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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



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