Talk Fuse

    Software

    Software encompasses the digital tools, applications and systems that power modern life, from the artificial intelligence models reshaping how we work and create to the open-source projects offering alternatives to established platforms. This section covers developments across the full software landscape, including advances in machine learning, developer tools and infrastructure, cybersecurity concerns, and the underlying technologies that connect our digital world.

    The software industry is experiencing rapid evolution driven by artificial intelligence. Major technology companies are integrating new capabilities into widely-used applications, from interactive diagrams in chatbots to local file access in AI assistants. Simultaneously, developers continue building open-source alternatives to commercial software, whilst internet infrastructure providers work to expand the ecosystem of domain names and digital resources available online.

    Software developments matter to readers because they directly shape how we interact with technology daily, influence the tools available to businesses and creators, and raise important questions about security, privacy and competition in the digital economy. Whether through new features in familiar applications, emerging cybersecurity risks, or funding trends affecting startup innovation, software news determines how technology evolves and who benefits from it.

    • Data centers become “killer application” for new power transformer tech

      Solid-state power transformers, a modern alternative to the hand-wound transformer technology that has changed little since the 1880s, are attracting a surge of investment as AI data centres emerge as their “killer application”. Conventional transformers are custom-built by hand for individual substations and can take years to deliver, a bottleneck that hampers both grid expansion…

    • How does converting a video to 4K actually work?

      Converting older video footage to 4K is increasingly tempting as 4K OLED displays become standard, but the process involves significant technical limitations that anyone attempting it should understand. Upscaling software cannot recover detail that was never captured in the original recording; instead, it uses interpolation to estimate and generate the additional pixels needed, which can…

    • Browser fingerprint tool shows how easy you are to track using the latest sneaky tricks

      A developer has released Glassbox, a free tool that runs entirely in a user’s browser to reveal how easily companies can fingerprint and track individuals online, without sending any data to external servers. Built by security engineer David Dale with assistance from Claude Code, the tool matters because it exposes the many subtle techniques, from…

    • Ads and tracking infiltrated TVs. Now they’re coming for monitors.

      Ars Technica warns that computer monitors, long recommended as a smart-TV alternative for privacy-conscious consumers, are increasingly adopting the same ad-serving and tracking practices that have plagued smart TVs. The concern was triggered by reports that some LG monitors quietly installed an app called LG Monitor App Installer onto connected PCs via disguised Windows Update…

    • The cat-and-mouse game over 3D-printed guns has begun

      Cody Wilson, creator of the first 3D-printed gun, says he has built a tool to defeat new software designed to stop 3D printers from producing firearms. Dubbed “Hochulization” in reference to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who this year signed the first US law requiring gun-detection software on new 3D printers, the tool marks an…

    • GM vehicles under federal scrutiny after hundreds of reports

      The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has widened a safety investigation into General Motors after hundreds of reports of brake failure linked to the automaker’s “eBoost” brake-by-wire system. The fault, which involves a spindle fracture that can occur while a vehicle is being driven, affects more than 1.1 million vehicles, including several GM electric…

    • Deregulated planning, Thames Water rescue plan, and a fatal A66 crash lead today’s news

      UK ministers relax garden-plot planning rules and Thames Water creditors pitch a new board, as tech firms are pressed to remove posts glorifying the A66 crash that killed seven. Elsewhere: US-Canada tariffs escalate, Ukraine strikes Russian warehouses, and football probes illegal Russian broadcasts.

    • Inaudible sounds used to fingerprint browsers catch AliExpress red-handed

      Security researcher Matthew Callaghan discovered that AliExpress fingerprints visitors using an outdated “soundprinting” technique that sends inaudible audio signals to browsers to help identify individual devices. He stumbled upon the tracking by accident, noticing that his multipoint Bluetooth headphones stopped playing phone audio whenever the AliExpress homepage was loaded, and resumed once the tab was…

    • Fulham v Chelsea: Premier League – live

      This is the opening of a Guardian live blog previewing the Premier League match between Fulham and Chelsea at Craven Cottage, framed as a west London derby between the club’s current managers and the last two men to be sacked by Real Madrid. The piece contrasts the modest ambitions facing Fulham’s Álvaro Arbeloa, who needs…

    • Sussex couple set for UK return with Spencer family backing

      The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly preparing an imminent return to the United Kingdom, with plans advancing for their arrival within the coming days. While Prince Harry remains distant from key members of the