Spiria logo.

Weekly Tech Recap - № 260 - 5 ans de PHP, Mac ARM, Photoshop Camera, Android 11 ß, PlayStation 5

June 12, 2020.

PHP a quarter of a century old

PHP 25th Anniversary.

© iStock/Spiria.

On June 8 1995, on a Usenet discussion group, Rasmus Lerdorf announced the birth of version 1.0 of a suite of CGI programs written in C, called “Personal Home Page Tools” (PHP Tools). Its functionalities were basic: track Web site visitors in real-time, display visit counters, password-protect Web site pages and simplify the creation of forms. Lerdorf originally developed the tools to see how many people looked at his CV on his personal Web site. Since these modest beginnings, PHP has grown and gained many more functionalities, but in a chaotic way. Today, PHP is mature and reliable and most Web sites and applications use it, usually through a LAMP stack. Version 8 of PHP, to be released at the end of the year, promises significant performance gains, thanks to Just-in-Time compilation. Happy birthday, PHP!

YouTube, “Rasmus Lerdorf – 25 years of PHP.”

Codemotion Magazine, Vito Gentile, “25 years of PHP: history and curiosities by Rasmus Lerdorf.”

SD Times, Jenna Sargent, “PHP celebrates 25 years and works toward version 8.0 of the language.”

 

ARM intel at WWDC 2020?

WWDC 2020.

WWDC 2020. © Apple.

The ARMisation of the Mac rumour mill is still going, and gaining steam. After the story broken by Ming-Chi Kuo last February, now, Bloomberg says that Apple will be announcing the transitioning of Mac to ARM processors during the keynote speech at the upcoming WWDC 2020 conference, on June 22. That would be exactly 15 years after Steve Jobs announced Apple’s transition from PowerPC to Intel x86, at WWDC 2005. At least three new ARM Macs are in the works, one of which will run on the A14, Apple’s future processor for iPhone and Ipad. Apple will gradually transition its entire line of products, from the MacBook to the Mac Pro to the iMac. Mac processors are made by TSMC “using a 5-nanometer production technique”. The project is known as Kalamata to Apple insiders. If the switch to this new platform is planned for 2021, it would indeed make sense to give developers at least a year’s advance notice. We can’t wait to get the full intel.

Bloomberg, Mark Gurman, “Apple plans to announce move to its own Mac chips at WWDC.”

Ars Technica, Samuel Axon, “Apple plans to announce ARM transition for all Macs at WWDC 2020.”

 

Photoshop Camera

Photoshop Camera.

Photoshop Camera. © L. Gloaguen/Spiria.

Despite its name, the mobile iOS/Android application that Adobe has just launched has nothing to do with Photoshop. But it’s still very cool, and it’s free, which is always a nice feature. The application allows you to easily apply filters to your photos. Some of them are quite elaborate, even impressive. The app can also do some basic photo editing, like adjusting contrast, exposure, saturation, etc. When you open it, you’ll find a half dozen or so filter options, most of which have a bunch of variations you can swipe between. You can also download more filters. Adobe hopes to convert photo-takers who are already using the Instagram and Snapchat filters. Abhay Parasnis, Adobe’s CTO, hinted that they are working on partnerships to get their filters in other apps. Among Android phones, just the more recent Pixel, Galaxy and OnePlus will be supported.

The Verge, Samuel Axon, “Adobe launches Photoshop Camera, a free app with tons of elaborate face filters.”

 

Android 11 beta goes public

Android 11.

Android 11. © Google/iStock.

You can now install the Android 11 beta version on your phone, as long as it’s a Pixel 2, 3, or 4. For other phones like the OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo Vivo, Sharp, Realme and Transsion, you’ll have to wait a few more weeks. You can easily enroll to receive the update with a few clicks, and in just a few minutes, you’ll be ready to install Android 11 on your phone. Just go to this page with your Google account information. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive all future updates to the OS (including the final release). But remember, this is still a beta version, which means it might cause unexpected issues with your phone, ranging from app malfunctions or a downturn in battery performance to worse issues like data loss. So, make sure that your device data is backed up on the cloud, and proceed with caution.

YouTube, “Android 11 hands-on: all the features!.”

The Verge, Dieter Bohn, “Android 11: conversations, bubbles, and making sense of complexity.”

The Verge, Samuel Axon, “How to install the Android 11 public beta.”

 

PS5 unveiled

PlayStation 5.

PlayStation 5. © Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

After unveiling the magnificent DualSense controller in April, Sony piggybacked on the announcement of new games for its future PlayStation 5 to finally show us what the console will look like. Not surprisingly, the futuristic design complements the DualSense, and is so much sexier than the black behemoth of the Xbox Series X. Sony’s console will come in two versions, one with a Blu-Ray drive and one without (Digital Edition). The PS5 will support an “overwhelming majority” of the more than 4,000 PlayStation 4 titles that exist today, and will be available in time for the Holidays. Start saving right now, because according to some, this beauty will set you back USD599 (CAD820).

PlayStation 5.

YouTube, “PS5 Hardware Reveal Trailer.”

The Verge, Samuel Axon, “This is the PlayStation 5.”