Patch
Patch is an American hyperlocal news and information platform operating a network of community-specific websites that deliver local news, events, discussions, and classifieds tailored to individual towns and neighborhoods across the United States.[1][2] Founded in December 2007 by Tim Armstrong, Warren Webster, and Jon Brod, the service initially aimed to fill gaps in online local coverage by enabling user contributions alongside professional journalism.[1] Under AOL's ownership following Armstrong's move there as CEO, Patch expanded aggressively to over 1,000 sites but encountered financial losses, leading to its majority sale to investment firm Hale Global in January 2014, with AOL retaining a minority stake before a full spin-out.[3][2] The transition prompted sweeping layoffs of hundreds of employees as Hale Global restructured operations into a leaner model focused on profitability through advertising and partnerships.[4][5] Today, headquartered in Manhattan and primarily owned by Hale Global, Patch maintains coverage in more than 1,200 communities via a smaller team of journalists and contributors, emphasizing real-time local updates over national narratives.[6][7] Despite achieving scale as one of the largest hyperlocal networks, Patch has been defined by operational challenges and critiques of its content practices, including early plagiarism incidents and instances of unverified user-submitted articles that prompted lawsuits and settlements.[8][9] Its business model, reliant on traffic-driven stories often resembling tabloid fare, has drawn scrutiny for prioritizing engagement over rigorous verification, though recent evaluations rate it as generally factual with balanced selection in local reporting.[7][10] These issues reflect broader tensions in digital media between scale, cost efficiency, and credibility, particularly in hyperlocal spaces where professional oversight can be limited by resource constraints.Science and technology
Computing
A patch in computing is a targeted modification to software code or data, typically applied to an existing program, operating system, or firmware to correct defects, enhance functionality, or remediate security flaws. These updates often take the form of small, incremental changes rather than full reinstallations, allowing efficient distribution and application without replacing the entire codebase.[11][12][13] The practice traces back to mid-20th-century computing, where the term "patch" literally referred to adhesive-backed paper or tape used to cover and correct errors on punched cards or paper tape media containing machine instructions; the corrected segment was then re-punched for reuse.[14] This physical analogy persisted into digital eras, evolving into file-based diffs—textual representations of changes—that could be applied programmatically. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, as internet-connected systems proliferated, structured patch releases became standardized; Microsoft, for example, launched its "Patch Tuesday" program in October 2003 to consolidate monthly security and quality updates for Windows, reducing vulnerability windows amid rising threats like the Code Red worm.[15] Patches are broadly classified into three types: bug fixes, which resolve errors causing crashes, incorrect outputs, or performance degradation; security patches, which seal exploitable vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows or privilege escalations that enable unauthorized access; and feature updates, which add minor enhancements or compatibility improvements without constituting major version changes.[16][17] In open-source environments, tools like the Unixpatch utility, introduced in 1986, automate applying such changes by processing unified diff formats generated by diff. Security patches hold particular urgency, as unpatched systems account for a significant portion of breaches; for instance, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency emphasizes that delayed patching exposes networks to known exploits cataloged in databases like the National Vulnerability Database.[11][18]
Patch management involves testing, deployment, and verification to minimize disruptions, often via automated tools in enterprise settings. Failure to apply patches promptly correlates with high-profile incidents, underscoring their role in causal chains of cyber risk: vulnerabilities persist until explicitly addressed, independent of user intent or system isolation. Reputable vendors prioritize rapid patch issuance post-vulnerability disclosure, with cycles measured in days for critical issues.[19][20]