It is a strange time when old enemies not only bury the hatchet but start to merge into a single entity. Windows and Linux, Microsoft and Open Source seem not only to be friendly but in the case of Windows and Linux merging into an undifferentiated whole - Winux anyone?

It all started with the move to .NET Core. Well it probably did, but it is too recent for a final history to be written. The .NET system was aggressively Windows- and Microsoft-only and, apart from some heroic open-source efforts on the part of the Mono team, it only worked under Windows. Then Microsoft threw away everything it had done and started over with an open-source project to reinvent .NET as a cross-platform development system and so .NET Core was born, along with much confusion and some developer suffering.

Why was .NET widened to support non-Windows environments?

Only Microsoft really knows but it seems reasonable that it was to serve the greater good of Azure. When Azure started out it mostly provided Windows-based virtual machines, but it didn't take long for it to be quite clear than its users wanted Linux and, if it was to be competitive with AWS, it needed to shift from being Windows-oriented to Linux-supporting - and it has.

Given Azure is potentially the cash cow that is to replace Windows in the future, it now becomes clear that supporting Linux is a good idea. So .NET becomes cross-platform and with .NET Core 5, or perhaps more fully in 6, in the future this task is more or less completed. There is only one version of the .NET platform and it is cross-platform.

Of course, there are still problems - aren't there always?

In particular, there is no .NET cross-platform UI and .NET Core programs tended to be command line or web-based where the UI issue doesn't arise. Eventually Microsoft realized that trying to pretend that .NET Core didn't need a UI was silly and some Windows-specific modules were rolled out to allow Win32/Forms and WPF to be used to create a UI.

As this all was coming to a conclusion, Microsoft suddenly seems to have had another realization - if Azure runs Linux, why not Windows? The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) was born and you could work with Linux on a machine that primarily ran Windows. Not a virtual machine, but a hosted operating system within another operating system. Future historians might well look back on this first step as the start of the fusion between Windows and Linux and indeed Microsoft software in general and open source.

For example, why would Microsoft spend money developing an HTML rendererer for its own browser when there is an open source browser, used by Google, just sitting around waiting to be used. The Edge browser is an example of a development strategy that I think we are going to see more of as time goes on - open source + proprietary code and services.

Now we have news that Edge is going cross-platform. And why not? Chromium is cross-platform so what is surprising? What is surprising is that Microsoft is taking another step towards Linux. Of course, it all comes with some added Microsoft flavoring:

"For developers, WebView2 will be generally available for C/C++ and .NET by the end of 2020. Once available, any Windows app will be able to embed web content with the power of Microsoft Edge and Chromium. WebView2 provides full web functionality across the spectrum of Windows apps, and its decoupled from the OS, so youre no longer locked to a particular version of Windows.

Also, the new Microsoft Edge DevTools extension for Visual Studio Code is now generally available, enabling seamless workflow for developers as they switch contexts."

At the moment WebView2 only seems to support Windows, but Linux support in the near future would seem logical. Also notice the way that Microsoft is building a web of dependencies - Edge supports Visual Studio Code, which in turn favors Microsoft GitHub and of course Azure. It all fits together so tightly that you really wouldn't want to go to the trouble of pulling it apart.

"Starting in October, Microsoft Edge on Linux will be available to download on the Dev preview channel. When its available, Linux users can go to theMicrosoft Edge Insiders siteto download the preview channel, or they can download it from the native Linux package manager."

And while all this is going on WSLis being expanded. Linux GUI apps are being supported in the next few weeks. If you were determined enough, you could already get GUI apps to work, but now it's official. So I can sit down at my machine, boot Windows and run Windows and Linux GUI apps.

Things have gone a long way. There was a time when I had to worry about which operating system I was using. I now routinely use ls in PowerShell and I've almost forgotten what the Windows dir command did. Which slash to use in pathnames isn't much of a problem any more and I am increasingly surprised when I find that a Linux command doesn't work under Windows.

Our current desktop hardware has enough memory and disk storage to support a mind meld of Windows and Linux - something that until relatively recently would have seemed wasteful. We are in an age of operating system bloat - get used to it and take advantage of it.

Winux here we go...

Windows Subsystem for Linux capabilities enhance performance and make install a breeze

Microsoft Edge coming to Linux in public preview, with more support for secure remote work and enabling developers to bring Microsoft Edge to any Windows app

Chrome OS Runs Windows Apps - What's An OS Anyway?

This Is The Year Of Linux On The Desktop - Via Windows

Linux On Windows - Microsoft On How It Works

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Winux - Windows/Linux Convergence In 2020 - iProgrammer

DENVER and MANCHESTER, England, Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Matillion, the leading provider of data transformation for cloud data warehouses (CDWs), brought together data management consulting services leaders for a Matillion partner advisory roundtable to discuss how enterprise data transformation needs are impacted by current market trends. The event, held virtually in Q3, revealed the existing challenges and trends that are accelerated by the global pandemic and the pressing enterprise needs to access and leverage data for decision making.

- There is increasing demand for low-code and open source solutions among different data personas. Businesses look to enable diverse roles within their organization to use data tools that can help them take control of their projects. There is demand among data engineers who want to use solutions with both low code and open source options. There is still a need for open source, which allows engineers to innovate with data. However, an emphasis on time-to-value and scalability within a complex, enterprise IT environment, and the need to access data across parts of a business, is driving the low code/no code market.

- Enterprises are balancing the need for speed with cost optimization.Before the pandemic, many businesses were looking to increase time to value without increasing costs. But now, enterprises need to reduce infrastructure costs in preparation for a potential recession, but they also desire the quick implementation of solutions that enable them to leverage their data and reduce data latency to make timely, fact-based decisions.

-Enterprises need proven tech stacks and solutions from data consultants.In an effort to help companies optimize cost and scale strategies, consultants see a need to deliver off-the-shelf solutions that will work for diverse business use cases. Data management, integration, and transformation solutions need to work well with one another to allow enterprises easier onboarding, quicker proof of concepts to demonstrate results, and faster time to value. Offering ready-made technology stacks delivers value for clients faster as data projects are scaled down to align with pressured budgets and internal competition for available resources.

- Data volumes are driving data infrastructure modernization.The mean number of data sources per organization is 400 sources, and data volumes are growing by 63 percent per month. This has large enterprises progressing on their "cloud journey," by ditching legacy systems for new approaches in data management and data integration, to avoid additional technical debt and to position them for economic and business recovery. Cloud-native tools are easier to use and to scale, enabling enterprises to begin work on smaller proof-of-concepts to get the frameworks ready for when the pace of business picks up again.

- Talent acquisition is more critical than ever.It is easier to find the right technology solutions than it is to find employees with the right skill sets. Enterprises need to attract data engineers that will implement a modern tech stack to help them derive value from the data they have spent years amassing and aggregating.

"The latest advancements in data technologies addressed enterprise needs prior to the pandemic, but there is added pressure to modernize almost overnight to cope with new and increasing challenges," said Robert Griswold, Senior Manager, Data Foundations Practice Lead at Capgemini.

"Enterprises continue to adjust to the new ways of working, and face increasing pressure to uncover data insights," said Brian Bickell, Data Practice Director at Interworks. "There is a growing need for flexible solutions that serve a remote, distributed team. Companies are doing all they can to ensure business continuity and the ability to scale to keep them moving forward during these uncertain times."

"Current market conditions present yet-unseen pressure on enterprises to mitigate costs while becoming as competitive as possible, said Matthew Scullion, CEO of Matillion. "The trends identified by global leaders in manufacturing, finance, healthcare and more underscore demand for the power of the cloud, which organically solves for modern requirements while better positioning businesses to recover from the impact of a global pandemic."

To learn more about how Matillion and its partner ecosystem support faster time to insights within the enterprise, visit: https://partners.matillion.com/. For further data transformation industry updates and perspectives, follow Matillion on Twitter @Matillion and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/matillion-limited/.

About Matillion Matillion is data transformation for cloud data warehouses. Only Matillion is purpose-built for Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, Microsoft Azure Synapse, and Google BigQuery, enabling businesses to achieve new levels of simplicity, speed, scale, and savings. Trusted by companies of all sizes to meet their data integration and transformation needs, Matillion products are highly rated across the AWS, GCP and Microsoft Azure Marketplaces. Dual-headquartered in Manchester, UK and Denver, Colorado, Matillion also has a presence in New York City and Seattle. Learn more about how you can unlock the potential of your data with Matillion's cloud-based approach to data transformation. Visit us atwww.matillion.com.

Media contact Nonfiction Agency for MatillionShermineh RohanizadehSrohanizadeh@nonfictionagency.com+1 949 378 6469

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Matillion Partner Ecosystem Identifies Trends Driving Data Transformation Market - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

The last few months have seen both Northern Ireland and Scotland work with software developers, NearForm, and launch their own individual contact-tracing apps. Digital Health News spoke to NearForm about the technology and how it works.

Northern Ireland and Scotland pipped England and Wales to the post in the contact-tracing app race, with the two countries opting to use different technology.

The NHS contact-tracing app based on Apple and Googles technology launched in England and Wales today, but Scotland and Ireland chose to go their own way working with software developers NearForm.

One of the key differences between what we offer and what Google offers is we offer a far more customised app solution, NearForms technical director, Colm Harte, said.

Both apps use Bluetooth to track time and distance between devices, sending exposure notifications to devices that have spent more than 15 minutes within two metres of another user who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Apple and Google offer a templated app and not a full end-to-end solution, according to Harte.

What they are offering is the app piece, but you still have to provide the key server, the verification server and you still have to do the integration with your manual contact-tracing systems, he added.

And thats all part of what the NearForm solution has brought to the table with different countries. We provide the back-end key server, the one-time code for the verification flows so you can trigger an upload on an app.

If you look at either apps weve brought so far, they are very much tied into the language, look and feel in terms of how government is dealing with Covid-19 in their particular jurisdiction.

Harte said the customisable interface provides governments using NearForms app more flexibility with how it plugs into their manual contact-tracing system.

This allows messaging around Covid-19 to be more consistent, he explained.

Its using the same terminology, its providing the same type of advice, so its a much more customized interface for the particular population, Harte added.

A lot of countries are using different platforms for their manual contract-tracing, so integrating the two is very important for a seamless experience as the manual contact tracing is the driving force.

The app used in the Republic of Ireland, for example, allows a user to voluntarily input their phone number, which is then provided to a member of the manual contact-tracing team should the app receive an exposure notification.

A lot of people have opted into that feature because they want that reassurance that there is someone they can speak to if they do have a close contact alert, Harte said.

The Republic of Irelands app, developed alongside NearForm, was launched in early July and was downloaded one million times in the first 48 hours. Irelands Health Service Executive (HSE) later published the apps Covid Tracker code as part of an open source programme to help global public health authorities tackle the pandemic.

Northern Ireland released its app, StopCOVID NI, at the end of July followed by NHS Scotland in September. Both apps were developed alongside NearForm and were based on Irelands Covid Tracker code.

Not just technical challenges

Asked why Ireland and Scotland had seemingly been more successful at getting a digital contact-tracing solution off the ground, Harte said there are a number of challenges faced when developing apps.

Theres a lot of complexity to building these apps. Theres the technical side of things but theres also a lot of organisational challenges and weve seen that with the countries weve worked with, he said.

Theres a lot of groups that have to be brought together and theres a lot of decisions that have to be made.

That process includes how you integrate the app into the overall contact-tracing process and the manual process, Harte said. Without these discussions the app is unlikely to be a success.

Effectiveness is showing that youre breaking transmission chains, so if youre identifying people through digital contact-tracing that manual contact-tracing didnt identify and those people turn out to be positive youre breaking transmission chains, Harte told Digital Health News.

Thats really the purpose of what youre trying to achieve with these contact-tracing apps.

The importance of open source

Harte emphasised the role open sourcing the code for the Irish app had played in allowed other countries to further their own digital contact-tracing abilities.

NearForms software has been used to develop contact-tracing apps in US states including Pennsylvania and Delaware; Gibraltar; and Jersey alongside Ireland and Scotland.

A key piece of that [NearForms success] is when Ireland launched their app they open sourced all the code, and the Irish health authorities were very happy to share in terms of what they were doing, how they were doing it and who they were using to build their app, Harte said.

They were also happy for other countries to levy their source code in order to build their own app, so that obviously helped other people to accelerate what they were doing.

Irelands HSE provided the code to the newly established Linux Foundation public health initiative which aims to use open source software to help public health authorities around the world combat Covid-19 and future epidemics.

The code is available of github.

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'A customisable approach' - how contact-tracing apps differ in the UK - Digital Health

TipRanks

In the investing game, its not only about what you buy; its about when you buy it. One of the most common pieces of advice thrown around the Street, buy low is touted as a tried-and-true tactic.Sure, the strategy seems simple. Stock prices naturally fluctuate on the basis of several factors like earnings results and the macro environment, amongst others, with investors trying to time the market and determine when stocks have hit a bottom. In practice, however, executing on this strategy is no easy task.On top of this, given the volatility that has ruled the markets over the last few weeks, how are investors supposed to gauge when a name is flirting with a bottom? Thats where the Wall Street pros come in.These expert stock pickers have identified three compelling tickers whose current share prices land close to their 52-week lows. Noting that each is set to take back off on an upward trajectory, the analysts see an attractive entry point. Using TipRanks database, we found out that the analyst consensus has rated all three a Strong Buy, with major upside potential also on tap.Progenity (PROG)Offering clear and actionable genetic results, Progenity specializes in providing testing services. The company started trading on Nasdaq in June and saw its shares tumbling 44% since then. With shares changing hands for $8.11, several members of the Street recommend pulling the trigger before it heats up.Piper Sandler analyst Steven Mah points out that even against the backdrop of COVID-19, PROG managed to deliver with its Q2 2020 performance. We are encouraged by the recovery in late Q2 2020 with 75,000 accessioned tests (~79,000 in Q1 2020), driven by noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and carrier screening, the analyst noted. Expounding on this, Mah stated, Progenity did not provide guidance, but June test volumes of ~28,000 were strong (Q1 2020 monthly average was ~26,000) which we believe showcases the durability of its reproductive tests and the success that Progenity has in co-marketing and attaching carrier screening to the more essential NIPT. Of note, despite the pandemic disruptions, Progenity was able to maintain its leading pre-COVID test turnaround times.Additionally, health insurer Aetna is temporarily extending coverage of average-risk NIPT until year-end as a result of the pandemic, with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) also expected to endorse average-risk in the future given its clinical utility, in Mahs opinion.Reflecting another positive, the fourth generation NIPT (single-molecule counting assay) test was able to measure fetal fraction, a key milestone according to Mah, and will continue to be developed into 2021. As the technology could potentially be applied to DNA, RNA, epigenetic markers and proteins for additional clinical applications such as oncology, the analyst is looking forward to the completion of the preeclampsia verification in Q4 2020 and a possible 2H21 launch. We believe preeclampsia (~2.3 billion serviceable market) is a major differentiator for Progenity, allowing them to cross-sell across the full-continuum of reproductive testing, the analyst added.If that wasnt enough, PROG signed its first GI Precision Medicine partnership agreement with a top-20 Pharma company in August. The Oral Biotherapeutic Delivery System (OBDS), an ingestible drug and device combination designed to precisely deliver biologics systemically through a needle-free liquid jet injection into the submucosal tissues of the small intestine, is set to be utilized as part of the collaboration. Mah commented, We believe Progenity can sign additional Pharma deals and look forward to the newsflow coming out on this front.To sum it all up, Mah said, We believe Progenity shares are undervalued given the robust recovery in the core testing business and multiple upcoming growth catalysts.To this end, Mah rates PROG an Overweight (i.e. Buy) along with a $17 price target. Should his thesis play out, a twelve-month gain of 105% could potentially be in the cards. (To watch Mahs track record, click here)Are other analysts in agreement? They are. Only Buy ratings, 4, in fact, have been issued in the last three months. Therefore, the message is clear: PROG is a Strong Buy. Given the $13.33 average price target, shares could climb 60% higher in the next year. (See PROG stock analysis on TipRanks)Tactile Systems Technology (TCMD)Developing at-home therapy devices, Tactile Systems Technology wants to provide new treatments for lymphedema, which occurs when the lymphatic system is impaired, disrupting normal transport of fluid within the body, and chronic venous insufficiency. Down 52% year-to-date, its $32.67 share price lands close to its $29.47 52-week low. Thus, with business trends improving, the Street is pounding the table.Writing for Canaccord, analyst Cecilia Furlong acknowledges that the pandemic has hampered the company, with COVID-19 weighing on both volumes and sales. In the second half of March, volumes were down 50% compared to the first half of the month, and TCMDs patient volumes in April and May remained challenged. That being said, trends started to improve at the end of May.Going forward, given the vast majority of TCMDs clinician customers practice in outpatient or office-based settings, we remain positive on TCMDs ability to demonstrate better insulation against COVID impacts and likely experience a greater bounce-back relative to overall med-tech volume trends, with TCMD further benefitting from its expanding using of technology to remotely engage with clinicians and support patients, Furlong explained.The analyst added, Furthermore, recent trends among some providers to prescribe Flexitouch (an advanced intermittent pneumatic compression device to self-manage lymphedema and nonhealing venous leg ulcers) earlier along the therapy process, as a means to reduce in-person contact, could provide upside near term, as well as potentially transition to a longer-term tailwind.On top of this, Furlong is also optimistic about new CEO Dan Reuvers and the reprioritization of the companys investment and market development efforts. TCMD will shift focus away from its acquired Airwear product line, with it redirecting investments toward its Flexitouch and Entre (a pneumatic compression device used to assist in the home management of chronic swelling and venous ulcers associated with lymphedema and chronic venous insufficiency) products.Given significant under-penetration in the lymphedema/phlebolymphedema market targeted by Flexitouch alongside the large patient population with limited treatment options today targeted by the firms Head & Neck platform, we view the combination of education and clinical data as key to further developing and penetrating these markets... Going forward, we expect management to continue to compile a broad base of clinical data to support reimbursement and drive broad adoption, Furlong commented.All of this prompted Furlong to keep a Buy rating and $62 price target on the stock. This target conveys her confidence in TCMDs ability to soar 90% in the next year. (To watch Furlongs track record, click here)In general, other analysts are on the same page. With 3 Buy ratings and 1 Hold, the word on the Street is that TCMD is a Strong Buy. The $62.33 average price target brings the upside potential to 91%. (See TCMD stock analysis on TipRanks)uniQure N.V. (QURE)Last but not least we have uniQure, which delivers curative gene therapies that could potentially transform the lives of patients. Even though shares have fallen 44% year-to-date to $40, not much higher than its 52-week low of $36.20, multiple analysts still have high hopes.Representing SVB Leerink, 5-star analyst Joseph Schwartz acknowledges that shares struggled after news broke of its collaboration and licensing agreement with CSL Behring for AMT-061, QUREs gene therapy for Hemophilia B, he argues the shareholder base turnover is likely now complete as investors and QURE shift focus to next-in-line AMT-130, its AAV5 gene therapy for Huntingtons Disease (HD).Schwartz further added, With the M&A premium now out of the stock, we see the QUREs current level as an attractive buying opportunity for those investors interested in the companys up and coming CNS gene therapies, internal manufacturing, and robust intellectual property and knowhow.Looking more closely at the agreement with CSL Behring, QURE will be tasked with the completion of the pivotal Phase 3 HOPE-B trial as well as the manufacturing process validation and manufacturing supply of AMT-061.According to management, 26-week Factor IX (FIX) data from all 54 patients enrolled in the trial remains on track, and topline data from the pivotal trial is still slated to read out by YE20. It should be mentioned that in a Phase 2b dose-confirmation study, QURE reported 41% FIX activity out to one year. Additionally, Schwartz points out that with HOPE-B progressing as planned, QURE has continued its manufacturing process validation work ahead of the anticipated BLA/MAA submissions in the U.S. and EU in 2021.On top of this, as part of the deal, QURE is eligible to receive more than $2 billion including a $450 million upfront cash payment, $1.6 billion in regulatory and commercial milestones and double-digit royalties ranging up to the low-twenties percentage of net product sales.With a strengthened cash position, QURE is well funded to rapidly advance CNS assets including AMT-130 (AAV5 gene therapy for Huntingtons Disease (HD)) and AMT-150 (AAV gene therapy for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3/SCA3)...We continue to believe that as QUREs CNS pipeline assets mature, the company could once again be an attractive partner to larger biopharma companies that have recently acquired many publicly traded gene therapy platforms with substantial manufacturing capabilities, Schwartz noted.Everything that QURE has going for it convinced Schwartz to reiterate an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating. Along with the call, he attached a $67 price target, suggesting 68% upside potential from current levels. (To watch Schwartzs track record, click here)What does the rest of the Street have to say? 9 Buys and 3 Holds have been issued in the last three months, so the consensus rating is a Strong Buy. In addition, the $69.89 average price target indicates 75% upside potential. (See QURE stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for beaten-down stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Jitsi and Mattermost Team Up for Joint Hackathon - "Thriving in a Remote Environment" - Yahoo Finance