Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 01/07/2023: FSF Pushing Swag, Microsoft Has More Trouble



  • GNU/Linux

    • Audiocasts/Shows

      • Going LinuxGoing Linux #442 €· Welcome to Linux! Kubuntu

        Bill provides a review of Kubuntu, how easy it was to install, and how well it might fit for a computer user new to Linux.
        00:00 Going Linux #442 €· Welcome to Linux! Kubuntu
        00:60 Chat GPT
        05:15 Kubuntu
        10:19 Why choose Kubuntu?

      • The BSD Now PodcastBSD Now 513: New Host Interview

        We have a new show host, Understanding ZFS vdev Types, Don't abuse su for dropping user privileges, Dynamic Tracing on OpenBSD 7.3, new Libressl, Manual Jails on FreeBSD 12, and more

      • mintCast PodcastmintCast 415 – Future Appears Cloudy

        First up in the news, Mint 21.2 betas have been released, Debian 13 gets a name, Ardour 7.5 does remaps, RHEL goes closed-source, and Opera One ships with AI

        In security and privacy, Tsunami comes to SSH

        Then in our Wanderings Joe goes on a little trip, Moss musics, and Majid has toys

        Download
    • Applications

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • LinuxConfigDebian USB Firmware Loader Script
      • Linux LinksAlternatives to popular CLI tools: make

        This article spotlights alternative tools to make, a utility which controls the generation of executables and other non-source files.

      • Xe's BlogOf course the network can be a filesystem

        Spoiler alert! This references details for my GopherCon EU talk Reaching the Unix Philosophy's Logical Conclusion with WebAssembly. This may ruin some of the cosmic horror feeling that I tried to inspire in the audience by gradually revealing the moving parts and then crashing them all together into one "oh, oh god, why, no" feeling when the live demo happened. My talk page and the video will go up in August.

      • The AnarcatAntoine Beaupré: Using signal-cli to cancel your Signal account

        For obscure reasons, I have found myself with a phone number registered with Signal but without any device associated with it.

      • Make Tech EasierHow to Use GPG with GNU Kleopatra in Linux

        The GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) is one of the most important programs available today, as it allows you to create your own digital identity and establish encrypted communications online.

        This article will show how you can get started with GPG in Linux using Kleopatra and send your first encrypted message over the internet.

      • C.J. Collier: Converting a windows install to a libvirt VM [Ed: Microsoft's longtime booster C.J. Collier now pushing Windows cruft into Planet Debian]
      • Fabio Alessandro Locati: Why do Kubernetes Control Planes have an odd number of members?

        The single most frequent question I get asked about Kubernetes is regarding the number of Control Plane nodes. Sometimes it is out of curiosity for the “unusual number”; other times, it is plainly confrontational since the person would prefer a different number, which usually is 2.

        The first thing to understand is that there are a couple of reasons to choose a certain number of Kubernetes Control Plane nodes over another, and those are: [...]

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • Barry KaulerVery old PKGget bug fixed

      How about that, a bug that has existed from 2018, nobody reported it. I was responding to don570 here:

      https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=9036

      ...as explained PKGget automatically creates the entries when you right-click on a file.

      Puppy Linux does not have this automatic management o mime-handling, so those coming from a Puppy background, like don570, will not know what is going on.

      Actually, what PKGget does is call /usr/sbin/build-rox-sendto, which creates the entries in the right-click menu.

    • New Releases

      • LinuxiacNitrux 2.9 Released with the Latest Plasma and MauiKit Desktops

        Powered by Liquorix kernel 6.3.9, Nitrux 2.9 ships with the most up-to-date Plasma 5.27.6, MauiKit 3.0, and CLI AppImage command-line manager.

      • Beta NewsForget Windows 12, Nitrux 2.9.0 Linux distribution should be your next OS

        Ah, it's that time again folks. Nitrux, the up-and-coming Linux distro, is back with its newest update, Nitrux 2.9.0 "nu." While Microsoft might still be stumbling around trying to recover from their latest Windows mishaps, Nitrux is already picking up the pace and setting new standards in the world of operating systems. Unlike the cluttered and often confusing Windows Update system, the "nu" in Nitrux 2.9.0's codename refers to the new "Nitrux Update System Tool." And it's here to make your life easier. This isn't some random, untested, and buggy update tool Microsoft likes to force on its users.

    • SUSE/OpenSUSE

      • SUSE's Corporate BlogEmpowering retailers to innovate and scale fast

        Guest blog – Inside the partnership: Flooid and SUSE Retailers moving to the ‘store of the future’ require new levels of speed, flexibility and open innovation, without compromising on security or performance.

      • SUSE's Corporate BlogDigital Trust in Cloud and Containerization: A Shift in the Security Landscape

        In today’s digital environment, the importance of trust has taken center stage. As more businesses shift from traditional data center infrastructure to cloud and containerized environments, Digital Trust becomes more than just a buzzword; it’s an absolute necessity.€ 

    • Fedora Family / IBM

      • Michel Alexandre SalimPerf 6.x now in CentOS Hyperscale!

        At Meta, we use sample-based profiling with perf to guide performance optimization work – otherwise we would need even more servers than the ones we already have! This 2018 engineering blog post on BOLT is still highly relevant.

        For a primer on perf, I highly recommend reading Brendan Gregg’s perf examples page.

      • Red HatISystemTap: An interactive SystemTap notebook

        SystemTap is a tool that streamlines the gathering of real-time information about a running Linux system. It can probe and even modify running processes in both the user and kernel spaces, so you can easily monitor your programs without recompiling and installing tools on your system. It also provides many tapsets, or prewritten libraries that aid in these tasks.

        But to a beginner, SystemTap can be overwhelming, and it can be said that with this great power comes an equally great learning curve. To solve this issue, we've introduced an interactive, beginner-friendly interface called ISystemTap.

    • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

      • UbuntuSnapcraft.io reloaded: check out the new look and feel

        We’re happy to announce that snapcraft.io has a fresh, new look! Time for an update After keeping the same user interface and style for several years, we embarked on a project to redesign snapcraft.io and give it a more modern look. We spent a lot of time analysing how we could improve the store and […]

      • UbuntuEV charging infrastructure: overcome the challenges with open source

        Range anxiety refers to the fear of running out of battery while driving. Of course, with more range or more charging stations, range anxiety decreases. Unfortunately, most countries lack EV charging infrastructure that meets consumer expectations.

    • Devices/Embedded

      • CNX SoftwarePopcorn Computer PopStick – A $29 USB Linux computer powered by an Allwinner F1C200s ARM9 processor

        Popcorn Computer’s Popstick may look like a USB flash drive, but it’s actually a USB computer running Linux on an Allwinner F1C200s ARM9 processor with 64MB RAM on-chip. The PopStick support USB gadget mode so it can appear as all sort of USB devices such as a scriptable USB Keyboard and Mouse, a mass storage device, or even an Ethernet-connected computer using USB Ethernet which you can access with SSH.

    • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

      • 2 Ways to Insert or Draw a Horizontal Line in LibreOffice & OpenOffice

        Horizontal lines are important visual elements in LibreOffice or OpenOffice Writer documents. A well-defined line can improve the readability of a document by separating blocks of text or paragraphs.

        Here's how you can add them.

      • LibreOffice project and community recap: June 2023

        Here’s our summary of updates, events and activities in the LibreOffice project in the last four weeks – click the links to learn more… We started June by announcing the LibreOffice Conf Asia x UbuCon Asia 2023, in Indonesia, an event that brings together Linux and Open Source Software (OSS) activists, contributors, users, communities [...]

    • FSF

    • Programming/Development

      • Python

        • Linux HintPython Statistics Standard Deviation

          The “statistics.stdev()” method of the “statistics” module is used to determine the standard deviation of a sample of data in Python.

        • Linux HintPython Setattr() Function

          Python “setattr()” function sets the specified object's attribute value. This function creates an attribute that does not present and assigns a value

        • Linux HintPython set intersection_update() Method

          The set.intersection_update()” method is utilized in Python to remove/eliminate the uncommon items from all the given sets.

        • Linux HintPython String encode() Method

          The “string.encode()” method is utilized to encode a specified string into a sequence of bytes based on the particular encoding.

        • Linux HintPython Self Parameter

          The “self” is a reference to the current instance of the class and is used to access variables and functions that belong to the class.



        • Linux HintPython os path isdir

          The “os.path.isdir()” method of the “os” module is used to check whether a given/specified path is an existing directory or not.

        • Linux HintPython Nonlocal Keyword

          The “nonlocal keyword” is used to work with variables inside nested functions, where the variable should not belong to the inner function.

        • Linux HintEnumerate python examples

          The “enumerate()” function is utilized in Python to count the elements of the specified iterable and returns the count and the item together.

        • Linux HintPython Random Seed

          The “random.seed()” method reproduces the random function result again and again, as this function initializes the pseudo-random number generator of Python.

        • Linux HintPython issubclass() Function

          The built-in Python “issubclass()” function is utilized to verify whether the particular class is the subclass of another particular class.

        • Linux HintPython Print List

          The “for” loop, “* Operator”, “List Comprehension” technique, and “join()” method is employed to print the list in Python.

        • Linux HintPython String islower() Method

          The Python “string.islower()” method checks whether the string contains all lowercase letters or at least one uppercase letter by retrieving “True” and “False”.

        • Linux HintPython OS Path Split

          The “os.path.split()” method of the “os” module is used to split/separate a specified path and return a tuple containing the head and tail of the path.

        • Linux HintPython Splitlines

          The “string.splitlines()” method in Python splits or breaks the given string at line break and retrieves the list object.

  • Leftovers

    • Hardware

      • IT WireSales of smart home devices fell across the world in 1Q23

        IDC said devices used to control lighting, thermostats, and home monitoring and security devices were expected to see high growth over the next five years, partly due to increased awareness of such devices and the growth of emerging markets.

        "The worldwide smart home market is witnessing uneven growth as some regions fare better than others," said Adam Wright, research manager, Smart Home and Office Devices at IDC.

        "In more mature markets like the US, high installed bases of devices coupled with issues of under-utilisation, ongoing disruptions from supply chains, logistics issues, high inflation, and record high credit card debt have affected the market's growth in 2022 and the first part of 2023 and are expected to continue to put downward pressure on the market for the foreseeable future.

        "But other regions that are earlier in their adoption curve like Latin America and parts of Asia/Pacific have a big opportunity for growth."

      • The Register UKEthernet just turned half a century old ● The Register

        Everything goes round in cycles, including computer networking… but not always in rings. The most important networking system so far has vanquished all its loopy rivals for 50 years.

        Geoff Huston, the chief scientist of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), posted a rather splendid potted history of Ethernet yesterday to commemorate its 50th birthday.

        It's an information-dense essay and we would do it a disservice if we attempted to précis it for you. It spans from Ethernet's origins as a cabled version of the University of Hawaii's pioneering ALOHAnet wireless networking system, through 10base-5 ("Thick Ethernet"), then 10base-2 ("Thin Ethernet" or Cheapernet, which is about when The Reg FOSS Desk entered this business), then 10base-T over unshielded twisted-pair cabling… which turned into 100base-T ("Fast Ethernet") and Gigabit.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

    • Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

      • OpenAI being Accused of training ChatGPT with ‘Stolen Data’

        A California based law firm Clarkson Law Firm has filed a class lawsuit on behalf of 16 plaintiffs against OpenAI. The lawsuit accuses ChatGPT’s parent company of illegally scrapping the data from internet to train ChatGPT. It alleges that OpenAI trained ChatGPT using data collected from millions of social media comments, blog posts and Wikipedia articles without seeking proper consent from them. Although this lawsuit is still in its initial stages, if these allegations are proven true then OpenAI will have to pay hefty fine amounting to billions of dollars. Even though OpenAI has become a global sensation, it continues to face mounting pressure over data privacy.

      • Silicon AngleOpenAI and Microsoft face new class-action lawsuit over ChatGPT
        A newly filed class-action lawsuit claims that OpenAI LP collected personal information belonging to millions of people without their permission. The complaint, which was submitted on Wednesday to a San Francisco federal court, also names Microsoft Corp. as a defendant.

      • NYPostFurious Microsoft employees slam CEO Satya Nadella’s ‘landmark’ year claim

        Some angry Microsoft employees reportedly blasted their boss Satya Nadella on Thursday after he shared a message touting a “landmark year” at the tech giant — even as executives withheld raises, announced 10,000 layoffs in January and scramble to salvage a $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard.

        Nadella lauded the company’s accomplishments in a missive shared on Microsoft’s internal message boards on Thursday — the last day of the company’s 2023 fiscal year, Insider reported.

        “As we approach the end of FY23, I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone working hard across the company for a strong close,” Nadella wrote in the post.

        “The innovation and creativity you continue to show have made this a landmark year not just for Microsoft, but for our customers, partners, and communities around the world,” he added.

      • The Register UKMicrosoft and GitHub try to derail Copilot code lawsuit ● The Register
    • Security

    • Defence/Aggression

    • Environment

    • Finance

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

      • Drew DeVault Social media and "parasocial media"

        A few months ago, as Elon Musk took over Twitter and instituted polices that alienated many people, some of these people fled towards federated, free software platforms like Mastodon. Many people found a new home here, but there is a certain class of refugee who has not found it to their liking.

    • Censorship/Free Speech

      • Project CensoredEARN IT Still Ignores Privacy, Censorship Concerns - Dispatches from Project Censored: On Media and Politics

        Dangerous pieces of legislation have been introduced at the federal and state levels under the guise of protecting children online from exploitation and other online harms. Despite their claimed intent, these bills will make children, and everyone who uses the internet, less safe. The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act has been reintroduced in Congress for the third time despite the concerns of numerous cybersecurity and technology experts, LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates, and other groups. Opponents of EARN IT argue that increased surveillance and censorship and the dismantling of end-to-end encryption make the online world more dangerous and limit the right to free speech and privacy for everyone.

      • RFERLBelarusian KGB Adds Jailed Journalist Mazheyka To Terrorist List

        Belarusian Committee of State Security (KGB) has added imprisoned journalist Henadz Mazheyka to its list of alleged terrorists.

      • Hong Kong Free PressExplainer: How 3 years of the national security law transformed Hong Kong – Part I

        Whilst local authorities promised the security law would only affect a small minority of people, few corners of the city’s social and political landscape have remained untouched by the multi-billion dollar clampdown.

      • Hong Kong Free PressExplainer: How 3 years of the national security law transformed Hong Kong – Part II

        In the three years since the security law was enacted, Hong Kong saw books pulled from library shelves, newsroom raids, democrats behind bars, patriotic education in schools and over 60 civil society groups disappear.

    • Civil Rights/Policing

      • AxiosBiden's push for electric cars alienates longtime union allies

        An emerging alignment between the United Auto Workers and former President Trump over electric vehicles threatens to sour the longstanding alliance between the union and the Democratic Party.

        Why it matters: The UAW, representing more than 400,000 active workers, has long been a powerful force in progressive politics, serving as a Midwestern bulwark for Democrats.

    • Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

    • Monopolies



Recent Techrights' Posts

Red Hat Layoffs Expected in 5 Days (Monday)
"They will announce and proceed with the cuts on 08/11."
They Want You To Talk About Trump or 'The Other Bill' in Relation to Trafficking of Underage Girls for Sexual Exploitation
Just something we wanted to say...
How to Quadruple Your "Goodwill" Value and Grow Your (Wall) Street "Value" From $152B to $4000B Without Producing a Single Successful Product/Service
The longer it goes on for, the bigger the implosion will be
Staying Productive
Two very reputable institutions recently told us they now reckon Microsoft is somehow funding those SLAPPs against us
66 Countries Where More People Use iPhones (or iPads) Than Microsoft Windows, According to statCounter Data
a list of countries where iOS now exceeds Windows
Windows All-Time Lows, Android All-Time Highs in Kuwait
New lows for Windows can be found in many countries this month
 
August Hits Microsoft Hard: Dead Divisions, Dead Products, Layoffs Again (on Week 1)
Microsoft's debt is soaring
Slopwatch: Slow Day for LLM Slop, Serial Sloppers Still at It in Their Slopfarms
The Web would be better off if those sites went offline
Links 06/08/2025: Substack in Trouble, Slop Sceptic Shira Perlmutter Seeks Emergency Injunction Pending Appeal
Links for the day
Gemini Links 06/08/2025: Pinephone, Reverse-Engineering, and More
Links for the day
Links 06/08/2025: Faked Values of Slop Companies and Government Bailouts
Links for the day
FOSSY 2025 Conference Safety
The GAFAM-funded FOSSY 2025 is over
Microsoft's Favourite Pay-to-Say 'Analyst' Firm Has Just Collapsed
'Analysts' that helped propel Microsoft to fictional values akin to Ponzi schemes
Ask Google (Jeeves)
What does Google "know", not know, or would rather forget (or embellish)?
A Blow for Patent Ambitions of Bill Epsteingate
It's about money
Apple's iOS Bigger Than Microsoft Windows in Many Countries
This ought to alarm Microsoft
The Mainstream Media Talks About Spotify Share Price and Price Hikes, Not Its Debt Increasing by About 33% in Just 12 Months
Spotify isn't a company in good shape
New "US Editor for The Register" is 80% Microsoft and Windows
they typically just treat Microsoft like the "Holy Grail" of "IT"
Microsoft is Apparently Sending Gag Orders or NDAs to Staff That Got Laid Off (“We were told not to post on LinkedIn. Not to say anything.”)
The main lies we keep seeing
Richard M. Stallman Has Published AI Memos Since 1980 (45 Years Ago)
Back when the term AI actually meant something
Gemini Links 06/08/2025: BitTorrent and Feedly Bots
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 05, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 05, 2025
Openwashing Slop... Using Slop!
So get ready for "open" "hey hi" with its proprietary models to engage in openwashing, helped by serial sloppers who use the LLMs to produce fake 'articles'.
On "Tragedy of the Commons in the Production of Digital Artifacts"
There's a better way to do things. None of that should involve GAFAM.
Gemini Links 05/08/2025: Opel Zoo near Frankfurt and Alhena 5.2.5
Links for the day
The Inflammatory Influence of Social Control Media Giants
CPC's ByteDance says it's cool
Microsoft v Planet Earth
Is Microsoft profitable?
IRC Turns 37
Internet Relay Chat (short: IRC), which started in 1988, turns 37 this month
Shortly After a Microsofter Took Over The Register as Editor in Chief Microsoft Tim (Tim Anderson) is Back and It's Still Microsoft Propaganda, Sometimes Funded by Microsoft
Notice his focus
Stricter Enforcement of Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is Sorely Needed
Who's keeping track anyway?
Calling Plagiarism "Intelligence" is Pure Genius, Brilliance!
One thing to "like" (or dislike) about LLMs is how they're falsely marketed using various buzzwords
Geminispace Promises Simplicity But Also Provides a "bunch of forums that get flood-filled by agitation against the very essence of Gemini itself"
claims of stagnation in Geminispace started because of a person who spent a long time agitating against GNU/Linux as well
Zimbabweans Aren't Into Windows or Microsoft
This cannot be good news for GAFAM
Microsoft's Washington Layoffs Aren't Everything, They're Definitely Not Happening in Just One State in the US
Washington is just more strict with WARN notices
Gemini Links 05/08/2025: Lagrange v1.18.6, No Stagnation in Geminispace, and Fake Coding (Slop)
Links for the day
The Register's Editor in Chief (Who Left for Google) Told Me "AI" Was a Bubble, But Now The Register Gets Paid to Participate in Inflating This Bubble
A lot of the online media is a scam
The Register is Desperate for Money, According to The Register
I decided to check how they're doing as a business
Some Cola Formulas Aren't Secret, But the Barrier is the Branding
That's the power of the channel/distribution, marketing, and brand recognition (accomplished through endless marketing)
Introducing Mission:Libre and FreeXR (and BreakXR)
efforts that accompany the foundations put there by the Free Software Foundation in 1985
Slopwatch: WebProNews, LinuxSecurity, and Some Success Stories
Google News still has a slopfarm issue
Links 05/08/2025: Hey Hi (AI) Passing Fads and GAFAM "Embracing the Military"
Links for the day
Links 05/08/2025: Samsung and Microsoft Layoffs
Links for the day
Rumours of Mass Layoffs at Red Hat Next Week (August 11th, 2025)
The eleventh means next Monday
IBM is Shutting Down (Piecewise)
IBM is basically being liquidated
The Debian Language Police Department (PD)
"there has never been complaints about anyone that was offended by this -off package"
Tesla's Debt More Than Doubled in 2 Years and the Company Will Operate in the Red (at a Loss) Quite Soon
If your first-quarter net income is $409 million and you borrow billions from banks, plus interest to pay on those loans, then you're not far from returning to losses
When The Register MS Says "Linux Backdoor" It Actually Talks About Malware
The leading story in The Register US/MS this morning is Microsoft
Microsoft Windows Fell to 19% "Market Share" in Montenegro
Microsoft must be well aware of this trend
Why We Also Include Gopher Links in Our Gemini (Protocol) Links
There are still many people who use Gopher to relay their messages (like blog posts). They're mostly technical people.
Shouting is an Indication of a Lack of Convincing Argument
Beware what they are attempting to distract from
Mongolia: Microsoft Windows at All-Time Low
in 2009 when Windows was at 99.45% in Mongolia the company was "worth" less than 200 billion dollars
About a Quarter of Today's "linux" News in Google News Came From One Domain and It's a Slopfarm
Not kidding!
Gemini Links 05/08/2025: Zombie Threat and Switching to NixOS
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, August 04, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, August 04, 2025
ChatGPT in Trouble
Watch out for the newer buzzwords
The Register MS Links to the Wrong statCounter Page
They link to older data
Dr. Andy Farnell Explains How Google Turned From "Librarian" Into "Oracle", Telling Us What to Think Instead of Where to Look
Google was always a lousy librarian
Microsoft Layoffs Continue in August 2025
If Microsoft is doing so well, how come about 10 rounds of layoffs in about 7 months in 2025?
Microsoft and Windows Have Many Back Doors, But LLM Slop Keep Claiming That Linux Has "Backdoor"
It's another example of LLM slop as FUD amplifier, via slopfarms as well
In Many Countries Vista 11 Adoption Stalled or Became Negative
Not just because people move to GNU/Linux
Microsofters' Lawyers Are Name-calling and Insulting Microsoft Critics, Even Their Spouses
How not to win arguments
Flagging or Tagging Slop That We Find Online
Right now we use ImageMagick
Links 04/08/2025: Very Bad Weather and Travel Restrictions in China
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/08/2025: Misiamisia and Mobile Linux
Links for the day
Microsoft's Stock is Like a Religion, Microsoft Goes Into 'Hiding' (From Shareholders)
like a religious person or devout believer, the media just parrot anything Microsoft says
Links 04/08/2025: 80 Years Since Last Nuclear War, IPv6 in China
Links for the day
Groklaw Static Site Relaunches With New Theme, But Many Pages and All the Comments Are Missing
We suppose that's still a lot better than the site being offline, as it was for several months
"For Five decades; For freedoms; For all users" (Original EMACS Turns 50 Next Year)
Linus Benedict Torvalds was only 6 when EMACS started
In Spain, Microsoft's Search Engine Market Share Fell to 2%
16 years have passed since Bing was introduced
Protecting GNU/Linux-Centric Journalism From Serial Sloppers
Unoriginal slop is taking away traffic from the people who did all the real work
It Looks Like Managers at Oracle Now Use LLM Slop to Write Blog Posts
Did he cheat by prompting LLMs for mindless text "filler"?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 03, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 03, 2025
Gemini Links 04/08/2025: Qubes OS and Curious crypto case of certificates (CCCC)
Links for the day