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Links 20/07/2023: MySQL 8.1 and WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 1



  • GNU/Linux

    • Desktop/Laptop

      • Beta NewsFramework Laptop 16 now available for pre-order with Windows 11 or Linux

        The highly-anticipated Framework Laptop 16 is now available for pre-order, bringing desktop PC-level customization to a portable device. The sleek notebook is powered by the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs and Radeon GPUs and offers a remarkable degree of upgradability and repairability.

    • Kernel Space

      • LWNThe FUSE BPF filesystem>

        The Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE) framework can be used to create a "stacked" filesystem, where the FUSE piece adds specialized functionality (e.g. reporting different file metadata) atop an underlying kernel filesystem. The performance of such filesystems leaves a lot to be desired, however, so the FUSE BPF filesystem has been proposed to try to improve the performance to be close to that of the underlying native filesystem. It came up in the context of a session on FUSE passthrough earlier in the 2023 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit, but the details of FUSE BPF were more fully described by Daniel Rosenberg in a combined filesystem and BPF session on the final day of the summit.

        Rosenberg said that he wanted to introduce the filesystem, describe its current status, and discuss some of the open questions with regard to future plans for it. The goal is for a stacked FUSE filesystem to come as close to the native filesystem's performance as the FUSE BPF developers can get. In addition, they want to keep "all of the nice ease-of-use of FUSE", with its "defined entry points"; the idea is to keep the interface "similar to what you would see from the FUSE daemon".

      • LWNLarge folios for anonymous memory

        The transition to folios has transformed the memory-management subsystem in a number of ways, but has also resulted in a lot of code churn that has not been welcomed by all developers. As this work proceeds, though, some of the benefits from it are beginning to become clear. One example may well be in the handling of anonymous memory, as can be seen in a pair of patch sets from Ryan Roberts.

        The initial Linux kernel release used 4KB pages on systems whose total memory size was measured in megabytes — and a rather small number of megabytes at that. Since then, installed-memory sizes have grown by a few orders of magnitude or so, but the 4KB page size remains mostly unchanged. So the kernel has to manage far more pages than it once did; that leads to more memory used for tracking, longer lists to scan, and more page faults to handle. In many ways, a 4KB page size is far too small for contemporary systems.

      • LWNA pair of workqueue improvements

        Over the years, the kernel has developed a number of deferred-execution mechanisms to take care of work that cannot be done immediately. For many (or most) needs, the workqueue subsystem is the tool that developers reach for first. Workqueues took their current form over a dozen years ago, but that does not mean that there are not improvements to be made. Two sets of patches from Tejun Heo show the pressures being felt by the workqueue subsystem and the solutions that are being tried — with varying degrees of success.

        In normal usage, each subsystem creates its own workqueue (with alloc_workqueue()) to hold work items. When kernel code needs to defer a task, it can fill in a work_struct structure with the address of a function to call and some data to pass to that call. That structure can be passed, along with the target workqueue, to a function like queue_work(), and the workqueue mechanism will call the function at some future time. The call is made in process context, meaning that work items can block if need be. There is, of course, a long list of variants to queue_work(), and a number of ways in which workqueues themselves can be created, but the core functionality — call a function in process at a later time — remains the same.

      • LWNThe rest of the 6.5 merge window



        Linus Torvalds released 6.5-rc1 and closed the merge window for this development cycle on July 9. By that point, 11,730 non-merge changesets had been pulled into the mainline for 6.5; over 7,700 of those were pulled after the first-half merge-window summary was written. The second half of the merge window saw a lot of code coming into the mainline and a long list of significant changes.

      • LWNBPF iterators for filesystems

        In the first of two combined BPF and filesystem sessions at the 2023 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit, Hou Tao introduced his BPF iterators for filesystem information. Iterators for BPF are a relatively recent addition to the BPF landscape; they help BPF programs step through kernel data structures in a loop-like manner, but without running afoul of the BPF verifier, which is notoriously hard to convince about loops.

        In his remote presentation, Tao began with a quick overview of BPF iterators. They allow users to write a special type of BPF program that can step through kernel data structures in ways that would normally be handled with loops; instead, the BPF program contains callbacks that are made from the kernel in response to user-space reads of pinned BPF files. The callback is made for each new kernel object encountered in the data structure; the code in the callback can then present information from the object to user space in whatever format the developer wants.

      • LWNTesting for storage and filesystems

        The kdevops kernel-testing framework has come up at several earlier summits, including in two separate sessions at last year's event. Testing kernel filesystems and the block layer, not to mention lots of other kernel subsystems, has become increasingly important over time. So it was no surprise that Luis Chamberlain led a combined storage and filesystem session at the 2023 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit to talk more about testing, the resources needed for it, and what can be done to improve it. It was the final session for this year's summit, so this article completes our coverage.

    • Applications

      • LinuxiacVirtualBox 7.0.10 Released, Оfficial Debian 12 Repository Available
        VirtualBox, the renowned virtualization software, continues to evolve, offering users unparalleled versatility and functionality in managing virtual machines.

        Oracle has recently released VirtualBox 7.0.10, a minor update to its powerful virtualization software in the 7.0 series. Packed with bug fixes, it promises to enhance the virtualization experience for users across various platforms.

        So, let’s take a closer look at what VirtualBox 7.0.10 offers and how Debian 12 users can make the most of this new release.

      • Make Use Of5 Powerful Linux Tools to Discover Subdomains as an Ethical Hacker

        When it comes to web penetration testing, an essential aspect of the reconnaissance stage is the discovery of subdomains. Before diving into the actual pentesting, it's crucial to enumerate subdomains to gain a better understanding of the project's scope.

        You never know what interesting domains you might stumble upon that could uncover significant vulnerabilities. Here we'll explore some fantastic free Linux tools that can assist you in this subdomain enumeration process. So let's dive in and discover these resources that can enhance your web security assessment capabilities.

      • Linux Links8 Excellent Free and Open Source Mind Mapping Software

        Mind mapping is a fairly free flowing concept. This means you need software that is versatile, and can adapt to your requirements. Your idea of a neat and tidy mind map might be another person’s idea of bamboozling. A map can concentrate very complex content in a small space such as a piece of paper. It helps to use both sides of your brain: the logical side and also the creative side. It’s a technique to help organize the way you think and stimulate your creativity: It can help you by developing, sorting and helping to memorize your ideas.

        Mind mapping software therefore offers an excellent way of capturing your thoughts in a structured way, brainstorming new ideas. Move away from simple lists, and use this software to link ideas in different ways. By thinking creatively, not linearly, we can seize on our big ideas.

        In more advanced forms, mind mapping software can also be used to describe complex structures and concepts so an entire team can better understand them.

        Here’s our rating for the open source software featured in this article.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • HowTo GeekWhat Is a Flatpak in Linux, and How Do You Install One?

        Flatpaks are a distribution-agnostic way to install applications onto your Linux computer. But if your distribution already has a native way to install applications, why would you ever bother to use Flatpaks?

      • Windows CentralHow to install Microsoft Edge on Linux [Ed: Microsofters are pushing (like drug dealers) malware and passwords stealer to GNU/Linux users]
      • Make Use OfHow to Clean Up Snap Packages and Free Up Disk Space on Linux

        One of the key benefits of Linux distros is their package management systems. Package managers on Linux allow you to automate software installation and get the job done with just a few commands.

        Unlike other package managers, Snap has good dependency management attributes. But there is a caveat, Snap packages tend to be very bulky and consume a lot of disk space. Fortunately, it's easy to clean up Snap packages on Linux.

      • How to Use Linux on Chromebook [Guide]

        Chromebooks, known for their lightweight design and cloud-centric approach, have gained immense popularity due to their user-friendly interface and seamless integration with Google applications. However, some users crave more advanced software and need the ability to perform complex tasks that go beyond the confines of Chrome OS. This is where Linux comes in, opening the doors to a wide variety of software, development tools, and customization options.

      • Network WorldHow to determine your Linux system’s filesystem types

        Linux systems use a number of file system types – such as Ext, Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, JFS, XFS, ZFS, XFS, ReiserFS and btrfs. Fortunately, there are a number of commands that can look at your file systems and report on the type of each of them. This post covers seven ways to display this information.

        To begin, the file system types that are used on Linux systems are described below.

    • Games

      • Battlebit Remastered anti-cheat update won’t break Steam Deck & Linux support

        The popular FPS Battlebit Remastered is set to introduce a new anti-cheat, and the development team has finally put Linux players at ease.

        For weeks now, Battlebit Remastered has been prepping to push an update that moves the game from Easy Anti-Cheat to FACEIT, an anti-cheat software best known in Counter-Strike circles.

        The move would have ended support for the Battlebit Remastered on the Steam Deck and Linux, which irritated fans. After the announcement, there was no clear messaging from the Battlebit Remastered team, leaving Linux players in the lurch.

    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • GNOME Desktop/GTK

        • OMG UbuntuGIMP Dev Release Completes GTK3 Port, Adds Headerbar Option

          A new development version of GIMP recently released, and it’s a fairly notably one for a couple of reasons. Though not stable (i.e. expect bugs) this release gives us our best look yet at how what the stable GIMP 3.0 release will comprise of when it’s released later this year (a release candidate of GIMP 3.0 draws close, for those interested).

        • GNOMEChristian Hergert: GListModel as a file format interface

          One of the things I’ve done this cycle leading up to GNOME 45 is some rework on how we process *.syscap files. In particular, I wanted to really push the GListModel interface in GTK 4.

          That is a tall order at first sight because Sysprof capture files easily have hundreds of thousands of data frames. To create an object for each would be an enormous amount of overhead.

          However, GListModel allows you to create objects on demand, which means you only need to create them as necessary.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • SaaS/Back End/Databases

      • PostgreSQLpgEdge announces support for multiple Postgres versions, including PostgreSQL 16 (Beta 1) - Allows for zero downtime maintenance for Postgres version upgrades

        ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 27, 2023 – pgEdge, Inc. today announced support for multiple Postgres versions in pgEdge Distributed PostgreSQL, including the recently released PostgreSQL 16 Beta 1. pgEdge Distributed PostgreSQL is a fully distributed database optimized for the network edge and is both open (with source code available) and fully based on standard PostgreSQL. By allowing read and write traffic to be managed at multiple nodes on the network, pgEdge reduces data latency, addresses data residency and provides for ultra-high availability, which now includes zero downtime maintenance.

      • Release of MySQL 8.1

        This section summarizes what has been added to, deprecated in, and removed from MySQL 8.1. A companion section lists MySQL server options and variables that have been added, deprecated, or removed in MySQL 8.1; see Section 1.4, “Server and Status Variables and Options Added, Deprecated, or Removed in MySQL 8.1”.

    • Content Management Systems (CMS)

      • WordPressWordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 1

        WordPress 6.3 RC1 is ready for download and testing. Reaching this part of the release cycle is a key milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for final release, additional testing and use by the community can only make it better.

    • FSF

    • Programming/Development

      • Python

        • TecAdminArithmetic Operators in Python

          Python is a high-level, versatile, and powerful programming language that is popular for its readability and efficient code structure. This language uses a variety of operators, such as arithmetic, assignment, comparison, logical, and bitwise, to perform common mathematical and logical operations.

        • TecAdminComparison Operators in Python

          Comparison operators in Python are used to compare two values and determine their relationship. These operators evaluate expressions and return a Boolean value (True or False) based on the comparison result.

        • TecAdminBoolean Operators in Python

          Python, like other programming languages, employs Boolean logic, which is one of the foundations of computer science. This logic allows us to make decisions based on conditions. In Python, these are made possible by Boolean operators. This article will delve deep into the world of Python’s Boolean operators.

  • Leftovers

  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Politics and World Events

      • Crying "woke"

        I'm not going to comment on the debate; this one has been rehashed ad nauseum in every social circle that I've known.

    • Technology and Free Software

      • Is Systemd-free really for me?

        I've been running Systemd-free distros for the past few years.

        When I first got into Linux in 2016, it seemed like all the "cool" Linux people used Systemd-free distros and hated on Systemd, but now it seems like this group is not held in the same esteem as they once were. More frequently I hear people more so making fun of this mentality and seeing it as overly dogmatic. By the time I had started using Linux Systemd was already ubiquitous so I ended up learning it in the process of learning how to use Linux.

        When I first tried out Void, I remember trying to start sshd and being utterly baffled when I got the message "command not found: systemctl" since on every other distro I had used, that was the way you started things. It wasn't until then that I finally understood really what Systemd was.

        I really like Void, it's certainly a bit less polished than others like Arch, and I wish there was a more standardized package naming convention, but nevertheless I find myself switching back to it every few months whenever I leave. It uses runit, its own init system which is probably as close to bare bones as you can get. Each "service" is made up of a directory with at least a shell script to start it, with additional scripts for other functionality. To enable a "service" you sym-link it to /var/run/runit and to disable a service you delete the sym-link. If all you are doing is enabling a few daemons like ssh and tlp, this makes the process very easy.

      • A New Firefox Workflow

        It feels like the web has really changed a lot over the past decades, but innovation in web browser workflows has been stagnant by comparison. For the most part everyone is still just doing the address bar and horizontal tab list at the top of their screen, and it's only been fairly recently that some browsers like Vivaldi and even Edge have started experimenting beyond that.

        I gave Vivaldi a try yesterday and really liked it. I had it set up with a vertical tab bar on the left and a side panel with various bookmarks at the right, a setup that I think makes a lot of sense since I can sometimes end up with dozens of tabs. Hardly any websites make full use of the available screen width anyway. I almost stuck with Vivaldi, but a couple obscure bugs with keyboard shortcuts had me coming back to Firefox in the end.

      • Golf Log Commands

        A perlrun(1) optimization would be the -l switch, which removes newlines from the input, and puts them back on for the output:

        [...]

        Next, there are five forks. "sort | uniq -c | sort -n" can be replaced with tally(1), which will be a little bit faster, or 158% by one random benchmark. tally(1) got itself written because "sort | uniq -c | sort -n" came up a lot when doing log searches.

      • Maybe MacOS Isn't That Bad?

        I get the impression that whoever's designing this OS has a mild hatred for people who use multiple monitors. When full screening a window on one monitor, it completely hides the menu bar on the other for instance.


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



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