#windows app developement company

[uxtitanofficial]

Key Benefits of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

Improved Performance: PWAs are designed to load quickly, even on slow networks. They use caching and service workers to ensure fast and reliable performance, providing a smooth user experience.

Offline Functionality: PWAs can work offline or in areas with low connectivity. By caching essential resources, they allow users to access content and continue interacting with the app even when they're not connected to the internet.

Cross-Platform Compatibility: PWAs are built using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making them accessible on any device with a web browser, whether it's a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Cost-Effective Development: Unlike native apps that require separate development for different platforms (iOS, Android, etc.), a single PWA can work across all devices. This reduces development and maintenance costs significantly.

No App Store Approval Needed: PWAs bypass the app store submission and approval process, allowing businesses to launch updates and new features instantly without waiting for app store reviews.

Increased Engagement: PWAs can send push notifications, encouraging users to return to the app. This helps businesses maintain ongoing engagement and drive user retention.

Easy Installation: Users can install PWAs directly from their browser, without the need for an app store. The app icon appears on the user's home screen, providing quick access without taking up much storage space.

Enhanced Security: PWAs are served over HTTPS, ensuring secure data transmission and protection against unauthorized access. This builds user trust and safeguards sensitive information.

SEO Friendly: Since PWAs are essentially websites, they are indexed by search engines, improving their discoverability through organic search results, unlike native apps, which are only searchable within app stores.

Automatic Updates: PWAs update in the background without requiring user intervention. This ensures users always have the latest version, complete with new features and bug fixes, without the hassle of manual updates.

Seamless User Experience: PWAs combine the best features of web and mobile apps, offering an app-like experience with smooth animations, intuitive navigation, and responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and devices.

These benefits make PWAs an attractive option for businesses looking to enhance their digital strategy and provide a superior user experience across all platforms. If you're interested in exploring how Progressive Web Apps can elevate your business, check out our website at UXtitan for more insights and expert solutions.

[intelisync]

Exploring Fault Proofs in Optimism: An Overview

The activation of fault proofs by Optimism marks a significant advancement in Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solutions, completing the first stage of its decentralization plan. This milestone is pivotal for enhancing the network's security and trustlessness, reducing reliance on centralized entities like the Optimism Security Council. Previously, the council monitored transactions and intervened to prevent fraud, but with the new fault proof system, any party can now challenge transactions, moving towards a more decentralized and inclusive network.

Ethereum's high transaction fees have made Layer 2 scaling solutions, such as rollups, essential. Optimism's fault proofs ensure that off-chain transactions are valid by allowing a challenge period where anyone can contest a transaction's validity. If a challenge is raised, a fault proof is provided and verified by the Ethereum mainnet, ensuring that invalid transactions are reverted.

This process significantly enhances the security and integrity of the blockchain. Unlike Arbitrum, which relies on 12 validators, Optimism's fault proof system is designed to be trustless and decentralized, enabling broader participation in transaction verification.

Despite initial challenges with proof generation and verification speeds, Optimism has optimized its fault proof mechanisms to be compatible with Ethereum's Layer 1. This achievement not only improves the security and decentralization of the network but also sets a benchmark for other rollup technologies.

The activation of fault proofs highlights the importance of continuous innovation and rigorous testing in the blockchain space. For more in-depth insights and exclusive research, join our Web3 Sync community on Intelisync and Learn more...

[blockverse-infotech]

Lessons Learned: Reflections from a Google Software Engineer on the Steps of Software Development

As who works as a software engineer at Google, I’ve been fortunate to go through the complex process of software development, picking up valuable insights along the way. We, at Blockverse Infotech Solutions, recognize the significance of looking back on these experiences to enhance our procedures and provide outstanding solutions. Follow along as I discuss the perspectives gained from the software development steps and how they influence our strategy in creating innovative software solutions.

Software development is a challenging journey with lessons to learn, victories to celebrate, and wisdom to gain. I’ve been privileged to witness firsthand the complexities of software development and the knowledge acquired at each phase of the process as a Google software engineer.

The initial lesson acquired in software development is the significance of detailed planning and requirements assessment. Before delving into coding, a thorough grasp of the project objectives, user requirements, and technical specifications is crucial. This sets the groundwork for a successful development process, reducing the possibility of scope expansion or misinterpretations later on.

Following the definition of requirements, the subsequent stage involves design and architecture. This includes crafting a plan for the software solution, delineating the framework, elements, and interactions. Sticking to established design principles and models guarantees the scalability, manageability, and extensibility of the software system.

Coding is where the enchantment appears, as lines of code are converted into operational software solutions. This phase necessitates attention to detail, adherence to coding guidelines, and collaboration with colleagues to ensure code quality and uniformity. Writing clear, effective code not only boosts readability but also eases debugging and upkeep in the long haul.

Testing and quality assurance are integral components of software development, guaranteeing that the software satisfies the specified requirements and functions as anticipated. This entails a mix of manual and automated testing methods, incorporating unit tests, integration tests, and user approval testing. By recognizing and correcting bugs early in the development cycle, developers can deliver top-notch software solutions that satisfy user expectations.

Deployment signifies the conclusion of the software development voyage, as the solution is launched into production. This requires detailed planning, coordination, and communication to guarantee a smooth transition from development to operation. Continuous monitoring and feedback aid in pinpointing areas for enhancement and shaping future versions of the software.

At Blockverse Infotech Solutions, we embody the lessons assimilated from the software development steps to provide exceptional solutions for our clients. Our group of skilled developers, engineers, and project managers is devoted to adopting best practices and inventive strategies for every project, guaranteeing success and contentment for our clients.

In closure, the expedition of software development is enriched with invaluable insights that mold our strategy in producing innovative solutions. Through pondering on these insights and continually refining our procedures, we can surmount challenges, embrace opportunities, and deliver software solutions that surpass expectations.

[etgefs]

mobile app development Company in Pune

[baselinedevelopment]

React.JS Development - Baseline IT development

Baseline IT development company has professional developers who provide the best web designs that help easily. Today React.JS Development is used for single-page apps which are user interfaces. Our web development company gives free open-source software, smooth updates, and effective DOM. Top Features of React.JS One-way data binding Virtual DOM JSX Declarative UI Speed and efficiency Flexibility Component-based architecture We are providing all these services. If you want React.JS development designs please contact us at 9888522266 or visit our website- https://baselineitdevelopment.com/services

[reelmegabyte]

ever wonder why spotify/discord/teams desktop apps kind of suck?

i don't do a lot of long form posts but. I realized that so many people aren't aware that a lot of the enshittification of using computers in the past decade or so has a lot to do with embedded webapps becoming so frequently used instead of creating native programs. and boy do i have some thoughts about this.

for those who are not blessed/cursed with computers knowledge Basically most (graphical) programs used to be native programs (ever since we started widely using a graphical interface instead of just a text-based terminal). these are apps that feel like when you open up the settings on your computer, and one of the factors that make windows and mac programs look different (bc they use a different design language!) this was the standard for a long long time - your emails were served to you in a special email application like thunderbird or outlook, your documents were processed in something like microsoft word (again. On your own computer!). same goes for calendars, calculators, spreadsheets, and a whole bunch more - crucially, your computer didn't depend on the internet to do basic things, but being connected to the web was very much an appreciated luxury!

that leads us to the eventual rise of webapps that we are all so painfully familiar with today - gmail dot com/outlook, google docs, google/microsoft calendar, and so on. as html/css/js technology grew beyond just displaying text images and such, it became clear that it could be a lot more convenient to just run programs on some server somewhere, and serve the front end on a web interface for anyone to use. this is really very convenient!!!! it Also means a huge concentration of power (notice how suddenly google is one company providing you the SERVICE) - you're renting instead of owning. which means google is your landlord - the services you use every day are first and foremost means of hitting the year over year profit quota. its a pretty sweet deal to have a free email account in exchange for ads! email accounts used to be paid (simply because the provider had to store your emails somewhere. which takes up storage space which is physical hard drives), but now the standard as of hotmail/yahoo/gmail is to just provide a free service and shove ads in as much as you need to.

webapps can do a lot of things, but they didn't immediately replace software like skype or code editors or music players - software that requires more heavy system interaction or snappy audio/visual responses. in 2013, the electron framework came out - a way of packaging up a bundle of html/css/js into a neat little crossplatform application that could be downloaded and run like any other native application. there were significant upsides to this - web developers could suddenly use their webapp skills to build desktop applications that ran on any computer as long as it could support chrome*! the first applications to be built on electron were the late code editor atom (rest in peace), but soon a whole lot of companies took note! some notable contemporary applications that use electron, or a similar webapp-embedded-in-a-little-chrome as a base are:

microsoft teams

notion

vscode

discord

spotify

anyone! who has paid even a little bit of attention to their computer - especially when using older/budget computers - know just how much having chrome open can slow down your computer (firefox as well to a lesser extent. because its just built better <3)

whenever you have one of these programs open on your computer, it's running in a one-tab chrome browser. there is a whole extra chrome open just to run your discord. if you have discord, spotify, and notion open all at once, along with chrome itself, that's four chromes. needless to say, this uses a LOT of resources to deliver applications that are often much less polished and less integrated with the rest of the operating system. it also means that if you have no internet connection, sometimes the apps straight up do not work, since much of them rely heavily on being connected to their servers, where the heavy lifting is done.

taking this idea to the very furthest is the concept of chromebooks - dinky little laptops that were created to only run a web browser and webapps - simply a vessel to access the google dot com mothership. they have gotten better at running offline android/linux applications, but often the $200 chromebooks that are bought in bulk have almost no processing power of their own - why would you even need it? you have everything you could possibly need in the warm embrace of google!

all in all the average person in the modern age, using computers in the mainstream way, owns very little of their means of computing.

i started this post as a rant about the electron/webapp framework because i think that it sucks and it displaces proper programs. and now ive swiveled into getting pissed off at software services which is in honestly the core issue. and i think things can be better!!!!!!!!!!! but to think about better computing culture one has to imagine living outside of capitalism.

i'm not the one to try to explain permacomputing specifically because there's already wonderful literature ^ but if anything here interested you, read this!!!!!!!!!! there is a beautiful world where computers live for decades and do less but do it well. and you just own it. come frolic with me Okay ? :]

*when i say chrome i technically mean chromium. but functionally it's same thing

[gaysheep]

Touching is Good: A Retrospective

My trusty Nintendo 3DS, which has held out since I was gifted it for my 15th birthday, has turned one decade old with my 25th birthday this past November. Given new life with custom firmware and nds-bootstrap via TWiLightMenu, the 3DS is stellar for visiting any past handheld title or console title up to (and somewhat including) the N64. (Quick plug for the CFW/hacking community for the less popular PS Vita, too, which has accomplished some pretty crazy-cool stuff this last year.) I use my 3DS more often than I use my Nintendo Switch most weeks.

The Nintendo DS (minus the three) launched in late 2004. The second display and stylus support were novel tools for developers to experiment with, and the NDS is best remembered for its robust catalogue of RPGs and visual novels. Where it lacked in power, narrative-focused games flourished under its technical limitations.

That being said, while browsing the ROM archives on Vimm's Lair to pick up some titles, I was reminded of what an interesting era the mid-to-late 2000s were for games. While Sony and Microsoft were fighting over the "core gamer" demographic, who had outgrown Nintendo mascots, Nintendo led a series of wildly successful marketing campaigns for its hardware after the light failure of the Gamecube, where the Nintendo DS and then the Wii were targeted at...everyone else.

[Image source. Image description in alt text.]

If you look at ads for the DS and the Wii, you'll see that adults are featured much more prominently than children, especially women and seniors. (This did not go unnoticed, as I found this ancient relic of misogyny while looking for images for this post.) A Nintendo handheld was already an easy sell to parents with small children (though I think it's also notable that ads which do focus on children often prominently feature girls. Munchlax is pretty hot...), but Nintendo's angle for the DS and Wii was that their hardware wasn't just for children. The Wii was a way to get up off the couch and to play board games with grandma. The DS was a great gadget for a working woman to keep in her pocketbook.

This worked. The Wii and DS were two of the best-selling consoles of all time. In particular, the DS's marketing campaign only worked because it came out in the perfect window of time. PDA-phone hybrids had been around since the 90s, and the Blackberry had been kicking around for a few years, but the iPhone wouldn't be introduced until 2007, and the 4G LTE standard wouldn't be released until 2009. While the Blackberry was popular with businesspeople and the PDA was out of style, smartphones were luxury toys for several years; they wouldn't become near-ubiquious until the mid-2010s. I didn't get my own smartphone until probably around the same time I got my 3DS, a full handheld generation later.

Browsing the software library for the Nintendo DS and DSi with that in mind is really interesting. Many titles released for the platform serve the same purposes that would be fulfilled by simple smartphone apps less than a decade later: planners and diaries, fitness trackers, calculators, language learning and SAT prep software, even a guide to the then-most-recent version of the driver's test in the UK. These proliferated with the release of the DSi's virtual store, but they existed even with the base model. You could go to a brick-and-mortar store and buy them on physical cartridges. (You might be wondering, "Why would you bother carrying those around over just buying a Blackberry?" You can't underestimate how expensive the service bills for a smartphone were before companies realized they were the most powerful spyware tool in history.)

There was never a time where every single businesswoman in New York carried a DS Lite, but adults did buy and use them, and a not insignificant portion of the DS's software library is aimed at a casual adult audience. Another niche covered mostly by smartphone games these days—games designed to be picked up and played in short sessions on-the-go, in places like waiting rooms and subway commutes.

Nintendo made crazy bank in the seventh console generation. Publications of the time talked about a console war between Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, but the real battle was between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 over the gamer demographic. Nintendo was producing hardware for a niche who would quietly disappear once smartphone sales began ballooning by hundreds of millions per year over the course of the early 2010s.

After the failure of the Wii U, Nintendo's marketing strategy pivoted again, though I doubt they'll ever completely abandon their family-friendly image. Currently beat out only by the PS2 and the DS, the Nintendo Switch may very well climb to a status as the best-selling console of all time before the end of its lifespan, but the "gamer" demographic is much bigger than it was two decades ago at the dawn of the DS. As more and more devices become consolidated into the Swiss army knife the smartphone has become, consoles can only carve out a role as dedicated gaming machines.

I'm not sure we'll ever see anything like the Nintendo DS or the Wii again. I think they're worth looking back on for their uniqueness in that way as much as they are for the more celebrated parts of their libraries.

[wobinbug]

So, I'm learning Flutter

One of my favourite hobbies (kinda) is to stake out the careers pages for companies I like the look of to see what kind of skills they're looking for and, well, Flutter Developer has popped up a few times by now, so here I am 😄

I'm enjoying it quite a lot 😳 It's still early days, and I need to come up with some decent project ideas, but it feels very comprehensive and there are some great resources and libraries available!

Coming off the back of the Java course I did last year, Dart feels very natural, plus I 💖 strong typing. I've been focusing on Android and Windows development (I do not have apple products to test on 💀), but I'm curious about Flutter's capabilities in making web apps as well.

Definitely a nice start to 2024, I'll be searching for placements soon, so, hopefully, my efforts pay off 😄

[petrichoremojis]

This isn’t a request more of a question, do you have any recommended AAC apps? There’s so many and it’s overwhelming

We've only tried 3, those being TD Snap, CoughDrop, and LetMeTalk.

We really don't recommend LetMeTalk. It's good in that it's free, but that's about all there is going for it. It doesn't get active support and there's no way to contact the developers so you can easily get locked out, and I don't believe there are many voice options either

CoughDrop is fine. Not our favourite, and recently there have been some concerns since if I remember right, they were acquired by a Christian company that proselytizes (tries to convert others to their faith), and they are able to view user's boards without permission. They're also laggy. That said, they have a long free trial, and if you want to get started with AAC but aren't sure if you want to spend the money yet for a more robust system, CoughDrop can help you trial that. It can also be edited on desktop, not just on your device, which we do like

TD Snap is our favourite and what we currently use. It's similar enough to CoughDrop that it's easy to switch to after the former's trial (like we did), but it works so much better. It's easy to edit, it has a lot of voice options (though mind you, some are paid), and it uses the PCS Symbols, which we find are mostly comprehensive and more diverse than other symbol sets. It's cheaper than a lot of other robust AAC systems are but it does cost, and it also only works on iPad (and Windows, but that's for far more expensive), so you can't use it on a phone

Here's a Google Document (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ofeQKoN6p3uI7FhWSZCGULA2rJCJgS1RAR6zxeON4Vk/edit#heading=h.xplqkmtex4xd) that has information on different AAC systems, as well as a lot more resources related to other AAC things. We used it for our own AAC decisions like purchasing an iPad and choosing an app, and we got permission to share it

[dragoneyes618]

“From the river to the sea…”

Let’s talk about such a scenario in which Israel is erased.

7:00 a.m.: You wake up and try to unlock your iPhone to read email, but it won’t unlock.

Why? Because Face ID is Israeli tech. It was invented by PrimeSense, and acquired by Apple.

7:30 a.m.: Before heading to work, you go into your garden to make sure your grass is being watered.

Nope, can’t use drip irrigation. That’s an Israeli invention.

8:00 a.m.: You get into your car and try to turn on Waze so you can know where there is traffic.

It won’t open because Waze is Israeli.

8:30 a.m.: On the way to work, you almost lose control of your car because it didn’t notify you that you were swerving out of your lane.

That’s because Mobileye is based in Jerusalem.

9:00 a.m.: “Fine,” you say to yourself, “I don’t need Waze or Mobileye anyway. Soon my car will be autonomous.”

Nope. Innoviz is Israeli.

9:30 a.m.: You get to work and get ready to have your first meeting on Microsoft Teams. It won’t work.

All the AI on Teams? Built in Herzliya.

10:00 a.m.: You try to use your USB thumb drive on your computer. No go.

Thumb drives (a.k.a. flash drives or memory sticks) were invented by Dov Moran at Msystems, and acquired by SanDisk.

11:00 a.m.: You need to access some classified information but it’s behind a firewall. No way around it.

Firewall technology? Invented in Israel.

12:00 p.m.: You look out your office window and the sky is so beautiful, you want to take a photo.

Nope. Smartphone dual lens technology was invented by Israeli company Corephotonics.

1:00 p.m.: You have a lot of work to do. You fire up your PC but it won’t boot up.

Is it running on an Intel processor? Oh, yeah, that was designed in Israel.

2:00 p.m.: You’re getting really frustrated. Nothing is working! So you turn to Google, but even that won’t work.

Google builds many of its products in Tel Aviv.

3:00 p.m.: You decide to FaceTime your wife to vent your frustrations. Why won’t it work?!

Because voice over IP was invented in Israel.

3:30 p.m.: You’re really losing patience, so you go to your favorite instant messenger program to speak to a friend.

Nope, instant messaging was invented in Israel.

4:00 p.m.: You give up and decide to focus on work exclusively – you need to build a website.

Sorry, Wix is Israeli. You can’t use it.

5:00 p.m.: You get a call from your doctor. He wants you to come in because he saw something troubling in your last check-up. He wants to use the PillCam.

You have to inform him that’s a no-go. That’s Israeli tech.

6:00 p.m.: Since your car is unreliable, you decide to take public transportation. But your Moovit app won’t load for some reason.

It’s Israeli.

6:30 p.m.: You decide to do some shopping for a new car because it’s time to go electric.

Sorry. Better Place CEO Shai Agassi pioneered the infrastructure for electric cars in 2012.

7:00 p.m.: You get a call with bad news – your relative was recently diagnosed with cancer. He needs your help finding the best treatment.

Unfortunately, you can’t help him because many of the leading cancer treatments were developed in Israel by companies like Novocure and Vascular Biogenics.

8:00 p.m.: You’ve had a hard day and just want to chill out in front of your social media feeds. But none of your feeds will load.

Meta, parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has many offices in Israel.

9:00 p.m.: Time for a late dinner. You want to prepare alternative meats or dairy products.

Your supermarket doesn’t sell them, however, because Redefine Meat and Remilk are Israeli startups.

10:30 p.m.: You decide to read your book, but you can’t find your glasses anywhere.

That’s because you bought them on GlassesUSA, an Israeli company.

11:00 p.m.: Your last resort: Watch some TV. Wait – your Samsung TV won’t turn on!

Samsung has many offices in Israel, including Samsung Next, a fund that invests in tech.

You go to sleep and hope tomorrow will be a better day.

Here, try this new rhyme instead: “From the river to the sea, if Israel is gone, what will be with me?!”

[1americanconservative]

“From the river to the sea…”

Let’s talk about such a scenario in which Israel is erased.

7:00 AM: You wake up and try to unlock your iPhone to read email, but it won’t unlock. Why? Because Face ID is Israeli tech. It was invented by Primesense, acquired by Apple.

7:30 AM: Before heading to work, you go into your garden to make sure your grass is being watered. Nope, no drip irrigation. That’s an Israeli invention.

8:00 AM: You get into your car, and try to turn on Waze so you can know where there is traffic. It won’t open because Waze is Israeli.

8:30 AM. On the way to work, you almost lose control of the car because it didn’t notify you that you were swerving out of your lane. Why? Because Mobileye is based in Jerusalem.

9:00 AM: “Fine”, you say to yourself, “I don’t need Waze or Mobileye anyway. Soon my car will be autonomous.” Nope. Innoviz is Israeli.

9:30 AM. You get to work and have your first meeting on Microsoft Teams. It won’t work. All the AI on teams? Built in Herzliya.

10:00 AM. You try to use your USB thumb drive on your computer. No go. Invented by Dov Moran at Msystems, and acquired by Sandisk.

11:00 AM: You need to access some classified information but it’s behind a firewall. Sorry, you can’t do anything about that. Firewall technology? Invented in Israel.

12:00 PM: You look out your office window and the sky is so beautiful, you want to take a photo? Nope. Smartphone dual lens technology was invented by the Israeli company Corephotonics. 1:00 PM. You have a lot of work to do. You fire up your PC but it won’t boot up. Is it running an Intel processor? Oh, yeah, it was designed in Israel. 2:00 PM: You’re getting really frustrated. Nothing is working! So you turn to Google but even that won’t work. Google builds many of its products in Tel Aviv.

3:00 PM: After a frustrating hour trying to get things to work, you decide to FaceTime your wife to vent. Why won’t it work? Because voice over IP? Invented in Israel.

3:30 PM: You’re really losing patience so you go to your favorite instant messenger to speak to a friend. Nope, instant messaging was invented in Israel.

4:00 PM. You give up and decide to focus on work exclusively. Do you have to work on building a website? Sorry, Wix is Israeli. You can’t use it.

5:00 PM. You get a call from your doctor. He wants you to come in because he saw something troubling in your last check-up. He needs to use the PillCam. You have to inform him that’s a no-go. It’s Israeli tech.

6:00 PM: Since your car is unreliable, you decide to take public transportation. Your Moovit app won’t load for some reason. It’s Israeli.

6:30 PM: You decide to do some shopping for a new car because it’s time to go electric. Sorry, nope. Better Place CEO Shai Agassi pioneered the infrastructure for electric cars in 2012.

7:00 PM: You get a call with bad news, your relative was recently diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, you can’t help him because many of the leading cancer treatments were developed in Israel by companies like Novocure and Vascular Biogenics.

8:00 PM: You’ve had a hard day and you just want to chill out in front of your social media feeds but all of your feeds won’t load. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has many offices in Israel.

9:00 PM: A late dinner. You want to prepare alternative meats or dairy products. You can’t find them in the supermarket because Redefine Meat and Remilk are Israeli startups.

10:30 PM: You decide to read your book. You can’t find your glasses anywhere. That’s because you bought them on GlassesUSA, an Israeli company.

11:00 PM: Your last resort, watching some TV. Your Samsung TV won't turn on! Well, that’s because Samsung has many offices in Israel including Samsung

Next, a fund that invests in tech. You go to sleep and hope tomorrow will be a better day.

Here, try this new rhyme instead: “From the river to the sea, if Israel is gone, what will be with me?!”

[kassandras-one-braincell]

I'm no longer gonna be able to comfortably play my special interest, which fucking sucks. Rant under cut. It's about League of Legends and Riot's anti-cheat software, Vanguard, if you're interested.

Riot Vanguard (vgk) is a kernel-level software that scans all of a system's processes to detect cheat engines, which itself is fine - industry standard - except it boasts a particular effectiveness due to how it's run. Vgk runs on start-up so that it's running before a user has the chance to launch a cheat engine, and it can ID hardware so that if a player is caught cheating, they won't be able to play again on the same device. Unless it is disabled manually, it will run 24/7, whereas other AC software will start and stop in line with the game's execution.

It's more effective than other AC software, but it absolutely bricked some PCs back upon its initial release when Valorant dropped in 2020. This was a new game, fresh code, but the anti-cheat borders on a fucking rootkit - a term I'm using liberally, because vgk isn't malware, but it works in the same way on a systemic level. Equally as invasive, and can potentially be equally as destructive; one of those is intended, and the other is an unfortunate by-product of invasive software being developed by a video game company.

League of Legends is a 15 year old game with some pretty tragic code. If vgk caused people to bluescreen after exiting Valorant, then even more people are going to encounter issues with the shitshow that is LoL's code base.

Three weeks ago, an attempt to fix a bug regarding an in-client feature fucked over a far more significant API in several major servers. Every time a particular game-mode called "Clash" launches (every other month or so), it bricks the servers. This is currently a running gag in the community: that whenever the client acts up (embarrassingly often for such a well-funded game) Riot must be dropping Clash early. But when you introduce a bloody rootkit into the mix that runs in tandem with spaghetti code and beyond the closing of the game app, this is going to undoubtedly fuck some computers up.

I'm not someone who cheats at games, but I care about my system too much to risk this. Something that relies on the BIOS, that is known to have caused permanent damage to systems while running alongside a much better programmed game, that continuously scans your system while it's active (and always activates upon start-up until disabled) is obscenely risky. With a 24/7 invasive software, it can disable drivers regardless of what you're playing and when; the worst cases - plural - I've read about anecdotally were people's cooling systems being disabled erroneously by vgk, causing gpu melting. You bet any antivirus software you have installed is going to scan without pause because of it, which will cause more system-wide performance issues, too.

There's also the (albeit minor) risk of other scripts triggering the uh-oh alarm and leading to unfair account bans, and I've poured almost 7 years into this game. I mod some of my single-player games and write scripts. No thanks.

And while I'm lucky enough to have a decent system, the TPM 2.0 and secure boot requirement for Windows 11 users means that vgk will effectively - while the phrase is crude, I haven't seen a concise alternative - "class-ban" League players. Similar to the release of OW2, where a unique SIM was required for every account, including existing ones until that got changed after enough backlash - except buying a phone number is far cheaper than buying a laptop or PC. Even with the requirements, the performance issues will tank low-end systems, which would already be at higher risk of hardware fuckery from increased and extended cpu usage. And the game is currently designed to be comfortably playable on low-end rigs, so it will force-out a good number of players.

If you play League and intend to continue playing after vgk is made mandatory in Jan/Feb 2024, give it a few months after it goes live before you play. That's enough time for any catastrophic issues to unfold, because if the testing period was anything like it is for game features, it won't be sufficient, and the number of cases of system damage will be worse than it was for Valorant upon release.

This rant does read like I'm trying to dissuade people from playing post-vgk, and I'm not, but I am urging people to be cautious and informed on the legitimate controversies surrounding Vanguard, especially anything hardware related. Familiarise yourself with how the program works and assess whether your system will likely be affected, and how permanent any damage could be to your hardware. Read forums (that aren't moderated by Riot employees where possible) and verify the information you're reading. Including this. It's 3:30am and I'm writing this angrily, so my limited explanations of the software could stand to be more thorough.

I'm hoping that there will be enough of a reduction in League's ~200m monthly player-base to spark a reversal in the decision to implement vgk. Not out of consideration for people who don't want to install a rootkit for a video game, but because Riot would lose money and shit their corporate britches.

Having to say goodbye to my favourite game, a universe I love and one of the more significant outlets to socialisation in my life absolutely sucks, though. The actual season changes looked super cool too, and I was stoked about Ambessa coming to the game. I'll enjoy the game while I can, but yeah this feels like a bitter breakup lmao.