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Links 28/2/2022: Glimpse at LMDE 5 Beta and Release of HPLIP 3.22.2



  • GNU/Linux

    • Desktop/Laptop

      • Linux Mint apparently runs better than Windows 11 on Surface devices [Ed: But why would you want to pay Microsoft for hardware (that it does not even produce) and for a Windows licence you neither want nor use?]

        No, it isn’t a joke, people took it upon themselves to try it and the results are actually better than what was initially expected from this experiment.

        Furthermore, users that have been using Surface devices since for graphics and work state that there is always something wrong with them.

        They are referring to either Windows OS-specific problems or questionable hardware configurations choices made by Microsoft.

        Regardless of the motivation that drove some to leave Windows 11 behind in favor of Linux, on Microsoft-designed laptops and tablets, the result is the same.

    • Server

      • Apache vs Nginx: Which Web Server is the Best One for You?

        If you are a professional Linux user then you might already know that the Nginx and the Apache server both are useful for demonstrating your project under a localhost or a public domain. Before you go to the next stage of the server, you might need to know the difference between the load Nginx balancer server vs the Apache server. The Apache is widely used for or regular user interface to base service for HTTP and HTTPS servers. On the other hand, the Nginx server can handle the server load and balance the traffic of your server.

    • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Kernel Space

      • Torvalds admits he's a bit worried about the next Linux build [Ed: Anti-Linux clickbait or scare-mongering]

        The speed at which Linux developers are working on version 5.17 of the popular kernel has gotten the OS’ boss a bit worried.

        In the weekly State of the kernel post, Linux creator (and the biggest developer) Linus Torvalds, said he believed the progress (or lack thereof) wasn’t caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or “whatever crazy things are going on in the world”, as these things “don't seem to have affected the kernel much."

        However, the number of known regressions that Torvalds is claiming have been out there since late January have affected the development cycle. Although these “don't seem all that big and scary”, Torvalds did stress that some of them were reported right after the rc1 release, meaning they’re getting somewhat stale.

      • PipeWire is the future for Linux audio and I am sold on it | GamingOnLinux

        Linux and audio have never entirely gotten along well together, when PulseAudio came along it actually solved a lot of problems but it's PipeWire that's the real future.

        Truthfully, I was hesitent to switch my own PC over from PulseAudio to PipeWire for fear of breakage, especially with the Steam Deck — I needed thing to continue working smoothly. However, I also sometimes tend to just "YOLO" for the fun of it and so I did. I'm now running PipeWire and I have to tell you how happy I am with it.

      • An overview of live kernel patching | Ubuntu

        Live kernel patching is an essential component of your Linux server management and vulnerability remediation strategy. Patching encompasses all installed software, and software essential for baseline operation of the OS. The most dynamic component of Linux, essential for baseline operation, is the kernel.

        The Linux kernel has over 30 million lines of code, and in January 2022, the stable Linux kernel version had over 999 commits. It is not uncommon for a stable Linux kernel to receive 25 patches every day. Many of these patches address security vulnerabilities, which may or may not be formally disclosed. System Administrators need to insulate their estate from critical vulnerability exploits, which target one of the most scrutinised pieces of software in history.

    • Applications

      • HPLIP 3.22.2 Released with RHEL 8.5 & Many New Printers Support | UbuntuHandbook

        HP’s Linux printer and scanner driver, HPLIP, released new 3.22.2 version today with many new printers support!

        According to the release note, HPLIP 3.22.2 adds official support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.5, Elementary OS 6.1, and Linux Mint 20.3.

      • openSSH 8.9 Released, Removes Support for MD5-Hashed Passwords

        OpenSSH 8.9 is a feature-focused version that has been released with some new features, bug fixes, and security enhancements.

        OpenSSH is an open-source implementation of the SSH protocol. It encrypts all traffic to eliminate eavesdropping, connection hijacking, and other attacks. In addition, OpenSSH provides a large suite of secure tunneling capabilities, several authentication methods, and sophisticated configuration options.

        The latest release of OpenSSH – version 8.9, released on February 23th — removes in-built support for MD5-hashed passwords. It is important to note that this change only affects the portable version of the software. If you require MD5-hashed passwords on your system, the openSSH developers recommend linking against libxcrypt or a similar one-way hashing crypt library.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • How To Install Snap on Debian 11 - idroot

        In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Snap on Debian 11. For those of you who didn’t know, Snap is a package format developed by Canonical that can be installed in various apps and packages available in the Snapcraft repository. Snaps are faster to install, easier to create, safer to run, and they update automatically and transactionally so your app is always fresh and never broken.

        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 Snap package manager on a Debian 11 (Bullseye).

      • How to Use tcpdump for Packet Capture

        Capturing packets is a very useful way of analyzing the inner workings of a network. There’s a variety of different tools available that are developed for this purpose. One of them is tcpdump. Here we show you how to make the best use of this great tool for network engineers and penetration testers alike.

      • How to Install Etherpad with Nginx and SSL on Debian 11

        Etherpad is a free and open-source alternative to services like Google Docs and Zoho Writer. Etherpad is a collaborative and real-time text editor for your team, it's accessible from anywhere at any time because Etherpad is a web-based text editor.

        Any changes on Etherpad are happening in real-time, and also etherpad is supports versioning and built-in formatting for teams. Etherpad is a highly customizable editor with the support of various plugins. And also supports modern document formats such as doc, pdf, odt, markdown, etc.

        In this tutorial, you will install and configure the Etherpad Real-time Collaborative Editor on the Debian 11 Bullseye. This tutorial uses MariaDB as the database backend and Nginx web-server as a reverse proxy with the secure HTTPS enabled. In the end, you'll have the Etherpad installed and secured through secure HTTPS encryption.

      • Move Home Directory To New Partition Or Drive In Linux - OSTechNix

        If you are new to Linux or someone who plans to ditch windows and switch to Linux, then this article will be of great use to you. This step by step article will walk you through the procedure to move home directory to new partition or drive in Linux.

      • How To Install Drupal 9 CMS on Ubuntu 20.04 | LinuxHostSupport

        Drupal is open-source software that has many features, like easy content authoring, reliable performance, and excellent security. With Drupal tools, you can build the versatile, structured content that dynamic web experiences need. As an open-source web content management system (CMS) written in PHP, it is a great alternative to another CSM like WordPress or Joomla. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Drupal 9 on Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa).

      • How To Install Oracle JDK 17 in OpenSuse 15 Leap

        In this tutorial, we will learn step by step process of installing oracle JDK 17 in OpenSuse 15 Leap system.

        Java is a general-purpose, also fast, secure, reliable, and object-oriented multipurpose programming language. Java code can be run on all platforms that support Java without the need for recompilation. Also, It is one of the most widely used programming language for developing software and application.

      • How to Enable Conda-forge Channel For Conda Package Manager - Unix / Linux the admins Tutorials

        In this article we will learn How to Enable Conda-forge Channel For Conda Package Manager. The Conda Package manager installs packages from Default channels. ll packages in the default channel are tested and maintained by the Conda team from Anaconda, Inc.

        Aside from the official default channel, there are some third-party channels available for hosting and managing packages. One of the channels is Conda-Forge. Conda-forge is community drived channel that provides latest conda packages for a wide-range of software.

        The default channel may not always have all the packages. There could be some missing or outdated packages. The Conda-Forge community tackles these issues by maintaining up-to-date packages with the help of contributors. Conda-forge project is financially supported by NumFOCUS, a non-profit dedicated to support open source scientific computing community.

      • How to Convert Linux Installation Packages to Other Formats

        The alien program converts installation packages from one Linux distribution for use on another one. But don’t Snap and Flatpak make that redundant now? Sort of, but it’s not quite that simple.

      • How to create Jenkins jobs using Jenkins job builder

        Jenkins Job builder (abbreviated JJB) is a python script to maintain and simplify configuration of Jenkins jobs. Jenkins internally stores configuration of jobs in an XML format. JJB instead maintains jobs as simple descriptions in YAML or JSON format, which are then expanded to XML and uploaded to Jenkins through its HTTP API.

        You can keep your job descriptions in human readable text format in a version control system to make changes and auditing easier. It also has a flexible template system, so creating many similarly configured jobs is easy.

      • Install HPLIP 3.22.2 On Ubuntu / RHEL / Elementary OS / Linux Mint | Tips On UNIX

        This tutorial will be helpful for beginners to download and install HPLIP 3.22.2 on Ubuntu 21.10, RHEL 8.5, Linux Mint 20.3, and Elementary OS 6.1

        HPLIP – HP Linux Image and Printing, developed by HP for Printing, scanning, and faxing with HP inkjet and laser-based printers in Linux platforms.

        The latest version of HPLIP 3.22.2 contains new Distro support and added support to the new printers and the HPLIP installer is available for download from SourceForge.

      • How to Set Environment Variables in Linux

        If you’re using a PC, the operating system needs to know where to locate certain files or how to present the time and date. Windows typically does this using configuration files and the registry.

        On Unix-based systems like Linux, this is set using environment variables. Knowing how to set environment variables in Linux can be a big help, and this guide will help you get started.

      • How to Install Kanboard on Debian 11 | LinuxCloudVPS Blog

        In this tutorial we are going to provide you with step-by-step details on how to https://www.rosehosting.com/debian-hosting.htmlinstall Kandboard on Debian 11.

        Kanboard is an open-source project management system that uses Kanban board. It helps to visualize the work of the developers or any other users, that need to have a better view of their tasks. There is a drag and drop web user interface with columns like Backlog, Work In progress, Quality check, Done and etc. Also, Kanboard comes with a command-line interface and automation of everyday tasks. Kanboard is written in PHP and uses SQLite as a database system.

        Installing Kanboard is a very easy and straightforward process that can take up to 10 minutes. Let’s get started!

      • How to Fix the “There Has Been a Critical Error on Your Website” Error in WordPress

        In this blog post, we are going to explain a few steps that need to be taken for fixing the most common WordPress error “There has Been a Critical Error on your Website”.

        This error is known in the recent versions of WordPress, more precisely from WordPress 5.4 to the latest WordPress 5.7. Before this message, WordPress was only displaying the white screen known as the white screen of death (WSoD). In the next paragraphs, we are going to show you what may be the cause of this and the possible solutions.

        Let’s get started, and make your WordPress up and running!

      • Troubleshooting AWS cross-account IAM role access - Kernel Talks

        AWS cross-account role access is one of the most common use cases in cloud environments and is always a headache to troubleshoot if one is not familiar enough with IAM. In this article, we will walk you through step by step procedure to drill down into the root cause of why AWS cross-account IAM role access is not working.

      • Nmap Basics: What Is Nmap & How Is It Used? | LinuxSecurity.com

        Nmap, short for “Network Mapper”, is an open-sourced tool for network discovery and auditing. It is now one of the most widely used tools for network mapping by system administrators. Nmap searches for hosts and services on a network.

        There are a variety of free network monitoring tools and vulnerability scanners that are available to security professionals, however, Nmap stands out. Nmap is not only free, but it is also incredibly flexible, portable, well-documented, and simple to use.

      • 6 Methods to Check File Integrity on Linux

        Verifying the checksum of files you download from the internet is a good habit to get into if you're serious about your Linux desktop's security.

        When you download a Linux ISO file, you may have noticed a checksum near the download link. The checksum is a long list of numbers and letters that don't actually mean anything. The purpose of this checksum is to help you confirm that the file you downloaded is exactly the file you expected, that it hasn't been corrupted by an incomplete download or someone tampering with the file before it gets to you.

        There are several ways to verify a file's integrity on Linux. Have a look at the following programs and see which one appeals to you.

    • Games

      • Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer - Part 14: Return to Na Pali | GamingOnLinux

        One of the selling points of Unreal Tournament pitched to the modding scene by Epic Games was its ability to load assets from the original Unreal into the new engine, further expanding the content base for what was already a highly modifiable game. After a few years this snowballed into a concerted community effort to make the entire Unreal single player mode playable from within its own sequel, bringing it over to Linux in the process.

        Installation is simple thanks to the unrealgold-install-436.run installer still hosted on icculus.org extracting the files off the disc and setting up the game as if it were a retail title. Installers are also available for owners of the original Unreal as well as for the Return to Na Pali mission pack, but Unreal Gold is the version that I have on CD-ROM. In fact, the longstanding but now defunct online retailer Tux Games even sold copies of Unreal bundled with the installer.

        Again I made some modifications to the Unreal.ini file, switching to the SDLGLDRV renderer with "UseGammaExtension" set to "1" as well as making "Coronas" and "VolumetricLighting" set to "False". I decided to keep dynamic lighting enabled this time as Unreal places a far greater emphasis on darkness for both atmosphere and navigation. Set pieces such as the first Skaarj encounter are undermined by the lights not going out, making it an unacceptable compromise.

      • Gabe hand-delivers signed Steam Decks, sounds like a Steam Deck 2 is planned | GamingOnLinux

        How would you feel if Valve's Gabe Newell appeared at your front door to deliver a signed Steam Deck? Well, some people got to find out. Also, an overview of a recent IGN interview for you.

        There's been quite a few reports now of Newell out and about with a Deck in hand, and it's pretty wholesome but it does sound quite a lot like some sort of marketing stunt. Not that anyone will be complaining about it of course, it's a great way to show it all off.

      • Factorio devs experimenting with Steam Deck improvements | GamingOnLinux

        Factorio is one game that I've yet to try on my Steam Deck but it sounds like it's not ideal right now. Thankfully Wube Software LTD. are working on it.

        The problem, like for a lot of similar such games, is that they were designed primarily for mouse and keyboard. To get them working nicely on a Steam Deck, they need you to make a Steam Input configuration which takes time and even then the experience might still not be ideal. Valve actually sent Wube a Steam Deck so they're working on making it play better.

      • Steam Deck — but can it run Crysis Remastered? Yes | GamingOnLinux

        You all likely know the meme that Crysis became by now. It used to bring PCs to a halt and make GPUs cry. How about the Steam Deck though? Can it run the newest version with Crysis Remastered? Yes.

      • Slay the Spire gets Steam Deck and Steam Input compatibility | GamingOnLinux

        You'll soon be throwing cards around and defeating monsters with ease, as Slay the Spire now has proper Steam Input support so it's ready for the Steam Deck. In the new announcement, developer Mega Crit Games mentioned the use of the steamworks4j project to help with this.

      • GOverlay 0.8 is out with new features to help configure MangoHud | GamingOnLinux

        For those just getting into Linux and / or people who will be testing out the Steam Deck, GOverlay can be a bit of a lifesaver to help configure some extra tools like MangoHud. Giving you a nice UI instead of diving into configuration files, it's saved me a whole bunch of time.

      • Terraria gets another update, this time for Steam Deck Optimizations | GamingOnLinux

        This is terrible news for my free time, as if I didn't have enough to play in bed. Terraria has a new patch out to make it even better on the Steam Deck.

        From the announcement: "As we have mentioned over the past few months, the team has been hard at work on an update to further optimize Terraria for Steam Deck play - inclusive of performance and controls. With the Steam Deck officially shipping out to players starting today, we are pleased to be able to push this update out to everyone just in time!"

      • The Steam Deck's software still needs work. Here are 10 things that need to be fixed. - Invidious

        Here are 10 suggestions the Steam Deck's software needs to be improved.

      • The Long Dark gets fixed up for Linux with Vulkan and Steam Deck Verified | GamingOnLinux

        The Long Dark, a very chilly survival game that's not really like any others recently had an upgrade. It's also a Steam Deck Verified title.

        Writing in a short and sweet Steam announcement, the developer said: "You'll be happy to know that The Long Dark is Steam Deck verified! Access your Steam library on the go, and use Steam Deck to explore everything the Quiet Apocalypse has to offer. Plus, the Hinterland team has been hard at work on visual and performance improvements on Linux to make your experience on Steam Deck even better."

      • Is it just my wishful thinking or will we be getting some big Portal news on Tuesday? - Invidious
    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

        • Plasma 5.24 is fantastic

          Plasma 5.24 is a very good desktop environment. It's stylish, stable and practical. I couldn't find any major problems or issues. It definitely builds up on the quality and fun first seen in Plasma 5.20, and it supersedes the previous LTS (5.18) by a long parsec. I think it's a worthy successor to the 5.12 line, which graces my Kubuntu on the Slimbook Pro2, and so, come April, I will be happy to move to the new Kubuntu edition.

          Everything you could ask for in a classic desktop is here. Speed, availability of programs and tools, the ergonomic and aesthetic freedom, a foundation for serious work and fun. No need for any command line, and yet, if you want, you can tweak anything and everything, every function and widget has at least one alternative, and you can go to insane levels of details in making Plasma behave and look like anything else you want. I've already shown you how to make it look like Mac, Unity, Windows 10, and Gnome. Beyond this, your imagination is your limitation.

          I am very happy with my initial 5.24 contact, and I am looking forward to installing and using 5.24 in earnest. In fact, I'm itching to splurge a fresh wad of capitalism on a brand new Linux-powered workstation, perhaps the Slimbook Apollo, or if they have a 27-inch model, then something like that. I might even advance my migration journey a bit. Or, at the very least, I'm just going to have immense fun with Plasma. Anyway, this is a superb release, arguably the best KDE version yet. On that happy note, I bid you farewell.

      • GNOME Desktop/GTK

        • Meet Login Manager Settings, a New App to Customize Your GNOME Desktop’s Login Screen

          Login Manager Settings or gdm-settings is a new app developed by Mazhar Hussain that lets you change various settings of GNOME‘s Display Manager (a.k.a. GDM). Under the hood, the application is written in Python, but its graphical interface is written using GTK4 and libadwaita to provide users with a modern UX.

          The app features no less than seven panes with various settings including the ability to change shell, icon, and mouse cursor themes, as well as to change the background to an image or a solid color from the Appearance pane.

        • A Promising New GNOME Login Screen Tweak Tool Appears

          Currently in an early stage of development (thus not really intended for mainstream use) Mazhar Hussain’s GDM Settings app aims to unlock a legion of login screen functions to let users create a welcome screen that better suit their needs.

          The developer of the tool describes it as “an app to manage settings (including theme and background) of GNOME’s Login Manager (GDM)” and—faux shock—that’s exactly what it does. As it’s built using Python, GTK+, and LibAdwaita it vibes nicely with the (upcoming) GNOME 42 release...

    • Distributions

      • Arch Family

      • IBM/Red Hat/Fedora

        • SmoogeSpace: Getting past EL-{8,9}'s limitations with toolbx

          One of the biggest issues with dealing with Enterprise Linux 8 (be it Rocky to Red Hat) is the lack of additional packages which you know are in Fedora. Trying to get them into EL-8 turns into a Sisyphean task of moving the boulder of multiple python/go/ruby/etc packages into EL8 only to find that the RPM macros and other software have changed so much in 2 to 3 Fedora releases you can't. Past self spent the weekend trying to get a simple GO package backported and found that he needed to touch at least 175 src.rpms to make this 'work'. That was just too much for trying to get something else working.

        • Next Open NeuroFedora meeting: 28 February 1300 UTC | NeuroFedora: Blog

          Please join us at the next regular Open NeuroFedora team meeting on Monday 28 February at 1300 UTC The meeting is a public meeting, and open for everyone to attend.

        • Simplify container development with Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces

          Developers who are frustrated with waiting for development environments to be set up, waiting for special laptops to be assigned, switching context between projects and branches, or other bottlenecks to launching a project should check out Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces. This service makes it simple to use containers without having to be a Kubernetes expert.

          Does this sound like life in a magical fairyland? This article explains what CodeReady Workspaces offers and suggests five use cases where you can enjoy its benefits.

          [...]

          These are some use cases and ways Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces helps you be successful and agile.

        • Red Hat Developer roundup: Best of February 2022 | Red Hat Developer

          Welcome to our monthly recap of the articles we published in February 2022! This month Red Hat Developer has brought you articles about many platforms that developers use in their everyday lives. You can learn how to write Kubernetes in Java with the Java Operator SDK or create a data stream with Amazon Kinesis, AWS's stream management service. But it wasn't all practical tips; one of this month's most-read articles looked at progress in the MIR project, which aims to create a universal, lightweight Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler. Read on for more February highlights.

        • Automation: 5 issues for IT teams to watch in 2022

          If you’re adopting IT automation on any kind of scale, planning is essential.

          Some leaders and teams operate without a well-defined automation strategy, however. We can lay some of the blame for ad hoc approaches to automation on the term: It suggests everything will go perfectly to plan – even when there is no actual plan.

          That sounds promising enough at the beginning, but ask anyone who has tried to automate a flawed process – or anyone who has dropped new automation tools on a team that was already worried about its job security – how that story ends. (Spoiler alert: Not great.)

          A lack of planning portends other things lacking as well, such as understanding (of existing processes and workflows), empathy or emotional intelligence (ignoring or dismissing people’s concerns about how increasing automation will impact their jobs), resources (whether financial, time, technology, skills, or some combination), and awareness (of various issues inside and outside the organization that may determine success or failure).

        • 10 habits of great Ansible users | Enable Sysadmin

          Ansible makes it easier to create, share, and manage automation, but like any tool, some ways of using it are better than others.

        • Digital transformation: 3 roadblocks and how to overcome them

          The future of any organization lies in its ability to adapt to a digital-first future, especially as the pandemic continues to boost demand for digital business service operations. With 65 percent of the world’s GDP expected to be digitized by the end of this year and the digital transformation market expected to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars by 2025, organizations simply cannot afford to forgo digital transformation if they want to stay relevant.

          Like any journey, the transition from legacy systems is filled with its own challenges. However, the utility of the data that underpins transformation initiatives is what will allow your organization to grow and adapt more effectively than ever before.

          To prepare for the challenge of digital transformation, consider these three often-overlooked roadblocks to becoming a digital-first enterprise.

      • Debian Family

        • LMDE 5 “Elsie” – BETA Release

          LMDE is a Linux Mint project which stands for “Linux Mint Debian Edition”. Its goal is to ensure Linux Mint would be able to continue to deliver the same user experience, and how much work would be involved, if Ubuntu was ever to disappear. LMDE is also one of our development targets, to guarantee the software we develop is compatible outside of Ubuntu.

          LMDE aims to be as similar as possible to Linux Mint, but without using Ubuntu. The package base is provided by Debian instead.

        • LMDE 5 “Elsie” Beta Released

          LMDE 5 “Elsie” beta version is now available for download. LMDE is a short form of “Linux Mint Debian Edition”. LMDE 5 is based on the Debian GNU/Linux 11 “Bullseye”. You will find Linux 5.10 LTS kernel series on LMDE 5.

        • Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 5 'Elsie' BETA now available for download

          Debian is a great Linux distribution in its own right, but also, it serves as a base for many other operating systems. For instance, two of the best Linux distros, Ubuntu and deepin, are based on Debian.

          Linux Mint is a popular operating system based on Ubuntu, but did you know there is actually a lesser-known variant of the operating system based on Debian? It's true! The unimaginatively named "Linux Mint Debian Edition" (aka LMDE) cuts out the Ubuntu middleman and is based on Debian directly.

    • Devices/Embedded

    • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

      • Top 13 open source business intelligence tools

        The data revolution is already upon us. The role of big data, data science, and open data in economies is as crucial as ever. It has led big corporations, businesses, and companies to utilize Business Intelligence tools to analyze data and present it in a precise and readable format.

        The information is essential in product development, marketing strategies, and competitor analysis. In essence, Business Intelligence tools with reporting capabilities are critical for gaining a competitive edge.

        The article reviews some of the best open source Business Intelligence software you can use for data analysis and generate reports whether you are getting started with your business or are an established entity.

      • SaaS/Back End/Databases

        • Cassandra vs. MongoDB: which one should you choose

          Cassandra and MongoDB are NoSQL databases which means that they use data structures such as graphs, wide-column, key-value, and document stores. They handle data such as unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data. Both Cassandra and MongoDB facilitate their developers to be fast and agile when running code updates.

          This article has been tailored to compare the two NoSQL databases in terms of their overview, features, organizations using them, similarities, and differences. Continue reading to learn more about these NoSQL databases.

      • Content Management Systems (CMS)

      • FSF

        • GNU Projects

          • GIMP 2.99.10

            New version of GIMP comes with a pretty major change: layer links are now gone. They’ve always been more like temporary solution for lacking multi-layer selection. Now that GIMP has the latter, it didn’t make much sense keeping layer links.

            For use cases where you might want restoring a complex selection of layers that are not inside the same group there are now layer sets available. Frankly, the feature should have been called ‘layer selection sets’ instead as the name currently implies a different functionality (known as layer comps to Photoshop users).



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This Morning The Register MS Published Slop Promotion With the Term "AI" 15 Times In It. The Register MS Was (As Usual) Paid to Do This
This is not a serious publisher
SLAPP Censorship - Part 23 Out of 200: We Were Right All Along (for 2 Years) About Third Party Funding and Willingness to 'Break the Bank' in Pursuit of "Revenge"
How much damage can a person do to oneself in pursuit of cover-up of legitimate technical concerns?
Gnome Foundation Inc is in Trouble
the agenda is set GAFAM and IBM rather than donors
Links 25/03/2026: Airports Further Militarised, "Slopification and Its Discontents", Microsoft 'Open' 'Hey Hi' Shutting Things Down
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/03/2026: Blogging Fright and Absolutely Useless 'Apps' Made by Slop Machines
Links for the day
Rise in Energy Prices Will Significantly Accelerate the Death of So-called "AI Companies"
It should be noted that fake news about Microsoft OpenAI doubling workforce (mere words, not actions) can serve as a nice distraction from the death of Sora due to divestment
It's Always a Question of Trust
There's a widespread stigma of lawyers being manipulative and chronically dishonest
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Must More Carefully Investigate or Assess the Financial State of Law Firms in the UK
We'll cover this in depth in the future
GAFAM Mozilla Removes Theora Support, Now GNU Needs to Re-encode Videos
Mozilla used to mean something to Free software advocates
An Open Admission Profits Depend on Addiction
Proprietary software tends to be like this
IBM Americas President Ayman Antoun Comes to OpenText, Weeks Ahead the Mass Layoffs Begin
Is that what IBM will be good at?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, March 24, 2026
SLAPP Censorship - Part 22 Out of 200: When You Complain People Impersonate You in IRC (But You Yourself Impersonate People in IRC and Lock Them Out of Their IRC Handles)
We'll cover this with direct evidence some time soon
Gemini Links 24/03/2026: Junk Drawer Time Capsule and Building Outside Alire
Links for the day
Not Much LLM Slop About "Linux" Lately, It Only Ever Comes From the Same Few Sites
As long as only few such sites use LLM slop we can skip and avoid them
Links 24/03/2026: "Epic Lays Off Over 1000 Employees" and US in Financial Trouble According to the Fed
Links for the day
The "Media" Does Not Only 'Miss' Mass Layoffs
"The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it"
The Empty Suits of IBM Managers (NIH or "Nothing Invented Here")
IBM's management adopted the business model of parasites
2012: 'Secure' (Microsoft-Controlled) Boot Has Not (Yet) Been Made Obligatory. 2026: systemd Has Not Implemented Age Verification
should we stop calling "nazi" everyone we don't agree with?
More Threats (Including Physical Threats) Against Us Are a Dumb Move
It's like a "hit list" (targets list) and I shall keep the police duly informed
New Example of Pentagon in "Feminist" Clothing Inside Fake News of Publishers Paid to Promote Outsourcing to US ("Clown Computing") and American Slop
Google now pays money to promote Google as a friend of women
Hating Techrights is a Career
but is it good for civil society?
Dr. Stallman’s Work Will Never be Considered 'Mainstream' Because He Rejects and Works Against the So-called 'Mainstream'
Try to be more like Stallman
The New Layoffs: 'Silent Layoffs', 'Secret Layoffs', 'Quiet Layoffs', 'Passive Layoffs' 'Stealth Layoffs', and Unannounced Layoffs Disguised as Return-to-Office (RTO Mandates)
The US needs to revisit and fix the WARN Act
EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part IX - Cocaine Addicts in Charge of the EPO Attacking Families of EPO Staff
Things like being high-profile and being a serious drug addict aren't opposites
What Feminism in Science Means (Codes of Conduct Don't Tackle the Real Issues)
Universality matters, more so in a project or community that's said to build the "universal operating system" (Debian)
SLAPP Censorship - Part 21 Out of 200: It's About Behaviour Online, Not How Much Money From Shadowy Third Parties Gets Spent on Lawyers and Two Barristers
75+ KG of legal papers, 2 cases, 2 barristers (one hiding in the metadata) and maybe two law firms (also hiding in the metadata) against two modest people in Manchester seems disproportionate and vindicative
Links 24/03/2026: "Airports on ICE" and "Have You Paid Your “Intuit Tax”?"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/03/2026: Slop Interview and Why Slop Makes Lousy Code
Links for the day
Richard Stallman to Give Public Talk This Thursday at the University of Bologna (Italy)
Hardly the first time he speaks in Bologna
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 23, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, March 23, 2026