Facebook is open-sourcing Hermes, a JavaScript engine that focuses on React Native apps and is optimized for mobile apps. 

The company explained it noticed the JavaScript engine was a significant factor in startup performance and download size and decided to optimize JavaScript performance in more constrained mobile environments. 

Facebook focused on interpreter performance by abandoning the JIT compiler and built a garbage collector that allows for on-demand allocation, noncontiguous space and moveable memory.

The detailed list of features can be viewed here

Micro Focus announces RPA solution
Micro Focus announced a new robotic process automation (RPA) product that enables companies to build, secure and scale automated business processes. 

Some of the RPA capabilities include an intuitive design interface that enables users to record screen action; cross-platform connections that combines UI automation with API; scalable robots; and centralized security, according to a post by the company. 

“With Micro Focus RPA, we augmented our core capabilities to be purpose built for RPA and we believe our innovations in making automation more resilient to change will deliver a lower TCO compared to existing solutions,” said Raffi Margaliot, Micro Focus general manager for application delivery management.

Mobile Labs releases GigaFox StarterKit to help with mobile testing
Mobile device clouds provider Mobile Labs released the testing solution GigaFox StarterKit to enable companies to engage in mobile testing without risk.

“I am excited for Mobile Labs to launch StarterKit, allowing us to offer a quick startup testing solution for DevOps and QA teams of all sizes,” said Angela Culver, CMO of Mobile Labs.

“Even if a customer has no idea what they need in terms of testing, StarterKit is a quick and secure way to get their feet wet and ensure that mobile apps are operating efficiently and effectively with minimal overhead.”

StarterKit is hosted in a private cloud environment and can be up and running within “a matter of an hour.” The company says it is suitable for organizations of any size.

Contrast Security teams up with PerimeterX on app security
Contrast Security and PerimeterX teamed up to advance application security for modern applications to combine runtime application self protection (RASP) and bot mitigation across websites and mobile apps. 

A post by the companies says that customers who use the joint solution will be able to protect against code-level attacks like SQL injection and untrusted deserialization as well as stop sophisticated automated attacks that morph and exploit changing business logic. 

“Today’s businesses are demanding an end-to-end approach to security for the application stack,” said Surag Patel, chief strategy officer of Contrast Security. “Enterprises need embedded protection from all types of attacks from sophisticated precise application layer attacks of custom or open source code, to business logic exploits through automated bot attacks.”