server, waits for a response, and then sends the data back to the device.

How to Connect a Proxy Server to Your Network?

A proxy server can connect to your network using hardware and software. Hardware solutions are meant to be deployed as separate equipment between a specific network and the internet. Usually, software proxies are hosted by an ISP or in the cloud. Simply download and install the required application on your computer to use a software proxy.

Software proxies are generally paid, while free ones usually offer fewer options and may be mixed with advertising. However, for a small network, even free solutions may suffice. A premium solution may be required if you want high speed or have many devices on your network.

How a Proxy Server Provides Privacy and Protects Data?

The proxy server serves as both a firewall and a filter. The end-user or network administrator can choose the needed proxy server scenario. A proxy filters incoming and outgoing traffic and conceals network device IP addresses from prying eyes. Potential attackers will only be able to view the proxy server’s IP address, making access to personal data and other assets impossible.

Encrypted proxy servers can give an extra degree of security. Passwords and other personal information on the network will be kept as secure as possible.

Benefits of a Proxy Server for Business

Proxies have several advantages that can be useful for organizing large networks.

  • Increased security: A proxy can act as a firewall, effectively protecting network devices from attackers. This implies that potential attackers will be unable to immediately access the IP addresses of network devices, making access to personal data and other files more difficult.
  • Complete privacy: A proxy server will assist you in avoiding the collection of data on employee IP addresses and, as a result, blocking unwanted advertisements. This can preserve employees’ privacy and guarantee that their personal information is not collected or shared without permission.
  • Change of location: When configuring a proxy server, you may choose the country in which it will be located. This might be handy for companies who need to access restricted or prohibited content in particular countries. 
  • Blocking unwanted sites: It is possible to use a proxy to restrict access to websites that violate the organization’s standards or simply to distract employees from important tasks. Social networks, for example, can be banned to boost productivity and eliminate distractions.
  • Offloading traffic: A proxy server can assist in balancing internet traffic, offloading the network, and reducing failures. This is especially crucial for businesses with a high traffic volume since it helps keep the network stable and reliable.
  • Save bandwidth: Proxies can cache files or compress incoming traffic, saving bandwidth. This is especially handy for businesses with limited bandwidth or seeking to reduce costs.
  • Different Types of Proxy:
  • Direct proxy: Located between the internet and the end user, this type of proxy is best suited when a single point of entry is required for all network devices and allows direct administrative control.
  • Transparent proxy: Suitable for businesses that wish to use it discreetly, delivers a flawless user experience, but is more vulnerable to certain security concerns.
  • Anonymous proxy: Tries to conceal the user’s identity and computer information to make internet activity untraceable. It increases anonymity by removing personal information before connecting to the target site.
  • Distorting proxy: Does not disguise the fact that data is being redirected through the proxy from websites but instead utilizes a spoofed IP address.
  • Server proxies: A third-party service located in physical data centres that redirects all user queries via them.
  • Residential proxy: Capable of providing a IP address associated with a specific physical device and redirecting all traffic through it.
  • Public proxy: Offers users a spoofed IP address and covers their identity when viewing websites for free, although usually with ads.
  • Shared proxy: Includes using a proxy server by several users simultaneously; it is low cost but slow and poses security concerns.
  • SSL proxy: Provides great security by encrypting data on both sides and concealing its existence from both the client and the server.
  • Rotary proxy: Gives a unique IP address to each user who connects to the server, making it excellent for web scraping.
  • Reverse proxy: Situated between the internet and the desired resource’s web servers, intercepts user requests before forwarding them to the web server. It helps decrease hardware load but may expose the HTTP server.

VPN or Proxy: Which One is Better?

A proxy server and a VPN both route traffic through an external server, although they serve distinct purposes. A proxy server is used to hide a user’s IP address and bypass website geographical restrictions. A VPN, on the other hand, encrypts all communication between the user’s device and the VPN server, increasing protection against hackers and other malicious actors. A VPN may also be used to access prohibited websites. Still, it also adds an extra degree of protection and privacy by establishing an encrypted tunnel between the user’s device and the VPN server. It is also possible to simultaneously utilize a proxy server and VPN for extra security.

In short, a proxy server serves as an intermediary between a computer or network and the internet. It can be configured as a web filter or firewall to protect against internet threats. It can also be used to improve network security, protect employee internet activity from being monitored, balance internet traffic, control employee access to specific sites, and save bandwidth by caching files or compressing incoming traffic. 

Ultimately, using a proxy server may give many advantages for personal and business usage, such as greater security, privacy, and control over internet access.

Choosing the Right ETL Tool

Data Science for Business

Data analysis companies should be integrated when using business intelligence in your organization. Such companies are necessary for your accuracy and ability to accommodate distributed computing trends. Cloud-based data warehousing tools make it easier to automate many of the data analysis processes at a pace faster than the speed of workplace work.

Data is managed by Skyvia’s ETL platform, which incorporates data management techniques to manage data and improve data quality. Skyvia is a comprehensive suite of applications for collecting, transforming, sharing and managing data. When using ETL, these capabilities are critical to ensuring that the resulting data from ETL is trustworthy, clean, complete, and compliant with data governance standards.

When looking for a top ETL tool, smart companies will look at a variety of factors. Some of the most important are

Use Case: Ultimately, this is one of the most important considerations when choosing an ETL tool. For example, if your organization simply wants to count its daily sales, older ETL approaches may be sufficient. However, if you need a more advanced solution, please contact us. On the other hand, if there are a variety of different use cases or those that involve distributed cloud options, more modern approaches will be beneficial.

Capabilities: A data warehouse needs to be both robust and flexible to write and read data wherever it resides, whether it’s on-premises or in the cloud. It should also provide you with specific data quality tools, including deduplication, as well as the ability to collaborate with others to reuse processes. Using ETL tools to aggregate data from different sources, such as AWS and Microsoft Azure, can minimize latency.

Data sources: The type of data sources involved in an ETL process is an important consideration. Some organizations may only need to work with simple, structured data, while others may need to consider a combination of structured and unstructured data. Many tools are not well suited for the high-volume work involved in large-scale manufacturing.

Integration: The most important factor in determining which ETL tool is best for your organization is the scope and frequency of integration efforts. The more demanding jobs that require multiple integrations per day, or those that involve many distributed sources, require advanced ETL approaches.

Business Users: The data fluency of the business user is important when selecting an ETL tool. Most business users aren’t good at transforming data. That’s where the tool helps. If a company knows the business is not going to be profitable, it should not take a lot of risk in terms of losing customers or money.

Budget: There are a number of options when it comes to ETL choices that cost a lot of time and money to implement. Certain cloud ETL services that also offer ELT can be used to prune out unnecessary data. This can help you save money.

Business Goals: Business needs are the most important factor to consider when choosing ETL tools. It is crucial for the business to acquire the tools it needs to perform well in terms of speed, effectiveness, and flexibility in the means of data integration.

Why You Need an ETL Tool

There are several reasons why an organization might need an extract, transform, load (ETL) tool:

  • To consolidate data from multiple sources: ETL tools can help you aggregate sources from different data systems, including databases, flat files, and APIs, and load them back into a data warehouse or business intelligence platform. You can use this capability when you have data in multiple systems and need to bring it into a single location for processing and analysis.
  • Transform and cleanse data: ETL tools can transform and cleanse data during the loading process. These tools can perform a wide range of activities, including filtering, combining, and sorting information, as well as cleaning data and protecting databases with masking techniques.
  • Automate data integration: A number of ETL tools can allow you to automate data integration procedures. This allows you to quickly schedule and automate data extractions and transformations, so you spend less time manually performing this process and your data integration is less likely to result in errors.
  • Support data-driven decision making: ETL tools can bring together disparate data sources to provide a more complete view of your business and allow you to make more informed decisions based on that data.

Tech Giants Collaborate with NSF for Next-Generation Chip Development

Next-Generation Chip Development

Samsung, Ericsson, IBM, and Intel have formed a partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research and develop the next generation of chips. 

The NSF will provide $50 million to the cooperation as part of the Future of Semiconductors project. The four companies will work with the NSF on chip development aspects such as device performance, chip and system level, recyclability, environmental impact, and manufacturability.

According to NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, “future semiconductors and microelectronics require research spanning materials, devices, and systems, and the involvement of industry and academic experts.” The NSF funding of $50 million will be used to “inform research needs, encourage innovation, accelerate time-to-market, and prepare the workforce for the future.”

The partnership is part of the NSF’s FuSe Teaming Grants programme, which aims to enhance computer technologies through collaborative development while lowering the cost of application. A co-designed approach, based on the Foundation, may lead to the creation of high-performance, robust, safe, compact, energy-efficient, and cost-effective solutions.

When these collaborations for next-generation computing technology are available in the consumer and corporate industries is uncertain. However, the collaboration between these tech giants and the NSF has enormous potential for boosting chip and microelectronics development. To achieve that aim, the NSF intends to build a coalition of researchers from the scientific and engineering sectors.