Technology

Purdue University has announced an interesting mobile concept, a means to free up lots of space that is now housing apps and app data. Why not, the university asks, stream the apps themselves from the cloud?

Let's let the school explain its own idea: "New software streams data and code resources to an app from a cloud server when necessary, allowing the app to use only the space it needs on a phone at any given time. 'Itlike how Netflix movies aren&t actually stored on a computer. They are streamed to you as you are watching them,' said Saurabh Bagchi, a Purdue University professor of electrical and computer engineering, and computer science, and director of the Center for Resilient Infrastructures, Systems and Processes. 'Here the application components, like heavy video or graphics or code paths, are streaming instantly despite the errors and slowdowns that are possible on a cellular network.' Bagchiteam showed in a study how the software, called AppStreamer, cuts down storage requirements by at least 85 percent for popular gaming apps on an Android. The software seamlessly shuffles data between an app and a cloud server without stalling the game. Most study participants didn&t notice any differences in their gaming experience while the app used AppStreamer. Because AppStreamer works for these storage-hungry gaming apps, it could work for other apps that usually take up far less space, Bagchi said. The software also allows the app itself to download faster to a phone. The researchers will present their findings Feb. 18 at the 17th International Conference on Embedded Wireless Systems and Networks in Lyon, France." (Note: This press release was written before Feb. 18.)

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Remember the warning about watching how sausage is made? This is an electronic sausage-making story with lots of dirty little bits.

First, the chronology. On FebruaryPatch Tuesday, Microsoft released a bizarre standalone security patch, KB 4524244, which was then called &Security update for Windows 10, version 1607, 1703, 1709, 1803, 1809, and 1903: Feb. 11, 2020.& The name has changed, but bear with me.

The original problems with KB 4524244

That patch had all sorts of weird hallmarks as I discussed at the time:

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Well, I'll be: We're not even all the way through February yet, and Google's next big Android version is already upon us.

Google announced the first Android 11 developer preview on its Android Developers blog Wednesday. To be clear, this is a very early peek at the software, intended explicitly for developers. It isn't something any average person should even think about installing, nor is it likely anywhere close to being a complete representation of what Android 11 will ultimately include.

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&You cannot reduce the complexity of a given task beyond a certain point. Once you&ve reached that point you can only shift the burden around.& ~Larry Tesler

One of the people who helped create the current age of personal computing passed away this week: Larry Tesler (74), the computer scientist who invented copy---paste while at Xerox PARC.

Entwined with Applestory

Long ago, when Xerox wanted to invest in Apple before its IPO, Apple demanded and got the right to visit the fabled Palo Alto Research Center. The first such visit took place in 1980 (though some claim it took place in 1979).

Larry Tesler, then the director of PARC, acted as Appletour guide.

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