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AMP Under Fire in New Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), an open source initiative that originated with Google, is coming under greater scrutiny at the tail end of 2020, as the company is facing a rash of antitrust lawsuits beginning October. The second suit is the one most pertinent to the AMP project. (A third suit brought by 38 state attorneys general alleges that Google is operating an illegal monopoly for online search and search advertising.)

The second suit is led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and nine other state attorneys general. It alleges that AMP was created for the purpose of pushing publishers away from “header bidding,” an advertising mechanism that allows sites to route their ad inventory through several ad exchanges and sell the space to the highest bidder. Header bidding requires JavaScript and therefore doesn’t play well with AMP.

The complaint claims that “Google’s program secretly let its own
exchange win, even when another exchange submitted a higher bid.” It also alleges that “Google ad server employees met with AMP employees to strategize about using AMP to impede header bidding, and how much pressure publishers and advertisers would tolerate:”

First, Google restricted the code to prohibit publishers from routing their bids to or sharing their user data with more than a few exchanges a time, which limited AMP compatibility with header bidding. At the same time, Google made AMP fully compatible with routing to exchanges through Google. Google also designed AMP to force publishers to route rival exchange bids through Google’s ad server so that Google could continue to peek at rivals’ bids and trade on inside information. Third, Google designed AMP so that users loading AMP pages would make direct communication with Google servers, rather than publishers’ servers. This enabled Google’s access to publishers’ inside and non-public user data. AMP pages also limit the number of ads on a page, the types of ads publishers can sell, as well as enriched content that publishers can have on their pages.

There are many more claims about collusion with Facebook and other anti-competitive practices, but the section regarding AMP may be of particular interest to publishers who are considering implementing it:

Google falsely told publishers that adopting AMP would enhance load times, but Google employees knew that AMP only improves the [redacted] and AMP pages can actually [redacted] [redacted] [redacted]. In other words, the ostensible benefits of faster load times for cached AMP version of webpages were not true for publishers that designed their web pages for speed. Some publishers did not adopt AMP because they knew their pages actually loaded faster than AMP pages.

Google also [redacted] of non-AMP ads by giving them artificial one second delays in order to give Google AMP a [redacted] [redacted] slows down header bidding, which Google uses to turn around and denigrate header bidding for being too slow.

The complaint references internal documents that demonstrate how AMP is an inferior product when compared to the options previously available to publishers:

Google gave publishers a Faustian bargain: (1) publishers could lose more money by using header bidding because Google Search would suppress their search rankings and send traffic to competing AMP-compatible publishers; or (2) publishers could lose less money by using AMP pages and forgoing exchange competition in header bidding. Either option was far inferior to the options available to publishers before AMP was introduced. Just how inferior? [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] according to internal Google documents.

Just 48 hours after this lawsuit was filed, AMP Advisory Committee member Terence Eden resigned from his position as a non-corporate representative.

The goal of the AMP AC is to “Make AMP a great web citizen,” but Eden declined to nominate a replacement candidate, because he is concerned that “Google has limited interest in that goal.”

“Google’s thesis is that the mobile-web is dying and people prefer to use apps – therefore making the web faster and more app-like will retain users,” Eden wrote. “Google doesn’t publish data about this, so I can’t directly criticize their motives. But I do not think AMP, in its current implementation, helps make the web better.

“I remain convinced that AMP is poorly implemented, hostile to the interests of both users and publishers, and a proprietary and unnecessary incursion into the open web.”

In a follow-up email to The Register, Eden said, “I don’t know what Google’s motives are. But AMP has not been responsive to the needs of users, publishers, or the web community. We need an open, standards based approach to the web.”

Where will AMP go in 2021? Publishers have already invested a lot of resources in order to comply with its proprietary subset of HTML. Smaller sites often lack the resources to support AMP, which may be one reason why Google began investing heavily in developing WordPress plugins that make its products easier to use. More than 500,000 WordPress site are now using the official AMP plugin.

Google has spent years clawing for greater AMP adoption, despite widespread criticism that the project is a threat to the open web. Every last bit of that effort is now in jeopardy if the complaints in the antitrust lawsuits and their supporting documents are found to be true.

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AWS DevOps Services: A Faster, Seamless Route to AWS DevOps Cloud

Cloud computing and corresponding solutions have taken the corporate sector by storm. More and more organizations are taking the plunge and adopting cloud solutions to regulate business processes and accelerate performance. A typical path towards the adoption process has been migrating to a DevOps environment.

It is expected that by 2021 overall spending on cloud services will cross the mark of $530 billion. Etching an 80% growth, cloud-native DevOps is more likely to be the future of IT companies. Companies that have already made a move have the upper hand over the others who are yet to transform their business operations.

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Expert Guide to IntelliJ License Server

JetBrains is a world-class vendor of developer tools that are loved by millions of geeks. IntelliJ IDEA, ReSharper, PhpStorm, PyCharm, and WebStorm are all JetBrains products that have become household names in their respective developer communities.

As development teams grow and get more diverse, companies start to purchase more subscriptions to JetBrains tools. However, buying subscriptions is just the first step. Engineering teams need to distribute licenses among existing developers, provide licenses to new developers as they come on board, and revoke licenses from developers as they leave or switch to a different technology stack.

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TiDB on KubeSphere: Using Cloud-Native Distributed Database on Kubernetes Platform Tailored for Hybrid Cloud

In a world where Kubernetes has become the de facto standard to build application services that span multiple containers, running a cloud-native distributed database represents an important part of the experience of using Kubernetes. In this connection, TiDB, a cloud-native, open-source NewSQL database that supports hybrid transactional and analytical processing (HTAP) workloads, meets those needs admirably. Its architecture is suitable for Kubernetes, and it is MySQL-compatible. TiDB also features horizontal scalability, strong consistency, and high availability.

In addition to TiDB, I am also using KubeSphere, an open-source distributed operating system that manages cloud-native applications with Kubernetes as its kernel. It provides a plug-and-play architecture for the seamless integration of third-party applications to boost its ecosystem. KubeSphere can be run anywhere as it is highly pluggable without any hacking into Kubernetes.

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How HUAWEI ML Kit’s Face Detection and Hand Keypoint Detection Helped Create the Game Crazy Rockets

Introduction

There are so many online games these days that are addictive, easy to play, and suitable for a wide age range. I've long dreamed of creating a hit game of my own, but doing so is harder than it seems. I was researching on the Internet, and was fortunate to learn about HUAWEI ML Kit's face detection and hand keypoint detection capabilities, which make games much more engaging. 

Application Scenarios

ML Kit's face detection capability detects up to 855 keypoints of the face, and returns the coordinates for the face contours, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, as well as angles. Integrating the face detection capability makes it easy to create a beauty app, or enable users to add special effects to facial images to make them more intriguing. 

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A Guide to Common Automated Testing Failures and How to Avoid Them

Automation testing is a reliable approach that can make the software testing process easy, fast, and convenient. But many specialists in the QA field have claimed that automation testing failed or did not meet their expectations. One of the main mistakes is that development teams rely too much on automated testing or use it improperly. Automation testing is a robust tool, but not a panacea. And like every tool, it requires an experienced master who knows how and when to use it.

Problem 1: What to Automate

Every company has its requirements for a product. Scope for automation testing depends on the type of project and its end goals.

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Who Resolves Conflict in Agile and How

The most prominent way to resolve conflict in Agile is first to normalize it. Often, conflicts are wrongly looked upon as threats to the product and the team. This view should be discouraged by the Agile project leader and the other team members.

Extra effort is needed to address conflict in the right manner. The resolution process should stay constructive throughout and each team member’s contribution should be appreciated.

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Dedicated Server Security Tips You Must Know to Protect Your Server

Introduction 

Today most of the business is going for cloud servers or dedicated servers to host their data. But the question arises of how secure is your server that is hosting your business data. What if your data is being compromised using these servers? As business is moving online, there come several cybercrimes that are leaving your data prone to attacks. There can be several ways that your data can be compromised, but what measures should you take in protecting the data?

The foremost step is to wisely select your hosting server and what features they are offering you. First, you need to understand the risks that can compromise your integrity. In that case, you can opt for a dedicated server to host your data as the business will be having full control over how your data is being accessed and by whom. You will be able to make changes without any third-party interference. You will also have your IT staff working and handling the data’s security, so there will be fewer chances of data compromisation. 

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Top 15 Software Testing Trends to Watch Out in 2021

There has been a great advancement and growth in the sector of QA testing with the latest trends introducing into IT field services. The introduction of innovative technologies has brought the newest updates in software testing, development, design, and delivery. The high priority of enterprises around the world is cost optimization. In undertaking so, the majority of the IT leaders believe in the incorporation of the newest IT methodologies for their organization. Digital transformation is yet another significant focus point for the sectors and the enterprises that are ranking top on cloud and business analytics. 

Even automation practices became the mainstream, paving the way for flawless test practices. Besides, AI and ML seem to reach a new level. Nowadays, Big Data tests mainly include data testing, paving the way for the Internet of Things to become the center point. It is one focal point where all software testing companies should treat with care. Factors such as reliability and quality are being given extra attention that results in the decrease of software app errors, enhancing the security and the app performance.

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7 Best Performance Testing Tools to Look Out for in 2021

The system could work efficiently with a specific number of concurrent users; however, it may get dysfunctional with extra loads during peak traffic. Performances testing helps establish the scalability, stability, and speed of the software application. Numerous kinds of performance testing imitate several possible user scenarios and know the behavior of the apps. With rising competition in the digital world and the requirement to be present in the top rank of the category, makes performance tests crucial for companies. Performance testing is mainly a subset of Performance engineering and is also referred to as 'Perf Tests.' Confirming scalability, dependability, stability, and speed of the app is crucial. An app is built with some expectations and is supposed to provide firm results. For example, the gaming app has to present definite actions to bring the right experience.

Performance testing does not essentially display imperfections with an app, yet it needs to ensure that the app function as expected despite the bandwidth availability, network fluctuations, or traffic overload. It is almost a part of the wider performance engineering portrait, concentrating on performance glitches in the architecture and design of any software. Therefore, designing and implementing such tests are crucial to ensure the stability of the website.

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APM Terminals Launches Truck Appointment API

APM Terminals, an international container terminal operating company, has launched the truck appointment API with the hope of improving its supply chain efficiency. At launch, the API will have data for the API terminal in Los Angeles and plans are for data to become available for additional terminals in 2021.

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Navigate the Content Canvas With the Block Editor Outline WordPress Plugin

Last week, Kalimah Apps released its Editor Block Outline plugin to the WordPress plugin repository. The idea is simple. The plugin adds a bordered outline to each block in the document along with their associated labels. For some users, this will help them navigate more complex layouts.

There is little information available about Kalimah Apps through the usual WordPress-related channels. However, this is its second plugin in the directory. Its first plugin, which has not been updated in four years, was a massive library of over 40 shortcodes, 1,000s of icons, and dozens of animations. Editor Block Outline is much more scaled back and lean.

The plugin adds a new sidebar panel to the editor. Its icon, located in the upper right of the screen, looks like a picture frame. It has several options to allow users to personalize the experience, such as what contexts to show the outline and whether to show the block name. The latter option is sometimes best disabled when inserting blocks with many inner blocks. Otherwise, the interface may look a bit cluttered.

Users can also select an outline color, border style, and opacity. I recommend knocking opacity down below 50% for more of a guideline look, something that is visible but does not feel like it is a part of the content.

Editor Block Outline plugin in the block editor sidebar.
Selecting outline options for Editor Block Outline.

All of the settings are stored as user metadata. Using this data storage method means that each user can decide how they want to use this plugin. Or, they can even disable it altogether. Because it is stored this way, settings will carry over from one post to the next.

“Do you want to know the feeling of driving while drunk, or to move around with blinders on? Then use Gutenberg without this plugin!!!” That is how one user reviewed this plugin. While I may not describe the default editor quite so — ahem — eloquently, this plugin does solve some problems, particularly when you need to more easily click around the interface.

As Brian Gardner joked on Twitter, selecting some blocks like Columns is tedious work or a fun game of whack-a-mole:

Of course, there are ways around that, such as using the navigation tree, breadcrumbs, or keyboard commands. However, the block editor is meant to be a visual interface that allows end-users to simply point and click on the elements they wish to edit. Selecting specific blocks has generally improved over time, but users still run into issues. Editor Block Outline makes it a much simpler affair.

Selecting a Columns block via the Editor Block Outline plugin.
Selecting the Columns block.

In Full Site Editing (FSE) mode with the Gutenberg plugin enabled, the plugin did not hold up quite as well. Depending on the theme in use, the blocks’ text labels were sometimes huge or did not match across the canvas. The plugin’s icon was also not available on the site editor screen.

FSE is still in beta. The plugin cannot be expected to work with it yet. However, this is where I imagine the plugin will make the most sense for many users. In the post editor, it would get in the way of writing long-form posts. However, the plugin could become an invaluable tool for navigating complex layouts in both the post and site editors.

More than anything, the reason I like Editor Block Outline is its dedication to a singular purpose. It adds a simple feature that enhances the editor without taking on too large of a role.

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Accessible SVG Icons

The answer to “What is the most accessible HTML for an SVG icon?” isn’t one-size-fits all, because what an icon needs to do on a website varies. I’m partial to Heather Migliorisi’s research on all this, but I can summarize. Extremely quickly: hide it if it’s decorative, title it if it’s stand-alone, let the link to the work if it’s a link. Here are those three possibilities:

The icon is decorative

As in, the icon is just sitting there looking pretty but it doesn’t matter if it entirely went away. If that’s the case:

<svg aria-hidden="true" ... ></svg>

There’s no need to announce the icon because the label next to it already does the job. So, instead of reading it, we hide it from screen readers. That way, the label does what it’s supposed to do without the SVG stepping on its toes.

The icon is stand-alone

What we mean here is that the icon is unaccompanied by a visible text label, and is a meaningful action trigger on its own. This is a tricky one. It’s gotten better over time, where all you need for modern browsers is:

<svg role="img"><title>Good Label</title> ... </svg>.

This works for an SVG inside a <button>, say, or if the SVG itself is playing the “button” role.

…and the link is the meaningful action. What’s important is that the link has good text. If the link has visible text, then the icon is decorative. If the SVG is the link where it’s wrapped in an <a> (rather than am internal-SVG link), then, give it an accessible label, like:

<a href="/" aria-label="Good Label"><svg aria-hidden="true" ... ></svg></a>

…or, have a <span class="screen-reader-only"> text within the link and the hidden SVG.

I believe this syncs up correctly with advice not only from Heather, but with Sara, Hugo, and Florens as well.

The post Accessible SVG Icons appeared first on CSS-Tricks.

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Introduction to Robot Operation System (ROS)

Robotics Operation System? Where to start from?

Have you ever wondered how robots, which are mechanical objects, are operated? How do the physical is controlled by the virtual? Well, there are several software middleware libraries in the market that provide frameworks for running and managing robotic systems. The term Robot can be obscure, so to clarify: a robot can be a small device like Raspberry Pi, a more complex one like a drone, or another sophisticated multi-sensor mechanical robot.

What's the benefit of using a middleware?