Notepad++ updater installed malwareThe updater for the open-source editor Notepad++ has installed malware on PCs. An update to Notepad++ v8.8.9 corrects this.
"Hogwarts Legacy" is free in the Epic Games StoreIn the Epic Games Store, you can currently get the open-world game "Hogwarts Legacy" for free – if the servers cooperate.
After almost 12 years: "Star Citizen" gets a VR mode againThe space simulation "Star Citizen" has received an experimental VR mode, and it looks like the studio is serious about VR support.
Valve: HDMI Forum Continues to Block HDMI 2.1 for LinuxTechnically, the Steam Machine supports HDMI 2.1. However, Valve and AMD are not allowed to offer an open-source driver for it.
Cloud: Row in Bavaria over billion-euro Microsoft contract without tenderThe open-source camp, computer scientists, and the IT industry warn of the loss of digital sovereignty in Bavaria and call for a halt to Microsoft negotiations.
How a French judge was digitally cut off by the USANicolas Guillou has been sanctioned by the USA as a judge of the International Criminal Court. He notices the effects primarily in the digital realm.
"Star Wars": "Old Republic" Role-Playing Game and Racing Game AnnouncedNew "Star Wars" role-playing game is being developed at Arcanaut Studios: "Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic" is said to be a spiritual successor to "Kotor".
Total War series continues with "Medieval 3"Creative Assembly is venturing back into the Middle Ages: The strategy game "Medieval 3: Total War", long awaited by fans, is in pre-production.
Epic Systems: US provider wins Charité tenderAfter a long period of uncertainty, the decision has been made: Charité is awarding the 200 million contract for its new clinic IT to US provider Epic.
Linux Kernel: Rust Support Officially ApprovedRust is becoming equal to assembler and C in programming the Linux kernel – at least officially, as there is still a lot of work to be done in practice.
Goodbye, Microsoft: Schleswig-Holstein relies on Open Source and saves millionsSchleswig-Holstein saves 15 million euros in license costs by migrating from Microsoft to free software. The conversion is significantly cheaper.
MTV without music videos from JanuaryIt's over on the night of January 1, 2026: that's when the last music video will air on MTV Germany. This was foreseeable.
Switzerland: Cartel Authority Investigates Apple's NFC Access ConditionsThe Swiss Competition Commission is investigating whether Apple unfairly disadvantages third-party providers in contactless payments.
Intel's acquisition of SambaNova for 1.6 billion likely close to completionAccording to several US reports, the deal is almost complete: Intel wants to fully acquire the AI chip startup.
IT outage in the Bundestag: Great nervousness during Ukraine negotiationsThe German Bundestag experienced a significant IT outage, with network, email, and shared drives affected. Cause remains unclear.
Long-term data archiving in quartz glass discsData in 5D Optical Memory is intended to last for millennia. The US company SPhotonix is thus competing against rivals such as Cerabyte and Microsoft.
KI als Motor von Innovation, Sicherheit und FortschrittBeim Elastic AI Executive Circle diskutierten Experten über Innovation, Sicherheit und Verantwortung im KI-Bereich. Man war sich einig: Nicht die Nutzung von KI birgt ein Risiko, sondern der Verzicht.
"Milestone" in Münster: First European battery cell from research factoryA "PreFab" has produced the first functional lithium-ion battery cell with a purely European process chain. It's about technological sovereignty.
95 Percent 5G Coverage: Mobile Network Expansion Gains MomentumFederal Network Agency: 5G expansion progresses rapidly. Despite high coverage, regional dead spots remain a nuisance.
Vodafone Foundation: Effective Age Verification for Social Media DemandedFollowing its youth study, Vodafone Foundation issues recommendations for politicians, educators, and platform operators. More controls and support demanded.
Rust Coreutils 0.5.0 reaches 88 percent GNU compatibilityThe Rust reimplementation of classic Unix tools is making progress: version 0.5.0 now passes 87.75 percent of the GNU test suite.
Nvidia acquires open-source provider SchedMDTo strengthen its open-source software ecosystem and drive AI innovations, Nvidia is acquiring software developer SchedMD.
Report: Britain wants to force Apple and Google to block nude photosThe British Home Office wants to ask Apple and Google to block nude photos system-wide. Corresponding plans are reportedly in preparation.
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Murder in Miniature: "Crafting Crimes" for Meta Quest Explores True CrimeThe interactive true crime documentary "Crafting Crimes" gives famous criminal cases a spatial dimension, leading back to the roots of forensics.
Hesse: State Office for Protection of Constitution may use state trojanKarlsruhe partially overturned the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution Act. The parliament passed a reform giving the service new powers
“Dangerously Close”: Starlink Satellite Allegedly Narrowly Avoids CollisionA few days ago, a newly launched satellite narrowly missed a Starlink satellite. SpaceX is therefore issuing general criticism.
Gartner Forecasts: AI Makes You Lazy to Think and Creates New DependenciesGartner forecasts profound disruptions from AI: from AI as a magician to new dependencies and billions in costs due to regulation.
Google integrates AI into Translate and expands learning toolGoogle wants to improve translations with Gemini in Translate. Google is bringing live translations for all headphones and the learning tool to Germany.
What changes for drivers in 2026In 2026, the Euro 7 standard, e-car subsidies, higher commuter allowances, price limits for company cars, and depreciation will come into effect.
Connection drops at heise online due to cookies – a traceThe web development team at heise online reports on an interesting bug hunt whose cause turned out to be very simple in the end.
Roblox ban in Russia: growing criticism and first street protestsThere is virtually no room left for public criticism of state actions in Russia. Nevertheless, criticism of the Roblox blockade is growing louder.
iRobot is insolvent, Chinese supplier Picea takes over businessVacuum cleaning robot manufacturer iRobot has filed for insolvency. It is to be saved by Chinese supplier Picea, which is taking over the company completely.
Tether wants to buy Juventus Turin: Agnelli family rejects offerThe CEO of Tether is Italian and a fan of Juventus Turin: Now his company has submitted a takeover offer for the world-renowned club.
Solidarity in the AI Era: The Ethical Dilemma of Civil SocietyAn initiative for "democratic AI" shows how common good-oriented organizations can counter the AI market dominated by tech giants with values.
Digital Health: "Most people don't realize how existential IT security is"When digital processes in healthcare fail, insecure workarounds and constant stress are the result. In an interview, an expert explains what's going wrong.
Taming the Problem Bear: "The Russian did it" is not enoughThe federal government holds Russia responsible for cases of disinformation and cyberattacks. The attribution sometimes took a very long time.
KI-Datacenter: offene Standards für mehr Effizienz und LeistungLeistungsdichte und Energiebedarf von KI-Rechenzentren erfordern neue Hardware-Lösungen. Das Open Compute Project treibt mit offenen Standards die Entwicklung leistungsfähiger Infrastrukturen voran.
Wirecard scandal: EY must disclose all documents, rules Federal Court of JusticeThe Federal Court of Justice rules: Wirecard's insolvency administrator gains insight into confidential EY content and background information.
Rock, Feathers, Flames: The Pictures of WeekFrom Venice's lights to the fire fox, the best pictures of the week await you.
China further improves its 7-nanometer technologyHuawei's smartphone processor Kirin 9030 (Pro) is manufactured using the "N+3" process. According to analysis, it approaches 5nm technology.
AMS-IX turns its back on the USAAMS-IX, one of the largest internet exchanges, is withdrawing from the USA. What the focus is shifting to and how DE-CIX assesses the situation in the USA.
Xournal++ 1.3.0: Note tool gets laser pointer and improved PDF exportThe free Xournal++ for handwritten notes gets a laser pointer for presentations and now protects hyperlinks and comments during PDF export.
Jira Alternative: Plane 1.2.0 Migrates from Next.js to React Router and VitePlane 1.2.0 rebuilt its frontend stack, migrating from Next.js to React Router and Vite, and fixed critical security vulnerabilities.
Laser Limbo: German Mixed Reality Game for Meta Quest"Laser Limbo" is one of the earliest mixed reality titles for Meta Quest. The game, designed for local multiplayer, celebrates its release today.
German eID Card Criticized as Aid to Money LaunderingEEA citizens can obtain an electronic ID in Germany. However, according to research, not all residents' registration offices are properly checking.
DMA: Google faces hefty EU fine over Play StoreGoogle could face a potentially hefty fine from the EU early next year if it doesn't make further adjustments to the Play Store.
Social Media only from age 16: A wrong turnCreators now want to send newsletters to teens. This makes the social media ban pretty obsolete, argues Eva-Maria Weiß.
