Technology

• Open source software is now worth an estimated $7.7 billion annually
• Median organizational spend stands are more than half a million
• Most investments are in the form of human labor, not cash

The continued rise in popularity for open source software (OSS) has made it a multi-billion dollar industry attracting investments from companies all over the world, new reseach has claimed.

The 2024 Open Source Software Funding Survey found organizations across the world are contributing an estimated $7.7 billion to open source projects every year.

The research, which came from Github, the Linux Foundation and Harvard University, noted a clear split, with most (86%) investments coming in the form of workers' time. Only 14% revolved around direct financial contributions.

Businesses are backing open source

The research used data from 501 survey respondents, who together contribute a combined $1.7 billion to OSS annually. Median organizational spend on OSS was valued at more than $520,0000 – $345,000 to labor and $175,000 for direct financial contributions.

More than half (57%) of direct financial contributions went to contractors, with less than a fifth each going to specific projects (17%) and foundations (16%). Communities (4%), maintainers (4%) and bounty platforms (1%) also received cash injections.

However it also raised so-called blind spots in investments. More than two in three (68%) failed to answer how much financial support they gave different OSS targets, and nearly four in five (78%) didn’t (or couldn’t) share how much of their organization’s budget is destined for OSS.

Despite best efforts to quantify the market, the figures come from a handful of organizations, and are a mere estimation, or best guess. Consequentially, the researchers are calling for employees to self-report contributions and for contribution tracking to be incorporated into organizational workflows.

That said, there is a clear understanding that open-source software helps drive innovation, and GitHub, the Linux Foundation and Harvard want to encourage better monitoring and transparency to ensure OSS sustainability looking ahead.

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• Monotype surey finds 91% of creatives say AI tools are useful for their work
• Only 21% are pessimistic about the technology
• The research challenges the myth that creatives are ‘anti-AI'

Creatives are surprisingly optimistic about artificial intelligence’s impact on their industries, with many excited about the tech’s transformative benefits, new research has found.

Data from nearly 5,000 creatives sureyed by Monotype looked to address the theme of creatives feeling threatened by AI – a concern that was initially shared by many workers.

Nine in 10 (91%) workers claimed AI tools are beneficial to their creative tasks, suggesting that a degree of automation can help accelerate workflows and free up more time to spend on genuinely creative work, rather than administrative tasks.

Creatives are fans of AI and automation

More than a third (34%) of respondents said they were optimistic about artificial intelligence, compared with the one in five (21%) who said they were pessimistic. A further 23% said that they were neutral, with 18% undecided and 4% selecting ‘other.’

“This new research from Monotype challenges the prevailing view that most creatives are somehow inherently ‘anti-AI’," noted Monotype CEO Ninan Chacko.

The survey’s respondents revealed that visualizing typography in real-world scenarios (45%), suggesting font pairings (45%), speeding up more routine elements of workflows (43%) and improving the discovery of new fonts (43%) were all benefits of artificial intelligence.

Senior Director of Partner Experience and Inventory Lifecycle Mary Catherine Pflug added: “Our research shows creatives view font choice as one of the most important elements of their creative process, and Monotype’s AI-enabled discovery tools like search and font pairing are helping designers make better decisions, faster.”

Moreover, the research highlighting the rising prevalence of subscription-based software, with 89% currently paying for at least one platform and the average worker paying for four. Software like Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Shutterstock, Picsart, Kittl, Monotype Fonts emerged as popular options.

“Most creatives and designers are positive about the potential of AI and AI-enabled tools for their work when they understand its power to democratize design through enhancing, amplifying, and accelerating human creativity," Chacko added.

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• New Microsoft Teams Rooms features transform meeting spaces into communication hubs
• Flexibility for hybrid meetings with third-party platform integration
• IntelliFrame technology optimizes remote attendee engagement and visibility

As the demand for hybrid work solutions grows, Microsoft Teams Rooms is adding digital signage and advanced AI tools aimed at fostering greater collaboration in the workplace.

The new features allow for displays to function in signage mode when not in active use for meetings. It also enables organizations to broadcast company information, announcements, or multimedia content, transforming meeting spaces into hubs for communication.

Furthermore, it integrates two content management systems (CMS), Appspace and XOGO, which allows for streamlined onboarding and management of Teams Rooms devices within these CMS platforms.

Microsoft Teams Rooms digital signage

In a blog post, Microsoft outlined how it released signage mode to boost communication. When a display is not in use, it can be set to signage mode which enables it to intermittently display specific information like upcoming events, company news, internal campaigns etc.

Also, through the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal, users can configure digital signage settings, select preferred CMS providers, and manage content from a central location. For organizations using different CMS systems, custom web URLs can be added as signage sources, providing flexibility beyond the pre-integrated solutions.

Additionally, the signage mode can be activated based on a timer, which specifies idle display time, automatically switching off before scheduled meetings to prepare for use.

Microsoft is also rolling out new AI-driven features designed to enhance online collaboration in Teams Rooms, using Copilot to will provide intelligent meeting recaps and action items, aiming to improve information retention and foster productivity for in-person, remote, and hybrid meetings alike.

Teams Rooms will use Microsoft’s speaker recognition technology to isolate individual voices, even in noisy environments, allowing participants in busy or shared workspaces to communicate more effectively. These Copilot capabilities will eventually even extend to impromptu meetings held in person, allowing users to activate the assistant even without a formal meeting set up.

To ensure an inclusive experience for remote attendees, Microsoft has implemented IntelliFrame, a feature that individually frames participants to improve engagement and visibility, including automatic camera switching, selecting the best view based on multiple in-room camera angles, promising a more immersive experience for remote attendees.

Recognizing the evolving nature of the workplace, Microsoft has introduced improvements for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) meeting rooms and bookable desks. New updates, like shared display mode, allow users to easily share content while preserving privacy for desktop items, and also add intelligent audio features including speaker recognition.

Furthermore, IT administrators can gain access to valuable data for inventory management and space planning through the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal. The portal’s new remote management features provide a centralized solution for overseeing Teams Rooms and Surface Hub devices, enabling IT staff to configure software, troubleshoot issues, and maintain system performance remotely.

For cross-platform collaboration, Microsoft is expanding SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) compatibility, enabling Teams Rooms to connect seamlessly with third-party conferencing services like Google Meet, Zoom, Cisco Webex, and others.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 23.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 561 for Monday, Dec. 23.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Dec. 23 Strands puzzle, No. 295.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,283 for Dec. 23.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 91 for Monday, Dec. 23.

We’re in the midst of the Apple Vision Pro’s first holiday season – I know, we all can’t wait to wish it season’s greetings – and there is a fantastic update in the form of VisionOS 2.2. And no, it’s not the arrival of Apple Intelligence.

First teased back in June 2024 at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference was a major upgrade to the Mac Virtual Display experience – new display sizes, including a behemoth ultrawide curved monitor view. It’s always been a popular feature of the $3,500 Spatial Computer, the fact that you can stream your Mac display – as long as it’s an M-series-powered unit – directly to your Vision Pro with almost no noticeable lag.

Whether you’re stuck in a middle seat on an airplane, yearning for a larger screen, or just working from home and wanting a bigger monitor that can be stretched to what feels like infinity, Mac Virtual Display on the Vision Pro simply got the job done. Still, it was a classic flat monitor digitized; it didn’t have a wrap-around effect.

That’s solved now, though. In a demo where I got to play Lies of Pi streamed from a 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and do some daily business in macOS Sequoia from a Mac mini with M2 or a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3, it was a lightbulb moment.

Wide or Ultrawide feels like a new dimension for the Vision Pro

(Image credit: Apple)

In the demo, I sat in a pretty cozy chair, selected Mac Virtual Display by simply staring at a 16-inch MacBook Pro in Space Black, and then was greeted by a sub-menu instead of just firing up the display. You can now choose from three sizes: standard, wide, or ultra-wide.

Standard is, as you might suspect, the standard experience we’ve had since day one on the Apple Vision Pro with two key differences – it’s now at a 5K resolution and is slightly curved to make it more natural to use.

Wide is cool at 21:9, but Ultrawide kicks it into well ultra-high-gear at 32:9, which is the equivalent of two displays side-by-side, as what Apple says is a 5K resolution.

It looks undeniably sharp and really gives the impression that it wraps around you. Much like any window within VisionOS, you can stretch it up by looking at the bottom corner and simply pulling with your pinched thumb and forefinger. I especially liked this, and unlike a conventional curved monitor – maybe one from TechRadar’s best gaming monitor list – you’re not locked into whatever size you select based on the monitor you can buy.

I was able to resize the monitor to a supersized curved screen that filled the room when I wanted to be in the action of Lies of P, but I could also shrink it down to see other folks in the space or even dim the lights to an evening on the Moon. It’s especially immersive for gaming, and I like that audio from the Mac can pass through the Spatial capable speakers on Vision Pro or AirPods Pro.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

It also makes the Vision Pro an even better fit for extending the power of the Mac – be it a Mac mini, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro. Many, if not all, of the M-powered Macs, can handle these AAA gaming titles and dozens of Apple Arcade titles, but there’s also something to be said about working within Vision Pro and just using your Mac. In fact, I wrote this piece on the ultra-wide screen.

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My colleague Lance Ulanoff wrote about one year of Apple’s Spatial Computer earlier this year. Still, this type of experience with the Mac is really spectacular. Rumors of a potential collaboration with Sony PlayStation for more supported controller types make the prospect of future games you could play on a Mac in UltraWide on the Vision Pro quite exciting.

It was a long road for visionOS 2.0 to release fully, and visionOS 2.2 finally delivers a better view of the Standard Mac Virtual Display and two new sizes; it makes the experience even better.

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Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1064) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1064) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1064) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1064) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1064) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• S

• E

• T

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1064) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1064, are…

• SNAKE
• SAVVY
• ELBOW
• TWEED

I crashed out today, guessing the wrong double letters twice for SAVVY.

All was going so well as I landed on SNAKE and ELBOW fairly quickly, and had TWEED been my guess of TWEET I’m certain I would have completed the quartet.

Some days you just have to accept that you’ve been beaten.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1064) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1064, are…

• CRUSH
• ENSUE
• SCOUR
• BEGIN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1063, Sunday 22 December: DOUBT, SLURP, PAPER, CIVIL
• Quordle #1062, Saturday 21 December: STRIP, BUDGE, SAPPY, SHELF
• Quordle #1061, Friday 20 December: PENAL, EAGLE, DILLY, QUITE
• Quordle #1060, Thursday 19 December: JEWEL, GNOME, TRAMP, IDLER
• Quordle #1059, Wednesday 18 December: LITHE, BIRTH, HUMID, ROBOT
• Quordle #1058, Tuesday 17 December: DOING, ENJOY, SNAKY, AMPLE
• Quordle #1057, Monday 16 December: HYDRO, CREAM, CHIDE, SLIME
• Quordle #1056, Sunday 15 December: DROVE, STILT, LINEN, GIANT
• Quordle #1055, Saturday 14 December: SPIEL, ONSET, TIGER, DITTO
• Quordle #1054, Friday 13 December: ERECT, REBAR, MOIST, IDIOM
• Quordle #1053, Thursday 12 December: MILKY, CRIER, STORK, DRIER
• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #560) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BOAT
• U
• BOWL
• M
• THOU
• CREW
• V
• YOU
• 8
• EWE
• SCOOP
• GLUE
• TUESDAY
• K
• GRAND
• YEW

NYT Connections today (game #561) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Soundalikes
• GREEN: T-shirts
• BLUE: Money slang 
• PURPLE: “Man” would be another 

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #561) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: HOMOPHONES
• GREEN: NECKLINES
• BLUE: WAYS TO EXPRESS 1,000 
• PURPLE: SUPER 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #561) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #561, are…

• YELLOW: HOMOPHONES EWE, U, YEW, YOU
• GREEN: NECKLINES BOAT, CREW, SCOOP, V
• BLUE: WAYS TO EXPRESS 1,000 GRAND, K, M, THOU
• PURPLE: SUPER 8, BOWL, GLUE, TUESDAY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I knew today was going to be a tough one when I saw the M, U, 8, and K and so it proved, for me at least, as I struggled with a mind block after getting HOMOPHONES.

Had SUPER included Man instead of TUESDAY I would have got there. Living in the UK, our Tuesdays are just your regular Tuesdays and none have ever been described as Super. It’s probably the last day of the week that should be described as “Super”. Monday you have the hope of a fresh week and new possibilities, Wednesday you’re nearly over the midweek hump, Thursday is virtually Friday and Friday is almost Saturday – an actual Super day.

THOU also threw me, as I got stuck on the archaic pronunciation, rather than WAYS TO EXPRESS 1,000, and M confused me too, with my mind going to the James Bond character before the Roman numerals – something the Super BOWL uses to differentiate between years.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 22 December, game #560)

• YELLOW: SLANG FOR HEAD COCONUT, CROWN, DOME, SKULL
• GREEN: PALINDROMES ABBA, KAYAK, NUN, STATS
• BLUE: POLICE PROCEDURALS BONES, ELEMENTARY, KOJAK, MONK
• PURPLE: FIRST IN A COMEDY DUO ABBOTT, FRY, KEY, LAUREL

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.