#Embedded Software Market

[dhirajmarketresearch]

[aadeshmmr]

Market size for embedded software was estimated at USD 16.54 billion in 2023, and income from all of this software is predicted to increase at a rate of 7% between 2024 and 2030, or over USD 26.56 billion.

[imarcresearch]

Embedded Software Market Share, Size, Trends, Revenue, Analysis Report 2024-2032

IMARC Group's report titled "Embedded Software Market Report by Operating System (General Purpose Operating System (GPOS), Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)), Function (Standalone System, Real-Time System, Network System, Mobile System), Application (Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Military and Defense, IT and Telecom and Others), and Region 2023-2028". The global embedded software market size reached US$ 14,824 Million in 2022. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach US$ 23,811 Million by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 8.30% during 2023-2028.

For an in-depth analysis, you can refer sample copy of the report: https://www.imarcgroup.com/embedded-software-market/requestsample

Factors Affecting the Growth of the Global Embedded Software Industry:

Increasing Demand for IoT Devices:

One of the primary drivers of the Embedded Software market is the growing demand for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These devices are becoming increasingly prevalent in various industries, including healthcare, automotive, and manufacturing. Embedded software is essential for the functioning of these devices, as it enables seamless communication and data processing. It serves as the underlying programming that runs on these devices, allowing them to function as intended. Embedded software is responsible for tasks like data collection, data processing, communication with other devices or the cloud, and decision-making based on the collected data.

Rising Adoption of Automotive Electronics:

The automotive industry is witnessing a rapid increase in the integration of electronic systems, ranging from infotainment systems to advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). This surge in automotive electronics is boosting the demand for embedded software, which is critical for ensuring the reliability and functionality of these systems. Embedded software is essential for ensuring the smooth operation of these systems, as it controls and coordinates the hardware components, making them function harmoniously. Besides, features like voice recognition, touch-screen interfaces, and seamless smartphone integration make driving more convenient and enjoyable for consumers, further driving the demand for advanced embedded software solutions.

Industrial Automation and Industry 4.0:

Industries are increasingly adopting automation and Industry 4.0 practices to improve efficiency and productivity. Embedded software plays a pivotal role in controlling and monitoring automated systems, making it an indispensable component in the industrial landscape. It acts as the brain of automated systems, providing real-time control and monitoring capabilities. It governs the operation of robotic arms, conveyor belts, sensors, and other machinery used in manufacturing processes. This software ensures that these components work together seamlessly and efficiently to carry out specific tasks.

Leading Companies Operating in the Global Embedded Software Industry:

Advantech Co. Ltd

Green Hills Software

Intel Corporation

Intellias

L&T Technology Services Limited (Larsen & Toubro Ltd.)

Microsoft Corporation

NXP Semiconductors N.V

Siemens

STMicroelectronics N.V

Xilinx Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)

Global Embedded Software Market Report Segmentation:

By Operating System:

General Purpose Operating System (GPOS)

Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)

General purpose operating system (GPOS) represented the largest segment as it is designed to be versatile and adaptable, capable of running a wide range of applications and functions. This versatility makes it a popular choice for embedded systems across various industries.

By Function:

Standalone System

Real-Time System

Network System

Mobile System

Standalone systems hold the largest market share as they are designed to operate independently, without the need for continuous external connectivity or reliance on other systems.

By Application:

Automotive

Consumer Electronics

Manufacturing

Healthcare

Military and Defense

IT and Telecom

Others

IT and telecom sector represented the largest segment as it depends on embedded software for managing the complex infrastructure that supports global communication networks.

By Region:

North America (United States, Canada)

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Others)

Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Others)

Middle East and Africa

North America was the largest market for embedded software due to technological advancements, research and development (R&D) activities, and significant growth in the automotive industry.

Global Embedded Software Market Opportunities:

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expanding across various industries, creating a massive demand for embedded software solutions. Hence, it provides ample opportunities for developing software for IoT devices, sensors, and gateways, as well as for managing and analyzing the data generated by these devices. Moreover, the deployment of 5G networks and the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure require advanced embedded software for network optimization, virtualization, and security, thus providing opportunities for software providers to cater to these needs.

Note: If you need specific information that is not currently within the scope of the report, we will provide it to you as a part of the customization.

About Us:

IMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses.

IMARCs information products include major market, scientific, economic and technological developments for business leaders in pharmaceutical, industrial, and high technology organizations. Market forecasts and industry analysis for biotechnology, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, travel and tourism, nanotechnology and novel processing methods are at the top of the companys expertise.

Our offerings include comprehensive market intelligence in the form of research reports, production cost reports, feasibility studies, and consulting services. Our team, which includes experienced researchers and analysts from various industries, is dedicated to providing high-quality data and insights to our clientele, ranging from small and medium businesses to Fortune 1000 corporations.

Contact Us: IMARC Group Email: sales@imarcgroup.com USA: +1-631-791-1145 | Asia: +91-120-433-0800 Address: 134 N 4th St. Brooklyn, NY 11249, USA Follow us on Twitter: @imarcglobal

[surfytech]

Edge computing is revolutionizing embedded systems by enabling real-time data processing without relying on the cloud. Instead of sending every piece of information to remote servers, smart devices now process data locally, leading to:

- Faster response times

- Enhanced security & privacy

- Lower bandwidth & cloud costs

- More reliable performance in remote areas

Where is Edge Computing Used?

- Smart Homes & IoT Devices

- Healthcare Wearables & Patient Monitoring

- Autonomous Vehicles & Robotics

- Industrial Automation & Predictive Maintenance

As AI, 5G, and IoT evolve, Edge Computing in Embedded Systems is shaping the future of technology. Are you ready to embrace it?

#EdgeComputing #EmbeddedSystems #SmartTech #IoT #AI #Innovation #TechTrends #FutureTech #DigitalTransformation

[atcuality1]

Redefine Customer Engagement with AI-Powered Application Solutions

In today’s digital landscape, customer engagement is more crucial than ever. ATCuality’s AI powered application redefine how businesses interact with their audience, creating personalized experiences that foster loyalty and drive satisfaction. Our applications utilize cutting-edge AI algorithms to analyze customer behavior, preferences, and trends, enabling your business to anticipate needs and respond proactively. Whether you're in e-commerce, finance, or customer service, our AI-powered applications can optimize your customer journey, automate responses, and provide insights that lead to improved service delivery. ATCuality’s commitment to innovation ensures that each AI-powered application is adaptable, scalable, and perfectly aligned with your brand’s voice, keeping your customers engaged and coming back for more.

[creativeera]

Embedded Computing Marled is Anticipated to Witness High Growth Owing to Wide Adoption Across End-use Industries

Embedded computing refers to a computer system that is part of a larger mechanical or electrical system designed to perform a dedicated function. Embedded systems are designed for specific control functions within embedded products and machines and operate under the direct control of an embedded program. Some key features of embedded systems include rugged construction, low power usage, real-time operating capabilities and compact size. Embedded devices are commonly found in industrial equipment, automobiles, consumer electronics, home appliances and medical devices to control electronic systems. Their key advantage is the ability to control electronic processes in a precise, flexible and cost-effective manner.

The global embedded computing market is estimated to be valued at US$ 112.45 Bn in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 174.38 Bn by 2031, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% from 2024 to 2031.

Wide adoption across industries such as industrial automation, transportation, healthcare, telecommunication and consumer electronics is fueling market growth. Embedded systems allow streamlining of electronic processes, reducing downtimes and operation costs for end-use industries. Key Takeaways Key players operating in the embedded computing market are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., Advantech Co., Ltd., Avalue Technology Inc., Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Dell Technologies Inc., Emerson Electric Co., Fujitsu Limited, General Electric Company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Honeywell International Inc., Intel Corporation, Kontron ST AG, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Inc., and Texas Instruments Incorporated. The Embedded Computing Market Demand offers significant opportunities for system integrators and solution providers through new product development and capability expansion. Growing digitization trends across industry verticals will continue to generate strong demand for embedded systems with advanced computing and connectivity features. Leading embedded computing companies are focusing on global expansion strategies through partnerships, joint ventures and acquisitions to solidify their presence in emerging economies of Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. These regions offer high growth potential driven by ongoing modernization of infrastructure and growing electronics manufacturing activities. Market Drivers Wide adoption across industrial automation applications is a key driver for the embedded computing market. Use of embedded systems allows streamlining of electronic processes, reducing downtimes and operation costs for industrial equipment manufacturers. Growing connectivity trends through Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will further propel demand. Rising electronics content in automobiles is positively impacting the market. Advanced driver assistance systems, infotainment systems and vehicle networking require powerful embedded computing solutions. Strict fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions norms will accelerate integration of embedded computing hardware. Market Restrain Design complexity of developing embedded system on a chip (SoC) poses challenges, especially for integrating advanced Embedded Computing Companies capabilities with low power requirements. This increases new product development timelines and costs. Limited standardization across various embedded system platforms inhibits seamless interoperability, data exchange and application portability. This poses difficulties for globally distributed product development activities.

Segment Analysis Automotive industrial and transportation is dominating the embedded computing market due to increasing implementation of advanced driver-assistance systems, connected vehicles solutions, electric vehicles, and autonomous vehicles. According to recent surveys over 65% of all new light vehicles shipped will have features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot monitoring by 2030. All these emerging technologies are driving the growth of embedded systems in automotive applications. Security and defense is another major sub segment in the embedded computing market owing to rising implementation of thermal weapon sights, combat management systems, imaging payloads and guidance systems in warships, aircraft carriers and fighter jets. Real-time information, enhanced situational awareness and integrated mission capabilities are some key priorities for embedded systems in defense applications. Various nations are also focusing on developing autonomous weapons which will further augment demand in coming years. Global Analysis North America dominates the global embedded computing market with a share of over 35% due to substantial research funding and presence of major OEMs in the region. US and Canada are hub for embedded technology development owing to advancement in networking infrastructure, IoT penetration and adoption of Industry 4.0 concepts. Asia Pacific shows fastest growth momentum led by China, India, Japan and South Korea. Low manufacturing cost and government initiatives to digitize industries are driving Asia Pacific market. Intensifying Sino-US trade war may impact supply chain dynamics in long run. Europe captures around 25% market share led by Germany, United Kingdom and France.

Get more insights on Embedded Computing Market

About Author:

Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemical and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/money-singh-590844163)

[sffgtrhyjhmnzdt]

Embedded Software Development: A Comprehensive Guide

Embedded software development is a specialized field that focuses on creating software designed to perform specific tasks within a hardware system. Unlike general-purpose software, embedded software operates in real-time, often with limited resources and strict performance requirements. It is integral to the functioning of various devices, from household appliances to complex industrial systems.

The Role of Embedded Software in Modern Technology

Embedded systems are everywhere. They power devices like smartphones, medical instruments, automotive systems, and industrial machines. The software within these systems must be reliable, efficient, and optimized for the hardware it controls. This is where embedded software development becomes crucial. Developers in this field need to have a deep understanding of both software and hardware, ensuring that the software can seamlessly interact with the physical components of the device.

Embedded Software Testing: Ensuring Reliability and Performance

One of the most critical aspects of embedded software development is testing. Embedded software testing in Hyderabad involves rigorous processes to ensure that the software operates correctly within its intended environment. This includes functional testing, performance testing, and stress testing. Given the potential consequences of software failure in embedded systems, testing is not just a step in the development process; it is a continuous, iterative process that runs throughout the lifecycle of the software.

Testing embedded software is often more challenging than testing general-purpose software. This is due to the constraints of the hardware, the need for real-time performance, and the often complex interactions between software and hardware. Effective testing requires specialized tools and techniques, as well as a thorough understanding of the system's requirements.

Embedded System Design Services: Tailoring Solutions to Specific Needs

Given the complexity and specificity of embedded systems, many companies turn to embedded system design services in Hyderabad for developing their products. These services offer expertise in creating custom solutions that meet the unique needs of a project. From initial concept development to final deployment, embedded system design services ensure that the hardware and software work together seamlessly.

These services typically include a range of offerings, such as system architecture design, hardware design, software development, integration, and testing. By leveraging these services, companies can accelerate their development timelines, reduce costs, and improve the quality of their final products.

The Intersection of Embedded Software and Digital Marketing

In today’s digital age, even the most technically oriented industries like embedded software development must consider the role of digital marketing. A digital marketing company in hyderabad specializing in technology services can help embedded system providers reach their target audience more effectively. Through strategies such as content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media engagement, these companies can increase visibility and drive customer acquisition.

For embedded software development firms, partnering with a digital marketing company can provide a competitive edge. By effectively communicating their expertise in embedded software testing and embedded system design services in Hyderabad, they can attract more clients and projects, ultimately growing their business.

Embedded software development is a complex yet essential component of modern technology. From ensuring the reliability of embedded systems through rigorous testing to creating tailored solutions with the help of embedded system design services, this field requires a high level of expertise. Additionally, the integration of digital marketing strategies can further enhance the reach and success of companies in this industry. By combining technical prowess with effective marketing, embedded software developers can thrive in a competitive market.

[block-verse-infotech-solution]

Top IT Solutions Tailored to Fulfill Your Business Needs

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, staying ahead in the business game requires leveraging cutting-edge IT solutions. Whether you’re a startup or an established enterprise, finding the right technology to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and drive growth is paramount. With a myriad of options available, navigating through the maze of IT solutions can be overwhelming. However, understanding your business needs and aligning them with the right technological tools can set you on the path to success.

One of the key areas where IT solutions play a transformative role is in optimizing business processes. From automating repetitive tasks to implementing robust project management systems, IT solutions empower organizations to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. Cloud computing, for instance, offers scalable storage and computing power, enabling businesses to access resources on-demand and minimize infrastructure costs.

Moreover, in today’s interconnected world, having a strong online presence is non-negotiable. IT solutions such as website development and digital marketing are indispensable for reaching and engaging with customers in the digital realm. A well-designed website not only serves as a virtual storefront but also enhances brand credibility and customer trust. Pairing it with an effective digital marketing strategy amplifies visibility, drives traffic, and generates leads, thereby boosting conversion rates and revenue.

Furthermore, embracing emerging technologies like blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and embedded systems opens up new avenues for innovation and competitive advantage. Blockchain technology ensures data integrity and security, making it ideal for applications in finance, supply chain management, and healthcare. IoT facilitates real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making, revolutionizing industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare. Embedded systems, on the other hand, power a plethora of devices, from smartphones to industrial machinery, enabling seamless connectivity and functionality.

In essence, the right IT solutions can revolutionize your business operations, drive growth, and keep you ahead of the curve in today’s dynamic market landscape. By leveraging the expertise of trusted IT partners like Blockverse Infotech Solutions, businesses can harness the full potential of technology to achieve their goals. Specializing in website development, software development, digital marketing, blockchain development, mobile app development, IoT, and embedded development, Blockverse Infotech Solutions offers tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of every client. With a track record of delivering innovative and reliable IT solutions, Blockverse Infotech Solutions is your trusted partner in navigating the digital landscape and unlocking your business’s full potential.

[cmibloggers]

Automotive Embedded Systems Market Is Estimated To Witness High Growth Owing To Increasing Adoption of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Growing Demand for Connected Cars

The global Automotive Embedded Systems Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 9.6 Bn in 2023 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.0% over the forecast period 2023-2030, as highlighted in a new report published by Coherent Market Insights.  

Market Overview:

The automotive embedded systems market involves the integration of hardware and software in vehicles to provide enhanced functionality and features. These systems enhance vehicle performance, safety, and efficiency. Examples of products associated with this market include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), infotainment systems, powertrain control modules, electronic control units, and telematics systems. The increasing demand for advanced features in vehicles, such as navigation, connectivity, and autonomous driving capabilities, is driving the growth of the market.  

Market Dynamics:

The two major drivers contributing to the growth of the automotive embedded systems market are the increasing adoption of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and the growing demand for connected cars.   Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are designed to improve vehicle safety by providing drivers with warnings and automated features to prevent accidents. These systems utilize embedded technologies such as sensors, cameras, and algorithms to monitor the surrounding environment and assist drivers in making critical decisions. The increasing focus on reducing road accidents and enhancing passenger safety is driving the demand for ADAS, thereby fueling the growth of the automotive embedded systems market.  

The growing demand for connected cars is another significant driver for the market. Connected cars leverage embedded systems to enable communication between the vehicle, driver, and external devices or networks. These systems provide features such as vehicle tracking, remote diagnostics, real-time traffic updates, and entertainment services. The increasing consumer demand for seamless connectivity and enhanced driving experience is propelling the adoption of connected cars, leading to the growth of the automotive embedded systems market.  

Market Key Trends:

One key trend observed in the Automotive Embedded Systems Market is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. AI and ML algorithms enable vehicles to analyze and learn from real-time data, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of embedded systems. For example, AI-powered ADAS can identify and predict potentially dangerous situations on the road, leading to proactive safety measures. This trend of integrating AI and ML technologies is likely to drive innovation and create new opportunities in the automotive embedded systems market.  

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths:

1. Growing demand for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)

2. Increasing adoption of connected cars  

Weaknesses:

1. High implementation costs

2. Complexity in integrating multiple systems  

Opportunities:

1. Growing demand for electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology

2. Expansion into emerging markets with rising automotive industry  

Threats:

1. Increasing cybersecurity risks for connected vehicles

2. Stringent regulations and compliance standards  

Key Takeaways:

The global automotive embedded systems market is expected to witness high growth, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.0% over the forecast period. This growth is driven by the increasing adoption of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and the growing demand for connected cars.   In terms of regional analysis, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing and dominating region in the automotive embedded systems market. The rapid expansion of the automotive industry in countries like China and India, coupled with the increasing disposable income of consumers, is fueling the demand for advanced features and connected vehicles in this region.   Key players operating in the global automotive embedded systems market include Robert Bosch GmbH, Panasonic Corporation, Toshiba, Continental AG, Denso Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Infineon Technologies AG, and Harman International. These players are focusing on strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and product innovations to strengthen their market position and cater to the growing demand for automotive embedded systems.

[maddygv]

https://ipcsglobal.com/calicut-ipcs-global/

[dhirajmarketresearch]

[aadeshmmr]

Embedded Software Market size was valued at USD 16.54 Bn. in 2023 and the total Embedded Software revenue is expected to grow at 7% from 2024 to 2030, reaching nearly USD 26.56 Bn.

[poeticlark]

769 words, my own au i call "doll au", inspired by cyberpunk. everyone is a cyborg yah whatever. enjoy, and yes i accept questions on the au.

Part Two

-.-.-

Captain Curly’s medical file is 13 pages of technical jargon, schematics, therapy notes and several police reports. It's the longest in volume, outmatching even Swansea’s extensive age and habit of replacing livers when they fail him. 

Before completing a trimonthly diagnostic on each crewmember, Anya must read through their medical records to prepare. All restricted files on the Tulpar are paper, unable to be downloaded or accessed through any cyberware. Locked away in cases and drawers for select crew.

She opens Curly's file on the desk, organises the paper's with a soft shuffling. Slides her glasses on, so the eyestrain of the contacts doesn’t overwhelm. 

Her radio comforts, cello solos for reading while she drinks the Pony Express tea. Tea is a liberal interpretation of dust swept from the factory floor and stuffed into rice paper pouches that dissolve into the water, leaving behind a starchy taste. There’s only 100 packed for the whole trip, and she hates them.

Alas, the urge to drink tea while studying, self-ingrained through her schooling habits, is too strong to beat. Anya sips at her starchy dust water and tries to comprehend what a Systematic Ram Reshuffler is.

The Captain’s body is full of things, full of wires and chips. His files are full of complications from those wires and chips. She reads through the reports from his biomonitor, the watch embedded in his wrist, the bracing on his hand where he broke it in a warehouse accident. The optical enhancements he has, top market for his line of work. The maintainer attached to his heart. A diagram of his brain overflowing with neuralware, stretches of cabling stretching along the rippling tissue.

She jots down a note to monitor Curly for complications, and more stringent psychological evaluation. No wonder he’s so indebted, she thinks to herself. These implants must cost tens of thousands.

She stops in her shuffling, turns the radio down when a note rings out like a squeal. Surely, she misread it. Misunderstood. 

The fourth page is an extensive report of the process of installing a Morpheus Behavioural Chip from Projekt Industries. 

Something's kicking in her chest, something scared. A Morpheus.

The report is not as dramatic as maybe it should be, size twelve lettering on slightly creased paper. Perfectly normal language, probably typed out by a surgeon eager to rush off to their lunch break. Nauseatingly mundane and impassive. Totally typical of a post surgery report. She’s unsure that it’s about Curly, until she doubles and then triple checks his full name at the top of the page.

26th September, 1984: The implant was installed into the client’s frontal lobe. Surgery was 7 hours and 42 minutes. There were no complications.

28th September, 1984: The client woke up from anaesthetic and attempted to decannulate himself. The nurse on duty prevented this from happening, and he quickly regained composure.

29th September: 1984 The implant appears to have integrated with the client’s nervous system and frontal lobe without complication. No inflammation beyond standard medication. Diagnostics by a software engineer shows full functionality has been achieved.

13th October, 1984: The client will be discharged tonight, and return weekly until the end of the month for monitoring. Prescription for courses of medication sent electronically: immunosuppressants, antibiotics, antiinflammation and antiemetics will be supplied in courses  

A Morpheus chip in the frontal lobe of Captain Curly. Anya leans back, spine slamming into the back of her chair as her vision seems to fizzle at the edges. Curly, in charge of The Tulpar and the wellbeing of every single person on board, has a behavioural chip. Curly is a doll. 

Scolding herself for that kind of language, she lets the paper down on the desk like it stings to touch. Curly’s a person, a person with independent thoughts. Not some meat machine, and she’d be able to tell if it wasn’t him. His opticware is connected to the implant, an alert to anyone he talks to if it's active. Curly is himself, and himself is a person. A Morpheus chip doesn’t mean anything.

The cup of tea, wobbling precariously in her unsteady hand, tips onto her. It scalds, soaking into her uniform’s trousers and the pants underneath that.

“Fuck!” 

She stumbles to her feet, stumbling to get out of her uniform and shoving the papers across the table. It burns, bringing angry tears to her eyes as she stumbles to the sink reserved for handwashing. At least the medical room can lock, she bitterly recalls while stripping down to her underclothes and splashing water onto her angry, red skin. 

She's lost her appetite for pony express tea even more, now. Behavioural chip interfaces with all programs in functionality tests, the report read, and the dead pixel flashes at the back of her skull insistently.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A link-clump demands a linkdump

Cometh the weekend, cometh the linkdump. My daily-ish newsletter includes a section called "Hey look at this," with three short links per day, but sometimes those links get backed up and I need to clean house. Here's the eight previous installments:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

The country code top level domain (ccTLD) for the Caribbean island nation of Anguilla is .ai, and that's turned into millions of dollars worth of royalties as "entrepreneurs" scramble to sprinkle some buzzword-compliant AI stuff on their businesses in the most superficial way possible:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/08/ai-fever-turns-anguillas-ai-domain-into-a-digital-gold-mine/

All told, .ai domain royalties will account for about ten percent of the country's GDP.

It's actually kind of nice to see Anguilla finding some internet money at long last. Back in the 1990s, when I was a freelance web developer, I got hired to work on the investor website for a publicly traded internet casino based in Anguilla that was a scammy disaster in every conceivable way. The company had been conceived of by people who inherited a modestly successful chain of print-shops and decided to diversify by buying a dormant penny mining stock and relaunching it as an online casino.

But of course, online casinos were illegal nearly everywhere. Not in Anguilla – or at least, that's what the founders told us – which is why they located their servers there, despite the lack of broadband or, indeed, reliable electricity at their data-center. At a certain point, the whole thing started to whiff of a stock swindle, a pump-and-dump where they'd sell off shares in that ex-mining stock to people who knew even less about the internet than they did and skedaddle. I got out, and lost track of them, and a search for their names and business today turns up nothing so I assume that it flamed out before it could ruin any retail investors' lives.

Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory, one of those former British colonies that was drained and then given "independence" by paternalistic imperial administrators half a world away. The country's main industries are tourism and "finance" – which is to say, it's a pearl in the globe-spanning necklace of tax- and corporate-crime-havens the UK established around the world so its most vicious criminals – the hereditary aristocracy – can continue to use Britain's roads and exploit its educated workforce without paying any taxes.

This is the "finance curse," and there are tiny, struggling nations all around the world that live under it. Nick Shaxson dubbed them "Treasure Islands" in his outstanding book of the same name:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780230341722/treasureislands

I can't imagine that the AI bubble will last forever – anything that can't go on forever eventually stops – and when it does, those .ai domain royalties will dry up. But until then, I salute Anguilla, which has at last found the internet riches that I played a small part in bringing to it in the previous century.

The AI bubble is indeed overdue for a popping, but while the market remains gripped by irrational exuberance, there's lots of weird stuff happening around the edges. Take Inject My PDF, which embeds repeating blocks of invisible text into your resume:

https://kai-greshake.de/posts/inject-my-pdf/

The text is tuned to make resume-sorting Large Language Models identify you as the ideal candidate for the job. It'll even trick the summarizer function into spitting out text that does not appear in any human-readable form on your CV.

Embedding weird stuff into resumes is a hacker tradition. I first encountered it at the Chaos Communications Congress in 2012, when Ang Cui used it as an example in his stellar "Print Me If You Dare" talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njVv7J2azY8

Cui figured out that one way to update the software of a printer was to embed an invisible Postscript instruction in a document that basically said, "everything after this is a firmware update." Then he came up with 100 lines of perl that he hid in documents with names like cv.pdf that would flash the printer when they ran, causing it to probe your LAN for vulnerable PCs and take them over, opening a reverse-shell to his command-and-control server in the cloud. Compromised printers would then refuse to apply future updates from their owners, but would pretend to install them and even update their version numbers to give verisimilitude to the ruse. The only way to exorcise these haunted printers was to send 'em to the landfill. Good times!

Printers are still a dumpster fire, and it's not solely about the intrinsic difficulty of computer security. After all, printer manufacturers have devoted enormous resources to hardening their products against their owners, making it progressively harder to use third-party ink. They're super perverse about it, too – they send "security updates" to your printer that update the printer's security against you – run these updates and your printer downgrades itself by refusing to use the ink you chose for it:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

It's a reminder that what a monopolist thinks of as "security" isn't what you think of as security. Oftentimes, their security is antithetical to your security. That was the case with Web Environment Integrity, a plan by Google to make your phone rat you out to advertisers' servers, revealing any adblocking modifications you might have installed so that ad-serving companies could refuse to talk to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/02/self-incrimination/#wei-bai-bai

WEI is now dead, thanks to a lot of hueing and crying by people like us:

https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/02/google_abandons_web_environment_integrity/

But the dream of securing Google against its own users lives on. Youtube has embarked on an aggressive campaign of refusing to show videos to people running ad-blockers, triggering an arms-race of ad-blocker-blockers and ad-blocker-blocker-blockers:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/where-will-the-ad-versus-ad-blocker-arms-race-end/

The folks behind Ublock Origin are racing to keep up with Google's engineers' countermeasures, and there's a single-serving website called "Is uBlock Origin updated to the last Anti-Adblocker YouTube script?" that will give you a realtime, one-word status update:

https://drhyperion451.github.io/does-uBO-bypass-yt/

One in four web users has an ad-blocker, a stat that Doc Searls pithily summarizes as "the biggest boycott in world history":

https://doc.searls.com/2015/09/28/beyond-ad-blocking-the-biggest-boycott-in-human-history/

Zero app users have ad-blockers. That's not because ad-blocking an app is harder than ad-blocking the web – it's because reverse-engineering an app triggers liability under IP laws like Section 1201 of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which can put you away for 5 years for a first offense. That's what I mean when I say that "IP is anything that lets a company control its customers, critics or competitors:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

I predicted that apps would open up all kinds of opportunities for abusive, monopolistic conduct back in 2010, and I'm experiencing a mix of sadness and smugness (I assume there's a German word for this emotion) at being so thoroughly vindicated by history:

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

The more control a company can exert over its customers, the worse it will be tempted to treat them. These systems of control shift the balance of power within companies, making it harder for internal factions that defend product quality and customer interests to win against the enshittifiers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

The result has been a Great Enshittening, with platforms of all description shifting value from their customers and users to their shareholders, making everything palpably worse. The only bright side is that this has created the political will to do something about it, sparking a wave of bold, muscular antitrust action all over the world.

The Google antitrust case is certainly the most important corporate lawsuit of the century (so far), but Judge Amit Mehta's deference to Google's demands for secrecy has kept the case out of the headlines. I mean, Sam Bankman-Fried is a psychopathic thief, but even so, his trial does not deserve its vastly greater prominence, though, if you haven't heard yet, he's been convicted and will face decades in prison after he exhausts his appeals:

https://newsletter.mollywhite.net/p/sam-bankman-fried-guilty-on-all-charges

The secrecy around Google's trial has relaxed somewhat, and the trickle of revelations emerging from the cracks in the courthouse are fascinating. For the first time, we're able to get a concrete sense of which queries are the most lucrative for Google:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/1/23941766/google-antitrust-trial-search-queries-ad-money

The list comes from 2018, but it's still wild. As David Pierce writes in The Verge, the top twenty includes three iPhone-related terms, five insurance queries, and the rest are overshadowed by searches for customer service info for monopolistic services like Xfinity, Uber and Hulu.

All-in-all, we're living through a hell of a moment for piercing the corporate veil. Maybe it's the problem of maintaining secrecy within large companies, or maybe the the rampant mistreatment of even senior executives has led to more leaks and whistleblowing. Either way, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the anonymous leaker who revealed the unbelievable pettiness of former HBO president of programming Casey Bloys, who ordered his underlings to create an army of sock-puppet Twitter accounts to harass TV and movie critics who panned HBO's shows:

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/hbo-casey-bloys-secret-twitter-trolls-tv-critics-leaked-texts-lawsuit-the-idol-1234867722/

These trolling attempts were pathetic, even by the standards of thick-fingered corporate execs. Like, accusing critics who panned the shitty-ass Perry Mason reboot of disrespecting veterans because the fictional Mason's back-story had him storming the beach on D-Day.

The pushback against corporate bullying is everywhere, and of course, the vanguard is the labor movement. Did you hear that the UAW won their strike against the auto-makers, scoring raises for all workers based on the increases in the companies' CEO pay? The UAW isn't done, either! Their incredible new leader, Shawn Fain, has called for a general strike in 2028:

https://www.404media.co/uaw-calls-on-workers-to-line-up-massive-general-strike-for-2028-to-defeat-billionaire-class/

The massive victory for unionized auto-workers has thrown a spotlight on the terrible working conditions and pay for workers at Tesla, a criminal company that has no compunctions about violating labor law to prevent its workers from exercising their legal rights. Over in Sweden, union workers are teaching Tesla a lesson. After the company tried its illegal union-busting playbook on Tesla service centers, the unionized dock-workers issued an ultimatum: respect your workers or face a blockade at Sweden's ports that would block any Tesla from being unloaded into the EU's fifth largest Tesla market:

https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-sweden-strike/

Of course, the real solution to Teslas – and every other kind of car – is to redesign our cities for public transit, walking and cycling, making cars the exception for deliveries, accessibility and other necessities. Transitioning to EVs will make a big dent in the climate emergency, but it won't make our streets any safer – and they keep getting deadlier.

Last summer, my dear old pal Ted Kulczycky got in touch with me to tell me that Talking Heads were going to be all present in public for the first time since the band's breakup, as part of the debut of the newly remastered print of Stop Making Sense, the greatest concert movie of all time. Even better, the show would be in Toronto, my hometown, where Ted and I went to high-school together, at TIFF.

Ted is the only person I know who is more obsessed with Talking Heads than I am, and he started working on tickets for the show while I starting pricing plane tickets. And then, the unthinkable happened: Ted's wife, Serah, got in touch to say that Ted had been run over by a car while getting off of a streetcar, that he was severely injured, and would require multiple surgeries.

But this was Ted, so of course he was still planning to see the show. And he did, getting a day-pass from the hospital and showing up looking like someone from a Kids In The Hall sketch who'd been made up to look like someone who'd been run over by a car:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/53182440282/

In his Globe and Mail article about Ted's experience, Brad Wheeler describes how the whole hospital rallied around Ted to make it possible for him to get to the movie:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-how-a-talking-heads-superfan-found-healing-with-the-concert-film-stop/

He also mentions that Ted is working on a book and podcast about Stop Making Sense. I visited Ted in the hospital the day after the gig and we talked about the book and it sounds amazing. Also? The movie was incredible. See it in Imax.

That heartwarming tale of healing through big suits is a pretty good place to wrap up this linkdump, but I want to call your attention to just one more thing before I go: Robin Sloan's Snarkmarket piece about blogging and "stock and flow":

https://snarkmarket.com/2010/4890/

Sloan makes the excellent case that for writers, having a "flow" of short, quick posts builds the audience for a "stock" of longer, more synthetic pieces like books. This has certainly been my experience, but I think it's only part of the story – there are good, non-mercenary reasons for writers to do a lot of "flow." As I wrote in my 2021 essay, "The Memex Method," turning your commonplace book into a database – AKA "blogging" – makes you write better notes to yourself because you know others will see them:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/09/the-memex-method/

This, in turn, creates a supersaturated, subconscious solution of fragments that are just waiting to nucleate and crystallize into full-blown novels and nonfiction books and other "stock." That's how I came out of lockdown with nine new books. The next one is The Lost Cause, a hopepunk science fiction novel about the climate whose early fans include Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit, Bill McKibben and Kim Stanley Robinson. It's out on November 14:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865939/the-lost-cause

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/05/variegated/#nein

[mariacallous]

Addressing a single executive order from Donald Trump’s voluminous first-day edicts is like singling out one bullet in a burst from an AK-47. But one of them hit me in the gut. That is “Establishing and Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency.’’ The acronym for that name is DOGE (named after a memecoin), and it’s the Elon Musk–led effort to cut government spending by a trillion bucks or two. Though DOGE was, until this week, pitched as an outside body, this move makes it an official part of government—by embedding it in an existing agency that was formerly part of the Office of Management and Budget called the United States Digital Service. The latter will now be known as the US DOGE Service, and its new head will be more tightly connected to the president, reporting to his chief of staff.

The new USDS will apparently shift its former laser focus on building cost-efficient and well-designed software for various agencies to a hardcore implementation of the Musk vision. It’s kind of like a government version of a SPAC, the dodgy financial maneuver that launched Truth Social in the public market without ever having to reveal a coherent business plan to underwriters.

The order is surprising in a sense because, on its face, DOGE seems more limited than its original super ambitious pitch. This iteration seems more tightly centered on saving money through streamlining and modernizing the government’s massive and messy IT infrastructure. There are big savings to be had, but a handful of zeros short of trillions. As of yet, it’s uncertain whether Musk will become the DOGE administrator. It doesn’t seem big enough for him. (The first USDS director, Mikey Dickerson, jokingly posted on LinkedIn, “I’d like to congratulate Elon Musk on being promoted to my old job.”) But reportedly Musk pushed for this structure as a way to embed DOGE in the White House. I hear that inside the Executive Office Building, there are numerous pink Post-it notes claiming space even beyond USDS’s turf, including one such note on the former chief information officers’ enviable office. So maybe this could be a launch pad for a more sweeping effort that will eliminate whole agencies and change policies. (I was unable to get a White House representative to answer questions, which isn’t surprising considering that there are dozens of other orders that equally beg for explanation.)

One thing is clear—this ends United States Digital Service as it previously existed, and marks a new, and maybe perilous era for the USDS, which I have been enthusiastically covering since its inception. The 11-year-old agency sprang out of the high-tech rescue squad salvaging the mess that was Healthcare.gov, the hellish failure of a website that almost tanked the Affordable Care Act. That intrepid team of volunteers set the template for the agency: a small group of coders and designers who used internet-style techniques (cloud not mainframe; the nimble “agile” programming style instead of the outdated “waterfall” technique) to make government tech as nifty as the apps people use on their phones. Its soldiers, often leaving lucrative Silicon Valley jobs, were lured by the prospect of public service. They worked out of the agency’s funky brownstone headquarters on Jackson Place, just north of the White House. The USDS typically took on projects that were mired in centi-million contracts and never completed—delivering superior results within weeks. It would embed its employees in agencies that requested help, being careful to work collaboratively with the lifers in the IT departments. A typical project involved making DOD military medical records interoperable with the different systems used by the VA. The USDS became a darling of the Obama administration, a symbol of its affiliation with cool nerddom.

During the first Trump administration, deft maneuvering kept the USDS afloat—it was the rare Obama initiative that survived. Its second-in-command, Haley Van Dyck, cleverly got buy-in from Trump’s in-house fixer, Jared Kushner. When I went to meet Kushner for an off-the-record talk early in 2017, I ran into Van Dyck in the West Wing; she gave me a conspiratorial nod that things were looking up, at least for the moment. Nonetheless, the four Trump years became a balancing act in sharing the agency’s achievements while somehow staying under the radar. “At Disney amusement parks, they paint things that they want to be invisible with this certain color of green so that people don't notice it in passing,” one USDSer told me. “We specialized in painting ourselves that color of green.” When Covid hit, that became a feat in itself, as USDS worked closely with White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx on gathering statistics—some of which the administration wasn’t eager to publicize.

By the end of Trump’s term, the green paint was wearing thin. A source tells me that at one point a Trump political appointee noticed—not happily—that USDS was recruiting at tech conferences for lesbians and minorities, and asked why. The answer was that it was an effective way to find great product managers and designers. The appointee accepted that but asked if, instead of putting “Lesbians Who Tech” on the reimbursement line, could they just say LWT?

Under Biden no subterfuge was needed—the USDS thrived. But despite many months of effort, it could not convince Congress to give it permanent funding. With the return of Trump, and his promises to cut government spending, there was reason to think that USDS would evaporate. That’s why the DOGE move is kind of bittersweet—at least it now has more formal recognition and ostensibly will get a reliable budget line.

How will the integration work? The executive order mandates that in addition to normal duties the USDS director will also head a temporary organization “dedicated to advancing the President’s 18-month DOGE agenda.” That agenda is not clearly defined, but elsewhere the order speaks of improving the quality and efficiency of government-wide software, systems, and infrastructure. More specific is the mandate to embed four-person teams inside every agency to help realize the DOGE agenda. The order is very explicit that the agency must provide “full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems.” Apparently Musk is obsessed with an unprecedented centralization of the data that makes the government go—or not. This somewhat adversarial stance is a dramatic shift from the old USDS MO of working collegially with the lifers inside the agencies.

Demanding all that data might be a good thing. Clare Martorana, who until last week was the nation’s chief information officer, says that while she saw many victories during her eight years in government tech, making big changes has been tough, in large part because of the difficulty of getting such vital data. “We have budget data that is incomprehensible,” she says. “The agency understands it, but they hide money in all kinds of places, so no one can really get a 100,000-foot view. How many open positions do they have? What are the skill sets? What are their top contracts? When are they renegotiating their most important contracts? How much do they spend on operations and maintenance versus R&D or innovation? You should know all these things.” If DOGE gets that information and uses it well, it could be transformational. “Through self-reporting, we spend $120 billion on IT,” she says “If we found all the hidden money and shadow IT, it's $200, $300, maybe $500 billion. We lose a lot of money on technology we buy stupidly, and we don't deliver services to the American public that they deserve.” So this Trump effort could be a great thing? “I’m trying very hard to be optimistic about it,” says Martorana. The USDS’s outgoing director, Mina Hsiang, is also trying to be upbeat. “I think there's a tremendous opportunity,” she says. “ I don't know what [DOGE] will do with it, but I hope that they listen to a lot of great folks who are there.”

On the other hand, those four-person teams could be a blueprint for mayhem. Up until now, USDS would send only engineers and designers into agencies, and their focus was to build things and hopefully set an example for the full-timers to do work like they do at Google or Amazon. The EO dictates only one engineer in a typical four-person team, joined by a lawyer (not known for building stuff), an HR person (known for firing people), and a “team lead” whose job description sounds like a political enforcer: “implementing the president’s DOGE Agenda.” I know that’s a dark view, but Elon Musk —and his new boss—are no strangers to clearing out a workplace. Maybe they’ll figure AI can do things better.

Whichever way it goes, the original Obama-era vibes of the USDS may forever be stilled—to be superseded by a different kind of idealist in MAGA garb. As one insider told me, “USDS leadership is pretty ill equipped to navigate the onslaught of these DOGE guys, and they are going to get the shit kicked out of them.” Though not perfect, the USDS has by dint of hard work, mad skills, and corny idealism, made a difference. Was there really a need to embed the DOGE experiment into an agency that was doing good? And what are the odds that on July 4, 2026, when the “temporary” DOGE experiment is due to end, the USDS will sunset as well? At best, the new initiative might help unravel the near intractable train wreck that is government IT. But at worst, the integration will be like a greedy brain worm wreaking havoc on its host.