Ask a Techspert: What is open source?

When I started working at Google, a colleague mentioned that the group projects I worked on in college sounded a lot like some of the open source projects we do here at Google. I thought there had to be some misunderstanding since my projects all happened in-person with my classmates in the corner of some building in the engineering quad. 

To find out how a real life study group could be like a type of computer software, I went straight to Rebecca Stambler, one of Google’s many open source experts.


Explain your job to me like I’m a first-grader.

Well, to start, computer programs have to be written in a language that computers understand — not in English or any other spoken language. At Google we have our own language called Go. When we write in a language to tell a computer what to do, that’s called source code. Just like you can write an essay or a letter in a Google Doc, you have to write your code in an “editor.” I work on making these editors work well for people who write code in Google’s programming language, Go. 


What does it mean for software to be open source?

A piece of software is considered open source if its source code is made publicly available to anyone, meaning they can freely copy, modify and redistribute the code. Usually, companies want to keep the source code of their products secret, so people can’t copy and reproduce their products. But sometimes a company shares their code publicly so anyone can contribute. This makes software more accessible and builds a community around a project. Anyone can work on an open source project no matter who they are or where they are. 


Anyone can contribute? How do they do it?

Before you actually write open source code, a good first step would be thinking about what you’re interested in, whether that’s web development, systems or front end development. Then you can dive into that community by doing things like attending talks or joining online networks where you can often learn more about what open source projects are out there. Then, think about what topics you’re interested in — maybe it’s the environment, retail, banking or a specific type of web development. Some people write code just because they enjoy it; plenty of these people have contributed to code within Google open source projects. So if you’re looking to contribute,  make sure it’s something  you’re really interested in.

Abstract illustration of three people putting together code.

Many open source projects are hosted on a site called Github, so once you narrow down your area of interest, that’s a great place to start! Once you’ve found something you want to work on, the easiest way to get involved is to fix errors in the code raised by other members of the project who don’t have the time to fix. Even if you don’t know how to code there’s a lot of non-technical work in open source projects like prioritizing issues that need fixing, community organization or writing user guides. You just have to be passionate about the work and ready to jump in. 


What’s the benefit of using open source code to create something?

We need lots of diverse perspectives to build good software, and open source helps with that. If you’re building something with a small team of three people, you might not consider all of the different ways someone might use your product. Or maybe your team doesn’t have the best equipment. Open source enables people from all over the world with different use cases, computers and experiences to chime in and say “hey, this doesn’t actually work for me” or “running this software drains my battery.” Without having open source projects, I don’t think we could make products that work for everyone. 

Projects like Android, which is Google operating system for mobile devices, are open source. And just last year Google Kubernetes Engine celebrated its five-year anniversary. This was really exciting because it showed how Google engineers contribute to the broader open source community outside of Google. Open source projects build a real sense of community between the contributors. When we have people that work on a lot of our projects we send them thank you notes and mention them when we release new software versions. We’ve created a whole community of contributors who’ve made our products more successful and exciting. 

Plan for business growth with Display & Video 360

At Google Marketing Livestream this spring, we talked about how Google Marketing Platform can help you drive performance while protecting privacy. That’s when we raised the curtain on some Display & Video 360 product announcements designed to help you reach your customers wherever they are — including on connected TV and audio.

Today we're kicking off a series of articles about Display & Video 360 that cover these new features, as well as upcoming capabilities to support your business recovery and growth. This includes new TV and audio reach forecasting tools and new frequency metrics to help you quickly figure out where your audience is and how to reach them in the most cost-effective way. This series will also introduce new enterprise-level features designed to increase your productivity thanks to automated yet customizable technology. First up is planning.

Get more premium reach with Display & Video 360’s planning tools

Planning is no longer a one-time exercise; it needs to happen on an ongoing basis to keep up with your audience’s rapidly-changing habits. Planning solutions that are tightly connected to your media buying platform can let you more accurately and more quickly assess the potential reach of your plans.

To help media planners adjust to this new way of working, we’re introducing two Display & Video 360 tools that will help you estimate the reach of your campaigns in real-time across any inventory type – including traditional TV, connected TV (CTV) and even audio.

Plan your CTV and audio campaigns alongside your other media buys

Watching CTV and streaming audio are now mainstream behaviors. To help marketers make the most of this extra reach opportunity, we’re adding new signals in Display & Video 360’s reach planning tool so that you can plan the reach of your CTV and audio deals in real time. This will complement existing Display & Video 360 forecasting capabilities which already allow you to estimate the reach of your display and video programmatic deals as well as your CTV open auction buys.

Planners will now be able to more immediately answer questions like, “How much incremental reach could I get by combining a network CTV deal with YouTube reservation and open auction video or audio ads?” They’ll have the option to forecast the reach of their campaign either by picking from their custom list of available CTV and audio deals or by choosing publishers they’re considering adding to their media mix.

Strike the optimal mix of TV and digital media to maximize reach

Planning tools that span across traditional and CTV viewing can help you navigate the shift from linear TV to streaming more effectively. For example, TV in Google Ads Reach Planner lets advertisers like PepsiCo better plan for their reach and frequency goals by allocating optimal budgets across TV and YouTube.

We're bringing TV planning to Display & Video 360 users in the U.S., France, Germany, Japan and Vietnam. By combining actual historical TV and digital ads data into a single reach curve the tool will show the unduplicated reach of the entire plan across TV, YouTube, broadcast and cable networks on CTV and the rest of your digital campaigns. Display & Video 360 will use data from major single-source panels in each available country or region to understand the TV viewership and how it overlaps with digital media consumption.

We’ll start rolling out this TV planning functionality in beta in the fall. It will be fully self-service and you’ll only need some basic details about your media plan to get started: your core audience demographics, the duration of your campaign and your estimated TV discount so that we can return tailored estimates.

If your budgets are somewhat flexible, we’ll show two curves: one will show the reach you’d get by spending your entire budget on TV and the other will show the optimal reach you’d get by efficiently splitting your budgets across TV and digital. You’ll also be able to set a fixed TV budget and see a single curve showing the extra reach you could get by adding digital channels such as YouTube and CTV ads to the mix.

This screen shares what it looks like to create a plan including TV and digital. A dotted grey curve shows the reach of a TV-only plan and a blue line shows the optimal reach that can be achieved by effectively combining TV and digital channels.

TV in Display & Video 360 reach planning tool (flexible budget scenario)

The growth of new media types alongside traditional TV has made forecasting reach and ad spend more difficult than ever. With Display & Video 360’s real-time forecasting solutions you’ll be able to approach show premieres seasons this fall with more serenity.

Related Article

Grow your brand with new Google Marketing Platform tools

Display & Video 360 provides you with the flexibility you need to grow your brand at the time you most need it.

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Get ready for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with Google and YouTube

In a few hours, the best athletes from around the world will come together in Tokyo to compete on the world's largest stage. While everyone on the ground prepares for the matches and meets, we’re getting ready, too. 


We hope technology can help everyone enjoy the Games safely at a distance this year. Here are six ways Google is helping bring you all the action from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020:


1. Stay up to speed (without breaking a sweat) with Google Search

When you search for the Olympics you’ll be able to find the latest information on your favorite events, sports and players, and even see where your country ranks in the race for gold. If you can’t tune into the Games live, don’t worry — you can watch a daily recap video or check out the top news related to the Olympic Games. For data aficionados, check out our Trends page to see fun Search stats on your favorite sports.


2. Take a timeout with the Doodle Champion Island Games

Join in on the action with our largest-ever interactive Doodle game, created in collaboration with Japanese animation STUDIO 4°C. Click on the Doodle to enter the gameworld, join a team and compete against reigning Champions across skateboarding, rugby, climbing and more — all in retro 16-bit glory. Keep a lookout for dozens of surprises and side quests as you journey through Doodle Champion Island. 

Image of the Doodle Champion Island game

3. Find official broadcaster highlights (and more) on YouTube and Google TV

From July 23, catch live events as well as clips and highlights from official Olympic broadcasters, including Marca Claro and Eurosport, around the world on their YouTube channels.  In the U.S, YouTube TV will also show NBCUniversal’s live coverage of Tokyo 2020 and there’s tons more to watch on the official Olympics channel on YouTube. Earlier this month, we added Olympic-related content on YouTube with new YouTube Originals series "Strive," "How To Olympics," "Break the Record" and a feature-length documentary "World Debut" ahead of opening ceremonies.


Google TV users can head to the For you tab and open the Olympics page to find apps from official broadcasters and tune into live streams and missed events, or be inspired by popular sports movies, sports shows, videos on Japan and more.


4. Let Google Assistant do the legwork

Wondering who won? Just ask “Hey Google, who won women’s basketball in the Olympics?” Rooting for a specific country? “Hey Google, how many medals does France have in the Olympics?” You can even say, “Hey Google, tell me a fun fact about the games in Tokyo.” Whether you’re using your phone, speaker, TV or other enabled device, Google Assistant will have all the important details.


Plus, in the U.S., NBC is bringing an exclusive game to the Google Assistant. It’s already available on all devices, so test your summer sports knowledge with dozens of trivia questions. Just say “Hey Google, play NBC Sports Trivia” to start your quest for trivia gold.


5. Keep up to date with Google Play apps

Don’t miss a single moment: Download our collection of apps including the official Olympics app, official broadcasters, news organizations, social, sports and games, plus fitness.


6. Explore Japan with Street View, Google Arts & Culture and Translate

Even if you can’t experience the Games IRL, you can take a virtual tour of the country with Google Street View. From snow-capped mountains and glistening cave formations to cities packed with history and culture — you can see it all without leaving your chair. Or with Google Arts & Culture you can explore Japan’s traditional crafts and mouth-watering food; Umami Land will be particularly fun for foodies. After all that, you might feel inspired to learn a little Japanese, and Google Translate has you covered.


Good luck to all the athletes taking part, and let the games begin!


Dev Channel Update for Desktop

 The Dev channel has been updated to 93.0.4577.8 for Windows, Linux and Mac.

A partial list of changes is available in the log. Interested in switching release channels? Find out how. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug. The community help forum is also a great place to reach out for help or learn about common issues.


Prudhvikumar Bommana

Google Chrome

Why Shakira says there’s no limit to what girls can do

When you hear Shakira’s name (or when her catchy lyrics inevitably get stuck in your head), you may think of her as an international pop sensation, Latin American icon or stunning performer. But there’s a fourth characteristic to add to that list: philanthropist and advocate for education.

Shakira has been a champion of this work for over 20 years, dating back to the creation of her charitable organization Fundacion Pies Descalzos, which expands access to education in Colombia and Latin America. And now, she’s bringing her passion for philanthropy to the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls. Shakira joins 28 other incredible women as expert panelists who will help us determine which organizations will receive a grant to continue their work supporting economic empowerment for women and girls.

We grabbed the mic to ask Shakira a few questions about why this cause is so important to her. Put on your favorite Shakira hit, and read on. 

Your amazing philanthropic work has focused on education for kids. What is the biggest barrier that young girls face in getting a quality education?

Girls are too often vulnerable to gender-based violence, relied upon to care for others in the household, or lack access to basic facilities like running water or proper bathrooms that would allow them to attend school during menstruation. The irony is that investing in girls’ education has one of the best returns on investment that a society could ask for, and it creates real economic impact. If every girl completed 12 years of education, their lifetime earnings could increase by $15 trillion to $30 trillion. It’s not only about lifting girls up — lifting them up will do the same for entire communities. 

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A conversation between two changemakers uplifting women

A Q&A between two expert panelists from the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls

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Why did you get involved with the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls?

I think there’s no limit to what girls can achieve, and companies like Google can lead the way for girls —  particularly in fields where there is still a noticeable disparity such as STEM disciplines. 

When you envision a more equitable world for women and girls, what do you see?

I want to see a world where girls have the same amount of choices and opportunities at their disposal as boys. I want to see more women leaders, and policies made for women by women that acknowledge both the needs of women and their unique perspectives and ways of contributing to society at large. 

What’s one message that you would give to every woman around the world?

Don’t take no for an answer.

If there was a playlist for empowerment for women and girls, what song would you put on it?

Beyonce “Run the World (Girls)”

Migrating from App Engine ndb to Cloud NDB

Posted by Wesley Chun (@wescpy), Developer Advocate, Google Cloud

Migrating to standalone services

Today we're introducing the first video showing long-time App Engine developers how to migrate from the App Engine ndb client library that connects to Datastore. While the legacy App Engine ndb service is still available for Datastore access, new features and continuing innovation are going into Cloud Datastore, so we recommend Python 2 users switch to standalone product client libraries like Cloud NDB.

This video and its corresponding codelab show developers how to migrate the sample app introduced in a previous video and gives them hands-on experience performing the migration on a simple app before tackling their own applications. In the immediately preceding "migration module" video, we transitioned that app from App Engine's original webapp2 framework to Flask, a popular framework in the Python community. Today's Module 2 content picks up where that Module 1 leaves off, migrating Datastore access from App Engine ndb to Cloud NDB.

Migrating to Cloud NDB opens the doors to other modernizations, such as moving to other standalone services that succeed the original App Engine legacy services, (finally) porting to Python 3, breaking up large apps into microservices for Cloud Functions, or containerizing App Engine apps for Cloud Run.

Moving to Cloud NDB

App Engine's Datastore matured to becoming its own standalone product in 2013, Cloud Datastore. Cloud NDB is the replacement client library designed for App Engine ndb users to preserve much of their existing code and user experience. Cloud NDB is available in both Python 2 and 3, meaning it can help expedite a Python 3 upgrade to the second generation App Engine platform. Furthermore, Cloud NDB gives non-App Engine apps access to Cloud Datastore.

As you can see from the screenshot below, one key difference between both libraries is that Cloud NDB provides a context manager, meaning you would use the Python with statement in a similar way as opening files but for Datastore access. However, aside from moving code inside with blocks, no other changes are required of the original App Engine ndb app code that accesses Datastore. Of course your "YMMV" (your mileage may vary) depending on the complexity of your code, but the goal of the team is to provide as seamless of a transition as possible as well as to preserve "ndb"-style access.

The difference between the App Engine ndb and Cloud NDB versions of the sample app

The "diffs" between the App Engine ndb and Cloud NDB versions of the sample app

Next steps

To try this migration yourself, hit up the corresponding codelab and use the video for guidance. This Module 2 migration sample "STARTs" with the Module 1 code completed in the previous codelab (and video). Users can use their solution or grab ours in the Module 1 repo folder. The goal is to arrive at the end with an identical, working app that operates just like the Module 1 app but uses a completely different Datastore client library. You can find this "FINISH" code sample in the Module 2a folder. If something goes wrong during your migration, you can always rollback to START, or compare your solution with our FINISH. Bonus content migrating to Python 3 App Engine can also be found in the video and codelab, resulting in a second FINISH, the Module 2b folder.

All of these learning modules, corresponding videos (when published), codelab tutorials, START and FINISH code, etc., can be found in the migration repo. We hope to also one day cover other legacy runtimes like Java 8 and others, so stay tuned! Developers should also check out the official Cloud NDB migration guide which provides more migration details, including key differences between both client libraries.

Ahead in Module 3, we will continue the Cloud NDB discussion and present our first optional migration, helping users move from Cloud NDB to the native Cloud Datastore client library. If you can't wait, try out its codelab found in the table at the repo above. Migrations aren't always easy; we hope this content helps you modernize your apps and shows we're focused on helping existing users as much as new ones.

Google Ads API 2022 release and sunset schedule

We’re announcing our tentative 2022 release and sunset schedule for upcoming versions of the Google Ads API to bring greater clarity to your planning cycle. Please keep in mind that these dates are only estimates and may be adjusted going forward. Additionally, releases may be added, removed or switched between major and minor. Check back with our release notes and deprecation schedule for updates.

Note: The AdWords API will sunset in April 2022. Migrate all requests to the Google Ads API by then to continue managing your Google Ads accounts.
Version Planned Release
Type* 		Projected launch* Projected sunset*
v7 Major April 28, 2021 (launched) January/February 2022
v8 Major June 9, 2021 (launched) March/April 2022
v8_1 Minor August 2021 March/April 2022
v9 Major October 2021 June/July 2022
v10 Major February/March 2022 October/November 2022
v10_1 Minor April/May 2022 October/November 2022
v11 Major June/July 2022 March/April 2023
v11_1 Minor August/September 2022 March/April 2023
v12 Major October/November 2022 June/July 2023
*Estimated and subject to change
 Where can I learn more?
The following resources can help you with your development planning: If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum.
- David Stevens, Google Ads API Product Manager

Fundamental data regions now available to more Google Workspace customers

What’s changing

Data regions gives you the ability to choose where covered data for select Google Workspace apps is stored at rest. The existing data regions feature, now known as Enterprise data regions, offer a full range of features to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and Education Plus customers.

Now, we’re introducing a more limited version of data regions, known as Fundamental data regions, which will be available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Business Plus, Business Standard and Frontline customers.

Who’s impacted

Admins

Why you’d use it

Google Workspace’s globally distributed cloud infrastructure reduces latency and protects data with geo redundancy, so most organizations choose not to geo-restrict their data. If, however, your organization has preference to control where its data is stored at rest, data regions can help you meet those needs. 

Additional details

Fundamental data regions is a more limited version of data regions compared to Enterprise data regions, which is available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and Education Plus customers. Some key differences include:

  • Single vs multiple regions: Enterprise data regions enables you to set multiple region policies, whereas the Fundamental data regions only offers one region of your choosing.
  • Root OU vs full OU and group controls: Enterprise data regions allows for customizing data regions for different groups and organizational units (OUs) within your organization. Fundamental data regions only allows you to set a single policy at the root OU level.
  • Report availability: Enterprise data regions includes detailed reports on the move progress of your covered data. These reports will not be available to Fundamental data regions users.

Admins that need the full functionality of Enterprise data regions can get access by visiting their Subscriptions page in the Admin console to upgrade licenses to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus or Education Plus.

Getting started

  • End users: No end user impact.

Settings available for Fundamental data regions
Settings available for Fundamental data regions in the Admin console



Rollout pace


Availability

  • Fundamental data regions newly available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Frontline customers
  • Enterprise data regions already available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and Education Plus customers.
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, Education Fundamentals, Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers.

Resources

Google News Showcase is launching in Austria

Google News Showcase, our new product and licensing program for news publishers, will begin rolling out in Austria today, building on our ongoing commitment to support journalism. Backed by our recent $1 billion global investment in news, Google News Showcase supports publishers by giving them a new way to curate their high-quality content on Google’s News and Discover platforms, connecting their readers with the news that matters to them. 


The Austrian publishers taking part at launch include, among others, Der Standard (derstandard.at), Wimmer Medien (nachrichten.at), Russmedia (vn.at, vol.at, vienna.at), Salzburger Nachrichten (sn.at, salzburg24.at) and Moser Holding (tt.com). These publishers represent a mix of local, regional and national news organizations around the country. 

This image shows the logos of some of our Austria News Showcase partners including DerStandard, OÖNachrichten, Salzburger Nachrichten, Salzburg24, Vorarlberger Nachrichten, Vorarlberg Online, Vienna.at, Tiroler Tageszeitung

Logos of some of our News Showcase partners in Austria including DerStandard, OÖNachrichten, Salzburger Nachrichten, Salzburg24, Vorarlberger Nachrichten, Vorarlberg Online, Vienna.at, Tiroler Tageszeitung

News Showcase is just the latest investment in our ongoing commitment to support journalism around the globe. Through both our services and direct funding of news organizations, Google is one of the world’s biggest financial supporters of news.


More than 800 news publications globally, more than half of which are in Europe, have now signed deals for News Showcase since last year. These span more than a dozen countries, including India, Germany, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Czechia, Japan, the U.K. and Argentina,with discussions underway in a number of other countries. More than 90% of the publications signed up around the world represent local, regional or community news. 


“As the first German-language daily newspaper on the Internet, DER STANDARD was interested from the start in bringing its quality content to interested readers in all possible ways,” says Gerlinde Hinterleitner, online publisher of Der Standard, a national newspaper based in Vienna. “Google News Showcase is a logical continuation of this path. We look forward to being one of the first publishing houses in Austria to participate."


With News Showcase panels, news organizations can curate how their content appears. All panels direct readers to the full articles on the publishers’ websites, driving valuable traffic back to publishers and enabling them to deepen their relationships with readers. 

This image shows examples of how News Showcase panels will look with some of our partners in Austria including Der Standard, Salzburger Nachrichten, and Tiroler Tageszeitung/ Moser Holding

An example of how News Showcase panels will look with some of our partners in Austria.

“Google News Showcase is a great way for us to present our content to an even larger audience. Quality journalism from Upper Austria is our strength — and that is exactly what we want to promote through this new product,” says Gino Cuturi, Managing Director of OÖNachrichten, the leading regional newspaper in Upper Austria. “We aim to get even more readers excited about our digital products and to convince them of our local reporting in the long term.”


“Experience shows that there is still great potential for regional daily newspapers to attract occasional digital readers and then develop them into regular readers,” says Hermann Petz, the CEO of Tiroler Tageszeitung, the leading regional newspaper in Tyrol. “We see Google News Showcase as an opportunity to expand and monetize this ‘widest circle of readers.’”

This GIF shows examples of how News Showcase panel layouts will look from some of our publishing partners in Austria including Der Standard, Oberösterreichische Nachrichten/ Wimmer Medien, Russmedia, Salzburger Nachrichten, and Tiroler Tageszeitung/ Moser Holding

An example of News Showcase panel layouts from our publishing partners in Austria


News Showcase content from our publisher partners will automatically start to appear in Google News and on Discover starting today. As part of our licensing deals, we’re also paying news organizations for access to select paywalled content, giving people in Austria access to a wide range of news content. We work closely with news outlets to determine the right amount of content to share to help drive subscriptions.


“With the new storytelling formats, quality media can better disseminate journalistic content together with Google News Showcase,” says Georg Burtscher, Managing Director of Russmedia, the leading regional publishing house in Vorarlberg. “VN.at,Vol.at and Vienna.at are known for testing innovations in everyday life - that is also the case with this initiative.”


"The importance of independent and high-quality journalism for society has become very apparent in the Coronavirus-crisis – news gives people the information they need about their communities, people have faith in it,” says Maximilian Dasch, Managing Director of Salzburger Nachrichten. “Google News Showcase promotes digital news and provides more support for journalism."


For many years, Google has invested millions of euros in Austrian journalism through innovation funding. With funding and support from the Digital News Initiative Innovation Fund, DER STANDARD built an AI solution to help combat online hate speech in comments, resulting in a 50% decrease in the time taken by moderators. We also supported a project from news agency APA to create login and paywall infrastructure to drive digital subscriptions. Plus, we worked with vol.at who brought together behavioral science and tech innovation to create a loyalty program, leading to a tenfold increase in registrations. And in 2020, with the spread of COVID-19, the Google News Initiative offered support to 10 Austrian newsrooms through the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund, providing them financial assistance to get them through the pandemic. 


We’re committed to helping people access information online, supporting an open web and partnering with news organizations in Austria and around the world to reach new readers and develop sustainable business models online.