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Links 31/7/2015: Lennart Poettering as 'Linux Hero' and systemd Conference Coming





GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux



Free Software/Open Source



  • Accuvant researchers to release open source RFID access tool
    Security researchers have long known about the vulnerabilities of the RFID readers that many buildings use instead of door locks, but facilities managers have been slow to upgrade to more secure systems.

    To draw attention to the problem, at next week's Black Hat conference, Accuvant researchers will be releasing an open source piece of hardware that can be used to circumvent these readers.


  • VA Secretary: Open source is the only way to operate
    Veterans Affairs Department Secretary Bob McDonald voiced his support for open source technology July 30, as he outlined a broad reform plan that includes streamlining information technology and taking a more "holistic" look at customer service.

    "We have over 200 databases with customer information. That means if you want to change your address, you have to go to at least nine places to change your address at VA," said McDonald during a morning keynote July 30 at a conference in Bethesda, Md.


  • OpenDaylight Project Picks Up Steam


  • Kim Dotcom to create Wikimedia-style open source Mega 3.0
    Dotcom's first file locker, Megaupload, saw him accused of knowingly hosting, and indeed encouraging the upload and distribution of, stolen films and music. From his new home in New Zealand, he's fought a long legal battle on numerous fronts, fending off extradition attempts, accusing kiwi authorities of working without warrants end even trying, and failing miserably, to promote a political part .


  • Databases



  • Oracle/Java/LibreOffice



  • CMS



    • Dummy projects for new Drupal hires
      Lakhani's current role involves promoting the use of applications like Drupal, WordPress, Magento, and Redline through free tools and services. But, this Denver-based executive's experience shows most in forming the global, distributed team of developers and support staff inherent to success.




  • BSD



    • from distribution to project
      OpenBSD is going through something of a minimalist phase right now, but that wasn’t always the case. There was definitely an era of aggressive importation as well. Times change, priorities change, projects change. I wasn’t involved with OpenBSD during the early years, but I think I can explain the shift in attitudes. This is part three of an apparently ongoing series that started with Pruning and Polishing and out with the old, in with the less.


    • sashan@ on SMP pf progress
      One of our new developers, Alexandr Nedvedicky (sashan@), writes in to tell us about his trip to the lovely locale of Calgary for c2k15.




  • Public Services/Government



    • Open source part of Bulgarian eGovernment tender requirements
      The Bulgarian government has added open source as a requirement to its 'Preliminary criteria for the eligibility of eGovernment projects'.


    • IT trade groups protest Slovak licence deal
      Two IT trade associations in the Slovak Republic are objecting the renewal of a proprietary software licence contract negotiated by the country’s Ministry of Finance for all government organisations. Instead of continuing to rely on proprietary office suites, the groups want the Slovakian government to explore a transition to open source alternatives.




  • Standards/Consortia



    • WEBINAR - A standard that is not managed is not a standard
      Through their brief webinar Marijke and Marco will share with the audience how the Dutch Government is promoting the adoption of open standards through BOMOS, a method (initiated by Dr. Erwin Folmer, TNO with contribution from Marijke) which describes how to maintain and manage open standards.






Leftovers



  • Security



    • Tuesday's security updates


    • Security updates for Wednesday


    • Security updates for Thursday


    • Remote code execution via serialized data
      Serialization and, more importantly, deserialization of data is unsafe due to the simple fact that the data being processed is trusted implicitly as being “correct.” So if you’re taking data such as program variables from a non trusted source you’re making it possible for an attacker to control program flow. Additionally many programming languages now support serialization of not just data (e.g. strings, arrays, etc.) but also of code objects. For example with Python pickle() you can actually serialize user defined classes, you can take a section of code, ship it to a remote system, and it is executed there.


    • To exec or transition that is the question...


    • CIL – Part1: Faster SELinux policy (re)build


    • FCC Rules Block use of Open Source
      The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has introduced ‘software security requirements’ obliging WiFi device manufacturers to “ensure that only properly authenticated software is loaded and operating the device”. The document specifically calls out the DD-WRT open source router project, but clearly also applies to other popular distributions such as OpenWRT. This could become an early battle in ‘The war on general purpose computing’ as many smartphones and Internet of Things devices contain WiFi router capabilities that would be covered by the same rules.


    • Hacked Jeep Cherokee Exposes Weak Underbelly of High-Tech Cars
      The Jeep Cherokee brought to a halt by hackers last week exposed wireless networks as the weakest link in high-tech vehicles, underscoring the need to find fast over-the-air fixes to block malicious intrusions.

      Features that buyers now expect in most modern automobiles, such as driving directions and restaurant guides, count on a constant connection to a telecommunications network. But that link also makes cars vulnerable to security invasions like those that threaten computers in homes and businesses.




  • Censorship



    • David Cameron wants to block non-age verifiying porn sites
      PRIME MINISTER David Cameron is looking to ensure that adult websites, the sort that MPs like, will abide by age verification standards and make sure that fumbling punters are of adult age.

      Cameron has a thing about these sites, as does a huge chunk of Westminster, and would like to see adult content subjected to bondage and inspection. He would like to give it a firm political going over and a good legislative seeing to. He wants to take it in hand.




  • Civil Rights



  • Internet/Net Neutrality



    • FCC has already gotten 2,000 “net neutrality” complaints
      The Federal Communications Commission received about 2,000 net neutrality complaints from consumers over a one-month period, according to a National Journal article today. The overarching theme of the complaints is that customers are fed up with their Internet service providers, often due to slow speeds, high prices, and data caps. In a sampling of 60 complaints, the most frequent targets were AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon.






Recent Techrights' Posts

GAFAM "doesn't depend on any sort of lock-in, humans just don't want to be free anymore," according to MinceR
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The Register MS Has Just Been Paid to Promote the Ponzi Scheme Some More ("AI" Keyword Stuffing)
This won't end well for The Register MS
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Many Red Hat employees were pushed out and/or removed lately
EPO People Power - Part XIII - If the EPO's Chief Propagandist (Berenguer) Told the Police He Was a Spanish Tourist (or Similar) or That He Does Not Reside in Munich, Then He May Have Lied to the Police (in Addition to Doing Cocaine in Public)
Lying to the police in Germany is a criminal offense
 
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Wrapping Up and Ending "Slopwatch"
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Breaking Your Proprietary Router in the Name of "Security"
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IBM May be Breaking the Law to Silence Staff It Laid Off
Observation to add regarding IBM layoffs
Demonisation Attacks on Richard Matthew Stallman (RMS) - Including Antisemitic Attacks - Have Not Worked
Name-calling doesn't work
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"AI" often means slave labour in a poor country
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Who said computing would improve over time?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, December 14, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, December 14, 2025
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Its biggest client is itself
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A lot of Europe also dumps Microsoft. Europe is a big revenue source of Microsoft.
The Future of News on the World Wide Web
No "greener pastures" on the Web
𝐈𝐁𝐌 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐀𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚: Proof That at IBM People Fall Upwards
IBM is collapsing
EPO People Power - Part XII - The Mobbing Got So Bad People Were Unable to Work
What's at stake here isn't just the EPO or the patent system
Links 14/12/2025: "Chile to ban smartphones in classroom" and "Portugal updates cybercrime law to exempt security researchers"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 14/12/2025: "GUI TUI CLI" and EmacsConf 2025 Video
Links for the day
Links 14/12/2025: Tensions in Asia, US Making Deals With Belarus
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A Utopian and Very Dumb Vision of Technology, Based on Accounting Fraud
the "industry" has become insane and a lot of "the media" is going along with it
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Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
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IRC logs for Saturday, December 13, 2025
Google News is Google Noise
Google News is really hopeless, even on weekends
IBM: We Pay You to be Obedient or Deny You What You're Entitled to If You Don't Act Obediently
Good luck starting legal battles with a company that has almost as many lawyers (including aggressive patent lawyers) as it has geeks
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Links for the day
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Deliberate Lies or Glaring Distortions
Calling Torvalds anything "Soviet" or "Russian" would overlook the fact he comes from Finland and has Swedish roots
Canonical and Ubuntu: Working for Microsoft, Promoting Proprietary Surveillance (Dis)Services
Canonical started with a rich and overambitious Debian Developer. He wanted to become richer.
Russian "Hybrid Attacks" Are Typically Microsoft TCO and/or Windows TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
Information-related warfare relies a lot on computer systems
EPO People Power - Part XI - The Media in Europe is Ill and Complicit in Ills
We must all recognise that there's a problem here
Running With Technology
At least they always run Linux (all of them, since 2015)
Dealing With "Tech Cults"
If you think you identified a "Tech Cult", walk away
It Seems Like IBM is Firing 'Everybody' (Anywhere, Any Age, No Matter What Team)
Healthy companies would sack IBM's management (sacked by Board, bylaws etc.) but IBM is a sick company
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Less than a day ago they released his talk
GAFAM is a Financial Problem and Sovereignty Risk, a Policy-Level (National Level) Boycott is Needed
Europe has plenty of skilled computer engineers
LLM Slop Becoming Rarer
Today we've found no LLM slop in our RSS feeds regarding "Linux"
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Links for the day
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they see tough times ahead
Over at Tux Machines...
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IRC Proceedings: Friday, December 12, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, December 12, 2025