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What is the Linux Installation Project?
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(Two Column)
- Security updates for Tuesday
Security updates have been issued by AlmaLinux (container-tools:rhel8, kernel, kernel-rt:4.18.0, kernel:4.18.0, pam, pam:1.5.1, perl-App-cpanminus, perl-App-cpanminus:1.7044, python-tornado, tigervnc, tuned, and webkit2gtk3), Debian (needrestart and webkit2gtk), Mageia (firefox, glib2.0, krb5, and thunderbird), Red Hat (firefox, postgresql, postgresql:12, postgresql:13, postgresql:15, postgresql:16, and thunderbird), SUSE (editorconfig-core-c, kernel, php7, php8, python, python-tornado6, python3-virtualenv, python310, python39, thunderbird, wget, and wireshark), and Ubuntu (firefox and haproxy).
- NixOS 24.11 released
The most recent version of NixOS, 24.11,was releasedon November 30. It contains GNOME 47, Plasma 6.2, LLVM 19, and lots more:The 24.11 release was made possible due to the efforts of 2669 contributors, who authored 49079 commits since the previous release. Our thanks go the contributors who also take care of the continued stability and security of our stable release.
NixOS is already known as the most up to date distribution while also being the distribution with the most packages. This release saw 8141 new packages and 20975 updated packages in Nixpkgs. We also removed 3970 packages in an effort to keep the package set maintainable and secure.
- Security updates for Monday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (dnsmasq, editorconfig-core, lemonldap-ng, proftpd-dfsg, python3.9, simplesamlphp, tgt, and xfpt), Fedora (qbittorrent, webkitgtk, and wireshark), Mageia (libsoup3 & libsoup), Red Hat (buildah, grafana, grafana-pcp, and podman), SUSE (gimp, kernel, postgresql14, python, webkit2gtk3, xen, and zabbix), and Ubuntu (ansible and postgresql-12, postgresql-14, postgresql-16).
- [$] The rest of the 6.13 merge window
The 6.13 merge window closed with the release of 6.13-rc1 on December 1. By that time,11,307 non-merge commits had been pulled into the mainlinerepository; about 9,500 of those landed after our first-half merge-window summary waswritten. There was a lot of new material in these patches, includingarchitecture-support improvements, new BPF features, an efficient way toadd guard pages to an address space, more Rust support, a vast number ofnew device drivers, and more.
- Kernel prepatch 6.13-rc1
Linus has released 6.13-rc1 and closed themerge window for this release. "And for once - possibly the first timeever - it looks like the release cycle doesn't clash horribly up withthe holiday season, and we'll have time both to stabilize this release,_and_ the work for 6.14 won't be starting until well into January."
- Rust 1.83.0 released
Version1.83.0 of the Rust language has been released.
This release includes several large extensions to what code running in const contexts can do. This refers to all code that the compiler has to evaluate at compile-time: the initial value of const and static items, array lengths, enum discriminant values, const generic arguments, and functions callable from such contexts (const fn).
There are also quite a few new stabilized APIs.
- The OpenWrt One router is now shipping
The OpenWrt One router, which was reviewedhere recently, isnow generally available.
This is the first wireless Internet router designed and built with your software freedom and right to repair in mind. The OpenWrt One will never be locked down and is forever unbrickable. This device services your needs as its owner and user. Everyone deserves control of their computing. The OpenWrt One takes a great first step toward bringing software rights to your home: you can control your own network with the software of your choice, and ensure your right to change, modify, and repair it as you like.
- Security updates for Friday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (firefox-esr, redis, twisted, and tzdata), Fedora (firefox, nss, pam, rust-rustls, rust-zlib-rs, thunderbird, tuned, and xen), and SUSE (cobbler, kernel, libjxl-devel, libuv, postgresql12, postgresql14, postgresql15, python-waitress, seamonkey, tomcat, and tomcat10).
- Giving thanks for the LWN community
Earlier today, one of our subscribers, anselm, posted the one millionth item in our database during a discussion in the comments about the GPL. One million articles and comments is a big milestone — one representing twenty two years of work by both the editors of LWN and the community. I think reaching this milestone on Thanksgiving is a lovely coincidental reminder of how far LWN has come, and how that wouldn't have been possible without your support. So thank you for reading.
- [$] GIMP 3.0 — a milestone for open-source image editing
The long-awaited release of the GNU ImageManipulation Program (GIMP) 3.0 is on the way, marking the firstmajor update since version 2.10 wasreleased in April 2018. It now features a GTK 3 user interface and GIMP 3.0introduces significant changes to the core platform and plugins. Thisrelease also brings performance and usability improvements, as well as morecompatibility with Wayland and complex input sources.
- Security updates for US Thanksgiving (Thursday)
Security updates have been issued by Debian (firefox-esr, netatalk, and thunderbird), Fedora (firefox, libsoup3, mingw-glib2, mingw-libsoup, mingw-python-waitress, mingw-python3, nss, perl-Module-ScanDeps, php, and python-aiohttp), Mageia (dcmtk, golang, iptraf-ng, libsndfile, microcode, php, postgresql15 & postgresql13, rapidjson, tomcat, wget, and zbar), Red Hat (openssl and openssl-fips-provider, toolbox, and webkit2gtk3), SUSE (firefox, frr, glib2, hplip, kernel, neomutt-20241114, ovmf, python-aiohttp, python-virtualenv, python310-tornado6, qemu, webkit2gtk3, and xen), and Ubuntu (mpg123 and vim).
- Elementary OS 8 released
Version8 of the Ubuntu-based elementary OS has been released. Thisrelease includes a rewritten Dock, new window-management features,improvements in the installation and initial setup procedures forvisually impaired users, as well as a new Secure Session mode:
In the Secure Session, apps will be more restricted and will requireyour consent for access to system features. When an app wants tolisten in the background for your keystrokes, take a screenshot,record the screen, or even pick up the color from a single pixel, youwill be asked first to make sure that it's okay. The Secure Sessionalso comes with other modern features like support for Mixed DPImodes—A hotly requested feature for folks using a HiDPI notebook ortablet with a LoDPI external display—and improved support formulti-touch gestures on touch screens and tablets.
- [$] The kernel's command-line commotion
For the most part, the 6.13 merge window has gone smoothly, with relativelyfew problems or disagreements — other than thisone, of course. There is one other exception, though, relating to thekernel's presentation of a process's command line to interested user-spaceobservers when a relatively new system call is used. A pull request with asimple change to make that information more user-friendly ran afoul ofLinus Torvalds, who has his own view of how it should be managed.
- Security updates for Wednesday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (mpg123 and php8.2), Fedora (libsndfile, mingw-glib2, mingw-libsoup, mingw-python3, and qbittorrent), Oracle (pam:1.5.1 and perl-App-cpanminus), Red Hat (firefox, thunderbird, and webkit2gtk3), Slackware (mozilla), SUSE (firefox, rclone, tomcat, tomcat10, and xen), and Ubuntu (gh, libsoup2.4, libsoup3, pygments, TinyGLTF, and twisted).
- [$] Arch Linux finally starts licensing PKGBUILDs
Arch Linux is popular as a basefor other Linux distributions; examples of Arch-derivatives include EndeavourOS, Manjaro, Parabola, and SteamOS.There's one small problem: the control files used to describe how to buildpackages for Arch Linux have no stated license. That creates a bit ofuncertainty about the rights and responsibilities for the downstreamderivatives. So far, that doesn't seem to have been a problem, nor hasit stopped other projects from assuming that reuse isallowed. However, the Arch project is looking to add some clarity byexplicitly assigning a liberal license to its packagesources. Currently the project is in the process of reaching out tocontributors to see if they have any objections.
- How to Install KDE Plasma on Linux Mint
Linux Mint is a popular Linux distribution known for its simplicity and user-friendliness. While it primarily comes with Cinnamon, MATE, or Xfce desktop environments, users may prefer the polished and highly customizable KDE Plasma. This tutorial will guide you through the steps to install KDE Plasma on Linux Mint regardless of your Linux Mint version.
- This Is Why I Switched to Xfce for Linux Mint on My Older Laptop
Linux is a great operating system for older computers. The open source operating system requires far fewer resources than Windows or macOS, and is thus a great way to breathe new life into an old laptop. However, sometimes when using Linux Mint, you may still run into some issues.
- NVIDIAs New Linux Patches For GPU Direct RDMA For Device-Private Pages
NVIDIA engineer Yonatan Maman posted a set of "request for comments" patches this Sunday to implement GPU Direct RDMA "P2P DMA" for device private pages. This is the latest in the effort by multiple vendors to allow more efficient data sharing between GPUs/accelerators and other devices like network adapters.
- 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: December 1st, 2024
The 216th installment of the 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup is here for the week ending on December 1st, 2024, keeping you updated with the most important things happening in the Linux world.
- Using flock in Bash Scripts: Manage File Locks and Prevent Task Overlaps
Managing concurrent processes in a Bash script can be a challenging endeavor, especially when tasks need to be executed without overlap. This is where file locking comes into play. In this article, we will explore how to use the flock command in Bash scripts to create file locks, ensuring that only one instance of a task can run at a time. This capability prevents unexpected behaviors and resource contention, making our scripts safer and more reliable.
- 2024, the year of the Linux laptop
I was on my perfectly functioning 2017 Macbook Pro when I decided to upgrade all my brew packages. When doing that, brew (a command line package manager for macos) informed me that they ? like Apple ?, would stop supporting my hardware, and thus I would have to buy a new laptop, while the one I was using was doing fine (albeit a bit slow).
- Dolphin Emulator 2412 Added Official Linux Flatpak Support
The game emulator supported Linux previously through an official Ubuntu PPA, however discontinued! In the new release, it added back official Linux support through Flatpak package, which works in most Linux distributions, through runs in sandbox.
- Resources System Monitoring App For GNOME Now Displays NPU Usage
As an alternative to the GNOME System Monitor application for system monitoring, Resources has been in development as a currently unofficial, GNOME-aligned resource/hardware monitoring application written in the Rust programming language. Resources v1.7 was released on Friday and now has the ability to monitor NPU usage and other enhancements.
- Intel Debuts Arc Battlemage Discrete Graphics Cards
MojoKid writes: Intel officially revealed its next generation discrete graphics cards, code named Battlemage, this morning. There are two midrange cards in the series so far, branded Arc B580 and Arc B570, though future higher-end B700 series cards are unknown currently. The graphics architecture for Battlemage is Xe2, and it debuted in the iGPU on Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200V mobile processors earlier this year. Arc B580 is paired to 12GB of GDDR6 memory operating at an effective data rate of 19Gbps over a 192-bit interface, and its average GPU clock should hover around 2,670MHz. The Arc B570 is based on the same slice of silicon, but scales things down with 10GB of GDDR6 memory operating at the same speed as the B580, but connected over a narrower 160-bit interface. The B570's average GPU clock will also be lower, in the 2,500MHz range. Performance-wise, Intel is projecting that Arc B580 will be about 10% faster than an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 on average but will be priced at $249 USD, undercutting GeForce RTX 4060 substantially while offering 4GB more onboard graphics memory. Arc B580 cards are due to arrive in market this month, with Arc B570 arriving in January 2025 at $219 USD.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Middle Manager Hiring Has Plunged
Major U.S. corporations have eliminated thousands of middle management positions over the past two years in a widespread restructuring trend, with no signs of rehiring, according to workforce data from Revelio Labs. Job postings for middle management roles remained 42% below April 2022 levels in October, even as hiring rebounded for other positions. Meta, Citigroup, UPS, and Amazon have all reduced management layers or increased worker-to-supervisor ratios, citing efficiency goals. Middle managers accounted for 32% of layoffs in 2023, up from 20% in 2019, Live Data Technologies reports. Displaced supervisors, typically in their late 40s to 50s, face limited job prospects as companies permanently eliminate these positions rather than temporarily freezing hiring, Business Insider reports.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- UK Cyber Chief Warns Country 'Widely Underestimating' Risks From Cyberattacks
The cyber risks facing the United Kingdom are being "widely underestimated," the country's new cyber chief will warn on Tuesday as he launches the National Cyber Security Centre's (NCSC) annual review. From a report: In his first major speech since joining the NCSC -- part of the signals and cyber intelligence agency GCHQ -- Richard Horne will drive a shift in tone in how the cybersecurity agency communicates these risks. Despite some evidence showing cyberattacks growing year-on-year for half a decade, the NCSC has not previously confirmed the trend nor expressed alarm about it. "What has struck me more forcefully than anything else since taking the helm at the NCSC is the clearly widening gap between the exposure and threat we face, and the defences that are in place to protect us," Horne will say, according to an advance preview of his speech on Tuesday. Citing the intelligence that NCSC has access to as an agency within GCHQ, Horne will warn that "hostile activity in UK cyberspace has increased in frequency, sophistication and intensity," adding that despite growing activity from Russian and Chinese threat actors, the agency believes British society as a whole is failing to appreciate the severity of the risk. The annual review reveals that the agency's incident management team handled a record number of cyber incidents over the past 12 months -- 430 compared to 371 last year -- 89 of which were considered nationally significant incidents.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- India's EV Paradox: Highest Subsidies, Lowest Uptake
India, the world's fifth-largest economy, is offering the heftiest electric vehicle subsidies globally -- yet has achieved just 2% market penetration so far. From a report: India's total EV subsidies amount to 40-50% of vehicle prices when accounting for GST (goods and services tax), road tax benefits, state subsidies and production-linked incentives. For larger vehicles like the Grand Vitara, the effective subsidy reaches 61%. This dwarfs incentives in other major markets. China's subsidies represent about 10% of EV prices, while South Korea and Germany offer around 16-20%. The US provides roughly 26% through various federal and state programs. Yet India's EV penetration significantly lags these markets. China has reached 24% penetration, South Korea 18%, Germany 20%, and the US 8%. India's 2% looks particularly stark in comparison.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- China Retaliates Over New US Chip Restrictions
China banned exports of minerals and metals used in semiconductor manufacturing and military applications to the United States on Tuesday, escalating tensions in the growing technology trade war between the world's two largest economies. The commerce ministry halted shipments of gallium, germanium, antimony and related compounds, citing national security concerns. These materials are crucial components in advanced electronics and military hardware, with China controlling 98% of global gallium production and 60% of germanium output, according to U.S. Geological Survey data. The move comes in direct response to Washington's new restrictions on semiconductor exports to China, including controls on high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI systems and limits on manufacturing equipment sales.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Australia Struggling With Oversupply of Solar Power
Mirnotoriety writes: Amid the growing warmth and increasingly volatile weather of an approaching summer, Australia passed a remarkable milestone this week. The number of homes and businesses with a solar installation clicked past 4 million -- barely 20 years since there was practically none anywhere in the country. It is a love affair that shows few signs of stopping. And it's a technology that is having ever greater effects, not just on the bills of its household users but on the very energy system itself. At no time of the year is that effect more obvious than spring, when solar output soars as the days grow longer and sunnier but demand remains subdued as mild temperatures mean people leave their air conditioners switched off. Such has been the extraordinary production of solar in Australia this spring, the entire state of South Australia has -- at various times -- met all of its electricity needs from the technology. [...] [T]here is, at times, too much solar power in Australia's electricity systems to handle.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Coinbase Expands Crypto Buying Reach With Apple Pay Integration
Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has integrated Apple Pay into its Onramp service, enabling third-party apps to offer direct cryptocurrency purchases through Apple's payment system. The move significantly streamlines the traditionally complex process of converting traditional currencies to cryptocurrencies, eliminating multiple steps and extra fees previously required. It also marks a notable shift in Apple's historically cautious stance toward cryptocurrency, following years of restricting crypto-related features and removing major exchanges from its App Store in certain markets.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- India Takes Out Giant Nationwide Subscription To 13,000 Journals
India has struck a landmark $715 million deal with 30 global academic publishers to provide nationwide free access to nearly 13,000 research journals. The "One Nation One Subscription" initiative, launching January 2025, will benefit an estimated 18 million students and researchers. The agreement, which surpasses similar arrangements in Germany and the UK, marks a significant shift in India's academic publishing landscape, despite the country's position as the world's third-largest producer of research papers. Science magazine: India's is expected to encompass some 6300 government-funded institutions, which produce almost half the country's research papers. Currently, only about 2300 of these institutions have subscriptions to 8000 journals. Under the new arrangement, "universities that aren't so well funded, and can't afford many journals, will gain," said Aniket Sule of the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. Specialist institutes that only subscribe to journals relevant to their field will benefit from accessing work outside their silos, he added. Colleges that want to subscribe to journals not included under this initiative can use their own funds to do so. Some part of the $715 million will cover the fees some journals charge to publish papers open access, making them immediately free to read by anyone worldwide when published, Madalli told Science. Details of that component have not been worked out yet, but the amount will be calculated based on the country's current spending on these fees, known as article-processing charges (APCs), which are paid by authors or their institutions, Madalli says.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Mexican Cartels Lure Chemistry Students To Make Fentanyl
schwit1 writes: Recruiters approach students with tempting offers, often after observing them for weeks. Promising salaries of over $800 per month -- double the average pay for chemists in Mexican companies, along with potential bonuses like cars or housing -- recruiters capitalize on the financial struggles of young professionals. These "cooks" are tasked with improving fentanyl's addictive quality and finding alternative synthesis methods to mitigate supply chain disruptions caused by stricter chemical export controls from China and pandemic-induced bottlenecks. The Times interviewed seven drug "cooks," three university chemistry students recruited by the Sinaloa cartel, two agents, a recruiter, and a university professor -- all anonymously to avoid cartel retaliation. According to the recruiter, candidates must be passionate, discreet, and indifferent to the ethical consequences of their work. The university professor highlighted a disturbing trend: students openly expressed interest in synthesizing illicit drugs during lectures.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Nike-owned NFT Wearables Startup RTFKT is Winding Down
RTFKT, the NFT project most known for its attempt at making "digital shoes" a thing, is shutting down, according to a statement on Monday. From a report: The project, acquired by athletic wear juggernaut Nike in 2021 for an undisclosed sum, plans to fully unwind by the end of January, though its Ethereum-based tokens will remain accessible. Launched in 2020 amid the beginnings of the mania around NFTs and the metaverse, RTFKT quickly garnered a reputation as a fast-moving startup. It spun up "drops" with brands, including Nike, and collaborated with the likes of sneaker designer Jeff Staple and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Company Claims 1,000% Price Hike Drove It From VMware To Open Source Rival
An anonymous reader shares a report: Companies have been discussing migrating off of VMware since Broadcom's takeover a year ago led to higher costs and other controversial changes. Now we have an inside look at one of the larger customers that recently made the move. According to a report from The Register today, Beeks Group, a cloud operator headquartered in the United Kingdom, has moved most of its 20,000-plus virtual machines (VMs) off VMware and to OpenNebula, an open source cloud and edge computing platform. Beeks Group sells virtual private servers and bare metal servers to financial service providers. It still has some VMware VMs, but "the majority" of its machines are currently on OpenNebula, The Register reported. Beeks' head of production management, Matthew Cretney, said that one of the reasons for Beeks migration was a VMware bill for "10 times the sum it previously paid for software licenses," per The Register. According to Beeks, OpenNebula has enabled the company to dedicate more of its 3,000 bare metal server fleet to client loads instead of to VM management, as it had to with VMware. With OpenNebula purportedly requiring less management overhead, Beeks is reporting a 200 percent increase in VM efficiency since it now has more VMs on each server.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- The Casual Moviegoer is a Thing of the Past
U.S. movie theaters are struggling to attract casual moviegoers, who once made up a significant portion of box office revenues, as shorter theatrical runs and changing consumer habits reshape the industry. The domestic box office, which regularly exceeded $10 billion in annual ticket sales before COVID-19, is expected to reach only $8.5 billion this year. Films now average 32 days in theaters compared to 80 days pre-pandemic, limiting opportunities for audiences to discover movies spontaneously. Midtier films generating $50-100 million at the box office have become scarcer, particularly in genres like drama and romantic comedy. Theater chains are responding with enhanced experiences and loyalty programs to draw audiences back. "It's fair to say there is a missing billion dollars that, if we had the right movies, people would be going to see them," said Bruce Nash, founder of movie business site the Numbers, told LA Times. Frequent moviegoers comprise only 12-15% of box office revenue, according to Patrick Corcoran of theater consulting firm Fithian Group.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Getty Images CEO Says Content-Scraping AI Groups Use 'Pure Theft' For Profit
Getty Images CEO has criticized AI companies' stance on copyright, particularly pushing back against claims that all web content is fair use for AI training. The statement comes amid Getty's ongoing litigation against Stability AI for allegedly using millions of Getty-owned images without permission to train its Stable Diffusion model, launched in August 2022. Acknowledging AI's potential benefits in areas like healthcare and climate change, Getty's chief executive argued against the industry's "all-or-nothing" approach to copyright. He specifically challenged Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's assertion that web content has been "freeware" since the 1990s. The Getty chief advocated for applying fair use principles case-by-case, distinguishing between AI models for scientific advancement and commercial content generation. He also drew parallels to music streaming's evolution from Napster to licensed platforms like Spotify, suggesting AI companies could develop similar permission-based models. He adds: As litigation slowly advances, AI companies advance an argument that there will be no AI absent the ability to freely scrape content for training, resulting in our inability to leverage the promise of AI to solve cancer, mitigate global climate change, and eradicate global hunger. Note that the companies investing in and building AI spend billions of dollars on talent, GPUs, and the required power to train and run these models -- but remarkably claim compensation for content owners is an unsurmountable challenge. My focus is to achieve a world where creativity is celebrated and rewarded AND a world that is without cancer, climate change, and global hunger. I want the cake and to eat it. I suspect most of us want the same.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- 'Brain Rot' Named Oxford Word of the Year 2024
Oxford University Press: Following a public vote in which more than 37,000 people had their say, we're pleased to announce that the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 is 'brain rot.' Our language experts created a shortlist of six words to reflect the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year. After two weeks of public voting and widespread conversation, our experts came together to consider the public's input, voting results, and our language data, before declaring 'brain rot' as the definitive Word of the Year for 2024. 'Brain rot' is defined as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration." Our experts noticed that 'brain rot' gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The term increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- ChatGPT Refuses To Say One Specific Name
An anonymous reader shares a report: ChatGPT users have spotted an unusual glitch that prevents the AI chatbot from saying the name 'David Mayer.' OpenAI's hugely popular AI tool responds to requests to write the name with an error message, stating: "I'm unable to produce a response." The chat thread is then ended, with people forced to open a new chat window in order to keep interacting with ChatGPT.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Gelsinger departs Intel with $9.7M handshake
CEO's severance pales in comparison to Musk's billion-dollar Tesla battle
Outgoing Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger is set to receive severance pay of around $9.7 million following his departure from the chip giant.…
- $373M ASML chipmaker shrinks to $228 – but it's made of Lego
What to buy the techie who has everything?
If you thought $373 million was a little bit beyond your budget to get your hands on the latest chipmaking machines, ASML will let you have one for just $228 – provided you don't mind it being made of Lego.…
- Asda hits the brakes on tech tweaks to avoid festive fiasco
Stability essential ahead of Christmas trading amid ongoing Walmart divorce
The UK's third-largest retailer has accelerated plans for a system freeze during the busy Christmas period as it grapples with a long-running tech divorce from its previous owner.…
- GitHub's boast that Copilot produces high-quality code challenged
We're shocked – shocked – that Microsoft's study of its own tools might not be super-rigorous
GitHub's claim that the quality of programming code written with its Copilot AI model is "significantly more functional, readable, reliable, maintainable, and concise," has been challenged by software developer Dan Cîmpianu.…
- GenAI comes for jobs once considered 'safe' from automation
Specialty in cognitive non-routine tasks means high-skilled city workers affected
Jobs in geographical areas and scope once thought to be at low risk of automation are soon to be the most affected by generative AI, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).…
- NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory datacenter flooded, offline until 2025
Burst water pipe blots out the Sun – or at least the data about it collected from two probes
Servers that store data collected by two NASA solar observation satellites are down – and the space agency doesn't know when they'll resume operations – after a four-inch chilled water pipe burst at the facility that houses them.…
- Employee sues Apple over 'spying' claims tied to mandatory devices
Cupertino's walled garden 'is a prison yard' claims plaintiff
Suing your employer while remaining employed is a risky play, but one Apple ad tech manager is trying it – claiming that the iGiant is forcing staff to expose their personal data and threatening them with pay clawbacks over non-compliance.…
- Bluesky keeps growing, and so do its problems
Impersonators, harmful content and AI scraping are up, too
It's undoubtedly a good time to be upstart social media network Bluesky given its rapid growth in the wake of the US presidential election, but questions of moderation and compliance matters are growing along with the influx of humans seeking bluer pastures. …
- Apple's backwards design mistake and the reversed capacitor
It's true – the Mac LC III really did have it installed the wrong way round
Did Apple really fit a capacitor backward on the Mac LC III? A multimeter-wielding retro fan has confirmed that, yes – somebody made a mistake decades ago, and a capacitor ended up installed the wrong way.…
- Musk seeks injunction to stop OpenAI morphing into for-profit company
Politics, electric cars, rockets, and social media not enough to keep some individuals busy
Elon Musk has filed for an injunction against OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, broadly designed to prevent the GenAI poster child from shifting towards an entirely for-profit business.…
- Who had Pat Gelsinger retires from Intel on their bingo card?
80486 processor lead architect leaves x86 giant after largest quarterly loss in its history
Intel has confirmed the sudden departure of chief executive Pat Gelsinger, in a move intended to restore investor confidence in the ailing Silicon Valley giant following a year of turmoil.…
- Windows 11 market share falls despite Microsoft ad blitz
Only 10 months left until Windows 10 end of support and people still seem to prefer it
Despite Microsoft's push to get customers onto Windows 11, growth in the market share of the software giant's latest operating system has stalled, while Windows 10 has made modest gains, according to fresh figures from Statcounter.…
- Telco security is a dumpster fire and everyone's getting burned
The politics of cybersecurity are too important to be left to the politicians
Opinion Here's a front-page headline you won't see these days: CHINA'S SPIES ARE TAPPING OUR PHONES. Not that they're not – they are – but, like the environment, there's so much cybersecurity horror in the media that, yes, of course they are. And?…
- Interpol nabs thousands, seizes millions in global cybercrime-busting op
Also, script kiddies still a threat, Tornado Cash is back, UK firms lose billions to avoidable attacks, and more
Infosec in brief Interpol and its financial supporters in the South Korean government are back with another round of anti-cybercrime arrests via the fifth iteration of Operation HAECHI, this time nabbing more than 5,500 people suspected of scamming and seizing hundreds of millions in digital and fiat currencies. …
- NASA's X-59 plane is aiming for a sonic thump, not a boom
Pilot James 'Clue' Less is ready to take to the skies
Feature Sitting in the hangar of Lockheed Martin's famous Palmdale, California Skunk Works facility is one of the oddest aircraft ever to take shape: the X-59 that's looking to revive supersonic travel over land.…
- Both KDE and GNOME to offer official distros
Leading Linux desktops boldly address the 'not enough distros' non-problem
KDE and GNOME have decided that because they're not big and complicated enough already, they might work better if they have their own custom distributions underneath. What's the worst that could happen?…
- Cloudy with a chance of GPU bills: AI's energy appetite has CIOs sweating
Public cloud expenses have businesses scrambling for alternatives that won't melt the budget
Canalys Forums EMEA 2024 Organizations are being forced to rethink where they host workloads in response to ballooning AI demands combined with rising energy bills, and shoving them into the public cloud may not be the answer.…
- TSMC bets big on 2nm by 2025 – but can it deliver?
Ambition meets reality as geopolitical, technical, and logistical challenges loom
analysis Over the last couple of weeks, TSMC's ambitious roadmap for its 2nm manufacturing process has sparked significant attention. The chipmaker is set to begin the mass production of its 2nm process node in 2025.…
- Ransom gang claims attack on NHS Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Second alleged intrusion on English NHS org systems this week
Yet another of the UK's National Health Service (NHS) systems appears to be under attack, with a ransomware gang threatening to leak stolen data it says is from one of England's top children's hospitals.…
- Microsoft preps big guns to shift Copilot software and PCs
IT admins be warned: 13,000 tech suppliers coming for your employer's checkbook
Canalys Forums EMEA 2024 When Microsoft needs to make a market, it turns to the channel - a nebulous term used for resellers, distributors and an assortment of other independent third party suppliers that sell wares and services. And by goodness Microsoft needs more feet on the street than ever if it's going to appease investors desperate to see returns on the billions of dollars it's betting on Generative Artificial Intelligence.…
- Panasonic brings its founder back to life as an AI
Digital clone of Kōnosuke Matsushita to dispense management advice to new generation
Japanese multinational electronics mainstay Panasonic – founded in 1918 as Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works –has created an AI version of its long deceased founder, Kōnosuke Matsushita.…
- Security: Why Linux Is Better Than Windows Or Mac OS
Linux is a free and open source operating system that was released in 1991 developed and released by Linus Torvalds. Since its release it has reached a user base that is greatly widespread worldwide. Linux users swear by the reliability and freedom that this operating system offers, especially when compared to its counterparts, windows and [0]
- Essential Software That Are Not Available On Linux OS
An operating system is essentially the most important component in a computer. It manages the different hardware and software components of a computer in the most effective way. There are different types of operating system and everything comes with their own set of programs and software. You cannot expect a Linux program to have all [0]
- Things You Never Knew About Your Operating System
The advent of computers has brought about a revolution in our daily life. From computers that were so huge to fit in a room, we have come a very long way to desktops and even palmtops. These machines have become our virtual lockers, and a life without these network machines have become unimaginable. Sending mails, [0]
- How To Fully Optimize Your Operating System
Computers and systems are tricky and complicated. If you lack a thorough knowledge or even basic knowledge of computers, you will often find yourself in a bind. You must understand that something as complicated as a computer requires constant care and constant cleaning up of junk files. Unless you put in the time to configure [0]
- The Top Problems With Major Operating Systems
There is no such system which does not give you any problems. Even if the system and the operating system of your system is easy to understand, there will be some times when certain problems will arise. Most of these problems are easy to handle and easy to get rid of. But you must be [0]
- 8 Benefits Of Linux OS
Linux is a small and a fast-growing operating system. However, we can’t term it as software yet. As discussed in the article about what can a Linux OS do Linux is a kernel. Now, kernels are used for software and programs. These kernels are used by the computer and can be used with various third-party software [0]
- Things Linux OS Can Do That Other OS Cant
What Is Linux OS? Linux, similar to U-bix is an operating system which can be used for various computers, hand held devices, embedded devices, etc. The reason why Linux operated system is preferred by many, is because it is easy to use and re-use. Linux based operating system is technically not an Operating System. Operating [0]
- Packagekit Interview
Packagekit aims to make the management of applications in the Linux and GNU systems. The main objective to remove the pains it takes to create a system. Along with this in an interview, Richard Hughes, the developer of Packagekit said that he aims to make the Linux systems just as powerful as the Windows or [0]
- What’s New in Ubuntu?
What Is Ubuntu? Ubuntu is open source software. It is useful for Linux based computers. The software is marketed by the Canonical Ltd., Ubuntu community. Ubuntu was first released in late October in 2004. The Ubuntu program uses Java, Python, C, C++ and C# programming languages. What Is New? The version 17.04 is now available here [0]
- Ext3 Reiserfs Xfs In Windows With Regards To Colinux
The problem with Windows is that there are various limitations to the computer and there is only so much you can do with it. You can access the Ext3 Reiserfs Xfs by using the coLinux tool. Download the tool from the official site or from the sourceforge site. Edit the connection to “TAP Win32 Adapter [0]
- Intel board kicks out CEO, launches new budget desktop GPUs
This is a bit of an odd few days for Intel. Mere days after the board ousted its CEO Pat Gelsinger, once heralded as the chip giants messiah, theyre today launching two brand new desktop graphics cards. Theyre aimed at the more budget-oriented consumer, and might very well be the last discrete graphics cards Intel makes, since this is one of the product lines on the chopping block. Intel’s next — and possibly last — desktop graphics cards will begin arriving in just 10 days.`Right on cue, the company has announced the budget $249 Arc B580 and $219 Arc B570, shipping December 13th and January 16th, respectively, as the “best-in-class performance per dollar” options in the GPU market. They’re based on the same Xe2 “Battlemage” GPU architecture you’ll find in Intel’s Lunar Lake laptop chips but with more than double the graphics cores, up to 12GB of dedicated video memory, and up to 190W of power compared to their limited laptop forms — enough power to see the B580 slightly beat Nvidia’s $299 RTX 4060 and AMD’s $269 RX 7600, according to Intel’s benchmarks, but sometimes still trading blows. ↫ Sean Hollister at The Verge As for Gelsingers dismissal, it seems the board forced him out after being frustrated with the slow progress the company was making in its turnaround. The fact that a finance person and a marketing person will together be interim CEOs seems to indicate the board is more interested in quick profit than a long-term turnaround, and with companies like Qualcomm being interested in acquiring Intel, the boards short-term mentality might be winning out, and ousting Gelsinger is just paving the way for selling off parts of Intel until theres nothing left. Who knows, I might be reading way too much into all of this, but it feels like expecting an organisation as complex as a high-end processor makers to turn itself around in just a few years is incredibly shortsighted, and youd think board members at Intel would understand that. If the goal is to maintain Intel as a separate, profitable entity making some of the worlds fastest processors, youre going to need to give a CEO and leadership team more than just a few years to turn the ship around. Within a few years well know the boards true intentions, but I wouldnt be surprised to see Intel being sold for parts over the coming years.
- FreeBSD 14.2 released
FreeBSD 14.2 has been released, and as the version number suggests, this isnt a major release with huge changes. Still, it does bring support for downloading and installing necessary firmware packages after installation, the latest versions of OpenZFS and OpenSSL, and much more. FreeBSD 14.2 is available for the main architectures it supports x86, PowerPC/POWER, ARM, and RISC-V, and can be downloaded from the usual location.
- If not React, then what?
Rejecting an engrained practice of bullshitting does not come easily. Frameworkism preaches that the way to improve user experiences is to adopt more (or different) tooling from the frameworks ecosystem. This provides adherents with something to`do`that looks plausibly like engineering, except it isnt. It can even become a totalising commitment; solutions to user problems outside the frameworks expanded cinematic universe are unavailable to the frameworkist. Non-idiomatic patterns that unlock significant wins for users are bugs to be squashed. And without data or evidence to counterbalance bullshit artistss assertions, whos to say theyre wrong? Orthodoxy unmoored from measurements of user outcomes predictably spins into`abstruse absurdities.`Heresy, eventually, is perceived to carry heavy sanctions. Its all nonsense. ↫ Alex Russell Im not a developer, but any application that uses frameworks like React that Ive ever used tend to be absolute trainwrecks when it comes to performance, usability, consistency, and platform integration. When someone claims to have an application available for a platform I use, but its using React or Electron or whatever, theyre lying in my eyes what they really have is a website running in a window frame, which may or may not even be a native window frame. Developing using these tools indicates to me a lack of care, a lack of respect for the users of your product. I am militantly native. Id rather use a less functional application than a Chrome web application cosplaying as a real application, and I will most likely not even consider using your service if all you have is a website-in-a-box. If you dont respect me, I see no need to respect you. If you want an application on a specific platform, use that platforms native tools and APIs to build it. Anything else tells me all I need to know about how much you truly care about the product youre building.
- The Hall SC-VGA-2 video processor, the Atari ST and NeXTSTEP: more tales of the unscreenshotable
This is the Hall Research Technologies SC-VGA-2, sold as a VGA/HDTV Video Processor.! In addition to slicing, dicing and pureeing, apparently, it will take any of a bundle of input formats and both rescale and resample them on the fly into the VGA or HDTV signal you desire, including 60Hz rates. This came from a seller specializing in teleprompter equipment and Hall still sells an HDMI version with additional resolutions 0 for around US$500. However, this or the slightly newer SC-VGA-2A and SC-VGA-2B are all relatively common devices and found substantially cheaper used. Lets try it out and show some sample output, including those delicious NeXTSTEP system messages and some ST grabs. ↫ Cameron Kaiser With the obscurity of some of the hardware Cameron Kaiser details on his website, Im not surprised he has some seriously unique needs when it comes to taking screengrabs. He couldnt very well not take the device apart, and inside it appears to be a system with two small processors, at least one of which is an Intel 8051 8bit microcontroller. Kaiser goes into his usual great detail explaining and showing how the device works. If youve got unique screengrabbing needs, this might be of interest to you.
- MNT Pocket Reform Sculpt 24.10 preview image
Within in the last release cycle we worked on adding and extending the support for the i.MX8MP SoC as also found in one of the SoM options for the MNT Pocket Reform and are happy to show-case a first preview version of Sculpt running on this handy computing device. ↫ Josef Söntgen If you have a Pocket Reform I reviewed its bigger sibling earlier this year you can now run Genode on it. Not everything is working flawlessly yet most notably audio and NVMe need work but networking is operational, so you can actually browse the web. Im not sure how much overlap there is between Genode users and Pocket Reform owners, but at least both groups now know its an option.
- The OSNews extra special discount bonanza extravaganza Black Friday super coverage
Today is Black Friday!, which is the day where a lot of retailers, both online and offline, pretend to have massive discounts on things they either raised the prices for a few weeks ago, or for useless garbage they bought in bulk thatll end up in a landfill within a year. Technology media happily partakes in this event, going full-mask off posting an endless stream of stories! promoting these discounts. Theyre writing ads for fake discounts, often for products from the very companies theyre supposed to report on, and dress them up as normal articles. Its sad and revealing, highlighting just how much of the technology media landscape is owned by giant media conglomerates. OSNews does not partake. Were independent, answer to nobody, and are mostly funded directly by you, our readers. If you want to keep it this way, and keep OSNews free from the tripe you see on every other technology site around this time, consider supporting us through Patreon, making a one-time donation through Ko-Fi, or buying some merch. Thats it. Thats our extra special discount bonanza extravaganza Black Friday super coverage.
- Cinnamon Desktop 6.4 released
The Cinnamon Desktop, the GTK desktop environment developed by the Linux Mint project, has just released version 6.4. The focus of this release is on nips and tucks in the default theme, dialogs, menus, and other user interface elements. They seem to have taken a few pages out of GNOMEs book, especially when it comes to dialogs and the OSD, which honestly makes sense considering Cinnamon is also GTK and most Cinnamon users will be running a ton of GNOME/Libadwaita applications. Theres also a new night light feature to reduce eyestrain, vastly improved options for power profiles and management, and more. Cinnamon 6.4 will be part of Linux Mints next major release, coming in late December, but is most likely already making its way to various other distributions repositories.
- So you want to write a KMail plugin?
Recently, Ive been moving away from macOS to Linux, and have settled on using KDE Plasma as my desktop environment. For the most part Ive been comfortable with the change, but its always the small things that get me. For example, the Mail app built into macOS provides an Unsubscribe! button for emails. Apparently this is also supported in some webmail clients, but Im not interested in accessing my email that way. Unfortunately, I havent found an X11 or Wayland email client that supports this sort of functionality, so I decided to implement it myself. And anyway, Im trying out Kontact for my mail at the moment, which supports plugins. So why not use this as an opportunity to build one? ↫ datagirl.xyz Writing a Kmail plugin like this feels a bit like an arcane art, because the process is not documented as well as it could be, and I doubt that other than KDE developers themselves, very few people are interested in writing these kinds of plugins. In fact, I cant find a single one listed on the KDE Store, and searching around I cant find anything either, other than the ones that come with KDE. It seems like this particular plugin interface is designed more to make it easy for KDE developers to extend and alter Kmail than it is for third parties to do so and thats fine. Still, this means that if some third party does want to write such a plugin, theres some sleuthing and hacking to be done, and thats exactly the process this article details. In the end, we end up with a working unsubscribe plugin, with the code on git so others can learn from it. While this may not interest a large number of people, its vital to have information like this out on the web for those precious few to find so excellent work.
- US Copyright Office strikes down proposed game preservation DMCA exception
A three-year fight to help support game preservation has come to a sad end today. The US copyright office has denied a request for a DMCA exemption that would allow libraries to remotely share digital access to preserved video games. ↫ Dustin Bailey at GamesRadar This was always going to end in favour of the massive gaming industry with effectively bottomless bank accounts and more lawyers than god. The gist is that Section 1201 of the DMCA prevents libraries from circumventing the copy protection to make games available remotely. Much like books, libraries loan out books not just for research purposes, but also for entertainment purposes, and thats where the issue lies, according to the Copyright Office, who wrote there would be a significant risk that preserved video games would be used for recreational purposes!. The games industry doesnt care about old titles nobody wants to buy anymore and no consumer is interested in. Theres a long tail of games that have no monetary value whatsoever, and theres a relatively small number of very popular older games that the industry wants to keep repackaging and reselling forever I mean, we cant have a new Nintendo console without the opportunity to buy Mario Bros. for the 67th time. Thatd be ludicrous. In order to protect the continued free profits from those few popular retro titles, the endless list of other games only a few nerds are interested in are sacrificed.
- The capacitor that Apple soldered incorrectly at the factory
There have been some past rumblings on the internet about a capacitor being installed backwards in Apple’s Macintosh LC III. The LC III was a “pizza box” Mac model produced from early 1993 to early 1994, mainly targeted at the education market. It also manifested as various consumer Performa models: the 450, 460, 466, and 467. Clearly, Apple never initiated a huge recall of the LC III, so I think there is some skepticism in the community about this whole issue. Let’s look at the situation in more detail and understand the circuit. Did Apple actually make a mistake? ↫ Doug Brown Even I had heard of these claims, and Im not particularly interested in Apple retrocomputing, other than whatever comes by on Adrian Black or whatever. As such, it surprises me that there hasnt been any definitive answer to this question with the amount of interest in classic Macs youd think this would simply be a settled issue and everyone would know about it. This vintage of Macs pretty much require recaps by now, so I assumed if Apple indeed soldered on a capacitor backwards, itd just be something listed in the various recapping guides. It took some very minor digging with the multimeter, but yes, one of the capacitors on this family of boards is soldered on the wrong way, with the positive terminal where the negative terminal should be. It seems the error does not lie with whomever soldered the capacitors on the boards or whomever set the machine that did so because the silkscreen is labeled incorrectly, too. The reason it doesnt seem to be noticeable problem during the expected lifespan of the computer is because it was rated at 16V, but was only taking in -5V. So, if you plan on recapping one of these classic Macs you might as well fix the error.
- Mozilla begs courts to allow Google search deal for Firefox to continue
The moment a lot of us has been fearing may be soon upon us. Among the various remedies proposed by the United States Department of Justice to address Googles monopoly abuse, theres also banning Google from spending money to become the default search engine on other devices, platforms, or applications. “We strongly urge the Court to consider remedies that improve search competition without harming independent browsers and browser engines,” a Mozilla spokesperson tells PCMag. Mozilla points to a key but less eye-catching proposal from the DOJ to regulate Google’s search business, which a judge ruled as a monopoly in August. In their recommendations, federal prosecutors urged the court to ban Google from offering something of value! to third-party companies to make Google the default search engine over their software or devices. ↫ Michael Kan at PC Mag Obviously Mozilla is urging the courts to reconsider this remedy, because it would instantly cut more than 80% of Mozillas revenue. As Ive been saying for years now, the reason Firefox seems to be getting worse is because of Mozilla is desperately trying to find other sources of revenue, and they seem to think advertising is their best bet even going so far as working together with Facebook. Imagine how much more invasive and user-hostile these attempts are going to get if Mozilla suddenly loses 80% of its revenue? For so, so many years now Ive been warning everyone about just how fragile the future of Firefox was, and every one of my worries and predictions have become reality. If Mozilla now loses 80% of its funding, which platform Firefox officially supports do you think will feel the sting of inevitable budget cuts, scope reductions, and even more layoffs first? The future of especially Firefox on Linux is hanging by a thread, and with everyone lulled into a false sense of complacency by Chrome and its many shady skins, nobody in the Linux community seems to have done anything to prepare for this near inevitability. With no proper, fully-featured replacements in the works, Linux distributions, especially ones with strict open source requirements, will most likely be forced to ship with de-Googled Chromium variants by default once Firefox becomes incompatible with such requirements. And no matter how much you take Google out of Chromium, its still effectively a Google product, leaving most Linux users entirely at the whim of big tech for the most important application they have. Were about to enter a very, very messy time for browsing on Linux.
- Leaving big tech behind: Murenas /e/OS on the Fairphone 5
There are so many ecological, environmental, and climate problems and disasters taking place all over the world that its sometimes hard to see the burning forests through the charred tree stumps. As at best middle-income individuals living in this corporate line-must-go-up hellscape, theres only so much we can do turn the rising tides of fascism and leave at least a semblance of a livable world for our children and grandchildren. Of course, the most elementary thing we can do is not vote for science-denying death cults who believe everything is some non-existent entitys grand plan, but other than that, whats really our impact if we drive a little less or use paper straws, when some wealthy robber baron flying his private jet to Florida to kiss the gaudy gold ring to signal his obedience does more damage to our world in one flight than we do in a year of driving to our underpaid, expendable job? Income, financial, health, and other circumstances allowing, all we can do are the little things to make ourselves feel better, usually in areas in which we are knowledgeable. In technology, it might seem like theres not a whole lot we can do, but actually theres quite a few steps we can take. One of the biggest things you, as an individual knowledgeable about and interested in tech, can do to give the elite and ruling class the finger is to move away from big tech, their products, and their services no more Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, or Amazon. This is often a long, tedious, and difficult process, as most of us will discover that we rely on a lot more big tech products than we initially thought. Its like an onion that looks shiny and tasty on the outside, but is rotting from the inside the more layers you peel away, the dirtier and nastier it gets. Also you start crying. Ive been in the process of eradicating as much of big tech out of my life for a long time now. Since four or five years ago, all my desktop and laptop PCs run Linux, from my dual-Xeon workstation to my high-end gaming PC (ignore that spare parts PC that runs Windows just for League of Legends. That stupid game is my guilty pleasure and I will not give it up), from my XPS 13 laptop to my little Home Assistant thin client. Ive never ordered a single thing from Amazon and have no Prime subscription or whatever it is, so that one was a freebie. Apple I banished from my life long ago, so thats another freebie. Sadly, that other device most of us carry with us remained solidly in the big tech camp, as Ive been using an Android phone for a long time, filled to the brim with Google products, applications, and services. There really isnt a viable alternative to the Android and iOS duopoly. Or is there? Well, in a roundabout way, there is an alternative to iOS and Googles Android. You cant do much to take the Apple out of an iPhone, but theres a lot you can do to take the Google out of an Android phone. Unless or until an independent third platform ever manages to take serious hold godspeed, our saviour de-Googled Android, as its called, is your best bet at having a fully functional, modern smartphone thats as free from big tech as you want it to be, without leaving you with a barely usable, barebones experience. While you can install a de-Googled ROM yourself, as theres countless to choose from, this is not an option for everyone, since not everyone has the skills, time, and/or supported devices to do so. Murena, Fairphone, and sustainable mining This is where Murena comes in. Murena is a French company founded by Gaël Duval, of Mandrake Linux fame that develops /e/OS, a de-Googled Android using microG (which Murena also supports financially), which it makes available for anyone to install on supported devices, while also selling various devices with /e/OS preinstalled. Murena goes one step further, however, by also offering something called Murena Workspace a branded Nextcloud offering that works seamlessly with /e/OS. In other words, if you buy an /e/OS smartphone from Murena, you get the complete package of smartphone, mobile operating system, and cloud services thats very similar to buying a regular Android phone or an iPhone. To help me test this complete package of smartphone, de-Googled Android, and cloud services, Murena loaned me a Fairphone 5 with /e/OS preinstalled, and while this article mostly focuses on the /e/OS experience, we should first talk a little bit about the relationship between Murena and Fairphone. Murena and Fairphone are partners, and Murena has been selling /e/OS Fairphones for a while now. Most of us will be familiar with Fairphone its a Dutch company focused on designing and selling smartphones and related accessories that are are user-repairable and long-lasting, while also trying everything within their power to give full insight into their supply chain. This is important, because every smartphone contains quite a few materials that are unsustainably mined. Many mines are destructive to the environment, have horrible working conditions, or even sink as low as employing children. Even companies priding themselves on being environmentally responsible and sustainable, like Apple, are guilty of partaking in and propping up such mining endeavours. As consumers, there isnt much we can do the network of supply chains involved in making a smartphone is incredibly complex and opaque, and theres basically nothing normal people can do to really fully know on whose underpaid or even underage shoulders their smartphone is built. This holiday season, Murena and Fairphone are collaborating on exactly this issue of the conditions in mines used to acquire the metals and minerals in our phones. Instead of offering big discounts (that barely eat into margins and often follow sharp price increases right before the holidays), Murena and Fairphone will donate
- Managing third-party packages in 9front
Every now and then, news from the club Im too cool to join, the plan9/9front community, pierces the veil of coolness and enters our normal world. This time, someone accidentally made a package manager for 9front. Ive been growing tired of manually handling random software, so I decided to find a simple way to automate the process and ended up making a sort of package manager! for 9front¹. Its really just a set of shell scripts that act as a frontend for`git`and keep a simple database of package names and URLs. Running the`pkginit`script will ask for a location to store the source files for installed packages (/sys/pkg`by default) which will then be created if non-existent. And thats it! No, really. Now you can provide a URL for a git repository to pkg/add. ↫ Kelly bubstance! Glenn As I somehow expected from 9front, its quite a simple and elegant system. Im not sure how well it would handle more complex package operations, but I doubt many 9front systems are complex to begin with, so this may just be enough to take some of the tedium out of managing software on 9front, as the author originally intended. One day I will be cool enough to use 9front. I just have to stay cool.
- Microsoft Word is using you to train AI!
The author of this article, Dr. Casey Lawrence, mentions the opt-out checkbox is hard to find, and they arent kidding. On Windows, heres the full snaking path you have to take through Words settings to get to the checkbox: File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings > Optional Connected Experiences > Uncheck box: “Turn on optional connected experiences”. That is absolutely bananas. No normal person is ever going to find this checkbox. Anyway, remember how the AI! believers kept saying hey, its on the internet so scraping your stuff and violating your copyright is totally legal you guys!!? Well, what about when youre using Word, installed on your own PC, to write private documents, containing, say, sensitive health information? Or detailed plans about your companys competitor to Azure or Microsoft Office? Or correspondence with lawyers about an antirust lawsuit against Microsoft? Or a report on Microsofts illegal activity youre trying to report as a whistleblower? Is that stuff fair game for the gobbledygook generators too? This AI! nonsense has to stop. How is any of this even remotely legal?
- Using (only) a Linux terminal for my personal computing in 2024
A month and a bit ago, I wondered if I could cope with a terminal-only computer. The only way to really find out was to give it a go. My goal was to see what it was like to use a terminal-only computer for my`personal`computing for two weeks, and more if I fancied it. ↫ Neils blog I tried to do this too, once. Once. Doing everything from the terminal just isnt viable for me, mostly because I didnt grow up with it. Our familys first computer ran MS-DOS (with a Windows 3.1 installation we never used), and Im pretty sure the experience of using MS-DOS as my first CLI ruined me for life. My mental model for computing didnt start forming properly until Windows 95 came out, and as such, computing is inherently graphical for me, and no matter how many amazing CLI and TUI applications are out there and there are many, many amazing ones my brain just isnt compatible with it. There are a few tasks I prefer doing with the command line, like updating my computers or editing system files using Nano, but for everything else Im just faster and more comfortable with a graphical user interface. This comes down to not knowing most commands by heart, and often not even knowing the options and flags for the most basic of commands, meaning even very basic operations that people comfortable using the command line do without even thinking, take me ages. Im glad any modern Linux distribution I use Fedora KDE on all my computers offers both paths for almost anything you could do on your computer, and unless I specifically opt to do so, I literally literally literally never have to touch the command line.
- MaXX Interactive Desktop springs back to life with new release and updated roadmap
I had to dive into our archive all the way back to 2017 to find the last reference to the MaXX Interactive Desktop, and it seems this wasnt exactly my fault the project has been on hiatus since 2020, and is only now coming back to life, as MaXXdesktop v2.2.0 (nickname Octane) Alpha-1 has been released, alongside a promising and ambitious roadmap for the future of the project. For the uninitiated MaXX is a Linux reimplementation of the IRIX Interactive Desktop with some modernisations and other niceties to make it work properly on modern Linux (and FreeBSD) machines. MaXX has a unique history in that its creator and lead developer, Eric Masson, managed to secure a special license agreement with SGI way back in 2005, under which he was allowed to recreate, from scratch, the IRIX Interactive Desktop on Linux, including the use of SGIs trademarks and IRIX unique look and feel. Its important to note that he did not get access to any code he was only allowed to reverse-engineer and recreate it, and because some of the code falls under this license agreement and some doesnt, MaXX is not entirely open source; parts of it are, but not all of it. Any new code written that doesnt fall under the license agreement is released as open source though, and the goal is to, over time, make everything open source. And as you can tell from this v2.2.0 screenshot, MaXX looks stunning even at 4K. This new alpha version contains the first changes to adopt the freedesktop.org application specifications, a new Exposé-like window overview, tweaks to the modernised version of the IRIX look and feel (the classic one is also included as an option), desktop notifications, performance improvements, various modernisations to the window manager, and so, so much more. For the final release of 2.2.0 and later releases, more changes are planned, like brand new configuration and system management panels, a quick search tool, a new file manager, and a ton more. MaXX runs on RHEL/Rocky and Ubuntu, and probably more Linux distributions, and FreeBSD, and is entirely free.
- Fortifying Linux Web Applications: Mastering OWASP ZAP and ModSecurity for Optimal Security
by George Whittaker Introduction
In an increasingly interconnected digital world, web applications are the backbone of online services. With this ubiquity comes a significant risk: web applications are prime targets for cyberattacks. Ensuring their security is not just an option but a necessity. Linux, known for its robustness and adaptability, offers a perfect platform for deploying secure web applications. However, even the most secure platforms need tools and strategies to safeguard against vulnerabilities.
This article explores two powerful tools—OWASP ZAP and ModSecurity—that work together to detect and mitigate web application vulnerabilities. OWASP ZAP serves as a vulnerability scanner and penetration testing tool, while ModSecurity acts as a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block malicious requests in real time.
Understanding Web Application Threats
Web applications face a multitude of security challenges. From injection attacks to cross-site scripting (XSS), the OWASP Top 10 catalogues the most critical security risks. These vulnerabilities, if exploited, can lead to data breaches, service disruptions, or worse.
Key threats include:
SQL Injection: Malicious SQL queries that manipulate backend databases. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Injecting scripts into web pages viewed by other users. Broken Authentication: Flaws in session management leading to unauthorized access.
Proactively identifying and mitigating these vulnerabilities is crucial. This is where OWASP ZAP and ModSecurity come into play.
OWASP ZAP: A Comprehensive Vulnerability ScannerWhat is OWASP ZAP?
OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is an open-source tool designed for finding vulnerabilities in web applications. It supports automated and manual testing, making it suitable for beginners and seasoned security professionals alike.
Installing OWASP ZAP on LinuxUpdate System Packages:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Install Java Runtime Environment (JRE): OWASP ZAP requires Java. Install it if it's not already present:
sudo apt install openjdk-11-jre -y
Download and Install OWASP ZAP: Download the latest version from the official website:
wget https://github.com/zaproxy/zaproxy/releases/download//ZAP__Linux.tar.gz
Extract and run:
tar -xvf ZAP__Linux.tar.gz cd ZAP__Linux ./zap.sh
Go to Full Article
- Harnessing Quantum Potential: Quantum Computing and Qiskit on Ubuntu
by George Whittaker Introduction
Quantum computing, a revolutionary paradigm, promises to solve problems that are computationally infeasible for classical systems. By leveraging the peculiar principles of quantum mechanics—superposition, entanglement, and quantum interference—quantum computing has emerged as a transformative force across industries. From cryptography and drug discovery to optimization and artificial intelligence, its potential is vast.
Ubuntu, a leading open source operating system, provides an ideal environment for quantum computing development due to its robust community support, extensive software repositories, and seamless integration with tools like Qiskit. Qiskit, an open source quantum computing framework by IBM, is a gateway for developers, researchers, and enthusiasts to dive into the quantum world. This article explores how to set up and explore quantum computing with Qiskit on Ubuntu, guiding you from the basics to practical applications.
Understanding Quantum ComputingWhat Is Quantum Computing?
Quantum computing is a field that redefines computation. While classical computers use binary bits (0s and 1s), quantum computers utilize quantum bits or qubits, which can exist in a state of 0, 1, or a combination of both, thanks to superposition. This unique property allows quantum computers to perform parallel computations, drastically enhancing their processing power for specific tasks.
Key ConceptsSuperposition: The ability of a qubit to exist in multiple states simultaneously. Entanglement: A phenomenon where qubits become interconnected, and the state of one directly affects the other, regardless of distance. Quantum Gates: Analogous to logical gates in classical computing, these manipulate qubits to perform operations.Applications of Quantum Computing
Quantum computing is not just theoretical; it is already impacting fields like:
Cryptography: Breaking traditional encryption and enabling quantum-safe cryptographic protocols. Optimization: Solving complex logistical problems more efficiently. Machine Learning: Enhancing algorithms with quantum speed-ups.Setting Up the Environment on UbuntuInstalling PrerequisitesInstall Python: Qiskit is Python-based. On Ubuntu, install Python via:
sudo apt update sudo apt install python3 python3-pip
Update Pip:
pip3 install --upgrade pip
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- Using MAXQDA for Qualitative Data Analysis on Linux
by George Whittaker Introduction
Qualitative data analysis (QDA) is a cornerstone of research across various fields, from social sciences to marketing. It involves uncovering patterns, themes, and meanings within non-numerical data such as interviews, focus groups, and textual narratives. In this era of digital tools, MAXQDA stands out as a premier software solution for QDA, empowering researchers to organize and analyze complex datasets effectively.
Despite its strengths, MAXQDA lacks native Linux support, a limitation for researchers who prefer or rely on Linux environments. This article explores how Linux users can overcome these challenges, leverage MAXQDA for qualitative research, and integrate it seamlessly into their workflows.
Understanding MAXQDAWhat is MAXQDA?
MAXQDA, developed by VERBI Software, has long been a trusted tool for qualitative and mixed-methods research. Known for its user-friendly interface and robust features, MAXQDA allows researchers to work with diverse data types, including text, audio, video, and images.
Key Features of MAXQDA
Data Importation
Supports multiple formats such as Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and even social media data. Allows seamless transcription and analysis of audio/video files.
Coding and Categorization
Enables researchers to code textual and multimedia data with color-coded systems. Offers hierarchical code systems for detailed organization.
Visualization Tools
Provides visual tools like mind maps, word clouds, and matrix analyses. Facilitates understanding of data relationships and patterns.
Mixed-Methods Integration
Combines qualitative and quantitative data for comprehensive analysis. Why MAXQDA for Researchers?
MAXQDA offers unmatched versatility for researchers handling complex qualitative datasets, providing tools for in-depth analysis, reporting, and visualization—all essential for producing meaningful insights.
Setting Up MAXQDA on Linux
While MAXQDA officially supports Windows and macOS, Linux users can employ workarounds to run the software. Below are practical methods to use MAXQDA on Linux.
Running MAXQDA with Wine or PlayOnLinux
Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on Linux. PlayOnLinux, built on Wine, provides a more user-friendly interface for installing and managing Windows applications.
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- HAProxy on Ubuntu: Load Balancing and Failover for Resilient Infrastructure
by german.suarez Introduction
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, ensuring the availability and performance of applications is paramount. Modern infrastructures require robust solutions to distribute traffic efficiently and maintain service availability even in the face of server failures. Enter HAProxy, the de facto standard for high-performance load balancing and failover.
This article explores the synergy between HAProxy and Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions. From installation to advanced configuration, we’ll dive into how HAProxy can transform your infrastructure with load balancing and failover capabilities.
Understanding Load Balancing
Load balancing is the process of distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers. By balancing the load, it ensures no single server becomes overwhelmed, leading to better performance, reliability, and fault tolerance.
Key benefitsScalability: Ability to handle increasing traffic by adding more servers. Reliability: Mitigating server failures by routing traffic to healthy servers. Performance: Reducing latency by spreading the workload evenly.Types of load balancingLayer 4 (Transport Layer): Distributes traffic based on IP and port information. Layer 7 (Application Layer): Makes routing decisions based on application-level data such as HTTP headers.Failover Concepts
Failover ensures continuity by automatically redirecting traffic to backup resources if the primary ones fail. It’s a cornerstone of High Availability (HA) setups.
With HAProxy, failover is seamless:
If a backend server becomes unavailable, HAProxy detects it via health checks. Traffic is rerouted to other available servers, maintaining uninterrupted service.Setting Up HAProxy on Ubuntu
Let’s begin by installing and configuring HAProxy on Ubuntu.
PrerequisitesAn Ubuntu server (20.04 or later recommended). Multiple backend servers for testing load balancing. Basic Linux command-line skills.Step 1: Installing HAProxyUpdate your system:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Install HAProxy:
sudo apt install haproxy -y
Verify installation:
haproxy -v
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- Linux Binary Analysis for Reverse Engineering and Vulnerability Discovery
by George Whittaker Introduction
In the world of cybersecurity and software development, binary analysis holds a unique place. It is the art of examining compiled programs to understand their functionality, identify vulnerabilities, or debug issues—without access to the original source code. For Linux, which dominates servers, embedded systems, and even personal computing, the skill of binary analysis is invaluable.
This article takes you on a journey into the world of Linux binary analysis, reverse engineering, and vulnerability discovery. Whether you're a seasoned cybersecurity professional or an aspiring reverse engineer, you’ll gain insights into the tools, techniques, and ethical considerations that define this fascinating discipline.
Understanding Linux Binaries
To analyze binaries, it’s essential to first understand their structure and behavior.
What Are Linux Binaries?
Linux binaries are compiled machine code files that the operating system executes. These files typically conform to the Executable and Linkable Format (ELF), a versatile standard used across Unix-like systems.
Components of an ELF File
An ELF binary is divided into several critical sections, each serving a distinct purpose:
Header: Contains metadata, including the architecture, entry point, and type (executable, shared library, etc.). Sections: Include the code (.text), initialized data (.data), uninitialized data (.bss), and others. Segments: Memory-mapped parts of the binary used during execution. Symbol Table: Maps function names and variables to addresses (in unstripped binaries).Tools for Inspecting Binaries
Some standard tools to start with:
readelf: Displays detailed information about the ELF file structure. objdump: Disassembles binaries and provides insights into the machine code. strings: Extracts printable strings from binaries, often revealing configuration data or error messages.Introduction to Reverse EngineeringWhat Is Reverse Engineering?
Reverse engineering involves dissecting a program to understand its inner workings. It’s crucial for scenarios like debugging proprietary software, analyzing malware, and performing security audits.
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- Debian Backup and Recovery Solutions: Safeguard Your Data with Confidence
by George Whittaker Introduction
In the digital age, data loss is a critical concern, and effective backup and recovery systems are vital for any Debian system administrator or user. Debian, known for its stability and suitability in enterprise, server, and personal computing environments, offers a multitude of tools for creating robust backup and recovery solutions. This guide will explore these solutions, from basic backup methods to advanced recovery techniques, ensuring your data remains secure even in the face of hardware failures, accidental deletions, and cyber threats.
Understanding Backup and Recovery on DebianDefinitions and Key ConceptsBackup is the process of creating copies of your data to restore in case of data loss. Snapshots capture the state of the system or specific filesystems at a particular point in time. Recovery involves restoring data from backups to resume normal operations after data loss.
Each backup type and method has its strengths, so selecting the right one depends on factors such as data criticality, frequency of changes, available storage, and recovery speed requirements.
Types of BackupsFull Backups: A complete copy of all data at a specific time, enabling a comprehensive restore but requiring significant storage space. Incremental Backups: Only data modified since the last backup (full or incremental) is backed up, saving storage space and time but requiring each incremental backup for a full recovery. Differential Backups: All data modified since the last full backup is stored, offering a balance between storage requirements and restoration speed.Key Debian Backup Tools and Solutions
Debian’s ecosystem includes various backup tools, each suited to different user needs and technical requirements. Here’s a closer look at some popular solutions.
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- Installing Development Tools on Debian: Setting Up Compilers, Libraries, and IDEs for a Robust Development Environment
by George Whittaker Introduction
Debian is one of the most trusted and stable Linux distributions, making it a top choice among developers and system administrators. Setting up a powerful development environment on Debian involves installing the right tools, compilers, libraries, and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) that can support various programming languages and workflows. This guide provides a detailed walk-through on installing essential development tools on Debian, enabling you to start coding and compiling with ease.
Whether you’re working with C/C++, Python, Java, or a web development stack, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a robust development setup ready to tackle any project.
Preparing the System for Development
Before diving into installation, it’s essential to ensure your Debian package repository is up-to-date. This ensures you have access to the latest versions of all tools and libraries.
Updating the Package Repository
Updating the package repository is as simple as running the following commands:
sudo apt update # Updates the package list sudo apt upgrade # Upgrades all installed packages to the latest version
This helps prevent any potential conflicts and ensures your development environment will have the latest tools and security patches.
Installing Essential Development Tools
A solid development setup starts with essential tools for compiling code. Debian simplifies this process through the build-essential package.
Using build-essential Package
The build-essential package is a meta-package in Debian that installs key compilers and utilities necessary for compiling code in C/C++. It includes the GCC (GNU Compiler Collection), G++, Make, and other tools that are foundational for development.
To install build-essential, run:
sudo apt install build-essential
This package provides:
GCC - A compiler for the C language. G++ - A compiler for the C++ language. Make - A utility that helps automate compilation.Verifying the Installation
To confirm GCC installation, check its version:
gcc --version
A successful output means that GCC is ready to compile your code!
Additional Tools (Optional)
Some projects may require other build-related tools such as autoconf, automake, and cmake. Here’s what each does:
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- Building Your Own Ubuntu Personal Cloud: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Secure Data Haven
by George Whittaker
In today’s digital world, data is more than just information; it’s a part of our lives. From photos and documents to sensitive personal information, our data represents our memories, work, and interests. While cloud storage services are widely available, they often come with privacy concerns, subscription fees, and limitations on customization. This is where building a personal cloud on Ubuntu comes in as a powerful alternative, giving you full control over your data with the flexibility to customize and expand as you wish.
This guide will walk you through setting up an Ubuntu-based personal cloud, using Nextcloud as the main application, and ensuring your setup is secure and robust.
Why Build a Personal Cloud on Ubuntu?
Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions, is well-suited for creating a personal cloud due to its stability, security, and vast community support. A personal cloud offers several advantages over public cloud services:
Data Privacy and Control: With a personal cloud, you own your data outright. Unlike traditional cloud services, you don’t have to rely on third-party terms of service, nor worry about your data being analyzed for advertising or other purposes.
Cost Savings: By using existing hardware (e.g., an old laptop or a Raspberry Pi), you avoid recurring subscription fees, making this a cost-effective solution for long-term data storage.
Customization: You can tailor the cloud to your needs, adding features or plugins that public cloud providers may not offer.
By the end of this article, you’ll have your own Ubuntu-based personal cloud, a secure, private data haven that you can access from anywhere.
Choosing Your HardwareSelecting the Right Device
You can set up an Ubuntu personal cloud on various types of hardware. Some common options include:
An Old PC or Laptop: If you have an unused computer lying around, repurposing it for your cloud is an excellent, low-cost choice. Raspberry Pi: Affordable and energy-efficient, Raspberry Pi (especially Pi 4) is powerful enough for personal cloud usage, though it may have limitations with heavy workloads. Dedicated Server or NAS: If your storage needs are extensive, investing in a dedicated server or Network Attached Storage (NAS) system can provide robust performance.Storage and Memory Requirements
Ensure your device has at least 2GB of RAM and sufficient storage for your data. Consider adding external storage drives if your initial setup runs low on disk space.
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- Why Linux Is The Open Source Backbone of Decentralized Applications (dApps) and Cryptocurrencies
by George Whittaker Introduction
Blockchain technology and Linux, while seemingly different, share a foundational philosophy: openness, security, and decentralization. Linux, an open source operating system, powers an immense range of devices, from servers to embedded systems, due to its stability, security, and flexibility. Blockchain, meanwhile, is a decentralized ledger technology that stores data in a secure, immutable, and transparent way, paving the way for new paradigms in finance, applications, and governance.
Together, Linux and blockchain technologies form a powerful synergy, where Linux’s open source infrastructure facilitates the secure, resilient, and decentralized environment blockchain applications require. In this article, we’ll explore how Linux powers decentralized applications (dApps) and cryptocurrencies, examining the unique benefits, challenges, and tools available on Linux for blockchain developers and enthusiasts.
Understanding Blockchain and DecentralizationWhat is Blockchain?
Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger system in which data is stored across a network of computers in a series of linked “blocks.” Each block contains a set of transactions or data points, which are verified by network participants and cryptographically linked to the previous block, forming an unbroken “chain” of information.
This design ensures transparency (as all participants can view the ledger), immutability (as altering past data is nearly impossible), and security (as the decentralized nature of the network prevents single points of failure and reduces the risk of malicious interference).
Why Decentralization Matters
In traditional centralized systems, data and control are managed by a single entity, such as a bank, corporation, or government. In contrast, decentralized systems distribute power across a network of participants, ensuring autonomy, privacy, and control are in the hands of users rather than any central authority. Decentralized networks can operate without intermediaries, reducing inefficiencies, lowering costs, and creating new opportunities for transparency and fairness.
Linux and Blockchain: Why Linux is Ideal for Blockchain DevelopmentOpen source Nature and Community Support
Linux’s open source framework aligns perfectly with blockchain’s decentralized ethos. Because Linux code is freely available, developers can modify and optimize it for specific blockchain needs, tailoring it to enhance both performance and security. The Linux community also contributes to the ecosystem with blockchain-focused libraries, tools, and frameworks, fostering rapid innovation and support for blockchain-specific challenges.
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- Unlocking Data Science Potential Understanding Machine Learning and Data Analysis with JupyterLab
by George Whittaker Introduction
In recent years, JupyterLab has rapidly become the tool of choice for data scientists, machine learning (ML) practitioners, and analysts worldwide. This powerful, web-based integrated development environment (IDE) provides a flexible and interactive workspace for performing data analysis, machine learning, and visualization, making it indispensable for professionals and enthusiasts alike.
In this guide, we will explore what makes JupyterLab so essential for data analysis and machine learning. We’ll look at its strengths and unique features, walk through the setup process, delve into its core functionalities, and explore best practices that will streamline workflows and maximize productivity. By the end, you’ll have a robust understanding of how JupyterLab can become an integral part of your data science journey.
Why JupyterLab for Machine Learning and Data Analysis?Unmatched Flexibility and Interactive Computing
JupyterLab stands out for its interactive computing capabilities, allowing users to run code cells, modify them, and see results in real-time. This interactivity is a game-changer for machine learning and data analysis, as it promotes rapid experimentation with data, algorithms, and visualizations.
Ideal for Data Exploration and Visualization
JupyterLab’s notebook format makes it easy to document the process, combining code, markdown, and visualizations in one place. This aspect is crucial for both exploratory data analysis (EDA) and storytelling in data science, providing a platform for creating visually intuitive and logically organized reports.
Extension Ecosystem and Customization
The JupyterLab ecosystem includes an extensive range of extensions, enabling users to add custom functionalities for project-specific needs. From visualization tools like Plotly and Bokeh to data handling and machine learning libraries, the extension ecosystem allows JupyterLab to be customized for a variety of workflows.
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