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Links 01/07/2023: PostgreSQL 16 Beta 2 and EasyOS 5.4.5



  • GNU/Linux

    • Linux Magazine

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Edit landscape photos with RawTherapee 5.9

        The current RawTherapee version finally adds selective image editing, among other long-desired features, to help it compete with king of the hill, darktable.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Starting a podcast with Linux and Audacity

        Audacity is a free, open source, easy-to-use, multitrack audio recording and editing tool perfect for podcasts.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ A modern terminal pager

        The most terminal pager offers a feature-rich, better organized alternative to less.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Kernel News"

        In kernel news: Rust in Linux; and Compiler and Kernel Frenemies.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Algorithm-driven team building

        Instead of the coach determining the team lineup, an algorithm selects the players based on their strengths for Mike Schilli's amateur soccer team.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Network knowledge at your fingertips with NetBox

        NetBox is a single source of information on your network where you can store all those important details that used to get lost.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Blackouts and Black Ink

        The Reddit blackout is big in the news as I write this column.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Designing cross-platform GUI apps with Fyne

        The Fyne toolkit offers a simple way to build native apps that work across multiple platforms. We show you how to build a to-do list app to demonstrate Fyne's power.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Scoreboards and Video Routing in Python

        We look at a broadcast video system network that uses Python code to control a video router and check out another program that creates a scoreboard.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Exploring the TUXEDO InfinityBook 16 Gen7 MK1

        The next-generation laptop from TUXEDO is faster and lighter than previous business models.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ News

        Updates on technologies, trends, and tools

      • Linux Magazine ☛ This Month's DVD

        Linux Mint 21.1 and openSUSE Leap 15.5

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Detect duplicates with fdupes

        The command-line fdupes tool helps you find duplicate folders and directories.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Not Intelligent

        Earlier technologies have persisted despite government regulations – so will AI.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ An inside look at creating a podcast

        If you use Linux, you already have most of the tools you need to get in the podcast game. Just plan carefully and take it a step at a time.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Mastering and mixing with Ardour

        Once you get your podcast operation up and running, you might decide you want a real mixer and some higher-end software. We'll introduce you to Ardour and get you started with some basic audio hardware.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Sparkling gems and new releases from the world of Free and Open Source Software

        This month Graham looks at wallabag, Read It Later, killport, F3D, Tenacity, Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead, botany, and more!

      • Linux Magazine ☛ Introduction

        This month in Linux Voice and Elvie.

      • Linux Magazine ☛ The veteran of free distros

        Rüben Rúdríguez discusses Trisquel, a free Linux distro that has been in continuous development for the past 16 years.

    • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Applications

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • How to Disable/Enable CPU Cores in Ubuntu

        CPU cores are essential for effectively processing data and carrying out computations in the world of computers.

      • It's FOSS ☛ How to Remove Software Repositories from Ubuntu

        From apt-add-repository to Software & Updates tool, here are several ways to remove software repositories from Ubuntu.

      • Install Windows 11 as KVM Guest in SparkyLinux 7 using virt-manager
      • Cloudbooklet ☛ How to Create a New systemd Service on Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide

        Learn how to create a new systemd service on Linux with this step-by-step guide.

      • Ubuntu Handbook ☛ How to Install Linux Kernel 6.4 in Ubuntu 22.04 | 23.04

        Linux Kernel 6.4 was released a few days ago. Ubuntu users can now install it from Kernel Mainline PPA.

      • DebugPoint ☛ How to Fix No Suitable Archive Manager Found Error

        A simple guide to fix the no suitable archive manager found error in Linux distributions, including Arch Linux. The “No Suitable Archive Manager Found” error can be frustrating when extracting or opening compressed files on your computer.

      • Linux Capable ☛ Bash read Command with Examples

        Bash, an acronym for Bourne Again SHell, is a command-line interpreter that provides a multi-functional interface for users to interact with operating systems. One of the most versatile built-in commands in Bash is the read command.

      • Linux Capable ☛ Bash wait Command with Examples

        In the realm of Bash scripting, understanding the built-in commands and their functionalities is crucial. One such command, the wait command, plays a pivotal role in managing process execution. This command pauses the current shell’s execution until specified jobs have completed, and then returns the exit status of the command it was waiting for.>

      • It's FOSS ☛ How to Install Wine in Ubuntu

        Looking to run Windows-only software on Ubuntu? Wine is your friend. Learn to install Wine in Ubuntu Linux.

      • Barry Kauler ☛ Flapi fix if fail to register with flathub

        There is discussion of a couple of flatpaks here, and failure to register with flathub.org:

        https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=9038

        There is a fault in Flapi; if failed to register with flathub.org, Flapi should not have then been allowed to download and install apps. Federico was getting the failure, then continued to download apps, which then did not work.

      • Beebom ☛ How to Install Git on Ubuntu (2023 Guide) | Beebom

        For most project members, it is probably not feasible to download a ZIP file of all the project files every time a new feature gets updated or added. To solve this, Linus Torvalds created Git in 2005. It is a free and open-source version control software that makes collaborating on projects effortless. In this article, we will walk you through the process of installing Git on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) and earlier releases.

      • Make Use Of ☛ How to Create a New systemd Service on Linux

        systemd is the service manager for a lot of well-known Linux distributions. A service is a unit of a program that typically runs in the background. Services, by nature, automatically start up as soon as the system boots up and can run unattended.

        If you need to create an auto-starting task or program that executes every time you boot or reboot your system, you can consider creating a new service. Let's learn how to create a new, custom systemd service on Linux.

      • Linux Host Support ☛ How to Install Icinga 2 on Ubuntu

        In this tutorial, we are going to explain in step-by-step detail how to install Icinga 2 on Ubuntu 22.04 Icinga is a free and open-source monitoring tool used for sending alerts when failures occur on the servers.

      • Own HowTo ☛ How to install CentOS Stream 9

        In this tutorial, you will learn how to install CentOS stream 9 on your machine.

      • Trend Oceans ☛ How to Install Linux Mint Cinnamon Desktop in Ubuntu 22.04 or Later

        Instead of hopping to Linux Mint, why not just Install the Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop in Ubuntu and enjoy the best of both worlds?

      • Linux Capable ☛ How to Setup Nginx FastCGI Cache on Ubuntu 22.04-20.04

        In this guide, you will learn how to set up Nginx FastCGI cache on Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish or Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa LTS. The FastCGI cache is an integral component when optimizing your web server’s performance. Nginx, renowned for its efficiency and scalability, can be further bolstered by configuring its FastCGI cache.

      • Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Python 3.9 on Debian Linux

        Python is a versatile and widely-used programming language. This article sheds light on Python 3.9 and guides you through its installation on Debian 12 Bookworm, Debian 11 Bullseye, and Debian 10 Buster by downloading the Python 3.9 archive, as repositories seldom host this version owing to its age.

      • Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Grub Customizer on Linux Mint 21/20

        Grub Customizer, a powerful tool designed for managing and customizing the GRUB (Grand Unified Bootloader) and BURG bootloaders, enables you to take charge of your system’s startup process. >

      • TechRepublic ☛ How to Stop and Remove All Docker Containers with 2 Simple Commands

        In this TechRepublic How to Make Tech Work video, Jack Wallen shows how to stop and remove all Docker containers at once with just two simple commands.

      • TechRepublic ☛ How to Stop and Remove All Docker Containers with 2 Simple Commands

        In this TechRepublic How to Make Tech Work video, Jack Wallen shows how to stop and remove all Docker containers at once with just two simple commands.

    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

        • My work in KDE for June 2023

          We’re about halfway through year! This update is a bit smaller than usual, and more focused on applications than Plasma. This isn’t for lack of time or trying, but I tried to deliberately clear out my backlog. That goal didn’t really pan out, but I’ll be trying again next month.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • Web Browsers/Web Servers

      • June 2023 Web Server Survey

        In the June 2023 survey we received responses from 1,106,671,903 sites across 255,487,423 domains and 12,106,503 web-facing computers. This reflects a loss of 2.7 million sites, 16.0 million domains, and an increase of 69,309 web-facing computers.

      • Mozilla

        • 9to5Linux ☛ Firefox 115 ESR Is Here with Hardware Video Decoding for Intel GPUs on Linux

          Apart from being the new ESR series, which will slowly replace the Firefox 102 ESR series, Firefox 115 is here to introduce hardware-accelerated video decoding for Intel GPUs on Linux systems using the Video Acceleration API (VA-API) open-source application programming interface that allows apps to use hardware video acceleration capabilities.

          Another cool new feature for Linux users in the Firefox 115 release is the ability to open links or search for text that has been copied on your clipboard by middle-clicking on the New Tab button. This is a productivity feature as you no longer have to open a new tab and paste the copied text or link you want to search/open.

    • SaaS/Back End/Databases

      • PostgreSQL ☛ PostgreSQL 16 Beta 2 Released!

        The PostgreSQL Global Development Group announces that the second beta release of PostgreSQL 16 is now available for download. This release contains previews of all features that will be available when PostgreSQL 16 is made generally available, though some details of the release can change during the beta period.

      • OSI Blog ☛ Open Source shaking up document databases, setting new standards

        The founders of FerretDB, an Open Source document database using PostgreSQL as the database backend, is working with different stakeholders on developing a standard for document databases, the same way as SQL was created as a standard for relational databases in the 1980s, with the objective of reducing the risk of vendor lock-in for users.

    • Programming/Development

      • SCM/CI Workflow Versions. Making Larger Changes Less Painful For You.

        Today we’re going to explain the versioning system we’re using to release new features to the SCM/CI integration. Versioning the Workflow Configuration We are introducing the versioning as a way to release new features in the SCM/CI without breaking existing user’s configuration. Those features are going to be released under a MAJOR.MINOR version scheme.

      • Paul Wise: FLOSS Activities June 2023
      • Storage APIs: Libblockdev 3.0
        Statistics

        We started working on libblockdev 3.0 nearly four years ago and definitely thought it would be ready way sooner than now. The difference between 3.0 and our legacy 2.x-branch is 997 commits and 205 files changed with 29382 insertions(+) and 17565 deletions(-).

        Many thanks to all contributors that made this release possible.

        And now I guess I should start working on libblockdev 4. See you in a few years.

      • Python

        • Linux Hint ☛ Python infinity representation

          The “math.inf”, “np.inf”, “float()” function, and “decimal” modules are utilized to represent positive and negative infinity values in Python.

      • Shell/Bash/Zsh/Ksh

        • TecAdmin ☛ How to Escape Single Quotes in Bash

          Bash scripting is a crucial skill for developers, system administrators, and anyone else who needs to automate tasks on Unix or Linux systems. Occasionally, you’ll need to use a single quote (‘) within a string in a bash script.

        • Make Tech Easier ☛ PowerShell vs. Bash: Key Differences to Know About [Ed: One is controlled by a company that attacks Linux, one is not]
        • TecAdmin ☛ How to Escape Special Characters in Bash

          Bash, short for Bourne Again SHell, is the default command-line interpreter for many Linux distributions and MacOS. It provides a way for users to interact with these operating systems by executing commands. However, bash also includes a number of special characters that have unique meanings.

    • Standards/Consortia

  • Leftovers

    • Science

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

      • Undermining the childhood vaccine schedule with EBM fundamentalism

        When last we encountered evidence-based medicine (EBM) maven and critic of oncology clinical trials and FDA licensure of chemotherapeutic agents turned COVID-19 contrarian, antimasker, and anti-COVID vaccine advocate Dr. Vinay Prasad, he was defending longtime antivax activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., saying, in essence, that he agrees with most of of RFK Jr.‘s positions, especially about big pharma, regulatory capture, and and corruption other than his peskily embarrassing (to him) belief that childhood vaccines cause autism. (That, and he was also denying yet again that he was antivaccine.) As you might recall, what struck me about Dr. Prasad’s post was how much he bent over backwards to portray RFK Jr. as “reasonable” other than a couple of bizarre ideas—his pesky adherence to the the discredited idea that vaccines cause autism again!—even someone as someone who could be persuaded that, for instance, vaccines don’t cause autism and the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is safe with some well-designed placebo-controlled clinical trials and an expanded vaccine safety monitoring system.

      • JURIST ☛ France Senate passes legislation requiring age verification for minors on social media

        The French Senate€ approved new legislation on Thursday requiring social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to implement mandatory age verification systems and obtain explicit parental consent for users aged 15 and below. The move comes amid a growing international crackdown on the platforms lack of privacy protections for users.

    • Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • Security

      • LWN ☛ Security updates for Friday [LWN.net]

        Security updates have been issued by Debian (docker-registry, flask, systemd, and trafficserver), Fedora (moodle, python-reportlab, suricata, and vim), Red Hat (go-toolset and golang, go-toolset-1.19 and go-toolset-1.19-golang, go-toolset:rhel8, open-vm-tools, python27:2.7, and python3), SUSE (buildah, chromium, gifsicle, libjxl, sqlite3, and xonotic), and Ubuntu (linux, linux-allwinner, linux-allwinner-5.19, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.19, linux-azure, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-5.19, linux-hwe-5.19, linux-ibm, linux-kvm, linux-lowlatency, linux-oracle, linux-raspi, linux-starfive, linux-starfive-5.19, linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.15, linux-aws-5.4, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.15, linux-azure-5.4, linux-azure-fde-5.15, linux-bluefield, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-5.15, linux-gcp-5.4, linux-gke, linux-gke-5.15, linux-gkeop, linux-gkeop-5.15, linux-hwe-5.15, linux-hwe-5.4, linux-ibm, linux-ibm-5.4, linux-kvm, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.15, linux-nvidia, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-5.15, linux-oracle-5.4, linux-raspi, linux-raspi-5.4, and linux-oem-6.1).

      • Mountain View Hospital restores clinical functions; culprit behind cyberattack still unknown

        An area hospital has been working for over a month now to resolve a cyberattack and progress is being made.

        Mountain View Hospital has managed to restore clinical functions for itself, Idaho Falls Community Hospital and its partner clinics. The IT team and other cybersecurity experts have now turned their attention to administrative functions.

        Even though much of the hospital’s functions have returned, it’s not clear when all operations will be fully restored following the cyberattack.

      • CNN ☛ At least 100,000 could have had data exposed after US health department was hit by global MOVEit cyberattack [Ed: Windows TCO]



        At least 100,000 people could have had their data compromised by a hack of contractors at the Department of Health and Human Services, a department official said Thursday, making it the latest US government agency to be caught up in a sweeping cyberattack connected to Russian cybercriminals.

        HHS notified Congress of the breach on Tuesday and will update lawmakers as the investigation continues, the official said. Agencies are required to notify Congress of a data breach that involves the compromise of personal information of 100,000 or more people.

      • Data Breaches ☛ Breach of the Protection Obligation by Fullerton Healthcare and Agape CP Holdings

        Details of the 2021 breach that resulted in data being sold on a marketplace are included in the regulator’s decision. It reports that the breach involved Agape’s Online Drive and not FHG’s system. The personal data of 156,900 FHG customers (133,866 direct patients and 23,034 employees of FHG’s corporate clients) was accessed without authorization in the Incident, although the exact volume of exfiltrated personal data was unknown.

      • Wells Notice Against SolarWinds CISO Could Be First of Its Kind

        SolarWinds Corporation, which suffered a major breach of its Orion software platform in December 2020, submitted a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing on June 23rd, saying the enforcement staff of the SEC provided the company with a Wells Notice related to its investigation into the cyber incident.

        A Wells Notice is a letter the SEC generally issues to organizations or individuals when it is planning to take action against them.

      • Data Breaches ☛ I had been chatting with a blackhat. They had been working with a whitehat. We were both dealing with the same person.

        On April 18, DataBreaches reported that more details had emerged on the arrest of three men by Dutch police in January. The three were suspected of hacking and extorting victims in the Netherlands and elsewhere, obtaining and selling data online, and money laundering. A fourth person linked to the suspects known as “DataBox” had previously been arrested in November 2022 and had been detained with restrictions until the arrest of the other three in January. DataBox, whose real name is Erkan Sezgin, has subsequently been sentenced in a separate case, and may be facing other charges in connection with alleged crimes by the others.

      • MJH Life Sciences ☛ Paying the ransom: Hospitals face hard choices in cyberattacks | Special Report

        It’s the gut-wrenching question many hospital leaders have faced as healthcare systems have endured scores of ransomware attacks in recent years.

        Large health systems, including CommonSpirit Health, have encountered ransomware attacks, but experts say smaller hospitals and systems are increasingly at risk.

      • VLC DoS, Remote Code Execution Vulns Fixed

        Multiple remotely exploitable denial of service (DoS) and code execution vulnerabilities have been found in the VLC multimedia player and streamer. These bugs have been classified as ''high-severity'' by the National Vulnerability Database due to their high confidentiality, integrity and availability impact.

      • CVE-2023-36617: ReDoS vulnerability in URI

        We have released the uri gem version 0.12.2, 0.10.3 that has a security fix for a ReDoS vulnerability.

        This vulnerability has been assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2023-36617.

      • Hacker News ☛ Critical SQL Injection Flaws Expose Gentoo Soko to Remote Code Execution

        Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities have been disclosed in Gentoo Soko that could lead to remote code execution (RCE) on vulnerable systems. "These SQL injections happened despite the use of an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) library and prepared statements," SonarSource researcher Thomas Chauchefoin said , adding they could result in RCE on Soko because of a "misconfiguration of the database."

      • TechRadar ☛ There's Now a Linux Version of This Dangerous VMware Ransomware [Ed: Microsoft-connected clickbait and FUD sites trying to blame "Linux" for proprietary VMware issues]

        A ransomware operation known as Akira has been seen encrypting VMware ESXi virtual machines using a Linux encryptor after a couple of months of targeting Windows systems.

      • Scoop News Group ☛ CISA election security lead Kim Wyman to leave agency

        Wyman, who previously served as Washington state's top election official, will step down as CISA's top election security adviser.

      • Scoop News Group ☛ Russian telecom confirms hack after group backing Wagner boasted about an attack

        A Dozor-Teleport CJSC executive told ComNews that the company has been the victim of a cyberattack affecting its cloud infrastructure.

      • Security Week ☛ 200,000 WordPress Sites Exposed to Attacks Exploiting Flaw in ‘Ultimate Member’ Plugin

        Attackers exploit critical vulnerability in the Ultimate Member plugin to create administrative accounts on WordPress websites.

      • Security Week ☛ Proton Launches Open Source Password Manager

        Proton makes its open source Proton Pass password manager globally available for major browsers and mobile devices.

      • SANS ☛ Sandfly Security, (Sat, Jul 1st)

        Agentless Linux security with unmatched speed and reliability

      • Security Week ☛ Samsung Phone Flaws Added to CISA ‘Must Patch’ List Likely Exploited by Spyware Vendor

        CISA adds 6 Samsung mobile device flaws to its known exploited vulnerabilities catalog and they have likely been exploited by a spyware vendor.

      • Privacy/Surveillance

        • Bruce Schneier ☛ The US Is Spying on the UN Secretary General

          The Washington Post is reporting that the US is spying on the UN Secretary General.

          The reports on Guterres appear to contain the secretary general’s personal conversations with aides regarding diplomatic encounters. They indicate that the United States relied on spying powers granted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to gather the intercepts.

          Lots of details about different conversations in the article, which are based on classified documents leaked on Discord by Jack Teixeira.

        • ACLU ☛ The ACLU is Committed to Protecting Your Personal Information

          Privacy laws serve as vital guardrails against the potential abuse of personal information in an increasingly interconnected world. As a nationwide organization dedicated to defending civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recognizes the paramount importance of privacy in today’s digital age, and we firmly believe that transparency and accountability are necessary to protect all of our rights to privacy.

          Right now, Americans risk being tracked and surveilled without any notice every time we open an app, walk into a store carrying a phone, or do an online search. As Congress works to draft a comprehensive privacy law, states are trying to fill that critical gap by passing their own privacy legislation. In response to this evolving landscape of privacy laws, including the new Colorado Privacy Act that goes into effect on July 1, the ACLU has developed an updated and comprehensive privacy policy to adhere to the values we hold dear.

        • Axios ☛ Futuristic airports are coming: AI facial recognition, biometric scanners

          Airports are slated to become more seamless and efficient, a new report finds, even as they get busier and larger to meet growing demand.

    • Defence/Aggression

    • Environment

      • Energy/Transportation

        • Michael West Media ☛ How to blast rocks and negativity into prosperity

          The mining industry’s angst about community resistance, sustainability and the need for automation to save workers’ lives are discussions the chemicals sector was having decades ago.

          Sanjeev Gandhi, CEO of chemicals and explosives giant Orica, says artificial intelligence (AI) may be new but the chemicals industry is far advanced.

        • DeSmog ☛ PR Agency Catering to Oil Interests Led UK Climate Forum’s Communications

          The UK’s Climate Innovation Forum named global PR agency Weber Shandwick as its “official communications partner,” despite the agency recently holding or continuing to hold contracts with at least eight oil and gas companies, an oil financier, and an industry lobby group.

          On Wednesday, June 28, the climate conference convened in London as part of London Climate Action Week, hosted by the UK-based global event organizer Climate Action in partnership with the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Climate Innovation Forum describes the UK’s net-zero transition as an “urgent existential imperative and a significant commercial opportunity.” Climate Action did not respond to a request for comment.

      • Wildlife/Nature

    • Finance

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

    • Censorship/Free Speech

    • Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

    • Civil Rights/Policing

      • Axios ☛ Online hate and harassment continues to rise

        More than half of Americans say they have experienced hate or harassment online, according to a new survey from the Anti-Defamation League, with a dramatic rise in incidents over the last 12 months, especially among teens.

        Why it matters: Experts say what happens online is causing significant real-world harm and also keeping large numbers of people from fully participating in an increasingly digital society.

      • Two prisoners continue hunger strike in Erbil prison

        Two individuals, imprisoned for their alleged involvement in an attack on Turkey’s consulate in Erbil, have been on a hunger strike for 44 days, demanding an end to "torture and ill-treatment."

      • France24 ☛ China approves sweeping expansion of anti-espionage law

        A revised law dramatically expanding China's definition of espionage came into force on Saturday, giving Beijing more power than ever to punish what it deems threats to national security.

      • Scheerpost ☛ As Movements Like Stop Cop City Gain Power, Police Treat Free Speech as a Crime

        This playbook has been used and reused, depending on the political winds of the time.

      • The Nation ☛ Is “Bidenomics” Enough to Win Working Voters?

        This Wednesday, President Joe Biden showcased what’s sure to be a central theme in his reelection campaign with a speech in downtown Chicago hailing the signal achievements of his economic agenda and firmly repudiating the legacies of trickle-down economics. Speaking before a crowd of local and statewide political and business leaders at the city’s Old Post Office building, Biden announced his determination to ensure that the US economy grow “from the middle out and the bottom up rather than just top down”—an approach that marks “a fundamental break from the economic theory that’s failed America’s middle class for decades now.”

      • Axios ☛ Trump plots Twitter return

        It may take a while, but former President Trump has entertained the idea of returning to his happy place on Twitter, where he's been absent for nearly 2 1/2 years, sources tell Axios.

        Why it matters: Trump still has nearly 87 million followers on Twitter, but hasn't posted there since he was banned after the Jan. 6 riot in 2021. Now a growing number of Trump allies — and some close to his campaign — are expecting him to tweet again.

      • EFF ☛ EFF Urges Supreme Court to Make Clear That Government Officials Have First Amendment Obligations When They Use Their Social Media Accounts for Governmental Purposes

        The resident sued, alleging violations of his First Amendment rights. A federal district court ruled against him, a decision that was upheld by the 6th Circuit, which said that no law required the manager to operate a Facebook page and no government employees maintained it.In the second case, O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier, two school district trustees continued to use the same Facebook and Twitter accounts they created to promote their campaigns after they were elected. They used the accounts to solicit public input about school board decisions and to communicate with parents about school safety.

      • Techdirt ☛ EU And Elon Battle Over The New Internet Regulations That Elon Himself Endorsed Last Year

        You don’t need to be some fortune teller to predict some of this stuff. A year ago, after he had announced his plans to buy Twitter (but before he tried to back out, and then was eventually forced to complete the purchase), we were horrified to see Elon Musk meet with the top EU’s Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, and give a full embrace of the EU’s Digital Services Act. As we noted at the time, there are some serious concerns about the free speech implications of the DSA, and someone who was actually committed to free speech would be calling those out, rather than claiming “it’s exactly aligned with my thinking.”

      • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China censors prominent journalist who raised concerns about economy

        A prominent Chinese financial journalist who has compared the country’s economic problems to the Great Depression has been banned from social media.

      • The Atlantic ☛ The End of Optimism in China

        Young people should learn to “eat bitterness,” says Xi Jinping.

      • The Nation ☛ Men Overboard

        “The destruction of men in the West is the great story of the last 40 years,” declared conservative author and podcaster Ben Shapiro, during a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Shapiro was holding forth before a sympathetic audience, so he laid into the lead talking points of the cult of aggrieved maleness: resisting on pseudo-biological principles the notion that trans women are women, and decrying the sorry state of masculinity in mainstream discourse in the wake of the twin disasters of the sexual revolution and modern feminism. “The patriarchy was so clever that they somehow convinced women that sexual liberation was the most wonderful thing for women,” Shapiro said, “But as it turns out, it actually backfired and it ended up destroying men.”

      • The Atlantic ☛ How to Lose a Century of Progress

        Americans have been too quick to condemn the field of public health, overlooking its massive achievements in the 1900s and, yes, during the recent pandemic, too.

      • EFF ☛ Digital Rights Updates with EFFector 35.8

        Learn more about the latest happenings by reading the full newsletter here, or you can listen to the audio version below!

        Listen on YouTube

        EFFector 35.8 | This Pride, Support LGBTQ+ Rights Both Online and offline

    • Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

    • Monopolies

      • Digital Music News ☛ Google Denies Ad Fraud Claims After Damning Research Report

        Google denies ad-fraud claims after a damning research report suggests it inflated video ad views, potentially misleading advertisers.

      • FTC vs Microsoft judge’s son works for the company, watchdog seeks recusal

        The son of the judge presiding over the FTC vs Microsoft case works at Microsoft, posing a conflict of interest, according to an industry watchdog group.

        The Revolving Door Project, part of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, claims the employment of U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley’s son sets up a “clear risk of retaliation” from the company should Corley rule against it in the case. Corley oversaw arguments this week and is set to determine whether to grant the FTC’s request to pause Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

        [...]

        The watchdog sent a letter to Corley on Thursday, obtained by The Washington Post, that says Corley’s son’s employment may violate multiple rules laid out in the Code of Conduct U.S. judges follow. That includes a rule that judges should “avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities.” The Revolving Door Project warns that the conflict risks influencing the judge’s objectivity and could potentially reduce public trust in courts.

  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal/Opinions

      • The Rainy Season

        The weather was just ... gross, this morning. I woke up to it being cloudy and threating rain. The news last night warned of heavy rain and thunder, but when I left home in the AM it wasn't really coming down. In my infinite wisdom I only took a small umbrella, and when I got out of the subway at my destination the rain had really started.

      • malahide swimming

        my work has been taking me to near Dublin on and off over the last few months. i have managed to get some swims in between shifts or on days off. i am trying to get back to more regular running and swimming.

        on previous trips i swam at Portmarnock but this trip i went only a very little further north to Malahide; or rather High Rock. i prefer changing on rocks or pebbles.

      • nb

        The 'nb' mention got me interested, and I immediately installed it. I've been looking for an easy note-taking solution, and this looks like a pretty good one!

        Apparently, it is 25K lines of bash... As long as it's not Python I am in! (The only things that break on Linux are written in Python, if you haven't noticed).

      • Mineral Water Saturday

        Been drinking a lot of mineral water today. By god it's so hot out. I think they should turn the Sun off for just a couple of days. We could really use a break from it. If I could sleep until Fall I would be very pleased

      • Got a new job

        Got a new job as a baker in a bakery I am under an apprenticeship for 5 years The pay is good but the work is hard Working till 5am every night 10+ hours

    • Politics and World Events

      • re: The Supreme Court and other fools

        I despise Capitalism and most other -isms (political systems that prefer A over B). But I believe that people are generally good, or if they are not, it is still wrong to opress them using violence or threats thereof.

    • Technology and Free Software

      • Making Games

        Today, one of my Mastodon mutuals boosted a blog post by software developer Evan Todd. It's a long and thoughtful piece about what we think we want, and the ways in which we deceive ourselves. For Todd, what he thought he wanted was a career in indie game development, and in a very particular, 2010s sort of way. This was after the point where people like Jonathan Blow, Ed McMillen, and others were able to get famous, quickly, by releasing small-studio games in an environment where there was (relatively) little competition. The years after "Indie Game: the Movie", after certain game developers became, in certain circles, actual celebrities, and after a whole industry spun up around The Things You Were Supposed To Do (YouTube trailer, Early Access, twitch, social media, funding via Kickstarter). I know this because I was, in a very small way, adjacent to this sort of scene. I'm a game developer in maybe the loosest sense of the term. I don't do it for a living. I never could. But I've written a little terminal-based puzzle game in C++ - that took me a couple of weeks - and I've written, and continue to write, a huge, sprawling, frustratingly incomplete game on my own time.


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



Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Can PIP Workers (Silent Layoffs) Until Almost Nobody is Left
Microsoft is gradually vanishing
Tech Labeled "Smart" Does Not Make People Smart
People who insist on making everything digital are not advancing progress
Brigading Against Women - Part VII - 'Trolling' Courts and Legal Systems in America and in the UK (Europe) Costs a Lot to Taxpayers
They only attend hearings after being arrested
 
Brigading Against Women - Part VIII - Misogyny Embedded; Like Firm, Like Clients
It's about back doors
Chaos Imminent at Red Hat (This Week)
IBM is 'finishing the job' an ex-IBMer (Ron Hovsepian) did at Novell.
The Cyber Show Says Truth Always Requires a Fight, a Struggle
"Truth-tellers always face struggle and run risk"
Maladministration at the EPO as a Crisis for the EU and for Portugal's Image in Europe
Some time soon we'll publish a long article about what EPO leadership means to Portugal
3 Years of UK Hosting
We commend the webhost for standing firm in the face of misogyny
Gemini Links 28/09/2026: Truncated Sleep, Plain Text, and Slop Problem Kept Out of Geminispace
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2026: "A Growing North Korea Problem" and Independent Journalism as a Lifeline
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Links 28/09/2026: Microsoft Chatbot "Giving Extremely Specific Advice to a School Shooter on How to Maximize Casualties", ‘Suicidal Empathy’
Links for the day
Microsoft's Attacks on Courts in the Netherlands Result in GNU/Linux Growing to About 10% There
One core issue that justified this and led to this outcome is Microsoft's interference with the administration of justice
They Create the Conditions for People to Leave, This Way They Don't Call it "Layoffs"
We keep seeing many stories like these
Gemini Links 28/09/2026: Wildfire, DOS, and Backups
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: The Portuguese Talent For Bureaucratic Empire Building
Portugal’s success in securing senior executive appointments at the EUIPO and the EPO is a notable example of how countries seek to strengthen their influence within European intergovernmental institutions
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 27, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, September 27, 2026
Gemini Links 27/09/2026: Writing Well, Productivity, and a Relaunch in Geminispace
Links for the day
Making This Site More Useful to More People
Search engines (as a concept) are under attack
Exposing Crimes of Americans (From the UK)
We must ensure UK prisons are never misused to punish/silence people who expose crimes in America
Spam and Chatbot Spam in Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
Maintaining one's own IRC network requires some housekeeping, but it's simpler than outsourcing to malicious companies
Search Engine of Techrights Improved for Better Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Our growing community needs more search facilities
Microsoft: We Love Layoffs, We Do Silent Layoffs, More Microsoft Projects/Teams/Studios Confirmed to be Shutting Down
XBox is dying. Piece by piece.
Brigading Against Women - Part VI - On Garrett and Lozza, Defamation, Attempts to Crack My Wife's Accounts, Social Engineering to Try to Take Sites Offline, Subscribing Us to Mountains of SPAM
tried swatting us
Links 27/09/2026: "Provost of Dartmouth Busted Using Hey Hi (AI) Slop for His Own Writing in Newspapers and Academic Journals" and "UK Government Enforcement Reform"
Links for the day
People and Sites Wish a Happy 43th Birthday to GNU (Today)
We've collected some examples
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From what we can gather, both images and text are slop
A Microsoft Lunduke OS (LCOS) is Not Even in Top 100 in DistroWatch, Microsoft Lunduke Just Games the Numbers Like Linspire Did (and Got 'Banned' for It)
Linspire used to send people to 'its' DistroWatch page to make the illusion of popularity
Links 27/09/2026: Microsoft Fired People a Day After Promotion, "Fragility of Online Journalism"
Links for the day
Brigading Against Women - Part V - SWATTING, Extortion Against Webhosts, and Lawfare Under Sworn Oath (Perjury Also)
Matthew Garrett has no qualm about still collaborating with Lozza
20 Years Later
There's a strong anti-democracy movement brewing in many places
Gemini Links 27/09/2026: Telescopes/Gskyer, Writing for Writing's Sake, and Writing Tools
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 26, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, September 26, 2026
Gemini Links 26/09/2026: Computer Cases Dreary, Web Drowning in Botspam
Links for the day
Reform UK auditor: Electoral Commission accounts, Companies House accounts, a going concern or not?
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Temporary Public Office or Permanent Personal Feather-Bed?
there are no visible signs that the Administrative Council has the slightest interest in contemplating a change in leadership at the EPO
Brigading Against Women - Part IV - Death Threats, Threats to Women, and Threats for Pointing Out, Correctly and Based on Hard Evidence, That Garrett and Lozza Talk to Each Other About Me Every Year (for 4 Years)
Brett Wilson LLP too is a toxic manosphere
More GAFAM Layoffs at Apple, Second Time in Weeks (Silent Layoffs Silently Target Older and "More Expensive" Staff)
How many layoffs happen at Apple silently and go unreported or very scarcely reported?
Gemini Links 26/09/2026: Rant About Slop Ruining Crafts (Drowning the Signal With Plagiarism) and "Going Mechanical"
Links for the day
Links 26/09/2026: Microsoft Says Notification Data Breach/Surveillance Hole There by Design, EU Rapidly Dumping Microsoft for Digital Sovereignty
Links for the day
The Former Linux News Site ostechnix.com is LLM Slop
Please do not link to sites that promote and/or spread slop
Links 26/09/2026: Volkswagen Recalling ~50,000 Cars, US Attacks Its Own Media
Links for the day
Making Oneself Obsolete With Slop
Dr. Lemire also puts on display a degree of hypocrisy
Brigading Against Women - Part III - Racism Looms Large, Not Just Sexism
threats from a racist
Microsoft CEO Calls Layoffs "Streamlining" and Says Microsoft Layoffs Are "Great to See"
The lack of honesty here is only to be expected from Microsoft
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Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 26/09/2026: Travel, Group Insurance Death Spiral, Stargazing, and Lagrange Meets LLM Slop
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 25, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, September 25, 2026