The Apple and Samsung patent infringement case is almost over. Samsung has agreed to pay Apple US$548 million in damages for infringing upon Apple’s mobile patents. The dispute has been ongoing since 2012, when Apple accused Samsung of copying its hardware and software for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

While Samsung has agreed to pay, it also reserved the right to delay the payment if future judgments are changed in its favor. Apple is also disputing Samsung’s right to a reimbursement.

More information is available here.

Microsoft announces VS 2015 Update 1 with C++ Modules
Microsoft is releasing a preview of a new feature in VS 2015 Updates 1. The update features an experimental implementation of a module system for C++, which was proposed for C++17. The feature is designed to speed up compilation and improve componentization of code.

“Modules allow you to isolate your code from hard-to-debug preprocessor state. And they make it easier to develop tools to work with your code,” wrote VC++ team members Gabriel Dos Reis and Andrew Pardoe in a blog post.

Microsoft will be taking in feedback from developers as it continues building the C++ module system.

“C++ Modules in VS 2015 Update 1 are an exciting feature, even in this early state,” Dos Reis and Pardoe wrote. “There’s more goodness to come—obviously we’re lacking some basic functionality such as integration with the VS IDE and build system—but we wanted to get something out there early so that our developer community could have a chance to impact the work in a big way.”

Let’s Encrypt enters public beta
Let’s Encrypt is entering public beta, meaning invites are no longer necessary to get free certificates. Let’s Encrypt is a certificate authority designed to make HTTPS the default protocol for the Web.

“It’s time for the Web to take a big step forward in terms of security and privacy,” wrote Josh Aas, executive producer of the Internet Security Research Group, in a blog post. “We want to see HTTPS become the default. Let’s Encrypt was built to enable that by making it as easy as possible to get and manage certificates.”

As Let’s Encrypt moves out of beta, it will be working on its client experience to make sure it operates smoothly and reliably on a wide range of platforms, said the Let’s Encrypt team.