The latest release of the Gradle build tool is now available. Gradle 7.0 enables file system watching by default to make incremental builds faster and expands support for building projects with Java 16 as well as Apple Silicon support.

When the file system is enabled in the new version, Gradle keeps what it learned from the file system in memory and skips reading from the file system on each build, reducing the amount of disk I/O needed to determine what has changed, the team explained.

The release also introduces a feature preview for centralized dependency versions and it enables build validation errors to make builds more reliable. 

Additional details on the new release are available here.

Cloudflare Pages now generally available
Cloudflare Pages, which has been in beta since December, is now generally available. 

Cloudflare Pages aims to simplify the process of developing and deploying sites by providing instant feedback for teams, built-in, free web analytics and more. 

The tool generates unique preview URLs for each commit, which makes it easier for teams to check out work in progress and provide feedback before changes go live, according to the company.

Microsoft acquires Nuance
Microsoft announced that it entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire the cloud and AI software company Nuance for $56.00 per share. The transaction is intended to close this calendar year.

“AI is technology’s most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application. Together, with our partner ecosystem, we will put advanced AI solutions into the hands of professionals everywhere to drive better decision-making and create more meaningful connections, as we accelerate growth of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and Nuance,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.

Nuance provides AI expertise and customer engagement solutions across interactive voice response (IVR), virtual assistants and digital and biometric solutions.

Apache weekly update
Last week at the Apache Software Foundation saw the release of PDFBox 3.0.0-RC1, an open-source Java tool for working with PDF documents. 

New releases also included Apache APISIX 2.5,  Karaf runtime 4.3.1, Mynewt 1.9.0 and Apache NimBLE 1.4.0, Tomcat 8.5.65, 9.0.45, and 10.0.5 and Wicket 7.18.0 and 8.12.0.

The ASF announced Apache DolphinScheduler, a distributed Big Data visual scheduler system, as a Top-Level Project. 

Also, six Apache projects have been retired including Apex, Aurora, Forrest, Hama, Stanbol and VXQuery. 

Additional details are available here.