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Links 3/3/2022: New ASF Board of Directors and Microsoft Antitrust Abuses

  • GNU/Linux

    • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • CitizixHow to use etckeeper to manage /etc in OpenSUSE Leap 15

        Etckeeper is a simple, easy-to-use, modular and configurable collection of tools to let /etc be managed using version control. It allows the contents of /etc to be stored in a Version Control System (VCS) repository such as git. Thus allowing you to use git to review or revert changes that were made to /etc, in case of a mistake. In Linux/Unix, the /etc directory is where host-specific system-wide configuration files and directories are located; it is a central location for all system-wide configuration files. A configuration file is a local file used to control how a program works – it must be static and cannot be an executable binary. To keep track of changes to system configuration files, system administrators normally make copies (or backups) of configuration files before modifying them. That way if they directly modified the original file and made a mistake, they can revert to the saved copy. In this guide, we will learn how to Install and configure etckeeper in Opensuse Leap 15.

      • H2S MediaInstall NotePad++ on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Linux using SNAP - Linux Shout

        Learn the simple steps to install NotePad++ on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy JellyFish Linux using the command terminal for writing programs. Free Notepad++ is based on the Windows Notepad Editor but functionally for writing programs. Therefore, we cannot install Notepad++ on the Linux system simply using its package manager such as APT. In such a situation, we have to take the help of Wine – a free and open-source compatibility layer to run Windows applications. On one hand, notepad.exe on Windows is suitable for making short notes, the Notepad++ program goes beyond. Any person who writes code would already know about this app. It offers functions such as syntax highlighting, which highlights certain entered code blocks in color. This improves the overview. In addition to TXT, there are entries for Batch, C++, C#, JavaScript, PHP, PostScript, Windows PowerShell, Python, R, the Windows Registry (*.reg), Ruby, Swift, and Visual Basic. Users just need knowledge of the programming languages, Notepad++ makes things easier, but does not take away your know-how here.

      • OSNoteHow to Use RSYNC to Backup Data on Ubuntu – OSNote

        Loss of valuable data and not being able to recover it is the most painful incident that can happen to any of us. To take precautions against this problem, a backup copy of the data needs to be created. A data backup is a copy of valuable data kept on your devices, such as computers, phones, or tablets, that is used to recover the valuable data that has been lost. Data loss is caused in a variety of ways, including failure of hard drives, ransomware, and even human error. Whatever the disaster, a backup of data could provide the relief you need to restore the data on your devices. It’s usually kept in a safe, different location from the original device, such as the cloud. One of the approaches we use in Linux to back up our data is using “rsync”. In this article on Ubuntu 20.04, we use the rsync approach to back up data.

      • Neat uses for a backlit keyboard

        I bought myself a new keyboard last November, a Logitech G213. True keyboard fans will tell me it’s not a real mechanical keyboard, but it was a lot cheaper and met my requirements of having some backlighting and a few media keys (really all I use are the volume control keys). Oh, and being a proper UK layout. While the G213 isn’t fully independent RGB per key it does have a set of zones that can be controlled. Also this has been reverse engineered, so there are tools to do this under Linux. All I really wanted was some basic backlighting to make things a bit nicer in the evenings, but with the ability to control colour I felt I should put it to good use.

      • Scan for SSH private keys without passphrase | Ganneff’s Little Blog

        So for policy reasons, customer wanted to ensure that every SSH private key in use by a human on their systems has a passphrase set. And asked us to make sure this is the case. There is no way in SSH to check this during connection, so client side needs to be looked at. Which means looking at actual files on the system. Turns out there are multiple formats for the private keys - and I really do not want to implement something able to deal with that on my own.

      • Linux Made SimpleHow to install Piskel on a Chromebook

        Today we are looking at how to install Piskel on a Chromebook. Please follow the video/audio guide as a tutorial where we explain the process step by step and use the commands below.

      • CitizixHow to Install and Configure Puppet 7 Server on Ubuntu 20.04

        In this guide, we are going to install Puppet 7 Server Open Source in Ubuntu 20.04. We will set up a Puppet server and an agent and install Nginx using puppet manifests. Puppet is a software configuration management tool which includes its own declarative language to describe system configuration. It is a model-driven solution that requires limited programming knowledge to use. Puppet operates in an agent-master architecture, in which a master node controls configuration information for a fleet of managed agent nodes. Puppet is distributed in several packages. These include puppetserver, puppet-agent and puppetdb. Puppet Server controls the configuration information for one or more managed agent nodes. PuppetDB is where the data generated by Puppet is stored.

      • Make Use OfHow to Set the Time Zone Using the Linux Terminal

        If you've moved or are traveling with your Linux laptop, you may be wondering how to change your system's time zone. It's easy to set your Linux computer's time zone from the command line. Here's how to do it.

    • Games

    • Distributions

      • Screenshots/Screencasts

        • Linux Made SimpleFreespire 8.2

          Today we are looking at Freespire 8.2. It is based on Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Kernel 5.13, KDE Plasma 5.18, and uses about 500MB of ram when idling. Enjoy!

        • VideoFreespire 8.2 Run Through - Invidious

          In this video, we are looking at Freespire 8.2.

      • IBM/Red Hat/Fedora

        • Silicon AngleRed Hat details edge computing collaboration with Verizon

          IBM Corp.’s Red Hat division today shared new details about its collaboration with Verizon Communications Inc. to help enterprises adopt edge computing technologies. Last year, Verizon teamed up with IBM on a broad initiative to modernize its network. As part of the effort, Verizon is building key components of its 5G infrastructure using Red Hat software. Edge computing is one of the areas that the companies’ partnership prioritizes. Verizon offers an edge computing service called Verizon 5G Edge that enables enterprises to run their applications on infrastructure attached to the carrier’s 5G network. This infrastructure is powered by Amazon Web Services Inc.’s AWS Wavelength platform.

        • Red Hat OfficialRed Hat Helps Türk Telekom Digitally Transform Across its Business to the Edge

          Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that Türk Telekom, Turkey’s first and leading integrated telecommunications operator, has deployed Red Hat OpenShift, the industry’s leading Kubernetes platform, for use across its business to develop and scale cloud-native applications from core to edge for faster innovation.

        • Red Hat OfficialRed Hat Extends Partner Training Offerings to Strengthen Open Hybrid Cloud Expertise [Ed: Red Hat is promoting nonsense like "clown computing" instead of real computing skills (building systems, not outsourcing)]

          Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that Red Hat Training and Certification is expanding its offerings for partners in order to advance their skills journey with open hybrid cloud technologies. Red Hat partners can now access Red Hat Training self-paced online courses at no cost in order to develop critical skills around Red Hat solutions in key areas such as cloud computing, containers, virtualization,

        • Edge Automation with NetGitOps on Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 [Ed: Red Hat is foolishly, as usual, pushing Microsoft proprietary software, GitHub, even though perfectly fine alternatives which are Free software predate that]
      • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

        • Make Use Of8 Reasons Why Ubuntu Is the Ideal Distro for Linux Newcomers

          Ubuntu often gets recommended as the first distro to beginner Linux users. What makes it different than any other distro? Let's find out. The Linux kernel has spawned an entire family of operating systems known as Linux distributions. There are close to a thousand (or maybe more) distributions that you can install on your computer for free. But when it comes to ease of use and beginner-friendliness, Ubuntu is the name that pops up the most. Why is this so? And why do people recommend Ubuntu as the first distro to Linux beginners? Let's find out.

    • Devices/Embedded

      • Linux GizmosRenesas unveils Linux-driven RISC-V SoC based on an Andes AX45MP core

        Renesas announced a headless, 1GHz “RZ/Five” IoT SoC that runs Linux on Andes’ AX45MP RISC-V core with support for up to 4GB DDR4-1600, 1x or 2x GbE ports, 2x CAN, and 2x USB. A SMARC module is in the works. Renesas has begun sampling the first commercial system-on-chip based on Andes Technology’s 64-bit RISC-V cores. The headless, single-core RZ/Five runs Linux on Andes’ up to 1GHz AndesCore AX45MP core, which was updated for greater performance last December. The SoC is aimed at entry-class social infrastructure gateway control and industrial gateway control.

      • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

        • Linux On MobileLINMOB.net - Easily upgrading the PinePhone (Pro) Modem Firmware

          If you are a PinePhone owner and have not been living under a rock, you will know that there's an exploitable vulnerability for the PinePhone Pro's Quectel EG-25G firmware that's been supplied with your PINE64 phone. Also, let's briefly say that aside from not being good at fixing vulnerabilities in a timely manner, Quectel and their modem firmware by default are not really perfect. The Fix (part 1): The Community Firmware by Biktorgj Fortunately, there's a road to getting that problem fixed without waiting for Quectel to deliver something. PINE64 Community Member Biktorgj has been working hard on a community firmware – I've written about this, and wrote an explainer on how to install that firmware in May of 2021. Installing got simpler since (just run one script), but not quite simple enough for many.

    • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

      • The Register UKGoogle blocks FOSS Android tool – for asking for donations ● The Register

        StreetComplete, a free Android program designed to help people to contribute to OpenStreetMap, was blocked from Google's Play Store merely for urging users to donate money to the app's development. According to StreetComplete developer Tobias Zwick, the software store's semi-automated approval system rejected StreetComplete for suggesting people donate money to the code's maintenance and improvement. Why? Because Play Store apps mustn't accept other payment methods.

      • Apache BlogAnnouncing New ASF Board of Directors

        At The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) Annual Members' Meeting held this week, the following individuals were elected to the ASF Board of Directors: Rich Bowen (former Director) Bertrand Delacretaz (current Director) Christofer Dutz (new Director) Roy T. Fielding (current Director) Sharan Foga (current Director) Willem Jiang (new Director) Sam Ruby (current Director) Roman Shaposhnik (current Director) Sander Striker (current Director)

      • Events

        • HackadaySpaceship Repair CTF Covers Hardware Hacker Essentials | Hackaday

          At even vaguely infosec-related conferences, CTFs are a staple. For KernelCon 2021, [Tyler Rosonke] resolved to create a challenge breaking the traditions, entertaining and teaching people in a different way, while satisfying the constraints of that year’s remote participation plans. His imagination went wild in all the right places, and a beautifully executed multi-step hardware challenge was built – only in two copies!

      • Web Browsers

        • Chromium

          • GoogleChrome 100 Beta: Reduced User-Agent Strings, Multi-Screen Window Placement, and More

            Unless otherwise noted, changes described below apply to the newest Chrome beta channel release for Android, Chrome OS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Learn more about the features listed here through the provided links or from the list on ChromeStatus.com. Chrome 100 is beta as of March 3. 2022. You can download the latest on Google.com for desktop or on Google Play Store on Android.

        • Mozilla

          • MozillaThe website security ecosystem protects individuals against fraud and state-sponsored surveillance. Let’s not break it.

            Principle four of the Mozilla Manifesto states that “Individuals’ security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional.” We’ve made real progress on improving security on the Internet, but unfortunately, a draft law under discussion in the EU – the eIDAS Regulation – threatens to reverse that progress. Mozilla and many others have been raising the alarm in the last few months. Today, leading cybersecurity experts are weighing in too, in an open letter to EU lawmakers that warns of the risks that eIDAS represents to web security. Website certificates sit at the heart of web security. When you make a connection to a web site, say “mozilla.org”, that connection is protected with TLS, but TLS only protects the connection itself; each server has a certificate which ensures that the server on the other end is “mozilla.org” and not an attacker impersonating Mozilla. Certificates are issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs), who are responsible for verifying that a given entity controls the site in question.

          • MozillaAnnouncing Interop 2022 - Mozilla Hacks - the Web developer blog

            A key benefit of the web platform is that it’s defined by standards, rather than by the code of a single implementation. This creates a shared platform that isn’t tied to specific hardware, a company, or a business model. Writing high quality standards is a necessary first step to an interoperable web platform, but ensuring that browsers are consistent in their behavior requires an ongoing process. Browsers must work to ensure that they have a shared understanding of web standards, and that their implementation matches that understanding.

      • SaaS/Back End/Databases

        • PostgreSQLPostgreSQL: Announcing this year's edition of the Swiss PGDay

          We are happy to announce this year's edition of the Swiss PGDay to take place Friday, July 1 at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Campus Rapperswil, close to Zurich, Switzerland. The conference will feature 1 day with two tracks of presentations in English and German.

        • PostgreSQLBelgian PostgreSQL Conference 2022 & Call for Papers

          Announcing the Belgian PostgreSQL Conference 2022 & Call for Papers PGConf.be 2022 is the sequel of the successful Belgian PostgreSQL conference 2019 in Haasrode, Leuven. The conference will take place on May 19th, 2022.

      • Programming/Development

        • MakeTech EasierHow to Use the G++ Compiler on Linux

          The compilation process is a big part of any C++ coding project. You need a compiler that is effective and simple, while also offering a variety of functionality. This is where the g++ compiler comes in. It offers a variety of functions for your compilation needs, straight from the command line. Here we show you how to get started with this great tool.

  • Leftovers

    • Hardware

      • HackadayCompressed Air Jumping Shoes Are Not For The Faint-Hearted | Hackaday

        [Ian Charnas] has taken a short break from building things that might injure himself, by building something that could injure somebody else instead. (Video, embedded below) Well, hopefully not anyway. After working with YouTuber [Tyler Csatari] on a few ideas, [Tyler] was insistent on getting some power-assisted jumping shoes, so [Ian] set to work mounting some compressed-air powered pistons to a pair of walking shoes. With a large backpack housing the 200 PSI air cylinder, control valves and timers. The whole affair looks solidly constructed, if a little ungainly, but does seem to work surprisingly well. After some initial calculations of how much force each piston could exert before risking leg injury, he found that whilst it did work, to an extent, the pressure required was beyond the capability of the compressor they had on hand. After a shopping trip, a bigger compressor was located, but that still needed a modification to get anywhere near its maximum 200 psi rating. The thing is, that modification was to bypass the regulator and the safety valve, and this is definitely something you don’t want to be making a habit of. Compressed air systems like this can hold quite a bit of an explosion potential if pushed beyond reasonable limits, and care needs to be taken to keep things within safe bounds. Cost-wise, [Ian] does mention a figure of around $3,000 USD making it a bit of a pricey project, but hey a YouTuber’s paying the bill, so it must just be a drop in the ocean for them?

      • HackadayRemoticon 2021 // Jay Bowles Dips Into The Plasmaverse | Hackaday

        Every hacker out there is familiar with the zaps and sizzles of the Tesla coil, or the crash and thunder of lighting strikes on our hallowed Earth. These phenomena all involve the physics of plasma, a subject near and dear to [Jay Bowles’s] heart. Thus, he graced Remoticon 2021 with a enlightening talk taking us on a Dip Into The Plasmaverse.

      • HackadayInternal Combustion Torque Monster Has Great Impact | Hackaday

        Once the domain of automotive repair shops and serious hobbyists with air compressors, the impact driver so famously used to remove and install wheel lug nuts and other Big Fasteners with just a squeeze of the trigger is more accessible than ever. Thanks to Lithium Ion batteries and powerful and compact brushless motors, you can now buy a reasonably powerful and torquey impact driver for a relatively low price- no air compressor needed! But what if you relish the thought of a noisy, unwieldy and unnecessarily loud torque monster? Then the video below the break by [Torque Test Channel] is just what you need! Now, this is Hackaday, so we don’t have to go into detail about why a person might want to rip out the electric motor and adapt a 60cc 2 stroke engine in its place. Of course that’s the obvious choice. But [Torque Test Channel] isn’t just mucking about for the fun of it. No, they’re having their fun, experimenting with internal combustion engines in odd places before they are banned by 2024 in California. Now, we’re not sure if the ban includes these exact types of engines- but who needs details when you have an impact driver that can change semi tires like a NASCAR pit crew.

    • Integrity/Availability

      • Proprietary

        • OMG Ubuntu‘UpNote’ Note-Taking App is Now Available on Linux

          If you’re yet to settle on a note-taking service that works across platforms you may want to check out a new option now available for Linux: UpNote. Now, I will mention upfront that the UpNote Linux client is Electron-based, and it is closed-source, proprietary software. The service does offer a free tier that lets you create “up to” 50 notes using basic features but you will need to shell out $0.99/month subscription (or pay a $19.99 one off fee) to create more than this, and unlock advanced options like tables, attachments, and extra export options.

        • Security

    • Monopolies

      • Public KnowledgeWill Microsoft Use Activision Blizzard to Freeze Out Rivals? - Public Knowledge

        Virtual bullets and explosions dance across the screen, yet I’m far more focused on what’s coming in through my Playstation headset. Two of my best friends live across the country, yet we stay in touch through the team-based online shooter game Overwatch. Bemoaning the substandard play of our competitors (and occasionally other teammates) is interspersed with discussions of our families, professional lives, and significant others. It almost feels as if we are back in the college dorm room where we met a decade ago, instead of three time zones apart. Our online gatherings, and many others like it, are now in jeopardy. You see, Overwatch is made by Activision Blizzard and the three of us play on Sony’s Playstation console. Microsoft, Sony’s chief gaming rival, has announced it will be acquiring Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. The deal merits rigorous scrutiny by antitrust enforcers.

      • Copyrights



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