Microsoft Experimenting with Using Synthetic DNA for Digital Data Storage

Microsoft is carrying out experiments with synthetic DNA for digital data storage and has recently agreed to purchase ten million strands of DNA from genetics startup Twist Bioscience.

GCC 6.1 Brings New C++17 Features, Full Support for OpenMP, Improves OpenACC

Version 6.1 is the first major GCC release in about one year. It contains substantial new functionality, says GCC maintainer Jakub Jelinek, including new C++17 features, full support for OpenMP, and improved support for OpenACC.

GitLab Discloses Critical Vulnerability, Provides Patch

GitLab has just announced a fix for a number of important security fixes, including a critical privilege escalation, and strongly recommends that all GitLab installations from version 8.2 onwards be upgraded immediately. InfoQ has spoken with GitLab’s Stan Hu, VP of Engineering.

Mercurial 3.8 Released with New Fast Client for Mercurial Command Server

Mercurial has reached version 3.8. This release brings cHg a new Mercurial command server client aimed to improve access to Mercurial API and circumvent potential licensing issues. Additionally, Mercurial 3.8 brings improvements to many commands and extensions, and various performance improvements.

Racket 6.5 Brings Improved Typed Racket, Faster Iteration, and More

Racket, a multi-paradigm programming language belonging to the Lisp/Scheme family, has reached version 6.5, writes Ryan Culpepper on Racket blog. The new version adds several new features, including improvements to typed/untyped code interaction, faster iteration on hash tables and sets, and more.