Notices by AlternativeTo (alternativeto@mas.to)

Brave has partnered with Unstoppable Domains to launch its on-chain .brave naming service. This allows users to get Web3 identity, crypto payments, and censorship-resistant sites directly in the web browser. I'll be available in Brave starting with version 1.81.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/brave-partners-with-unstoppable-domains-to-launch-on-chain-brave-domain-names/

Google launches Stitch, powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro, to let developers generate UI designs and frontend code from prompts and images, with Figma export support https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/google-launches-stitch-a-new-ai-app-builder-for-ui-design-and-frontend-code/

Appwrite Sites launches as an open-source alternative to Vercel and Netlify, offering static and SSR hosting, GitHub integration, and free access until July 2025 https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/appwrite-sites-launches-open-source-web-hosting-with-static-and-ssr-support/

Apple has rolled out CarPlay Ultra, its next-gen automotive infotainment system, offering deep iPhone integration, customizable displays, and upgraded control features. It's only available for new Aston Martins in the U.S. & Canada for now, but will expand soon.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/apple-launches-carplay-ultra-the-next-generation-of-its-automotive-infotainment-system/

Google has launched Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview, ahead of Google I/O, enhancing coding understanding capabilities. It leads in WebDev Arena, supports advanced coding tasks, and is accessible through Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/google-launches-gemini-2-5-pro-preview-with-upgraded-coding-capabilities-ahead-of-i-o/

Kagi now integrates PeerTube videos in the search results and filters, enhances sidebars and mobile experience for Kagi Assistant, and improves Kagi Translate with a fast/best toggle, expanded language support, and new voice options.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/kagi-adds-peertube-video-search-results-enhanced-assistant-ui-and-translation-upgrades/

Node.js 24 introduces updates like V8 JavaScript engine 13.6, npm 11, Undici 7, AsyncLocalStorage now using AsyncContextFrame by default, and URLPattern available globally. It drops MSVC support and requires ClangCL for compiling on Windows.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/node-js-24-ships-with-v8-javascript-engine-13-6-npm-11-async-context-upgrades-and-more/

Framasoft has released version 1 of the video-streaming @peertube mobile app, allowing multiple account connections, playlist management, comments, and subscriptions. It includes two-factor authentication and plans for more features and enhancements.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/peertube-mobile-app-reaches-v1-and-brings-multi-account-logins-playlist-management-and-more/

Telegram will now hand over user phone numbers and IP addresses if judicial authorities request it for criminal investigations. This policy change follows the arrest of CEO Pavel Durov in France https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/9/telegram-will-now-share-user-data-with-authorities-for-criminal-investigations/

SparkyLinux 7.5, based on Debian 12 “Bookworm”, features Linux kernel 6.1.106 LTS and includes updates like LibreOffice 7.4.7, KDE Plasma 5.27.5, and Firefox 115.15.0 ESR. The Nala package manager has been removed for unspecified reasons.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/9/debian-based-linux-distribution-sparky-releases-v7-5-with-kernel-and-sofware-updates/

FreeCAD, the open-source parametric 3D modeler, has released its first release candidate for version 1.0, targeting users who prefer near-complete software. With only seven known release blockers, the team encourages users to test RC1 on real projects and report any issues.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/9/freecad-s-first-release-candidate-for-v1-0-is-out-more-than-20-years-after-initial-release/

Biome, a web project formatting and linting toolchain, just celebrated its first anniversary with the release of version 1.9. Key updates include a stabilized CSS formatter and linter, default GraphQL file support, an experimental search command, and alignment with Prettier v3.3 for JavaScript formatting. The linter now includes over 250 rules, nearing full ESLint compatibility.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/9/biome-1-9-celebrating-one-year-with-enhanced-css-and-graphql-support-and-new-search-command/

Google is testing a desktop windowing feature for Android tablets, allowing users to resize and arrange apps like on a desktop. Available in developer preview, it enhances multitasking with a taskbar and supports multiple app instances. Similar to Apple's Stage Manager and Samsung’s DeX, it can be activated via a window handle or keyboard shortcut https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/9/google-tests-desktop-windowing-feature-for-android-tablets-similar-to-samsung-s-dex/

Unity has completely canceled its controversial Runtime Fee after backlash, returning to a seat-based subscription model. Unity Personal remains free with a higher revenue ceiling, while Pro and Enterprise subscriptions will see price increases starting in 2025 https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/9/unity-entirely-scraps-controversial-runtime-fee-returns-to-seat-based-subscription-model/

The Internet Archive lost its appeal against a lawsuit by book publishers, which forced them to remove over 500,000 books from their collection. The court ruled that the Archive's digital library practice deprived creators of compensation. The Internet Archive has petitioned publishers to reconsider, emphasizing the impact on global readers.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/9/internet-archive-loses-appeal-over-ebook-lending-and-urges-publishers-to-restore-access/

Pidgin discovered a malicious plugin named ss-otr containing a keylogger and sharing unauthorized screenshots. Added on July 6th, it was reported on August 16th and confirmed as malicious by August 22nd. Users should uninstall it immediately. Pidgin will now require plugins to have an OSI Approved Open Source License and undergo safety checks.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/8/pidgin-removes-malicious-plugin-containing-keylogger-and-sharing-screenshots/

Google Lens is introducing a Speak now to ask about this image feature, allowing users to add audio context to searches by recording a video. This enhances search results and is rolling out widely for Android users https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/8/google-lens-is-adding-a-speak-now-feature-for-enhanced-image-search-with-audio-context/

Zulip 9.0, an open-source threaded team chat app, introduces a UI redesign, improved message composition, faster navigation, and renames streams to channels. It also supports Ubuntu 24.04 and is developing a new mobile app using Flutter.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/7/zulip-9-0-released-with-ui-overhaul-enhanced-features-and-new-mobile-app-in-development/

Google is now the only search engine that can index #Reddit content due to a recent robots.txt update by Reddit, aimed at preventing AI data scraping. This exclusivity follows a $60 million deal between Google and Reddit earlier this year.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/7/reddit-now-blocking-search-engines-and-ai-bots-from-showing-its-results-except-for-google/

NewPipe users faced a downtime yesterday, halting video playback. The developers promptly tackled the issue by releasing version 0.27.1 that fixed the HTTP error 403 that occurred with Youtube videos and resolved a player crash.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/7/newpipe-outage-fixed-version-0-27-1-resolves-player-crash-issues/