M-Vave's FM-1 pocket synthesizer has attracted a growing range of community firmware. In October the company released FM1 Open, a software package with a software kit, a browser-based workbench and an updated stock firmware that users can build on. Custom projects include a version of Doom, a multi-engine instrument called Felucca and SLOOP, a beat-making tool. The writer warns that flashing firmware can brick a device and erase saved data, and recommends checking the firmware version first. The writer says the device is worth the low price and made a four-track beat on it.
A critical flaw in PHP, the programming language behind more than 70% of websites, has been made public. Left unfixed, it could allow hackers to take over millions of websites and the data on their servers. Several European governments and operators, including the Port of Rotterdam, have taken websites offline. Australia's Signals Directorate and similar bodies in other countries have urged developers to apply urgent updates. Patches have been released, but applying them across millions of systems will take time.
AI startup Recursive has released Flint, a free coding model that runs on a laptop. The company says its automated research system, the Eureka Machine, helped with nearly every step of development, letting a small team build the model in under four months. Flint uses only a small part of its 40 billion settings for each task, so it runs on ordinary computers. It is free to download under an open-source licence. Early reviews were positive, though the company says the model needs more guidance than large paid coding assistants.
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Google has made TorchTPU, its version of the popular PyTorch toolkit, available as an open-source project. The tool lets AI apps run on Google's own chips, called TPUs, and move to Google Cloud with a simple configuration change. Amazon released a similar version, TorchNeuron, a day earlier for its own Trainium chip. Most AI apps have been built to run on Nvidia's chips, and both companies are working to reduce that advantage. Developers are not expected to leave Nvidia's hardware en masse, though.
Figma is expanding its support for MCP, an open source standard that connects AI agents to external data and tools. At its first Config conference, held in India, the design company announced 20 new MCP partners. Co-founder Dylan Field has voiced reservations about the protocol. He said MCP is not perfect and has much room for improvement, adding that it favours frontier AI labs. Figma's leadership also said that exposing more data through MCP raises the risk of misuse, even though most users are not malicious.
Open source Windows alternative ReactOS can now be installed directly onto an NT Files System drive partition. Before this update, users had to keep a FAT32 partition for installations. The project's developers say the new driver still lacks caching, journaling and security support, which can cause inferior performance. The ReactOS team has also warned of potentially undiscovered bugs, so testers should proceed with caution.
Vercel data shows that Jev, an AI model made by TypeSafe AI, was used by 35% of paid teams within two weeks of its launch. That reach is nearly double that of the second most popular model, Sonnet 5.5. Jev is designed to choose between a small set of predetermined outputs, which lets it run faster and more cheaply than alternatives such as Sonnet. The data comes from Vercel's AI gateway, which may undercount major labs that offer their own interfaces.
KDE has released Plasma 6.8 to mark its 30th anniversary on October 14, and the update removes support for starting new X11 sessions. Legacy X11 applications will still run through the XWayland compatibility layer, and KDE applications will keep supporting X11 under other desktop environments. Users who stay on Plasma 6.7 can keep their existing sessions for now. The new version adds better window decorations for third-party apps, a streamlined Union theming system, Nvidia triple buffering enabled by default, and the Kup backup utility built into Plasma. It also includes kscreenctl, a command-line tool for adjusting display settings.
Startup Floqer plans to open-source the technology behind its AI-powered customer database, with a release targeted for early 2027 pending security reviews. The company will pitch on the Startup Battlefield stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 on Wednesday. Floqer says its annual recurring revenue has surpassed $1.2 million and its overall revenue has grown roughly tenfold over the past year. Its AI agents search multiple sources to find prospects and keep customer records updated, which the company says has cut prospecting time by as much as 70 per cent for some customers.
A Melbourne community group, Merri-bek Tech, wants to place renewable-powered servers in local hubs so people can access digital services during outages. Its founder, Jade Ambrose, says the plan is not yet operational, and 20 people have signed up to host devices at home. The wider digital sovereignty movement seeks control over software, hardware and data, away from large US tech firms. The European Union has a plan to reduce its reliance on foreign providers, while Australia has been slower to build alternatives.
The Debian Linux project has opened a call for community artwork for its upcoming Forky (Debian 14) release. Selected designs could appear on boot screens, login prompts and desktop wallpapers used by millions of people. Submissions must look distinctively Debian, integrate without patching core software, and stay visually appealing over time. The deadline is November 26. Elise Couper's Ceratopsian design was the winning default for Debian 13 Trixie, and release names echo Toy Story characters.
A developer has launched open-source alternatives to Adobe software, funded by sales of an AI visual model. Thomas, with extensive Rust experience, aims to avoid Adobe's subscription fees. His Filmcraft app replicates Adobe Premiere's interface, though legal risks remain. He predicts AI will enable widespread creation of open-source software, transforming the tech landscape. Thomas claims to have already replicated Photoshop's functionality.
