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Links 07/07/2023: KDE Gear 23.04.3 and EasyOS 5.4.6



  • GNU/Linux

    • Make Use OfThe 6 Best File Systems for Installing Linux

      Which file system should you choose when installing a new Linux distro? Let's take a look at some of the best options.

      Choosing the right file system for your computer can be a difficult process. It’s easy to wonder: why do file systems matter at all? Is there a specific file system that works best for installing Linux?

      As it turns out, there are two file systems that stand out as the best general-purpose options for installing Linux.

    • Desktop/Laptop

      • Djalel OukidThe New Generation of the InfinityBook 16 Pro Linux Laptop is Available for Pre-Order

        Building upon the success of its predecessors, the InfinityBook 16 Pro Gen8, from TUXEDO Computers, combines sleek design, top-notch performance, and advanced capabilities to deliver an outstanding user experience. In this blog post, we will explore the key features of this powerhouse laptop that make it a compelling choice for Linux professionals and enthusiasts alike.

      • Unix Men7 Linux Software Trends To Watch In 2023-2024

        The stability of Linux is one of the main advantages. The system is known for its reliability and durability, compared to some other operating systems. It’s designed for use with a wide variety of hardware, from personal computers to servers, that can handle massive amounts of work and do not experience crashes or other problems.



        [...]

        You can expect to see further improvements in your favorite Linux desktop applications such as GNOME, KDE and Cinnamon in 2023-2024. It is expected that more flexible settings will be available for personalization and a smoother, cleaner look in GNOME. More improvements to the overall performance of your desktop environment and greater compatibility with Wayland’s display server will be introduced when GNOME 42 is released.

        On the other hand, KDE Plasma is known to offer a wide range of customization options. With new widgets and plugins, we’re going to have even more room for customization by the year 2024. Efficiency, device integration and privacy are going to continue to be emphasized by KDE. In addition, the Wayland display server integration will ensure a smooth rendering of graphics and platform stability.
    • Server

      • TechRepublicTop Six Linux Distributions for Your Data Center

        Linux powers the enterprise. From the cloud to containers and to the backbone of your network, Linux is there working tirelessly to keep your business humming. Whether you use Linux in your AWS, Azure, Google Cloud or your on-premise data center, you use Linux.

    • Applications

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • ID RootHow To Install Google Chrome on Debian 12

        In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Google Chrome on Debian 12. For those of you who didn’t know, Google Chrome stands as one of the most popular web browsers globally, providing users with a powerful, feature-rich, and user-friendly experience.

      • ID RootHow To Install Cinnamon Desktop Environment on Debian 12

        In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Cinnamon Desktop Environment on Debian 12. The Cinnamon Desktop Environment offers a remarkable user experience, combining elegance, efficiency, and customization options.

      • Network WorldGetting help on Linux | Network World

        If you’re fairly new to Linux, you might need some help getting started on the command line. But you made it here, so let’s run through a number of ways that you can get comfortable and up to speed fairly quickly.

      • ZDNetHow to pipe the output of one command to another in Linux | ZDNET

        If you're new to Linux, you're probably hesitant to use the command line. When you finally realize the power of the CLI, you'll discover it has a lot of cool tricks up its sleeve -- including this one.

      • CNX Software“Fixing” WiFi 6 on Linux in Alder Lake-N mini PCs (Intel N95, N100, Core i3-N300…)

        It’s not an isolated issue, as one person commented WiFi 6 and Bluetooth were not working in Linux on a Beelink mini PC with the N100 in an article about the T9 Plus, and I found out many people complained about the lack of Linux drivers for the AX101 on Intel community forums. They also left various solutions some of which work, some don’t.

        If you are using Ubuntu or Debian, the easiest way seems to update the kernel to the latest Linux 6.4 as follows...

        Hopefully, the latest iwlwifi drivers will further improve support for AX101 WiFi and Bluetooth module and will be officially released on the Intel website (Note the AX101 is currently missing). Linux 6.5 may ship with an updated version, meaning it may be good revisiting the issue around the end of August when the latest kernel is expected to be released, besides monitoring the Intel website for new drivers…

      • Linux CapableHow to Secure Nginx with Let’s Encrypt on Debian 12/11/10

        In the dynamic landscape of web technology, security is paramount. Ensuring that your web server is secure is not only vital for your peace of mind but also for the trust and safety of your users. This guide zeroes in on securing your Debian Nginx Server installation with a free Let’s Encrypt Certificate.

      • Own HowToHow to install Nitrux Linux Distro

        Nitrux is a new Linux distro that is based on Debian, and it uses KDE Plasma as desktop environment. Nitrux also comes with a new Desktop called NX Desktop, which is a customized desktop based on Plasma.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install OpenJDK 21 on Manjaro Linux

        OpenJDK 21 is set to be a game-changer in the Java landscape when it launches on September 19, 2023. It is the upcoming long-term support (LTS) release of Oracle’s standard Java implementation and brings many features to improve the Java development experience.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install ExifTool on Ubuntu 22.04-20.04

        In today’s fast-paced technological environment, working with metadata is essential for various purposes, including image organization and data analysis. Enter ExifTool, a robust and versatile command-line application written in Perl that allows you to read, write, and edit metadata in various files.

      • Kali LinuxPip install and Python's externally managed

        TL;DR: pip install is on the way out. Installing Python packages must be done via APT, aka. Kali Linux’s package manager. Python packages coming from other sources should be installed in virtual environments.

        Long story below.

      • Linux CapableUsing Systemctl to List Linux Services for Systemd

        In the Linux operating system, services are programs that operate in the background. These services can be initiated either on-demand or during the system boot process. As a Linux user or developer, you will interact with various services such as web servers, SSH, or cron.

      • Kickstart Neovim on Linux

        Kickstart.nvim is a starter configuration for Neovim that is small, single-file and well-documented. You can use it as a starting point to create your custom configuration.

      • It's UbuntuHow To Install the Epic Games Launcher On Linux

        Want to play Epic games on Linux, there this blog will help you for it.

      • Linux HintHow to Push to GitLab

        To push changes into the GitLab, move to the local repository> list content> set the remote URL> run the “git push <remote-name> <branch-name>” command.

      • Linux HintHow to Install and Use SQLite on Rocky Linux 9

        Practical tutorial on the methods to install and use SQLite on Rocky Linux 9 to provide an efficient, reliable, fast solution for various database requirements.

      • Linux HintHow to Install and Use Docker on Rocky Linux 9

        Practical guide on the ways to install and use the Docker on Rocky Linux 9 to enable an efficient application development, testing, and deployment processes.

      • TecMint20 Useful ‘apt-get’ Commands for Ubuntu Package Management
        The post 20 Useful ‘apt-get’ Commands for Ubuntu Package Management first appeared on Tecmint: Linux Howtos, Tutorials & Guides .

        The apt-get command was the primary package management command used in Debian-based Linux distributions prior to the introduction of the apt command.

    • Games

      • WCCF TechAMD CPUs Retain Dominance On Linux Platforms, Trails Behind Intel in Windows OS

        According to the statistics released by Steam's Hardware Survey for the month of June, the share of AMD CPUs in Linux systems has increased by around 7.6%, reaching a total of 67.15% share. Intel comes behind AMD in Linux, with a market share of 32.84%. Well, the reason behind the inclination of Linux consumers towards AMD is the company's commitment to open-source technologies.

    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

        • 9to5LinuxKDE Gear 23.04.3 Is Out as the Last Update in the Series to Fix More Bugs

          Coming a month after KDE Gear 23.04.2, the KDE Gear 23.04.3 release is here to improve the Gwenview image viewer so that it no longer crashes when opening RAW image files in the NEF (Nikon) format, fix a few issues with reminders in the Kalendar app, as well as to fix board position in portrait mode in the KReversi app.

          KDE Gear 23.04.3 also improves the Falkon web browser with a new option in Preferences to allow you to set the default search engine by default, add an icon for boat/ferry reservations in Itinerary’s calendar, and add support for one-page booking PDFs and improve the handling of Flixbus train tickets in the KItinerary library.

        • KDEKDE Gear 23.04.3
          Over 120 individual programs plus dozens of programmer libraries and feature plugins are released simultaneously as part of KDE Gear.

          Today they all get new bugfix source releases with updated translations, including...

        • KDE e.V. to wind down the KDE League

          KDE e.V. makes it known that the KDE League is to be wound down and dissolved. Remaining assets of the League are to be transferred to KDE e.V. Interested parties are invited to comment.

          KDE e.V., the legal entity representing the KDE community, and KDE League, Inc. (the “League”) are about to enter into an agreement to wind down and dissolve the League and transfer all of its remaining liquid assets (after paying the costs of dissolution) to KDE e.V.

        • libQuotient version 0.8 released

          I'm excited to announce the release of version 0.8 of libQuotient, the Qt library for building software using Matrix.

          This release brings to you
        • Adriaan de GrootQt Commercial License

          It should be said occasionally: the Qt Commercial License is terrible.

          It might not be all that expensive, but it’s rather clunky for device creation, and most importantly, comes with a “Prohibited Combination” definition that says “any effort to use .. Licensed Software with any software created with .. Open Source Qt”. I certainly can’t interpret that in any other way than “there is a tremendous amount of valuable Open Source software, developed entirely independently, like KDE Frameworks, Kirigami, libQuotient, .. and you can’t use it.” It really drives home the negative value of a Qt Commercial License. – Which is why I’m glad I care only about the Open Source bits.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • New Releases

    • PCLinuxOS/Mageia/Mandriva/OpenMandriva Family

      • PCLOS OfficialPCLinuxOS: APT, RPM, Synaptic update

        When you see this while updating through Synaptic, press the close button, relaunch Synaptic and you will be fine. You must perform this update before the end of the month or you will lose you ability to update your installation.

      • PCLOS OfficialThe following kernels are available for PCLinuxOS

        stable: 6.4.2 2023-07-05 stable: 6.3.12 2023-07-05 longterm: 6.1.38 2023-07-05 longterm: 5.15.120 2023-07-05 longterm: 5.10.186 2023-06-28 longterm: 5.4.249 2023-06-28

    • Arch Family

      • 9to5LinuxImmutable Distro blendOS 3 Now Officially Available Based on Arch Linux

        blendOS 3 is here to enhance its ability to run other GNU/Linux distributions inside blendOS via Distrobox/Podman by adding support for a total of 9 distros, including Arch Linux, AlmaLinux OS, Crystal Linux, Debian GNU/Linux, Fedora Linux, Kali Linux, Neurodebian Bookworm, Rocky Linux, and Ubuntu Linux.

        Another major new feature in blendOS 3 is support for no less than 7 desktop environments, including KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, LXQt, Cinnamon, MATE, and Deepin, and the ability to easily and instantaneously switch between them with system track.

    • Fedora Family / IBM

      • LWNFedora considers "privacy-preserving" telemetry [LWN.net] [Ed: "Telemetry" = we give you some software but still control it remotely, will pull data out of it (by default, as many people do not change these defaults). It's not truly yours, we remotely observe its usage. What next? Remote activation? CASM detection? Paywalls? When a Free software developer says he or she needs "telemetry" from you, walk away. There's rarely a real need for this, except vanity or exercising power over you.]

        The Fedora project is considering a Fedora 40 change proposal to add limited, opt-out telemetry to the workstation edition. The proposal is detailed; it is clear that the developers involved understand that this will be a hard sell in that community.

    • Debian Family

      • The Register UKTwo new Linux desktops, one with deep roots, come to Debian ● The Register

        Maybe the DBUS developers have a point: desktops are like buses… you wait for ages, then two of them come along at once: Lomiri on Debian, and GSDE, the GNUstep Desktop Environment.

        Both the new offerings focus on Debian for now, although that may well change in time, and although both are quite different to more mainstream offerings, they each have roots in tech that's been around for some time. Lomiri is the now cross-platform desktop environment that was formerly called Unity 8, which Canonical cancelled in 2017. As we covered back in February, Lomiri's Ubuntu dependencies – and trademarks – have been cleaned up. Along with changing its name, now it's much more cross-platform, but we must confess that we missed the full significance of what lead developer Marius GripsÃ¥rd told us at the time: [...]

    • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

      • OMG UbuntuUbuntu Plans to Ditch its ‘Minimal’ Install Option

        When selected during initial install Ubuntu’s ‘minimal install’ gives users a complete, fully-functioning Ubuntu system with fewer pre-installed apps. The exact same ISO also delivers a ‘full installation’ mode stacked with swathe of software – this is the default, recommended option.

        So having added a feature that users like Ubuntu is now, umm, thinking about removing it.

    • Open Hardware/Modding

      • Adriaan de GrootRISC-V Pinout

        There are two RISC-V computers on my desk – photos eventually – and they are moving towards “just work” state, but they do occasionally swerve back into the default state of single-board-computers everywhere: there’s a serial port and you’re gonna like it.

        From work a few years back with all the Pine64 boards, I have a handful of USB-to-serial converters (and just ordered another one from Pine as a backup), but getting the pins right is always a pain. I’ve considered wiring up better connectors, but never really gotten around to it.

        As a stop-gap, I’m going to post (possibly for my own benefit as a backup easy-to-find resource) pinouts for the StarFive VisionFive V2 and the Pine64 Star64 boards. Now that I’ve written this down, I can finally remember “6=GND, 8=TX, 10=RX”.

      • PurismPureBoot Framebuffer Boot Support

        The latest release of PureBoot, Release 27, now boots memtest86+, Debian netinst, and other OSes that rely on framebuffer output!

        We worked with the Heads team to implement this change upstream, and it is now in our latest release. Update your firmware with our update instructions!

        If you’ve ever tried to boot from PureBoot, and the system seemed to hang after “Starting the new kernel”, this was often the cause.€  The OS was booting, but it couldn’t display anything.

      • ArduinoThis recycling bin sorts waste using audio classification

        Although a large percentage of our trash can be recycled, only a small percentage actually makes it to the proper facility due, in part, to being improperly sorted.

      • ArduinoVBox is like an AI-powered Pandora boombox

        Discovering new music is difficult, making it a frustrating experience for both listeners and services. Identifying what one person liked about a specific song is a challenge when music is so subjective.

      • Tom's HardwareDual Raspberry Pi RP2040s Power Split Ergonomic Keyboard

        Fingerpunch has made a beautiful set of PCBs for custom split ergonomic keyboards that rely on dual RP2040 processors.

      • Raspberry PiBringing computing education research to a new global audience

        We invited Global Clubs Partners to calls with our researchers to discuss new findings about computing education in primary schools.

      • Hackaday2023 Cyberdeck Challenge: Reviving The First Notebook Computer

        At first sight upon seeing [Don]’s HX2023 cyberdeck project one might be sad at the destruction of a retrocomputer, but in fact its classic Epson shell comes from a pile of spare parts left after restoring many other of the classic HX20 notebook computers to working order. The result stays true to the original but gives us so much more in the shape of a Raspberry Pi, and it’s worth cracking it open to see what components make this happen.

      • CNX SoftwareLuckFox Core3566 – A Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 alternative that sells for $24 and up

        We’ve already seen Rockchip RK3566 system-on-modules that follow the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with the likes of Pine64 SOQuartz and Radxa CM3. But there’s at least one more Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 alternative based on the RK3566 SoC with the LuckFox Core3566 going for as little as $23.99. I found out about the new module after checking out the upcoming Orange Pi Compute Module 4 (another CM4 alternative based on RK3566), and the LuckFox Core3566 is offered with 2GB or 4GB RAM, an optional 32GB eMMC flash, and an optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 module.

      • CNX SoftwareMicro RP2040 is a tiny Raspberry Pi RP2040 module with a USB Type-C port, 28 castellated & through holes

        SB Components’ Micro RP2040 is a tiny module based on the Raspberry Pi RP2040 Arm microcontroller with up to 23 GPIOs and a USB Type-C port for easy powering and programming. Ever since the Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller was released, companies have been making tiny modules based on it. Some come with a USB Type-C port such as the Pimoroni Tiny 2040 and the Adafruit QT Py RP2040 boards, while others focused on providing a smaller form factor for soldering only with design such as the RP2040 Stamp or the minuscule 12x12mm Femto module.

      • Tom's HardwareRaspberry Pi Stray Companion Cosplay Plays Music and Makes Faces

        Dawn DuPriest has created a Raspberry Pi-powered companion cosplay that plays music with RFID chips and makes faces.

      • Tom's HardwareRaspberry Pi Weed Burning Robot Protects Your Garden

        Nathan from NathanBuildsDIY is using a Raspberry Pi to control unwanted weeds with the power of the sun.

      • Tom's HardwareRaspberry Pi Radiation Monitor Goes Wireless With Pico W

        Sboger is using a Raspberry Pi Pico W to remotely monitor radiation and outputs the current readings in real-time.

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • Libre ArtsLibreArts Weekly recap — 3 July 2023

      Been away for family reasons, hence missing the previous updates and being slightly late with this one. Post highlights: new releases of darktable, Blender, BlenderBIM, Flowblade, Ardour.

    • Content Management Systems (CMS)

      • WordPressWordPress 6.3 Beta 3

        WordPress 6.3 Beta 3 is now ready for download and testing!

        This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it is recommended that you test Beta 3 on a test server and site.

    • GNU Projects

      • GNU Health: The importance of Health Informatics in Kenya – Cirugía Solidaria and GNU Health

        The team from Cirugía Solidaria has completed another successful campaign in the African continent.

        The project took place in the hospital of Maragua, in Muranga county, Kenya. Dr. Victor López, from Cirugía Solidaria, describes the experiences during the seven day mission:

        “In our latest project in Maragua, Kenya, we had 406 patient evaluations, and 142 of these patients underwent surgery. Some relevant information on the surgical procedures were 32 pediatric surgeries, 22 goiter, 11 cervical masses and 13 oncological surgeries. In addition, we detected 36 patients with cancer that were referred to the Kenya National Cancer Registry for treatment and followup.”

    • Programming/Development

      • Linux HintHow to Implement Non-Blocking IO with the Select Function in C

        Practical guide on how to implement non-blocking IO with the “select” function in C and its basic usage using a programming example to explain its application.

      • Barry KaulerElectron ignores suid on binaries

        Oh <insert expletive here>!

        Balena Etcher is an Electron-based app. I posted that have removed it from the AppImage Installer:

        https://bkhome.org/news/202306/goodbye-balena-etcher-appimage.html

        However, still experimenting with it, some error messages on the terminal at startup. Then I made an awful discovery: [...]

      • Barry KaulerPackage udisks2 compiled in OE

        I was investigating the Dolphin file manager flatpak, as Federico has reported that it has many limitations. One major limitation is that it cannot access any drive partitions. It looks like the 'udisks2' package is required.

        A very long time ago, I took a look at udisks, and decided that I didn't want anything to do with it. But it looks like KDE apps want it. OK, so I embarked on the journey of compiling it in OpenEmbedded/Yocto ...several hours later, got it done.

      • Firefox Developer Experience: Firefox DevTools Newsletter — 115

        Developer Tools help developers write and debug websites on Firefox. This newsletter gives an overview of the work we’ve done as part of the Firefox 115 Nightly release cycle.

  • Leftovers

    • Ruben SchadeCoffee chatter about urbanism

      You hear some… things sitting at a coffee shop. Today’s very loud conversation concerned real estate:

      The houses down there are insane LAUGHS. If I can’t drive there, what’s the point? LAUGHS. Build another damn freeway and more houses, stop faffing about.

      It’s important I hear stuff like this; it gives me valuable perspective I otherwise lack in my comfy bubble of sustainable urban planning and public transport. I have this caricature of a suburbanite in my head that earnestly believes “one more lane, bro”… but they do exist.

      The conversation shifted soon after, but the bulk of what they discussed concerned traffic, a hatred of apartments, and the sky-high cost of living in Australia right now. A few times I felt like they were on the verge of an epiphany, but then they went to hating on buses and trains for the “people [who travel] on them”.

      (Not wanting to take public transport because of “gross poor people” is one of the reasons I gave up giving someone adjacent to the family any of my attention. Leaving aside the fact investment bankers with expensive watches share my train to Wynyard each morning, what a horrible thing to think about your fellow human beings. Public transport is wonderful precisely because it helps everyone. And frankly, my experiences with them have been near universally nicer than entitled arses who equate morals with money… and then show themselves as having none of the former).

    • DaemonFC (Ryan Farmer)Walmart Can’t Balance a Tire Due to Air from Canada

      Walmart Can’t Balance a Tire Due to Air from Canada I’ve got another car problem. A wheel weight came off and my right front tire is now imbalanced causing a slight wobble on acceleration sometimes.

    • Hardware

      • CNX SoftwareDiabolic Drive is a penetration testing USB key with 64GB storage, ESP8266 and ATmega32U4 microcontrollers

        Diabolic Drive may look like a 64GB USB flash drive and show as such when you insert it into your computer, but it’s actually a wireless keystroke injection tool with a Microchip ATmega32U4 8-bit AVR microcontroller and an Espressif Systems ESP8266 WiFi SoC. Egypt-based UNIT 72784 says their cyber security tool enables Red Teaming – the practice of rigorously identifying an attack path to breach a device’s security – as it behaves like a flash drive while being able to deploy keyboard strokes wirelessly through the ESP8266 WiFi MCU. Diabolic Drive specifications: MCUs Microchip ATmega32U4 microcontroller @ 16 MHz (5V) acting as a Serial Bridge Espressif Systems ESP8266EX microcontroller @ 160 MHZ (3.3V) with WiFi 4 support ATmega32U4 and ESP8266 are connected via Serial and I2C protocols thanks to an LDO regulator.

      • Hackaday3D Audio Imaging With A Phased Array Microphone

        Remember the scene from Blade Runner, where Deckard puts a photograph into a Photo Inspector? The virtual camera can pan and move around the captured scene, pulling out impossible details. It seems that [Ben Wang] discovered how to make that particular trick a reality, but with audio instead of video. The secret sauce isn’t a sophisticated microphone, but a whole bunch of really simple ones. In this case, it’s 192 of them, arranged on long PCBs working as the spokes of a wall-art wheel. Quite the conversation piece.

      • CNX SoftwareAn ESP32-S3 board for vending machines with RS485, microSD card slot, optional cellular mPCIe module

        LILYGO T-Vending is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth IoT board designed for vending machines with an RS485 terminal block, a microSD card slot, and support for an optional cellular mPCIe module. As I understand the board is connected to the vending machine through the RS485 terminal block to control vend motors (potentially via an additional board to control multiple motors) and a 10-pin connector for power (12V/24V), signals to/from a coin mechanism and other parts. The board also adds a Grove connector and an unpopulated 12-pin GPIO header for expansion.

      • HackadayProbably The Cheapest Lens You Will Ever Use

        Photographic enthusiasts will invariably amass an extensive collection of lenses, and in their communities there are near-mythical and sought-after lenses that change hands for incredible prices. It’s probably the oldest photographic adage though, that the best camera in the world is the one in your hand when the scene presents itself, and probably one of the simplest cameras in the world remains the disposable film camera. Their tiny plastic lenses are not in the same league as the pricey ones, but can they be used by a more serious photographer? [Volzo] set out to find out.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

    • Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • Security

      • IT WireHWL Ebsworth working to address effects of attack: cyber czar

        HWL Ebsworth was hit by the Alphv ransomware gang earlier this year. The attackers released the first lot of stolen data, including passport copies and other documents, on the dark web on 2 June.

      • APNICEmbedded IoT security: Helping vendors in the design process

        Guest Post: New vendor guide for embedding IoT security.

      • Reproducible Builds: Reproducible Builds Summit 2023 in Hamburg

        We are glad to announce the upcoming Reproducible Builds Summit, set to take place from October 31st to November 2nd, 2023, in the vibrant city of Hamburg, Germany.

        This year, we are thrilled to host the seventh edition of this exciting event following the success of previous summits in various iconic locations around the world, including Venice (2022), Marrakesh (2019), Paris (2018), Berlin (2017), Berlin (2016) Athens (2015).

        If you’re excited about joining us this year, please make sure to read the event page which has more details about the event and location. As in previous years, we will be sending invitations to all those who attended our previous summit events or expressed interest to do so. However also without receiving such a personal invitation please do email the organizers and we will find a way to accommodate you.

      • TechdirtSchool Decides To Harden Security By Giving EVERYONE The Same Password

        Cyber security. It’s complicated.

      • Bleeping ComputerNew StackRot Linux kernel flaw allows privilege escalation [Ed: Bad for shared-user machines in particular. Notice how Microsoft-connected sites make it seem like the sky is falling when Linux has a privilege escalation bug, but when Microsoft has remotely-accessed bug doors, it's really not such a big deal because maybe in a few months Microsoft will bother plugging it (after millions of servers already got compromised).]

        Technical information has emerged for a serious vulnerability affecting multiple Linux kernel versions that could be triggered with "minimal capabilities." The security issue is being referred to as StackRot (CVE-2023-3269) and can be used to compromise the kernel and elevate privileges.

      • DuoStackRot Flaw Bug Fixed in Linux Kernel | Decipher [Ed: Before it was even exploited]

        A new bug in the Linux kernel (CVE-2023-3269) known as StackRot has been fixed in versions 6.1-6.4.

      • Rekoobe Malware Used by Chinese Hacker Group Attack Linux system [Ed: This is not about Linux, it's about something else that happens to be happening at a higher level.]

        Mostly targets obsolete Linux servers or are in service with inappropriate settings and also involved in supply chain attacks.

      • LWNSecurity updates for Thursday [LWN.net]

        Security updates have been issued by Debian (golang-yaml.v2, kernel, and mediawiki), Fedora (kernel and picocli), SUSE (bind and python-sqlparse), and Ubuntu (cpdb-libs).

      • ALMIf Kirkland & Ellis Can't Avoid Cyberattacks, Who Can? | The American Lawyer [Ed: Bill Gates' dad.]


        Kirkland and Am Law 50 peers K&L Gates and Proskauer Rose are among the latest victims of a sweeping cyber breach. “It proves that nobody is immune” said Zach Olsen president of communications firm Infinite Global.



      • Tacoma News Tribune Details emerging about 2018 TPCHD database hack. Pierce records among those affected

        The new interim leader for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department started her role with news about a 5-year-old data breach the department says it learned about just last month. TPCHD’s Cindan Gizzi announced the news immediately after being appointed the department’s interim director during Wednesday’s Tacoma-Pierce County’s Board of Health meeting. TPCHD provided further details to The News Tribune after the meeting in response to questions.

      • Bleeping ComputerPolice arrest suspect linked to notorius OPERA1ER cybercrime gang [Ed: Microsoft Windows gets you in trouble]

        Law enforcement has detained a suspect believed to be a key member of the OPERA1ER cybercrime group, which has targeted mobile banking services and financial institutions in malware, phishing, and Business Email Compromise (BEC) campaigns.

        The gang, also known as NX$M$, DESKTOP Group, and Common Raven, is suspected of having stolen between $11 million and $30 million over the last four years in more than 30 attacks spanning 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

        [...]

        Researchers at Symantec also found links between OPERA1ER and a cybercriminals group they track as Bluebottle that used a signed Windows driver in attacks against at least three banks in French-speaking African countries.

    • Defence/Aggression

    • Environment

      • Energy/Transportation

        • Michael West MediaForget toilet paper — try no food, fuel or medicine. Why Canberra needs to act on fuel security

          Fuel storage tanks aren’t “sexy” but it is high time the Federal government spent as much attention to them as, say, a nuclear submarine or an F-35. Australia is running low on gas. Rex Patrick explains.€ 

          Remember the pandemic when (unnecessary) panic buying meant you couldn’t get toilet paper? Now imagine a situation far, far worse; no fuel, no medicine, no food. Even a minor conflict in Asia could cause the latter, but the Federal government appears too busy buying $368B submarines to do much about it.

    • Finance

      • Robert ReichHow the Super Rich Are Killing Social Security

        Here’s the real reason Social Security is in danger that nobody’s talking about.

        It’s not just because too many boomers like me are retiring. It’s because of inequality.

        Now, I don’t want to alarm you. Social Security is still helping us oldies enjoy our golden years — but only for so long.

        Social Security is one of the most popular and successful government programs ever created, not only helping retirees — but it’s also keeping 26 million people out of poverty.

      • LatviaLatvian central bank president: economy will be fragile this year

        Although Latvia's economy is quite resilient, the labor market is rather strong and unemployment rates are very low, overall the economy will be very fragile this year, the Latvian central bank (Bank of Latvia) President Mārtiņš Kazāks€ said in an interview on Latvian Television July 6.

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

    • Civil Rights/Policing

      • ALMLaw Against Secretly Recording Public Conversations Is Unconstitutional, Ninth Circuit Rules | National Law Journal

        A dissenting judge cited deepfake concerns in criticizing the First Amendment ruling.

      • ACLUThe Historic New Law Protecting Fairness for Pregnant Workers

        Today marks a historic moment in the lives of our nation’s pregnant workers: after more than a decade of advocacy on Capitol Hill, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), signed by President Biden in December 2022, goes into effect. PWFA mandates “reasonable accommodations” for pregnant workers unless providing them would impose an “undue hardship” on their employer. For millions of U.S. workers, the new law promises to assure they no longer will have to choose between their paycheck and a healthy pregnancy.

        Pregnancy is a normal condition of employment; more than 80 percent of all working women will have at least one child during their lives. But existing legal protections have been glaringly insufficient for workers whose duties may conflict with pregnancy’s physical realities — such as cashiers (prolonged standing), nurses (repetitive heavy lifting), custodians (exposure to chemicals), and firefighters (battling potentially lethal blazes). Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), enacted in 1978, pregnant workers have been entitled to temporary job modifications only if their employer provides them to others “similar in their ability or inability to work.” That language long has been used to deny needed “accommodations” to pregnant workers, on the grounds that favored non-pregnant colleagues are insufficiently “similar.”

      • The NationWhen Teens Send Nudes

        At 13, Bianca stood a little over 5-foot-3 and had long brown hair. So did another girl at her private middle school in San Francisco. While they were both in class one day in 2013, a staff member entered the classroom, walked over to Bianca, took her school-issued iPad, and left. Later, the eighth grader was told to report to the principal’s office, and everyone watched her go. Apparently, the other girl had sent a naked photo of herself to a boy in the class, “and the person who received that, their mom saw, thought it was me, and reported it to the middle school head,” says Bianca (a pseudonym for privacy reasons), who is now a senior in college. Bianca was upset, but she was also brazen, sometimes jumping on her bike and riding home in the middle of the school day. She did just that, and no one called her departure a suspension. Her parents believed her, but it felt like they were the only ones, even though the picture wasn’t on her iPad. Bianca’s classmates started to look at her differently. The fallout had only just begun. Professor Joris Van Ouytsel contributed extensive information and health educator Christopher Pepper provided consultation for this article.

    • Digital Restrictions (DRM)

      • Kubernetes BlogConfidential Kubernetes: Use Confidential Virtual Machines and Enclaves to improve your cluster security [Ed: "Confidential Computing aims to primarily solve the problem of protecting data" is false. It's about misplacing trust while outsourcing sensitive data.]

        In this blog post, we will introduce the concept of Confidential Computing (CC) to improve any computing environment's security and privacy properties. Further, we will show how the Cloud-Native ecosystem, particularly Kubernetes, can benefit from the new compute paradigm.

        Confidential Computing is a concept that has been introduced previously in the cloud-native world. The Confidential Computing Consortium (CCC) is a project community in the Linux Foundation that already worked on Defining and Enabling Confidential Computing. In the Whitepaper, they provide a great motivation for the use of Confidential Computing:

        Confidential Computing aims to primarily solve the problem of protecting data in use by introducing a hardware-enforced Trusted Execution Environment (TEE).

      • Digital Music NewsSpotify Cuts Off Existing App Store Subscribers As Ongoing Feud With Apple Continues

        Spotify is cutting off existing App Store subscribers as the platform no longer accepts Apple’s billing service as a valid form of payment, even for legacy customers.

    • Monopolies

      • Patents

        • Unified PatentsIFPower Qi / wireless charging patent challenged

          On June 30, 2023, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 7,298,361, owned and asserted by IFPower Co., Ltd. The '361 patent generally relates to a non-contact inductance circuit for a power source, e.g., for use in wireless charging devices. The patent is currently being asserted against products that are Qi-compatible and/or implement the Qi standard from Apple and Samsung.

        • Unified PatentsDynaIP entity WirelessWerx IP geotracking patent reexam granted

          On July 3, 2023, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,317,927 owned by WirelessWerx IP LLC, an NPE and Dynamic IP Deals LLC entity.

        • Dennis Crouch/Patently-OClaim Preclusion Across Infringement Types

          The court’s decision here makes two important res judicata holdings that favor patent holders: (1) a final judgment as to claims of literal infringement do not preclude the patentee from later suing the same party for inducing infringement since “an induced infringement claim rests on evidence and elements beyond those required by direct infringement;” (2) res judicata cannot bar a patentee from filing a lawsuit against€  a defendant’s actions occurred after the first lawsuit began. This is true even (as here) when the original lawsuit was largely declaratory in nature; the later actions involved the same set of operative facts; and the patentee arguably had notice of the upcoming actions during the first lawsuit.

        • Kluwer Patent BlogDeteriorating patent quality: EPO under fire, management is not impressed

          The EPO management has been under increasing criticism for its perceived lack of attention for the deteriorating quality of EPO patents. The subject was put on the agenda prominently last year in October by the Industry Patent Quality Charter (IPQC), a group representing a series of major and smaller international corporations...

      • Copyrights



Recent Techrights' Posts

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Fake Articles About 'Linux'
Dated yesterday
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[Meme] The Master Churnalist
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"resistance" to dictatorship and defenders of democracy?
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[Meme] Microsoft's Latest Marketing Pitch
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Some media would gladly participate in a scam to make money
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Another form of plagiarism/ripoff using bots?
IBM (and Red Hat) is a Patent Troll, Still Leveraging Software Patents to Extract Money Out of Other Companies by Suing Them
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[Meme] When the People Who Falsely Accuse You of Pedophilia Turn Out to be Projecting
When you attack something or someone using falsehoods, as happens a lot to Richard Stallman (RMS), there's risk that the attacks will backfire, badly
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Vista 11 was a failure
[Meme] They Don't Want the Public to Know What "Responsible Encryption" Really Means
They also blame "China" for their own back doors (because China learned how to exploit those)
The Linux Foundation's Certificate Authority (CA) Significantly and Suspiciously Raises the Number of Certificates It Issues (Quantity Increase/Inflation) by Lessening Their Lifetime in the Name of 'Security' (That Barely Makes Sense!)
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Links for the day
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IRC logs for Monday, December 16, 2024