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Links 13/9/2021: First Linux 5.15 Release Candidate and Fedora 35 Beta Tomorrow



  • GNU/Linux

    • Microsoft Defender leads the user to assume Free and Open Source Software is malicious with scary red warnings.

      Microsoft “Defender”, the questionable “free” antivirus software included with Windows, routinely flags Free and Open Source Software that I try to install as a potential virus.

      So far, I’ve gotten warnings like these on LibreOffice installers, as well as PeaZip, HexChat, and QBitTorrent.

      In fact, over on Reddit, some people even say Microsoft has been removing BitTorrent programs in general, without asking them first, even when there’s no malware at all in them. In fact, there’s so many complaints of Microsoft doing this, here’s an entire search result. Take your pick.

      Windows itself meets the definition of spyware and adware set forth by the overall anti-spyware and anti-adware communities in the late 1990s, when the problem first emerged with the stuff piggybacking on software that claimed to be free of charge.

      Windows “11” even had the entire OS crash and freeze on the dev and beta channels recently, because a lookup to a Microsoft ad server from the Start Menu failed to respond.

    • 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: September 12th, 2021

      This has been a great week, starting with the release of the Firefox 92 web browser and continuing with the latest HPLIP printer and scanner drivers with support for Linux Mint 20.2 “Uma” and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 operating systems, as well as a major Steam Client update for Linux gamers.

      The KDE Project released a new maintenance update to their KDE Frameworks software suite for KDE Plasma users, and sysadmins now have a new version of the Finnix live system to play with, based on Debian GNU/Linux 11 “Bullseye.”

    • Server

      • Advancing the Tactical Edge with K3s and SUSE RGS [Ed: Who at SUSE thought Booz Allen Hamilton was good for marketing?]

        An early adopter of open source, it was not until 2018 that the team at Booz Allen identified K3s as the right solution, due to its small footprint and lightweight distribution. Their relationship with the Rancher Federal team (now SUSE RGS) was a natural next step, and Booz Allen deployed K3s, defining a new era in military tactics at the edge.

      • Fostering Innovation with a Kubernetes Platform | SUSE Communities

        Hybrid and multi-cloud are now the established order in the tech world. According to SUSE’s recently commissioned Insight Avenue report, Why Today’s IT Leaders are Choosing Open, more than 800 IT leaders believe the biggest benefits of a hybrid and multi-cloud approach are cost-effectiveness (45%), increased flexibility and agility (44%), and being able to take advantage of best-of-breed solutions (35%).

      • Managing Livepatch on-prem

        Ubuntu Livepatch is the service and the software that enables organizations to quickly patch vulnerabilities on the Linux kernel. It enables uninterrupted service while reducing fire drills during high and critical severity kernel vulnerabilities. With Ubuntu Livepatch on-prem we enhance our service to enable enterprises manage on private or public cloud their livepatched systems.

        In this post, we will introduce Ubuntu Livepatch on-prem and look into how it can be deployed for your organization, as well as answer some of the most commonly asked questions.

      • Blog: Introducing Single Pod Access Mode for PersistentVolumes

        Last month's release of Kubernetes v1.22 introduced a new ReadWriteOncePod access mode for PersistentVolumes and PersistentVolumeClaims. With this alpha feature, Kubernetes allows you to restrict volume access to a single pod in the cluster.

    • Audiocasts/Shows

      • Josh Bressers: Episode 288 – Linux Kernel compiler warnings considered dangerous

        Josh and Kurt talk about some happenings in the Linux Kernel. There are some new rules around how to submit patches that goes against how GitHub works. They’re also turning all compiler warnings into errors. It’s really interesting to understand what these steps mean today, and what they could mean in the future.

      • LHS Episode #428: Pat and Winlink Deep Dive

        Welcome to the 428th installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this episode, the hosts take a deep dive into the Winlink radio-based e-mail system. Discussed are native applications that make Winlink access possible on Linux including Pat, AX.25, Dire Wolf, ARDOP, PACTOR and more. The discussion ranges from how to get the software to how to build it, deploy it, configure it and use it. We hope you enjoy this discussion about Winlink and are able to use and enjoy the system after our in-depth tutorial. Have a great week and see you next time around!

      • Linux Action News 206

        Linus Torvalds attempts to get kernel developers to clean up their code, the performance regression that almost shipped, and the major production struggle Red Hat acknowledged this week.

    • Kernel Space

      • Asahi Linux Closing In On ‘A Polished Linux Experience’ On M1 Macs

        Apple’s M1 Macs may not fully support Linux just yet, but that’s on the verge of changing.

        Apple’s M1 processors power its next-generation Macs. Based on the same designs the company has been using in its iPhones and iPads for years, the M1 has received accolades for its performance and battery life. While most users are perfectly content with Apple’s macOS, some would prefer to run Linux.

        Linux on the Mac has a long and healthy history. Many individuals prefer running Apple’s hardware, thanks to its leading-industry design and features, but want the freedom Linux provides. Unfortunately, because Apple just started using the M1 in its Macs, developers have to start from scratch, reverse engineering the hardware and drivers.

      • Linus Torvalds Announces First Linux 5.15 Kernel Release Candidate

        It's been two weeks since the release of Linux kernel 5.14, which slowly makes its way into the stable software repositories of various popular GNU/Linux distributions, and now it's time to go out and test another new kernel series, Linux 5.15, which will be released later this fall.

        Linux 5.15 looks to be yet another release that focuses on further improving the support for AMD CPUs and GPUs, but it will also bring new features like NTFS3 and KSMBD (CIFS/SMB3) support, and the usual new and updated drivers for better hardware support. But all in all, it looks like a small release.

      • Linux 5.15-rc1
        So 5.15 isn't shaping up to be a particularly large release, at least
        in number of commits. At only just over 10k non-merge commits, this is
        in fact the smallest rc1 we have had in the 5.x series. We're usually
        hovering in the 12-14k commit range.
        
        

        That said, counting commits isn't necessarily the best measure, and that might be particularly true this time around. We have a few new subsystems, with NTFSv3 and ksmbd standing out. And as a result, when you look at the stats on a "lines changed" basis, 5.15-rc1 ends up looking much more middle-of-the-road. It still doesn't look like a particularly _big_ merge window, but also not remotely the smallest one.

        And while this is not up there with some larger releases, it's actually been one of the messier merge windows. Part of it was self-inflicted damage from me trying to enable -Werror much more aggressively, but I also ended up having to push back a lot more on some of the patch series and had a number o full requests where I went "ok, I've pulled this, but XYZ is wrong".

        So we've had merge windows that went much more smoothly. In fact, I have a pull request or two that I just didn't feel like going through fully, and I might still pull the upcoming week, but I got a bit fed up with how I ended up seeing new pull requests - and not for fixes - coming in fairly late in the merge window. Yes, the merge window is two weeks, but part of that is very literally to give _me_ time to actually look things through, not for people to send me new requests up until the very end of the merge window.

        Anyway, I'm hoping that things calm down, and I'll take a look at a few things still in my inbox, but on the whole you should expect that "that's it" and send me fixes only.

        And in order to get those fixes going, please go out and test this.

        Appended, as always, is my "mergelog" - since even at "only" 10k+ commits, the shortlog is not really realistically readable or useful as a summary. And as always, the mergelog credits the person I pulled from, which is not the same as the actual author of all the changes. There's just over a hundred people listed below that I've pulled from, but over 1500 people with authorship credit in the git tree. So that's where you'd need to dig for all the details.

        Thanks, Linus
      • Linux 5.15-rc1 Brings New NTFS Driver, In-Kernel SMB3 Server, AMD Changes, Intel DG2

        As expected this evening the Linux 5.15-rc1 kernel was released to top off the two week merge window that saw many changes to the kernel.

        Tomorrow I'll have published our extensive feature overview of Linux 5.15 changes, but some of the highlights include Paragon NTFS3 as the new NTFS file-system driver, KSMBD as an in-kernel SMB3 file server, opt-in L1d cache flushing on context switching, continued Apple M1 bring-up work, many AMD improvements, and initial Intel DG2/Alchemist and XeHP discrete graphics bring-up work, among a lot of other new hardware enablement.

      • Kernel prepatch 5.15-rc1

        Linus has released 5.15-rc1 and closed the merge window for this development cycle.

      • Linus Torvalds admits to 'self-inflicted damage' with '-Werror' as Linux 5.15 rc1 debuts

        Linus Torvalds has loosed the first release candidate for version 5.15 of the Linux kernel, with but isn't sure if it's a big 'un or nothing to get excited about.

        "So 5.15 isn't shaping up to be a particularly large release, at least in number of commits. At only just over 10k non-merge commits, this is in fact the smallest rc1 we have had in the 5.x series," he wrote in his weekly missive on the state of kernel development. But he also wondered if measuring kernels by commits is valid and suggested measuring new kernel versions by the number of lines changed.

        On the latter measure, thanks to substantial new subsystems like NTFSv3 and KSMBD, Torvalds stated "5.15-rc1 ends up looking much more middle-of-the-road. It still doesn't look like a particularly _big_ merge window, but also not remotely the smallest one."

        Whatever the size of the new kernel, Torvalds rated it "one of the messier merge windows".

    • Applications

      • PeaZip 8.2.0

        PeaZip is an open source file and archive manager. It's freeware and free of charge for any use. PeaZip can extract most of archive formats both from Windows and Unix worlds, ranging from mainstream 7Z, RAR, TAR and ZIP to experimental ones like PAQ/LPAQ family, currently the most powerful compressor available.

        Open and extract 200+ archive formats: 001, 7Z, ACE(*), ARC, ARJ, BZ2, CAB, DMG, GZ, ISO, LHA, PAQ, PEA, RAR, TAR, UDF, WIM, XZ, ZIP ZIPX - view full list of supported archive file formats for archiving and for extraction.

        PeaZip provides fast, high compression ratio multi-format archiving - view file compression and decompression benchmarks for more information.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • How to Add or Create a New Superuser on Linux

        Granting admin privileges to a new user can be complicated for beginners. Here's how you can easily create a new superuser on Linux.

        On Linux, the sudo command gives you the ultimate privilege to perform various administrative functions, despite your non-root access. But to use sudo, you need to have a superuser account on your system.

        Since there are several Linux operating systems, more commonly known as distros, there are multiple ways to add a sudo user. Read on to find more about how you can use Linux commands within different distros to achieve this simple, yet essential task.

      • Vincent Bernat: Short feedback on Cisco pyATS and Genie Parser

        Cisco pyATS is a framework for network automation and testing. It includes, among other things, an open-source multi-vendor set of parsers and models, Genie Parser. It features 2700 parsers for various commands over many network OS. On the paper, this seems a great tool!

      • How to Make Ubuntu Bootable USB in Windows 10

        In the current computing era, users have several interests behind using any operating system of their choice, and for that they might need to switch to another OS or to install the fresh copy of the current OS. The leading operating systems being used are MS-Windows, Linux (includes several distributions like Ubuntu) and macOS; it is observed in the recent past that if you wanted to get any of these operating systems on your machine, you had two ways to do so; via DVD/CD drives or using USB (used rarely in past). However, as the technology evolved the use of CD/DVD became very less, and in today’s smart computing machines, the manufacturers are not even offering laser disc drives. So, the users have started using USBs to accomplish such needs, and thus it nullifies the need of laser disc drives for OS installation. Keeping an eye on this evolution, our today’s guide will demonstrate how to make Ubuntu bootable USB in Windows 10.

      • How Do I Roll Back a Kubectl?

        For the past couple of years, Kubernetes has been heavily employed in production. Its declarative API provides a variety of options for orchestrating the containers. One of Kubernetes’ most notable features is its resiliency, which includes the ability to do Rolling and Rollback Deployments. When it comes to putting apps into operation, there are various options. Rolling updates are the default approach for updating the running version of your application in Kubernetes. The rolling update periodically removes older Pods and replaces them with newer Pods. You can change the images, settings, labels, annotation, and resource restrictions of the workload in your clusters using a rolling update. Rolling updates start replacing your resource’s Pods with new stuff, which are then planned on nodes when resources are needed. Rolling updates are built to maintain your workloads updated without causing any disruption.

        Kubernetes and kubectl provide a straightforward mechanism for rolling back resource modifications. When a Deployment is not secure, such as when it crashes looping, you also might want to roll back the Deployment. By default, the system saves all of the Deployment’s rollout history so that you might roll back at any moment. In this guide, we are going to talk over the method to roll back a kubectl.

      • How to Setup Rsyslog Server on Debian 11 (Bullseye)

        Log files are crucial in probing and troubleshooting errors. They are the first files that system administrators scrutinize in order to narrow down to the probable cause of an error and by so doing, come up with resolutions to resolve the problem. In an infrastructure with tens or hundreds of servers, and other devices, managing log files can be a challenge. And this is where rsyslog comes in.

        Rsyslog is an opensource logging program that facilitates the forwarding of log files to a centralized log server in an IP network. With centralized logging, administrators can easily keep tabs on log files of multiple systems from a central point. In this post, we will walk you through the installation and configuration of Rsyslog Server on Debian 11.

      • How to edit PDF file in Ubuntu

        Portable document format (PDF) is one of the most used file formats, primarily to view the content of a file. The content inside the PDF file looks good, and users can view it in the same format on various devices. Irrespective of the operating systems, sometimes users need to edit the PDF files to attain a specific goal, such as some minor as well as major mistakes that can be corrected. However, it is observed that editing PDF may not be easily available. In this article, we will demonstrate the ways to edit the PDF files in Ubuntu:

      • How to Install the Latest MySQL 8 on Ubuntu 20.04 - LinuxCapable

        MySQL is a relational database management system based on SQL (Structured Query Language). It is one of the most widely used database software for several well-known applications that utilize it. MySQL is used for data warehousing, e-commerce, and logging applications, but its most used feature is a web database storage and management.

        Ubuntu 20.04 comes with MySQL in its repository, and however, as many know, Ubuntu LTS releases only provided security updates for its releases to keep its stable build essentially stable. This has great benefits but some drawbacks; in the tutorial, you will learn how to install MySQL 8 for Ubuntu 20.04.

      • How to Install and Use Git in Linux System

        When you start out as a coder or software developer under a Linux operating system environment, you start to make reasonable milestones due to the flexibility and open-source nature of the various Linux distributions.

        A developer with an enterprise mindset will always want to improve their code to better versions. Such a mindset gets you thinking of a platform that can keep track of the growth steps of your developer code.

      • How Do I Become a Root User in Linux

        The root user appears to be a superuser in Linux, controlled by the system. Superusers are called root in Unix and Linux. The root account has the most access rights within the Linux system, and it is used for administrative purposes. Users are usually called root when they are logged into the root account. However, under Linux and Unix, a root account is a user account with no name and has no user ID. Linux and Unix default to giving root access to files and commands.

      • How to check network interface status in CentOS8

        CentOS 8 generally comes with a preinstalled Network Manager, which helps to configure available connections and keep them active. It provides tools based on both in-line command and graphical user interfaces to accomplish trouble-free setup and management of networks. An API controls network configuration through D-Bus and performing queries.

      • Ubuntu 20.04 Change Desktop Icon Size

        If the icons on your Ubuntu desktop have unexpectedly become excessively large, you may have accidentally altered the rendering size. A few wrong mouse scroll wheel rolls, or even a touchscreen or touchpad, might cause this easy error. To fix the problem, rotate the scroll wheel while pressing a ctrl button. If it still doesn’t help, try the following methods to fix your problem.

        In Ubuntu 19.04 Gnome 3.32, the desktop icons are now managed by a gnome-shell extension. Though this extension causes so many bugs, on the plus side, the size of desktop icons may now be customized.

      • How to empty trash from Ubuntu terminal

        Ubuntu is the widely used desktop operating system in the open-source community. The “Recycle Bin” in Windows and “Trash” in Ubuntu are both utilized to store deleted files and restore them at any time. While working in an Ubuntu, if you delete a file or directory from your system, the system moves that file to the trash folder. You can also empty your system trash to get rid of unwanted folders and files. This operation will also free up some space from your system that can store other crucial data.

        Each Linux distribution has its methods for emptying the trash. This article will show you how to empty trash from Ubuntu terminal using two different methods. So let’s start!

      • Creating A User with Different Home Directory in Linux

        Linux is a powerful multi-user operating system. It can have many concurrent users accessing the system at the same time. The system admin can manage permissions for each user to specify which user can access what part of the system.

        This guide will demonstrate how to create a new user with a different home directory in Linux.

      • How to Play DVD in Ubuntu

        Ubuntu lies in the top distributions of Linux because of its functionalities and user-friendly behavior. This distribution of Linux supports all the tools and offers the features that any other famous operating system does have, some packages and tools come with built in support, but other useful tools can be downloaded and installed from the Ubuntu repository. For instance, the DVD playing support in Ubuntu is not available by default; however, you can get the required library for playing DVD. Although Ubuntu comes with a lot of extra tool support by getting the Ubuntu Restricted Extras, it may not allow you to play the DVD on your system. In this article, we have demonstrated the method that enables the users to play DVD in Ubuntu:

      • Xrdp configuration on Debian

        This tutorial explains how to install XRDP (X Remote Desktop Protocol) to graphically connect to a Linux device from a Microsoft Windows device.

      • How to Setup NTP Server and Client on Ubuntu

        NTP stands for Network Time Protocol which is utilized for synchronizing all system clocks in a network at the same time. NTP works as a protocol and handles the programs related to client and server synchronization on networked systems. It is a part of the standard TCP/IP protocol suite and is considered one of its oldest components.

        Fraction of inaccurate time can cause a lot of issues for your system. For instance, distributed processes rely on synchronized time to ensure that proper sequences should be followed. Consistent timekeeping across the network is required for security features to work. File-system upgrades involving many machines are dependent on synchronized clock times as well. Troubleshoot problems, monitor performance, network acceleration, and network management systems; all of these tasks rely on the precision of timestamps.

        Now, we will show you how to set up NTP Server and Client on an Ubuntu system. So let’s start!

      • How to add programs to Ubuntu Desktop

        Operating Systems provide as much ease as they can give to users without compromising the basic functionality or working mechanism of the system. Windows operating system wins the lead in this regard, as it is pretty much easy for a user to use, and a lot of customization options are available. It is not like you cannot perform those tasks on other OS; you can, but in a different or you can say in a tricky manner. For instance, if you want to move or copy a file from one directory to another directory, you cannot simply drag and drop in Ubuntu 20.04 as you do in windows. Similarly, if you want to take the shortcut of any application on Ubuntu Desktop, you have to follow a tricky procedure to perform this action. This article is focused on adding programs to Ubuntu Desktop from other directories to Ubuntu Desktop, and a step-by-step guide is provided to do this task effectively.

      • Replace smart quotes with the Linux sed command

        As computers became popular in the mid-twentieth century, the orientation was often abandoned. The original character set of computers didn't have much room to spare, so it makes sense that two double-quotes and two single-quotes were reduced down to just one of each in the ASCII specification. These days the common character set is Unicode, with plenty of space for lots of fancy quotation marks and apostrophes, but many people have become used to the minimalism of just one character for both opening and closing quotes. Besides that, computers actually see the different kinds of quotation marks and apostrophes as distinct characters. In other words, to a copmuter the right double quote is different from the left double quote or a straight quote.

      • How to Setup Dual Monitor on Ubuntu

        Dual Monitor setup is connecting two monitors to your computer or laptop. Most people now require numerous screens or monitors connected to their computer as minimal need for multitasking. We can set up dual monitors in both Windows and Linux. Here I will provide you the procedure on how to set up a dual monitor on Ubuntu (Linux).

        Two approaches are provided below to setup a dual monitor on Ubuntu, you can choose the one you find convenient for you.

    • Games

      • Pygame: Video Games

        Pygame is a module in Python used for video game design; these video games range from a simple tic tac toe to space fighters. Whether you want to design a simple game or a complicated one, you have to start with the basics of how Pygame works. In this tutorial, we will review the basics of Pygame by creating a video game.

      • Wild time-looping adventure Kraken Academy!! is out now | GamingOnLinux

        A high school like no other with ghosts, cultists, crocodiles and something about a magical kraken that can manipulate time. Kraken Academy!! sounds nuts and it's out now. Developed by Happy Broccoli Games, a small indie outfit from Germany.

        Something fishy is going on with a threat of impending doom so you, a high-schooler, join forces with this magical Kraken to find out who the traitor is that's planning to destroy everything. A pretty standard day at Kraken Academy!! by the sounds of it, what else do you expect from such a place?

      • Classic 1997 adventure Voodoo Kid gets a Linux release with Boxedwine | GamingOnLinux

        Originally published by Infogrames back in 1997, Voodoo Kid is a classic 1997 point and click adventure which recently saw a re-release earlier in April 2021 and now it's on Linux too. A title that likely went under the radar for many, it's good to see another classic get new life so more people can experience this gem.

        Funnily enough, this is one game that got mentioned in an older Sunday Section here on GOL where Digital Theory mentioned it would be coming. This release uses special software called Boxedwine, which is an "emulator that runs Windows applications" that they say is a little closer to DOSBox with it providing an "unmodified 32-bit version of Wine, and emulating the Linux kernel and CPU". So it uses Wine and Linux to create an environment to run old Windows games on Linux, macOS and Windows.

      • Psychological horror detective adventure Saint Kotar to release on October 28 | GamingOnLinux

        Following on from a successful Kickstarter campaign and Red Martyr Entertainment teaming up with publisher SOEDESCO, their psychological horror detective Saint Kotar is set to release on October 28.

        "In this story-and-choice driven psychological horror detective game, you play as Benedek and Nikolay – two troubled godly men in search for their missing relative in an ancient God-devoted town called Sveti Kotar. Here, an unknown presence preys upon the weak and sways on devil worship and witchcraft. Evidence points to your missing relative being involved in the grisly murders and the occult, but what is the truth? Are you also to blame for what happened?"

      • Version 0.11 is out for Veloren, a multiplayer voxel RPG written in Rust | GamingOnLinux

        Veloren continues to impress as an upcoming in-development free and open source multiplayer voxel RPG written in Rust. Inspired by the likes of Cube World, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft it's starting to really come together with version 0.11 that's out now.

        The developer says the big focus on this version was to make combat feel more dynamic with a new spot system, plus lots of tweak to NPC and mob behaviour. One of the core developers said "I'm most excited about 0.11 because it finally starts to tie together some of the grander themes and plans that we've always had for the game: a sense of freedom, adventure, and place within a dynamic, open world without scripted events or hard-coded locations.".

      • Linux for Starters: Your Guide to Linux – Gaming – Part 17

        This is a series that offers a gentle introduction to Linux for newcomers.

        “Can I game on it” is a frequently asked question we hear from Windows users toying with the idea of trying Linux for the first time. Well, the simple answer is yes!

        In the eyes of many computer users, Linux is perceived as largely functional, mostly restricted to running servers, office tasks and web browsing. However, a wide and ever growing range of native Linux games are available, but given the range, there are a number of locations where you pick them up. Whatever type of game you like, there’s lots to choose from including the latest games as well as classics and remastered titles.

    • Distributions

      • postmarketOS Release: v21.06 Service Pack 2

        The second service pack for postmarketOS v21.06 has been released. As usually, it brings improvements from edge to the stable release of postmarketOS, after careful testing by developers and brave community members on living on the edge.

      • Reviews

        • Review: Archcraft 2021.06.06

          I feel that I don't have a lot to say about Archcraft and I feel this is because the distribution doesn't, for better or worse, attempt to do much. The project's website is understated, claiming to offer a minimal distribution based on Arch Linux with a lightweight window manager and yay for acquiring software from the AUR. This is what we get, along with the friendly Calamares system installer. There isn't much else to look at, out of the box.

          This seems to be the point, really, of Archcraft - it delivers a fairly minimum base, low RAM consumption, and offers better than average performance. It isn't particularly flashy, convenient, or full of features. The idea appears to be that users can build their system from a small foundation and add the pieces they need. There isn't a lot of documentation and I suspect we are expected to seek out the Arch Linux wiki if we need help.

          Most of the time Archcraft takes on this role fairly well. I did have a few complaints though. Personally, I'm not a fan of system monitors built into the panel or desktop. I find them distracting and the ones used by default don't provide information I find all that useful. There are a lot of little configuration tools and, oddly enough, some duplication in functionality in the application menu. I'm not sure why we need three application menus, two file managers, and a couple of text editors in what is otherwise a very minimal platform.

          In short, Archcraft does what it sets out to do. It's basically Arch Linux with a window manager and yay pre-installed for us. This works and yet I don't feel the distribution distinguishes itself from the many other minimal Arch-installed-via-Calamares distributions currently available.

      • IBM/Red Hat/Fedora

        • Fedora 35 Release Date and Expected New Features

          The expected release date for Fedora 35 beta is 14th September 2021. But, if delayed, the next planned date is 21st September 2021.

          After the public beta testing, the final release has been planned for 19th October 2021, with a delayed date for 26th October 2021.

          Of course, you can get your hands on Fedora 35 before the final and beta releases as well. But, considering it is just a few days away from its first beta release, you may want to wait it out.

        • How to explain DevSecOps in plain English

          Just as DevOps transformed how many IT shops build, deploy, and maintain software, DevSecOps – short for development, security, and operations – is changing how they secure that same software.

          As the closely linked terms DevOps and DevSecOps suggest, there’s a lineage here.

          “DevSecOps is building upon DevOps, the practice of combining software development with more traditional IT operations,” says Sean Wright, lead application security SME at Immersive Labs.

    • Devices/Embedded

      • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

        • Best Free Android Apps: FBReader – multiplatform e-book reader

          FBReader is a slick e-book reader.

          FBReader is fast and highly customizable. You can use external TrueType/OpenType fonts and custom backgrounds, the screen brightness can be adjusted while reading (slide finger up/down along the left screen edge), and different day/night colour schemes can be selected.

          You can add custom OPDS catalogs such as Project Gutenberg (shown in the middle image below).

    • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

      • LedgerSMB: Accounting and ERP Platform for business

        LedgerSMB is an open source web-based ERP system and accounting software for small and medium-sized companies. It helps the accounting team in order processing, integrating invoicing, quotation, and more.

        The main purpose for this software is to provide a strong multi-currency accounting to improve your business.

        It is used for any business used the basic accounting functionalities such as track invoices and their payments, inventory, and more. It is used from many companies around the world.

        LedgerSMB is a browser-based UI that help accounting team to directly send orders and invoices as a PDF attachment from built in email to the customer, vendors.

      • 20 Free Open-source Time Tracker Solutions To boost your Productivity

        Tracking your time, tasks, and progress is a necessity. Some project management tools have built-in time tracker and time management tools, but what if you want the time management and tracking as a separate software package?

      • Web Browsers

        • Mozilla

          • SD Times news digest: JetBrains launches DataSpell, an IDE for data scientists, Firefox 92 released, Apache weekly roundup

            The new Firefox 92 release offers more secure connections, offering many new features and fixes.

            Firefox can now upgrade using HTTPS RR as Alt-Svc headers, full-range color levels are now supported for video playback on many systems, Mac users can now access the macOS share options from the Firefox File menu, and support for images containing ICC v4 profiles is enabled on macOS.

            In terms of fixes, Firefox performance with screen readers and other accessibility tools is no longer severely degraded if Mozilla Thunderbird is installed or updated after Firefox. An open alert in a tab no longer causes performance issues in other tabs that are using the same process.

      • Programming/Development

        • How can I encrypt/protect JavaScript source code

          JavaScript is the most popular web programming language that comes with a lot of useful features. One of these features is immediate parsing i.e the browser executes the code as it downloads the content. This makes it browser interpreted or client side programming language. Therefore, it works on the client machine and hence making it difficult to hide the code from the client. Immediate parsing has its perks but it also comes with major downsides. As the source code is easily visible, everyone can read it. This can cause major security risks and hence the code needs to be protected.

          Sometimes you want to protect your JavaScript code from hackers, and sometimes you want to showcase an application but at the same time you don’t want your code to be copied. In this article, we’ll learn how to protect your JavaScript code and decrease the security risk.

        • How to Show or Hide an Element on Website using JavaScript

          Throughout web development, users need to hide or show some elements. These elements can be a button, some animation, or a navigation bar etc. Most of the time the user wants a button or a navigation bar to be visible for the desktop viewpoint but not for the mobile viewpoint.

          With JavaScript, users can easily hide or show an element on the webpage, depending on the behavior of the user. In this article we’ll see how JavaScript is used for this purpose.

        • How to Remove Elements from an Array in JavaScript

          Arrays allow us to store similar kind of data in a single variable. We can then iterate over the data stored in the arrays and perform different functions to manipulate the data according to our needs. A single piece of data in an array is known as its element. JavaScript gives us the option to add and remove elements from an array after we have declared and initialized it. In this post we will only focus on the methods which can be used removing an element from an array.

          JavaScript provides numerous methods which can be used to remove array elements; In this post we will discuss four such methods.

        • How to Loop/Iterate Through an Array in JavaScript

          Loops are key components of every programming language. They are used to run the same code or logic again and again in a cycle. Usually loops have an index value which is different each time the loop repeats. There are different kinds of loops available in JavaScript which help us iterate over an array. An array is a collection that is used to store different elements;

        • How to Minify (Compress) JavaScript Code

          To compress or minify a code means removing all the irrelevant characters from your source code without changing its functionality. These characters include white spaces, comments, new line characters, semicolons etc. But why is minimization of your code necessary? Well, it reduces the size to lesser kilobytes. Hence, making the loading of your website faster and providing the user an amazing experience.

          Various developers write well structured code with spaces and comments. This makes their code understandable. But, at the same time it creates extra space and hence increases the load time.

          This is why minimization of code is extremely useful in JavaScript as it reduces the size of the page. This minimized version provides better functionality without any additional network traffic.

        • How to Read, Write and Parse JSON in JavaScript

          The full form for JSON is JavaScript Object Notation and it is derived from the JavaScript programming language. A standard text format that defines the structured data is based on JavaScript object syntax. Transmission of data in web applications takes place through JSON. Have you heard about JavaScript object literal syntax? Yeah, JSON resembles it in a close manner. We are not limited to use it always with JavaScript.

        • How Do I Delete a Specific Row in PostgreSQL?

          Whenever we talk about the data storage of any website or application, postgresql comes to our mind. This database supports both JSON and SQL querying. Postgresql is customizable, and you can add many services and plugins you think are not present in postgresql, and you need them for your project. If you want to select specific rows to be deleted, postgresql allows you to use the command having Delete statement with “where” command. We have quoted a sequence of examples here in psql and pgAdmin as well.

        • Can You Delete a Vector in C++?

          Yes! Yes, but it does not go without constraints. There are two ways of deleting a vector. Again they do not go without constraints. One way of deleting a vector is to use the destructor of the vector. In this case, all the elements are deleted, but the name of the vector is not deleted. The second way to delete a vector is just to let it go out of scope. Normally, any non-static object declared in a scope dies when it goes out of scope. This means that the object cannot be accessed in a nesting scope (block). A nesting scope is an outer scope (block). A nested scope is an inner scope, which is still part of the scope of interest. These two ways of deleting a vector are discussed in this article.

        • C++ Vector Clear vs Erase

          The C++ vector has many member functions. Two of them are clear() and erase(). clear() “removes” all the elements of the vector. erase() “removes” a single element or a range of elements. There are two overloaded variants of the erase() member function for the vector.

          The title of this article is actually “Vector clear() Member Function versus Vector erase() Member Function, in C++”. This is a comparison of the two-member functions. It deals with when to use which, how to use which, and under which conditions either is used.

        • Perl/Raku

          • Russ Allbery: DocKnot 5.00

            This release is the culmination of a project that I've been wanting to do for two years, but nearly all the work was done in the past week. That experience made me rethink some of my skepticism, but I'll get to that part of the story later.

            In March of 1999, I got tired of writing HTML by hand and wrote a small program called spin that implemented a macro language that translated into HTML. This makes it one of the oldest programs for which I have a continuous development history, predating podlators by three months. I think only News::Gateway (now very dormant) and Term::ANSIColor (still under active development but very stable) are older, as long as I'm not counting orphaned packages like newsyslog.

            I've used spin continuously ever since. It's grown features and an ecosystem of somewhat hackish scripts to do web publishing things I've wanted over the years: journal entries like this one, book reviews, a simple gallery (with some now-unfortunate decisions about maximum image size), RSS feeds, and translation of lots of different input files into HTML. But the core program itself, in all those years, has been one single Perl script written mostly in my Perl coding style from the early 2000s before I read Perl Best Practices.

        • Python

          • How I rediscovered Logo with the Python Turtle module | Opensource.com

            When I was in high school, one of the very first programming languages I was introduced to was Logo. It was interactive and visual. With basic movement commands, you could have your cursor (“turtle”) draw basic shapes and intricate patterns. It was a great way to introduce the compelling concept of an algorithm—a series of instructions for a computer to execute.

  • Leftovers

    • Science

      • Right to contest automated AI decision under review as part of UK government data protection consultation [Ed: Can we stop calling "computers" and "programs" just "Hey Hi"?]

        The UK government has launched a consultation that suggests it could water down individuals' rights to challenge decisions made about them by artificial intelligence.

        In documents released today, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) said that the need “to provide human review [of AI decisions] may, in future, not be practicable or proportionate.”

        In the UK’s current implementation of the EU’s General Data Protection Directive (via the Data Protection Act 2018), people have a right to not be subject to a solely automated decision-making process with significant effects. However, these rights should be reviewed, according to a consultation [PDF] launched by the DCMS.

    • Education

      • Sweden risks brain drain with ‘crazy’ post-PhD residency rules

        As postdoctoral research positions in academia or industry rarely last longer than a year, although they can be extended on a rolling basis, the new rules could cause an exodus of overseas doctoral graduates, warned Jenny Iao-Jörgensen, chair of Sweden’s National Doctoral Candidate Association, part of the Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers.

    • Hardware

      • Massive Cleaning Effort Saves Acid-Drenched Atari

        Anyone who’s ever had to deal with the aftermath of a leaking battery knows how much damage such a failure can cause. Degrading batteries leak corrosive chemicals that eat away PCB traces, clog up connectors and generally leave everything looking nasty. Getting your gadget working again usually calls for lots of scrubbing, followed by patiently tracing suspect connections and restoring any broken ones.

        We doubt, however, that anyone has ever gone through as much effort as [Lee Smith] has on his Atari 800 XL. This example was listed on eBay in a severely damaged state, having been stored under an entire box of leaking batteries. [Lee] put in a bid and, to his own bemusement, won the auction. He was now the proud owner of a classic gaming machine which was covered in a thick brown crust of battery residue.

    • Integrity/Availability

      • Proprietary

        • Security

          • BrakTooth vulnerabilities impact closed-source Bluetooth stacks used in chips from Espressif, Intel, Qualcomm... - CNX Software

            BrakTooth is a family of new security vulnerabilities in commercial, closed-source Bluetooth Classic stacks that range from denial of service (DoS) via firmware crashes and deadlocks to arbitrary code execution (ACE) in certain IoT devices.

            A team from Singapore has discovered 16 new security vulnerabilities after evaluating 13 Bluetooth devices from 11 vendors, but after browsing through the list of certified Bluetooth devices with impacted processors, they estimate it could impact 1400 devices.

          • Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt/Fear-mongering/Dramatisation

            • Trend Micro detected nearly 13 million malware events targeting Linux-based cloud environments [Ed: This self-promotional FUD is still peddled by some sites almost a fortnight later]

              Trend Micro Incorporated, a global cybersecurity firm, released new research on the state of Linux security in the first half of 2021. The report gives valuable insight into how Linux operating systems are being targeted as organizations increase their digital footprint in the cloud and the pervasive threats that make up the Linux threat landscape.

          • Privacy/Surveillance

            • LA cops told to harvest social media handles from people they stop, suspect or not

              Los Angeles police are instructed to collect social media details from people they stop and talk to, even if those civilians aren’t suspected of breaking the law, according to documents finally revealed after a lengthy legal battle.

              The Brennan Center for Justice, a non-profit institute at New York University, last year submitted a request [PDF] under the California Public Records Act for information on LAPD's use of social media to monitor people and groups.

              The center hauled the police department into the US state's superior court when its request was not fulfilled, and the cops relented.

              Having at last obtained that information from LAPD, the center on Wednesday published all 6,000 pages of it.

            • Facebook: Taping Over Camera LED On Our Glasses Is A TOS Violation

              Facebook has teamed up with Ray-Ban to come up with a pair of smart sun glasses that absolutely nobody asked for.

              The design is as creepy as it is familiar. There’s a tiny, spy-sized camera mounted to the sunglasses frame so everybody can creep on their neighbor while going unnoticed. No fancy augmented reality here — they’re essentially a smartphone camera strapped to a pair of glasses.

              With a track record as abysmal as Facebook’s when it comes to privacy, the announcement shouldn’t come as too much of a shock — but you’d really think they would know better by now. Did we mention they cost $299?

            • What to Expect From the Future of Entertainment

              The best way to anticipate the future is to look at how behaviors among the young differ from older generations in order to pinpoint where changes are occuring.

              When it comes to entertainment, this suggests a substantially different content mix than the current landscape, with current media giants wise to pay attention to the new ways content is being consumed.

              By that, we don’t mean just streaming video. As can be seen when comparing age groups across the services they report usiing most in a week, exclusive survey data from GetWizer Consumer Insights for VIP+’s “Demographic Divide” report shows there are video formats overall in the top 30, as the emergence of large-scale streaming platforms sees younger generations watching a few and doing other things with their entertainment time.

            • TikTok Fights Off Copycat Competition, Data Suggests

              Sensor Tower numbers show that in May, June and July, TikTok has been the most downloaded social app globally, attracting 208.9 million downloads across the App Store and Google Play during that time frame.

    • Defence/Aggression

      • Opinion | From Our Post-9/11 Archive: 'Granfalloons, Toy Balloons, and American Flags'

        A CD editorial note: The following article, first published on September 26, 2001 and part of our "Post-9/11 Archive," was among the most-read articles featured on Common Dreams in the immediate wake of the attacks that took place in New York City and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001. As the world reflects on those events that took place 20 years ago, we're re-posting a selection from the archive to acknowledge and celebrate the salient and prescient voices from that time.

      • 9/11: The Doctrines of Bush, Obama, Trump & Biden

        Richard Falk:€ The attack itself on 9/11 was a most momentous event from the perspective of international relations, undermining the dominating historic role of hard power under the control of national governments in explaining historical agency.

        Dramatically, 9/11 revealed the vulnerability of the most powerful country, as measured by military capabilities and global security hegemony, in all of world history, to the violent tactics of non-state combatants in coercive interactions labeled by war planners as ‘asymmetric warfare.’

      • Long-Secret FBI Report Reveals New Connections Between 9/11 Hijackers and Saudi Religious Officials in U.S.

        A long-suppressed FBI report on Saudi Arabia’s connections to the 9/11 plot has revealed that Saudi religious officials stationed in the United States had more significant connections to two of the hijackers than has been previously known.

        The 2016 report was released late Saturday night under an executive order from President Joe Biden, who promised to make it public no later than the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks that killed 2,977 people and injured more than 6,000 others. The 16-page document was a final inventory of circumstantial evidence and leads from the FBI’s investigation of Saudi ties to the plot; it was heavily redacted.

      • FBI Releases First Declassified 9/11 Document Following Biden Order

        The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday night released a previously withheld document related to its probe of the September 11, 2001 attacks and allegations of Saudi government support for the plane hijackers.

        The 16-page document, which was written in 2016 and remains heavily redacted, is the first of several classified€ records expected to be published in the coming months following an executive order issued last week by U.S. President Joe Biden.

      • Investigations Find No Proof of Bombs in Car Targeted by US Drone in Afghanistan
      • Central America's Forgotten History
      • IAEA will have no access to surveillance camera footage in Iran-state-run TV

        The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have no access to footage captured by surveillance cameras at Iranian nuclear sites, Iran's state-run Press TV channel said on Twitter on Saturday.

        The channel added that an "informed source rejects reports suggesting that Iran may reconsider (its) decision on IAEA access restrictions."

    • Environment

      • Record number of environmental activists murdered

        227 people were killed around the world in 2020, the highest number recorded for a second consecutive year, the report from Global Witness said.

        Almost a third of the murders were reportedly linked to resource exploitation - logging, mining, large-scale agribusiness, hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure.

      • Energy

        • Former Top Gear Host Quits Motoring Lobby Group Over Electric Vehicle ‘Urban Myths’

          Former Top Gear host Quentin Willson has acrimoniously quit a motoring lobby group currently working with a group of MPs to stop the government’s planned phase-out of petrol and diesel cars, accusing it of spreading “old urban myths” about electric vehicles.

          Willson, who co-hosted the TV show in the 1990s with Jeremy Clarkson, announced online that he had severed ties with FairFuelUK, criticising a recent report produced by the group for containing “unforgivable howlers”.

        • Oil sector in balance as Norway votes

          Norwegians head to the polls on Monday, in a parliamentary election where the "Red-Green" opposition looks to be ahead, potentially influencing the fate of oil activities in the largest producer in Western Europe.

          According to opinion polls, a clear majority is emerging to unseat Prime Minister Erna Solberg's centre-right government, which has ruled the Nordic country for the last eight years.

        • Harvard to divest from fossil fuels after decade of protests

          In a statement to the Harvard community, Professor Bacow suggests that recent climate-related catastrophes have convinced him of the seriousness of the situation.

        • High Natural Gas Prices Strain Europeans, Weighing on Recovery - The New York Times

          As the world struggles to recover from the pandemic, soaring natural gas prices threaten to become a drag on the economies of Europe and elsewhere. Wholesale prices for the fuel are at their highest in years — nearly five times where they were at this time in 2019, before people started falling ill with the virus.

          The high costs feed into electric power prices and have begun showing up in utility bills, weighing on consumers whose personal finances have already been strained by the pandemic. The price jumps are unusual because demand is typically relatively low in the warmer summer months, raising alarms about the prospects for further increases when demand jumps in the winter.

      • Wildlife/Nature

        • Researchers complete first-ever detailed map of global coral

          Coral Mapping-Global Atlas In this August 2018 photo provided by the Allen Coral Atlas, a shark swims on a reef in Ailinginae Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Researchers have completed a comprehensive online map of the world's coral reefs by using more than 2 million satellite images from across the globe. The Allen Coral Atlas was named after late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and will act as a reference for reef conservation, marine planning and coral science as researchers try to save these fragile ecosystems that are being lost to climate change. (Greg Asner/Allen Coral Atlas via AP) (Greg Asner)

        • Wildfire Smoke Is Killing More Than 33,000 People Every Year
    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

      • Twenty Years Ago, the Mainstream Press Created the War on Terror

        How, having just witnessed the Washington foreign policy establishment’s monumental failure in the country, and having covered firsthand the war’s aimless carnage for years, could the press be eager for more of it?

        The answer lies twenty years ago in the weeks after the attack that started it all, where this same media — the same institutions, nationalist worldview, and even the same high-profile figures — were instrumental in sending the US military into Afghanistan to begin with.

      • Manchin's Obstruction of Build Back Better Act Is 'Absolutely Not Acceptable,' Says Sanders

        Conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin's€ recent vow, repeated on Sunday morning, to oppose a reconciliation bill larger than $1.5 trillion€ is "absolutely not acceptable," Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders made clear this weekend.

        "We are not going to build bridges just so our people can live under them. No infrastructure bill without the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill."—Sen. Bernie Sanders

      • Trump Razed the Resettlement Infrastructure That Afghan Refugees Now Need
      • Opinion | From Our Post-9/11 Archive: 'Bush Is Walking Into a Trap'

        A CD editorial note: The following article, first published on September 16, 2001 and part of our "Post-9/11 Archive," was among the most-read articles featured on Common Dreams in the immediate wake of the attacks that took place in New York City and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001. As the world reflects on those events that took place 20 years ago, we're re-posting a selection from the archive to acknowledge and celebrate the salient and prescient voices from that time.

      • Next Attack on the Affordable Care Act Could Wipe Out Free Preventive Care
      • Arendt and QAnon

        Since 2016, it’s been obvious that Trump himself is a purveyor of conspiracy theories, notably about a “deep state” conspiracy (which about 40% of Americans now believe) and 2020 election fraud. Republicans’ steadfast, sycophantic support for Trump, coupled with their recent decision to neither censure Taylor Greene nor strip her of her committee posts, their failure to vote to convict Trump in the Senate during the recent impeachment trial, and an ongoing, farcical “election fraud” investigation in Arizona authorized by state Republicans, confirm that they have morphed into a far-right party with a solid authoritarian base, one reminiscent of European extremist parties.

    • Censorship/Free Speech

      • Taliban smash wine bottles, destroy books after taking over Norwegian embassy

        The Taliban have taken over the Norwegian embassy in Kabul and took to smashing wine bottles and destroy books at the establishment.

        Norwegian ambassador to Iran, Sigvald Hauge, said in a tweet, “Taliban has now taken over the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul. Say they will return it to us later. But first wine bottles are to be smashed and children’s books destroyed. Guns apparently less dangerous.”

      • Australian Court Rules Media Companies Responsible for Comments on their Facebook Pages

        Some of Australia's biggest media companies have lost a legal battle with a former youth detainee over allegedly defamatory comments posted about him on their Facebook pages. The high court has found the media groups are legally responsible as “publishers” for third parties’ comments on their Facebook pages.

    • Civil Rights/Policing

    • Monopolies

      • A comprehensive breakdown of the Epic v. Apple ruling

        On Friday, a California judge ruled on the influential Epic v. Apple lawsuit, and both sides lost. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers concluded that Apple wasn’t unfairly monopolizing the mobile app space with iOS or its in-app purchasing system, and she ordered Epic to pay damages for violating its developer agreement with Fortnite. At the same time, she ordered Apple to remove its anti-steering rules — policies banning developers from telling users about alternatives to Apple’s in-app purchase system.

      • Epic has appealed Friday’s ruling in the Epic v. Apple case

        Most notably, the judge found that Epic failed to make the case for Apple as a monopoly in the mobile gaming marketplace, which she ultimately found was the relevant market for the company’s claims. “The evidence does suggest that Apple is near the precipice of substantial market power, or monopoly power, with its considerable market share,” Judge Rogers wrote — but said the antitrust claims failed in part “because [Epic] did not focus on this topic.”

      • Sort-of Epic win as judge kills Apple ban on apps linking to outside payment systems

        Epic Games on Friday won a Pyrrhic victory against Apple in its antitrust lawsuit, with US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruling that Apple must allow developers to tell customers about third-party payments systems.

        But Epic will not immediately benefit from that decision because the judge also determined that Apple has not monopolized gaming transactions and that the iGiant has the right to terminate Epic's developer account for violating Apple's Developer Program License Agreement.

        The ruling [PDF] does not require Apple to reinstate Epic Games' developer account nor allow its apps back in its App Store.

      • Epic Games asks for Apple's help to put South Korea's alternative app payments law to work ● The Register

        Epic Games has decided to put South Korea's new law requiring Apple and Google to offer third-party payment options in their app stores to the test.

        The developer of hit game Fortnite last year picked a fight with Apple over the 30 per cent commission it charges on both apps and in-app purchases in the iOS App Store.

        Epic offered Fortnite players the chance to use in-game virtual currency to buy in-game items directly from Epic, at a price that undercut prices offered in the iOS App Store.

        Apple promptly exiled Epic from the App Store.

      • Search 'middle finger' on Giphy: Basically Facebook's response to UK competition concerns over merger ● The Register

        Facebook has hit back at the UK's regulatory challenge to its decision to buy gif slinger Giphy, claiming the provisional findings by the competition watchdog are based on "fundamental errors."

        The tech giant's no-nonsense response was sent to the Competition and Market's Authority (CMA) last month but has only just been made public [PDF].

        It follows publication of the CMA's findings in August which claimed Facebook's merger with Giphy would "harm competition between social media platforms and remove a potential challenger in the display advertising market."

        If the CMA gets its way, it could force Facebook to unwind the deal and sell Giphy.

      • Patents

        • UKIPO gives €£24m to Deloitte to revamp patent system

          The UKIPO has awarded a €£23.8 million ($32.8 million) contract to Deloitte in an effort to transform its patent filing system, it was announced last Friday, September 3.

          According to the award notice published by the office, Deloitte will serve as a “strategic supplier to deliver digital services” under the terms of the contract as part of the UKIPO’s phase-one transformation.

          The office also awarded software consultancy NTT Data €£7.1 million ($9.8 million) in August to offer the common technology components workstream within its transformation programme.

          The UKIPO said in April that it was embarking on a five-year programme called ‘One IPO’, which, according to the office, would transform the way services were delivered and would implement modern technology.

          CEO Tim Moss said in a statement that the UKIPO hoped to become the best IP office in the world.

          “Our transformation programme is our pledge to up our game – to deliver excellent IP services that meet the needs of our customers,” he said.

          The key to the transformation, according the UKIPO, would be a single, integrated system for all registered IP rights known as the common IP system, which would allow users to seamlessly apply for, manage, and research all of their IP in one place.

        • Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies is granted a H-P2A patent in Europe

          This issuance of a second patent for the company’s H-P2A technology, following the one granted in the United States in 2020, further strengthens the protection of Hoffmann Green Cement’s intellectual property and therefore intensifies the barriers to entry on the decarbonised cement market. Following over five years of appraisals, the H-P2A patent was validated by the European Patent Office under number 3274315.

          As a reminder, H-P2A (High Performance Alkaline Activation) is a geopolymer technology enabling low-carbon cements to be formulated, based on the co-products produced by industry, for the mortar and industrial adhesive markets.

        • Wall Street in Holding Pattern Pre-Bell as Traders Return After Labor Day Weekend

          On the losing side, Forward Pharma (FWP) shares tumbled 16% after the European Patent Office dismissed the company's appeal against cancellation of multiple sclerosis drug patent.

        • Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Avantor To Acquire Masterflex

          Forward Pharma A/S (NASDAQ: FWP) was down, falling 16% to $6.60 as investors responded negatively to the Technical Board of Appeal (TBA) of the European Patent Office (EPO), dismissing Forward’s appeal to revoke the EP2801355 patent (355 patent) following the oral hearing. The TBA had made its decision after considering Forward’s appeal against the decision of the Opposition Division and third-party submissions from several opponents.

        • What Patent Applications Signal About Green Energy Trends [Ed: Just fool's errand: trying to assess what's happening in a market based on patent monopolies, moreover based on data from greenwashing criminals who hijacked the EPO and try to seem like they save the planet]

          With a growing number of extreme weather events happening around the world in 2021, climate change is high on the public agenda. Climate scientists have stated that, for example, the extreme temperatures seen across the U.S. and Canada in June would be virtually impossible without global warming.

          One way in which climate change can be combated is through the development and implementation of novel technologies for generating the ever-increasing amount of energy needed by the world's population in a more climate-friendly way.

        • Belcher Pharmaceuticals, LLC v. Hospira, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2021) [Ed: Rader is corrupt and an extremist, stop quoting this crook.]

          Imposition of liability under the equitable doctrine of inequitable conduct (as it has been variously defined) can result in a patent being held unenforceable; for this reason, former Chief Judge Rader called it the "atomic bomb of patent law" (see Aventis Pharma S.A. v. Amphastar Pharms., Inc., 525 F.3d 1334, 1349 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (Rader, J., dissenting)). The Federal Circuit's most recent attempt to cabin the application of the doctrine arose in Therasense, Inc. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co., 649 F.3d 1276 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (en banc), and has generally led to narrowing the application of the doctrine by requiring a showing of materiality and intent to deceive, each under a clear and convincing evidentiary standard (but imperfectly; see Regeneron Pharma., Inc. v. Merus N.V., 864 F.3d 1343, 1350 (Fed. Cir. 2017)). But sometimes even under this more exacting standard the patency of the violation is evident, as was the case in Belcher Pharmaceuticals, LLC v. Hospira, Inc. As the Christian Bible says, "no one can serve two masters," at least not well. Matthew 6:24. But the attempt to satisfy the statutory requirements for patenting, particularly non-obviousness, can invite contradictory attempts to satisfy regulatory requirements before the FDA. And that can (and did) lead to the outcome in this case.

        • Simplifying the patent application process: a result of collaboration between CNIPA and the EPO [Ed: Associating with the #EPO is probably more of a liability and reputation risk to CNIPA (China) than the other way around]

          The European Patent Office is one of the first patent offices to cooperate with the State Intellectual Property Administration of China. For 36 years…

        • Recent wins for AI device: Patenting in era of artificial intelligence

          DABUS, short for device for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sentience, is an artificial intelligence (AI) machine that can invent and generate new ideas without any human input."

        • Poolbeg Pharma POLB 001 US patent assessment is going to plan [Ed: When you focus too much on patents instead of products]

          Poolbeg Pharma plc (LON:POLB), a clinical stage infectious disease pharmaceutical company with a capital light clinical model, has provided an update on the strengthening of its intellectual property (IP) position around lead product, POLB 001, a small molecule immunomodulator for the treatment of severe influenza.

          As detailed in the Admission Document, Poolbeg has a worldwide license for POLB 001 and is developing a strong IP portfolio with patent protections in place covering the use of the class of p38 MAP kinase (mitogen-activated protein kinase) inhibitors for the treatment or prevention of severe influenza and hypercytokinaemia (or “cytokine storm”). The Company continues to also evaluate POLB 001’s therapeutic uses beyond severe influenza.

        • Save Foods Inc. Receives Patent For Proprietary Compound From European Office
        • Arbitration Agreement Does Not Control Inter Partes Review Proceedings [Ed: Litigation giants-sponsored Dennis Crouch still at it, railing against patent quality by all means imaginable]

          The Supreme Court has strongly supported arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) codifies this “liberal federal policy favoring arbitration agreements.” Quoting Moses H. Cone Mem’l Hosp. v. Mercury Constr. Corp., 460 U.S. 1, 24 (1983). Although the right to arbitrate patent cases is seemingly clear from the FAA, Congress went further in its 1982 PTO appropriations bill to expressly codify the enforcement of arbitration agreements for “any dispute relating to patent validity or infringement.” 35 U.S.C. 294. Sometimes a party subject to arbitration will still file their dispute in court. At that point, the opposing side will move to stay or dismiss the case and compel arbitration.

        • Can a Robot Invent? The Fight Around AI and Patents Explained [Ed: Patent maximalists have been hired by Bloomberg to push toxic agenda of patents for bots; this is good for monopolies and litigation companies, nobody else]

          Patent offices and courts around the world are being asked to tackle a similar question: can an artificial intelligence system qualify as an inventor for a patent?

          A test case making its way through several countries—from Saudi Arabia to Australia to Brazil—has spurred debate about advancements in artificial intelligence technology and questions about whether patent laws need to be revised to recognize machines as inventors.

          A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia recently ruled that, under current U.S. law, AI can’t be listed as an inventor on a patent. The ruling was in line with what U.S., British, and EU patent officials have concluded.

        • U.S. District Court Holds that AI Algorithms Cannot Be Listed as Inventors on Patents | Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP - JDSupra [Ed: Just deciding the very obvious; otherwise, the patent system would soon become a total circus, like rigged Wall Street being gamed by "high-frequency" 'trading']

          As we discussed earlier, a variety of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies exist and are being used in biopharma (e.g., discovery and development of drugs, optimization of clinical trial design, identification of novel biological targets and pathways of interest, analysis and use of biomedical, clinical, and patient data, and many others). As in most industries, AI will play an increasingly larger role in biopharma patents. However, there are a number of challenges of AI in biopharma patents. One of these challenges that has recently come to the forefront is the question of inventorship.

        • DABUS was Denied Inventorship by Taiwan IPC Court [Ed: Rickrolling Taiwan? No thanks, they're not falling for it.]

          DABUS, an acronym standing for “device for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sentience,” is a complex artificial intelligence (“AI”) system developed by Imagination Engines Inc.’s founder Dr. Stephen Thaler. Dr. Thaler and his team filed patent applications in many countries, claiming DABUS to have conceived the inventions in question.[1] Indeed, Dr. Thaler named DABUS as an inventor in patent applications.

          Most of the patent authorities which received Dr. Thaler’s cases refused to grant inventorship to an AI system. Some rejected cases were brought to the courts. Recently, the courts of South Africa and Australia recognized the inventorship of the AI system, while the UK court rejected it. The question of whether a non-human being can claim inventorship has sparked a huge controversy and has become one of the key topics of debate among the various legal communities of the world.

        • Hashtag Trending Sept. 7, 2021 – Resume scanners reject good hires; AIs can’t file for patents; Germany wants to extend smartphone lifespan [Ed: Rickrolling offices and courts for lots of media/publicity.]

          Can AIs create patents? One U.S. judge says no. The original issue stemmed from a company called Imagination Engines based in Missouri. Imagination Engines had filed two patents in 2019 under DABUS, the company’s neural network engine. The patents were rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office as according to the organization, only “natural persons” can be named as patent creators. Stephen Thaler, the founder of Imagination Engines, then sued the director of the patent office at the time in federal court. The case ultimately ended with the judge siding with the patent office, but Thaler plans on continuing to advocate for AIs’ rights as patent creators.

        • UK: IP Intros: What Is Priority And Why Is It Useful?

          An invention must at least be new and inventive to be patentable. Filing a patent application before publicly disclosing an invention is essential, as a public disclosure of your own invention can mean the invention is not considered new by the patent office.

          However, before filing and prosecuting a patent application, you may not actually know whether a granted patent will be beneficial given the fact that you have not had the opportunity to publicly disclose, discuss, or share the invention with potential investors, consumers, or licensees.

        • Do You Know A Young Inventor? [Ed: EPO propaganda pandering to young people. The latest means by which to distract from the crimes of the EPO?]

          Maybe you should consider nominating him or her for the Young Inventors prize established by the EPO.

          Focus is on sustainability and problem-solving initiatives created by a young inventor aged 30 and under.

        • How to speed up EPO procedures [Ed: Corrupt (infiltrated) EPO has put speed before quality]

          The choice to speed up a procedure before the European Patent Office (EPO) is a strategic one, motivated by various factors. Shortening the duration of the procedure is particularly important for applicants involved in rapidly evolving technologies. This article discusses the options available to applicants wanting to expedite their applications through the EPO procedure.

        • Dabus is coming: Federal Court finds AI system can be inventor under Patents Act [Ed: Federal Court in Australia shows utterly poor grasp of buzzwords and the actual purpose of patent systems]

          In a recent decision, the Federal Court found that an artificial intelligence (AI) system can be an inventor for the purposes of the Patents Act 1990 (Cth) and remitted the matter back to the Commissioner of Patents for reconsideration. It is thought that this is the first time in the world that a court has decided that an AI system can be an inventor. This decision has the potential to significantly impact many industries moving forward, particularly the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

        • Live Arguments Are Back at the Federal Circuit. So Are Rule 36 Judgments + There's a New Sheriff in Town for SEP Contract Cases [Ed: Lawyers' income more important than public safety?]

          Live, in-person arguments are back at the Federal Circuit, but the appellate court is proceeding cautiously (and appropriately so).

        • Software Patents

          • Report details how Airbus pilots saved the day when all three flight computers failed on landing

            Airbus is to implement a software update for its A330 aircraft following an incident in 2020 where all three primary flight computers failed during landing.

            The result was a loss of thrust reversers and autobrake systems and the pilots having to use manual braking to bring the aircraft, a China Airlines A330-302, to a halt just 30 feet before the end of the runway. The incident happened at Taipei Songshan Airport on 14 June 2020.

            The flight, CI202 from Shanghai with 87 passengers and nine cabin crew members, had been uneventful. The landing, however, was anything but.

          • The AIA at 10: the good and debatably bad, according to counsel [Ed: Asking patent aggressors what they think about fake patents being thrown out by PTAB? Sounds like a work assignment for Patrick Wingrove]

            Counsel from Novartis, IBM, Siemens and Facebook say most of the changes made by the America Invents Act have been great – but not necessarily the PTAB

          • New DABUS ruling highlights rocky path for AI inventorship in US [Ed: Why are only lawyers from companies that lobby for software patents asked about this? It's not journalism and conflict of interest is all over this place.]

            Counsel at Siemens, IBM and elsewhere say the district court edict shows that tech advancements or a US law change are needed for AI inventor acceptance

          • Patenting computer simulations: an opportunity for growth in the fusion sector [Ed: After EPO tribunals were rigged by gangsters who took over the Office the big litigation firms use "simulation" as an excuse to patent software; the crimes of the EPO harm Europe a great deal]

            The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) recently started a new collaboration to grow sophisticated computing capabilities for commercial fusion[1].

            The STFC’s Hartree Centre (where staff under the collaboration are to be based) is a UK leader in some of the most advanced computing, data and AI technologies. The collaboration is particularly hoping to exploit high performance computing and AI to solve outstanding problems for commercial reactor design, in particular digital twins of real reactors (in the future at least).

            Whilst this collaboration is exciting for a variety of reasons, from an intellectual property (IP) perspective it is interesting to look at whether the UKAEA & STFC are heading into well-tread ground or exploring uncharted territory.

      • Copyrights

        • The World's Oldest Active Torrent Turns 18 Soon

          The world's oldest active torrent file turns 18 years old this month and it's still being seeded by dozens of people. "The Fanimatrix" torrent was published in 2003 when BitTorrent was still a relatively new protocol. At the time, the torrent's creator saw it as the only affordable option to share the Matrix fan film with the world.



Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
 
People Don't Just Kill Themselves (Same for Other Animals)
And recent reports about Boeing whistleblower John Barnett
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day