InfoQ Homepage Emerging Technologies Content on InfoQ
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Recent Study Estimates That 50% of Websites Using WebAssembly Apply It for Malicious Purposes
A study published in June 2019 reveals that in the Alexa Top 1 million websites, one out of 600 sites execute WebAssembly (Wasm) code. The study moreover finds that over 50% of those sites using WebAssembly apply it for malicious deeds, such as cryptocurrency mining and malware code obfuscation.
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Google Claims Achievement of Quantum Supremacy, But IBM Issues Rebuttal
In a recent paper, Google researchers claim they programmed a quantum processor to perform a task that would require 10,000 years on a state-of-the-art classical supercomputer. Google's claim did not entirely persuade IBM researchers, who proposed an ideal simulation of the quantum task which, they argue, only requires 2.5 days on a classical computer and provides greater fidelity.
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Improving Blockchain Performance Off-Chain, Hyperledger Announces Avalon
In a recent blog post, the Hyperledger project announced a new project, called Hyperledger Avalon, that addresses some of the scalability and privacy challenges that are currently associated with many blockchain projects. The projects seek to address these scalability and privacy challenges through the use of trusted off-chain processing, while ensuring the transactions are secure and resilient.
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Running WASI in the Browser and Node.js with Wasmer-JS
Aaron Turner, developer relations at Wasmer, announced that the recently released Wasmer-JS allows developers to run WASI modules in both Node and the browser. Turner provides wasm-terminal as an example of a terminal application built with Wasmer-JS, which allows to fetch and run WASI modules.
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Microsoft Presents Static TypeScript, a Fast Subset of TypeScript Targeting Embedded Devices
Microsoft recently submitted a research paper introducing Static TypeScript (STS), a subset of TypeScript targeting low-resource embedded devices, to the Managed Programming Languages and Runtimes 2019 (MPLR 2019) international conference. STS programs may run on devices with only 16 kB of RAM faster than embedded interpreters would, which would extend battery life of these devices.
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WebAssembly Source Code Can Now Be Debugged Outside the Browser with GDB and LLDB
Mozilla recently demonstrated debugging of WebAssembly binaries outside the browser, using standard debuggers like GDB and LLDB. Debugging WebAssembly code in the same execution environment that is used in production allows developers to catch and diagnose bugs that may not arise in a native build of the same code.
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How Chirp Audio QR Codes Went to the Moon and Back
Chirp uses audio to send and receive data using only a device's speaker and microphone. Recently, Chirp had a chance to test their technology by sending signals to the Moon. InfoQ has spoken with Daniel Jones, chief technology officer at Chirp, to learn more about Chirp codes.
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eBay Increases Listing Completion Rate by 30% by Porting Barcode Scanner to the Web With WebAssembly
EBay recently reported a positive business outcome by using WebAssembly to deliver a code scanning feature to its mobile web users. The Draft Completion Rate for sellers’ listing increased by 30% by porting the in-house C++ scanning library to WebAssembly, and using it concurrently with two competing solutions.
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Facebook and University Researchers Developing Mind-Reading System
As part of a Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) brain-computer interface (BCI) research program called Project Steno, a team of scientists from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) described their work on converting brain waves into a text transcription of speech. The goal of Facebook's project is a device that allows users to "type" by imagining themselves speaking.
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OpenXR Spec Hits 1.0, Guarantees Backward-Compatibility
Backed by Epic, Microsoft, Oculus, and others, OpenXR aims to reduce fragmentation in the AR/VR space by setting an open, royalty-free standard for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) platforms and devices. Additions to version 1.0 include better support for input subsystem, game engine editor, and loader.
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Mozilla's Firefox Reality VR Browser Now Available on Oculus Quest, with Tracking Data Protection
Mozilla recently brought Firefox Reality, its popular open-source Virtual Reality (VR) browser, to the Oculus Quest handset. Oculus Quest users will now enjoy the privacy features included in the browser, such as Enhanced Tracking Protection.
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Microsoft Quantum Development Kit Goes Open Source
Microsoft has recently made its Quantum Development Kit (QDK) open source in an effort to make “quantum computing and algorithm development easier and more transparent for developers”, Microsoft says. Microsoft QDK includes the Q# compiler, quantum libraries, and the quantum simulator.
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Robot Social Engineering: Brittany Postnikoff at QCon New York
At QCon New York, Brittany Postnikoff presented “Robot Social Engineering: Social Engineering Using Physical Robots”. Quoting findings from academic research literature, she demonstrated that humans can often be manipulated via robots. A core message of the talk was the need for security and privacy to be part of any robot's fundamental design.
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Microsoft, Salesforce and the Ethereum Foundation Join Open-Source Hyperledger Blockchain Project
In a recent press release, Hyperledger, an open-source blockchain and distributed ledger project, announced eight new members have joined their consortium including Microsoft, Salesforce and the Ethereum Foundation. These organizations join established members like Airbus, Cisco, IBM and Intel.
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Iconic Doom3 Game Now in Browsers with WebAssembly: Q&A with Gabriel Cuvillier
The iconic Doom 3 game now runs in browsers with WebAssembly. The port illustrated both the present performance potential and the missing parts for WebAssembly today to seamlessly run heavy-weight desktop applications and games. InfoQ interviewed Cuvillier on technical challenges and lessons to be learnt for developers thinking about porting desktop applications with WebAssembly.