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Links 28/02/2023: Apache OpenOffice 4.1.13 and GIMP 2.10.34 Released



  • GNU/Linux

    • Desktop/Laptop

      • Linux Gizmos Rockchip RK3588 based Mini-PCs feature touch screen display and dual GbE
        Indiegogo recently featured two Mini-PCs integrating the Rockchip RK3568 multi-core processor. The PlanetPC XR series Mini-PCs can be configured with up to 32GB RAM, 256GB Flash, 2x GbE, Wi-Fi/BL connectivity, SSD support and both models run on Ubuntu 20.04.

        The XR1 is described as an entry level Mini-PC integrating a Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 RK3568 processor clocked at 2.0GHz, an ARM G52 2EE GPU and a [email protected] NPU.

      • PlanetPC XR’s series of computers are a Linux-powered alternative to the Mac mini

        Computers come in all shapes and sizes, where there are some who prefer having a PC with a large chassis for better cooling, the ability to fit larger motherboards and GPUs, while others might prefer something small that can just sit on their desk and don’t take up too much room.

      • Geeky GadgetsPlanetPC XR touchscreen Linux mini PC
        If you are in the market for a Linux mini PC you might be interested in a new Indiegogo crowd funding campaign launched by the team at Planets Computers based in the United Kingdom. Their latest creation features a 16 LED RGB light array and integrated HD color touchscreen together with microphone and stereo speakers.

        Before pledging your funds however it might be worth your while checking out the previous projects by the company which still seem to be outstanding for some even years after funding was successfully raised. If you are still interested in risking your hard earned cash more details are available over on the official Indiegogo project page by following the link below.

      • Is Linux a Good Alternative to Windows?

        Choosing an operating system is one of the most important decisions a user has to make. And whereas it is pretty easy when it comes to mobile devices – you are basically forced to use iOS on iPhones or Android on (almost) every other phone – on the desktop the case is not that simple.

        In a nutshell, the OS market gives you 3 main options: Windows, MacOS and Linux. Of course, every ‘family’ of operating systems has many distinctive versions, but to put it simply, it is safe to say that within a Windows or Linux brand, all of them are based on the same virtues and their heart pumps similar digital blood.

      • UbuntubuzzCollection Of System76 Laptop Reviews 2009-2014

        This is a list of reviews of System76 laptop and desktop computers by different authors for five years from 2009 to 2014. We managed to collect reviews of several System76 models ranging from Serval, Galago, Gazelle, Lemur, Pangolin, to Bonobo Pro with various Intel technologies from Core 2 Duo to generations of i7 with various graphics processors from HD Graphics, Iris Pro to NVIDIA GTX Mobile. We summarized every review by its specifications, battery hour, and the author's conclusion and linked to every original website so you can read further. We hope this really helps everyone considering then purchasing GNU/Linux-preinstalled branded computers suitable for them. Please read on and look forward for the next collection too. Happy reading!

      • GamingOnLinuxKubuntu Focus announce the second-gen mini desktop Focus NX

        Need some power in a small box with full Linux support? The Kubuntu Focus team recently revealed their second-generation Focus NX. This is a small form factor desktop that comes with€ Kubuntu (KDE Plasma desktop) 22.04 LTS.

    • Server

      • The Next PlatformJapan Buys Supercomputer Just To Predict Torrential Downpours

        You know that climate change is a problem when a supercomputer to do short-term prediction of the formation of linear rainbands and the torrential downpours that they cause is 3.4X as powerful as the machines that do the day-to-day weather forecasting in a country.

    • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Kernel Space

      • SlashdotAsahi Linux Disputes Report That Linux 6.2 Will Run on Apple M1 Chips [Ed: ZDNET spreads lies.]
      • LWNA Linux-on-M1 update [LWN.net]

        The Asahi Linux project has posted an update and reality check on the status of Linux support for Apple's M1 hardware.

      • Asahi Linux

        There is an ongoing news cycle about Linux 6.2 being the first kernel to support the M1, started by ZDNET. This article is misleading and borderline false.

        You will not be able to run Ubuntu nor any other standard distro with 6.2 on any M1 Mac. Please don't get your hopes up.

      • Ars TechnicaLinux is not exactly “ready to run” on Apple silicon, but give it time

        It's an odd thing to see the leaders of an impressive open source project ask the press and their followers to please calm down and stop celebrating their accomplishments.

        But that's the situation the Asahi Linux team finds itself in after many reports last week that the recently issued Linux 6.2 kernel made Linux "ready to run" on Apple's M-series hardware. It is true that upstream support for Apple's M1 chips is present in 6.2 and that the 6.2 kernel will gradually make its way into many popular distributions, including Ubuntu and Fedora. Work on Apple's integrated GPU by the four-person Asahi core team has come remarkably far. And founder Linus Torvalds himself is particularly eager to see Linux running on his favorite portable hardware, going so far as to issue a kernel in August 2022 from an M2 MacBook Air.

        But the builders of the one Linux system that runs pretty well on Apple silicon are asking everybody to please just give it a moment.

      • It's FOSSSSDFS is a New Linux Filesystem for NVMe ZNS SSDs

        ZNS stands for 'Zoned Namespaces'; it is a relatively new command set for NVMe SSDs that exposes a zoned block storage interface between the host and the SSD, allowing it to align the data better.

        To complement that, a new Linux file system 'SSDFS' has been proposed to be included in the kernel by a developer that aims to leverage ZNS for lower I/O latency, reduced write amplification, prolonged SSD lifetime, and more.

        Let's take a look at it.

      • Ubuntu PitXanMod Linux Kernel 6.2.1 Released: What’s New

        If you're searching for an exceptional Linux kernel distribution that will guarantee a steady and efficient desktop experience, look no further than XanMod.

    • Applications

      • 9to5LinuxFFmpeg 6.0 “Von Neumann” Released with Radiance HDR Image Support, New Decoders

        Dubbed “Von Neumann,” FFmpeg 6.0 is here more than a year after FFmpeg 5.0 “Lorentz” and introduces several new features like support for the Radiance HDR (RGBE) image format, VA-API (Video Acceleration API) decoding and encoding for 10bit and 12bit 422/444 HEVC and VP9 streams, as well as a new mode to the cropdetect filter to allow it to detect crop-area based on motion vectors and edges.

        FFmpeg 6.0 also introduces support for the WBMP (Wireless Application Protocol Bitmap) image format, NVEC AV1 encoding support, oneVPL support for QSV, and support for the filtergraph syntax in FFmpeg’s command line interface to pass file contents as option values by prefixing the option name with ‘/’.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • H2S MediaHow to install PHP Imagemagick on Ubuntu 22.04

        Are you a web developer looking for ways to enhance your PHP scripts with image manipulation capabilities? If so, then the Imagick PHP module is likely one of the tools you should add to your arsenal.

      • H2S MediaLearn ROS Noetic installation on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

        Introduction Robotics is one of the fastest-growing areas which will change everything around us and also it not showing any signs of slowing down.

      • HowTo ForgeHow to Setup IKEv2 IPSec VPN Using strongSwan and Let's Encrypt on Rocky Linux 9

        In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up an IKEv2 IPSec VPN using strongSwan using EAP-MSCHAPv2 authentication along with Let's Encrypt SSL certificates on a Rocky Linux 9 server. You will also learn how to connect to the VPN using Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android clients.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install Cinnamon Desktop Environment on Fedora Linux

        Cinnamon is a free, open-source desktop environment developed by the Linux Mint team. It is based on the GNOME desktop environment but comes with a unique and intuitive user interface designed to be user-friendly and customizable.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install and Enable SSH on Fedora Linux

        Secure Shell, commonly called SSH, is a network protocol that allows secure remote access and management of Linux servers. Its strong encryption and authentication features have gained popularity over older unsecure methods such as Telnet and FTP.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install GitLab on Debian 11 or 10

        GitLab is a web-based Git repository management tool that provides a complete DevOps platform, enabling teams to collaborate on projects easily. It is an open-source application that offers various features, such as continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), version control, and issue tracking.

      • Linux CapableImproving MySQL Performance: A Guide to Using MySQL Tuner

        MySQL Tuner is a popular open-source tool for analyzing and optimizing the performance of MySQL servers. The tool provides recommendations for improving the configuration of your MySQL server based on its analysis of key metrics and statistics.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install Slack on Fedora Linux

        Slack is a cloud-based team collaboration tool that has gained widespread popularity for its ability to streamline communication and increase productivity in the workplace.

      • Ubuntu HandbookKDE Plasma 5.27 Available to Install in (K)Ubuntu via PPA

        The latest KDE Plasma Desktop 5.27 was released 2 weeks ago. (K)Ubuntu 22.10 based systems can now get it via KUbuntu Backport PPA. And, KUbuntu 23.04 will ship with Plasma 5.27 by default.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

        Python 3.8 is an older release of the Python programming language that is now in security maintenance. Despite being an older release, Python 3.8 is still widely used and is known for its simplicity, flexibility, and readability.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install Prometheus on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

        Prometheus is an open-source monitoring and alerting system that helps you track the performance and health of your systems, applications, and services. Originally developed at SoundCloud, Prometheus has become one of the most popular monitoring tools in the industry, used by companies such as Airbnb, DigitalOcean, and Red Hat.

      • Make Tech EasierHow to Display Information on Your Linux Desktop With Conky

        If you've ever spent time browsing a Linux community on Reddit, Twitter, or other social networks, you might have noticed some beautifully-made screenshots of sleek-looking systems where the time, date, and other information about the system are on full display in the desktop. To do this on your system, you need to to master one of the most useful applications in Linux: Conky.

      • ZDNetHow to enable guest sessions on an Ubuntu desktop | ZDNET

        Your privacy is important and nearly every Linux distribution is filled with features, tricks, and underpinnings that take the security of your information very seriously. Take, for instance, the idea of the guest session.

        The concept is a special login for your operating system that allows others to use the machine, without having access to any of your data. At the same time, no information would be saved between guest sessions. In other words, anyone could use your computer, and -- once they logged out of the guest session -- any and all data collected during the session would be automatically trashed.

      • XDACan the HP Dragonfly Pro run Linux?

        Unlike other laptop lineups, the HP Dragonfly Pro series uses both ChromeOS and Windows 11. There's the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook which runs ChromeOS, and then the HP Dragonfly Pro, which runs Windows. But what about Linux? While you can run Linux on both of these great HP laptops, you'll need some workarounds.

        On the standard HP Dragonfly Pro, you can virtualize Linux, run Linux apps with the Windows Subsystem for Linux, or try to run it in place of Windows with the risk of driver issues and certain parts of your device not running right. Then, with the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, you can run Linux apps on top of ChromeOS apps. Here's everything else you need to know.

      • Make Tech EasierHow to Display Information on Your Linux Desktop With Conky

        If you’ve ever spent time browsing a Linux community on Reddit, Twitter, or other social networks, you might have noticed some beautifully-made screenshots of sleek-looking systems where the time, date, and other information about the system are on full display in the desktop. To do this on your system, you need to to master one of the most useful applications in Linux: Conky.

    • WINE or Emulation

      • GamingOnLinuxScummVM 2.7.0 'The Real Slim Shader' supports even more classics

        ScummVM 2.7.0, The Real Slim Shader, is officially out now bringing more compatibility for retro titles to modern platforms so here's what's new. What exactly is ScummVM? To put it simply: it's a whole set of different open source game engines under one roof, with each focusing on a different type of retro games.

    • Games

    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

        • 9to5LinuxKDE Plasma 5.27.2 Is Out with Lots of Plasma Wayland Improvements

          Coming only a week after KDE Plasma 5.27.1, the KDE Plasma 5.27.2 point release is here to improve the first-time setup experience of your Plasma desktop by omitting apps that are pinned to the Task Manager by default but aren’t installed on your GNU/Linux distribution so you won’t end up with broken icons.

          KDE Plasma 5.27.2 also brings lots of improvements for the Plasma Wayland session, including a fix for a recent regression causing line artifacts to appear around panels when using a fractional scale factor, as well as support for correctly rendering the mouse cursor in XWayland-using apps when using a fractional scale factor.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • New Releases

      • On February 27, 2023, EmmaDE4 1.03 focused on parental control - Emmabuntüs

        On February 27th 2023, the Emmabuntüs Collective is happy to announce the release of the Emmabuntüs Debian Edition 4 1.03 update (32 and 64 bits), based on the Debian 11.6 Bullseye distribution and supporting both Xfce and LXQt desktop environments.

        This distribution was originally designed to facilitate the reconditioning of computers donated to humanitarian organizations, starting with the Emmaüs communities (which is where the distribution’s name obviously comes from), to promote the discovery of GNU/Linux by beginners, as well as to extend the lifespan of computer hardware, in order to reduce the waste induced by the over-consumption of raw materials.

        This new update of our distribution adds the CTparental control, as well as a script to help install and configure it. This will greatly simplify the deployment of CTparental for the parents who want to protect their children against unsuitable content on the Internet, see our tutorial presenting the parental control.

    • Fedora Family / IBM

    • Debian Family

      • CNX SoftwareArmbian 23.02 out with Linux 6.1, DietPi 8.14 adds experimental RISC-V support

        Two of the most popular projects providing images for Arm and RISC-V single board computers have released new updates with Armbian 23.02 adding Linux 6.1-based Debian and Ubuntu images, and DietPi 8.14 adding experimental RISC-V support for the StarFive VisionFive 2 SBC and new Arm boards.

        Linux 6.1 is the latest LTS kernel, so Armbian is now providing Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy and Debian 11 Bullseye images based on Linux 6.1.y for boards that support it, as well as the first development images based on Debian 12 Bookworm and Ubuntu 23.04 Lunar.

        I could not find any new boards added in the changelog, but the release brings several improvements and bug fixes to some of the already supported SBCs including the Raspberry Pi 3, Orange Pi R1 Plus LTS, ROCK Pi S, ROCK Pi 4, NanoPi R2S, NanoPi NEO3, and Banana Pi BPI-M2 Pro. The announcement also highlights that Armbian OS works well on RK3588 with official support for Radxa Rock 5 and Orange Pi 5, albeit some are still using Linux 5.10.x.

    • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

      • 9to5LinuxLinux Mint 21.2 Promises Better Support for Flatpak Apps, Faster File Management

        In Linux Mint 21.2 “Victoria”, the devs promise better support for Flatpak apps, as well as for apps using GNOME’s libadwaita library by implementing support for the xdg-desktop-portal desktop integration portal and frontend service for Flatpak and other similar containment frameworks.

        This change will make Flatpak and libadwaita-based apps work seamlessly on all supported desktop environments, including Cinnamon, Xfce, and MATE, even if they’re usually written only for the GNOME desktop environment, and support features like dark mode and screenshots.

      • ZDNetUbuntu 22.04.2 is as predictable as an operating system can be… and that's a good thing | ZDNET

        When the latest point release of Canonical's Ubuntu desktop operating system was made available, it made me realize that this particular take on Linux (as well as the mother of all distributions… Debian) is totally antithetical to much of society.

        Let me illustrate this by way of a mobile phone metaphor. For a very long time, anyone who designed, created, and manufactured smartphones understood that every release had to have a serious "wow" factor. Without that, no one would pay attention. Why? Because society wants to be wowed, wooed, and impressed. Society is always looking for the "latest and greatest," the thing that makes the biggest splash and has the most impressive set of new features.

        Those who embrace technology came to expect projects to come out with new features that would blow them away. They wanted pomp, circumstance, and cake (because who doesn't want cake?).

      • FOSSLinuxUbuntu backup and recovery: Keeping your data safe and recovering lost data

        Backup and recovery are crucial components of any data management strategy, regardless of whether you're dealing with personal files, business data, or mission-critical applications. Accidental deletion, hardware failure, theft, cyber-attacks, and natural disasters are some factors that can lead to data loss. The consequences can be severe, ranging from the inconvenience and financial losses to reputation damage and legal liabilities.

      • FOSSLinuxUbuntu gaming: A comprehensive guide to playing games on Linux

        Gaming on Linux has come a long way in recent years, and Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions for gaming enthusiasts. With the right setup, Ubuntu can provide an excellent gaming experience, offering access to a broad range of games, including popular titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and Rocket League.

      • Ubuntu NewsUbuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 776

        Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 776 for the week of February 19 - 25, 2023. The full version of this issue is available here.

      • Ubuntu FridgeThe Fridge: Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 776
    • Open Hardware/Modding

      • UbuntubuzzKiCAD 7 Released

        KiCAD is a professional free software application for electronic design automation (EDA). It is mainly used for electronic purposes like designing schematics, electronic circuits and drawing printed circuit board (PCB). Drawing circuitry with electronic components like resistors, capacitors, diode, switch etc. is easy with KiCAD. It includes important tools to create a bill of materials (BoM), artwork, Gerber files, and 3D views of the PCB and its components. It is licensed under GNU GPLv3 or later license. Its website is https://www.kicad.org.

      • Tom's HardwareRaspberry Pi Helps TRS-80 Model 102 Deploy Kubernetes

        The TRS-80 Model 102 is a classic computer from the mid-1980s and with the help of a Raspberry Pi and an ESP32 it is capable of much more exciting things.

      • Raspberry PiRaspberry Pi Backpack

        Portability is one of the great benefits of owning a small, yet powerful, computer such as Raspberry Pi. So long as you have a screen and keyboard to hand, you can pop one into your bag and take it on your travels. Or, as Nicholas Hacault has shown, you can actually make Raspberry Pi a feature of your bag and gain instant access to it wherever you go.

        Nicholas came up with the idea when he was looking for a way of transporting a Linux device. At first, he considered running a virtual machine on his laptop. “But that sounded like too easy a solution,” he says. “Since I was already bringing a bag to school, I figured that a backpack would be the perfect housing for my project.” With the idea in the bag, he was ready to get going.

    • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

      • LibreOffice installer improvements coming, thanks to Ximena Alcaman, Rachael Odetayo and Outreachy

        Today we’re talking to Ximena Alcaman, who is working on LibreOffice installer improvements as part of the Outreachy programme. Outreachy provides internships to people subject to systemic bias and impacted by underrepresentation in the technical industry where they are living.

        Ximena is working alongside Rachael Odetayo on the LibreOffice installer, and is being mentored by Marina Latini and Jussi Pakkanen, with support from sponsors SUSE and The Document Foundation. Let’s learn more…

      • UbuntubuzzLibreOffice 7.5 ReleasedLibreOffice 7.5 Released

        LibreOffice is a cross-platform, free libre open source software (FOSS) office suite from Germany developed by worldwide community under stewardship of a non-profit organization. It was originally developed from OpenOffice.org in 2010, first released in 2011 and the latest version 7.5 released in 2023. It is consisted of six applications namely Base (database), Calc (spreadsheet), Draw (illustrator), Impress (presentation), Math (equation editor), and Writer (word processor). It is mostly viewed as an alternative to Microsoft Office or Google Docs. It is the de facto office suite on all GNU/Linux operating systems especially Ubuntu. Its website is https://libreoffice.org.

      • AOO 4.1.14 Release Notes

        Apache OpenOffice 4.1.14 is a Maintenance release, incorporating bug fixes and little enhancements. All users of Apache OpenOffice 4.1.13 or earlier are advised to upgrade. You can download Apache OpenOffice 4.1.14 here. Windows 10 and 11 users can now also get Apache OpenOffice for selected languages in the "Microsoft Store" App.

        Please review these Release Notes to learn what is new in this version, as well as important remarks concerning known issues and their workarounds.

        Only use the original website "https://www.openoffice.org/download/" to download. The installed software can be verified with the About box (see menu "Help – About OpenOffice") by comparing the numbers with the reference data on the download webpage (see the text in the light green box). For Apache OpenOffice 4.1.14 it has to be "AOO4114m1 | Build ID 9811 | Rev. a0d24fb625".

    • GNU Projects

    • Licensing / Legal

      • [Old] The VergeThe lawsuit that could rewrite the rules of AI copyright

        Microsoft and OpenAI are far from alone in scraping copyrighted material from the web to train AI systems for profit. Many text-to-image AI, like the open-source program Stable Diffusion, were created in exactly the same way. The firms behind these programs insist that their use of this data is covered in the US by fair use doctrine. But legal experts say this is far from settled law and that litigation like Butterick’s class action lawsuit could upend the tenuously defined status quo.

        To find out more about the motivations and reasoning behind the lawsuit, we spoke to Butterick (MB), Manfredi (TM), and Zirpoli (CZ), who explained why they think we’re in the Napster-era of AI and why letting Microsoft use other’s code without attribution could kill the open source movement.

    • Programming/Development

      • QtQt Project: Top Contributors of 2022!
        So, 2022 was a successful year for Qt - and we highlight the Qt 6.3 and Qt 6.4 releases, Qt World Summit, and Qt Contributor Summit.

        And our community members keep up with the activity by writing diligent bug reports, contributing patches, giving technical advice, or helping out other users in forums and mailing lists.

      • EarthlyGo with the Gin Framework

        The Gin framework is one of the popular web packages in the Go ecosystem for building web applications. Gin provides most of the functionalities you’ll need in a web framework featuring a martini-like API with high performance and easy error management.

      • Perl / Raku

        • RakulangRaku™ documentation

          Welcome to the official documentation of the Raku™ programming language!

    • Standards/Consortia

      • uni MichiganMy love for physical media will never die

        If my current position as a writer on The Michigan Daily’s Arts section hasn’t already made it obvious, I love art. Whether it’s books, music, movies, TV shows or anything in between, chances are that I have made the media I consume a part of my personality at some point in my life.

  • Leftovers

    • Tim BrayTwo ongoing Decades

      Today is the 20th anniversary of the first-ever public post on this blog (Spoiler: Not that interesting). Some posts mark milestones: Is This Thing On? (one day), One ongoing Year, 730 ongoing Days, Thirty-six ongoing Months, and for the ten-year mark, Birthday!

      I just re-read that last ten-years note and I think it’s good. If you care about this subject at all, do me a favor and go read it. I’ll wait. Then, a few more words about doing this in 2023 and into the future.

  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal

      • 🔤SpellBinding: YLNOPTC Wordo: NOVAE
      • Self-involved egocentric bullshit

        My support worker is excellent. They're 26, a kinky enm nonbinary/transmasc dyke; i'll refer to them as ‘Z’. Z's been doing this sort of work for at least a few years now. They often have lived experience of the sort of issues i blab about, and i regularly find that i don't need to explain certain things because it's very clear to me that they _get it_, that they very much know what i'm talking about. i'm very grateful for this, given my decades of shitty experiences with various health and allied workers.

        During our session today, Z mentioned a recent experience with one of their other clients (without, of course, giving any identifying information). The client is 19, and told Z that Z is ‘queerphobic’ and ‘transphobic’, and that they thus want to take a few weeks' break from seeing Z. Why? Because in the short period since their last session with Z, they'd changed and/or added identities and/or pronouns, and Z hadn't somehow automatically known this, and had thus got language wrong. According to the client, Z “should be able to keep up”.

      • i don't belong to the queer/tgd communities

        i don't feel i ‘belong’ to the queer/tgd communities. i am, of course, a ‘member’ of those communities by virtue of being queer and transgenderqueer. But decades of experience and activism involving these communities have led me to feel that they project themselves in ways i don't, and can't, relate to. In some cases, they can feel actively marginalising.

        The primary example of this is being ‘fabulous’, i.e. outgoing and colourful (both literally and figuratively). Both the queer and tgd communities are apparently _very_ invested in representing themselves as ‘fabulous’. No, i don't think there's anything wrong with someone being ‘fabulous’; i'm here for it. Yes, i understand this is at least partly a response to being expected (at best) to remain in the closet, instead being ‘out, loud and proud’.

      • What was the last book you read?



        What was the last book you read?

        Why did you choose it? What did you get from reading it?

        Under what circumstances would you recommend it to someone else?

      • Daily life

        On work days a Casio F-91W wristwatch, draped over the clock radio, beeps me awake at 0415. It cost $15 at walmart, survived a month under mud, water, & snow when I lost it in the backyard. Its battery lasts 10 years and is replacable. It goes on my wrist before I leave the house.

        Shower, eggs & greens, maybe yoga, scrubs on, chant a psalm because it's Lent, drive 100km to hospital for work. I listen to St Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica on a busted old offline Android discard- ed by my friend Kirsa on the way. Thanks Librivox & VLC.

    • Technical


* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.



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Microsoft Has Issues in Guyana
It's not just Guyana
About 25% of the "Linux" News/Results in Google News Today Are LLM Slop, Almost 20% From the Same Rogue Operators of Slopfarms
Google, which tries to market itself as an LLM giant, apparently fails to understand what's wrong with it
Harassing People on Holiday
There are "no-go areas"; but that assumes all laws firms have ethical standards
The Great, Undeniable Value of Paper Trail, Not Purely Digital Systems
Suppose you have nothing but bits on someone else's computer and "word of mouth"...
The Company Behind Ars Technica, Reddit and Wired Caught Publishing LLM Slop (It Also Admits It Now)
Condé Nast busted
Links 22/08/2025: Lagrange 1.18.8, Wired Magazine and Business Insider Caught Resorting to LLM Slop
Links for the day
This Saturday It's Gonna be 3.5 Years* Since Russia Invaded Ukraine. No Microsoft Protests Against Microsoft Having Provided Russia With Services.
Companies do not have consistent policies and enforcement of "corporate values" is somewhat of an egg salad
Slopwatch: Sites Gone Rogue, Google Promoting Lies, and DDoS Attacks by Plagiarism Giants
Charlatans and frauds engage in a war against artistic industries, mislabeling plagiarism as "AI"
Links 22/08/2025: Cisco Layoffs, LA Times Says "AI Hype is Fading Fast"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/08/2025: K for Kentucky and Caddy Versus LLM Slopbots
Links for the day
The "End Software Patents" Initiative of the FSF Explains "WHY [to] ABOLISH SOFTWARE PATENTS"
We hope to cover patent-related issues more and more as the big anniversary of the FSF approaches
Freenode Sniffing
The grown-ups left the building
The Only Thing Worse Than Misinformation is Misinformation Sold to Everyone as "Intelligence"
Misplaced trust is worse than none at all
The Register MS Now Openly Admits LLM Hype Does Damage, But It's Also Being Paid to Participate in the LLM Hype (With Paid 'Articles' and 'Webcasts' for Paying Advertisers)
The Register MS gets paid to do this
End of the Smartphone Era? No.
Maybe the media should focus on producing accurate, factual news
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 21, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 21, 2025
Enshittification of Airports, Airlines, and Airplanes
If people are willing to tolerate standard declines and enshittification (nowadays sold as "pivot to AI" or "replaced by AI" or "AI layoffs") they will pay for it some other way
Latest Is Not Greatest: The Case of "Foldable" Tech
don't be shamed into abandoning old things just because the "fashion industry" of Apple and Samsung tells you to
Airlines and Their Tricks That Only Work in the 'Digital Age'
People sceptical of the direction technology has taken are not "Luddites"
Open Source Initiative (OSI), Which Became a Propaganda Front of Microsoft and "Hey Hi" (Hype, Misnomer), Wants You to Forget These Scandals
A lot of these issues won't be set aside until there's a resolution