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Microsoft Drops Developer Onboarding Fees for Windows App Store in Push to Attract More Creators

By
Samuel Nwite
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0

Microsoft is making a decisive play to draw more developers to its ecosystem. During its Build 2025 conference on Monday, the company announced it is eliminating the registration fee required to publish apps on the Microsoft Store.

The change takes effect in June 2025 and marks a significant shift in Microsoft’s approach to lowering the barrier for individual developers.

Under the current model, developers pay a one-time fee of $19 to sign up and submit their applications to the Microsoft Store. Beginning next June, that cost will be waived entirely for individual developers looking to publish Windows apps.

“By eliminating these one-time fees, Microsoft is creating a more inclusive and accessible platform that empowers more developers to innovate, share, and thrive on the Windows ecosystem,” the company said in a press statement.

The move positions Microsoft as the only major platform among its peers to drop developer onboarding charges altogether. Apple still requires developers to pay a $99 annual fee to distribute apps through its App Store, while Google maintains a one-time $25 registration fee for the Play Store. These charges have come under increasing scrutiny, particularly as regulatory pressure mounts against Big Tech’s control over digital storefronts and app distribution policies.

Though onboarding fees are being scrapped, Microsoft emphasized that its existing revenue-sharing model will remain in place for developers using its in-app commerce platform: 15% for non-gaming apps and 12% for games. However, developers who opt to use their own payment and commerce systems will continue to retain 100% of their revenue from non-gaming apps.

The announcement also dovetails with the launch of Microsoft’s new FastTrack Program for the Microsoft Store, designed to provide support and incentives for larger app publishers. The program offers benefits such as waived registration fees, accelerated certification processing, and customized onboarding support for qualifying companies.

In a broader overhaul of the developer experience, Microsoft is also introducing enhancements to the app review and certification process. Developers will now receive detailed submission reports, including crash logs and compliance recommendations, allowing them to fix issues more quickly and resubmit with clarity. Additionally, Microsoft will begin hosting privacy policy documents for developers at no extra cost — a move intended to ease the publication burden and eliminate the need for third-party web hosting just to meet submission criteria.

These steps are part of Microsoft’s wider effort to rejuvenate the Windows app ecosystem and reinforce the Microsoft Store as a viable and attractive alternative for developers increasingly looking for less restrictive marketplaces. The changes also come at a time when developer sentiment is souring toward Apple and Google over steep fees and stringent app review processes.

With the removal of onboarding fees, Microsoft hopes to tap into a broader pool of independent developers and startups who may have been deterred by upfront costs.

By opening the doors wider, Microsoft is signaling that it wants the Microsoft Store to become more than just a marketplace — it wants it to be a platform where developers of all sizes, from bedroom coders to enterprise teams, can publish with fewer hurdles and greater control.

Vitalik Buterin’s Proposal For Scaling Layer-1 Node Operation Addresses Concerns About Transaction Capacity and Decentralization

By
Paul Ugbede Godwin
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0

Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder, published a proposal titled “A local-node-favoring delta to the scaling roadmap” on ethresear.ch, outlining strategies to enhance Ethereum Layer 1 (L1) scaling while preserving accessibility for users running local nodes. The proposal addresses the tension between increasing L1 transaction capacity and maintaining decentralization, emphasizing the importance of enabling individuals to operate nodes for trustless, censorship-resistant access to the blockchain.

Buterin introduces a new node type, “partially stateless nodes,” designed to verify blocks statelessly and validate the entire chain (via stateless validation or ZK-EVM) while only maintaining a user-selected subset of the blockchain state (e.g., data for specific accounts, DeFi apps, or tokens like ETH or stablecoins). These nodes reduce storage demands by up to 50%, as users only store relevant data without needing full Merkle proofs or the entire blockchain history. Queries outside the stored subset can fail or be routed to external cryptographic solutions via an on-chain contract.

This approach enhances privacy and reduces reliance on centralized Remote Procedure Call (RPC) providers, which Buterin warns could face censorship pressures. Buterin emphasizes accelerating the implementation of EIP-4444, which limits nodes to storing approximately 36 days of historical data, significantly reducing disk space requirements. Long-term data would be stored in a distributed network using erasure coding to ensure robustness without burdening individual nodes.

This addresses the primary barrier to node operation, as storage needs currently deter many users from running nodes. A decentralized storage solution using erasure coding is proposed to maintain long-term blockchain data. Each node would store only a small fraction of historical data older than 36 days, ensuring permanence without relying on centralized providers.

Gas Pricing Adjustments

Buterin suggests modifying gas pricing to make storage-intensive operations more expensive while reducing costs for execution. This incentivizes efficient state management and supports higher L1 gas limits (potentially 10-100x increases) without overwhelming node operators. Increasing the L1 gas limit to boost throughput risks centralization, as it raises hardware and storage requirements, making it harder for individuals to run full nodes. Buterin’s proposal counters this by optimizing node efficiency.

Local nodes are critical for decentralization, privacy, and censorship resistance. A market dominated by a few RPC providers could lead to deplatforming or censorship, as some already exclude entire countries. The proposal addresses concerns that higher gas limits make full node operation inaccessible, ensuring Ethereum remains user-friendly even as it scales to meet demands from DeFi, NFTs, and on-chain gaming.

The changes could enable Ethereum to handle significantly higher transaction volumes (10-100x) while keeping node operation feasible for individuals. By reducing storage and resource demands, the proposal strengthens Ethereum’s decentralized ethos, making it easier for retail users to participate in validation and staking.

News of the proposal coincided with a 2.3% ETH price increase on May 19th, 2025, with trading volume spiking 15% on exchanges like Kraken, reflecting community optimism about Ethereum’s scalability roadmap. Increasing L1 gas limits raises concerns about centralization risks due to higher hardware requirements for validators. Buterin acknowledges the need to balance these trade-offs.

The proposal complements, rather than replaces, advanced cryptographic solutions like ZK-EVMs, aiming for a scalable, privacy-preserving network. Vitalik Buterin’s proposal introduces innovative solutions like partially stateless nodes, EIP-4444 prioritization, distributed storage, and gas pricing adjustments to make Ethereum L1 scaling more inclusive for local node runners. By addressing storage and accessibility barriers, the plan aims to boost Ethereum’s throughput while preserving its decentralized and censorship-resistant principles, reinforcing its position as a leading blockchain platform.

You Don’t Want to Miss This Undervalued Altcoin Introducing the Next Generation of Crypto Payments

By
TI Partners
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0

Crypto projects come and go every day. Most talk big but deliver little. SpacePay feels different, though. This London startup isn’t just another token – they’re actually solving a real problem. They let shops accept crypto using the card machines they already have. No new equipment needed.

Looking at their setup reveals some pretty slick stuff. They work with over 325 different crypto wallets, convert everything to cash instantly for the merchant, and only take a tiny 0.5% cut on transactions. People are noticing too – they’ve pulled in more than $1 million so far in their presale. Right now, their $SPY token sits at $0.003181.

Why Shops Might Actually Use This

Most crypto payment stuff sucks for regular businesses. Who wants to buy expensive new equipment or learn complicated tech? That’s where SpacePay nails it.

They figured out how to make existing card machines work with crypto. Grab your phone, scan, pay with Bitcoin – done. The shop gets regular dollars, pounds, or euros right away. No waiting, no crypto prices crash an hour after someone buys something.

Many small business owners hate those 3% credit card fees eating their profits. When hearing SpacePay only charges 0.5%, most actually stop and listen. That’s unusual – shop owners normally zone out when crypto gets mentioned.

The volatility protection matters too. Shop owners don’t care about hodling – they need stable money to pay bills. SpacePay converts crypto payments to regular money instantly, so businesses don’t stress about price swings.

The $SPY Token: What’s It For?

So they’ve got this $SPY token. Total supply is capped at 34 billion. That’s a lot of tokens, but they’ve split them up pretty sensibly.

These aren’t just useless tokens either. If you hold this new altcoin, you get to vote on where the project goes next. Sick of projects where some anonymous team makes all the decisions? Yeah, most people are too. At least here token holders get a say.

They’re also sharing some money with token holders. As more people use SpacePay, a cut of those transaction fees goes back to people holding the token. That’s way better than tokens that do nothing but go up or down in price.

Oh, and they do these monthly airdrops for active users. Early holders also get first dibs on new features. Most people are tired of projects that just have a token for the sake of having a token. At least SpacePay built some real utility into theirs.

Visit SpacePay Presale

The Tech Stuff (Keeping It Simple)

Nobody likes getting their card declined. SpacePay uses solid encryption and watches transactions in real-time to keep things secure. No complicated explanation needed – it just works.

They support tons of cryptocurrencies too. Use whatever you’ve got in your wallet. That makes sense – limiting payment options is dumb when you’re trying to get people to actually use this stuff.

Here’s what stands out: they already have a working product. Not just promises and fancy graphics. They built it, it works, and now they’re expanding it. Plus, they’re doing all the boring regulatory compliance stuff that nobody talks about but actually matters if you want businesses to adopt your tech.

Where’s All The Money Going?

It’s always worth checking how projects split up their tokens. Shows what they really care about.

SpacePay’s breakdown looks pretty fair:

  • 20% for the public presale. That’s for regular folks, not just insider VCs.
  • Only 5% for the founders. That’s refreshingly low – most projects give founders way more.
  • 17% for user rewards. They’re putting money where their mouth is on community stuff.
  • 10% for development. Gotta keep building.
  • 36% split between partnerships, marketing, and community.
  • 12% in reserve. Every project needs a rainy day fund.

The presale price goes up in stages. Right now it’s at $0.003181. Next stage will be higher. Basic supply and demand – early birds get better prices.

How To Get In On The Presale

Thinking about grabbing some $SPY tokens? It’s pretty easy. Head to their website and connect a crypto wallet. They support all the usual suspects – MetaMask, WalletConnect, and others.

Payment can be made with ETH, BNB, MATIC, AVAX, BASE, USDT, or USDC. Don’t have crypto? They also take bank cards, which is handy for newcomers.

Just decide how many to buy, confirm the transaction in the wallet, and that’s it. Make sure to screenshot or save transaction details somewhere – those will be needed later when it’s time to claim the tokens.

After that, follow their Twitter or join their Telegram to stay updated. Crypto moves fast, and no one wants to miss important announcements.

JOIN THE SPACEPAY ($SPY) PRESALE NOW 

Website    |    (X) Twitter    |  Telegram

Why the Blackout in Ila-Orangun Demands Immediate National Attention

By
Mutiu Iyanda
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0

Despite its importance as an educational and commercial hub, Ila-Orangun has faced a disturbing reality since February 2025. A persistent and unaddressed electricity outage has left thousands of residents in complete darkness for over three months. In that time, livelihoods have withered, education has suffered, healthcare delivery has been compromised, and local morale has sharply declined.

Electricity, often taken for granted in urban centers, remains a critical foundation for social and economic development. In communities like Ila-Orangun, the absence of power is not merely a technical glitch. It is a full-blown crisis that affects every aspect of daily life. From market traders and artisans to schoolchildren and healthcare workers, every resident is paying the price for institutional neglect and infrastructural decay.

Small businesses are among the hardest hit. Tailors, hairdressers, welders, and cold room operators depend entirely on steady electricity to remain operational. With power cut off indefinitely, many now rely on costly generators to sustain basic operations, driving up expenses and limiting profitability. For those unable to afford alternative sources of power, business has simply come to a halt. This not only deepens poverty but also disrupts the local economy in irreversible ways.

The impact on education is equally alarming. Ila-Orangun hosts two higher education institutions: the Osun State College of Education and the Federal University of Health Sciences. These institutions cater to hundreds of students who now study by candlelight or depend on their phones for both lighting and learning. For a generation expected to compete in a digital world, this situation undermines the quality and equity of their academic experience. Without electricity, classrooms remain dark, laboratories sit idle, and the promise of innovation remains unfulfilled.

In the healthcare sector, the situation is no less dire. Clinics and pharmacies struggle to store vaccines and medicines that require refrigeration. Essential procedures have become difficult or impossible to perform safely. Pregnant women, infants, and the elderly are particularly at risk when healthcare facilities are stripped of their most basic utilities. Public health cannot be separated from infrastructure, and in Ila-Orangun, the link is now dangerously exposed.

Despite these profound consequences, there has been a deafening silence from those charged with resolving the issue. The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), which serves the region, has failed to offer a clear explanation, let alone a roadmap to restoration. Communication from both the state and federal levels has been sparse or entirely absent. The lack of urgency displayed by public institutions and utility providers reflects a broader pattern of systemic indifference to the needs of smaller communities.

This situation, however, has not gone unnoticed by the people of Ila-Orangun themselves. In an inspiring show of agency, the youth-led group Ila-Orangun Voice of the Youths (IVY) has taken the initiative to organize a Stakeholders’ Forum. Scheduled for May 22, 2025, at the Ila City Hall, the event is intended to bring together citizens, public officials, and representatives from IBEDC to find a way forward. It is a grassroots response born out of frustration but also driven by hope. That hope, however, should not be mistaken for patience.

We must ask critical questions: Why has it taken over three months to address such a fundamental failure? Why has there been no consistent communication to update residents on the status of repairs or expected timelines? What emergency measures have been considered, and why have none been implemented?

This is not a call for charity. It is a call for justice, transparency, and leadership. Residents of Ila-Orangun are not asking for preferential treatment. They are asking for what every Nigerian deserves: reliable public utilities, responsive governance, and dignified living conditions. Electricity is not a luxury. It is a basic necessity that enables progress in every sector of society.

The responsibility to fix this does not rest with IBEDC alone. The Osun State Government must take the lead in coordinating a multi-stakeholder response, supported by federal institutions such as the Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Lawmakers representing Osun State should raise the matter on the floors of their respective chambers and push for immediate action. More importantly, there must be a framework for long-term prevention. Communities cannot continue to be left vulnerable to such prolonged blackouts due to poor planning or maintenance failures.

The crisis in Ila-Orangun is a mirror reflecting deeper issues within Nigeria’s power infrastructure. But it is also an opportunity to get it right. Restoring power to Ila-Orangun is not just about turning the lights back on. It is about restoring trust in our institutions, rekindling economic activity, and reaffirming the social contract between the government and the governed.

The people of Ila-Orangun are still waiting. Their resilience should not be mistaken for surrender.

Microsoft Brings Elon Musk’s Grok AI Models to Azure, But With Guardrails

By
Samuel Nwite
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0

Microsoft on Monday announced it has added Elon Musk’s controversial Grok AI models to its Azure AI Foundry, becoming the first major cloud provider to offer managed access to the xAI-developed technology.

The decision marks a significant expansion of Microsoft’s AI strategy and opens the door for enterprise customers to use Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini models with the same service-level agreements applied to other Microsoft-hosted AI products.

“Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini will have all the service-level agreements Azure customers expect from any Microsoft product,” the company said in a statement, confirming that clients will be billed directly through Microsoft.

The move gives developers direct, enterprise-grade access to Grok through Azure’s expanding AI Foundry platform, which now offers over 1,900 models, including from Meta, Hugging Face, and other independent developers. It signals Microsoft’s intent to provide customers with a multi-model environment and deeper flexibility, moving beyond its high-profile partnership with OpenAI.

First launched by Musk in late 2023, Grok was marketed as an “edgy,” uncensored alternative to conventional AI assistants. Its behavior often reflected that branding. Grok was found to give answers others wouldn’t, including responding to prompts with vulgar language and engaging in contentious political discourse. Musk, who has accused other AI models of being “woke” and politically biased, positioned Grok as a counterweight.

However, Grok’s has come with its own controversy. A benchmarking study from SpeechMach noted that Grok 3 was among the more permissive models in terms of handling sensitive or potentially offensive content. Recent incidents only intensified scrutiny.

Earlier this year, Grok was found to generate sexualized image manipulations when prompted to undress photos of women. In February, it temporarily suppressed unflattering mentions of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. More recently, the system was reported to repeatedly reference “white genocide in South Africa” following an unauthorized modification.

To address these issues, xAI has taken steps to increase oversight. The company now publishes system prompts for Grok publicly on GitHub and says it has implemented internal changes to prevent unauthorized alterations. The models released through Azure are significantly more locked down than the versions running on X, Musk’s social media platform. According to Microsoft, the Azure-hosted versions include enhanced safety features, enterprise-grade governance, and data integration capabilities that xAI’s own API offering does not currently provide.

The integration also ties into Microsoft’s broader vision for a collaborative AI future. The company has committed to supporting the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open-source standard introduced by Anthropic that allows different AI agents to work together across platforms. The aim, according to Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott, is to build what he calls an “agentic web”—a decentralized network of AI systems that can interoperate much like websites on the internet.

“It means that your imagination gets to drive what the agentic web becomes,” Scott said, “not just a handful of companies that happen to see some of these problems first.”

Microsoft is also experimenting with new approaches to memory retention for AI agents. Rather than relying on computationally expensive large-context models, the company is testing structured retrieval augmentation, a method where agents save short snippets from conversations to create a memory roadmap.

Scott likened the method to how the human brain works: “You don’t brute force everything in your head every time you need to solve a particular problem,” he explained.

The rollout of Grok in Azure positions Microsoft at the center of a rapidly evolving industry where AI tools are becoming more diverse, customizable, and potentially more controversial. Microsoft is betting it can meet enterprise demand without compromising on safety, while also giving a platform to one of the most provocative models in the market, by offering both regulatory guardrails and flexibility.

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