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Links 27/10/2021: XOrg Server 21.1 and Makulu Shift Ubuntu Variant Released



  • GNU/Linux

    • Desktop/Laptop

      • Best Linux desktop for 2021: Which one should you buy?

        Linux on the desktop is a thing to behold. It's not only incredibly powerful and secure, but it's also flexible enough to become exactly what the user needs. And although you can successfully run Linux on just about any type of desktop machine (running lightweight Linux distributions on older hardware), to really get the most out of modern-day variants, it's best to have hardware up to the task.

        Linux doesn't require nearly the hardware needed to run Windows 11 or macOS, but why not give the open-source operating system extra power, so you can run more applications and services. So, why not send your money to companies that support open source in return?

        Which desktops are best suited for the task? Let's take a look at the five best options you have for 2021.

    • Kernel Space

      • Maintaining Yocto Project Documentation - Bootlin's blog

        For many years, Bootlin has been a strong user and a contributor to the Yocto Project, delivering numerous customized embedded Linux distributions and Board Support Packages based on Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded to its customers, for a wide range of hardware platforms and architectures.

        In 2021, we have been able to bring this engagement further, as Bootlin engineer Michael Opdenacker has been given the opportunity to work as a maintainer for Yocto Project’s documentation, thanks to funding from the Linux Foundation. Since the mourning of Scott Rifenbark, the former maintainer, in early 2020, the project was in need for someone to fill this role.

      • Qualcomm MSM DRM Driver Improvements Submitted Ahead Of Linux 5.16 - Phoronix

        The MSM DRM driver for supporting the open-source display/graphics support with Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs has submitted their main feature pull request to DRM-Next ahead of the upcoming Linux 5.16 merge window.

        The MSM DRM driver changes for Linux 5.16 aren't too exciting but do include a few items worth mentioning. First up, Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) support has been added to MSM's DisplayPort sub-driver for newer SoCs having native eDP output.

      • Apple Silicon GPIO Driver Queued Ahead Of Linux 5.16 - Phoronix

        Along with the Apple Silicon PCIe driver, another new driver for supporting Apple Silicon (primarily with a focus on the Apple M1 for now) with the upcoming Linux 5.16 cycle is a new pinctrl/GPIO driver.

        Queued overnight into the linux-pinctrl.git's "for-next" branch is the 500+ lines of code driver developed by Arm's Joey Gouly and Corellium's Stan Skowronek for bringing up the pinctrl/GPIO support for Apple SoCs.

      • Nintendo Switch Controller Driver Finally Set For Linux 5.16 - Phoronix

        After stalling last year when it was queued up in HID's "for-5.10/nintendo" branch only to not make it into HID-next at the time, that threshold has now been crossed with the latest Nintendo Switch controller driver now ready for introduction in Linux 5.16. This open-source driver enables the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro controllers to work under Linux with a mainline kernel driver.

      • Graphics Stack

        • xorg-server 21.1.0 released
          This is the final release of X server 21.1. There has been just one fix since
          the second RC and at this time there are no known regressions since the 1.20
          release series.
          
          

          I expect that increased usage after the final release may still uncover something interesting, so there is a potential for subsequent 21.1.1 patch being released in the coming weeks rather than after the usual interval of several months.

          Notable changes since 1.20 include:

          - The meson support is now fully mature. While autotools support will still be kept for this release series, it will be dropped afterwards.

          - Glamor support for Xvfb.

          - Variable refresh rate support in the modesetting driver.

          - XInput 2.4 support which adds touchpad gestures.

          - DMX DDX has been removed.

          - X server now correctly reports display DPI in more cases. This may affect rendering of client applications that have their own workarounds for hi-DPI screens.

          - A large number of small features and various bug fixes.

          Note that since 21.1 series XWayland is released separately and thus this release does not include it.
        • X.Org Server 21.1 is Here After More Than Three Years of Development

          More than three years after X.Org Server 1.20, released in May 2018, X.Org Server 21.1 finally has been released.

          The X.Org Server has a long history behind it. It’s the reference implementation of the X Window system first released in June 1984 by its author Robert W Scheifler at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

          X.Org Server is an open source and freely distributed implementation of the X Window System, provided by the X.Org Foundation. It’s part of the X.Org software, the popular X Window System used in many POSIX operating systems, including almost all Linux distributions.

        • X.Org Server 21.1 Released With Variable Rate Refresh In Modesetting Driver, Other Work - Phoronix

          X.Org Server 21.1 is now officially available as this first xorg-server update in three years and what began development as X.Org Server 1.21 prior to the versioning change.

          X.Org Server 21.1 brings GLAMOR acceleration for the Xvfb, Variable Rate Refresh (VRR / FreeSync / Adaptive-Sync) support within the generic xf86-video-modesetting driver assuming the underlying DRM/KMS kernel driver supports VRR, much better Meson build system support, X Input 2.4 is integrated that adds support for touchpad gestures, the DMX DDX (Distributed Multihead X) code has been removed, improved display DPI reporting, and a wide variety of other minor improvements and bug fixes.

        • NVIDIA 495.74 Proprietary Drivers Released

          NVIDIA Corporation introduced the first stable release of the new branch of the proprietary NVIDIA 495.74 driver. At the same time, an update was proposed for the NVIDIA stable branch 470.82.00. The driver is available for Linux (ARM64, x86_64), FreeBSD (x86_64) and Solaris (x86_64).

    • Applications

      • Top 6 CAD viewers for Linux

        Computer-Aided Design (CAD) uses computers to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. The software is used to increase the designer’s productivity, boost the quality of a design, improve communications through documentation, and create a database for production or manufacturing.

        CAD is an essential part of many streams of engineering. It is professionally used in architecture, auto parts design, aeronautics, interior design, and space shuttle research.

        Several professional-grade Computer-Aided Design programs like SolidWorks and Autodesk AutoCAD are not natively supported on the Linux platform. So, in this article, we will be looking at the top-performing CAD programs available for Linux.

        Besides reviewing the available programs, we have also provided the installation instructions for each software. Furthermore, we will give you links to the respective software website to learn more about other distros’ installation procedures.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • Anticipating Your Memory Needs - Further learnings
      • bkr job status
      • What packages are Needed to build the Kernel | Adam Young’s Web Log

        In my quest to automate the testing of the Linux Kernel, I need to automate the build of the Linux Kernel. To build the Kernel, you need the requisite packages. What are they? Let’s find out.

        I am staring with a Baremetal Fedora Image. It has 344 packages installed already. I’m going to assume that this set is available when I do my automated build as well, or that the needed packages will get pulled in by dependencies. If not, I will find out when my automation fails to run and I will add them at that point.

        Most Fedora and CentOS based documents on building the Kernel have you do a group install of the “Development Tools” yum package group. I don’t want to do this for two reasons. First, I want to use the beaker format which just lists the packages in the job description. Second, I want to minimize the non-required packages, and Development Tools is general purpose group for coding; not everyone needs everythingm, and I don’t want to put non-essential packages on the system.

      • Yaru-colors: Give Ubuntu folders a colourful Touch - Linux Shout

        We have a default theme Yaru on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and in other recent versions of Ubuntu Linux, to give a new feel we can change the accent color of this default theme using Yaru-colors.

        Well, there are lots of customized themes available to install & apply on Ubuntu, however, what if you don’t want to change the default look of your Linux. I mean the one your getting via Yaru. But still need some new touch & feel on your system. Then try out Yaru-Colors, it will be the visual theme (style of widgets, colors, icons, and GNOME Shell) for official them Yaru of Ubuntu. It is increasingly polished and closely follows the line marked by GNOME. However, not everyone likes the combination and, changing the right thing, Yaru Color is an ideal complement to get away from the characteristic orange, but keep the essence of the distribution.

      • Android 9 on Linux | Linux.org

        Many people would sometimes like to have access to Android. In this article, I will cover the steps to install Android 9 on a Virtual Box machine.

        Having access to Android on your system can make it easier for accessing apps that are only available on Android.

      • How to install the latest version of Minetest on a Chromebook

        Today we are looking at how to install the latest version of Minetest on a Chromebook. Please follow the video/audio guide as a tutorial where we explain the process step by step and use the commands below.

      • How Can You Install Google Browser on Debian?

        Google Chrome is a widely used web browser in the world. Google Chrome is fast and secure as well. However, it is not an open-source web browser. Hence, Debian comes with a pre-loaded Chromium browser, and not a Chrome. Chromium is an open-source browser.

        If you still want to install the Google Chrome browser on Linux, this article is for you. Installing Chrome on Linux has a little twist as it’s not an open-source browser. So let’s check out how you can easily install Chrome browser from a Linux terminal.

      • How to Install and Set Up PM2 on Linux Servers

        Deployment is one of the most crucial and conclusive stages of software development. A proper deployment strategy is vital in delivering the best experience to your users while utilizing your services efficiently. However, this process also brings its own set of challenges with it.

        Node.js, the open-source JavaScript runtime, is a popular choice for building the backend infrastructure of your application by allowing you to run JavaScript outside web browsers. But what if your Node.js application crashes in production? Find out how you can avoid such scenarios in this article.

      • Create and assign Users to Oracle Databases - Unixcop

        Hi There ! In this write up, we will discuss about how to create & assign users to the oracle DB

        As always, begin by connecting to your server where Oracle is hosted, then connect to Oracle itself as the SYSTEM account.

        The SYSTEM account is one of a handful of predefined administrative accounts generated automatically when Oracle is installed. SYSTEM is capable of most administrative tasks, but the task we’re particularly interested in is account management.

      • How to Start Weblogic Admin and Node Manager without password - Unixcop

        After installing Oracle Weblogic, it’s necessary to give username & password every time it’s prompt. It’s sometime a hassle, for some extent, we don’t want to provide username & password every time.

        Hello guys ! Today we will learn, how to start the weblogic Admin Server & Node Manager without providing username & password every time.

        While starting the Admin Server (or) Managed Servers for the first time after the domain creation you must have been prompted for the username and password, In order to handle it, there is a task we need to do.

      • How to install OpenTTD on Elementary OS 6.0 - Invidious

        In this video, we are looking at how to install OpenTTD on Elementary OS 6.0.

      • How to reset weblogic Admin user Password - Unixcop

        Hi there ! In today’s write up, we will get to know, how to reset the weblogic console/admin password in case you forgot that. This might be a shot article. If you want to learn more about weblogic, please refer to my previous tutorial about instllation & configuration weblogic 14c server on centos 8 from here https://unixcop.com/oracle-weblogic-14c-on-centos-8/

        To reset the password, we first need to go the weblogic domain home.

      • How to Create database on Oracle Database - Unixcop

        SQL statement is a more manual approach to creating a database than using Oracle Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). One advantage of using this statement over using DBCA is that you can create databases from within scripts.

        Hi guys ! In this write up, we will learn, how to create database on oracle database using the manual approach (CMD)

        When you use the CREATE DATABASE statement, you must complete additional actions before you have an operational database. These actions include building views on the data dictionary tables and installing standard PL/SQL packages. You perform these actions by running the supplied scripts.

        To Create the database, we have to work through step by step, we will discuss about these below. Seat tight and hold your breath !

      • Automate SAP HANA System Replication in Cluster on IBM Power Virtual Servers in One Hour [Ed: SUSE's Web site has become too focused on selling SAP instead or promoting Free software]
      • How to install Go (Golang) in Arch Linux/Manjaro – Citizix

        This tutorial will help you install Go(Golang) on a Manjaro/Arch Linux system. This guide can also work for other Linux systems like Debian or Ubuntu or Redhat based systems.

        Go is a statically typed, compiled programming language designed at Google by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson. It’s has always been said to be an easy language for developers to learn quickly.

        Golang is very useful for writing light-weight microservices, infrastructure like networked servers and also tools and systems for developers. It can alsobe used for generating APIs that interact with front-end applications. If you want to build a small functional microservice quickly, then Golang is a great tool to use.

      • Give Ubuntu Folders a Colorful Makeup with Yaru-Colors

        Yaru-Colors is a theme project to bring different colors to Ubuntu’s Yaru theme. Here’s how to install it.

        Yaru is the default theme for Ubuntu, backed by the community. It is the user interface theme that has been used in Ubuntu since 18.10. The name “Yaru” follows the Japanese influence on Ubuntu’s theme naming and it means “to do.”

        But what is theme? In short, a theme is what determines the colors, borders, shadows, size, and shape of individual elements on the screen.

      • How to Install SaltStack Minion on CentOS 8/ RHEL 8 - Unixcop

        Salt (sometimes referred to as SaltStack) is Python-based, open-source software for event-driven IT automation, remote task execution, and configuration management. Supporting the “infrastructure as code” approach to data center system and network deployment and management, configuration automation, SecOps orchestration, vulnerability remediation, and hybrid cloud control.

        SaltStack minion is the agent software that is installed on the managed node.

        Used to execute and run the commands on that node and report back to SaltStack master server.

      • How to Install SaltStack Master on CentOS 8/ RHEL 8 - Unixcop

        Salt (sometimes referred to as SaltStack) is Python-based, open-source software for event-driven IT automation, remote task execution, and configuration management. Supporting the “infrastructure as code” approach to data center system and network deployment and management, configuration automation, SecOps orchestration, vulnerability remediation, and hybrid cloud control.

        SaltStack Master is the server node, it is the central server that controls all the Salstack Minions.

        Master server holds the Inventory and Public Keys of Minions and perform remote execution on them.

        The Salt master daemon, used to control the Salt minions.

      • Generate File of Specific Size on Linux (With Commands) - Linux Nightly

        Generating files of a specific size can be useful for testing purposes. There are several different commands in Linux that can create files of certain sizes. Check out the commands and examples below to learn how.

      • How To Install Brave Browser on AlmaLinux 8 - idroot

        In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Brave Browser on AlmaLinux 8. For those of you who didn’t know, Brave is a free and open-source web browser developed by Brave Software, Inc. based on the Chromium web browser. Brave is a privacy-focused Internet web browser, which distinguishes itself from other browsers by automatically blocking online advertisements and website trackers in its default settings. Brave is also called a “crypto browser” because it uses the Ethereum blockchain that is used to secure user data.

        This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you through the step-by-step installation of the Django web framework on an AlmaLinux 8. You can follow the same instructions for CentOS and Rocky Linux.

      • How to install Go in Fedora and Rocky Linux/Centos/RHEL – Citizix

        This tutorial will help you install Go(Golang) on a Fedora or a RHEL based system i.e. Centos/Rocky Linux/Alma Linux/RHEL. This guide can also work for other Linux systems like Debian and Ubuntu besides the Redhat specifics like the running the yum commands.

        Go is a statically typed, compiled programming language designed at Google by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson. It’s has always been said to be an easy language for developers to learn quickly.

        Golang is very useful for writing light-weight microservices, infrastructure like networked servers and also tools and systems for developers. It can alsobe used for generating APIs that interact with front-end applications. If you want to build a small functional microservice quickly, then Golang is a great tool to use.

      • How to install MX Linux 21 - Invidious

        In this video, I am going to show how to install MX Linux 21.

      • Yarn Introduction and Tutorial

        Yarn is an abbreviation of “Yet Another Resource Negotiator” and is a package manager of various software programs. The best thing about yarn is that it permits you to share and utilize code securely and rapidly among distinct developers all around the globe.

        If you want to create your own software and you are facing difficulty in it then Yarn will help you to use the solution of other developers. When you are using Yarn and there is an existing issue in it then we will report it and when the issue is resolved then you can again use the updated yarn.

        Module or package is the means to share a code. The package consists of a code along with all its description in the “package.json” file.

      • How to install the Tsurugi Linux distribution - TechRepublic

        Digital forensics and incident response are complementary activities that not only require solid knowledge of operating systems and the internet, but also a lot of tools, depending on the desired goal. One investigator might want to simply recover a file from a forensically acquired hard drive, while another might want to do a full analysis of a system and check multiple items about it. Tsurugi Linux allows doing all of this.

      • How to Convert Between Linux Packages Using Alien

        Do you want to convert a Linux package to some other format? Perhaps the package you're looking for isn't available for your distro but you still want it no matter what. Or maybe you are a developer and want to save your time by quickly repackaging your program to other formats without having to build the package again.

        Fortunately, Linux has got the tool you need. With Alien, you can easily convert your existing Linux package to other formats through the command line. Let's start by installing the tool on your system first.

      • How to Boot into Rescue Mode or Emergency Mode in Ubuntu

        Ubuntu and other Linux distributions often might get broken due to many reasons. Sometimes, you may just lose access to your operating system or forget the root password. In those circumstances, chances are that you would probably think of erasing your current OS and reinstalling the Ubuntu OS again. In addition, to back up the data you might also use the GParted tool. But, all the above solutions are really time-consuming and not so much techy-geeky to recover an unbootable Linux OS. Instead of reinstalling, you can boot into rescue mode or emergency mode in Ubuntu to fix the system. Please follow the methods mentioned below carefully if you’re a newbie to Ubuntu and had already got your system broken.

    • Games

      • Godot Engine - Multiplayer in Godot 4.0: ENet wrappers, WebRTC.

        Howdy Godotters! Time for yet another status update on networking in Godot.

        This time, we are going to dig a bit deeper into the low-level territory, showing some of the new ENet features exposed in Godot 4, and the effort of bringing WebRTC on all Godot-supported platforms.

      • Release candidate: Godot 3.4 RC 2

        The upcoming Godot 3.4 release will provide a number of new features which have been backported from the 4.0 development branch (see our release policy for details on the various Godot versions). With this second Release Candidate, we have frozen feature development and are nearly ready to release the stable version.

        If you already reviewed the changelog for RC 1, you can skip right to the differences between RC 1 and RC 2.

      • Vintage Arcade Used Negative Voltage To Turn Volume Up To 11 | Hackaday

        When [Nicole Express] got her hands on the logic board for the 1986 SNK arcade game Athena, she ran into a rather thorny problem: The board expected to be fed negative five volts! [Nicole]’s analysis of the problem and a brilliant solution are outlined in her well written blog post.

        [Nicole]’s first task was to find out which devices need negative voltage. She found that the negative five volts was being fed through a capacitor to the ground pins on the Mitsubishi M151516L, an obscure 12 W audio amplifier. After finding the data sheet, she realized something strange: the amp didn’t call for negative voltage at all! A mystery was afoot.

        To fully understand the problem, she considered a mid-1980’s arcade and its cacophony of sounds. How would a manufacturer make their arcade game stand out? By making it louder, obviously! And how did they make their game louder than the rest?

      • Paradox needs a bit more time to finish Crusader Kings III - Royal Court | GamingOnLinux

        Crusader Kings III, the popular strategy game from Paradox is expanding with the upcoming Royal Court DLC but it's just not ready yet.

        Announced on Tuesday, October 26, Paradox said plain and simply that "we are not, at the moment, entirely satisfied with Royal Court's progress, especially regarding its stability" and so it's going to release at some point during 2022 but they're not giving us a date as to when just yet. With this being the first CKIII expansion, Paradox said it will include "a set of features entirely new to the CK series, including cultural evolution and language" and so they are continously experimenting with it.

      • Little Big Adventure 1 & 2 get open sourced under the GPL

        Little Big Adventure 1 and 2 are two classic titles originally developed by Adeline Software International and now they've both had their engine source code officially released.

      • Mind-bending puzzler Superliminal is getting a multiplayer mode | GamingOnLinux

        Superliminal is a pretty great puzzle game all about using the ambiguity of depth and perspective and to celebrate a year since the Steam release it's getting multiplayer.

        In the main single-player game, you interact with various objects in the world based on your position and how you're looking at them. It enables you to grab these items, make them big or small and use them to overcome some pretty fun puzzles. The new mode is an "experimental" Battle Royale that will be "available through the holiday season" (whatever that means).

    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

        • KDE Connect Your iPhone to Linux

          One of the biggest benefits of being all-in with Apple’s ecosystem is integration. My text messages automatically appear on my Mac and sharing files from iOS to macOS is a breeze. Even the clipboard integrates my mobile devices with my desktop. Now, a project called KDE Connect brings much of that tight integration to Linux.

        • I’m livestreaming Kalendar development!

          Today (Wednesday 27th Oct) at 18:00 CEST I will be streaming some Kalendar development live on YouTube and on KDE’s Peertube instance.

    • Distributions

      • New Releases

        • Makulu Shift Ubuntu Variant Released

          We have just released the much awaited Beta build of Shift ( the Ubuntu Variant ), It is marked as a stable Build that can be used as a daily Runner.

        • First Shift Patch sent out

          We have just sent out the First big Patch for the new Makulu shift ( Ubuntu Variant released earlier today ). This patch now completes the Desktop Manager and makes some significant changes. Please keep in Mind that Shift Ubuntu is a build we are now constantly working on and updating, therefore you will notice a lot of changes over a short period of time, so expect many updates. ISO’s will also regularly get updated on the Website. You can see the Full video of what’s new in the latest patch here :

      • FSF-Approved

        • Release announcement: Trisquel 9.0.1 Etiona security update

          Images are available at https://trisquel.info/download or directly at https://cdimage.trisquel.info/ and its mirrors.

          This minor update to the 9.x "Etiona" series is intended to provide an up to date set of ISO images, both for use as an installation medium and as a live environment with newer packages.

      • PCLinuxOS/Mageia/Mandriva/OpenMandriva Family

      • SUSE/OpenSUSE

        • SUSE heads for the Edge Computing with SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1

          Once upon a time, we got Linux distributions because they were the Swiss-Army Knives of operating systems. They came with every program you might ever need. You can still get those, of course. But, lately, businesses have been wanting lightweight, secure Linux distros for cloud and edge computing containers and virtual machines (VM)s. To meet that demand, the latest business-class Linux is SUSE's new SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 (SLE Micro).

      • IBM/Red Hat/Fedora

        • Assess resource consumption with Ansible callback plugins

          When you need metrics about playbook execution, callback plugins can help you drill down into the data and troubleshoot issues.

        • Red Hat OpenShift 4 Migration: Modernizing your cloud platform

          So you’re still using Red Hat OpenShift 3 in your production environment, and everything is running smoothly. "Why should I update to Red Hat OpenShift 4? Version 3 works just fine," you might say.

          Maintenance Support for Red Hat OpenShift 3.11 ends June 2022, followed by a final two-year end-of-life phase. You might not be sure how to start your migration to Red Hat OpenShift 4 or understand what it offers. In this post, we’ll walk you through some new features and benefits to help you get started.

        • Red Hat Developer roundup: Best of October 2021

          We're baaack (just in time for Halloween) with the monthly highlights from our developer experts working at Red Hat. This month features hands-on introductions to VS Code for Java extension 1.0, the new developer console for Red Hat OpenShift 4.9, and Helm Chart for Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. We also have a quick guide to using Multipath TCP (included with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8) to cut through the noise in your network. Keep reading for these highlights and more.

        • Announcing Service Binding Operator 1.0 GA | Red Hat Developer

          In the context of Kubernetes, the exposure of Secrets for connecting applications to external services such as REST APIs, databases, and event buses is manual and bespoke. This action is usually referred to as binding. The process of configuring and maintaining the binding is error-prone and can lead to challenges and debug failures. Indeed, each service provider suggests a different way to access their Secrets, and each application developer in turn consumes those Secrets in a custom way for their applications.

          Service Binding Operator 1.0, now in general availability (GA), expands the developer capabilities available on Red Hat OpenShift. As we'll see in this article, Service Binding Operator makes it easy for developers to connect their applications to backing services like REST APIs, databases, event buses, and others, providing a consistent and predictable experience.

        • Send S3 data to Telegram with Red Hat OpenShift Serverless Functions

          Red Hat OpenShift Serverless Functions is a framework with tooling to support function development. The framework is built on top of the open source Knative project. It has been available in Tech Preview since Red Hat OpenShift 4.7 and is available on 4.6 (EUS) as well. The central tool in OpenShift Serverless Functions is the kn func command, a plug-in extending the Knative kn command-line interface (CLI) to enable function development on the Knative platform.

          Development of this plug-in is led by Red Hat through the Boson Project. This open source project has generated interest in the Knative community because function development capabilities atop Knative have been long-awaited and highly anticipated. The Boson Project has been officially donated to the Knative project and its community.

          Let's take a look at some of the new features added recently to OpenShift Serverless Functions. To demonstrate these capabilities, we will implement a simple Quarkus function that consumes data from an AWS S3 bucket and sends it to a Telegram chat.

        • IT careers: 10 ways to prove yourself during remote work | The Enterprisers Project

          If an IT professional achieves a big win in her home office in the country, does it make a sound?

          Perhaps you’re aware of the term “proximity bias:” the unconscious human tendency to favor what is closest to us. Veteran remote workers have long been aware of the predisposition for – and, in many cases, a clear cultural practice of – valuing more highly those employees who physically come into the office every day. People now navigating a hybrid work environment for the first time may also see this dynamic.

          “It can be difficult to prove your value in a remote work situation because no one can see you and get a visual sense of how you’re performing,” says Cliff Milles, lead technical recruiter at Sungard Availability Services.

          This can be a particular challenge for IT leaders. “In more senior positions there is more emphasis on relationship-building, stakeholder management, and leading by example, which then sets the tone and culture for others,” says Lars Hyland, chief learning officer of Totara Learning, a provider of enterprise learning, engagement, and performance management technology.

        • 4 IT leadership tips for turbulent times | The Enterprisers Project

          Even as many IT teams delivered results with little disruption in the last 18 months, the pandemic brought into focus the importance of soft skills in technology leadership. This is where businesses need to invest the most time in the remaining weeks of 2021 and beyond.

          Technical expertise has always been a given in IT roles, but the ability to motivate staff, help build their skills, and look after their emotional wellbeing requires a different set of capabilities entirely. Successfully blending the two elements is the ultimate challenge of any tech leader.

          Here are some key areas to focus on to ensure future success for your IT teams.

        • ELevate project to simplify migration from CentOS 7 to RHEL 8 based distributions

          AlmaLinux distribution developers based company CloudLinux in response to a premature folding support CentOS 8, presented tools ELEVATE , to simplify migration of operating systems on CentOS 7.x distributions built on packet-based RHEL 8, preserving applications, data and settings. The project currently supports migration to AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS Stream and Oracle Linux.

          The migration process is based on the use of the Leapp utility developed by Red Hat , which is supplemented with patches that take into account the specifics of CentOS and third-party distributions built on the RHEL package base. The project also uses an extended set of metadata describing the steps for transferring individual packages from one branch of the distribution to another.

      • Debian Family

        • Sparky 6.1 RC1 ARMHF

          Sparky 6.1 Release Candidate 1 ARMHF for single board machines RaspberryPi is out.

          It is based on Debian Bullseye packages and build using the pi-gen script.

          The system works on Linux kernel 5.10.63 and is available, as before, in two versions: – Openbox – with small set of applications – CLI – text mode only to do it yourself

          user: pi, password: sparky root user password: toor

        • Bluez 5.62 compiled in OpenEmbedded

          EasyOS 3.1 has package bluez5 version 5.54. There have been improvements since then, so I have compiled 5.62 in OE.

    • Devices/Embedded

      • Tiny SBC runs Linux on new RAM-equipped Allwinner RISC-V SoC

        MangoPi is prepping a tiny “MangoPi-MQ1” SBC with the new Allwinner F133-A (D1s), a spin-down of Allwinner’s D1 that adds 64MB RAM. Both SoCs use the XuanTie C906, one of several RISC-V cores that Alibaba T-Head is now open sourcing.

        A MangoPi project from Beijing Wadora Technology Co. has announced a Linux-driven MangoPi-MQ1 SBC equipped with a new Allwinner F133-A (D1s) SoC. Allwinner’s F133-A is a slightly scaled down version of the Allwinner D1 SoC, which powers Sipeed’s Nezha SBC. Both SoCs are equipped with a RISC-V architecture XuanTie C906 core, which last week Alibaba’s T-Head subsidiary announced is being open sourced along with several other cores (see farther below).

      • Raspberry Pi 4 achieves Vulkan 1.1 conformance, gets up to 60% GPU performance boost

        Khronos has just granted Vulkan 1.1 conformance to Raspberry Pi 4 SBC, and following the implementation of various optimizations and new features such as geometry shaders, the v3dv Mesa driver delivers up to 60% higher GPU performance in Unreal Engine 4.

        Iglia started Vulkan driver work for Raspberry Pi 4 almost two years ago, with the triangle demo showcased in February 2020, followed by Vulkan 1.0 conformance in November 2020, and now the driver is certified conformant to Vulkan 1.1. While many GPUs are conformant, the Raspberry Pi 4 is only joined by a couple of complete platforms including several NVIDIA Jetson modules (Vulkan 1.2), and possibly some Intel and Google platforms shown as “Confidential” at this time.

      • CompuLab IOT-GATE-RPI4 gateway targets industrial control and monitoring

        Compulab IOT-GATE-RPI4 is another industrial gateway based on the Raspberry Pi CM4 module that offers a different feature set and form factor compared to solutions like TECHBASE iModGATE-AI gateway or QWave Systems CatsPi Industrial carrier board.

        Designed with industrial control and monitoring in mind, the IOT-GATE-RPI4 gateway offers multiple RS485, RS232 and CAN FD ports, Ethernet, 4G LTE/4G, WiFi 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, as well as a wide -40€°C to 80€°C operating temperature range, plus a wide input voltage from 8V to 36V as well as PoE support.

      • Open Hardware/Modding

        • ESP32 Clock Takes Time to Give Weather Info, Too

          It’s fall in the northern hemisphere, so [Mike Rankin]’s kids are back in school and have returned to consulting him every morning about the weather and what they should wear. Since he’s no meteorologist, [Mike] built a beautifully dim and diminutive clock that does all the work for him, plus much more. It glows a lovely dark orange that’s perfect for the nightstand and those early morning interrogations.

          In default mode, this clock displays the time, CO2 level, room temperature, and humidity in that eye-friendly orange. But wave your hand in front of the time of flight sensor, and it goes external, displaying the low and high temperatures for the day, plus the weather conditions forecast. After a few seconds of that, it goes back to default mode. The ESP fetches the time from an NTP server, then gets the weather from the OpenWeather API. The indoor weather comes from a combination sensor on the board.

        • 3D Printed IoT Weather Station Dashboard

          This is my dashboard for my 3D Printed IoT Weather Station project, you can build your own by following my build guide.

        • I Upgraded My 3D Printed Weather Station Using Your Suggestions

          Today we’re going to be making some upgrades to my previously built IoT weather station using suggestions that you guys made in the comments section. We’ll see how well the weather station performs after the upgrades and I’ve included a link to the public Thingspeak channel, so you can have a look at the most recently recorded data.

        • Add Mycelium To Your Mesh Networks

          In many parts of the world, days after a good rainfall, it’s fairly common to see various species of mushrooms popping up out of the ground. These mysterious organisms aren’t the whole story, though. The living being is a vast network of hidden fibers, called mycelium, spreading through the ground and into any other organic material it can colonize. Its air of mystery and its vast reach are the inspiration for entire Star Trek shows and, of course, projects like this LoRa-based mesh network called Mycelium.

      • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

        • Future proof: Fairphone has gone 5G

          It is not new news that we strive to make the most of the materials used in our products. We’re moving closer to a circular economy by using materials from more responsible sources, emphasizing reuse and recycling, and designing our phones to last as long as possible. We do this for a simple reason: the longer you use your phone, the smaller your environmental footprint. But we want to take this one step further and future proof your phone. The only way to do this is to provide you with a 5G device – a tech spec of the future – for Fairphone 4.

    • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

      • Events

        • Virtual Conferences: a love-hate relationship

          I love conferences. Now, that most conferences are either virtual or hybrid (both virtual and on-premises), people often say that it must be heaven for me. I can visit many more conferences and give many more talks. Well, it is not just this simple. Virtual conferences are a love-hate relationship for me. Of course, there are some advantages, but also disadvantages.

      • Web Browsers

        • Mozilla

          • Tired of spam? A burner email account could be the answer.

            Have you ever been in that situation where you need to give your email address over, but you don’t want to? There could be a security reason. Can you trust who you’re sharing with not to spam your inbox? Are you certain they won’t expose you to data breaches due to lax security on their part? Can you protect your email from being sold in lists, used for ad tracking and targeting or even be uploaded to platforms like Facebook to track and target you there? Or it could be a case of inbox fatigue. Or maybe you just don’t want your email associated with some entities and in their database? Enter the burner email account.

      • FSFE

        • Router Freedom at risk: Latvia allows restrictions to consumers' rights

          Latvia's reform of the telecom law weakens Router Freedom in the country. The national regulator, SPRK, has allowed ISPs to restrict the use of personal routers on the grounds of "technological necessity". We explain why this is problematic and what impact it can have for end-users' rights.

          Router Freedom is the right end-users have to choose and use their own modems and routers to connect to the Internet. Since 2020, European countries have been in a process of implementing this right within a reform of EU telecommunications law. In this context, Latvia has created a risky precedent against end-users' rights by allowing internet service providers (ISPs) to determine restrictions on the use of personal routers and modems based on "technological necessities". The FSFE has engaged with the Latvian regulator, SPRK, to stress the necessity to change the law as it represents a big loss for consumer rights.

      • Programming/Development

        • A Clang compiler, a hidden visibility, and a weak symbol

          The LLVM packaging team recently ran into a compiler problem. A build of the LLVM package with Clang, with link-time optimization activated, failed validation. This article steps through how we explored, identified, and ultimately fixed the problem.

  • Leftovers

    • The Animal Years

      Discussing why anthropomorphism came to dominate early animation, and why that trend never really faded away, while rubber-hose animation quickly did.

    • Science

    • Health/Nutrition

      • Four COVID vaccine shots. -FDA (No thanks.)

        Now the FDA is saying we might “need” a fourth. I’m not going to do it.

        The third, for me, was the weirdest.

        The side effects lingered for about a month before they went away. They involved burning sensation in my arm, slight chest pain, fatigue, some memory problems, and hot flashes, and while it seems to be over with, I don’t think I’ll be getting a fourth shot. I can’t risk this getting worse each time.

        How many of these things are you supposed to take? How much are the side effects going to continue escalating? And at what point has it either “worked” or not “worked” well enough that you don’t need any more doses for the foreseeable future?

        [...]

        If they wanted to throw gasoline on the anti-vaxxer fire that was already raging, I can’t think of a better way to do it.

        This sends the message that no matter how many doses you take, your phone will be buzzing off the hook anyway and it’ll be the government stating that you need more.

        [...]

        It’s bad enough to have to make choices like this when you’re almost 40 and half your life is probably over anyway, and certainly your prime years, but children? This is going somewhere I had hoped it wouldn’t.

    • Integrity/Availability

      • Proprietary

        • Security

          • Security updates for Wednesday

            Security updates have been issued by Debian (mosquitto and php7.0), Fedora (python-django-filter and qt), Mageia (fossil, opencryptoki, and qtbase5), openSUSE (apache2, busybox, dnsmasq, ffmpeg, pcre, and wireguard-tools), Red Hat (kpatch-patch), SUSE (apache2, busybox, dnsmasq, ffmpeg, java-11-openjdk, libvirt, open-lldp, pcre, python, qemu, util-linux, and wireguard-tools), and Ubuntu (apport and libslirp).

          • Linux Foundation: confidential computing market to reach $54 billion in 2026 [Ed: ZDNet writing more Linux Foundation 'spam' today. They're paid to do this. They paint surveillance as "security" and "confidential".]
          • Kali Linux Wordlist: What you need to know

            wordlist can be referred to as a password dictionary since it is a collection of passwords stored as plain text. Kali Linux is the most advanced penetration testing distribution. It is primarily designed for penetration testing and digital forensics hence funded and maintained by Offensive Security.

            Most Kali Linux wordlists can be downloaded online, including those provided in this article. In addition, there are a collection of common and uncommon passwords that are still or were once used by real people. Remember, you can also create your wordlist if you prefer to or stick to the ones already compiled. Wordlists are derived from data breaches such as circumstances where the company gets hacked. Data stolen from the hacked companies are leaked on websites such as Pastebin or sold on the dark web.

          • FBI Releases Indicators of Compromise Associated with Ranzy Locker Ransomware

            The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released a Flash report detailing indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with attacks using Ranzy Locker, a ransomware variant first identified targeting victims in the United States in late 2020.

          • Warehouse belonging to Chinese payment terminal manufacturer raided by FBI

            US feds were spotted raiding a warehouse belonging to Chinese payment terminal manufacturer PAX Technology in Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday, with speculation abounding that the machines contained preinstalled malware.

            PAX Technology is headquartered in Shenzhen, China, and is one of the largest electronic payment providers in the world. It operates around 60 million point-of-sale (PoS) payment terminals in more than 120 countries.

          • Privacy/Surveillance

            • License plate scanners were supposed to bring peace of mind. Instead they tore the neighborhood apart.

              License plate readers are rapidly reshaping private security in American neighborhoods, bringing police surveillance tools to the masses with an automated watchdog that records 24 hours a day.

              With “safety-as-a-service” packages starting at $2,500 per camera a year, the scanners are part of a growing wave of easy-to-use surveillance systems promoted for their crime-fighting powers in a country where property crime rates are at all-time lows.

              Once found mostly in gated communities, the systems have — with help from aggressive marketing efforts — spread to cover practically everywhere anyone chooses to live in the United States. Flock Safety, the industry leader, says its systems have been installed in 1,400 cities across 40 states and now capture data from more than a billion cars and trucks every month.

              “This is not just for million-dollar homes,” Flock’s founder, Garrett Langley, said. “This is America at its core.”

            • Here's the FBI's Internal Guide for Getting Data from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon

              A newly obtained document written by the FBI lays out in unusually granular detail how it and other law enforcement agencies can obtain location information of phones from telecommunication companies.

              Much of the information reiterates what we already knew about law enforcement access to telecommunications data—how officials can request location data from a telecom with a warrant or use court orders to obtain other information on a phone user, for example. But the document does provide insights on what exactly each carrier collects, a more recent run-down of how long each telecom retains certain types of data for, and images of the tool the FBI makes available to law enforcement agencies across the country to analyze cell phone tower data.

              Ryan Shapiro, executive director of nonprofit organization Property of the People, shared the document with Motherboard after obtaining it through a public record act request. Property of the People focuses on obtaining and publishing government records.

            • How the FBI Gets Location Information

              Vice has a detailed article about how the FBI gets data from cell phone providers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, based on a leaked (I think) 2019 139-page presentation.

            • Google said it had successfully ‘slowed down’ European privacy rules, according to lawsuit.

              Google said in an internal document that it had successfully “slowed down” European privacy rules in collaboration with other tech companies, according to a legal filing released on Friday.

              Ahead of a 2019 meeting with other major tech companies, Google said in a memo that it had “been successful in slowing down and delaying” the European Union’s ePrivacy Regulation process and had been “working behind the scenes hand in hand with the other companies,” according to the filing.

            • More than 100,000 people have had their eyes scanned for free cryptocurrency

              More than 100,000 people have had their eyes scanned in return for a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin, as a project to distribute digital money more widely around the world accelerates.

              Worldcoin has distributed about 30 iris-scanning hardware devices, which they call “orbs,” to early users on four continents, who get rewards for signing up more people. Orbs take photos of a user’s eyeballs, creating a unique code that can be used to claim free digital tokens.

    • Environment

      • Plastic industry pollution to overtake coal in US by 2030, report says

        Plastic pollution usually conjures images of grocery bags blowing in the wind or nurdles lodged in a seabird’s stomach. But soon, plastic pollution may take on another meaning, as a new report forecasts that the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions in the US will outpace those of coal by the end of the decade.

    • Civil Rights/Policing

      • EU fines Poland €1 million per day over judicial reforms
      • U.S. FTC needs rulemaking to protect privacy and civil rights - Access Now

        Today, Access Now joined Free Press and partner organizations in calling on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to initiate a rulemaking to protect privacy, promote civil rights, and set data protection standards. This call aligns with Senators’ request for the same rulemaking process.

        How data is collected, processed, and shared has a direct impact on economic opportunities and falls squarely within the FTC’s authority. Companies use personal data to enable and even perpetuate discriminatory practices against people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.

      • Where the EU's DSA is heading — and where it needs to go - Access Now

        The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) is an ambitious proposal with the potential to empower people in today’s online ecosystem. It is the first legislative proposal worldwide that seeks to establish systemic regulation of “Big Tech” platforms like Facebook or Google to address their impact on public discourse. If done right, the DSA could be an effective tool for preventing the spread of illegal content, protecting fundamental rights, and correcting the power imbalance between users and platforms. Done wrong, however, the DSA could harm the vulnerable communities it is supposed to help, and erode the freedom of expression and opinion — not just in the EU but around the world.

        So where does this promising regulation stand now? And what needs to happen to ensure its efficacy? We look at the introduction of the DSA, how the negotiations have progressed, and where we need to go from here to safeguard human rights.

    • Digital Restrictions (DRM)

      • Disney+ streams to Linux-based VIDAA Smart OS

        Disney+, a world-renowned streaming application, and VIDAA, a Linux-based smart TV operating system, announced that Disney+ will be coming soon to VIDAA Smart OS-powered Hisense and Toshiba smart televisions, with the latest firmware version.

    • Monopolies



Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
 
GNOME GUADEC 2022 & Debian Albanian women trafficked to Mexico?
Reprinted with permission from the Free Software Fellowship
Sainsbury's: It Takes Us Up to Two Days to Respond to Customers Upon Escalation (and Sometimes Even More Than Two Days)
It not only does groceries but also many other things, even banking
People Don't Just Kill Themselves (Same for Other Animals)
And recent reports about Boeing whistleblower John Barnett
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day