TOPIC: UNITED KINGDOM
An AI email newsletter roundup: Cutting through the noise
23rd August 2025This time last year, I felt out of the loop on all things AI. That was put to rights during the autumn when I experimented a lot with GenAI while enhancing travel content on another portal. In addition, I subscribed to enough email newsletters that I feel the need to cull them at this point. So much is happening in this area that it is too easy to feel overwhelmed by what is happening. That sense got me compiling the state of things in a previous post using some help from GenAI, though I was making the decisions about what was being consolidated and how it was being done. The whole process took a few hours, an effort clearly beyond a single button push.
This survey is somewhat eclectic in its scope; two of the newsletters are hefty items, while others include brevity as part of their offer. Regarding the latter, I found strident criticism of some of them (The Rundown and Superhuman are two that are mentioned) in an article published in the Financial Times, which is behind a paywall. Their content has been called slop, with the phrase slopaganda being coined and used to describe this. That cannot be applied everywhere, though. Any brevity cannot cloak differences in tone and content choices can help with developing a more rounded view of what is going on with AI.
This newsletter came to my notice because I attended SAS Innovate on Tour 2025 in London last June. Oliver Patel, who authors this and serves as Enterprise AI Governance Lead at AstraZeneca as well as contributing to various international organisations including the OECD Expert Group on AI Risk and Accountability, was a speaker with the theme of his talk naturally being AI governance as well as participating in an earlier panel on the day. Unsurprisingly, the newsletter also got a mention.
It provides in-depth practical guidance on artificial intelligence governance and risk management for professionals working in enterprise environments, though not without a focus on scaling governance frameworks across organisations. Actionable insights are emphasised in place of theoretical concepts, covering areas such as governance maturity models that progress from nascent stages through to transformative governance, implementation strategies and leadership approaches needed to drive effective AI governance within companies.
Patel brings experience from roles spanning policy work, academia and privacy sectors, including positions with the UK government and University College London, which informs his practical approach to helping organisations develop robust AI governance structures. The newsletter targets AI governance professionals, risk managers and executives who need clear, scalable solutions for real-world implementation challenges, and all content remains freely accessible to subscribers.
Unlike other newsletters featured here, this is a seven-day publication that delivers a five‑minute digest on AI industry happenings each day that combines news, productivity tips, polls and AI‑generated art. It was launched in June 2023 by Matt Village and Adam Biddlecombe, using of beehiiv’s content‑focused platform that was acquired by HubSpot in March 2025, placing it within the HubSpot Media Network.
Created by Zain Kahn and based in Toronto, weekday issues of this newsletter typically follow a structured format featuring three AI tools for productivity enhancement, two significant AI developments and one quick tutorial to develop practical skills. On Saturdays, there is a round-up on what is happening in robotics, while the Sunday issue centres on developments in science. Everything is crafted to be brief, possibly allowing a three-minute survey of latest developments.
The Artificially Intelligent Enterprise
My interest in the world of DevOps led me to find out about Mark Hinkle, the solopreneur behind Peripety Labs and his in-depth weekly newsletter published every Friday that features comprehensive deep dives into strategic trends and emerging technologies. This has been complemented by a shorter how-to version which focusses on concrete AI lessons and implementation tips and comes out every Tuesday, taking forward a newsletter acquired from elsewhere. The idea is that we should concentrate on concrete AI lessons and implementation tips in place of hype, particularly in business settings. These forms part of The AIE Network alongside complementary publications including AI Tangle, AI CIO and AI Marketing Advantage.
Found though my following the Artificially Intelligent Enterprise, this daily newsletter delivers artificial intelligence developments and insights within approximately five minutes of reading time per issue. Published by Rowan Cheung, it covers key AI developments, practical guides and tool recommendations, with some articles spanning technology and robotics categories. Beyond the core newsletter, the platform operates AI University, which provides certificate courses, implementation guides, expert-led workshops and community networking opportunities for early adopters.
A snapshot of the current state of AI: Developments from the last few weeks
22nd August 2025A few unsettled days earlier in the month may have offered a revealing snapshot of where artificial intelligence stands and where it may be heading. OpenAI’s launch of GPT‑5 arrived to high expectations and swift backlash, and the immediate aftermath said as much about people as it did about technology. Capability plainly matters, but character, control and continuity are now shaping adoption just as strongly, with users quick to signal what they value in everyday interactions.
The GPT‑5 debut drew intense scrutiny after technical issues marred day one. An autoswitcher designed to route each query to the most suitable underlying system crashed at launch, making the new model appear far less capable than intended. A live broadcast compounded matters with a chart mishap that Sam Altman called a “mega chart screw‑up”, while lower than expected rate limits irritated early users. Within hours, the mood shifted from breakthrough to disruption of familiar workflows, not least because GPT‑5 initially displaced older options, including the widely used GPT‑4o. The discontent was not purely about performance. Many had grown accustomed to 4o’s conversational tone and perceived emotional intelligence, and there was a sense of losing a known counterpart that had become part of daily routines. Across forums and social channels, people described 4o as a model with which they had formed a rapport that spanned routine work and more personal support, with some comparing the loss to missing a colleague. In communities where AI relationships are discussed, engagement to chatbot companions and the influence of conversational style, memory for context and affective responses on day‑to‑day reliance came to the fore.
OpenAI moved quickly to steady the situation. Altman and colleagues fielded questions on Reddit to explain failure modes, pledged more transparency, and began rolling out fixes. Rate limits for paid tiers doubled, and subsequent changes lifted the weekly allowance for advanced reasoning from 200 “thinking” messages to 3,000. GPT‑4o returned for Plus subscribers after a flood of requests, and a “Show Legacy Models” setting surfaced so that subscribers could select earlier systems, including GPT‑4o and o3, rather than be funnelled exclusively to the newest release. The company clarified that GPT‑5’s thinking mode uses a 196,000‑token context window, addressing confusion caused by a separate 32,000 figure for the non‑reasoning variant, and it explained operational modes (Auto, Fast and Thinking) more clearly. Pricing has fallen since GPT‑4’s debut, routing across multiple internal models should improve reliability, and the system sustains longer, multi‑step work than prior releases. Even so, the opening days highlighted a delicate balance. A large cohort prioritised tone, the length and feel of responses, and the possibility of choice as much as raw performance. Altman hinted at that direction too, saying the real learning is the need for per‑user customisation and model personality, with a personality update promised for GPT‑5. Reinstating 4o underlined that the company had read the room. Test scores are not the only currency that counts; products, even in enterprise settings, become useful through the humans who rely on them, and those humans are making their preferences known.
A separate dinner with reporters extended the view. Altman said he “legitimately just thought we screwed that up” on 4o’s removal, and described GPT‑5 as pursuing warmer responses without being sycophantic. He also said OpenAI has better models it cannot offer yet because of compute constraints, and spoke of spending “trillions” on data centres in the near future. The comments acknowledged parallels with the dot‑com bubble (valuations “insane”, as he put it) while arguing that the underlying technology justifies massive investments. He added that OpenAI would look at a browser acquisition like Chrome if a forced sale ever materialised, and reiterated confidence that the device project with Jony Ive would be “worth the wait” because “you don’t get a new computing paradigm very often.”
While attention centred on one model, the wider tool landscape moved briskly. Anthropic rolled out memory features for Claude that retrieve from prior chats only when explicitly requested, a measured stance compared with systems that build persistent profiles automatically. Alibaba’s Qwen3 shifted to an ultra‑long context of up to one million tokens, opening the door to feeding large corpora directly into a single run, and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 reached the same million‑token scale on the API. xAI offered Grok 4 to a global audience for a period, pairing it with an image long‑press feature that turns pictures into short videos. OpenAI’s o3 model swept a Kaggle chess tournament against DeepSeek R1, Grok‑4 and Gemini 2.5 Pro, reminding observers that narrowly defined competitions still produce clear signals. Industry reconfigured in other corners too. Microsoft folded GitHub more tightly into its CoreAI group as the platform’s chief executive announced his departure, signalling deeper integration across the stack, and the company introduced Copilot 3D to generate single‑click 3D assets. Roblox released Sentinel, an open model for moderating children’s chat at scale. Elsewhere, Grammarly unveiled a set of AI agents for writing tasks such as citations, grading, proofreading and plagiarism checks, and Microsoft began testing a new COPILOT function in Excel that lets users generate summaries, classify data and create tables using natural language prompts directly in cells, with the caveat that it should not be used in high‑stakes settings yet. Adobe likewise pushed into document automation with Acrobat Studio and “PDF Spaces”, a workspace that allows people to summarise, analyse and chat about sets of documents.
Benchmark results added a different kind of marker. OpenAI’s general‑purpose reasoner achieved a gold‑level score at the 2025 International Olympiad in Informatics, placing sixth among human contestants under standard constraints. Reports also pointed to golds at the International Mathematical Olympiad and at AtCoder, suggesting transfer across structured reasoning tasks without task‑specific fine‑tuning and a doubling of scores year-on-year. Scepticism accompanied the plaudits, with accounts of regressions in everyday coding or algebra reminding observers that competition outcomes, while impressive, are not the same thing as consistent reliability in daily work. A similar duality followed the agentic turn. ChatGPT’s Agent Mode, now more widely available, attempts to shift interactions from conversational turns to goal‑directed sequences. In practice, a system plans and executes multi‑step tasks with access to safe tool chains such as a browser, a code interpreter and pre‑approved connectors, asking for confirmation before taking sensitive actions. Demonstrations showed agents preparing itineraries, assembling sales pipeline reports from mail and CRM sources, and drafting slide decks from collections of documents. Reviewers reported time savings on research, planning and first‑drafting repetitive artefacts, though others described frustrations, from slow progress on dynamic sites to difficulty with login walls and CAPTCHA challenges, occasional misread receipts or awkward format choices, and a tendency to stall or drop out of agent mode under load. The practical reading is direct. For workflows bounded by known data sources and repeatable steps, the approach is usable today provided the persistence of a human in the loop; for brittle, time‑sensitive or authentication‑heavy tasks, oversight remains essential.
As builders considered where to place effort, an architectural debate moved towards integration rather than displacement. Retrieval‑augmented generation remains a mainstay for grounding responses in authoritative content, reducing hallucinations and offering citations. The Model Context Protocol is emerging as a way to give models live, structured access to systems and data without pre‑indexing, with a growing catalogue of MCP servers behaving like interoperable plug‑ins. On top sits a layer of agent‑to‑agent protocols that allow specialised systems to collaborate across boundaries. Long contexts help with single‑shot ingestion of larger materials, retrieval suits source‑of‑truth answers and auditability, MCP handles current data and action primitives, and agents orchestrate steps and approvals. Some developers even describe MCP as an accidental universal adaptor because each connector built for one assistant becomes available to any MCP‑aware tool, a network effect that invites combinations across software.
Research results widened the lens. Meta’s fundamental AI research team took first place in the Algonauts 2025 brain modelling competition with TRIBE, a one‑billion‑parameter network that predicts human brain activity from films by analysing video, audio and dialogue together. Trained on subjects who watched eighty hours of television and cinema, the system correctly predicted more than half of measured activation patterns across a thousand brain regions and performed best where sight, sound and language converge, with accuracy in frontal regions linked with attention, decision‑making and emotional responses standing out. NASA and Google advanced a different type of applied science with the Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant, an AI system intended to help astronauts diagnose and manage medical issues during deep‑space missions when real‑time contact with Earth may be impossible. Running on Vertex AI and using open‑source models such as Llama 3 and Mistral‑3 Small, early tests reported up to 88 per cent accuracy for certain injury diagnoses, with a roadmap that includes ultrasound imaging, biometrics and space‑specific conditions and implications for remote healthcare on Earth. In drug discovery, researchers at KAIST introduced BInD, a diffusion model that designs both molecules and their binding modes to diseased proteins in a single step, simultaneously optimising for selectivity, safety, stability and manufacturability and reusing successful strategies through a recycling technique that accelerates subsequent designs. In parallel, MIT scientists reported two AI‑designed antibiotics, NG1 and DN1, that showed promise against drug‑resistant gonorrhoea and MRSA in mice after screening tens of millions of theoretical compounds for efficacy and safety, prompting talk of a renewed period for antibiotic discovery. A further collaboration between NASA and IBM produced Surya, an open‑sourced foundation model trained on nine years of solar observations that improves forecasts of solar flares and space weather.
Security stories accompanied the acceleration. Researchers reported that GPT‑5 had been jailbroken shortly after release via task‑in‑prompt attacks that hide malicious intent within ciphered instructions, an approach that also worked against other leading systems, with defences reportedly catching fewer than one in five attempts. Roblox’s decision to open‑source a child‑safety moderation model reads as a complementary move to equip more platforms to filter harmful content, while Tenable announced capabilities to give enterprises visibility into how teams use AI and how internal systems are secured. Observability and reliability remained on the agenda, with predictions from Google and Datadog leaders about how organisations will scale their monitoring and build trust in AI outputs. Separate research from the UK’s AI Security Institute suggested that leading chatbots can shift people’s political views in under ten minutes of conversation, with effects that partially persist a month later, underscoring the importance of safeguards and transparency when systems become persuasive.
Industry manoeuvres were brisk. Former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner assembled more than $1.5 billion for a hedge fund themed around AI’s trajectory and reported a 47 per cent return in the first half of the year, focusing on semiconductor, infrastructure and power companies positioned to benefit from AI demand. A recruitment wave spread through AI labs targeting quantitative researchers from top trading firms, with generous pay offers and equity packages replacing traditional bonus structures. Advocates argue that quants’ expertise in latency, handling unstructured data and disciplined analysis maps well onto AI safety and performance problems; trading firms counter by questioning culture, structure and the depth of talent that startups can secure at speed. Microsoft went on the offensive for Meta’s AI talent, reportedly matching compensation with multi‑million offers using special recruiting teams and fast‑track approvals under the guidance of Mustafa Suleyman and former Meta engineer Jay Parikh. Funding rounds continued, with Cohere announcing $500 million at a $6.8 billion valuation and Cognition, the coding assistant startup, raising $500 million at a $9.8 billion valuation. In a related thread, internal notes at Meta pointed to the company formalising its superintelligence structure with Meta Superintelligence Labs, and subsequent reports suggested that Scale AI cofounder Alexandr Wang would take a leading role over Nat Friedman and Yann LeCun. Further updates added that Meta reorganised its AI division into research, training, products and infrastructure teams under Wang, dissolved its AGI Foundations group, introduced a ‘TBD Lab’ for frontier work, imposed a hiring freeze requiring Wang’s personal approval, and moved for Chief Scientist Yann LeCun to report to him.
The spotlight on superintelligence brightened in parallel. Analysts noted that technology giants are deploying an estimated $344 billion in 2025 alone towards this goal, with individual researcher compensation reported as high as $250 million in extreme cases and Meta assembling a highly paid team with packages in the eight figures. The strategic message to enterprises is clear: leaders have a narrow window to establish partnerships, infrastructure and workforce preparation before superintelligent capabilities reshape competitive dynamics. In that context, Meta announced Meta Superintelligence Labs and a 49 per cent stake in Scale AI for $14.3 billion, bringing founder Alexandr Wang onboard as chief AI officer and complementing widely reported senior hires, backed by infrastructure plans that include an AI supercluster called Prometheus slated for 2026. OpenAI began the year by stating it is confident it knows how to build AGI as traditionally understood, and has turned its attention to superintelligence. On one notable reasoning benchmark, ARC‑AGI‑2, GPT‑5 (High) was reported at 9.9 per cent at about seventy‑three cents per task, while Grok 4 (Thinking) scored closer to 16 per cent at a higher per‑task cost. Google, through DeepMind, adopted a measured but ambitious approach, coupling scientific breakthroughs with product updates such as Veo 3 for advanced video generation and a broader rethinking of search via an AI mode, while Safe Superintelligence reportedly drew a valuation of $32 billion. Timelines compressed in public discourse from decades to years, bringing into focus challenges in long‑context reasoning, safe self‑improvement, alignment and generalisation, and raising the question of whether co‑operation or competition is the safer route at this scale.
Geopolitics and policy remained in view. Reports surfaced that Nvidia and AMD had agreed to remit 15 per cent of their Chinese AI chip revenues to the United States government in exchange for export licences, a measure that could generate around $1 billion a quarter if sales return to prior levels, while Beijing was said to be discouraging use of Nvidia’s H20 processors in government and security‑sensitive contexts. The United States reportedly began secretly placing tracking devices in shipments of advanced AI chips to identify potential reroutings to China. In the United Kingdom, staff at the Alan Turing Institute lodged concerns about governance and strategic direction with the Charity Commission, while the government pressed for a refocusing on national priorities and defence‑linked work. In the private sector, SoftBank acquired Foxconn’s US electric‑vehicle plant as part of plans for a large‑scale data centre complex called Stargate. Tesla confirmed the closure of its Dojo supercomputer team to prioritise chip development, saying that all paths converged to AI6 and leaving a planned Dojo 2 as an evolutionary dead end. Focus shifted to two chips—AI5 manufactured by TSMC for the Full Self‑Driving system, and AI6 made by Samsung for autonomous driving and humanoid robots, with power for large‑scale AI training as well. Rather than splitting resources, Tesla plans to place multiple AI5 and AI6 chips on a single board to reduce cabling complexity and cost, a configuration Elon Musk joked could be considered “Dojo 3”. Dojo was first unveiled in 2019 as a key piece of autonomy ambitions, though attention moved in 2024 to a large training supercluster code-named Cortex, whose status remains unclear. These changes arrive amid falling EV sales, brand challenges, and a limited robotaxi launch in Austin that drew incident reports. Elsewhere, Bloomberg reported further departures from Apple’s foundation models group, with a researcher leaving for Meta.
The public face of AI turned combative as Altman and Musk traded accusations on X. Musk claimed legal action against Apple over alleged App Store favouritism towards OpenAI and suppression of rivals such as Grok. Altman disputed the premise and pointed to outcomes on X that he suggested reflected algorithmic choices; Musk replied with examples and suggested that bot activity was driving engagement patterns. Even automated accounts were drawn in, with Grok’s feed backing Altman’s point about algorithm changes, and a screenshot circulated that showed GPT‑5 ranking Musk as more trustworthy than Altman. In the background, reports emerged that OpenAI’s venture arm plans to lead funding in Merge Labs, a brain–computer interface startup co‑founded by Altman and positioned as a competitor to Musk’s Neuralink, whose goals include implanting twenty thousand people a year by 2031 and generating $1 billion in revenue. Distribution did not escape the theatrics either. Perplexity, which has been pushing an AI‑first browsing experience, reportedly made an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid for Google’s Chrome browser, proposing to keep Google as the default search while continuing support for Chromium. It landed as Google faces antitrust cases in the United States and as observers debated whether regulators might compel divestments. With Chrome’s user base in the billions and estimates of its value running far beyond the bid, the offer read to many as a headline‑seeking gambit rather than a plausible transaction, but it underlined a point repeated throughout the month: as building and copying software becomes easier, distribution is the battleground that matters most.
Product news and practical guidance continued despite the drama. Users can enable access to historical ChatGPT models via a simple setting, restoring earlier options such as GPT‑4o alongside GPT‑5. OpenAI’s new open‑source models under the GPT‑OSS banner can run locally using tools such as Ollama or LM Studio, offering privacy, offline access and zero‑cost inference for those willing to manage a download of around 13 gigabytes for the twenty‑billion‑parameter variant. Tutorials for agent builders described meeting‑prep assistants that scrape calendars, conduct short research runs before calls and draft emails, starting simply and layering integrations as confidence grows. Consumer audio moved with ElevenLabs adding text‑to‑track generation with editable sections and multiple variants, while Google introduced temporary chats and a Personal Context feature for Gemini so that it can reference past conversations and learn preferences, alongside higher rate limits for Deep Think. New releases kept arriving, from Liquid AI’s open‑weight vision–language models designed for speed on consumer devices and Tencent’s Hunyuan‑Vision‑Large appearing near the top of public multimodal leaderboards to Higgsfield AI’s Draw‑to‑Video for steering video output with sketches. Personnel changes continued as Igor Babuschkin left xAI to launch an investment firm and Anthropic acquired the co‑founders and several staff from Humanloop, an enterprise AI evaluation and safety platform.
Google’s own showcase underlined how phones and homes are becoming canvases for AI features. The Pixel 10 line placed Gemini across the range with visual overlays for the camera, a proactive cueing assistant, tools for call translation and message handling, and features such as Pixel Journal. Tensor G5, built by TSMC, brought a reported 60 per cent uplift for on‑device AI processing. Gemini for Home promised more capable domestic assistance, while Fitbit and Pixel Watch 4 introduced conversational health coaching and Pixel Buds added head‑gesture controls. Against that backdrop, Google published details on Gemini’s environmental footprint, claiming the model consumes energy equivalent to watching nine seconds of television per text request and “five drops of water” per query, while saying efficiency improved markedly over the past year. Researchers challenged the framing, arguing that indirect water used by power generation is under‑counted and calling for comparable, third‑party standards. Elsewhere in search and productivity, Google expanded access to an AI mode for conversational search, and agreements emerged to push adoption in public agencies at low unit pricing.
Attention also turned to compact models and devices. Google released Gemma 3 270M, an ultra‑compact open model that can run on smartphones and browsers while eking out notable efficiency, with internal tests reporting that 25 conversations on a Pixel 9 Pro consumed less than one per cent of the battery and quick fine‑tuning enabling offline tasks such as a bedtime story generator. Anthropic broadened access to its Learning Mode, which guides people towards answers rather than simply supplying them, and now includes an explanatory coding mode. On the hardware side, HTC introduced Vive Eagle, AI glasses that allow switching between assistants from OpenAI and Google via a “Hey Vive” command, with on‑device processing for features such as real‑time photo‑based translation across thirteen languages, an ultra‑wide camera, extended battery life and media capture, currently limited to Taiwan.
Behind many deployments sits a familiar requirement: secure, compliant handling of data and a disciplined approach to roll‑out. Case studies from large industrial players point to the bedrock steps that enable scale. Lockheed Martin’s work with IBM on watsonx began with reducing tool sprawl and building a unified data environment capable of serving ten thousand engineers; the result has been faster product teams and a measurable boost in internal answer accuracy. Governance frameworks for AI, including those provided by vendors in security and compliance, are moving from optional extras to prerequisites for enterprise adoption. Organisations exploring agentic systems in particular will need clear approval gates, auditing and defaults that err on the side of caution when sensitive actions are in play.
Broader infrastructure questions loomed over these developments. Analysts projected that AI hyperscalers may spend around $2.9 trillion on data centres through to 2029, with a funding gap of about $1.5 trillion after likely commitments from established technology firms, prompting a rise in debt financing for large projects. Private capital has been active in supplying loans, and Meta recently arranged a large facility reported at $29 billion, most of it debt, to advance data centre expansion. The scale has prompted concerns about overcapacity, energy demand and the risk of rapid obsolescence, reducing returns for owners. In parallel, Google partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority to buy electricity from Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 molten‑salt reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, targeting operation around 2030. The 50 MW unit is positioned as a step towards 500 MW of new nuclear capacity by 2035 to serve data centres in the region, with clean energy certificates expected through TVA.
Consumer and enterprise services pressed on around the edges. Microsoft prepared lightweight companion apps for Microsoft 365 in the Windows 11 taskbar. Skyrora became the first UK company licensed for rocket launches from SaxaVord Spaceport. VIP Play announced personalised sports audio. Google expanded availability of its Imagen 4 model with higher resolution options. Former Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal introduced Parallel, a startup offering a web API designed for AI agents. Deutsche Telekom launched an AI phone and tablet integrated with Perplexity’s assistant. Meta faced scrutiny after reports about an internal policy document describing permitted outputs that included romantic conversations with minors, which the company disputed and moved to correct.
Healthcare illustrated both promise and caution. Alongside the space‑medicine assistant, the antibiotics work and NASA’s solar model, a study reported that routine use of AI during colonoscopies may reduce the skill levels of healthcare professionals, a finding that could have wider implications in domains where human judgement is critical and joining a broader conversation about preserving expertise as assistance becomes ubiquitous. Practical guides continued to surface, from instructions for creating realistic AI voices using native speech generation to automating web monitoring with agents that watch for updates and deliver alerts by email. Bill Gates added a funding incentive to the medical side with a $1 million Alzheimer’s Insights AI Prize seeking agents that autonomously analyse decades of research data, with the winner to be made freely available to scientists.
Apple’s plans added a longer‑term note by looking beyond phones and laptops. Reports suggested that the company is pushing for a smart‑home expansion with four AI‑powered devices, including a desktop robot with a motorised arm that can track users and lock onto speakers, a smart display and new security cameras, with launches aimed between 2026 and 2027. A personality‑driven character for a new Siri called Bubbles was described, while engineers are reportedly rebuilding Siri from scratch with AI models under the codename Linwood and testing Anthropic’s Claude as a backup code-named Glenwood. Alongside those ambitions sit nearer‑term updates. Apple has been preparing a significant Siri upgrade based on a new App Intents system that aims to let people run apps entirely by voice, from photo edits to adding items to a basket, with a testing programme under way before a broader release and accuracy concerns prompting a limited initial rollout across selected apps. In the background, Tim Cook pledged to make all iPhone and Apple Watch cover glass in the United States, though much of the production process will remain overseas, and work on iOS 26 and Liquid Glass 1.0 was said to be nearing completion with smoother performance and small design tweaks. Hiring currents persist as Meta continues to recruit from Apple’s models team.
Other platforms and services added their own strands. Google introduced Personal Context for Gemini to remember chat history and preferences and added temporary chats that expire after seventy‑two hours, while confirming a duplicate event feature for Calendar after a public request. Meta’s Threads crossed 400 million monthly active users, building a real‑time text dataset that may prove useful for future training. Funding news continued as Profound raised $35 million to build an AI search platform and Squint raised $40 million to modernise manufacturing with AI. Lighter snippets appeared too, from a claim that beards can provide up to SPF 21 of sun protection to a report on X that an AI coding agent had deleted a production database, a reminder of the need for careful sandboxing of tools. Gaming‑style benchmarks surfaced, with GPT‑5 reportedly earning eight badges in Pokémon Red in 6,000 steps, while DeepSeek’s R2 model was said to be delayed due to training issues with Huawei’s Ascend chips. Senators in the United States called for a probe into Meta’s AI policies following controversy about chatbot outputs, reports suggested that the US government was exploring a stake in Intel, and T‑Mobile’s parent launched devices in Europe featuring Perplexity’s assistant.
Perhaps the most consequential lesson from the period is simple. Progress in capability is rapid, as competition results, research papers and new features attest. Yet adoption is being steered by human factors: the preference for a known voice, the desire for choice and control, and understandable scepticism when new modes do not perform as promised on day one. GPT‑5’s early missteps forced a course correction that restored a familiar option and increased transparency around limits and modes. The agentic turn is showing real value in constrained workflows, but still benefits from patience and supervision. Architecture debates are converging on combinations rather than replacements. And amid bold bids, public quarrels, hefty capital outlays and cautionary studies on enterprise returns, the work of making AI useful, safe and dependable continues, one model update and one workflow at a time.
Finding freelance and consulting work online
6th August 2025This is a second post following the theme of seeking work, with more of a freelance emphasis than its predecessor. While my line of freelancing involves longer engagements, there are other options for shorter pieces of work, and that is the theme of this piece. Thus, I am collecting a compendium of online portals where you can explore a variety of opportunities, applying for those where you can bring value. Some are project based, while others centre on consultancy. All serve independent professionals in seeking work, and vice versa for clients. As you will find out by reading further, some of these have more of a gig market feel to what you find, though there can be longer engagements to be found too.
Founded in 2007 and later acquired by Heidrick & Struggles in 2021, the high-end consulting talent marketplace connects independent senior consultants, subject-matter experts and interim executives with Fortune 1000 companies, private equity firms and nonprofits across more than 39 countries. The platform features thousands of professionals with impressive credentials, many having Big-3 consulting backgrounds, executive roles or deep domain expertise. Areas of specialisation include strategy, mergers and acquisitions, operations, digital transformation, interim leadership and project management across industries ranging from technology and healthcare to consumer goods. The company provides comprehensive support throughout the engagement lifecycle, from project scoping to compliance and invoicing, reporting a 99 per cent fill rate on talent requests and a 97 per cent client repeat rate. While the platform offers access to high-level strategic assignments and reliable administrative infrastructure, its highly selective vetting process makes it less accessible for early-career professionals or niche freelancers without significant prior experience.
Founded in 2013 by Harvard Business School students, this expert network consultancy platform offers access to over 70,000 vetted independent consultants averaging 19+ years of experience, including former Big 3 consultants and Fortune 500 operators. The company employs machine learning algorithms paired with human success teams to match clients with suitable experts, typically providing several profiles within 48 hours. The platform handles all administrative aspects including contracts, invoicing and payments, guaranteeing consultants are paid even if clients default. Projects span areas such as strategy, digital transformation, mergers and acquisitions, and operations, serving approximately 30% of Fortune 500 firms. While the platform offers high impact, higher value work with reliable payment and administrative support, many consultants report high competition for projects, with limited feedback on declined pitches. The platform is most suitable for experienced industry professionals seeking substantial engagements with enterprise clients who can differentiate themselves through proven expertise.
Founded around 2017-2018 in Berlin, this consulting platform connects businesses with independent management consultants, digital experts and interim managers across various industries. The service employs a rigorous vetting process, accepting only approximately 2 percent of applicants to ensure high quality expertise. Companies typically receive 3-5 consultant profiles within 48 hours after submitting project requirements, benefiting from both artificial intelligence matching and manual curation. The platform maintains a pool of over 10,000 vetted consultants across more than 50 countries, serving private equity firms, multinational corporations and scale-ups. Clients reportedly save up to 70 percent compared to traditional consulting firms due to reduced overhead costs. While the platform boasts high client satisfaction rates exceeding 97 percent, consultant experiences vary considerably, with some professionals reporting limited project opportunities after completing the onboarding process despite the platform's claims of robust demand.
The modern, AI enhanced platform offers a straightforward approach to freelancing, providing users with a commission-free experience that allows them to retain all earnings. Built with a focus on usability, the service features rapid registration, an easy-to-navigate interface and comprehensive tools for tracking reputation and performance statistics. It caters to independent professionals across various disciplines who value efficient onboarding processes and direct connections to relevant work opportunities. As a relatively new entrant in the technology-driven freelance marketplace, the platform emphasises simplicity and quality engagements for its users.
Established in 2000, the London-based consulting firm Eden McCallum disrupts traditional consulting models by combining independent senior consultants with an in-house team to deliver strategy and transformation projects. The firm operates through hybrid teams tailored to client needs, with consultants having the freedom to select projects individually without exclusivity requirements. Having supported over 3,000 projects for more than 500 global clients including a third of the FTSE 100, Eden McCallum maintains a network of approximately 2,500 independent consultants who are selectively chosen with only one in ten applicants accepted. Most consultants possess experience from top-tier firms such as McKinsey, BCG or Bain, alongside industry roles, providing clients with deep expertise while offering cost savings of 30-50% compared to traditional consulting firms. Although the model provides flexibility for consultants who can choose projects without sales pressure, it does not guarantee consistent workload, and some consultants report challenges with coordination across international offices as the firm has expanded.
Founded in 2010 in Tel Aviv, Israel, this global online marketplace specialises in pre-scoped "gigs" offered by freelancers to clients across hundreds of digital service categories. The platform has evolved beyond its original $5 price point, now allowing sellers to set their own pricing tiers with upfront payment held in escrow until delivery approval. Operating in over 160 countries, the service features a gig-based structure with clearly defined packages at set prices, premium vetted sellers, AI-enhanced workflows, and career counselling options. While the platform retains a 20% commission on all transactions, it offers streamlined processes ideal for beginners and businesses seeking quick support, though low rates and high competition can limit earning potential and long-term relationship building. It is particularly suitable for entry to intermediate freelancers offering standardised digital services who prioritise rapid client acquisition.
Established in 2009 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Freelancer.com stands as one of the longest-running general freelancing marketplaces available today. The platform offers users access to an extensive community and diverse job opportunities across numerous categories. Among its notable features are the ability to participate in contests that allow freelancers to demonstrate their capabilities, along with its significant global presence. The service typically charges freelancers a 10% fee (with a minimum of US$5), though this can be lowered through subscription options. The platform is designed to serve freelance professionals of all experience levels who are particularly interested in accessing a high volume and wide variety of potential work opportunities.
Established in the mid-2010s, Kolabtree operates as a specialised freelancing platform connecting organisations with technical professionals who possess expertise in scientific and analytical fields. The platform facilitates consultation services and project-based work for highly qualified individuals in data science, machine learning, engineering, biotechnology and various research disciplines. What distinguishes this marketplace is its focus on substantial remuneration, appealing to experienced practitioners. The client base spans both academic institutions and industry players seeking genuine subject matter specialists rather than general freelancers, making it particularly valuable for professionals with advanced qualifications and demonstrated expertise in their respective domains.
Formerly known as Talmix, High5Hire operates as a global talent marketplace connecting senior business and consulting professionals with enterprise-grade and private equity clients for Statement-of-Work or interim assignments. The platform utilises AI-driven algorithms to match consultant profiles (called "Talent Passports") with relevant projects, featuring over 60,000 consultants across more than 150 countries. High5Hire typically retains 15-25 percent of consulting fees as commission, paid by the client side. While the service offers effective global project access for senior professionals and a flexible, project-based work model with high-impact roles, some reports on user platforms highlight potential concerns including internal management instability, capped commissions, and low pay for certain contractor positions. The platform is particularly suitable for experienced consultants from recognised firms seeking global interim or project-based work, though prospective users should seek clear payment guarantees and compare with similar platforms like Maven, Consultport, Catalant or Eden McCallum before committing.
Connecting clients seeking expertise with professionals who can provide insights, this micro-consulting platform hosts over 500,000 experts across virtually every industry. The service operates by matching client requests with relevant professionals who set their own rates, typically 2 to 4 times their regular hourly compensation. Unlike many competitors, consultants retain 100% of their fees, with no platform charges deducted from earnings. The system facilitates brief engagements such as Zoom calls, surveys, written questions and answers, or advising sessions, making it ideal for supplemental income. While offering flexible side income opportunities with minimal administrative burden and fast payments, the platform primarily focuses on smaller, shorter engagements rather than long-term strategic projects. This arrangement particularly benefits experienced professionals looking to monetise their knowledge without full-time commitments, though those seeking extended consulting assignments might find traditional consulting platforms more suitable.
A specialised UK-based job board devoted to connecting contractors with engagements that are classified outside the intermediaries legislation and off-payroll tax rules, enabling genuine business-to-business arrangements rather than employment relationships. The platform features over 50,000 opportunities across numerous sectors including IT, engineering, marketing, finance and healthcare, with comprehensive filtering options for workplace type, region, category and minimum daily rates. Particularly valuable for professionals operating through limited companies who wish to maintain tax efficiency and control over their business structure, the service allows users to search roles throughout major UK regions and international locations. While the site provides an optional IR35 calculator to estimate status implications, users should exercise due diligence regarding contract terms, as the actual IR35 determination depends on working practices and contractual details that must align with legal requirements concerning substitution, control and mutuality of obligation.
Established in the United States in 2010, Toptal stands as a selective freelance marketplace that exclusively accepts the top 3% of applicants. The platform specialises in connecting highly skilled professionals across engineering, design and finance domains with prominent global companies. Toptal distinguishes itself through a comprehensive vetting process comprising skills assessments, interview stages and practical test projects. Freelancers joining this exclusive network typically command premium hourly rates and frequently secure extended or full-time professional opportunities. The service primarily caters to experienced senior-level specialists who are seeking valuable, high-calibre professional engagements rather than short-term projects.
Created in 2015, Upwork stands as one of the largest global freelance marketplaces, connecting over 12 million freelancers with approximately 5 million clients across more than 180 countries. The platform facilitates roughly 3 million job postings annually in fields such as writing, technology, marketing and design. The system allows employers to post jobs while freelancers apply using credits called "connects," with additional Premium features available including Talent Scout and a Project Catalogue for fixed-price services. Freelancers pay service fees on a sliding scale of 5-20% based on client earnings, while clients often pay additional costs through subscription tiers ranging from Free to Enterprise. Although the platform offers highly vetted profiles, verified reviews and extensive job categories that create trust and scale, some freelancers have criticised the increasingly client-centric marketplace approach. The platform is particularly suitable for freelancers at various experience levels seeking both short and long-term projects, while corporate clients benefit from structured hiring processes and premium staffing tools.
This specialised platform serves as a commission-free marketplace connecting marketing professionals with freelance opportunities. The service offers personalised assistance to help freelancers secure work when required, making it particularly valuable for those with expertise in marketing strategy, analytics and copywriting disciplines. While its founding date remains unspecified, it appears to be a relatively recent addition to the freelance ecosystem, catering specifically to marketing specialists rather than general freelancers. The zero commission structure represents a significant advantage for professionals looking to maximise their earnings in this niche.
A round-up of online portals for those seeking work
5th August 2025For me, much of 2025 was spent finding a new freelance work engagement. Recently, that search successfully concluded, but not before I got flashbacks of how hard things were when seeking work after completing university education and deciding to hybridise my search to include permanent employment too. Now that I am fulfilling a new contract with a new client, I am compiling a listing of places on the web to a search for work, at least for future reference if nothing else.
Founded in 2011 by former executives from Gumtree, eBay and Zoopla, this UK-based job search engine aggregates listings from thousands of sites across 16+ countries with headquarters in London and approximately 100 employees worldwide. The platform offers over one million job advertisements in the UK alone and an estimated 350 million globally, attracting more than 10 million monthly visits. Jobseekers can use the service without cost, benefiting from search functionality, email alerts, salary insights and tools such as ValueMyCV and the AI-powered interview preparation tool Prepper. The company operates on a Cost-Per-Click or Cost-Per-Applicant model for employers seeking visibility, while also providing data and analytics APIs for programmatic advertising and labour market insights. Notably, the platform powers the UK government Number 10 Dashboard, with its dataset frequently utilised by the ONS for real-time vacancy tracking.
Founded in 2000 by Lee Biggins, this independent job board has grown to become one of the leading platforms in the UK job market. Based in Fleet, Hampshire, it maintains a substantial database of approximately 21.4 million CV's, with around 360,000 new or updated profiles added monthly. The platform attracts significant traffic with about 10.1 million monthly visits from 4.3 million unique users, facilitating roughly 3 million job applications each month across approximately 137,000 live vacancies. Jobseekers can access all services free of charge, including job searching, CV uploads, job alerts and application tracking, though the CV building tools are relatively basic compared to specialist alternatives. The platform boasts high customer satisfaction, with 96 percent of clients rating their service as good or excellent, and offers additional value through its network of over 800 partner job sites and ATS integration capabilities.
Formerly known as TryRemotely, Empllo functions as a comprehensive job board specialising in remote technology and startup positions across various disciplines including engineering, product, sales, marketing, design and finance. The platform currently hosts over 30,000 active listings from approximately 24,000 hiring companies worldwide, with specific regional coverage including around 375 positions in the UK and 36 in Ireland. Among its notable features is the AI-powered Job Copilot tool, which can automatically apply to roles based on user preferences. While Empllo offers extensive listings and advanced filtering options by company, funding and skills, it does have limitations including inconsistent salary information and variable job quality. The service is free to browse, with account creation unlocking personalised features. It is particularly suitable for technology professionals seeking distributed work arrangements with startups, though users are advised to verify role details independently and potentially supplement their search with other platforms offering employer reviews for more thorough vetting.
This is a comprehensive job-hunt management tool that replaces traditional spreadsheets with an intuitive Kanban board interface, allowing users to organise their applications effectively. The platform features a Chrome extension that integrates with major job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed, enabling one-click saving of job listings. Users can track applications through various stages, store relevant documents and contact information, and access detailed statistics about their job search progress. The service offers artificial intelligence capabilities powered by GPT-4 to generate application responses, personalise cover letters and craft LinkedIn profiles. With over 25,000 active users who have tracked more than 280,000 job applications collectively, the tool provides both free and premium tiers. The basic free version includes unlimited tracking of applications, while the Pro subscription adds features such as custom columns, unlimited tags and expanded AI capabilities. This solution particularly benefits active jobseekers managing numerous applications across different platforms who desire structured organisation and data-driven insights into their job search.
This organisation provides a specialised platform matching candidates with companies based on flexible working arrangements, including remote options, location independence and customisable hours. Their interface features a notable "Work From Anywhere" filter highlighting roles with genuine location flexibility, alongside transparency scores for companies that reflect their openness regarding working arrangements. The platform allows users to browse companies offering specific perks like part-time arrangements, sabbatical leave, or compressed hours, with rankings based on flexibility and workplace culture. While free to use with job-saving capabilities and quick matching processes, it appears relatively new with a modest-sized team, limited independent reviews and a smaller volume of job listings compared to more established competitors. The platform's distinctive approach prioritises work-life balance through values-driven matching and company-oriented filters, particularly useful for those seeking roles aligned with modern flexible working preferences.
Founded in 2007 and based in Puerto Rico, FlexJobs operates as a subscription-based platform specialising in remote, hybrid, freelance and part-time employment opportunities. The service manually verifies all job listings to eliminate fraudulent postings, with staff dedicating over 200 hours daily to screening processes. Users gain access to positions across 105+ categories from entry-level to executive roles, alongside career development resources including webinars, resume reviews and skills assessments. Pricing options range from weekly trials to annual subscriptions with a 30-day money-back guarantee. While many users praise the platform for its legitimacy and comprehensive filtering tools, earning high ratings on review sites like Trustpilot, some individuals question whether the subscription fee provides sufficient value compared to free alternatives. Potential limitations include delayed posting of opportunities and varying representation across different industries.
Founded in November 2004 and now operating in over 60 countries with 28 languages, this leading global job search platform serves approximately 390 million visitors monthly worldwide. In the UK alone, it attracts about 34 million monthly visits, with users spending nearly 7 minutes per session and viewing over 8.5 pages on average. The platform maintains more than 610 million jobseeker profiles globally while offering free services for candidates including job searching, application tools, CV uploads, company reviews and salary information. For employers, the business model includes pay-per-click and pay-per-applicant sponsored listings, alongside tools such as Hiring Insights providing salary data and application trends. Since October 2024, visibility for non-sponsored listings has decreased, requiring employers to invest in sponsorship for optimal visibility. Despite this competitive environment requiring strategic budget allocation, the platform remains highly popular due to its comprehensive features and extensive reach.
A meta-directory founded in 2022 by Rodrigo Rocco, this platform aggregates and organises links to over 400 specialised and niche job sites across various industries and regions. Unlike traditional job boards, it does not host listings directly but serves as a discovery tool that redirects users to external platforms where actual applications take place. The service refreshes links approximately every 45 minutes and offers a weekly newsletter. While providing free access and efficient discovery of relevant boards by category or sector, potential users should note that the platform lacks direct job listings, built-in application tracking, or alert systems. It is particularly valuable for professionals exploring highly specialised fields, those wishing to expand beyond mainstream job boards and recruiters seeking to increase their visibility, though beginners might find navigating numerous destination boards somewhat overwhelming.
Founded in Milan by Vito Lomele in 2006 (initially as Jobespresso), this global job aggregator operates in 58 countries and 21 languages. The platform collects between 28 and 35 million job listings monthly from various online sources, attracting approximately 55 million visits and serving over 100 million registered users. The service functions by gathering vacancies from career pages, agencies and job boards, then directing users to original postings when they search. For employers, it offers programmatic recruitment solutions using artificial intelligence and taxonomy to match roles with candidates dynamically, including pay-per-applicant models. While the platform benefits from its extensive global reach and substantial job inventory, its approach of redirecting to third-party sites means the quality and freshness of listings can vary considerably.
Founded in 1993 as Fax-Me Ltd and rebranded in 1995, this pioneering UK job board launched the world's first jobs-by-email service in May 1994. Originally dominating the IT recruitment sector with up to 80% market share in the early 2000s, the platform published approximately 200,000 jobs and processed over 1 million applications monthly by 2010. Currently headquartered in Colchester, Essex, the service maintains a global presence across Europe, North America and Australia, delivering over 1.2 million job-subscription emails daily. The platform employs a proprietary smart matching engine called Alchemy and features manual verification to ensure job quality. While free for jobseekers who can upload CVs and receive tailored job alerts, employers can post vacancies and run recruitment campaigns across various sectors. Although respected for its legacy and niche focus, particularly in technical recruitment, its scale and visibility are more modest compared to larger contemporary platforms.
Founded in 2020 with headquarters in London, Lifelancer operates as an AI-powered talent hiring platform specialising in life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare IT and digital health sectors. The company connects organisations with freelance, remote and international professionals through services including candidate matching and global onboarding assistance. Despite being relatively small, Lifelancer provides distinct features for both hiring organisations and jobseekers. Employers can post positions tailored to specific healthcare and technology roles, utilising AI-based candidate sourcing, while professionals can create profiles to be matched with relevant opportunities. The platform handles compliance and payroll across multiple countries, making it particularly valuable for international teams, though as a young company, it may not yet offer the extensive talent pool of more established competitors in the industry.
The professional networking was core to my search for work and had its uses while doing so. Writing posts and articles did a lot to raise my profile along with reaching out to others, definitely an asset when assessing the state of a freelancing market. The usefulness of the green "Open to Work" banner is debatable because of my freelancing pitch in a slow market. Nevertheless, there was one headhunting approach that might have resulted in something if another offer had not gazumped it. Also, this is not a place to hang around over a weekend with job search moaning filling your feed, though making your interests known can change that. Now that I have paid work, the platform has become a way of keeping up to date in my line of business.
Established in 1994 as The Monster Board, Monster.com became one of the first online job portals, gaining prominence through memorable Super Bowl advertisements. As of June 2025, the platform attracts approximately 4.3 million monthly visits, primarily from the United States (76%), with smaller audiences in India (6%) and the UK (1.7%). The service offers free resources for jobseekers, including resume uploads and career guidance, while employers pay for job postings and additional premium features.
Established in 1999 and headquartered in Richmond, Surrey, PharmiWeb has evolved into Europe's leading pharmaceutical and life sciences platform. The company separated its dedicated job board as PharmiWeb.jobs in 2019, while maintaining industry news and insights on the original portal. With approximately 600,000 registered jobseekers globally and around 200,000 monthly site visits generating 40,000 applications, the platform hosts between 1,500 and 5,000 active vacancies at any time. Jobseekers can access the service completely free, uploading CVs and setting alerts tailored to specific fields, disciplines or locations. Additional recruiter services include CV database access, email marketing campaigns, employer branding and applicant management tools. The platform particularly excels for specialised pharmaceutical, biotech, clinical research and regulatory affairs roles, though its focused nature means it carries fewer listings than mainstream employment boards and commands higher posting costs.
If 2025 was a flashback to the travails of seeking work after completing university education, meeting this name again was another part of that. Founded in May 1960 by Sir Alec Reed, the firm began as a traditional recruitment agency in Hounslow, West London, before launching the first UK recruitment website in 1995. Today, the platform attracts approximately 3.7 million monthly visitors, primarily UK-based users aged 25-34, generating around 80,000 job applications daily. The service offers jobseekers free access to search and apply for roles, job alerts, CV storage, application tracking, career advice articles, a tax calculator, salary tools and online courses. For employers, the privately owned company provides job advertising, access to a database of 18-22 million candidate CVs and specialist recruitment across about 20 industry sectors.
Founded by digital nomad Pieter Levels in 2015, this prominent job board specialises exclusively in 100% remote positions across diverse sectors including tech, marketing, writing, design and customer support. The platform offers free browsing and application for jobseekers, while employers pay fees. Notable features include mandatory salary transparency, global job coverage with regional filtering options and a clean, minimalist interface that works well on mobile devices. Despite hosting over 100,000 remote jobs from reputable companies like Amazon and Microsoft, the platform has limitations including basic filtering capabilities and highly competitive application processes, particularly for tech roles. The simple user experience redirects applications directly to employer pages rather than using an internal system. For professionals seeking remote work worldwide, this board serves as a valuable resource but works best when used alongside other specialised platforms to maximise opportunities.
Founded in 2015 and based in Boulder, Colorado, this platform exclusively focuses on remote work opportunities across diverse industries such as marketing, finance, healthcare, customer support and design. Attracting over 1.5 million monthly visitors, it provides jobseekers with free access to various employment categories including full-time, part-time, freelance and hybrid positions. Beyond job listings, the platform offers a comprehensive resource centre featuring articles, expert insights and best practices from over 108 remote-first companies. Job alerts and weekly newsletters keep users informed about relevant opportunities. While the platform provides strong resources and maintains positive trust ratings of approximately 4.2/5 on Trustpilot, its filtering capabilities are relatively basic compared to competitors. Users might need to conduct additional research as company reviews are not included with job postings. Despite these limitations, the platform serves as a valuable resource for individuals seeking remote work guidance and opportunities.
For jobseekers in the technology and digital sectors, Remotive serves as a specialised remote job board offering approximately 2,000 active positions on its free public platform. Founded around 2014-2015, this service operates with a remote-first approach and focuses on verifying job listings for legitimacy. The platform provides a premium tier called "Remotive Accelerator" which grants users access to over 50,000 additional curated jobs, advanced filtering options based on skills and salary requirements and membership to a private Slack community. While the interface receives praise for its clean design and intuitive navigation, user feedback regarding the paid tier remains mixed, with some individuals noting limitations such as inactive community features and an abundance of US-based or senior-level positions. The platform is particularly valuable for professionals in software development, product management, marketing and customer service who are seeking global remote opportunities.
Originally launched in Canada in 2011 as neuvoo, this global job search engine is now headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, providing access to over 30 million jobs across more than 75 countries. The platform attracts between 12 and 16 million monthly visits worldwide, with approximately 6 percent originating from the UK. Jobseekers can utilise the service without charge, accessing features like salary converters and tax calculators in certain regions to enhance transparency about potential earnings. Employers have the option to post jobs for free in some areas, with additional pay per click sponsored listings available to increase visibility. Despite its extensive coverage and useful tools, user feedback remains mixed, with numerous complaints on review sites regarding outdated listings, unwanted emails and difficulties managing or deleting accounts.
Founded in 1999, Totaljobs is a major UK job board currently owned by StepStone Group UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Axel Springer Digital Classifieds. The platform attracts approximately 20 million monthly visits and generates 4-5 million job applications each month, with over 300,000 daily visitors browsing through typically 280,000+ live job listings. As the flagship of a broader network including specialised boards such as Jobsite, CareerStructure and City Jobs, Totaljobs provides jobseekers with search functionality across various sectors, job alerts and career advice resources. For employers and recruiters, the platform offers pay-per-post job advertising, subscription options for CV database access and various employer tools.
Founded in 2011, this is one of the largest purely remote job boards globally, attracting approximately 6 million monthly visitors and featuring over 36,000 remote positions across various categories including programming, marketing, customer support and design. Based in Vancouver, the platform operates with a small remote-first team who vet listings to reduce spam and scams. Employers pay for each standard listing, while jobseekers access the service without charge. The interface is straightforward and categorised by functional area, earning trust from major companies like Google, Amazon and GitHub. However, the platform has limitations including basic filtering capabilities, a predominance of senior-level positions particularly in technology roles and occasional complaints about outdated or misleading posts. The service is most suitable for experienced professionals seeking genuine remote opportunities rather than those early in their careers. Some users report region-restricted application access and positions that offer lower compensation than expected for the required experience level.
Founded in 2014, this job board provides remote work opportunities for digital nomads and professionals across various industries. The platform offers over 30,000 fully remote positions spanning sectors such as technology, marketing, writing, finance and education. Users can browse listings freely, but a Premium subscription grants access to additional jobs, enhanced filters and email alerts. The interface is user-friendly with fast-loading pages and straightforward filtering options. The service primarily features global employment opportunities suitable for location-independent workers. However, several limitations exist: many positions require senior-level experience, particularly in technical fields; the free tier displays only a subset of available listings; filtering capabilities are relatively basic; and job descriptions sometimes lack detail. The platform has received mixed reviews, earning approximately 3.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with users noting the prevalence of senior technical roles and questioning the value of the premium subscription. It is most beneficial for experienced professionals comfortable with remote work arrangements, while those seeking entry-level positions might find fewer suitable opportunities.
Advance your Data Science, AI and Computer Science skills using these online learning opportunities
25th July 2025The landscape of online education has transformed dramatically over the past decade, creating unprecedented access to high-quality learning resources across multiple disciplines. This comprehensive examination explores the diverse array of courses available for aspiring data scientists, analysts, and computer science professionals, spanning from foundational programming concepts to cutting-edge artificial intelligence applications.
Data Analysis with R Programming
R programming has established itself as a cornerstone language for statistical analysis and data visualisation, making it an essential skill for modern data professionals. DataCamp's Data Analyst with R programme represents a comprehensive 77-hour journey through the fundamentals of data analysis, encompassing 21 distinct courses that progressively build expertise. Students begin with core programming concepts including data structures, conditional statements, and loops before advancing to sophisticated data manipulation techniques using tools such as dplyr and ggplot2. The curriculum extends beyond basic programming to include R Markdown for reproducible research, data manipulation with data.table, and essential database skills through SQL integration.
For those seeking more advanced statistical expertise, DataCamp's Statistician with R career track provides an extensive 108-hour programme spanning 27 courses. This comprehensive pathway develops essential skills for professional statistician roles, progressing from fundamental concepts of data collection and analysis to advanced statistical methodology. Students explore random variables, distributions, and conditioning through practical examples before advancing to linear and logistic regression techniques. The curriculum encompasses sophisticated topics including binomial and Poisson regression models, sampling methodologies, hypothesis testing, experimental design, and A/B testing frameworks. Advanced modules cover missing data handling, survey design principles, survival analysis, Bayesian data analysis, and factor analysis, making this track particularly suitable for those with existing R programming knowledge who seek to specialise in statistical practice.
The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate programme, developed by Google and hosted on Coursera with US and UK versions, offers a structured six-month pathway for those seeking industry-recognised credentials. Students progress through eight carefully designed courses, beginning with foundational concepts in "Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere" and culminating in a practical capstone project. The curriculum emphasises real-world applications, teaching students to formulate data-driven questions, prepare datasets for analysis, and communicate findings effectively to stakeholders.
Udacity's Data Analysis with R course presents a unique proposition as a completely free resource spanning two months of study. This programme focuses intensively on exploratory data analysis techniques, providing students with hands-on experience using RStudio and essential R packages. The course structure emphasises practical application through projects, including an in-depth exploration of diamond pricing data that demonstrates predictive modelling techniques.
Advanced Statistical Learning and Specialised Applications
Duke University's Statistics with R Specialisation elevates statistical understanding through a comprehensive seven-month programme that has earned a 4.6-star rating from participants. This five-course sequence delves deep into statistical theory and application, beginning with probability and data fundamentals before progressing through inferential statistics, linear regression, and Bayesian analysis. The programme distinguishes itself by emphasising both theoretical understanding and practical implementation, making it particularly valuable for those seeking to master statistical concepts rather than merely apply them.
The R Programming: Advanced Analytics course on Udemy, led by instructor Kirill, provides focused training in advanced R techniques within a compact six-hour format. This course addresses specific challenges that working analysts face, including data preparation workflows, handling missing data through median imputation, and working with complex date-time formats. The curriculum emphasises efficiency techniques such as using apply functions instead of traditional loops, making it particularly valuable for professionals seeking to optimise their analytical workflows.
Complementing this practical approach, the Applied Statistical Modelling for Data Analysis in R course on Udemy offers a more comprehensive 9.5-hour exploration of statistical methodology. The curriculum covers linear modelling implementation, advanced regression analysis techniques, and multivariate analysis methods. With its emphasis on statistical theory and application, this course serves those who already possess foundational R and RStudio knowledge but seek to deepen their understanding of statistical modelling approaches.
Imperial College London's Statistical Analysis with R for Public Health Specialisation brings academic rigour to practical health applications through a four-month programme. This specialisation addresses real-world public health challenges, using datasets that examine fruit and vegetable consumption patterns, diabetes risk factors, and cardiac outcomes. Students develop expertise in linear and logistic regression while gaining exposure to survival analysis techniques, making this programme particularly relevant for those interested in healthcare analytics.
Visualisation and Data Communication
Johns Hopkins University's Data Visualisation & Dashboarding with R Specialisation represents the pinnacle of visual analytics education, achieving an exceptional 4.9-star rating across its four-month curriculum. This five-course programme begins with fundamental visualisation principles before progressing through advanced ggplot2 techniques and interactive dashboard development. Students learn to create compelling visual narratives using Shiny applications and flexdashboard frameworks, skills that are increasingly essential in today's data-driven business environment.
The programme's emphasis on publication-ready visualisations and interactive dashboards addresses the growing demand for data professionals who can not only analyse data but also communicate insights effectively to diverse audiences. The curriculum balances technical skill development with design principles, ensuring graduates can create both statistically accurate and visually compelling presentations.
Professional Certification Pathways
DataCamp's certification programmes offer accelerated pathways to professional recognition, with each certification designed to be completed within 30 days. The Data Analyst Certification combines timed examinations with practical assessments to evaluate real-world competency. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in data extraction, quality assessment, cleaning procedures, and metric calculation, reflecting the core responsibilities of working data analysts.
The Data Scientist Certification expands these requirements to include machine learning and artificial intelligence applications, requiring candidates to collect and interpret large datasets whilst effectively communicating results to business stakeholders. Similarly, the Data Engineer Certification focuses on data infrastructure and preprocessing capabilities, essential skills as organisations increasingly rely on automated data pipelines and real-time analytics.
The SQL Associate Certification addresses the universal need for database querying skills across all data roles. This certification validates both theoretical knowledge through timed examinations and practical application through hands-on database challenges, ensuring graduates can confidently extract and manipulate data from various database systems.
Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has created new educational opportunities that bridge traditional data science with cutting-edge generative technologies. DataCamp's Understanding Artificial Intelligence course provides a foundation for those new to AI concepts, requiring no programming background whilst covering machine learning, deep learning, and generative model fundamentals. This accessibility makes it valuable for business professionals seeking to understand AI's implications without becoming technical practitioners.
The Generative AI Concepts course builds upon this foundation to explore the specific technologies driving current AI innovation. Students examine how large language models function, consider ethical implications of AI deployment, and learn to maximise the effectiveness of AI tools in professional contexts. This programme addresses the growing need for AI literacy across various industries and roles.
DataCamp's Large Language Model Concepts course provides intermediate-level exploration of the technologies underlying systems like ChatGPT. The curriculum covers natural language processing fundamentals, fine-tuning techniques, and various learning approaches including zero-shot and few-shot learning. This technical depth makes it particularly valuable for professionals seeking to implement or customise language models within their organisations.
The ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers course addresses the developing field of prompt engineering, a skill that has gained significant commercial value. Students learn to craft effective prompts that consistently produce desired outputs from language models, a capability that combines technical understanding with creative problem-solving. This expertise has become increasingly valuable as organisations integrate AI tools into their workflows.
Working with OpenAI API provides practical implementation skills for those seeking to build AI-powered applications. The course covers text generation, sentiment analysis, and chatbot development, giving students hands-on experience with the tools that are reshaping how businesses interact with customers and process information.
Computer Science Foundations
Stanford University's Computer Science 101 offers an accessible introduction to computing concepts without requiring prior programming experience. This course addresses fundamental questions about computational capabilities and limitations whilst exploring hardware architecture, software development, and internet infrastructure. The curriculum includes essential topics such as computer security, making it valuable for anyone seeking to understand the digital systems that underpin modern society.
The University of Leeds' Introduction to Logic for Computer Science provides focused training in logical reasoning, a skill that underlies algorithm design and problem-solving approaches. This compact course covers propositional logic and logical modelling techniques that form the foundation for more advanced computer science concepts.
Harvard's CS50 course, taught by Professor David Malan, has gained worldwide recognition for its engaging approach to computer science education. The programme combines theoretical concepts with practical projects, teaching algorithmic thinking alongside multiple programming languages including Python, SQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This breadth of coverage makes it particularly valuable for those seeking a comprehensive introduction to software development.
MIT's Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python focuses specifically on computational thinking and Python programming. The curriculum emphasises problem-solving methodologies, testing and debugging strategies, and algorithmic complexity analysis. This foundation proves essential for those planning to specialise in data science or software development.
MIT's The Missing Semester course addresses practical tools that traditional computer science curricula often overlook. Students learn command-line environments, version control with Git, debugging techniques, and security practices. These skills prove essential for professional software development but are rarely taught systematically in traditional academic settings.
Accessible Learning Resources and Community Support
The democratisation of education extends beyond formal courses to include diverse learning resources that support different learning styles and schedules. YouTube channels such as Programming with Mosh, freeCodeCamp, Alex the Analyst, Tina Huang, and Ken Lee provide free, high-quality content that complements formal education programmes. These resources offer everything from comprehensive programming tutorials to career guidance and project-based learning opportunities.
The 365 Data Science platform contributes to this ecosystem through flashcard decks that reinforce learning of essential terminology and concepts across Excel, SQL, Python, and emerging technologies like ChatGPT. Their statistics calculators provide interactive tools that help students understand the mechanics behind statistical calculations, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
Udemy's marketplace model supports this diversity by hosting over 100,000 courses, including many free options that allow instructors to share expertise with global audiences. The platform's filtering capabilities enable learners to identify resources that match their specific needs and learning preferences.
Industry Integration and Career Development
Major technology companies have recognised the value of contributing to global education initiatives, with Google, Microsoft and Amazon offering professional-grade courses at no cost. Google's Data Analytics Professional Certificate exemplifies this trend, providing industry-recognised credentials that directly align with employment requirements at leading technology firms.
These industry partnerships ensure that course content remains current with rapidly evolving technological landscapes, whilst providing students with credentials that carry weight in hiring decisions. The integration of real-world projects and case studies helps bridge the gap between academic learning and professional application.
The comprehensive nature of these educational opportunities reflects the complex requirements of modern data and technology roles. Successful professionals must combine technical proficiency with communication skills, statistical understanding with programming capability, and theoretical knowledge with practical application. The diversity of available courses enables learners to develop these multifaceted skill sets according to their career goals and learning preferences.
As technology continues to reshape industries and create new professional opportunities, access to high-quality education becomes increasingly critical. These courses represent more than mere skill development; they provide pathways for career transformation and professional advancement that transcend traditional educational barriers. Whether pursuing data analysis, software development, or artificial intelligence applications, learners can now access world-class education that was previously available only through expensive university programmes or exclusive corporate training initiatives.
The future of professional development lies in this combination of accessibility, quality, and relevance that characterises the modern online education landscape. These resources enable individuals to build expertise that matches industry demands, also maintaining the flexibility to learn at their own pace and according to their specific circumstances and goals.
Pandemic camera
8th September 2024Back at the end of 2019, I acquired a Canon EOS 90D, possibly the swansong for mid-range Canon SLR cameras. Much effort is going into mirrorless cameras, yet I retain affection for SLR cameras because of their optical viewfinders. That may have been part of the reason for the acquisition, when I already had an ageing Pentax K5 Mark II. Buying SLR cameras is one way to keep them in production.
Little did I know what lay ahead in 2020 at that stage. Until recently, this was not to be a camera that travelled widely, such were the restrictions. Nevertheless, battery life is superb and handling is good too. The only absence is not having a level in the viewfinder like the Pentax K3 Mark III or maybe any mirrorless camera.
The newer file type of CR3 caught me out at first until I adjusted my command line tooling to deal with that. File sizes were larger as well, which has an impact on storage. Otherwise, there was little to change in my workflow. That would take other technological changes, like the increasing amount of AI being built into Adobe software.
Outdoor photography is my mainstay, and it excelled at that. The autofocus works well on its 24 to 135 mm zoom lens, except perhaps from focussing on skyscapes at times. Metering produced acceptable results, though it differed from the Pentax output to which I had become accustomed. All in all, it slipped into a role like other cameras that I had.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, it provided the required service alongside other cameras that I had. The aforementioned Pentax remained in use, like an Olympus and another Canon. Overseas travel curtailed horizons, so it was around local counties like Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. In September 2020, it travelled to Llandudno in North Wales, an exception to the general trend of English hikes and cycles.
Since then, it has been superseded, though. A Pentax K3 Mark III made it into my possession to become my main camera, returning me near enough to my pre-2020 practice. Curiosity about Canon mirrorless options added a Canon EOS RP and a 24 to 240 mm zoom lens. That has shorter battery life than is ideal, and its level is not as helpful as that on the Pentax K3 Mark III or the aforementioned Olympus. If anything, it may get replaced while the EOS 90D remains. My getting a new base in Ireland means that it has gone there to save me carrying a camera there from England. That should give it a new lease of life.
Keyboard shortcut for Euro currency symbol on Windows 10
21st April 2018Because I now have business dealings in Ireland, there is a need to add in the Euro currency symbol to emails even though I based in the U.K. and use U.K. keyboard settings. While there is the possibility to insert the symbol in Microsoft Office and other applications, using a simple keyboard shortcut is more efficient since it avoids multiple mouse clicks. For some reason, CTRL + SHIFT + E got into my head as the key combination, but that turns on the Track Changes facility in Word. Instead, CTRL + ALT + 4 does the needful and that is what I will be keeping in mind for future usage.
Pondering travel device consolidation using an Apple iPad Pro 12.9"
18th September 2016It was a change of job in 2010 that got me interested in using devices with internet connectivity on the go. Until then, the attraction of smartphones had not been strong, but I got myself a Blackberry on a pay as you go contract, but the entry device was painfully slow, and the connectivity was 2G. It was a very sluggish start.
It was supplemented by an Asus Eee PC that I connected to the internet using broadband dongles and a Wi-Fi hub. This cumbersome arrangement did not work well on short journeys, and the variability of mobile network reception even meant that longer journeys were not all that successful either. Usage in hotels and guest houses though went better and that has meant that the miniature laptop came with me on many a journey.
In time, I moved away from broadband dongles to using smartphones as Wi-Fi hubs and that largely is how I work with laptops and tablets away from home unless there is hotel Wi-Fi available. Even trips overseas have seen me operate in much the same manner.
One feature is that we seem to carry quite a number of different gadgets with us at a time, which can cause inconvenience when going through airport security since they want to screen each device separately. When you are carrying a laptop, a tablet, a phone and a camera, it does take time to organise yourself, and you can meet impatient staff, as I found recently when returning from Oslo. Since checking in whatever you can as hold luggage helps to get around at least some of the nuisance, it also might be time for the use of better machinery to cut down on having to screen everything separately.
When you come away after an embarrassing episode, as I once did, the attractions of consolidating devices start to become plain. In fact, most probably could get with having just their phone. It is when you take activities like photography more seriously than the gadget count increases. After all, the main reason a laptop comes on trips beyond Britain and Ireland at all is to back up photos from my camera in case an SD card fails.
Parking that thought for a while, let's go back to March this year, when temptation overcame what should have been a period of personal restraint. The result was that a 32 GB 12.9" Apple iPad Pro came into my possession along with an Apple Pencil and a Logitech CREATE Backlit Keyboard Case. It should have done so, but the size of the screen did not strike me until I got it home from the Apple Store. That was one of the main attractions because maps can be shown with a greater field of view in a variety of apps, a big selling point for a hiker with a liking for maps, who wants more than what is on offer from Apple, Google or even Bing. The precision of the Pencil is another boon that makes surfing the website so much easier, and the solid connection between the case and the iPad means that keyboard usage is less fiddly than it would if it used Bluetooth. Having tried them with the BBC iPlayer app, I can confirm that the sound from the speakers is better than any other mobile device that I have used.
Already, it has come with me on trips around England and Scotland. These weekend trips saw me leave the Asus Eee PC stay at home when it normally might have come with me, and taking just a single device along with a camera or two had its uses too. While the screen is large for reading on a train, I find that it works just as well so long as you have enough space. Otherwise, combining use of a suite of apps with recourse to the web does much of the information seeking needed while on a trip away, which meant that I was not found wanting. Battery life is good too, which helps.
Those trips allowed for a little light hotel room blog post editing too and the iPad Pro did what was needed, though the ergonomics of reaching for the screen with the Pencil meant that my arm was held aloft more than was ideal. Another thing that raised questions in my mind is the appearance of word suggestions at the bottom of the screen as if this were a mobile phone, given that I wondered if these were more of a hindrance than a help given that I just fancied typing and not pointing at the screen to complete words. Though copying and pasting works too, I have found the screen-based version a little clunky. Thus, I must see if the keyboard one works just as well, though the keyboard set up is typical of a Mac and that affects word selection. You need to use the OPTION key in the keyboard shortcut that you use for this and not COMMAND or CONTROL as you might do on a PC.
Even with these eccentricities, I was left wondering if it had any utility when it came to backing up photos from digital cameras, and there is an SD card adapter that makes this possible. A failure of foresight on my part meant that the 32 GB capacity now is an obvious limitation, but I think I might have hit on a possible solution that does not need to upload to an iCloud account. It involves clearing off the photos onto a 128 GB Transcend JetDrive Go 300 so they do not clog up the iPad Pro's storage. That the device has both Lightning and USB connectivity means that you can plug it into a laptop or desktop PC afterwards too. If that were to work as I would hope, then the laptop/tablet combination that I have been using for all overseas trips could be replaced to allow a weight reduction as well as cutting the hassle at airport security.
Trips to Ireland still may see my sticking with a tried and tested combination though because I often have needed to do some printing while over there. While I have been able to print a test document from an iPad Mini on my home network-connected printer, not every model supports this and that for NFC or Air Print is not universal either. If this were not an obstacle, apps like Pages, Numbers and Keynote could have their uses for business-related work and there are web-based offerings from Google, Microsoft and others too.
In conclusion, I have found that my iPad Pro does so much of what I need on a trip away that retiring the laptop/tablet combination for most of these is not as outrageous as it once would have seemed. In some ways, iOS has a way to go yet, before it could take over from macOS, yet it remains in development so it will be interesting to see what happens next. All the while, hybrid devices running Windows 10 are becoming more pervasive, so that might provide Apple with the encouragement that it needs.
Thoughts on eBooks
20th August 2016Recently, I have been doing a clear out of paper books in case the recent European Union referendum result in the U.K. affects my ability to stay there, since I am an Irish citizen. In my two decades here, I have not felt as much uncertainty and lack of belonging as I do now. It is as if life wants to become difficult for a while.
What made the clearance easier was that there was of making sure that the books were re-used and eBooks replaced anything that I would want to keep. However, what I had not realised is that demand for eBooks has flat lined, something that only became apparent in a recent article in PC Pro article penned by Stuart Turton. He had all sorts of suggestions about how to liven up the medium, but I have some of my own.
Niall Benvie also broached the subject from the point of view of photographic display in an article featured in Outdoor Photography because most are looking at photos on their smartphones and that often reduces the quality of what they see. Having a partiality to photo books, it remains the one class of books that I am more likely to have in paper form, even I have an Apple iPad Pro (the original 12.9 inch version) and I am using it to write these very words. There also is the six-year-old 24-inch Iiyama screen that I use with my home PC.
The two apps with which I have had experience are Google Play Books and Amazon Kindle, both of which I have used on both iOS and Android, while I use the Windows app for the latter too. Both apps are simple and work effectively until you end up with something of a collection. Then, shortcomings become apparent.
Search functionality is something that can be hidden away in menus, and that is why I missed it for so long. For example, Amazon's Kindle supports puts the search box in a prominent place on iOS but hides the same function in menus on its Android or Windows incarnations. Google Play Books consistently does the latter from what I have seen, and it would do no harm to have a search box on the library screen since menus and touchscreen devices do not mix as well. The ability to search within a book is similarly afflicted, so this also needs moving to a more prominent place and is really handy for guidebooks or other more technical textbooks.
The ability to organise a collection appears to be another missed opportunity. The closest that I have seen so far are the Cloud and Device screens on Amazon's Kindle app, but even this is not ideal. Having the ability to select some books as favourites would help, as would hiding others from the library screen would be an improvement. Having the ability to re-sell unwanted eBooks would be another worthwhile addition because you do just that with paper books.
When I started on this piece, I reached the conclusion the eBooks too closely mimicked libraries of paper books. Now, I am not so sure. It appears to me that the format is failing to take full advantage of its digital form, and that might have been what Turton was trying to evoke, but the examples that he used did not appeal to me. Also, we could do with more organisation functionality in apps, and the ability to resell could be another opportunity. Instead, we appear to be getting digital libraries and there are times when a personal collection is best.
All the while, paper books are being packaged in ever more attractive ways and there always will be some that look better in paper form than in digital formats, and that still applies to those with glossy appealing photos. Paper books almost feel like gift items these days, and you cannot fault the ability to browse them by flicking through the pages with your hands.
Installing FreeBSD in a VirtualBox Virtual Machine
2nd March 2014With UNIX being the basis of Linux, I have a soft spot for trying out any UNIX that can be installed on a PC. For a while, I had OpenSolaris on the go and even vaguely recall having a look at one of the BSD's. However, any recent attempt to install one of the latter, and there are quite a few around now, got stymied by some sort of kernel panic caused by using AMD CPU's. With the return to the Intel fold arising from the upgrade of my main home PC last year, it perhaps was time to try again.
The recent release of FreeBSD 10.0 was the cue and I downloaded a DVD image for a test installation in a VirtualBox virtual machine with 4 GB of memory and a 32 GB virtual hard drive attached (expanding storage was chosen so not all the allocated space has been taken so far). The variant of FreeBSD chosen was the 64-bit x86 one, and I set to installing it in there. Though not as pretty in appearance as those in various Linux distros, the installer was not that user unfriendly to me. Mind you, I have experience of installing Arch Linux, which might have acclimatised me somewhat.
Those installation screens ask about the keyboard mapping that you want, and I successfully chose one of the UK options. There was limited opportunity for adding extras, though there was a short list of a few from which I made some selections. Given that user account set up also was on offer, I would have been better off knowing what groups to assign for my personal user account to have to avoid needing to log in as root so often following system start up later. Otherwise, all the default options were sufficient.
When the installation process was complete, it was time to boot into the new system and all that was on offer was a command line log in session. After logging in as root, it was time to press pkg into service to get a desktop environment in place. The first step was to install X:
pkg install xorg
Then, it was time to install a desktop environment. While using XFCE or KDE were alternatives, I chose GNOME 2 due to familiarity and more extensive instructions on the corresponding FreeBSD handbook page. Issuing the following command added GNOME and all its helper applications:
pkg install gnome2
So that GNOME starts up at the next reboot, some extra steps are needed. The first of these is to add the following line into /etc/fstab:
proc /proc procfs rw 0 0
Then, two lines were needed in /etc/rc.conf:
gdm_enable="YES"
gnome_enable="YES"
The first enables the GNOME display manager, while the second activates other GNOME programs that are needed for a desktop session to start. With each of these in place, I got a graphical login screen at the next boot time.
With FreeBSD being a VirtualBox Guest, it was time to consult the relevant FreeBSD manual page. Here, there are sections for a number of virtual machine tools, so a search was needed to find the one for VirtualBox. VirtualBox support for FreeBSD is incomplete in that there is no installation media for BSD systems, while Linux and Solaris are supported along with Windows. Therefore, it is over to the FreeBSD repositories for the required software:
pkg install virtualbox-ose-additions
Aside from the virtual machine session not capturing and releasing the mouse pointer automatically, that did everything that was needed, even if it was the open source edition of the drivers and their proprietary equivalents. To resolve the mouse pointer issue, I needed to temporarily disable the GNOME desktop session in /etc/rc.conf to drop to a console only session where xorg.conf could be generated using the following commands:
Xorg -configure
cp xorg.conf.new /etc/xorg.conf
In the new xorg.conf file, the mouse section needs to be as follows:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "vboxmouse"
EndSection
If it doesn't look like the above, and it wasn't the case for me, then it needs changing. Also, any extra lines from the default set up also need removing, or the mouse will not function as it should. The ALT+F1 (for accessing GNOME menus) and ALT+F2 (for running commands) keyboard shortcuts then become crucial when your mouse is not working as it should and could avert a panic too; knowing that adjusting a single configuration file will resolve a problem when doing so is less accessible is not a good feeling as I discovered to my own cost. The graphics settings were fine by default, but here's what you should have in case it isn't for you:
Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
### [arg]: arg optional
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "vboxvideo"
VendorName "InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH"
BoardName "VirtualBox Graphics Adapter"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection
The next step is to ensure that your HAL settings are as they should. I needed to create a file in /usr/local/etc/hal/fdi/policy called 90-vboxguest.fdi that contains the following:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!--
# Sun VirtualBox
# Hal driver description for the vboxmouse driver
# $Id: chapter.xml,v 1.33 2012-03-17 04:53:52 eadler Exp $
Copyright (C) 2008-2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc.
This file is part of VirtualBox Open Source Edition (OSE, as
available from http://www.virtualbox.org. This file is free software;
you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU
General Public License (GPL) as published by the Free Software
Foundation, in version 2 as it comes in the "COPYING" file of the
VirtualBox OSE distribution. VirtualBox OSE is distributed in the
hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY of any kind.
Please contact Sun Microsystems, Inc., 4150 Network Circle, Santa
Clara, CA 95054 USA or visit http://www.sun.com if you need
additional information or have any questions.
-->
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
<device>
<match key="info.subsystem" string="pci">
<match key="info.product" string="VirtualBox guest Service">
<append key="info.capabilities" type="strlist">input</append>
<append key="info.capabilities" type="strlist">input.mouse</append>
<merge key="input.x11_driver" type="string">vboxmouse</merge>
<merge key="input.device" type="string">/dev/vboxguest</merge>
</match>
</match>
</device>
</deviceinfo>
With all that set, it is time to ensure that the custom user account is added to the wheel and operator groups using this command:
pw user mod [user name] -G wheel operator
Executing the above as root means that the custom account can run the su command so that logging in as root at the start of a desktop session no longer is needed. That is what being in the wheel group allows, so anyone in the operator group can shut down or restart the system. Since both are facilities readily available on Linux, so I fancied having them in FreeBSD too.
Being able to switch to root in a terminal session meant that I could go on to add software like Firefox, LibreOffice, GIMP, EMACS, Geany, NetBeans, Banshee and so on. Though there may be a line of opinion that FreeBSD is a server operating system, all of these make it more than passable for serving as a desktop one too. There may be no package management GUI as such and the ones that come with GNOME do not work either, yet anyone familiar with command line working will get around that.
While FreeBSD may be conservative, that has its place too, and being able to build up a system one item at a time teaches far more than getting everything already sorted in one hit. So far, there is enough documentation to get me going, leaving me to see where else things go too. So far, the OS hasn't been that intimidating, which is good to see.