𝕿𝖊𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘 Bulletin for Wednesday, January 06, 2021 ┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅ Generated Thu 7 Jan 02:40:58 GMT 2021 Created by Dr. Roy Schestowitz (𝚛𝚘𝚢 (at) 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚣 (dot) 𝚌𝚘𝚖) Full hyperlinks for navigation omitted but are fully available in the originals The corresponding HTML versions are at 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈 Latest in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒕𝒙𝒕 and older bulletins can be found at 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒕𝒙𝒕-𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 Full IPFS index in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒊𝒑𝒇𝒔 and as plain text in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒊𝒑𝒇𝒔/𝒕𝒙𝒕 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐒 ════════════════════════════════════╕ Previous bulletins in IPFS (past 21 days, in chronological order): QmXf3HB6Jq9wMuXp5vFfkaXztzF9P8W4KPSrjLhYhM6V2m QmXzsVS69veQV4wbmm5RatdgHTFJcrsrh9FBMtUzEBqMMN QmbJS9vucziTqe4eGSR9un6EoifwTo4y3oYap1EqCtiEZJ QmSAYUFrCv96gXitnJ8gDGZj7xGiXMyWaEsog4tkRBPshu QmT1eNxN6hLuYyaPNLfaNNzeKF64xWsLazqhpFcUYV7WVx QmSfJ73cH6MLEHhch8bgEhBGC43kVNADRJUpeQv2hcUsrE QmXGEdtH99MG2mdPMztAxsUXJWBLMXyuYaqdnx6inpuX7c QmfVbepdUPJyP7uetx4BJryV4hgoNKQfrTCxSWgQPN1Rdx Qmerspha5sBXhxrSkZzuXGw8WeXrUmG8Gn1nDfz6fRSY8K QmXjVc4NJjr6RYHKPa7EFWknSzg9ZwLN4YnErbmcqdcEKL QmbKJcqeWwdwEZRmynaB1QUsBfphEamM17YNSFjDbd967Q Qmb7Vc3ijMXKkDXwdbFmKva484B1Txefyq476N1SQzkaPz QmYqhYrKEV9gAAitfZidCc8mCztdegVqsSjGntAvWHtCKY QmWzJPniMtb3SfrYyRRc9aN9sx4BQcsVRaBipsquzkyPyP QmTc7fVWDZAd8Hhdj4NZkukktpS3GgF3bkCCEsEPzBFQ8b QmQteVnu669KJD3aGFG9pTaha5NeLdUVvog8v7rtH7aAif QmZQ6Pn5zz59X5DotEqu3wFU1Zv7NgnekWx1XnZmEtgxoJ QmSFbBNGkS4rhKR4CEWoVvxihh6PGXm91pwQceXjQRvbqH QmU9utRxait6DvuC5UtvxHGqvGucHEXPr6tugdaE6zwHa9 QmVwyNzdqyZQseHF1h9twiPx9YwhTX5Czp3HzGyUFcvpqq QmcW6oTMq2wsnGxnPC9kbvxcneQTdmrTBUDSdcb7dcDpZ5 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ ⦿ IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, January 05, 2021 | Techrights ⦿ Gossip Mill as ’News’: The Mainstream Media Covers Linus Instead of Linux | Techrights ⦿ Video: Marketing Companies in ’News’ Clothing | Techrights ⦿ InteLeaks - Part VI: A Deeper Dive Into the Technical Incompetence at Intel | Techrights ䷼ Bulletin articles (as HTML) to comment on (requires login): http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/irc-log-050121/#comments http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/linus-instead-of-linux/#comments http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/marketing-as-news/#comments http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/technical-incompetence-at-intel/#comments ䷞ Followed by Daily Links (assorted news picks curated and categorised): http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/linux-mint-20-1/#comments http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/planet-linux-australia/#comments ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 56 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/irc-log-050121/#comments ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 01.06.21⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ ✐ IRC_Proceedings:_Tuesday,_January_05,_2021⠀✐ Posted in IRC_Logs at 2:31 am by Needs Sunlight 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇H 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇HTML5_logs⦈_ #techrights_log_as_HTML5 #boycottnovell_log_as_HTML5 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇H 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇HTML5_logs⦈_ #boycottnovell-social_log_as_HTML5 #techbytes_log_as_HTML5 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇t 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇text_logs⦈_ #techrights_log_as_text #boycottnovell_log_as_text 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇t 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇text_logs⦈_ #boycottnovell-social_log_as_text #techbytes_log_as_text Enter_the_IRC_channels_now =============================================================================== § IPFS Mirrors⠀➾ CID Description Object type IRC log for  QmVeDPFojUujoKMCewuT1nvhxpAexTwXrDqosYVEaczt24 #boycottnovell 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈ (full IRC log as HTML) IRC log for #boycottnovell  QmYi5cceGpFaS6bNwjJCzvgeun45TepqHVkGpmdWvpPkwA (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈ as plain/ASCII text) IRC log for #boycottnovell-  QmVuVu55ehfSug8VXHAmq9P8Kt8cDUZzjMJcfc3Ec14j8i social 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈ (full IRC log as HTML) IRC log for #boycottnovell-  QmPP6BdRARH4unMdFSdPtPkG62ESLrkUnTFaz2rLMiBXGt social 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈ (full IRC log as plain/ASCII text) IRC log for  QmR3pYSywCuobzdhqQHoYLRGw6hFGxbnCz9NUiwUDVJTxY #techbytes 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈ (full IRC log as HTML) IRC log for #techbytes  QmXTDAQwi6r7fMJcKK3x9ZsGKXpstTajZLu4hfYUqSshG4 (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈ as plain/ASCII text) IRC log for  QmVybrAScT3jeMicNfPqFgLr7mLJDV9dEp5x9Yn16qFbfa #techrights 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈ (full IRC log as HTML) IRC log for #techrights  QmccmaaSV2gk6WFYuHiQFDA6UNKv4Jju3aA2pwHDvtUo1j (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈ as plain/ASCII text) 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇IPFS logo⦈ § Bulletin for Yesterday⠀➾ Local_copy | CID (IPFS): QmcW6oTMq2wsnGxnPC9kbvxcneQTdmrTBUDSdcb7dcDpZ5 ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 169 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/linus-instead-of-linux/#comments ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 01.06.21⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ ✐ Gossip_Mill_as_‘News’:_The_Mainstream_Media_Covers_Linus_Instead_of_Linux⠀✐ Posted in GNU/Linux, Kernel at 5:05 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz Video_download_link http://techrights.org/videos/linus-not-linux.webm Summary: Personification of the news by corporate or mainstream media may be useful for the advertising industry; but it doesn’t contribute to public understanding of what’s really important and what constitutes news THE point made here last summer [1] is being proven correct again, for earlier this week we saw at least half a dozen examples [2-7] of media obsessing over something said by Linus Torvalds while not even mentioning the actual, real news (the release of Linux 5.11-rc2). “Society won’t be able to separate the wheat from the chaff.”If this sort of click-bait drama is what nowadays qualifies as “journalism” (never mind endless puff pieces or ads disguised as ‘reports’), then we’re in deep, deep trouble. Society won’t be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. █ Links from the video above: 1. ‘Journalism’_in_2020:_Far_More_Articles_About_What_Computer_Linus Torvalds_Bought_Than_About_Linux_Releases 2. Linus_Torvalds_tears_into_Intel,_favors_AMD 3. Linux_creator_isn’t_happy_with_Intel,_here’s_why 4. Linus_Torvalds,_creator_of_Linux,_calls_out_Intel_on_the_importance_of ECC_RAM_in_the_consumer_market_space 5. Linux_founder_Linus_Torvalds_roasts_Intel_over_lack_of_ECC_memory_support 6. Linus_Torvalds_Rails_At_Intel_For_‘Killing’_the_ECC_Industry 7. New_year,_new_rant:_Linus_Torvalds_rails_at_Intel_for_‘killing’_the_ECC industry ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 221 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/marketing-as-news/#comments ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 01.06.21⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ ✐ Video:_Marketing_Companies_in_‘News’_Clothing⠀✐ Posted in Deception, FUD, Marketing, Microsoft, Security at 2:29 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz The case of ‘info’ ‘security’ http://techrights.org/videos/infosecurity.webm Video_download_link Summary: Hours ago this_article was bumped up by Google News; it’s a classic example of PR/face-saving puff pieces in ‘news’ clothing ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 251 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2021/01/06/technical-incompetence-at-intel/#comments ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 01.06.21⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ ✐ InteLeaks_–_Part_VI:_A_Deeper_Dive_Into_the_Technical_Incompetence_at_Intel⠀✐ Posted in GNU/Linux, Hardware at 12:06 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz Video_download_link http://techrights.org/videos/intel-dx.webm 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇Intel_quality⦈_ Summary: Intel is under fire from GNU/Linux folks who rightly bemoan clueless leadership that does not understand GNU or Linux; moreover, as this series will show, they’re more or less in Microsoft’s pocket THIS series will be a very long one. We keep receiving additional information from informed individuals. What we show here isn’t being shown elsewhere, so we’re in no rush to release it quickly and we’d rather do it patiently and correctly (accurate explanations). “Much of the redaction won’t be of fine details or sensitive information; rather, it’s about names as we don’t wish to admonish or embarrass the wrong people.”In previous parts (please refer back to introduction, Part_I, Part_II, Part_III, Part_IV, and Part_V because we’d rather not repeat what was already shown) we presented several frustrating details about Intel’s (mis)handling of Linux. Have a look at this, which ought to be quite a giveaway in visual form: 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇Intel_Windows⦈_ Our intention is to redact names and release all the relevant material by this series’ end (it keeps getting longer as more people speak to us). In the video it is possible that redaction will be a little less lenient; we suppose fewer people watch the videos than study the images and by conservative estimates the risk of retribution based on something in a video frame is vastly lower than in text or images. Much of the redaction won’t be of fine details or sensitive information; rather, it’s about names as we don’t wish to admonish or embarrass the wrong people. So if a name shows up, we won’t read it out loud. It might not be occluded, either. “I think the closest hint at Intel’s double agenda is the fact that they decided to launch a Lakefield processor and platform that explicitly targets Windows, as if the whole GNU/Linux revolution over the past 3 decades hasn’t happened at all,” told us a person who knows Intel from the inside. MinceR asserts that “maybe different suits at Intel have different agendas…” The Intel insider said “we discussed this a few months ago, but for me it was a sign that they don’t actually care or it was a confirmation of their renewed interest in promoting Windows…” MinceR asserts that “maybe the Redmond mafia twists their arm from time to time…” We’ll show more about that later in the series. The Intel insider said, “as far as compilers and support for FGPAs are concerned I have Quartus installed and could use it for creating circuits, but maybe there are some other components that are still Windows-only…” █ ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 333 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 ═════════════════════════════════════════════╕ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 01.06.21⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ ✐ Links_6/1/2021:_Linux_Mint_20.1_“Ulyssa”_Released,_Violent_Insurrection_in the_United_States⠀✐ Posted in News_Roundup at 4:22 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇insurrection-us⦈_ 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇GNOME bluefish⦈ § Contents⠀➾ * GNU/Linux o Distributions o Devices/Embedded * Free_Software/Open_Source * Leftovers * § GNU/Linux⠀➾ o ⚓ Dell_expands_its_Optiplex_Ultra_line_of_PC-in-a-monitor-stand computers⠀⇛ Both the OptiPlex 7090 Ultra and OptiPlex 3090 Ultra are available with up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 memory, M. 2230 PCIe NVMe SSD and/or 2.5 inch hard drives, and support for Windows 10 or Ubuntu Linux. o ⚓ New_Dell_Optiplex_7090_Ultra_PC_hidden_in_monitor_stand⠀⇛ Both the Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra and OptiPlex 3090 Ultra are available with up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 memory and feature M. 2230 PCIe NVMe SSD and/or 2.5 inch hard drives, as well as offering support for either Windows 10 or Ubuntu Linux operating systems depending on your preference. o ⚓ From_Unix_to_Linux:_Key_Trends_in_the_Evolution_of_Operating Systems_(Part_3)⠀⇛ The previous article in this series examining the roots of Linux and Unix was something of an apotheosis to the BSD operating system. BSD remains significant in computer history, and important installations of BSD can still be found. Marshall Kirk McKusick, when commenting on the article, said that today, FreeBSD can be found in the Sony Playstation, Netflix servers, Juniper routers, and elsewhere. Indeed, BSD is important enough for the Linux Professional Institute to offer certification as a BSD Specialist. But somehow BSD got passed by in the 1980s as Unix became the most important operating system in the world. The attention went to other variants, even though some—such as SunOS, the flagship software of Sun Microsystems—were based on BSD. [...] Bauer also attributes the burgeoning of GNU/Linux to two distinguishing traits: the strength of its distributions and the license under which it was developed. Regarding distributions, he says: “From very early on users could choose between militantly free distributions like Slackware and Debian, commercial distributions with structured training and support programs like Red Hat and SuSE, and all points between. But this diversity hasn’t (yet) led to any disruptive schisms in Linux kernel development. Early in Linux’s evolution, this combination of commercial support contracts and kernel-development stability helped make Linux a viable choice for hosting network services for large corporations.” Bauer’s other point concerns the GNU General Public License (GPL), which requires anyone distributing the software to donate back any changes they make. BSD’s license falls into the permissive camp, which allows users to build on the software without opening up their changes. Although it makes sense that the more restrictive license would increase contributions, I am not persuaded that it makes a big difference. Companies that use free software have many incentives to get their changes back into the “core” regardless of legal constraints. Several reviewers of this article report that the GPL’s legal pressure increases the efforts made by companies to contribute back their code. McKusick claims, however, that FreeBSD has more committers than Linux, making the process for accepting commits easier to navigate. [...] In this article, we saw the failure of two important attempts to unify and drive forward Unix. BSD and the OSF both withered even as Unix became critical to computing. Perhaps part of their problem was that both BSD and the OSF depended on fairly traditional development processes. Version control was primitive (CVS came into use only during the late 1980s) and testing was seen as a task for a separate QA team. The management of people and personalities was even less understood. Under such conditions, an orderly and convivial development model for Unix seemed impossible. But the Internet was growing and with it new opportunities for collaborative production. The final article in this series starts with that elusive promise. Programmers were exploring new models for distributed development in the early 1990s, including a 19-year-old computer science student named Linus Torvalds. o § Kernel Space⠀➾ # ⚓ Google_Continues_Work_On_Linux_“Restricted_DMA”_For Situations_Like_Remote_WiFi_Attacks_–_Phoronix⠀⇛ Google engineers continue working on the Linux kernel around “Restricted DMA” for helping to protect systems that lack DMA access control for hardware without an IOMMU. Protected DMA aims to help prevent data leakage or corruption stemming from DMA access to system memory unexpectedly for systems without an IOMMU. One of the lead motivators for this work is due to PCI Express giving full system memory access and there already being proven vulnerabilities like WiFi firmware exploits that could escalate to a full system exploit even remotely via WiFi. Google’s Project Zero illustrated such WiFi attacks in 2017. # ⚓ Bootlin_welcomes_Thomas_Perrot_in_its_team_–_Bootlin’s blog⠀⇛ Since December 1st, 2020, we’re happy to have in our team an additional engineer, Thomas Perrot, who joined our office in Toulouse, France. # ⚓ Various_helpful_feedback⠀⇛ I will still attempt to get the 5.10.x kernel to be “AMD friendly”, for those who want to run EasyOS on modern AMD hardware. # § Graphics Stack⠀➾ # ⚓ Raspberry_Pi_“VC4″_DRM_Driver_Sees_10/12_BPC_Color Depth_With_Linux_5.12_–_Phoronix⠀⇛ With Linux 5.12 the Broadcom BCM2711 SoC used by the Raspberry Pi 4 will see 10 and 12-bit color support with the VC4 Direct Rendering Manager driver. Currently the open-source VC4 DRM driver that is used by the Raspberry Pi 4 and newer has just been exposing 8-bit color support while 10/12-bit support is pending for Linux 5.12 for those with capable displays. # ⚓ HDMI_Forum_Closing_Public_Specification_Access_Is Hurting_Open-Source_GPU_Drivers⠀⇛ It’s been recently elaborated why the likes of FreeSync support over HDMI aren’t coming to the open-source drivers, at least not yet… It stems from the decision by the HDMI Forum to prevent public access to the HDMI specification, which in turn is hurting open- source graphics drivers. With the HDMI specification no longer being public but only to “HDMI Adopters” is complicating the open-source GPU driver support. Even for those that are part of the HDMI Forum like AMD in turn cannot provide an open-source implementation of features covered by the closed spec for in turn potentially and indirectly opening up aspects of it to the public. o § Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ theBeat_–_audio_player⠀⇛ Linux offers a huge array of open source music players. And many of them are high quality. I’ve reviewed the vast majority for LinuxLinks, but I’m endeavoring to explore every free music player in case there’s an undiscovered gem. theBeat is an audio player that’s based on Phonon, the multimedia API provided by KDE and is the standard abstraction for handling multimedia streams within KDE software. theBeat is free and open source software built using Qt. # ⚓ gdu_Is_A_Fast_Console_Disk_Usage_Analyzer_(Alternative_To ncdu,_du,_Etc.)⠀⇛ du is a new console disk usage analyzer developed with speed in mind. It’s written in Go, and available for Linux, macOS and Microsoft Windows. gdu (Go Disk Usage) is very similar to ncdu, a popular console disk usage analyzer, with one major difference: speed. gdu makes use of parallel processing, being especially created for solid state drives (SSD). It also works with hard disk drives (HDD), but its performance gain compared to other tools is not so great in this case. o § Instructionals/Technical⠀➾ # ⚓ Using_the_Find_Command_in_Linux⠀⇛ There’s a very powerful Linux command that can save you lots of headaches when used in the right places. It’s called find. It walks through the file tree, starting from the provided path. Next, it prints each directory and file, including its path relative to the current working directory. Let’s explore the find command in Linux together! # ⚓ NixOS_Development_Environments⠀⇛ When developing and running software, and many times, you need a very particular set of libraries in your environment. You achieve this with virtual environments, containers, and other tricks. However, you do not necessarily need all that. One common case is when you program in Python, you must choose between the two big versions. This has caused many headaches for users and developers alike. You can avoid all this if your libraries are designated, especially for one run. This may sound impossible or unnecessary, but it is very convenient for rare use cases and development. [...] Using NixOS requires a bit more effort than other distributions. Having said that, if you want to develop software, the effort is worth it. You will keep your main system cleaner and can hop between projects without creating troublesome conflicts between environments. # ⚓ Getting_started_with_GIT_on_Linux⠀⇛ Git is a distributed version control system. It is used for tracking changes in any files. It was designed for coordinating work among programmers operating on source code during the software development process. In this article, I will show you the commands to perform basic operations on a Git repository. We will use the Ubuntu server as an OS. The same commands can work on any of the operating systems and just the installation part will be different. # ⚓ How_to_Check_A_Software_Package_Details_in_Ubuntu_Linux_| UbuntuHandbook⠀⇛ Looking for detailed information about a software package, e.g., maintainer, dependencies, sources, installed size, etc? There are a few tools to tell the information of software packages in classic .deb format in Ubuntu Linux. And here I’m going to show you one by one. # ⚓ How_to_Configure_FTP_with_TLS_in_Ubuntu_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is primarily used to transfer files between computers. FTP works in client-server architecture, in which the client asks for a file from the server and the server returns the required file to the client. On the client machine, the FTP client application is used to communicate with the server. It is also possible to access the FTP server on the browser. By default, FTP communicates over an insecure channel, but it is possible to configure FTP to transfer data over a secure channel. In this tutorial, you will learn how to configure an FTP server with TLS and then use FileZilla as a client application to connect with the FTP Server. # ⚓ How_to_Configure_SPICE_Server_in_Debian_10⠀⇛ The Simple Protocol for Independent Computing Environments or SPICE is a protocol used to access and control remote desktops of virtual machines. It is based on client-server model, where a server (SPICE server) is installed on the host machine and runs a guest VM to be accessed over the Internet. The guest VM is remotely controlled by an client system running a Spice client. QEMU, a open source machine emulator and virtualizer, uses SPICE server to provide remote desktop capabilities. QEMU executes the guest code directly on the host CPU. This improves performance QEMU itself uses KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), a linux kernel module, to perform hardware virtualization. # ⚓ How_to_Install_Vagrant_Virtual_Machine_Manager_on_Ubuntu 20.04_LTS⠀⇛ Vagrant is a command-line tool used by developers to manage different virtual machines. To use Vagrant in their system, users need to have either VirtualBox, or Hyper-V, or Docker installed in their systems. The plugin system of Vagrant also provides VMware support. Vagrant is used by developers on large scale to set-up their development environment and make use of it all across the various operating systems. Vagrant can be installed on various Linux platforms, here we will use Ubuntu as the basis. In this tutorial, we will walk users through the installation of Vagrant on an Ubuntu 20.04 system. We will be using VirtualBox as the virtualization backend. # ⚓ How_to_Ping_Ports_on_a_Remote_Host_–_buildVirtual⠀⇛ This article is all about the different methods you can use to ping ports to help in troubleshooting network connectivity issues. The ping command is available across just about every device you can log in to, making it the go to tool to use to verify network connectivity to a remote host. # ⚓ How_to_Upload_a_File_using_PHP_&_Ajax_–_Anto_Online⠀⇛ This post will show you how to upload a file using PHP & Ajax. File handling can sometimes require quite unique solutions. The conventional way of file upload is using a
tag. This solution works for many cases. But you might need to add some innovation when you need to upload without the form tag to avoid submitting the form. Practically speaking There are some points where submitting a form might not be useful. For example, you can be working on a products page. And, you want to give the user the option to upload and delete the product images. In this case, you do not want the form to submit. At the same time, you would want to update the images. # ⚓ GIMP:_How_to_Resize_Image?⠀⇛ While GIMP offers a ton of value and power, oftentimes, people find it difficult to operate. It’s understandable as GIMP isn’t the simplest image editor out there. While having tons of features is a boon, it also complicates things for novice users. However, once learned, GIMP is quite powerful. In image editing, readjusting the dimensions of an image is a common task. For the most part, image resizing is necessary if it’s too large to fit the target job. For example, an image with 1920x1080px resolution needs to be scaled down for the thumbnail. GIMP offers simple methods to resize an image to the desired dimension. # ⚓ How_to_Use_AWK_on_Linux_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ The utilities Linux offer often follow the UNIX philosophy of design. Any tool should be small, use plain text for I/O, and operate in a modular manner. Thanks to the legacy, we have some of the finest text processing functionalities with the help of tools like sed and awk. In Linux, the awk tool comes pre-installed on all Linux distros. AWK itself is a programming language. The AWK tool is just an interpreter of the AWK programming language. In this guide, check out how to use AWK on Linux. # ⚓ How_to_Use_Termux_to_Run_Command_Line_Linux_Apps_in_Android –_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ This article covers a guide on the “Termux” Android app that allows you to run command-line programs and scripts on Android devices. Termux is an open-source terminal emulator application that works on Android devices. It also works as a sort of mini Linux OS, packed with many tools and utilities you commonly see in desktop Linux distributions. You can use Termux to install and run numerous command-line apps through its own package manager. No root access is required to install and run Termux on Android. You can even use a lightweight desktop environment GUIs without hardware acceleration through Termux (via VNC), but they may be slow and not exactly usable on small screen touch devices. Termux is extremely popular among developers and other users who want to access CLI Linux apps on Android. It is the closest thing you get to a Linux OS on Android, and it is a pleasure to use with its touch-optimized interface suitable for small screen devices. Termux features additional keyboard actions making it easy to input symbols, and also features auto-completion through the action key located in the top row of the on-screen keyboard. # ⚓ How_to_enable_HTTPS_and_SSL_termination_in_a_Quarkus_app_– Red_Hat_Developer⠀⇛ When it comes to the container world, it is common to have an application deployed to a cluster that needs to be secured. In this article, I will show you how to enable HTTPS and SSL termination for a Quarkus application that is running in Red Hat OpenShift. # ⚓ How_to_install_deepin_20.1_–_YouTube⠀⇛ In this video, I am going to show how to install deepin 20.1. # ⚓ Neomutt_Beginner_Tutorial_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ “All email clients suck, this one just sucks less!” Quote from the lead developer. Checking email requires a web-based front-end or a separate mail client. These require graphical environments, with few exceptions. Neomutt is one such exception. With Neomutt, you can check your emails on the command line in a separate application. You may be limited when it comes to web-based emails, but there are workarounds also for that inconvenience. # ⚓ Linux_“getopts”_Example_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ “getopts” is a very useful command in Linux that is mostly incorporated within bash scripts to take flags and arguments as inputs from the user. To further elaborate on the usage of this command in Linux Mint 20, we will be sharing with you two different examples of its usage in this article. # ⚓ Visualize_Apache_Logs_with_ELK_Stack_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ Monitoring and analyzing logs for various infrastructures in real-time can be a very tedious job. When dealing with services like web servers that constantly log data, the process can very be complex and nearly impossible. As such, knowing how to use tools to monitor, visualize, and analyze logs in real-time can help you trace and troubleshoot problems and monitor suspicious system activities. This tutorial will discuss how you can use one of the best real-time log collections and analyzing tools- ELK. Using ELK, commonly known as Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana, you can collect, log, and analyze data from an apache web server in real-time. # ⚓ What_is_Cat_EOF_in_Bash_Script?_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ The EOF operator is used in many programming languages. This operator stands for the end of the file. This means that wherever a compiler or an interpreter encounters this operator, it will receive an indication that the file it was reading has ended. Similarly, in bash, the EOF operator is used to specify the end of the file. When this operator is paired with the “cat” command in bash, it can be used to serve various other purposes. It is generally used either to print the text of a file in the terminal or to copy the contents of a file to another specified location. The “cat” command, followed by the file name, allows you to view the contents of any file in the Linux terminal. However, instead of performing this step to view the contents of a file, we can simply incorporate this step into our bash script to serve the same purpose. This article shows you the usage of the Cat EOF operator in a bash script in Linux Mint 20 with examples. # ⚓ OpenLDAP_beginner_guide_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ OpenLDAP is a free and open-source implementation of LDAP(Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). Many organizations use the LDAP protocol for centralized authentication and directory access services over a network. OpenLDAP is developed by the OpenLDAP Project and organized by the OpenLDAP Foundation. # ⚓ Linux_vmstat_Command_Tutorial_for_Beginners_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ As a system administrator, or even as a normal computer user, you may want to keep a keen eye on all the activities and operations taking place in your computer system. Obviously, you cannot break your hardware to see what is happening; rather, you will need a software utility to do so. The vmstat command in Linux is used for this exact purpose. Vstat is an acronym that stands for Virtual Memory Statistics Reporter and performs this very operation on your system. This article provides a beginner’s guide on the vmstat command in Linux Mint 20. # ⚓ Linux_lsblk_Command_Tutorial_For_Beginners⠀⇛ Wikipedia defines a device file or special file as an interface to a device driver that appears in a file system as if it were an ordinary file. Block devices include Hard disks, Flash drives, Optical media, etc. This tutorial discusses how to use the lsblk command to display information about block devices in a system. The tool utilizes the /sys virtual filesystem to fetch information about the devices. However, it’s worth noting that the tool does not display the RAM disk in the output. # ⚓ Linux_Kernel_Makefile_Explained_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ In software development, the process of creating and managing large code repositories can become very complex easily. To manage and reduce this complexity, software developers organize code in small files that link to specific modules. Developers can compile each of these files separately and then link them together to create a final software executable. An example of this is C projects made up of source code files in .c extensions and software interfaces in .h extensions. Each source file gets compiled together with the header files to create. o objects linked together using libraries, thereby creating executable files. To perform this process, software developers use tools, such as Make, to automate the build process and required file dependencies. Make uses Makefiles to manage the behavior of the compilation process. # ⚓ Linux_Chmod_Command_Tutorial_for_Beginners_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ Most of the fresh users to Linux are searching for a way via the command prompt to modify the file/ directory permissions. Those users would be pleased to know that there is a command – dubbed or chmod, e.g. change mode – that help you do this quickly. Chmod modifies each document’s rights by mode, in which the mode specifies the privileges to be updated. You may designate a mode with octal numerical or letters. # ⚓ A_Simple_Guide_to_Create,_Open,_and_Edit_bash_profile⠀⇛ The .bash_profile is used for customizing the user configuration settings. This file is located in the home directory and is mostly hidden. The .bash_profile files are considered as configuration scripts. They can include variable specifications, export variables, and login commands such as mail or news search. # ⚓ How_to_Install_PHP_on_Ubuntu_20.04_/_18.04⠀⇛ PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor. It is one of the oldest server-side programming languages used to create Dynamic and Responsive Web-App. The most popular CMS and frameworks like WordPress, Magento, Joomla Drupal, and Laravel are written in PHP Language. In this guide will cover How to Install PHP on Ubuntu 20.04 or 18.04 with the Apache and Nginx web-server. # ⚓ How_to_Install_Deepin_Desktop_in_Arch_Linux_[Complete Guide]⠀⇛ In this guide we explain the steps required to install beautiful Deepin Desktop in Arch Linux. o § Games⠀➾ # ⚓ Good_News_for_Linux_Gamers!_An_Unofficial_Epic_Games_Store Launcher_for_Linux_is_in_Works⠀⇛ Linux gaming is getting more interesting as the open-source community is providing better support and tools for gamers. Now, yet another game launcher — Heroic Games Launcher is here to specifically act as a native alternative to Epic Games Store. # ⚓ Check_out_some_fresh_footage_of_The_Iron_Oath,_an_upcoming turn-based_tactical_RPG_|_GamingOnLinux⠀⇛ More turn-based tactical RPG goodness is coming to Linux (whenever it’s finished) with The Iron Oath, and Curious Panda Games have released some more up to date footage. “The Iron Oath is a turn-based tactical RPG within a medieval fantasy setting. Lead, recruit and manage a band of mercenaries who will age, retire and die. Fulfill contracts over decades and centuries, and build your company’s renown while navigating an ever-changing world.” Originally funded on Kickstarter where the team managed to raise around $94,524 back in 2017, so it has been in development for a little while now. In March of 2020, they also announced that Humble Games picked them up as the publisher but they have 100% control still. # ⚓ Loop_Hero_is_a_unique_looking_adventure_deck-builder_mix with_an_endless_cycle_of_despair⠀⇛ Loop Hero is a probably the most unique deck- building mix I’ve seen yet. Coming from Four Quarters and Devolver Digital later in 2021. Four Quarters originally created Loop Hero under the name of LooPatHerO during a Ludum Dare game jam, and it must have been promising enough since it’s coming to a full expanded release. The good news is they will be doing a Linux build, as confirmed on Steam by the developer. “The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into never ending chaos. Wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero. Recover and equip powerful loot for each class of hero for their battles and expand the survivors’ camp to reinforce each adventure through the loop. Unlock new classes, new cards, and devious guardians on your quest to shatter the endless cycle of despair.” # ⚓ NERTS!_Online_is_a_new_free_to_play_online_card_game_from Zachtronics_out_now_|_GamingOnLinux⠀⇛ Zachtronics are well known for their excellent puzzle games which often sneak in some form of solitaire, this time around though they’ve put out a full solitaire style game you play online with friends in NERTS! Online. “Unlike the rest of our solitaire games, we did not invent Nerts. We learned about it from our artist Kyle, who has played it for years, and started playing it after lunch in the Zachtronics office. Over time we added more to it, including house rules, longer tournaments, and even a theme song.” # ⚓ Them’s_Fightin’_Herds_for_Linux_now_planned_for_the_2.0 update_and_the_port_is_‘done’⠀⇛ We’ve been waiting a while now on the upcoming official Linux support for Them’s Fightin’ Herds and it’s coming closer but we’re seeing a delay. “Them’s Fightin’ Herds is an indie fighting game featuring a cast of adorable animals designed by acclaimed cartoon producer Lauren Faust. Beneath the cute and cuddly surface, a serious fighter awaits!” Originally funded during an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign back in 2015, it had Linux and macOS support down as stretch goals where the developer wanted extra funds to complete the ports. The team managed to raise far more than they set as their goals and it later released for Windows in May of 2020. Linux support was going to be launching with the 1.5 update, which is now going to be the 2.0 update for Linux. # ⚓ Here’s_a_few_of_the_Linux_games_we’re_excited_to_see through_2021⠀⇛ Looking forward to 2021 for gaming on Linux? We are and there’s plenty of sweet indie games coming to get interested in and follow along. Now and then we like to stop, slow down a moment and just take it all in as so many announcements get lost in a vast ocean of news. Here’s just a small slice of games and expansions confirmed for Linux desktop support through 2021, hand-picked for those that look like they could be worth keeping an eye on. Some have likely been mentioned across other articles but this is a fresh gathering for you. Some will be entering Early Access, some leaving to hit the big 1.0. Not everything has an up to date trailer but we’re including one where we can. o § Desktop Environments/WMs⠀➾ # § K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt⠀➾ # ⚓ Open-source_contributors_say_they’ll_pull_out_of_Qt as_LTS_release_goes_commercial-only⠀⇛ The Qt Company has followed up on its plan to make long-term support releases commercial- only by closing the source for 5.15 today, earning protests from open-source contributors who say that the 6.0 release, which remains open, is not yet usable. Qt is a cross-platform application framework available both under open-source and commercial licences. It was around one year ago that the Qt Company stated its plan to make LTS releases commercial-only, along with some other changes designed to encourage open-source users either to contribute to the project or buy a commercial licence. On 8 December CTO and chief maintainer Lars Knoll noted the arrival of Qt 6.0, “the first release of a major new version.” Qt 6.0 has a new graphics architecture which takes advantage of the native 3D graphics API of each platform on which it runs, as well as the next generation of QML (Qt Modeling Language) for defining a user interface. However, Knoll acknowledged that 6.0 still has limitations. o § Distributions⠀➾ # ⚓ The_Linux_distribution_I_was_most_thankful_for_in_2020_– EndeavourOS⠀⇛ How do you know when someone uses Arch Linux? They will tell you. Welcome to an article telling you about how I use Arch Linux, well sort of anyway. It’s a running joke in the Linux community and now one I am very much a part of. Over the many years I’ve used Linux since discovering it properly about 17 years ago, I’ve seen many distributions rise and fall. With that in mind, I’ve obviously used quite a lot of different distributions. Like many people, early on in my Linux life I was a “distro hopper”, someone who can’t sit still and has to keep trying everything out. Moving between the likes of Mandrake (before it was Mandriva), Fedora Core (the original Fedora name), openSUSE and eventually feeling quite at home when discovering Ubuntu. # § IBM/Red Hat/Fedora⠀➾ # ⚓ Outreachy_–_December_2020_round_:_Meet_the_interns!_– Fedora_Community_Blog⠀⇛ The results of Outreachy are out and our interns have been working on their tasks for a few weeks now! Outreachy is a paid, remote internship program that helps traditionally underrepresented people in tech make their first contributions to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) communities. Fedora is participating in this round of Outreachy as a mentoring organization. We have three interns for this round which started on mid December, 2020 and goes until March, 2021. We asked our Outreachy interns to tell us some things about themselves! # ⚓ Fedora_34_Looks_To_Sign_Individual_Files_Within RPMs⠀⇛ Yet another big change being eyed for Fedora 34 is to sign individual files within shipped RPM packages. The signatures will use the Linux Integrity Measurement Architecture (IMA) and in turn can be used to enforce run- time policies around only allowing the execution of trusted files. The proposal laid out this week is to sign all files within Fedora RPMs with IMA signatures. The signatures will be made using a key held by the Fedora Infrastructure team. # ⚓ Automate_your_SAP_HANA_Scale-Up_System_Replication Deployment_with_High_Availability⠀⇛ # ⚓ Career_and_certification_guides_to_advance_sysadmin careers_|_Enable_Sysadmin⠀⇛ What are you going to do to continue to advance your career or enhance the practice of this shared sysadmin craft? These six guides can help improve your career. # ⚓ SELinux_troubleshooting_and_pitfalls_|_Enable Sysadmin⠀⇛ SELinux can be challenging to troubleshoot, but by understanding the components of the service, you can handle whatever challenges it throws your way. # ⚓ The_Level_Up_Hour_(S1E20):_Kubernetes_and_Docker Deprecation⠀⇛ # § Canonical/Ubuntu Family⠀➾ # ⚓ Linux_Mint_20.1_Ulyssa_Available_for_Download._This is_What’s_New⠀⇛ Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa release .ISOs are ready to download from the mirrors as they are still getting updates. The official announcement to follow shortly. Take a look at what’s new in Linux Mint 20.1 and how to download/upgrade. # ⚓ Linux_Mint_20.1_“Ulyssa”_Is_Now_Available_for Download,_This_Is_What’s_New⠀⇛ Linux Mint 20.1 is based on the Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS point release in the Focal Fossa series and comes with the long-term supported Linux 5.4 kernel series. It comes as an update to the Linux Mint 20 “Ulyana” release, which is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and supported until 2025. As expected, Linux Mint 20.1 includes various refinements, updated packages, as well as some new features to make your Linux Mint experience more enjoyable. But if you’re already using Linux Mint 20 and you have all the updates installed on your system, there’s no need to download the new ISO images. # ⚓ OpenStack_for_telcos_by_Canonical⠀⇛ OpenStack has been around for a good while now, and many of us associate it with the period of IT technology’s initial transition from individual appliance implementation on hardware, to cloud compute and virtualisation. And yet in 2020 we cannot skip this topic when talking telco infrastructure. So how is OpenStack still pertinent to telco organisations, and what in broad terms is new and exciting or worth discussing today about OpenStack? Simply put, OpenStack remains at the heart of the telco infrastructure, as it is still the primary building block across an entire stack, consisting – for example – of MAAS for bare metal provisioning, Kubernetes for container orchestration, and Juju for operators. When thinking about an infrastructure like this, there’s still a need today for a software that’s managing distributed compute network and storage resources, exposing them as a single pool that’s available for the end users. And we see OpenStack constantly gaining momentum in that space. o § Devices/Embedded⠀➾ # ⚓ Sipeed_MAIX-II_Dock_is_an_Allwinner_V831_powered_AIoT vision_devkit⠀⇛ Sipeed introduced MAIX development boards powered by Kendryte K210 dual-core RISCV processor with AI accelerators in 2018, and we tested the Maixduino and Grove AI HAT based on the solution using Arduino and Micropython the following year. It works fine for audio and video project requiring AI acceleration at low power, but performance (resolution/fps) is limited. So if you’d like a bit more oomph for your audio & vision AI projects, as well as proper Linux support, Sipeed has just launched MAIX-II Dock powered by Allwinner V831 Cortex-A7 AI camera SoC clocked at up to 800-1000 GHz and 64MB on-chip DDR2 RAM, as well as a Full HD camera and a small display. # § Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ The_OnePlus_Nord,_7,_and_7T_will_get_their_Android_11 betas_soon⠀⇛ # ⚓ Video:_Android_11_is_a_buggy_mess._Why_this_affects us⠀⇛ # ⚓ Asus_Zenfone_6_starts_getting_Android_11_update globally⠀⇛ # ⚓ Samsung_rolls_out_stable_One_UI_3.0_update_with Android_11_to_the_Galaxy_S10_series⠀⇛ # ⚓ 5_Ways_to_Transfer_Files_Between_Android_and_Mac⠀⇛ # ⚓ The_13_Best_Metroidvania_Games_on_Android⠀⇛ # ⚓ What_should_you_do_with_an_old_Android_smartphone? And_how_old_is_too_old?⠀⇛ o § Free, Libre, and Open Source Software⠀➾ # ⚓ 2020_in_Free_Software⠀⇛ Among other noteworthy trends in 2020, producing free and secure video conferencing software has become a higher priority in the past year. Looking back at 2020, it’s impossible not to talk about the pandemic or the economy. However, free software businesses and communities suffered less than many organizations this year, for the simple reason that many of the precautions that others scrambled to put in place have been standard practice in free software for decades. For example, when everyone was advised to work from home, many Ubuntu employees were doing so already. Aside from a surge of interest in video conferencing, the pandemic has been largely business as usual in free software. For that reason, a thorough summary of trends and events in free software during 2020 is impossible. As usual, too much was happening. However, here is my pick of the key events of 2020 at every level from the corporate to the home desktop. [...] Free software seems to have held its own in 2020 – which is more than many organizations can say. Noticeably, the list of top ten page hits on Distrowatch remained almost unchanged, which suggests this last year was not a time for innovation. A possibly more ominous note was struck in December by Hans Petter Jansson in his blog, “The Graying of GNOME,” in which he tracks the origins of commits to GNOME over the years. Jansson concludes that GNOME “has hundreds of experienced and first-time contributors every year. It is well-organized and arguably well-funded compared to its peers.” However, he also concludes that the project’s commits peaked around 2010. Currently, fewer and fewer veterans do most of the work, and are not being replaced by newcomers. He adds that, while corporate sponsorship is probably required, the number of sponsors is thinning. Of course, in a year like 2020, just survival is an accomplishment. # § Web Browsers⠀➾ # § Mozilla⠀➾ # ⚓ Secure:_Enable_DNS_Over_HTTPS_On_Firefox⠀⇛ You might have been familiar with being blocked to visit Wikipedia or Reddit or such sites in your country. That means your network, DNS path in particular, is not secure. If you can make it secure, you can visit that sites just like other sites normally. You can do that with the previous DNSCrypt Guide or fortunately these days it is even more simpler, enable Dns Over Https (DoH) on your web browser. This simple guide is applicable to Ubuntu, Mint, Trisquel (Abrowser), PureOS (PureBrowser), and any other GNU/Linux systems. Now let’s go secure! # § Programming/Development⠀➾ # ⚓ Use_of_number_format()_Function_in_PHP_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ The number_format() function is used to format the number of data. It is a built-in function of PHP that is also used to format a number with grouped thousands. It returns a string value based on the parameters used in this function. The purposes of using different parameters of this function and how this function can be used to format the number have been shown in this tutorial. # ⚓ Use_of_mail()_Function_in_PHP_on_Ubuntu_–_Linux Hint⠀⇛ The mail() function is a built-in PHP function that is used to send email from the localhost. But some configurations are required to send email using this function. You will need the real mail server information for setting up the configuration. You can use the mail server information of your active hosting server, or you can use any free mail server information. A Gmail account and the SMTP server information of Gmail are used in this tutorial to send email using the mail() function. # ⚓ Use_of_preg_match()_Function_in_PHP_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ The regular expression is a particular pattern that can be used to match, search, and replace any particular string in text data. It is a powerful feature of any programming language. It is mainly used to perform different types of form validations, such as validating email, checking the phone format, validating the username and password fields of the login form, etc. Any particular content of the text can be search and replaced using a regular expression pattern. It is also called regex or RegExp. Different types of symbols are used to define the regex pattern. Many built-in functions exist in PHP for the regular expression. preg_match() function is one of them. This function is used for matching a particular pattern in string data. How the preg_match() function can be used in PHP for performing various tasks is explained in this tutorial. # ⚓ Use_of_join()_Function_in_PHP_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ join() function works similarly as the other built-in function of PHP named implode(). It is used to create a string value by combining the values of the array. This function uses a particular delimiter to combine the array values. The empty string(”) is used as the default delimiter of this function if no delimiter is used. How the join() function can be used in PHP is shown in this tutorial. # ⚓ Use_of_implode()_Function_in_PHP_–_Linux_Hint⠀⇛ implode() is a built-in function of PHP that generates a string value by combining the elements of an array with a delimiter. It works like another built-in function of PHP, join(). This function is used for various purposes in the script. For example, when we need to pass the string data with space from one script to another, then the string data can be converted into an array using another built-in function, explode(), before passing the data into another script. The original string data can be retrieved from the array in the second script using the implode() function. How this function can be used in a PHP script is shown in this tutorial. # ⚓ Object_Lifetime_and_Storage_Duration_in_C++⠀⇛ While creating an object, its location in memory has to be established, before it is initialized. Initialization means putting value into the location. The lifetime of an object starts just after initialization. When an object dies, its location (storage), which the object occupied is released and then the computer is shut down or the storage is taken up (used) by another object. Releasing a storage means, making the identifier or pointer that occupied the storage, invalid. The lifetime of an object ends, when its storage is released. Some time is needed to create an object. Some time is needed to kill an object. When talking about an object, two things are involved: the location which is the storage, and the value. The meaning of lifetime and storage duration are similar; but the duration is seen more from the point of view of the location than from the point of view of the value. The storage duration is the time from when a location is associated to an object to the time when the location is dissociated from the object. The rest of this article illustrates the object lifetime, and briefly explains the different storage durations. You should have basic knowledge in C++ in order to understand this article. You should also have knowledge in C++ scope. # ⚓ MySQL_Workbench_Tutorial_for_Ubuntu⠀⇛ MySQL Workbench is a cross-platform GUI client for MySQL database users and administrators. Workbench makes the task easier for database admins by providing important tools to manage databases and users, creating databases, running SQL queries, setting up and configuring servers, and many more. It is a powerful tool that enables us to visualize modules for creating, executing, and optimizing several queries. So, in this article, I am going to give a tour of MySQL Workbench and show you how to use it. # ⚓ Guido_van_Rossum:_Python_creator_whose_work simplified_coding⠀⇛ This computer programming pioneer created the Python programming language, contributed a glob() routine to BSD Unix and aided in developing the ABC programming language. * § Leftovers⠀➾ o § Science⠀➾ # ⚓ ViaSat_Asks_FCC_To_Investigate_Space_X_For_Space Pollution⠀⇛ So we’ve already noted how Space X’s Starlink low- orbit satellite broadband service isn’t going to revolutionize the broadband industry. The service lacks the capacity to service dense urban or suburban areas, meaning it won’t pose much of a threat to traditional cable and fiber providers. With a $100 monthly price tag and $500 hardware fee, it’s not exactly a miracle cure for the millions of low-income Americans struggling to afford a broadband connection, either. o § Health/Nutrition⠀➾ # ⚓ Putin_and_Merkel_discuss_joint_production_of_coronavirus vaccine⠀⇛ On Tuesday, January 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin reported on its website. # ⚓ “Last_Responders”_Are_Bracing_for_a_Surge_in_COVID_Deaths Across_US⠀⇛ # ⚓ New_Study_Reveals_Flawed_Predictions_of_Runaway_Costs_and Usage_Under_Medicare_for_All⠀⇛ “Analysts who’ve confidently projected a tsunami of healthcare use and costs after Medicare for All are ignoring history.” # ⚓ FOSS_Patents:_Compared_to_the_EU’s_COVID_VaxGate,_Watergate was_merely_a_transgression:_two_questions_of_life_or_death the_EU_can’t_answer_satisfactorily⠀⇛ I already mentioned in my first post this year about the EU’s miserable failure to buy COVID-19 vaccines (as compared to the U.S., Canada, the UK, Israel, and Bahrain), primarily because the French government didn’t want the EU to buy too many doses from non-French companies. That scandal now has a far higher profile, with two of the three parties in Merkel’s governing coalition already having voiced criticism in public. Many politicians and reporters in other EU member states haven’t understood the significance of this yet. Even France itself will suffer far more from the consequences of Macron’s worst initiative than it ever stood to gain. Merkel and Macron are the Axis of Evil. Many thousands of Europeans will die because of their failure. That’s why this is so much worse than Watergate. The EU’s VaxGate amounts to political mass murder. o § Integrity/Availability⠀➾ # § Proprietary⠀➾ # § Security⠀➾ # ⚓ Security_updates_for_Wednesday⠀⇛ Security updates have been issued by Debian (cairo, dovecot, and minidlna), Oracle (ImageMagick), Scientific Linux (ImageMagick), SUSE (clamav, dovecot23, java-1_8_0-ibm, and tomcat), and Ubuntu (linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.4, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.4, linux- gcp, linux-gcp-5.4, linux-gke-5.4, linux-hwe-5.4, linux-kvm, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-5.4, linux-raspi, linux- raspi-5.4, linux, linux-aws, linux-aws- hwe, linux-azure, linux-azure-4.15, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-4.15, linux-gke- 4.15, linux-hwe, linux-kvm, linux- oracle, linux-raspi2, linux-snapdragon, linux, linux-aws, linux-azure, linux- gcp, linux-kvm, linux-oracle, linux- raspi, linux, linux-aws, linux-kvm, linux-lts-xenial, linux-raspi2, linux- snapdragon, p11-kit, and wavpack). # ⚓ Microsoft:_SolarWinds_Attackers_Viewed_Our Source_Code [Ed: More_like_Microsoft_PR_than news]⠀⇛ Microsoft has revealed that the nation state group behind a recent global cyber-espionage campaign managed to view some of the firm’s source code. # ⚓ Fix_for_key_could_not_be_looked_up_remotely⠀⇛ The HKP protocol uses 11371/tcp for communication. In order to get the signed keys from the servers (using pacman-key), this port is required for communication. # ⚓ RCE_‘Bug’_Found_and_Disputed_in_Popular_PHP Scripting_Framework_|_Threatpost⠀⇛ Impacted are PHP-based websites running a vulnerable version of the web-app creation tool Zend Framework and some Laminas Project releases. Versions of the popular developer tool Zend Framework and its successor Laminas Project can be abused by an attacker to execute remote code on PHP- based websites, if they are running web-based applications that are vulnerable to attack. # § Privacy/Surveillance⠀➾ # ⚓ FBI_Warns_Assholes_Are_Now_Combining Compromised_IoT_Devices_With_Swatting Because_That’s_The_Hell_We_Now_Live_In⠀⇛ Late last year, it was discovered that yet another set of IoT devices were being turned against their owners by malicious people. It would be a stretch to call these losers “hackers,” considering all they did was utilize credentials harvested from multiple security breaches to take control of poorly secured cameras made by Ring. # ⚓ Oakland_Privacy_and_the_People_of_Vallejo Prevail_in_the_Fight_For_Surveillance Accountability⠀⇛ Introduced by then state-senator Jerry Hill, SB 741 requires an open and transparent process before a local government agency in California may acquire CSS technology. EFF explained this in our own letter to the Vallejo Mayor and City Council days after the illegal purchase had been approved. Specifically, the law requires an agency to write, and publish online for public review, a policy that ensures “the collection, use, maintenance, sharing, and dissemination of information gathered through the use of cellular communications interception technology complies with all applicable law and is consistent with respect for an individual’s privacy and civil liberties.” Despite notice from Oakland Privacy that the proposal violated SB 741, the Vallejo City Council on March 24, 2020, authorized their police department to purchase CSS technology from KeyW Corporation. Meanwhile, the City and the nation were adapting to shelter in place protocols intended to suppress the spread of COVID-19, which limited public participation in Vallejo’s CSS proposal. In his ruling, Solano County Superior Court Judge Bradley Nelson reasoned: o § Defence/Aggression⠀➾ # ⚓ Opinion_|_Take_a_Stand_Against_Gun_Violence_Terrorizing_Our Streets⠀⇛ We are killing one another in larger numbers in the midst of the national pandemic. # ⚓ Biden_Must_Do_More_Than_Rejoin_the_Iran_Nuke_Deal⠀⇛ One year after the United States government assassinated Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani and nearly plunged the two countries into war, will the new administration lead a shift in relations? # ⚓ Opinion_|_Israel-Linked_Assassinations:_How_Much_Is_the_US Really_Involved?⠀⇛ Any remaining objection to the idea that  the United States would participate in the assassination of Iranians was rendered ridiculous by the January 2020 American assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. # ⚓ Proud_Boys_Leader_Arrested_for_Burning_BLM_Banner_at_Black Church⠀⇛ # ⚓ Federal_Judge_Blocks_Trump_Order_Targeting_Lawyers Supporting_ICC_Afghan_War_Crimes_Probe⠀⇛ “National security concerns must not become a talisman used to ward off inconvenient claims, a ‘label’ used to ‘cover a multitude of sins.’” # ⚓ Opinion_|_Venezuela_Elections:_A_Key_Victory_for_Anti Imperialist_Movement_in_Latin_America⠀⇛ Throughout Latin America, poor masses, the working class and young people are rising—in response to the deepening crisis imposed upon them by U.S. imperialist domination and neo-Liberal governments. # ⚓ Opinion_|_Treaty_on_the_Prohibition_of_Nuclear_Weapons:_The Road_There_and_the_Road_Ahead⠀⇛ For those of us who have been part of the anti- nuclear movement, this moment in history is one filled with possibilities. # ⚓ Iran_Issues_‘Red_Notice’_Demand_for_Interpol_to_Arrest Trump,_47_US_Officials_for_Soleimani_Assassination⠀⇛ “The Islamic Republic of Iran is very seriously following up on pursuing and punishing those who ordered and executed this crime.” # ⚓ The_New_Humanitarian_|_World_leaders_can_still_avert_famine in_Yemen._Here’s_how…⠀⇛ Last year was long and hard for all of us, but especially so for Yemenis, who were already suffering through the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. And as 2020 drew to a close, the country was hit with two final shocks: An attack on Aden airport that killed at least 22 civilians, including aid workers, and chilling new data showing that millions of Yemenis are close to starvation. The numbers going hungry are expected to worsen in the coming six months. If these projections prove true, 2021 may bring the worst famine the world has seen in decades. But world leaders can still avert that catastrophe. I was working in Yemen in 2018, when famine warnings were last sounded. We all knew that unless something was done, people would die. That time, the international community stepped up: aid funding was released, the economy was stabilised and food prices were eased with an injection of cash. Now we’re fighting the same problems again, with the addition of COVID-19: Much-needed fuel is being blocked, doctors and teachers are going unpaid, and the UN-coordinated aid response is underfunded. And perhaps worst of all, the violence is increasing. o § Environment⠀➾ # ⚓ ‘This_Must_Be_Undone’:_Trump_EPA_Finalizes_Anti-Science Rule_to_Limit_Use_of_Public_Health_Research⠀⇛ “Trump’s nightmarish giveaway to polluters will sicken millions of the most vulnerable people across this country.” # ⚓ Climate_Campaigners_to_Biden:_Your_Solicitor_General ‘Should_Not_Be_a_Lawyer_Who_Fought_for_Big_Oil’⠀⇛ “There’s no lack for public interest and public service-experienced litigators. We don’t need to rotate between Republican Big Law and Democratic Big Law.” # § Energy⠀➾ # ⚓ Cyclones_reduce_India’s_wind_power_generation⠀⇛ The risk of damage to turbines from cyclones has cut India’s electricity output, despite a longer windy season. # § Wildlife/Nature⠀➾ # ⚓ Conservation_Group_to_Sue_Trump_Officials_and_Agency Over_Delayed_Protections_for_11_Species⠀⇛ The Center for Biological Diversity points out that Trump’s presidency “is coming to an end with the worst record protecting species of any administration since the Endangered Species Act was passed.” # ⚓ In_‘Brutal_Blow’_to_Wildlife_and_Gift_to_Big_Oil, Trump_Finalizes_Rollback_of_Migratory_Bird_Treaty_Act⠀⇛ “The Trump administration is signing the death warrants of millions of birds across the country.” o § Finance⠀➾ # ⚓ ‘Devastating_Effects’_of_CA_Prop_22_Begin_as_Albertsons Stores_Move_to_Replace_Unionized_Drivers_With_Gig_Workers⠀⇛ “Albertsons was happy to reap public goodwill during the pandemic. But once Prop 22 gave the company the option of replacing workers with lower- paid contractors, they jumped at the opportunity.” # ⚓ ‘Decades_of_Anti-Government_Politics’_Blamed_as_1_Million+ in_US_Still_Waiting_Months_for_Jobless_Benefits⠀⇛ “It is an outrage that over 1 million workers who lost jobs during the pandemic haven’t received the benefits they earned and deserve,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. o § AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics⠀➾ # ⚓ In_Latest_Colossal_Lie,_Trump_Falsely_Claims_Pence_Has Power_to_‘Reject’_Electors⠀⇛ One legal scholar noted that “the only responsibility and power of the vice president under the Constitution is to faithfully count the electoral college votes as they have been cast.” # ⚓ Opinion_|_Saying_Goodbye_to_the_Con-Man-in-Chief⠀⇛ Demining America after The Donald. # ⚓ Opinion_|_If_Dems_Want_to_Win_GA,_Biden_Needs_to_Step_Up_on Immigration⠀⇛ We need to hear directly from the Democratic Party leader that Democrats will take aggressive and immediate action to protect our communities. # ⚓ Opinion_|_Why_Partisanship_Will_Increase_in_the_Post-Trump Era⠀⇛ The powerful minority in the Republican Party will keep blocking the economic policies that the majority of voters wants. # ⚓ Study_of_2020_Debates_Finds_New_Topics_but_Familiar Framing⠀⇛ A FAIR analysis of the 2020 general election debates found stunning breaks from past practices combined with tried-and-true tropes of national US debates. One of the biggest changes was the coronavirus pandemic, which accounted for 18% of the total of 186 questions asked during two debates between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden (9/29/20, 10/22/20), and the single debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (10/7/20). Continuing old patterns, the economy came in second, representing 16% of questions. # ⚓ Congress_Must_Clean_House⠀⇛ Yet, based upon nothing more than DJT’s bizarre, unfounded claims of massive election fraud, a number members of Congress (including Montana’s Senator Steve Daines) have determined to challenge November’s presidential election results and award the election to the loser. Recall that, factually, this is the election in which: DJT’s own cyber and infrastructure director testified to Congress that the 2020 election was safe and secure, based on verifiable paper audit trails across the country and on the professionals that conduct elections regularly[2]; election officials in all 50 states certified the election results; multiple re-counts in various swing states confirmed the results of that state’s election; the winner, Joe Biden, beat the loser, DJT, by over 7 million popular votes and garnered 306 electoral college votes to  DJT’s 232 (precisely the same number of electoral college votes by which DJT beat Hillary Clinton and which he declared to be a “landslide” victory; and, all of DJT’s fraud claims have been shown, in some five-dozen court cases (including two before the U.S. Supreme Court) to be totally baseless and without any evidence whatsoever. # ⚓ Trump_Will_Leave_a_Land-Mined_Government_to_Be_Defused⠀⇛ # ⚓ ‘Of_course_I_like_Putin’_Kremlin_spokesman_Dmitry_Peskov’s ‘Solovyov_Live’_interview,_in_brief⠀⇛ Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov gives press conferences almost daily, offering up the Kremlin’s stance on key issues facing Russia today. But what does he really think about Russia’s politics? And what’s it like working for Putin? In an exclusive interview with talk show host Vladimir Solovyov, Peskov looked back on his years of experience working in the Kremlin. Here’s what he said, in a nutshell. # ⚓ DOJ_Argues_in_Court_Filing_That_Donald_Trump_Lost_the_2020 Election⠀⇛ # ⚓ Magistrate_Judges_Took_Bribes,_Stole_Money_and_Mishandled Cases._South_Carolina_Officials_Now_Want_Reform.⠀⇛ COLUMBIA, S.C. — When the South Carolina legislature reconvenes next week, lawmakers say a priority will be ramping up their scrutiny of local magistrate judges, many of whom are among the state’s busiest but least qualified jurists. A 2019 series by The Post and Courier and ProPublica exposed how a flawed system of selection and oversight provided fertile ground for incompetence and corruption on the bench. # ⚓ Scotland’s_Head_of_Govt._Says_Trump_Cannot_Visit_During Biden’s_Inauguration⠀⇛ # ⚓ Trump_Urges_Pence_to_Reject_Electoral_College,_Despite_Him Having_No_Power_To⠀⇛ # ⚓ AOC,_Omar_Want_Trump_Impeached_Over_His_Call_to_Change Georgia_Election_Results⠀⇛ # ⚓ Giving_Up_the_Game,_DOJ_Argues_in_Court_Filing_That_Trump Lost_2020_Election⠀⇛ “The official position of the lawyers representing the people of the United States is that there will be a new president on January 20,” said one government watchdog. # ⚓ Opinion_|_The_2024_GOP_Presidential_Race_Has_Already Begun—And_It_Won’t_Be_Pretty⠀⇛ They all support low and regressive taxes, are hostile to social programs, oppose abortion, hate unions, and resist government regulations that protect workers, consumers, and the environment.  # ⚓ Josh_Hawley_Has_Chosen_to_Sacrifice_Democracy_on_the_Altar of_His_Own_Presidential_Ambition⠀⇛ Joshua David Hawley would like you to know he is very smart. The senator from Missouri is determined to be the next Republican president of the United States, and a huge part of the argument he is making for himself is that he is more mentally agile than the Republicans who have led the party since a similarly intelligent and similarly conniving Richard Nixon was ushered out of the Oval Office in 1974. Hawley’s official biography does not merely note that he is a graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School; it brags, “Senator Hawley is recognized as one of the nation’s leading constitutional lawyers.” His campaign team—and Hawley is always campaigning—has, since he jumped on the political fast track in 2016, portrayed the youngest member of the Senate as a conservative intellectual who co-authored a book about Teddy Roosevelt, discourses on fourth century theologian Pelagius, and regularly outwits liberal agendas with daring legal and legislative strategies. # ⚓ The_angry_and_the_powerless_How_the_opposition_protests_in Belarus_became_a_guerilla_movement._Liliya_Yapparova_reports from_Minsk.⠀⇛ In the summer and fall of 2020, protest marches drew tens and even hundreds of thousands of people to the main streets of cities in Belarus. The authorities responded by deliberately beating up protesters and arresting them en masse. With the onset of winter, there are no longer large-scale demonstrations, but the people of Minsk continue to attend rallies that increasingly rely on guerilla tactics. At night, street artists paint politically-charged graffiti on the walls of buildings; city residents protest in small, neighborhood groups, emerging from nowhere and disappearing just as quickly; opposition supporters deploy lookouts around their apartment complexes and alert each other when law enforcement officers are on their way; and musicians organize spontaneous, open-air concerts that end with them running from the police. In December, Meduza special correspondent Liliya Yapparova went to Minsk, to get a firsthand look at how the Belarusian opposition protests have changed and speak to the artists and activists keeping the movement alive heading into 2021. # ⚓ Early_Georgia_Voting_Data_Shows_Unprecedented_Black_Voter Turnout⠀⇛ # ⚓ Kelly_Loeffler_Officially_Became_a_Billionaire_Days_Before Georgia_Runoff⠀⇛ # ⚓ “This_Is_Voter_Suppression”:_198,000_Georgia_Residents_Were Illegally_Purged_from_Voter_Rolls⠀⇛ As voters in Georgia cast their ballots in two key runoff races that will determine control of the U.S. Senate, voting rights activists fear many eligible voters will be turned away at the polls. Georgia has been called “ground zero” for Republican voter suppression efforts in the U.S., and in September the ACLU of Georgia revealed 198,000 voters had been wrongly purged from the voting rolls. We air a report into voting in Georgia by investigative journalist Greg Palast, narrated by the actress Debra Messing, and speak with voting rights activist LaTosha Brown, co- founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund. “I think it’s quite interesting and coincidental … that many of them on that list are African American voters,” says Brown. “This is voter suppression.” # ⚓ Reintroduced_‘For_the_People_Act’_Praised_for_Its_Potential to_Bring_Sweeping_Democracy_Reforms⠀⇛ “About damn time.” # ⚓ Opinion_|_Defeating_McConnell:_The_Real_Stakes_of_the Georgia_Runoffs⠀⇛ Mitch McConnell cares about only one thing: Power. He has single-handedly turned the Senate into a failed institution that has abandoned the American people for partisan gain. # ⚓ “Let’s_Vote_Her_Out,”_Says_Warnock_After_Loeffler_Vows_on Eve_of_Runoffs_to_Object_to_Biden_Electoral_College_Win⠀⇛ “Let’s show her that Georgia voters will not be silenced or ignored.” o § Censorship/Free Speech⠀➾ # ⚓ Parler,_Desperate_For_Attention,_Pretends_It_Doesn’t_Need Section_230⠀⇛ One of the more bizarre parts of the Parler debate is the weird insistence among many in the Trumpist set that somehow taking away Section 230 will magically lead to less moderation, rather than more. This is almost certainly untrue, because assuming a shift to more traditional distributor liability rules as were considered in place prior to Section 230, websites would potentially face liability for content that violated the law if they were shown to have knowledge of the law-violating material. o § Freedom of Information/Freedom of the Press⠀➾ # ⚓ Australian_Labor_Party_Urges_US_to_Drop_Charges_Against Assange⠀⇛ The opposition argues the case must “be brought to an end” as the prime minister says the WikiLeaks founder will be “free to return home” if extradition battle won. o § Civil Rights/Policing⠀➾ # ⚓ Philadelphia_Residents_On_The_Hook_For_$9.8_Million_For Putting_The_Wrong_Man_In_Prison_For_28_Years⠀⇛ Plenty of people can ruin lives. But no one can ruin lives like cops and prosecutors. # ⚓ Pussygate_to_Peachgate:_O,_Just_Shut_It,_DJ,_On_Your_Way Out⠀⇛ While the MSM wears sheepish grins to these crass doings (they’ve been there themselves here, here, here, and here), humankine just mows the koan and chews the cud, unsullied by these late, sad, sad ruminations. But even though Republicans are now just turning their backs on the Elephant Man in the Room, all- too-visible, and as naked as Dylan seemed to croak about president Nixon in “It’s Alright, Ma,” in that live, passionate Down In the Flood album version. Down in the Flood. Could be the anthem for our age, again. (Jesus, was the Bard from Duluth prescient or what?). Even though…We mustn’t get too fixated on Trump’s pixilations as we sort out what happened a couple of days ago in Georgia. # ⚓ ‘Justice_Was_Not_Served’:_No_Charges_Against_Kenosha_Cop Who_Shot_and_Paralyzed_Jacob_Blake⠀⇛ “We feel this decision failed not only Jacob and his family, but the community that protested and demanded justice,” said his attorneys. # ⚓ “Medical_Apartheid”:_Israeli_Vaccine_Drive_Excludes Millions_of_Palestinians_in_Occupied_Territories⠀⇛ Israel has administered COVID-19 vaccines faster than any country in the world, with more than 14% of Israelis receiving vaccines so far. Despite the fast rollout, human rights groups are expressing alarm over Israel’s decision not to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, where about 1,500 people have died during the pandemic. Israel has defended its actions citing the Oslo Peace Accords, which put Palestinian authorities in charge of healthcare in the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian officials are facing a number of hurdles in launching their own vaccine campaign, including a shortage of money, lack of access to vaccines and lack of infrastructure to distribute a vaccine. “Israel actually is violating international law because it is denying its responsibility as an occupying power,” says Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a physician, member of the Palestinian Parliament and head of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society. “Israelis are getting the vaccines, and Palestinians are getting nothing.” # ⚓ What_We_Can_Learn_About_Activism_Today_in_the_Archives_of Queer_History⠀⇛ In 1979 a young woman called the Lesbian Switchboard, a hotline in New York City, and a volunteer picked up. The caller was lonely and wanted to know where she could meet other people like her—women attracted to other women. Another person called, and she was in an interracial relationship and was looking for a safe and open place to take her Black girlfriend on vacation. Another caller was a trans man who wanted to know where he could find a general practitioner. The volunteer, drawing on the hotline’s ethic of providing help without shame, judgment, or personal input, gave the callers the information or comfort that the person could. At the end of the calls, the volunteer logged the details in a ruled notebook, such as “18-yr. old ♀, isolated. Doesn’t have any lesbian friends. No connection with lesbian community. In Bklyn.” Over 30 years later, Cait McKinney picked up the call logs, stored among the many boxes and collections at the Lesbian Herstory Archives (LHA) in New York City, and fit the pieces together in a new book, Information Activism. # ⚓ Rethinking_Humanitarianism_podcast:_Decolonising_aid⠀⇛ Over the summer of 2020, Black Lives Matter sparked a global conversation about race and inequality. We saw passion, energy, the tearing down of statues, and protests in the street. The police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and several other Black Americans forced many around the world to look introspectively and critically at systemic power imbalances. The aid sector was no exception, with growing calls for it to be decolonised. o § Internet Policy/Net Neutrality⠀➾ # ⚓ Lawmakers_Complain_About_Comcast’s_Bullshit_Expanded_Usage Caps⠀⇛ Last November, Comcast announced it would be expanding its bullshit usage caps and overage fees into the Northeast. For years, the Northeast had avoided the utterly pointless cash grab that is broadband usage caps because Comcast faced at least a tiny bit of competition from (uncapped) Verizon FiOS. But as federal and state regulators have grown more toothless and pathetic, Comcast’s eagerness to expand the surcharges has only grown. o § Monopolies⠀➾ # § Patents⠀➾ # ⚓ [Guest_post]_The_Wuhan_Submarine_surfaces_at Christmas_in_global_Ericsson/Samsung_SEP_battle_–_The IPKat⠀⇛ Ericsson and Samsung are re-negotiating a cross-licence of standards-essential patents. Samsung had an interesting Christmas present for Ericsson: an ex-parte anti-suit injunction from Wuhan, China on Christmas morning. Ericsson replied on Monday 28th with an Anti-Anti Suit Injunction (AASI) in the form of a Temporary Restraining Order from Marshall, Texas, and on New Year’s day it added eight patents to its US action. A full hearing of the Anti-Anti Suit injunction is scheduled for 7 January. [...] Ericsson reacted quickly: on Monday 28th December they filed for and obtained an AASI in the form of a broad temporary restraining order and an anti-interference injunction. It is not specific to the injunction issued in Wuhan: it covers any action that might prevent Ericsson asserting its U.S. patents against Samsung. Ericsson also asked for and obtained an indemnity in case the Wuhan Court fines Ericsson for participating in its US case or asserting its United States patent rights for the amount of the fine. Because this was ex parte, there is to be a follow up inter partes hearing on 7 January. On 1 January Ericsson added eight patents to its US action. Samsung also filed its reply to the AASI, attaching a declaration by former Federal Circuit Judge Randall Rader. Judge Rader argues that in his experience from having visited some Chinese courts, the process in China will be transparent and fair. Judge Gilstrap will have to consider these arguments tomorrow, Thursday 7 January. Whatever happens this week, two learning points emerge. First, it appears that a Wuhan submarine will be, for now, a standard procedural step in FRAND disputes, closely followed by anti-anti-suit injunctions elsewhere. Secondly, drafting a patent license agreement to end on 31 December is a great way to spoil a holiday. # § Copyrights⠀➾ # ⚓ Part_Of_Apple’s_Abuse_Of_The_DMCA_Against_Corellium Thrown_Out…_But_Part_Of_It_Lives_On⠀⇛ Almost exactly a year ago, we wrote about a very troubling case in which Apple sued Corellium, arguing that it was copyright infringement for the company to create a virtualization tool to let users create and interact with virtual iOS devices. As we noted, virtualization is a useful tool for a wide variety of issues, including security researchers and app developers. A key part of Apple’s lawsuit was that this virtualization violated Section 1201 of the DMCA. As we’ve explained for years, DMCA 1201 is the “anti- circumvention” part of the DMCA, and has been widely abused to try to stop perfectly legitimate activity that has nothing to do with copyright infringement. DMCA 1201 is a bad law and honestly we’d be better to just toss the whole thing in the garbage. # ⚓ Nintendo_Mass_DMCA_Takedown_Removes_Hundreds_of Fangames_from_Game_Jolt⠀⇛ Hundreds of non-commercial Nintendo fangames have been removed from the popular game publishing community Game Jolt after the platform complied with several DMCA takedown requests. Many of the affected games have dedicated fanbases including many die-hard Nintendo fans, some of whom now seem eager to revolt. # ⚓ Sci-Hub:_Scientists,_Academics,_Teachers_&_Students Protest_Blocking_Lawsuit⠀⇛ Elsevier, Wiley, and American Chemical Society filed a lawsuit in India late December to compel local ISPs to block access to Sci-Hub and Libgen on copyright infringement grounds. With the case set for a hearing tomorrow, scientists, academics, teachers and students are calling on the government to prevent a blockade for the good of society. ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 2693 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 ═════════════════════════════════════════════╕ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 01.06.21⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ ✐ Links_6/1/2021:_End_of_Planet_Linux_Australia_and_New_Wallpaper_for_KDE Plasma_5.21⠀✐ Posted in News_Roundup at 6:37 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇GNOME bluefish⦈ § Contents⠀➾ * GNU/Linux o Distributions o Devices/Embedded * Free_Software/Open_Source * Leftovers * § GNU/Linux⠀➾ o ⚓ Russell_Coker:_Planet_Linux_Australia⠀⇛ Linux Australia have decided to cease running the Planet installation on planet.linux.org.au. I believe that blogging is still useful and a web page with a feed of Australian Linux blogs is a useful service. So I have started running a new Planet Linux Australia on https:// planet.luv.asn.au/. There has been discussion about getting some sort of redirection from the old Linux Australia page, but they don’t seem able to do that. o § Desktop/Laptop⠀➾ # ⚓ How_and_why_I_stopped_buying_new_laptops⠀⇛ My laptop runs on Linux Lite, one of several open- source operating systems specially designed to work on old computers. The use of a Linux operating system is not a mere suggestion. There’s no way you’re going to revive an old laptop if you stick to Microsoft Windows or Apple OS because the machine would freeze instantly. Linux Lite does not have the flashy visuals of the newest Apple and Windows interfaces, but it has a familiar graphical interface and looks anything but obsolete. It takes very little space on the hard disk and demands even less computing power. The result is that an old laptop, despite its limited specifications, runs smoothly. I also use light browsers: Vivaldi and Midori. Having used Microsoft Windows for a long time, I find Linux operating systems to be remarkably better, even more so because they are free to download and install. Furthermore, Linux operating systems do not steal your personal data and do not try to lock you in, like the newest operating systems from both Microsoft and Apple do. That said, even with Linux, obsolescence cannot be ruled out. For example, Linux Lite will stop its support for 32-bit computers in 2021, which means that I will soon have to look for an alternative operating system, or buy a slightly younger 64-bit laptop. # ⚓ Dell_announces_new_Latitude_laptops_ahead_of_CES_|_IT_World Canada_News⠀⇛ All the laptops in the traditional clamshell form factor can be pre-loaded with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS instead of Windows 10. Moreover, all the new Latitude laptops feature the Dell Optimizer, an AI software tool that optimizes performance based on the user’s workflow. # ⚓ List_Of_Best_Ubuntu_Themes_In_2021_|_Itsubuntu.com [Ed: Well, they mean GNOME rather than Ubuntu]⠀⇛ Let’s have a look at the list of some of the beautiful and best Ubuntu themes in 2021. # ⚓ [Older]_Best_Linux_Distros_For_Mac_Users:_Top_3_Distros⠀⇛ Elementary OS runs the Pantheon desktop environment, giving the whole operating system a very Mac OS-ish feel. It’s not just eye-candy, though; the team behind Elementary works tirelessly to blend looks and functionality into one, making the whole operating system one of the most unique and polished Linux distros available. # ⚓ Linux:_Will_Windows_Eventually_Submit? [Ed: Pushing Microsoft talking points, ignoring GNU starting in 1983, and echoing utter lies]⠀⇛ The battle’s not over yet, and Linux may prevail. It’s been 30 years since Linux Torvalds first introduced Linux. People have long built PC which dual boot into either Windows or Linux. And Wine lets users run Windows apps on Linux. But now there are rumors that Microsoft may redesign Windows to use a Linux core. This isn’t the Ubuntu with UI designed to be a look-alike with Windows. We’re talking about a real Windows release based on Linux. But then, they’re just rumors. o § Server⠀➾ # ⚓ How_to_Buy_a_Linux-Powered_Laptop⠀⇛ Buying Linux-powered laptops should be easy, especially on big-name manufacturers’ websites. But it isn’t. You must employ workarounds to succeed or spend caches of money! That is why downloading free Linux distributions and installing the operating system onto existing computers is a typical avenue for adopting Linux. Some computer manufacturers sell Linux-only hardware. Only a few of the major computer makers cater to providing Linux Inside. The challenge is finding both those that do and being willing to pay a higher buy-in price. I had a battle with an aging computer a few weeks ago. That is when I realized how spoiled I had become with installing a variety of Linux distributions on my collection of computers over the years to keep them in service. The reality of actually having to buy a shiny new laptop had long escaped me. My collection of laptops goes back to the days of Windows ME and Windows XP. With out-of-date Windows versions, I would simply wipe the hard drive and install a Linux distribution in their place. I do that not because I am a cheapskate.Using a variety of computer configurations gives me an edge in software testing and writing my Linux Picks and Pans reviews for LinuxInsider. That is something I have maintained over the last few decades. One of my newest old laptops started acting up recently. In its heyday, that aluminum-encased laptop swiftly ran Windows 10 and had an 18″ screen view. I put a variety of Linux distros as dual-boot residents on its hard drive. In the process of testing other Linux inhabitants, my middle-aged speedster would lockup. I chalked up that bad behavior to the beta versions of software I was testing or an uncooperative driver. Then I realized that Linux distros I ran in live session or from portable Linux USB drive installations ran just fine. No lockups ever happened. But when I installed them on the hard drive, things went wrong. Bench tests I conducted verified that the memory modules were fine. But the hard drive was fading fast. o § Audiocasts/Shows⠀➾ # ⚓ Tumbling_Into_the_New_Year!_|_LINUX_Unplugged_387⠀⇛ We have some strong opinions about the state of openSUSE Tumbleweed. We’ve secretly been running it for the past week, and share our experience. # ⚓ mintCast_351.5_–_Batting_a_Thousand⠀⇛ 1:40 Linux Innards 1:12:18 Vibrations from the Ether 1:17:37 Check This Out 1:21:21 Outro In our Innards section, we look back on last year’s predictions, and make new ones. And finally, the feedback and a couple of suggestions o § Kernel Space⠀➾ # ⚓ New_Ubuntu_Linux_Kernel_Security_Updates_Fix_14 Vulnerabilities,_Patch_Now⠀⇛ The new Ubuntu kernel patches fix several security issues discovered by various security researchers. Only for Ubuntu 20.10 (Groovy Gorilla) systems, it addresses CVE-2020-12912, a flaw found in Linux kernel’s AMD Running Average Power Limit (RAPL) driver that could allow a local attacker to expose sensitive information, as well as CVE-2020-29534, a security issue discovered by Jann Horn in the io_uring subsystem, which could allow a local attacker to either expose sensitive information or escalate his/her privileges. # ⚓ Linux’s_Linus_Torvalds_roasts_Intel_on_lack_of_ECC_memory_ (RAM)_support⠀⇛ We’re in a new year, which means there’s equally a lot of new technology to look forward to at the upcoming CES 2021 digital event. Companies tend to shift the focus in new directions at these kinds of events, and Linux founder Linus Torvalds seems more than ready to get the discussion going about ECC memory. While it may still be a little soon for programming wizards to enjoy universally better standards, ECC memory is certainly still worth discussing due to its inclusion in the JEDEC spec for the upcoming DDR5 generation. So what is this thing you might ask? Well, in short, ECC memory is a specific kind of system RAM that differs from DRAM in a key way. It features an extra chip on each module which performs automatic error correction checks. If it detects an error in how the data was written, the extra chip is able to correct the error in most cases. It’s great for developers, but currently lacks broad support across the consumer space. # ⚓ On-going_Bootlin_contributions_to_the_Video4Linux subsystem:_camera,_camera_sensors,_video_encoding⠀⇛ Over the past years, we have been more and more involved in projects that have significant multimedia requirements. As part of this trend, 2020 has lead us to work on a number of contributions to the Video4Linux subsystem of the Linux kernel, with new drivers for camera interfaces, camera sensors, video decoders, and even HW-accelerated video encoding. In this blog post, we propose to summarize our contributions and their status on the following topics: # ⚓ PicoXcell_Support_Finally_Slated_For_Removal_From_The_Linux Kernel_–_Phoronix⠀⇛ PicoXcell, the ARM SoCs from PicoChip more than a decade ago before being bought out by MindSpeed and then Intel, are set to finally see their Linux support removed this year. PicoXcell was focused on HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) handling back during the mobile 3G days. But with no new hardware in close to a decade and Intel not working on any Linux kernel support improvements for PicoXcell given its obsolete state with what is supported by the mainline kernel, the Linux support is slated for removal. # § Graphics Stack⠀➾ # ⚓ Why_Do_I_Do_These_Things⠀⇛ # ⚓ Zink_With_Mesa_21.0_Now_Exposes_OpenGL_4.1_– Phoronix⠀⇛ While for months there have been experimental patches taking Zink to OpenGL 4.6 for this OpenGL-on-Vulkan translation layer integrated into Mesa, the upstreaming process around testing and code review is quite lengthy with up until today still only exposing OpenGL 3.3 with mainline Mesa. But with the latest Git commits, Zink is now up to OpenGL 4.1. Mesa 21.0-devel today took Zink from OpenGL 3.3 to 4.1 after bumping the supported GLSL version. The necessary OpenGL/GLSL improvements were in place from prior commits while today’s merge just needed to bump the GLSL version and documentation. # ⚓ Radeon_Linux_Drivers_Now_Only_Officially_Support Smart_Access_Memory_On_Zen_3_+_RDNA2_–_Phoronix⠀⇛ While many Linux users were excited when finding out the open-source AMD Radeon Linux drivers were allowing Smart Access Memory (Resizable BAR) support on older motherboards/CPUs and older Radeon GPUs rather than basically the very latest AMD products as seen on Windows, there is a change of course due to bugs. Now, officially, Mesa 21.0 is just enabling Smart Access Memory for systems with AMD Zen 3 processors and RDNA 2 graphics cards though if you have other hardware you can force- enable it. Marek Olšák of AMD who led the original work on Smart Access Memory optimizations for RadeonSI led this change. This restriction isn’t being done artificially for marketing purposes but in finding out those with older hardware combinations were sometimes hitting bugs and performance regressions with this recent S.A.M. support in Mesa. This basically puts the official Smart Access Memory support state the same under Windows and Linux. # ⚓ Panfrost_Gallium3D_Flips_On_AFBC_For_Bifrost_GPUs_– Phoronix⠀⇛ Adding to the long list of changes for Mesa 21.0 is the Panfrost Gallium3D driver that provides open-source OpenGL for Arm Mali graphics hardware now supporting Arm Frame Buffer Compression (AFBC) for Bifrost GPUs. The Panfrost Gallium3D driver has enabled Arm Frame-Buffer Compression on 2D arrays and 3D textures for Bifrost (or just Bifrost v7 for 3D textures). The AFBC support isn’t there for the Midgard GPUs also supported by Panfrost. o § Benchmarks⠀➾ # ⚓ Phoronix_Test_Suite_10.2_Released_For_Open-Source,_Cross- Platform_Automated_Benchmarking⠀⇛ Phoronix Test Suite 10.2 is available today as the latest quarterly (Q1-2021) feature update to our open-source automated benchmarking framework for Linux, macOS, Solaris, Windows, and BSD platforms. There are numerous improvements to find with Phoronix Test Suite 10.2 following last quarter’s big Phoronix Test Suite 10.0 release with updated OpenBenchmarking.org. Some of the key highlights for this Q1 feature release include: - Improved tracking of per-test run-times and in turn more accurate estimation of test run-time requirements. o § Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ QuickWall_–_Command_Line_Tool_Setting_Wallpapers_from Unsplash⠀⇛ QuickWall is a free and open-source tool to grab the latest wallpapers from Unsplash and set as your desktop background. It works with nitrogen, feh background setter as well as Xfce, KDE, Gnome, Unity. Besides setting wallpapers from Unsplash, it can also change your theme (seems only for terminal theme) based on the wallpapers. # ⚓ RSS_Guard_3.8.4_–_Neowin⠀⇛ RSS Guard is a simple (yet powerful) feed reader. It is able to fetch the most known feed formats, including RSS/RDF and ATOM. It’s free, it’s open- source. RSS Guard currently supports Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian. RSS Guard will never depend on other services – this includes online news aggregators like Feedly, The Old Reader and others. # ⚓ Open-source_VSCP_IoT/M2M_automation_framework_supports Arduino,_Raspberry_Pi⠀⇛ VSCP (Very Simple Control Protocol) is an open- source IoT framework that works on development boards like Arduino or Raspberry Pi, and lets you control IoT home automation tasks. The framework is highly scalable, has a very low footprint, and as such is specially designed for resource-limited devices. [...] For the Arduino library of VSCP software framework for Level 1 devices, you can connect an LED that shows the node state. An example showing the basic integration of the VSCP Arduino library uses CAN- BUS Shield from Seeed-Studio or CAN-BUS Shield from Sparkfun. # ⚓ Tux_Paint_0.9.25_Open_Source_Drawing_Software_for_Kids_Adds Animated_GIF_Export,_More⠀⇛ Seven months in development, Tux Paint 0.9.25 is here to introduce a new major feature, namely the ability to export animated GIF images and individual drawings. This allows kids to more easily share their cartoons and slideshows with parents or teachers. Another major improvement was introduced in this release in the form of new options in the Shapes tool to make it easier for kids to draw shapes in any situation. With these new options, children will now be able to choose if they want to draw shapes from the center or a corner. # ⚓ My_3_favorite_open_source_productivity_apps⠀⇛ Productivity apps can really make your workflow much easier. In this article, I’ll share a few of the open source applications I have used to streamline my workflow and increase my overall productivity. All of the productivity applications in this article are free Linux productivity applications. Tomboy is a simple note-taking application that can be used on Linux, Windows, and macOS. It’s open source under the GNU LGPLv2. Tomboy is pretty straightforward to use. You write a note, choose whether to make it sticky on your desktop, and delete it when you’re done with it. o § Instructionals/Technical⠀➾ # ⚓ Improving_CLI_output_with_jq⠀⇛ Welcome back to our series on MAAS CLI operations. In our previous post, we learned how to acquire and deploy machines using the MAAS CLI. It was also evident that the JSON output from the allocate and deploy commands was very lengthy for even one machine — so you can imagine how large a list of 10 or 12 machines might be. Traditional JSON output is both consistent and comprehensive, but sometimes hard for humans to process. Enter jq, a command-line tool dedicated to filtering and formatting JSON output, so that you can more easily summarize data # ⚓ Managing_KVM_Virtual_Machines_with_Cockpit_Web_Console_in Linux⠀⇛ Cockpit is a free and open-source front-end tool that provides administrative access to Linux systems. It allows system administrators to monitor, manage, and troubleshoot Linux servers. It provides an intuitive web interface that easy to navigate and keep track of the salient system features and resources. There’s a whole lot of things you can do with the Cockpit. You can monitor system metrics such as CPU and memory utilization, view system logs, configure networking, check the status of running service, manage user accounts and so much more. # ⚓ How_to_Create_and_Configure_Sudo_User_on_Arch_Linux⠀⇛ It’s always advised against running administrative- level commands as the root user. In fact, as a rule of thumb, it’s recommended to configure or create a sudo user on any Linux server that you intend to manage. Executing commands as the root user is risky and can cause detrimental damage to your system. All it takes is a single command to accidentally crash your system. To avoid that, running elevated operations as the sudo user comes highly recommended. A sudo user (short for super user do) is a regular user that has been granted root or elevated privileges and hence can perform elevated tasks similar to those which are a reserve for the root user. These include editing configuration files, installing and removing software packages, starting and stopping services, and so much more. # ⚓ HTTP_Vs_HTTPS⠀⇛ That’s actually pretty simple. All you need to do is install an SSL certificate on your website. There are some famous providers like Comodo, Digicert, and GlobalSign that sell SSL certificates. But you need not pay for an SSL certificate. There are some free services like letsencrypt and freessl, that can actually provide you with a free SSL certificate. So I guess we have understood the basic difference between HTTP and HTTPS. Most of the websites have moved on to the latter, and those that haven’t are soon moving. Also, Google has said that its Chrome browser will start marking websites that do not have HTTPS as not secure. So maybe it’s high time we start migrating. # ⚓ How_To_Install_LibreNMS_on_CentOS_8_–_idroot⠀⇛ In this tutorial, we will show you how to install LibreNMS on CentOS 8. For those of you who didn’t know, LibreNMS is an open-source auto-discovering network monitoring tool for servers and network hardware. It supports a wide range of network hardware like Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, Foundry, HP, and operating systems including Linux and Windows. LibraNMS is a community-based fork of Network monitoring tool “Observium“, released under GPLv3. This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you through the step by step installation of the LibreNMS network monitoring tool on CentOS 8. # ⚓ Are_there_any_ArcoLinux_conkies_that_show_Nvidia_info⠀⇛ We use the command ‘pt’ or catfish to search for the word ‘nvidia’ in our conkies folder. Then we copy/paste the conky and change anything we like. # ⚓ seife’s_assorted_rants:_Ethernet_on_the_BananaPi_M2_Zero⠀⇛ Even though it does not look like it does, the BPI- M2 Zero also has a wired ethernet interface. Unfortunately, it is disabled by default in its device tree blob. # ⚓ Czech_translation_of_LibreOffice_Calc_Guide_6.4⠀⇛ Zdeněk adds that the Czech team is continuing with the translation of the Writer Guide, and is always looking for new translators. # ⚓ Kickstart_Your_2021_Training_with_Training_Tuesdays Videos⠀⇛ We had a great training series that started in 2020 covering Oracle Linux 8 features and functionalities with short videos. They had been very popular, so we wanted to give you a chance to kickstart 2021 with this series of Training Tuesday episodes. # ⚓ Use_USB_over_Network_using_FLEXIHUB_–_LinuxTechLab⠀⇛ Sharing files between computers set-up across floors, cities, or states is difficult, with an increase in distance and traffic disrupting the flow. To address these concerns we can use FLEXIHUB. It’s a software application, which enables us to use USB over the network without any limitations. # ⚓ Building_reverse_build_dependencies_in_salsa_CI⠀⇛ For the next library soname bump of gpsd I needed to rebuild all reverse dependencies. As this is a task I have to do very often, I came up with some code to generate (and keep uptodate) an include for the gitlab CI. Right now it is rather uncommented, undocumented, but works well. If you like it, MRs are very welcome. # ⚓ How_to_install_Wine_on_Pop_OS_Linux_distro_–_Linux_Shout⠀⇛ Pop OS which is based on Ubuntu’s latest version is one of the popular Linux distros for Pc and laptop systems. It is one of the good options to switch from Windows to Linux, however, the one thing which will be a problem is the unavailability of Windows applications for Linux. And here comes a Windows binary runner open-source application called WineHQ. Although the Wine has its own limitation because it cannot run all modern or old Windows applications, yet, enough to use lightweight Win software on Linux. # ⚓ How_to_document_your_software_and_hardware_with_DokuWiki_– TechRepublic⠀⇛ Looking for a place to house your documentation, checklists, and other bits of information for your staff? Jack Wallen shows you how to install DokuWiki, which can serve this purpose well. # ⚓ How_to_customize_your_voice_assistant_with_the_voice_of your_choice⠀⇛ What if when they request help from an artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistant such as Mycroft, my in-laws could get a special greeting? I looked at the existing voice assistant APIs to see if something like this was already available. There was something close, but not exactly what I was looking for. My idea was to record their great- grandchildren speaking a short greeting that would play whenever they push the button and before the conversation with the voice assistant begins. [...] Audacity is a feature-rich open source sound- editing tool. The software’s features and capabilities can be overwhelming, so I’ll describe the workflow I followed to accomplish my goals. I make no claims to being an Audacity expert, but the steps I followed seemed to work pretty well. (Comments are always welcome on how to improve what I’ve done.) Audacity has downloads for Linux, Windows, and macOS. I grabbed the most recent macOS binary and quickly installed it on my laptop. Launching Audacity opens an empty new project. I imported all of the children’s audio files using the Import feature. # ⚓ How_to_install_Docker_CE_on_Oracle_Linux_8/7_–_Linux Shout⠀⇛ Oracle Linux is an open-source server Linux distro and a good alternative to CentOS and RHEL Linux distributions. Moreover, as CentOS 8 Linux life will end this year, in such scenarios Oracle Linux 8 is a viable option. Of course, there are some other projects in progress to provide alternatives to CentOS such as Rocky Linux, however, they are still in the incubation period. Well, here we are going to discuss the steps to install the Docker Community Edition on Oracle Linux to create containers. Docker is the containerized platform that allows users to run multiple isolated virtual machines using the docker images. You can create your own image or use any of the available on Docker Hub. # ⚓ How_to_install_Pirate101_on_a_Chromebook_with_Crossover 20⠀⇛ Today we are looking at how to install Pirate101 on a Chromebook with Crossover 20. Please follow the video/audio guide as a tutorial where we explain the process step by step and use the commands below. This tutorial will only work on Chromebooks with an Intel or AMD CPU (with Linux Apps Support) and not those with an ARM64 architecture CPU. # ⚓ [Ubuntu_PPA]_How_to_Install_Gnome_Feeds_in_Ubuntu_20.04, 20.10_|_UbuntuHandbook⠀⇛ Gnome Feeds, a free and open-source news reader with a neat user interface, now is available to install via Ubuntu PPA for those prefer the classic apt method. Gnome Feeds is a GTK+3 application written in Python 3. It features a simple responsive user interface based on Purism’s libhandy library. Feeds can be added via URL address and support importing and exporting large feed collection from and to OPML. # ⚓ Basic_Unix_Commands_–_Python_Land⠀⇛ You can significantly increase your productivity and understanding of your operating system by learning a few basic shell commands. These commands work in Bash, the most common shell on Linux and MacOS. However, alternative shells are mostly compatible with Bash, so they should work everywhere! If these basics are well known to you, please skip to the next sections to learn some more advanced commands and shell scripting. # ⚓ Demystifying_Ansible_for_Linux_sysadmins_|_Enable Sysadmin⠀⇛ Taking the labor out of labor-intensive tasks is what Ansible is all about. Learn the basics here. # ⚓ Landscape_–_Server_&_Client_Installation_Walkthrough_(On- Prem)_–_YouTube⠀⇛ Landscape is a tool made by Canonical that you can use to manage your Ubuntu Servers. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through getting it set up on your own server, as well as adding a client for it to manage. # ⚓ FFmpeg_–_A_Simple_Tool_to_Convert_Audio_and_Video_Formats in_Linux⠀⇛ FFmpeg is a very flexible, powerful, cross- platform, and versatile command-line tool for converting media file formats. It allows you to record, convert and stream audio and video files. It supports all popular audio and video formats. So you do not have to look for alternative tools for any media file conversion. Most Linux GUI video editors use ffmpeg in the background for conversion. Most conversions can be made with one or two commands. Also, you can use ffmpeg to make a more complex conversion. o § Games⠀➾ # ⚓ Ouya_was_a_Success⠀⇛ On 11th July 2012, the Ouya burst onto the scene via popular crowdfunding site – Kickstarter. It was billed as “A New Kind of Video Game Console” which sold for $99/£99 at launch. It was essentially an Nvidia Tegra 3 based ARM System on Chip crammed into a tiny box which sat under / near your TV and was operated with supplied bluetooth game controllers. They far exceeded the target of $950,000, reaching $8,596,474, setting some high expectations among the backers and interested onlookers. # ⚓ Are_Video_Games_Inherently_A_Waste_Of_Time?⠀⇛ Recently I’ve been playing some more games but a lot of people like to throw around the question of whether video games are a waste of time, and in mind I don’t think it’s as that black and white of a question to answer. # ⚓ Lutris_0.5.8.2_Linux_Game_Manager_Brings_Wayland Improvements,_Other_Additions⠀⇛ The new Lutris 0.5.8.2 release brings multiple Wayland fixes like pop-over menus not working and the game bar being unselected. There are also other interesting additions like support for automatically downloading DXVK when Lutris is starting, FSYNC2 feature detection, initial support for Adobe Air games via Humble Bundle, and support for GStreamer-enabled Wine builds. The Adobe Air game support currently is just the installation support and not yet integrated run-time support. The GStramer Wine builds should allow for better support of games making use of the Media Foundation library. o § Desktop Environments/WMs⠀➾ # § K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt⠀➾ # ⚓ New_Wallpaper_for_KDE_Plasma_5.21_Revealed⠀⇛ KDE developers have shared the wallpaper they plan to ship in KDE Plasma 5.21. The new background was uploaded in a Git commit today (Jan 5) is titled ‘Milky Way’. Fastidious fans of KDE artwork might find the new featured wallpaper a smidge familiar as new design was first proposed for inclusion during the Plasma 5.18 release cycle. # § GNOME Desktop/GTK⠀➾ # ⚓ Quick_review_of_Lenovo_Yoga_9i_laptop⠀⇛ This is … not good. Fedora live USBs do not even boot, and a Ubuntu 20/10 live USB has a lot of broken stuff, but surprisingly wifi works nicely. # ⚓ A_new_release_of_nsnstrace⠀⇛ # ⚓ Devhelp_on_Fedora_Silverblue_–_Ondřej_Holý⠀⇛ I have recently switched to Fedora Silverblue. The recommended way for development is to use Fedora Toolbox containers, so I have started using it and installed the various development packages there. I like the Devhelp application for browsing the API documentation. So I installed that application over GNOME Software. But the problem is that the Devhelp application started from GNOME Shell doesn’t see the documentation files which are located under the Toolbox container. This is probably expected, but it is annoying. Starting the Devhelp application from the terminal over toolbox run flatpak run org.gnome.Devhelp is pretty cumbersome. # ⚓ Molly_de_Blanc:_Welcome_to_2021!⠀⇛ GNOME helps users. We believe strongly that in order to create good technology, it must be trustworthy. We do this through the creation of world class technology that meets the needs of users — GNOME works for everyday people. This also means that people know a technology is working in their best interests. With rigorous scientific methods and passionate end user advocacy, GNOME is designed for users, by users. We dedicated 2020 to making sure that GNOME software works for everyone through a focus on accessibility. This work is certainly not finished, but we’re proud of how far we’ve come. With the newest release of GTK4, we’ve completely revamped our accessibility toolkit. The updated layout implementation creates new possibilities for designing interfaces for a variety of user needs and preferences. We know that GNOME must be usable by everyone, whether that is due to disability or simply geography. There are more than 140 translations of GNOME in progress, which includes the billions of people who do not speak English. o § Distributions⠀➾ # ⚓ Best_weird_and_wonderful_niche_Linux_distros_in_2021⠀⇛ But just because they are different doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. In fact, all of the distro have a niche following and their dedicated community of users and developers has helped power them through the years. Read on to find out more about each of these interesting distros. Before we begin, however, do note that not all of these distros are suitable for everyday use, which is why even though we encourage you to try them all, make sure you do so in a Live environment or within the safe confines of a virtual machine, rather than install them on a physical machine. [...] The USP of Intel’s distro is its performance optimizations for Intel architecture. It ships as a Live ISO image that boots to a Gnome desktop, and now comes equipped with an intuitive graphical installer. The distro is built from scratch and offers several unique characteristics, such as its stateless design, which separates the user and system files on the filesystem. Also interesting is its custom package management system that’s based on bundles that contain everything an app requires, including its dependencies. The distro supports delta updates, which means it’ll only fetch the changes and merge them with the installed components, in effect reducing the download size. # § New Releases⠀➾ # ⚓ tuxtrans_20.04_b_is_out⠀⇛ tuxtrans is a Desktop GNU/Linux System developed for translators on the basis of the widely used distribution Ubuntu, more specifically the version with the XFCE desktop called Xubuntu. As a Linux distribution listed on Distrowatch it is a full-fledged operating system and includes a broad collection of software applications which allow a translator to do his/her job most efficiently and in line with the latest standards. # § Screenshots/Screencasts⠀➾ # ⚓ Nitrux_OS_1.3.6⠀⇛ Today we are looking at Nitrux OS 1.3.6. It comes with Linux Kernel 5.10, based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, and uses about 800MB to 1.2GB of ram when idling. # ⚓ Nitrux_OS_1.3.6_Run_Through_–_YouTube⠀⇛ In this video, we are looking at Nitrux OS 1.3.6. # § PCLinuxOS/Mageia/Mandriva/OpenMandriva Family⠀➾ # ⚓ Benchmarking_OpenMandriva_Lx_4.2_With_Its_AMD_Zen Optimized_Build⠀⇛ While Intel has Clear Linux as an aggressively optimized Linux distribution catering towards their hardware, there isn’t a direct equivalent for optimally showcasing the performance potential of current AMD platforms. Clear Linux often offers leading performance on Zen CPUs but that is obviously not by design but just an artifact of a lot in common between the latest Intel and AMD microarchitecture features. One of the few distributions (or only notable one) offering specific AMD Zen optimized builds has been OpenMandriva. With the OpenMandriva Lx 4.2 release candidate shipping this week, I ran some fresh benchmarks looking at how OpenMandriva Lx 4.2 RC1 compares between its generic x86_64 image and that of the Zen optimized build as well as in turn how that performance compares to Clear Linux and Ubuntu 20.10. # § IBM/Red Hat/Fedora⠀➾ # ⚓ Project_Lenix_–_the_CentOS_replacement:_Interview with_Founder_Igor_Seletskiy⠀⇛ In response to the Rad Hat© killing free and open-source CentOS® 8, CloudLinux announced the commitment to release a free, open- sourced, community-driven, 1:1 binary compatible fork of RHEL® 8 (and future releases) in the Q1 of 2021. CloudLinux will invest $1 million annually in development and establish a community initiative around its RHEL fork intended as a safe haven for CentOS users left stranded by the RedHat announcement. # ⚓ Fedora_34_Planning_To_Offer_LXQt_0.16_Desktop Packages_–_Phoronix⠀⇛ Keeping up with Fedora’s tradition of offering the very latest open-source software packages, the straight-forward proposal was made this week to update its lightweight LXQt desktop packages against the new LXQt 0.16. Back in November marked the release of LXQt 0.16 that was comprised mostly of bug fixes but did bring some configuration improvements, power management handling work, support for extracting RPMs, new themes, and other mostly small changes. # ⚓ Fedora_34_To_Ship_With_Standalone_XWayland,_LLVM_12_+ Other_Changes_Approved_–_Phoronix⠀⇛ Fedora 34 remains under active feature development and another batch of features were unanimously approved of by the Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee. Ahead of tomorrow’s weekly FESCo meeting now back on track after the holidays, a number of Fedora 34 features already received unanimous approval. # ⚓ Community_Blog_summary:_December_2020⠀⇛ In Decenber [sic], we published 12 posts. The site had 3,257 visits from 1,971 unique viewers. Readers wrote three comments. 121 visits came from Fedora Planet, while 432 came from search engines, and 144 came from Twitter and 91 from Phoronix. # ⚓ CloudLinux_commits_to_‘commits’_on_(CentOS replacement)_Project_Lenix_–_Open_Source_Insider⠀⇛ CloudLinux OS is a Linux distribution intended for use by shared [web] hosting providers. But there is more to the story than just the arrival of this distro, developed by software company CloudLinux, Inc. CloudLinux OS is based on the CentOS operating system; it uses the OpenVZ kernel and the rpm package manager… and the resulting work programme is known as Project Lenix. Project Lenix is to be an open sourced and community-driven Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) fork. # ⚓ RHEL9_Raises_Base_Target_For_x86_64_CPUs_Plus Possible_Optimized_Libraries_With_glibc-hwcaps_– Phoronix⠀⇛ As we reported almost one year ago, Red Hat was looking at likely dropping older x86_64 CPU support from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and we now have a better idea of their plans in catering RHEL9 better to modern processors. Following the work over the past several months by open-source developers on x86-64 microarchitecture feature levels for the compiler toolchains, for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 the plan is to assume a base of at least x86-64-v2. # ⚓ Building_Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux_9_for_the_x86-64-v2 microarchitecture_level⠀⇛ One of the most important early decisions when building a Linux distribution is the scope of supported hardware. The distribution’s default compiler flags are significant for hardware-platform compatibility. Programs that use newer CPU instructions might not run on older CPUs. In this article, I discuss a new approach to building the x86-64 variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9 and share Red Hat’s recommendation for that build. # ⚓ Customer_Success_Stories:_How_Red_Hat_OpenShift_can work_for_your_public_or_private_sector_environment⠀⇛ Porsche Informatik recently deployed Red Hat OpenShift to speed application development and delivery and stay competitive in a fast- paced global market. This month, we’re highlighting not just this automotive industry success story, but also customers in the public sector and banking industry that have gained efficiencies by deploying Red Hat OpenShift and adopted a more agile, collaborative DevOps approach along the way. [...] Like many of its competitors, Poalim Bank is facing new opportunities—and challenges—from the financial industry’s shift to digital operations and customer engagement. Poalim, one of Israel’s largest banks, is already an innovation leader in financial services, having opened its first paperless digital branch in 2015 and launching peer-to-peer (P2P) payment platform, Bit, in 2017. Now, Poalim is focused on speeding its time to market for new digital services and features to stay competitive. Poalim was already familiar with Red Hat, having used RHEL for five years. It recently decided to migrate its digital service and application environment to Red Hat OpenShift. With the Red Hat OpenShift interface, operations teams can gain clear visibility into resource use, capacity, and access. Developers can use automation to deploy test environments in minutes—a process that previously could take up to a week. Additionally, the bank has reduced its regression testing process from two weeks to just three days. Poalim also worked closely with Red Hat Consulting before and during deployment for assistance with proof of concept testing, guidance for adopting DevOps workflows, and technical support. After a successful deployment, Poalim has now migrated its ATM management systems and the Bit platform to run on Red Hat OpenShift, with plans to migrate additional workloads and services in the future. # ⚓ Following_the_data_science_methodology⠀⇛ Data science is an enormous field, and it is not only about developing machine learning models or predicting outputs to various scenarios an individual can experience when dealing with data. [...] When you have confidence in the the model, you move to the deployment phase where you deploy the model to a limited number people to get feedback on the predictions and to see if the model is good for public use. After the model is deployed, you receive the feedback from the model’s users. The users provide further feedback about the model, and then you can refine the model further, evaluate it, and deploy it again. It goes back to the feedback phase and repeats this process until you have a final model. Then, you can deploy it to a large set of users. As you can see with this methodology, you can get in-depth insight into your data science pipeline. Additionally, this is an agile methodology, so as you spend more time in each step, you get into a deeper understanding and implementation of the model, and it lets you attain better results in the field of data science. # ⚓ 4_lines_of_code_to_improve_your_Ansible_play⠀⇛ Out in the blogosphere, which sings the virtues of infrastructure-as-code, continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, code reviews, and testing regimes, it is easy to forget that such a well- engineered ivory tower is an ideal, not a reality. Imperfect systems haunt us, but we must ship something. There are few towers less ivory than those created by gluing together APIs in the course of system automation. It is a brittle world. The pressures are enormous to get it “working,” get it shipped, and move on. # ⚓ IBM_Cloud_Pak_for_Watson_AIOps:_IT_Automation_Powered by_AI⠀⇛ # ⚓ 5_career_guides_for_sysadmins_|_Enable_Sysadmin⠀⇛ Sysadmins don’t always follow a traditional career path, which is what makes these five stories inspiring in their own ways. # § Debian Family⠀➾ # ⚓ Ben_Hutchings:_Debian_LTS_work,_December_2020⠀⇛ I was assigned 16 hours of work by Freexian’s Debian LTS initiative and carried over 9 hours from earlier months. I worked 16 hours this month, so I will again carry over 9 hours to January. o § Devices/Embedded⠀➾ # § Open Hardware/Modding⠀➾ # ⚓ Adafruit_Voice_Bonnet_is_meant_for_DIY_Raspberry_Pi Smart_Speakers⠀⇛ Adafruit Voice Bonnet features two speakers and two mics, that can be used as an audio- voice interface for Raspberry Pi SBC to create a DIY smart speaker or other audio product. The voice bonnet can work with any Raspberry Pi from Pi Zero up to Pi 4, with 40-pin 2 x 20 connector. Two speaker outputs of the voice bonnet have a power rating of 1 Watt. The voice bonnet contains 3.5 mm stereo outputs, headphone stereo, or line-out audio. The Adafruit voice bonnet has an on-board WM8960 low-power stereo codec that uses I2S digital audio for both input and output. # ⚓ Arduino_Blog_»_Get_the_time_from_GETULA,_a_modular chain_link_clock⠀⇛ After observing a bicycle chain lying on the street in a random pattern, Ekaggrat Singh Kalsi was inspired to make a unique clock that morphs chains to tell time. The clock, known as “GETULA,” consists of four independent modules that work together to reveal the hour and minutes. Each GETULA module uses two stepper motors to advance a couple of custom 3D-printed chains out of the device’s structure. As they are pushed forward, a pair of servos bend the links left and right, incrementally creating numbers when fully formed. # ⚓ Arduino_Blog_»_Let_this_robotic_system_sort_your_LEGO bricks_for_you⠀⇛ If you don’t enjoy sorting LEGO, you will be pleased to know that students at Bruface – or the Brussels Faculty of Engineering in Belgium – are working on an automated machine to do it for you! The team’s prototype device detects brick colors on a conveyor belt and picks them up via a gantry-style gripper assembly. It then places each piece in an individual bin by color using a TCS34725 sensor, saving a step if you’d like to keep that castle wall consistent. # § Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ Android_11_bricking_Android_One’s_Xiaomi_Mi_A3⠀⇛ # ⚓ Oppo_ColorOS_11_(Android_11)_update_plan_for_Q1_2021 goes_live⠀⇛ # ⚓ Nokia_Android_11_(Android_R)_update_eligible devices⠀⇛ # ⚓ OnePlus_Nord_gets_first_Android_11_beta⠀⇛ # ⚓ Asus_Zenfone_6_Android_11_update_arriving_on_global units⠀⇛ # ⚓ [Update:_Jan._06]_Honor_Magic_UI_4.0/EMUI_11_update tracker:_Devices_that_have_received_beta/stable_so far⠀⇛ # ⚓ HTC_is_still_making_phones_and_their_latest_is_a_mid- ranger_running_Android_10⠀⇛ # ⚓ Watch_out_Google!_Android_rival_could_soon_be installed_on_millions_of_smartphones⠀⇛ # ⚓ 5_Methods_to_Fix_WiFi_Not_Working_On_Your_Android Phone⠀⇛ # ⚓ Here’s_when_your_OnePlus_Nord_will_get_the_OxygenOS 11_(Android_11)_update⠀⇛ # ⚓ [Update:_Jan._05]_Motorola_Android_11_update: Tracker,_list_of_eligible_devices_&_release_date⠀⇛ # ⚓ Xiaomi_stops_rollout_of_troubled_Android_11_update for_the_Mi_A3⠀⇛ # ⚓ Asus_Zenfone_6_Android_11_update_arriving_on_global units⠀⇛ # ⚓ How_to_Turn_on_Dark_Mode_at_Sunset_on_Android⠀⇛ # ⚓ How_to_add_a_website_shortcut_to_your_Android_home screen⠀⇛ # ⚓ How_to_remove_a_Google_account_from_Android_or_iOS device⠀⇛ # ⚓ How_to_prioritize_networks_on_Android⠀⇛ # ⚓ 6_smart_steps_to_get_your_Android_phone_in_tip-top shape_for_2021⠀⇛ # ⚓ Best_Android_app_deals_of_the_day:_Planescape Torment,_hocus_2,_Learn_C_PRO,_more⠀⇛ # ⚓ Google_Warns_of_Critical_Android_Remote_Code Execution_Bug⠀⇛ # ⚓ Upcoming_Android_phone_sets_Antutu_benchmark_record⠀⇛ # ⚓ OpenMTP,_an_Android_File_Transfer_alternative_for macOS,_gains_Samsung_device_support_and_a_dark_theme⠀⇛ # ⚓ Blackview_Tab_8E:_An_affordable_2-in-1_Android_tablet with_a_removable_keyboard⠀⇛ o § Free, Libre, and Open Source Software⠀➾ # § Web Browsers⠀➾ # § Mozilla⠀➾ # ⚓ Controlled_Experiments_–_Why_Bother?⠀⇛ I spent some time earlier this year orchestrating a massive experiment for Firefox. We launched a bunch of new features with Firefox 80 and we wanted to understand whether these new features improved our metrics. In the process, I ended up talking with a bunch of Firefox engineers and explaining why we need to run a controlled experiment. There were a few questions that got repeated a lot, so I figure it’s worth answering them here. This article is the first in a series I’m writing on building data intuition. This article is targeted at new data scientists or engineers interested in data. I also hope this becomes a useful resource for data scientists, so they can point their stake-holders to this resource. # § CMS⠀➾ # ⚓ The_Month_in_WordPress:_December_2020⠀⇛ We bid goodbye to 2020 in style with the release of WordPress 5.6 and the launch of Learn WordPress. But these weren’t the only exciting updates from WordPress in December. Read on to learn more! # § FSF⠀➾ # § GNU Projects⠀➾ # ⚓ mailutils_@_Savannah:_Version_3.11.1⠀⇛ Version 3.11.1 of GNU mailutils is available for download. This version fixes a bug in the library function mu_url_create_hint that caused MH inc to coredump when called without explicit -file option. It also includes updated localizations. # ⚓ gnucobol_@_Savannah:_Release_of_GnuCOBOL 3.1.2⠀⇛ # § Public Services/Government⠀➾ # ⚓ Open-source_developer_and_manager_David_Recordon named_White_House_Director_of_Technology⠀⇛ President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team announced that David Recordon, one of OpenId and oAuth’s developers, has been named the White House Director of Technology. Recordon most recently was the VP of infrastructure and security at the non-profit Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation. [...] This isn’t Recordon’s first time in the White House. During President Barack Obama’s term of office, Recordon served as the first Director of White House Information Technology. There, Recordon worked on IT modernization and cybersecurity issues. He’s also served as the Biden-Harris transition team’s deputy CTO. Recordon will face enormous challenges. With technology and science downplayed by President Donald Trump, he’ll need to rebuild the executive branch’s technology base. In addition, Recordon will need to help address such technology issues as net neutrality, Big Tech business regulation, broadband expansion, and how the administration gets a grip on next-generation technology such as facial recognition, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics. Some people will object to Recordon’s Facebook connections, but sources who’ve known him state: “David is one of the good guys,” and he “knows his tech and how to get people excited and working together, he’ll be great.” # § Openness/Sharing/Collaboration⠀➾ # § Open Data⠀➾ # ⚓ OpenStreetMap,_Easy_Peasy_for_Newbie⠀⇛ Here’s my own Open Street Map’s basic guide for everybody. To start using OSM, go to MapQuest.com and we will show you the rest. [...] Let me share with you. Below is Jakarta, Capital of Indonesia live from Open Street Map. This map is live, you can drag it, move it, zoom it as you wish. You can make a map like this on your website by sharing the embed code. Simpler than this, I can also give you just the link (mapq.st/38dRV54). How to do that? # § Programming/Development⠀➾ # ⚓ IBM_Advance_Toolchain_for_Linux_on_Power_13.0- 3_released!⠀⇛ A new update release for the 13.0 series of the IBM® Advance Toolchain for Linux on Power is now available. [...] The IBM Advance Toolchain for Linux on Power is a set of open source development tools (compiler, debugger and profiling tools) and runtime libraries that allow users to take leading edge advantage of IBM’s latest POWER® hardware features on Linux®. # ⚓ Nasah_Kuma:_Think_About_your_audience⠀⇛ The new year has got me thinking of how much I have learnt so far about open source and GJS. Usually, contributing to an open source project for the first time is like stepping into the unknown- not knowing how the community will welcome you, how helpful the community members will be or if the skills you have are good enough for a start. In this blog post I will be talking about how my journey has been which might be useful to you thinking of contributing to the GJS debugger. Some months ago, I submitted an initial application for the May 2020 round of the outreachy internships not knowing exactly if I was ready for the journey ahead. Unfortunately I didn’t get through to the contributions phase but the little experience I had from going through the lists of organisations that participated in previous rounds and checking out some of their repositories helped me become more familiar with open source contribution. When the contributions phase for the December 2020 – March 2021 round started, so much confusion set in. Which Organisation should I choose, Why should I choose it and what strategy am I to use to get selected were the questions I kept asking myself. Sooner than later, I finally decided to choose something that in my opinion was not only challenging but will make me feel like part of something great. Due to the fact that I developed a special relationship with JavaScript mainly because it is the first language that helped me understand what programming meant deeply, I chose the GJS project and another project which required JavaScript. I finally put all of my eggs in the GJS basket when I realized that it was a developer tool and because of how quickly my mentor and other community members helped me out when I got stuck. This experience alone made me understand that the community is open to everyone. You just need to be willing to put in the time and be open enough to ask questions. # ⚓ Wasmer_1.0_Released_As_The_Universal_WebAssembly Runtime_Outside_The_Browser_–_Phoronix⠀⇛ As we have been expecting in recent weeks, Wasmer 1.0 has been released as the “universal WebAssembly runtime” for helping to accelerate WASM adoption and new use-cases outside of the web browser. # ⚓ 12_Open-source_free_Agile_and_SCRUM_project management_solutions⠀⇛ Agile project management is a project management approach that values and prioritizes human communication and feedback to deliver a quality product. The project is done in sprints, each sprint is aiming to improve the workflow and productivity by learning from the previous step (sprint). # ⚓ Excellent_Free_Tutorials_to_Learn_Icon_–_LinuxLinks⠀⇛ Icon is a high-level, general-purpose language that contains a wide variety of features for processing and presenting symbolic data — strings of characters and structures — both as text and as graphic images. Icon has a large repertoire of operations for manipulating structures — records, lists, sets, and tables — and extensive capabilities for processing strings of characters. At the heart of Icon is a goal — directed expression-evaluation mechanism that simplifies many programming tasks. Storage is allocated automatically — you never have to worry about allocating space — and garbage collection reclaims unused space as necessary. Applications of Icon include analysing natural languages, reformatting data, generating computer programs, manipulating formulas, formatting documents, artificial intelligence, rapid prototyping, and graphic display of complex objects, and more. Here’s our recommended free tutorials/ articles that’ll help you master Icon. # § Perl/Raku⠀➾ # ⚓ Russell_Coker:_Weather_and_Boinc⠀⇛ I just wrote a Perl script to look at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology pages to find the current temperature in an area and then adjust BOINC settings accordingly. The Perl script (in this post after the break, which shouldn’t be in the RSS feed) takes the URL of a Bureau of Meteorology observation point as ARGV[0] and parses that to find the current (within the last hour) temperature. Then successive command line arguments are of the form “24:100” and “30:50” which indicate that at below 24C 100% of CPU cores should be used and below 30C 50% of CPU cores should be used. In warm weather having a couple of workstations in a room running BOINC (or any other CPU intensive task) will increase the temperature and also make excessive noise from cooling fans. To change the number of CPU cores used the script changes /etc/boinc-client/ global_prefs_override.xml and then tells BOINC to reload that config file. This code is a little ugly (it doesn’t properly parse XML, it just replaces a line of text) and could fail on a valid configuration file that wasn’t produced by the current BOINC code. # § Python⠀➾ # ⚓ Resize_images_using_Python⠀⇛ I love Python, and I’ve been learning it for a while now. Some time ago, I wrote a Python script where I needed to resize a bunch of images while at the same time keeping the aspect ratio (the proportions) intact. So I looked around and found Pillow, a Python imaging library and “friendly fork” of an old library just called PIL. * § Leftovers⠀➾ o ⚓ A_Women’s_Boxing_Team_Grows_in_Gaza⠀⇛ The Israeli government has continued its 14-year blockade against Gaza for reasons beyond the military and the strategic. The blockade—alongside bombings and selective assassinations—also accomplishes the political and ideological goal of killing hope. It crushes the aspirations that Palestinian people might have for justice, self-determination, or even a better life. o § Education⠀➾ # ⚓ 1960s_survival_Mandarin_lessons_for_US_troops_in_Taiwan_go viral⠀⇛ On Sunday, an image showing a basic Mandarin lesson for U.S. airmen stationed at Taichung’s Ching Chuan Kang Air Base was shared on the Facebook group Taiwan History and was posted the next day on the Taiwan subreddit for the social media site Reddit. The lessons were originally posted in the base’s library, and an image of the manual was included in a collection of photos uploaded onto a webpage titled “U.S. Military Ching Chuan Kang Base Footprints Museum,” which is part of the Republic of China Air Force website. According to the website, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) was stationed at the base from 1963 to 1979, when former President Jimmy Carter severed U.S. diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The 16 years that the USAF occupied the facility marked the longest period a U.S. military unit had occupied any base in Taiwan. o § Integrity/Availability⠀➾ # § Proprietary⠀➾ # ⚓ Microsoft_will_shut_down_Minecraft_Earth_in_June⠀⇛ At its core, Minecraft Earth was a game based upon exploration and discovery. During the early days of lockdown, my kids and I would wander around the neighborhood, looking for animals, ores, and dungeons to explore. But Microsoft said that the “current global situation” prevented the free movement and collaborative play that allowed Minecraft Earth to survive. As a result, Minecraft Earth will be turned off in June. “On June 30, we will discontinue all content and service support for the game,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “This means that we will stop all development, and after that date, you will be unable to download or play Minecraft Earth anymore. On July 1, we will delete any Minecraft Earth player data unrelated to Character Creator and Minecoin entitlements.” # ⚓ What_went_wrong_with_software_for_prisons⠀⇛ Microsoft and its partner Tribridge, a tech company that specialises in business applications and cloud solutions, Microsoft built the IDOC a searchable web-based solution called Offender 360 to centralise databases in the cloud and upgrade its prison management capabilities. Then-Governor Patrick Quinn said at the time, Microsoft’s “cutting-edge technology will give Illinois one of the most advanced criminal justice information systems in the country.” [...] For Microsoft, this was years in the making. In a 2016 blog post, “Digital Technology and the Prison of the Future”, Microsoft envisioned prisons monitored with CCTV, drones and IoT devices, including “finger, face, and eye recognition to identify inmates” as well as RFID tagging and tracking bands. # § Pseudo-Open Source⠀➾ # § Privatisation/Privateering⠀➾ # § Linux Foundation⠀➾ # ⚓ Santa_Fe’s_DeployHub_gains_Linux recognition [Ed: Conflating Linux with the Microsoft-leaning 'Linux' Foundation]⠀⇛ Santa Fe-based DeployHub’s open-source microservices management platform has been accepted by the San Francisco-based Linux Foundation, which provides support for the open-source technology community. Linux will manage and govern the DeployHub code behind its Ortelius product, which simplifies the creation of modern software for future technology, company co- founder and CEO Tracy Ragan said. # § Security⠀➾ # ⚓ Kali_Linux:_Everything_You_Need_to_Know⠀⇛ Kali Linux is not just any Linux Distro but also an operating system portrayed as unique and ferocious. Its ferocity is nothing to be scared about. It implies the impact it has on the objective of penetration testers and security experts who use it. Kali Linux is a modern-day and sophisticated Linux distro. Offensive Security takes credit for the development and maintenance of this Debian-based system. The information security industry is growing because of Offensive Security’s pioneering support. However, Kali Linux did not pop out of the air. There is an origin linked to its current reputable status, and its name is BackTrack. This security-focused distribution provided a stable foundation for the development of Kali Linux before it became obsolete. A successful installation of the Kali Linux distro is beautifully packaged with pre-installed security- focused advanced tools like Wireshark, Aircrack-ng, and Nmap. Therefore, who is this platform build for? If you consider yourself a security enthusiast that wants to test new waters or tame new heights, then you should knock on the door of Kali Linux. Moreover, this assumption does not rule out the students with the hunger and thirst for mastering penetration testing and ethical hacking. This distro is ideal for you to build and master your skills quietly. As the Kali Linux philosophy goes, the quieter you are, the more you will hear. Therefore, this article seeks to silently go through some essential knowledge base to ease the beginner bumps you might face once you give Kali Linux your heart and soul. # ⚓ Ubuntu_20.10_comes_with_Nftables_as_a firewall⠀⇛ The current version of the Linux distribution Ubuntu also comes with a new desktop image for the Raspberry Pi 4 and many package updates. The Linux distributor Canonical has released the current version Ubuntu 20.10 alias Groovy Gorilla. The version does not receive long-term maintenance, but is only provided with updates for nine months. The main new features of the version are the usual and expected package updates. One of the most fundamental changes to the system with the new version concerns the firewall backend. Here Canonical relies on the use of Nftables instead of the previously used iptables. Nftables has been part of the Linux kernel for more than six years, but its spread and use within Linux distributions has only grown slowly since then. # ⚓ Reproducible_Builds_in_December_2020⠀⇛ Greetings and welcome to the December 2020 report from the Reproducible Builds project. In these monthly reports, we try to outline most important things that have happened in and around the Reproducible Builds project. # ⚓ Security_updates_for_Tuesday⠀⇛ Security updates have been issued by Arch Linux (dovecot, poppler, roundcubemail, and rsync), Debian (csync2 and gssproxy), Fedora (grafana, perl-Convert-ASN1, and python-py), openSUSE (privoxy), Oracle (kernel), Red Hat (ImageMagick and kernel), SUSE (ceph, dovecot22, flac, java-1_7_1-ibm, openssh, and python), and Ubuntu (dovecot, horizon, openexr, and python- apt). # ⚓ One_month_after_ransomware_attack,_Metro Vancouver’s_transit_system_still_not_up_to_speed [iophk: Windows TCO]⠀⇛ The attack, at the beginning of December 2020, saw [crackers] access company databases, plant the Egregor ransomware which locked down systems by encrypting data files, and even churn out a ransom note on hijacked printers. # ⚓ TransLink_warns_staff_[attackers]_accessed personal_banking_information_in_cyberattack [iophk: Windows TCO]⠀⇛ The ransomware attack, which was first reported Dec. 2 and confirmed by the transit authority a day later, forced TransLink to shut down all of its online operations after sources said the entire database was breached earlier that week. Credit card tapping on Compass gates and non-cash payments at Compass vending machines were also temporarily disabled. # ⚓ [Old] Egregor_ransomware_hits_again,_another business_email_scam_and_an_insider_blamed_for Italian_job [iophk: Windows TCO]⠀⇛ It was just over a month ago that a leading ransomware gang called Maze claimed it had stopped operating. If true a group called Egregor, first seen in September, is trying to fill the void. The Egregor ransomware strain has quickly hit a number of organizations, including Metro Vancouver’s TransLink public transit system. The latest victims are American retail chain KMart and an international human resource consulting firm called Randstad. In a statement last week Randstad said a limited number of servers were hit, but data relating to operations in the U.S., Italy, France and Poland were affected. The Egregor gang has begun publishing what it says is some of the data it stolen before encrypting information. # ⚓ [Old] RansomExx_Ransomware_Gang_Dumps_Stolen Embraer_Data:_Report [iophk: Windows TCO]⠀⇛ Other ransomware groups that also manage leak sites for the data stolen in ransomware attacks include Conti, Clop, Egregor and REvil, among others. Several of these groups have pulled off a number of significant attacks in the last few months, some of which resulted in data being leaked on their respective sites. Last week Egregor hit both the Vancouver metro system Translink and U.S. retailer Kmart with ransomware attacks. Prior to that, the group also mounted major attacks in October against bookseller Barnes & Noble and gaming companies Ubisof and Crytek. # ⚓ [Old] Metro_Vancouver_and_the_world’s_largest staffing_firm_hit_by_Egregor_ransomware [iophk: Windows TCO]⠀⇛ Two major organizations — Randstad, the world’s largest staffing agency and Translink, the Metro Vancouver transporting agency — fell victim to Egregor ransomware attacks. The Egregor ransomware group is found to be highly operational in recent times, and it continues to wreak havoc on enterprises. Egregor ransomware caused disruptions to the Chilean retail giant Cencosud recently followed by an attack on Kmart. Randstad has mentioned that the Egregor ransomware group has disclosed one percent of the stolen data and has exposed 32.7 MB of data with 184 files. Randstad is a global staffing agency with offices in 38 markets and has an employee count of 38,000 with a revenue of €23.7 billion in 2019. Randstad is also the owner of the popular employment website monster.com. Randstad has also mentioned that only a limited number of servers were compromised and its team is doing its best to resolve the situation. # ⚓ LibreSSL_languishes_on_Linux⠀⇛ The OpenSSL project, though, has merged over 5,000 patches during approximately the same time period; that work came from 276 developers. Just as importantly, much of that work is supported by organizations that depend on OpenSSL; large contributors include Oracle, Siemens, Akamai, Red Hat, IBM, VMware, Intel, and Arm — along with the OpenSSL Software Foundation itself. This level of support has enabled the OpenSSL project to address many of its longstanding problems; by 2016, the project was on a much more stable footing. Security problems still exist, of course — this is software we are talking about, after all — but they are dealt with in a coordinated way and people don’t worry about OpenSSL as they once did. One result of all this work is that Linux distributions have, in general, not shifted away from OpenSSL. Two distributions that did attempt to provide LibreSSL support were Alpine Linux and Gentoo. Alpine Linux supported LibreSSL as its primary TLS library for a while, but switched back to OpenSSL with the 3.9.0 release in January 2019. Gentoo never tried to switch over completely, but it supports LibreSSL as an alternative. # ⚓ Hamas_May_Be_Threat_to_8chan,_QAnon_Online⠀⇛ In October 2020, KrebsOnSecurity looked at how a web of sites connected to conspiracy theory movements QAnon and 8chan were being kept online by DDoS- Guard, a dodgy Russian firm that also hosts the official site for the terrorist group Hamas. New research shows DDoS-Guard relies on data centers provided by a U.S.-based publicly traded company, which experts say could be exposed to civil and criminal liabilities as a result of DDoS-Guard’s business with Hamas. # § Privacy/Surveillance⠀➾ # ⚓ Trump_signs_executive_order_blocking transactions_with_Alipay,_WeChat_Pay,_and six_other_Chinese_apps⠀⇛ President Trump has signed a new executive order prohibiting transactions with the companies behind eight Chinese apps, including Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s QQ and WeChat Pay. Transactions will be prohibited in 45 days. Reuters was the first to report the news. The full list of apps includes: Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office. # ⚓ Trump_bars_U.S._transactions_with_eight Chinese_apps_including_Alipay⠀⇛ It tasks the Commerce Department with defining which transactions will be banned under the directive within 45 days and targets Tencent Holdings Ltd’s QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay as well. The order also names CamScanner, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate and WPS Office. A U.S. Tencent spokeswoman and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. “By accessing personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information,” the executive order states. # ⚓ Amazon,_Swiggy’s_payment_processor_hit_by data_breach⠀⇛ Mumbai: Payment services provider Juspay, which processes transactions for online giants like Amazon, Swiggy and other companies, on Monday admitted to a data breach that took place in August 2020. The breach resulted in about 3.5 crore records with masked card numbers and personal data getting compromised. The disclosures came after internet security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia shared on social media a sample of the data that was available for sale on the dark web. “The database was put for sale by an unknown person who was dealing through Telegram,” Rajaharia told TOI. # ⚓ FBI_found_Ghislaine_Maxwell_using_mobile phone_data⠀⇛ She was located using global- positioning-system (GPS) data from a phone that had made calls to her lawyer, sister and husband. # ⚓ The_10_Best_Secure_Private_Email_Services for_Privacy⠀⇛ The perfect functionality offered by some of these mentioned email services might contradict your high expectation for personalized features and remarkable UIs. Therefore, it might be a hard pill to swallow, but the need for user privacy and security should not be easily dismissed. An email service’s system performance and functionality should prioritize the need for an outstanding webmail client design. Choosing a secure and private email service will always cause a collision between the need for a flexibly customizable user- friendly app and the need for a performant yet encryptable mail app. Regardless of which side you choose in this tug of war, the following factors should have a say in your decision-making criterion. o § Defence/Aggression⠀➾ # ⚓ The_Legacy_of_General_Qassem_Soleimani:_A_Woman’s Perspective⠀⇛ In a recent interview with RT, Zeinab Soleimani, the daughter of late Iranian General, Qasem Soleiman said that “After killing my father, America thought that everything would be stopped because they killed General Soleimani, the power of the Middle East. But they are so wrong… They are so wrong in thinking this will be the end of General Soleimani, this is the beginning.” # ⚓ Violent_threats_ripple_through_far-right_internet_forums ahead_of_protest⠀⇛ Online forums popular with conservatives and far- right activists have been filled in recent days with threats and expectations of violence ahead of a planned protest in Washington on Wednesday to coincide with congressional certification of the election. In anticipation of possible violence, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked residents to stay away from the downtown area where protesters will be marching. Every city police officer will be on duty, and the National Guard has been mobilized. # ⚓ With_Pro-Trumpers_‘Intent_on_Bringing_Firearms’_to_MAGA March,_DC_Activates_National_Guard⠀⇛ “I am asking Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the downtown area on Tuesday and Wednesday and not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful,” Bowser tweeted on Sunday. # ⚓ DC_mayor_calls_in_National_Guard_ahead_of_pro-Trump protests⠀⇛ Bracing for possible violence, the nation’s capital has mobilized the National Guard ahead of planned protests by President Donald Trump’s supporters in connection with the congressional vote expected Wednesday to affirm Joe Biden’s election victory. o § Environment⠀➾ # ⚓ ‘Biggest_Threat_Yet’_to_Arctic_Refuge_as_Trump_Readies Last-Minute_Lease_Sale⠀⇛ “The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge faces its biggest threat yet.” # ⚓ ‘Biggest_Threat_Yet’_to_Arctic_Refuge_as_Trump_Readies Last-Minute_Lease_Sale⠀⇛ “We shouldn’t be exploring drilling anywhere.” o § Finance⠀➾ # ⚓ How_Biden_Can_Help_End_the_Country’s_Debt_Crisis⠀⇛ Every year, achieving greater financial security ranks as one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Given the impact of the coronavirus, the number of people who made that resolution this year was likely even higher. Our country faces a debt crisis—and the incoming administration should act to solve it. o § AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics⠀➾ # ⚓ Georgia_Runoff⠀⇛ # ⚓ ‘Shameful_Power_Grab’:_Pennsylvania_GOP_State_Senators Slammed_for_Refusing_to_Seat_Certified_Election_Winner⠀⇛ “Voters, not Harrisburg politicians, decided this election,” asserted Gov. Tom Wolf, “and Sen. Brewster is the rightful winner.” # ⚓ Trump_Turns_the_Crazy_Up_to_11—and_the_GOP_Cheers_Him⠀⇛ # ⚓ “Unethical_and_Anti-Democratic”:_GOP_Lawmakers_&_Trump Continue_Push_to_Overturn_Election_Results⠀⇛ At a campaign rally for the two critical Senate runoff races in Georgia, President Trump used much of the time to focus on himself and again dispute the outcome of November’s presidential election. In a rambling speech, Trump cited the same conspiracy theories he used to pressure Georgia’s secretary of state in a recorded telephone call to “find” him enough votes to overturn the state’s certified election results. Democrats say Trump could be prosecuted for illegally trying to pressure Georgia officials to commit voter fraud, while some Republicans are defending the call. “It is most unfortunate that there are members of Congress in both the House and Senate that are planning to … do grandstanding, frankly, to continue this kind of false and baseless claim that there was something wrong with the 2020 election,” says Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She says that for lawmakers to “perpetuate this mythology about irregularities in our election is incredibly un- American.” # ⚓ Ahead_of_Pro-Trump_Protest,_Proud_Boys_Leader_Arrested_for Burning_BLM_Banner_at_Black_Church⠀⇛ As thousands are expected to descend on Washington, D.C., to join far-right protests over the election results Wednesday, the leader of the Proud Boys hate group, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested on property destruction charges for burning a Black Lives Matter banner off a historically Black church during similar protests last month. Many churches have requested extra protection, and the Metropolitan AME Church is suing the Proud Boys. “Sadly, our nation has a very dark and sordid history of targeting historically Black churches,” says Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who represents the church in its lawsuit. “We will use civil rights law as a way of sending a message to extremists that they are not above the law and will be held accountable for their dangerous, toxic and dark actions.” # ⚓ ‘You_Alone_Have_the_Power_to_Temper_Justice_With_Mercy’: Trump_Urged_to_Stop_Execution_of_Lisa_Montgomery⠀⇛ The convicted murderer, a victim of horrific childhood abuse and rape, is scheduled to be put to death on January 12 as part of what has been called Trump’s “execution spree.” # ⚓ Georgia_runoffs_reveal_the_total_putrefaction_of_the_GOP: Republicans_are_now_openly_anti-democratic⠀⇛ Whatever the election outcome is after the polls close on Tuesday, this election has demonstrated beyond all shadow of of a doubt that the rot that has infected the Republican Party has completely overtaken the organism. Every tendril of Republican politics, from the White House to the homes of ordinary voters, has putrefied and grown toxic with loathing for their fellow Americans and for democracy itself. Loeffler and Perdue are definitely vibing the anti- democracy, pro-coup mentality among the voters who, ironically, they need in order to win a democratic election. Prior to Monday’s rally, both candidates came out in favor of Republicans objecting to Congress certifying Biden’s win on Wednesday. The stated reason for the objection is “concerns” about “fraud”, but of course, no one bought that lie even before Trump was caught on tape begging Raffensperger to alter vote totals in Georgia. No, it’s obvious that both candidates believe that earning the support of conservative voters means coming out against democracy. The reactions of the Trump rally crowd, which cheered for coup talk and grew bored of democracy talk, only confirms that Perdue and Loeffler are probably guessing right. # ⚓ A_Misremembered_Day_of_Infamy⠀⇛ This shallow use of a hinge event in history has become typical of a nation that has begun to lose its sense of itself. This is evident in Americans’ diminished standards of conduct at home and their increasingly tenuous attachment to high purposes abroad. It isn’t quite that Pearl Harbor Day has somehow been forgotten, but that its animating spirit—the marrow-deep understanding among previous generations that America’s weakness had left the world in dire peril—has gone missing. This attenuated sense of global responsibility is a sign that something has gone amiss in American higher learning, and has seeped into the nation’s popular culture. A historical event as dramatic as the attack on Pearl Harbor may still be dimly remembered, but its deeper meaning has been lost. This is not a minor problem for a nation whose pre- eminence among nations is in danger of slipping from its grasp. The United States needs to develop the political culture to uphold the concept of international responsibility. Retrieving the memory and proper meaning of Pearl Harbor, which initially introduced Americans to the hazards of isolation from the world, is a necessary precondition for Americans reacquiring the understanding and confidence to fulfill the important duties that lie beyond our borders. Without this historical sense, the past will be lost and with it any prospect of future success for the world Americans live in. o § Censorship/Free Speech⠀➾ # ⚓ ‘Mr._Bean’_Actor_Rowan_Atkinson_Weighs_in_on_‘Cancel Culture,’_Teases_New_Film⠀⇛ Rowan Atkinson, the British actor known the world over for his “Mr. Bean” character, has delivered a broadside against the so-called online “cancel culture.” During an extensive interview with U.K. outlet Radio Times, Atkinson said: “The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society. It becomes a case of either you’re with us or against us. And if you’re against us, you deserve to be ‘canceled.’ “It’s important that we’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn,” Atkinson added. “So it is scary for anyone who’s a victim of that mob and it fills me with fear about the future.” # ⚓ The_EU_Digital_Services_Act_package⠀⇛ Furthermore, these platforms have failed to provide meaningful transparency, and the business models that are built on data harvesting without proper safeguards do not give users adequate control, either over their data or the information they receive and impart. We are not in a position to understand the extent to which our data are being used, nor are we able to determine the extent to which automated decision-making is leveraged in the curation or amplification of content. We cannot gauge the impact of these automated processes on our exposure to diverse content, and we cannot study or prevent the discriminatory treatment of underrepresented groups. The DSA legislative package is a unique chance to create systemic regulation of gatekeeper platforms based on human rights standards, while making the rights of users the utmost priority. In this session, we will discuss how and by what means the EU can meet this mark. # ⚓ What_Price_the_Upload_Filter?_The_history_and_costs_of government_exceptional_access⠀⇛ The EU has been pushing for apps that support end- to-end encrypted messaging to contain an upload filter, which will scrutinise material for prohibited content before it’s encrypted. This is the latest in a long line of attempts to maintain government access to data despite cryptography. In this talk, I will try to put them in context of the last two crypto wars and assess the costs their efforts have imposed on our economies. I’ll finally ask what strategic direction democratic governments might take in the coming tussles with China. o § Freedom of Information/Freedom of the Press⠀➾ # ⚓ The_Assange_Verdict:_What_Happens_Now⠀⇛ I fully expect that Julian will be released on bail this week, pending a possible US appeal against the blocking of his extradition. # ⚓ UK_judge_justifies_CIA_spying_on_Assange_citing_debunked CNN_report_based_on…_CIA_spying⠀⇛ # ⚓ Opinion_|_The_Empire_Is_Not_Done_with_Julian_Assange⠀⇛ As is clear from the memoir of one of his attorneys, Michael Ratner, the ends have always justified the means for those demanding his global persecution. # ⚓ Assange_Extradition_Denial_Indicts_US_Prison_System_But Imperils_Journalism⠀⇛ # ⚓ US_Incarceration_System_Deemed_Too_Cruel_For_Julian Assange⠀⇛ The following was originally published as part of The Dissenter newsletter. The mass incarceration system in the United States is cruel and inhumane, and as a result, the U.S. government had their extradition request against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denied by a British district judge. # ⚓ United_Kingdom:_UN_expert_cautiously_welcomes_refusal_to extradite_Assange⠀⇛ UN Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer today welcomed a British court’s refusal to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on the basis that he would be exposed to “oppressive” conditions of imprisonment that would almost certainly cause him to commit suicide. “This ruling confirms my own assessment that, in the United States, Mr. Assange would be exposed to conditions of detention, which are widely recognized to amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” said Melzer. # ⚓ Ruling_Assange_Can’t_Be_Extradited_Is_an_Indictment_of_US Prisons⠀⇛ The magistrate’s judgment, while giving Assange hope that he will not spend the rest of his life in the brutal recesses of the American penal system, dismissed his defense that revelations of war crimes were in the public interest and press freedom statutes in Britain and the United States barred his prosecution. It was an indictment of American maximum security prisons, where the magistrate recognized Assange was likely to kill himself, but it was a body blow to free speech. Nils Muižnieks, Europe director at Amnesty International, explained, “The fact that the ruling is correct and saves Assange from extradition does not absolve the UK from having engaged in this politically-motivated process at the behest of the USA and putting media freedom and freedom of expression on trial. It has set a terrible precedent for which the US is responsible and the UK government is complicit.” Magistrate Baraitser explicitly denied Assange protection under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.” o § Civil Rights/Policing⠀➾ # ⚓ Inside_Trump’s_outgoing_federal_execution_spree⠀⇛ # ⚓ NSA_Whistleblower_Reality_Winner_Alleges_Guard_Threatened Her_Over_Sexual_Abuse_Claim⠀⇛ In March 2020, NSA whistleblower Reality Winner filed a report alleging that a guard sexually abused or harassed her. Now, her mother says days ago the guard she reported came to her unit and threatened her with retaliation. The report was filed under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), a law passed in 2003 with the intent of ensuring that prisons do more to document sexual abuse and harassment in order to stamp it out of facilities. # ⚓ No_charges_filed_against_Kenosha_officers_in_Jacob_Blake shooting⠀⇛ Blake, who is Black, was struck by seven bullets at close range on Aug. 23 as he walked away from Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey, who had answered a domestic disturbance call. # ⚓ Hong_Kong_Court_Revokes_Bail_For_Jimmy_Lai_After_Deciding It_Didn’t_Interpret_Vague_National_Security_Law_Vaguely Enough⠀⇛ The Chinese government has been showing its impatience over its impending takeover of Hong Kong. China agreed to allow Hong Kong to run under its own government until 2047, but the last couple of years have seen the Chinese government indicating its willingness to perpetually violate this agreement with the region. o § Digital Restrictions (DRM)⠀➾ # ⚓ Wonder_Woman_1984_and_Hamilton’s_three_biggest_lessons_for streaming⠀⇛ Getting people to sign up is one thing; keeping them is another. Arguably, keeping them is also the most important part. Think of the United States. Once the majority of households have signed up for a service, it’s much tougher to continue growing at scale in that region. What becomes more important than growing in that territory is convincing people to stay. Recurring revenue only makes sense if companies can convince the majority of their customers to continuously pay month after month, year after year. # ⚓ MTV,_Nickelodeon_Added_to_Hulu_Live_TV_Bundle_in_Expansive ViacomCBS_Deal⠀⇛ The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, means that channels including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Network will be available through the Hulu + Live TV bundle for the first time. It also includes continued carriage of CBS, CBS Sports Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel and The CW. Premium cable channel Showtime also remains available as an add-on for Hulu live TV subscribers. # ⚓ Horrors_and_errors_of_SOME_independent_book_sellers_|_Stop at_Zona-M⠀⇛ Jeff (not his real name) discovered a very interesting French book, and followed the recommended link to buy it online: the website of a “consortium of independent bookstores”, with a warehouse just outside Paris. Perfect, said Jeff: let’s support independent businesses, local economy now or never, and so on. The book price is 22 Euros, the procedure to buy it a nightmare. Click, add to cart, create an account: twenty minutes wasted filling out a two-screenful form, badly formatted, that asks everything and its contrary, and takes three attempt to understand the address. Finally, checkout: total price 40 Euros, due to “shipping costs, from metropolitan France to Belgium: 18 euros” [...] Eigtheen Euros to support fair trade by human entrepreneurs, but without any guarantee that “the working conditions of all the warehouse workers and riders involved are better than what Amazon offers?” Fair question, isn’t it? I have written plenty about how bad Amazon really is, from robotizing workers to being unsustainably fast, for no reason, sending “free returns” straight to landfills (1), making orwellian telescreens and much more. o § Monopolies⠀➾ # § Patents⠀➾ # ⚓ PTAB_Discretionary_Denials_Up_60%+_in_2020:_Fueled Entirely_by_314(a)_Denials⠀⇛ In 2020, the PTAB logged a record increase in “discretionary” denials, with 228 petitions denied without considering the merits. The vast majority—62%—came under either the NHK Spring/Fintiv “trial date” framework or were based on the new parallel petition requirements. In a year where denials were up generally, roughly 20% of all institution decisions (and almost half of ALL denials) were procedurally denied, compared to 12.5% in 2019. Remarkably, the Board has accelerated their use of procedural denials based on trial dates, despite district trials continually being delayed—and many cancelled outright—due to the current pandemic. This 60% increase in denial rates was due to the explosive use of 314(a). Indeed, even in the trial on which this line of decisions were based–-the NHK Spring decision—the trial never materialized. # § Software Patents⠀➾ # ⚓ ETRI_patent_challenged_as_likely_invalid⠀⇛ On December 31, 2020, Unified filed a petition for inter partes review (IPR) against U.S. Patent 9,736,484, owned by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), as part of Unified’s ongoing efforts in its SEP Video Codec Zone. The ‘484 patent is part of the HEVC Advance Patent Pool, as well as SISVEL’s AV1 and VP9 patent pools. # § Copyrights⠀➾ # ⚓ No_Book/Music/Movie_(All_Media)_Donation_Too_Big_or Small:_Please_Donate⠀⇛ Looking around your home in the new year and wondering what to do with all the stuff you’ve accumulated? You’re not alone — turns out 54% of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of clutter around them. As people move or downsize, they are often in a dilemma about what to do with their beloved books and records. The same goes for colleges and libraries when they close or relocate. So what’s a preservation-minded person or organization supposed to do with their extra books, records, or other media? The Internet Archive is here to help! We welcome donations with open arms — from single books to entire libraries. The Internet Archive seeks to preserve and digitize one copy of every book, record, CD, film, and microfilm in support of our mission to provide “Universal Access to All Knowledge.” # ⚓ Lindsey_Buckingham_Sells_His_Publishing_Rights, Including_Fleetwood_Mac_Hits⠀⇛ Just one day after it announced the acquisition of Jimmy Iovine’s production royalties, the Merck Mercuriadis-led Hipgnosis Songs Fund has confirmed yet another major rights buyout. This time, Hipgnosis has acquired 100 percent of Lindsey Buckingham’s publishing rights, including both his publishing and writer’s share, across 161 songs. Those songs include an array of hits that Buckingham wrote and/or co-wrote for Fleetwood Mac, including “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain.” Hipgnosis previously acquired a 25 percent stake in Buckingham’s song catalog via its buyout of a publishing portfolio from Kobalt for $323m in September (announced in November). As part of its new agreement with Buckingham, announced today (January 5), Hipgnosis also acquires a 50% share of any unreleased compositions. # ⚓ MGM_Discusses_Ways_to_Win_Over_Entain_Investors_With Takeover_Bid⠀⇛ MGM has almost $4.6 billion in cash on its balance sheet after a series of asset sales. Its largest shareholder, Barry Diller’s IAC/ InterActiveCorp, has indicated it could fund part of a cash contribution by investing more in MGM, according to a statement Monday. IAC owns just under 12% of the casino giant, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. ╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ ¶ Lines in total: 5826 ➮ Generation completed at 02:41, i.e. 32 seconds to (re)generate ⟲