Alvaro Lopez Ortega / 2025-04-23 Briefing

Created Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:00:52 +0000 Modified Sun, 18 May 2025 18:47:07 +0000
1939 Words

Atuin Desktop launched as a local-first runbook editor combining terminal execution with document organization. Sapphire emerged as a Rust-based package manager for macOS. NLnet funded 42 open-source projects promoting privacy and decentralization. Intel plans to cut over 20% of its workforce. The EU fined Apple €500M and Meta €200M for Digital Markets Act violations.

▶️ Internet Infrastructure

Atuin Desktop: Runbooks that Run

Atuin Desktop, launched on April 22, 2025, is a local-first runbook editor that combines terminal-like execution with document-like organization, enabling repeatable, shareable workflows. It supports chaining commands, executing embedded scripts, and dynamic templating, with real-time autocomplete from shell history. The platform syncs across devices via Atuin Hub and is used for deploying CLI tools, infrastructure migration, environment setup, and database management. Future updates include team collaboration and automated runbook generation from shell history.

  • Atuin Desktop is a local-first, executable runbook editor designed to streamline terminal workflows, integrating script blocks, embedded terminals, database clients, and Prometheus charts.
  • Features include chaining shell commands, executing and maintaining relevant documentation, reusable automation with Jinja-style templating, autocomplete from shell history, and synchronization via Atuin Hub.
  • Currently used for releasing Atuin CLI, migrating infrastructure, deploying environments, and managing live database queries; upcoming features include team accounts and auto-generated runbooks from shell history.

▶️ Open Source

GitHub - alexykn/sapphire: Rust based package manager for macOS

Sapphire is an experimental, Rust-powered package manager for macOS, supporting ARM architecture. It manages formulae and casks, with core functions for fetching, dependency resolution, and artifact handling, and a CLI interface. Features include bottle and cask installation/uninstallation, parallel downloads, and early support for building from source. Its architecture comprises sapphire-core and sapphire-cli. The project is under active development with future plans for upgrade, cleanup, reinstallation commands, and prefix support. It is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and inspired by Homebrew, but remains unstable and alpha software.

  • Sapphire is an alpha-stage, Rust-based package manager for macOS, focusing on ARM architecture.
  • Manages formulae (command-line tools, libraries, languages) and casks (macOS applications).
  • Core library handles fetching, dependency resolution, archive extraction, artifact management; CLI wraps core functionalities.
  • Supports bottle and cask installation/uninstallation, parallel downloads, automatic dependency resolution, and early-stage source build capabilities.
  • Project structure includes sapphire-core and sapphire-cli; currently under active development with planned features like upgrade, cleanup, reinstallation, and prefix support.
  • Uses BSD-3-Clause license; inspired by Homebrew; heavily experimental and unstable.
    Repository link

NLnet; 42 Free and Open Source Projects Receive Funding to Reclaim the Public Nature of the Internet

NLnet announced funding for 42 open source projects through the October NGI Zero Commons Fund, supporting initiatives that promote the public, privacy-respecting internet. Projects span open hardware (e.g., Solar FemtoTX low-power motherboard, FuseSoC Web Catalog), privacy-enhancing forms (LiberaForms), decentralized identity (DID SASL), and AI workflows (Livebook, LLM2FPGA). Additional efforts include improving web standards for print, developing federated XR content, and enhancing open communication protocols. This funding aims to strengthen digital commons, transparency, and user control over online infrastructure and data.

  • 42 projects funded by NLnet’s October NGI Zero Commons Fund call, the largest in NGI Zero history
  • Projects aim to reclaim the public nature of the internet, focusing on open hardware, privacy, decentralization, and open source tools
  • Notable projects include open hardware (Solar FemtoTX motherboard, FuseSoC Web Catalog), privacy tools (LiberaForms, Alaveteli GDPR search), decentralized identity (DID SASL), and AI/data workflows (Livebook, LLM2FPGA)

Nine Reasons to Use OSH

OSH is a high-compatibility, script-focused Unix shell that runs existing scripts from POSIX and Bash, with nine years of incremental improvements. It offers precise error reporting, debugging tools like pretty printing, and a strict mode to enhance script reliability. The lightweight design (~2MB, minimal dependencies) facilitates system building and GUI development. Users can upgrade to YSH, a flexible language integrating shell, Python, and data formats. The project encourages contributions, featuring high-level, statically typed code and superior performance benchmarks compared to C shells.

  • OSH is a modern, compatible Unix shell implementation focused on scripting and interactive features, part of the Oils project
  • It supports running existing shell scripts, including POSIX and Bash, with nine years of increasing compatibility
  • Provides precise error messages, pretty printing for debugging, strict mode for error checking, and additional runtime features
  • Small size (~2MB), minimal dependencies, suitable for building GUIs and headless protocols
  • Upgradable to YSH, a versatile language combining shell, Python, JSON, and YAML
  • Open for contributions, with high-level, statically typed code, and performance advantages over C-based shells

Ex-OpenAI staff and top AI experts seek to block proposed for-profit restructure

Former OpenAI staff and top AI researchers, including Geoffrey Hinton and Stuart Russell, have petitioned US authorities to block the company’s plan to convert from a non-profit to a for-profit public benefit corporation (PBC). They argue this shift would prioritize profit over the company’s original mission to ensure AGI benefits all humanity, risking increased societal and safety concerns. OpenAI, valued at $300bn and seeking to secure further investments, contends that the restructuring will strengthen its non-profit and align with its mission, but critics warn it could lead to loss of control over AGI development and heightened risks of misuse.

  • Ex-OpenAI employees and leading AI experts, including Geoffrey Hinton, Margaret Mitchell, and Stuart Russell, oppose the company’s proposed transition from a non-profit to a for-profit public benefit corporation (PBC).
  • The joint letter to California and Delaware attorneys-general warns that the restructuring would transfer control of artificial general intelligence (AGI) development to a profit-driven entity, contradicting OpenAI’s founding mission to benefit all humanity.
  • OpenAI aims to complete the for-profit conversion by the end of 2023 to secure additional investments, including a $30bn funding round from SoftBank, amid concerns that the change could undermine its mission and increase societal risks associated with AGI.

A new, open source text-to-speech model called Dia has arrived to challenge ElevenLabs, OpenAI and more | VentureBeat

Nari Labs introduced Dia, an open-source 1.6B parameter TTS model capable of producing highly natural dialogue with features like emotional tone, speaker tags, and nonverbal cues. Built with PyTorch 2.0+ and CUDA 12.6, it requires approximately 10GB VRAM, delivering around 40 tokens/sec on enterprise GPUs such as NVIDIA A4000. The model’s code and weights are available on GitHub and Hugging Face, with a demo accessible via Hugging Face Spaces. Distributed under Apache 2.0 license, Dia aims to support diverse applications from content creation to assistive tech, emphasizing responsible use.

  • Nari Labs released Dia, a 1.6 billion parameter open-source TTS model, designed for naturalistic dialogue generation from text prompts
  • Supports nuanced features like emotional tone, speaker tagging, nonverbal cues, and audio conditioning for voice cloning
  • Model runs on PyTorch 2.0+ with CUDA 12.6, requiring ~10GB VRAM; inference on enterprise GPUs (~NVIDIA A4000) achieves ~40 tokens/sec
  • Code and weights available on GitHub and Hugging Face; accessible via demo on Hugging Face Spaces
  • Fully open source under Apache 2.0 license, permitting commercial use with restrictions on impersonation and misinformation; development supported by Google TPU Cloud and Hugging Face grants

OpenAI Would Buy Google’s Chrome Browser, ChatGPT Chief Says - Bloomberg

OpenAI’s ChatGPT chief, Nick Turley, indicated in a court hearing that OpenAI would pursue purchasing Google’s Chrome browser if a federal court mandates its divestment, with many other entities also interested. This statement aligns with ongoing antitrust litigation efforts aimed at breaking up Google’s dominance in search and advertising. The potential sale of Chrome is linked to broader antitrust cases, including DOJ efforts to force Google to sell off parts of its business to reduce monopoly power.

  • OpenAI’s ChatGPT chief, Nick Turley, stated in court that OpenAI would be interested in acquiring Google’s Chrome browser if a federal court orders its spin-off
  • Many other parties would also seek to buy Chrome under such circumstances
  • The statement was made during a court hearing related to antitrust actions against Google

▶️ Management and Leadership

Native visionOS platform support by rsanchezsaez · Pull Request #105628 · godotengine/godot · GitHub

This PR introduces a native visionOS platform support for Godot, closely aligned with the existing iOS implementation. It refactors shared code into drivers/apple_embedded, renames relevant export and platform files, and disables OpenGL due to visionOS constraints. Testing with the Platformer demo confirms native execution using Metal, though DPI metrics are static and icon asset generation is incomplete. The contribution lays the groundwork for future immersive VR support and SwiftUI integration, with ongoing discussions about platform maintenance and compatibility considerations.

  • This PR adds native support for the visionOS platform to Godot, using iOS as the base and reusing code via drivers/apple_embedded.
  • Implements platform-specific logic, including app instantiation, display server, and export plugin, with no OpenGL support due to visionOS limitations.
  • Renames export plugin files and shared configuration to accommodate both iOS and visionOS, and moves shared code into drivers/apple_embedded.
  • Tests confirm native execution on visionOS with Metal renderer; DPI metrics are hardcoded, and icon asset support is pending.
  • The PR is part of a three-step plan, with subsequent PRs planned for SwiftUI integration and immersive VR plugin support.

Microsoft just launched powerful AI ‘agents’ that could completely transform your workday – and challenge Google’s workplace dominance | VentureBeat

Microsoft launched the “Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 Spring release,” expanding AI tools with agents capable of deep reasoning for enterprise tasks. The Researcher and Analyst agents, powered by OpenAI’s reasoning models, perform complex research and data analysis, aiding in activities like preparing business reviews. They will be available through an “Agent Store” with integrations from partners such as Jira, Monday.com, and Miro, with deployment starting in late May 2025. Microsoft envisions AI as an organizational collaborator, transforming workplace productivity and structure.

  • Microsoft announced the “Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 Spring release” introducing AI agents with deep reasoning capabilities for workplace tasks.
  • New AI agents, Researcher and Analyst, leverage OpenAI’s reasoning models to handle complex research and data analysis, connecting information across sources.
  • These agents will be accessible via an “Agent Store” featuring integrations with Jira, Monday.com, Miro, and custom organizational agents; rollout begins in late May 2025.

Intel (INTC) to Announce Plans This Week to Lay Off More Than 20% of Staff - Bloomberg

Intel Corporation is set to disclose plans this week to cut more than 20% of its workforce, targeting organizational streamlining and management restructuring, according to sources. The initiative seeks to reduce bureaucracy and foster an engineering-focused culture. This marks the first significant restructuring under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took over leadership last month. The move reflects Intel’s efforts to address its financial struggles and improve operational efficiency.

  • Intel plans to announce a reduction of over 20% of its staff this week
  • The restructuring aims to eliminate bureaucracy and rebuild an engineering-driven culture
  • This is the first major restructuring under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who assumed leadership last month

Apple, Meta Fined by EU, Ordered to Comply With Tech Competition Rules - WSJ

The European Union imposed €500 million ($570 million) fine on Apple and €200 million on Meta for violations of the Digital Markets Act, focusing on App Store transparency and personalized advertising practices. The EU ordered Apple to allow app developers to inform users of alternative purchase options and directed Meta to cease requiring user consent for personalized ads on Facebook and Instagram. Both companies plan to appeal. The enforcement aims to promote competition, with potential fines up to 10% of global revenue, and comes amid heightened US-EU trade tensions over digital regulations.

  • The EU fined Apple €500 million (approximately $570 million) for breaching the Digital Markets Act and Meta €200 million.
  • The fines target violations related to Apple’s App Store rules and Meta’s personalized ad practices.
  • The European Commission issued cease-and-desist orders requiring changes to Apple’s app store transparency and Meta’s ad personalization, with a 60-day compliance window before additional penalties up to 5% of daily revenue.