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Links 16/7/2017: Mesa 17.1.5, FreeBSD 11.1 RC3





GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux



  • How I put Linux in the enterprise
    I used to work in higher ed. In the late 1990s, we moved to a new student records system. We created an "add-on" web registration system, so students could register on-line—still a new idea in 1998. But when we finally went live, the load crushed the web servers. No one could register. We tried to fix it, but nothing worked.


  • Desktop





  • Kernel Space



    • Linux 4.12.2
      I'm announcing the release of the 4.12.2 kernel.

      All users of the 4.12 kernel series must upgrade.

      The updated 4.12.y git tree can be found at: git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git linux-4.12.y and can be browsed at the normal kernel.org git web browser: http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-st...


    • Linux 4.11.11
    • Linux 4.9.38
    • Linux 4.4.77
    • Linux 3.18.61


    • UBIFS Gets Statx Support, Better Encryption In Linux 4.13
      The Linux 4.13 kernel changes for the UBIFS file-system have been submitted.

      UBIFS, as a reminder, is the Unsorted Block Image File-System deigned for flash memory devices off the UBI layer. UBIFS in Linux 4.10 gained file-encryption support making use of the fscrypt functionality used as well by F2FS and EXT4. With Linux 4.13, there are UBIFS related encryption updates and fixes.


    • Linux 4.13 Thermal Management Sees Some Improvements For CPU_Cooling
      The thermal management updates have landed in the Linux 4.13 code-base.


    • Linux 4.13-rc1 Kernel Released


    • Merge window over - Linux 4.13-rc1 out
      Ok, normally I do this on Sunday afternoon, but occasionally it happens a day early like now to avoid people timing me.

      In fact, I was planning on doing it yesterday evening this time around because I was so annoyed with lots of late pull requests on Friday (and some today), but ended up going to dinner and not getting everything done, so it's only one day early. Next time...


    • The New Changes & Features Of The Linux 4.13 Kernel
      With Linux 4.13-rc1 having been released, here's my original look at the new features coming for the Linux 4.13 kernel and the other changes merged over the past two weeks of this new cycle.



    • Please pull NFS client changes for Linux 4.13


    • Graphics Stack



      • Mesa 17.1.5 Brings More Fixes To Open-Source GPU Driver Users
        Andres Gomez of Igalia has announced Mesa 17.1.5 as the newest point release to the current Mesa 3D stable series.

        Mesa 17.1.5 fixes a potential crash in core Mesa, has Vulkan / SPIR-V fixes, the usual notable fixes in the Intel i965 and RadeonSI drivers, and some smaller fixes to Etnaviv, OpenSWR, SVGA, and other parts of this massive user-space 3D graphics stack.


      • [Mesa-announce] [ANNOUNCE] mesa 17.1.5
        In Mesa Core we include a fix to prevent a potential crash.


      • Mesa 17.1.5 Linux Graphics Stack Released, Improves AMD Radeon & Intel Drivers
        After teasing us a couple of days ago with the upcoming availability of the fifth maintenance update to the Mesa 17.1 3D Graphics Stack for GNU/Linux distributions, Mesa developer Andres Gomez is now announcing the final release of Mesa 17.1.5.

        Mesa 17.1.5 comes only two weeks after the Mesa 17.1.4 update that probably many of you are using right now on your Linux distros, and it's here to add an extra layer of improvements for those using AMD Radeon or Intel graphics cards. First off, Mesa 17.1.5 fixes a potential crash in Mesa Core, adds better support for the GLSL and SPIR-V compilers, and solves a linking problem with standalone Android builds.


      • Vulkan 1.0.54 Lands In Mesa For Intel ANV, Some RADV Extensions
        It's fabulous to see how promptly the Mesa Vulkan drivers are receiving support for new extensions.

        Vulkan 1.0.54 was released on Thursday. This updated promoted the external memory and semaphores extensions from experimental to stable. They also added new extensions for 16-bit storage, dedicated allocation, storage buffer storage class, variable pointers, new memory requirements query, and external fences for external memory.


      • Difficulties and Success Stories
        This hints to a fundamental issue with our approach of using the Present extension in Xwayland. The extension was written with hardware in mind. It assumes a flip happens directly on a screen. There is no intermediate link like a Wayland compositor and if a flip has happened the old buffer is not on the screen anymore. Why do we still try to leverage the Present extension support in Xwayland then? There are two important features of a Wayland compositor we want to have with Xwayland: A tear-free experience for the user and the ability to output a buffer rendered by a direct rendering client on a hardware plane without any copies in between. Every frame is perfect should also remain valid when using some legacy application and that we want no unnecessary copies is simply a question of performance improvements. This is especially important for many of the more demanding games out there, which won’t be Wayland native in the short term and some of them maybe never. Both features need the the full Present extension support in the Xwayland DDX. Without it a direct rendering application would still use the Present extension but only with its fallback code path of copying the Pixmap’s content. And for a tear-free experience we would at least need to sync these copies to the frame events sent by the Wayland compositor or better directly allow multiple buffers, otherwise we would limit our frame rate. In both cases this means again to increase the Present extension support.


      • It Looks Like Intel Could Begin Pushing Graphics Tech More Seriously
        It's been a while now since last seeing some major graphics advancements on Intel CPUs. With Skylake/Kabylake we are on "Gen 9" graphics, Kabylake-Refresh / Coffeelake is still Gen9 graphics, Broadwell was on Gen8, Haswell on Gen7.5, and IvyBridge on Gen 7. But with upcoming launches past Kabylake-Refresh/Coffeelake, it looks like we'll be stamping out Gen 10, Gen 11, and Gen 12.


      • Codeplay Release “clspv”, an OpenCL Tool for Vulkan Enabled Devices
        In collaboration with Google, Codeplay is proud to announce the release of a new open-source tool allowing the compilation of OpenCL C language kernels to run on the Vulkan API.






  • Applications



  • Desktop Environments/WMs



    • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt



      • digiKam GSoC Students in Egypt


        It was nice meeting Ahmed and Shaza @ faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University in Cairo. I am proud to mentor them in Google Summer of Code.

        Ahmed is working on implementing a DLNA server in digiKam core to export photo and video hosted in physical and virtual collections. The server is ready and he working on the configuration panel UI. See more here.



      • Best be precise
        KSysGuard — the system monitor — on FreeBSD seems oddly precise.


      • Plasma Wayland and Qt 5.9 and beyond
        As you might know Qt 5.8 created challenging problems for our Wayland session and threw our efforts back quite a bit. In this post I want to discuss the actual problems it created, how we are addressing them and looking into the future.


      • The Regressed State Of KDE Plasma On Wayland, But Things Should Get Better
        KWin maintainer Martin Gräßlin has written a blog post explaining the issues they've run into with KDE Plasma on Wayland and how changes to Qt have set them back months in their Wayland session support.


      • Akademy Schedule
        The workshops and lightning talks and BoFs are being planned, too. I’m glad Anu Mittal has mentioned her QML + JS workshop, it’s a great topic for getting started with application development. QML is something I’ve never gotten in to, but should, so I’ve penciled this workshop into my schedule as well.


      • [Krita] GSoC’17-Week #4


      • KF5 Applications Porting


        Next week, KDE developers will release the beta of KDE Applications 17.08. This release will again have more applications and nearly all games ported to Qt5/KF5. While Qt4 is already no longer supported for over a year, KDE has decided to support Qt4/kdelibs4-based applications a bit longer.

        The 17.08 release, however, will be the last to include Qt4/kdelibs4-based applications. This means, 17.12 will only include applications that are based on Qt5/KF5. See this mailing list discussion.


      • Kdenlive 17.04.3 released
        In comparison to previous versions this was the least exciting development cycle, in terms of new features, since all focus has been on the code refactoring which will bring more stability and new features. Don’t miss the next Café to keep track on the progress and share your thoughts if you like.






  • Distributions



    • Reviews



      • Solus 2017.04.18.0 review - Second time lucky?
        Solus 2017 looks like a nice distro, with some obvious visual caveats and tiny functional quirks. It's reasonable enough than I'm determined to test it on non-UEFI hardware, where I'll hopefully have more luck. But on a UEFI platform, it seems hopeless. I don't know there should be a problem when so many other distros do just fine without any issues. Solus seems to be a special snowflake, and it does not cooperate well with a modern and complex system.

        All in all, I cannot recommend the distro, because the outcome may still be harmful. If a distro cannot install properly, the results can be unpredictable. My testing shows some very favorable things, and Budgie looks quite all right now, but as a package, Solus just doesn't handle UEFI well. I'll report back after a third, and hopefully lucky test, but you are warned to carefully proceed until the hardware side has been polished. Double sigh. Maybe another another time.


      • A Short Review of Linux Mint 18.2 "Sonya" Cinnamon LTS




    • New Releases



      • Introducing Endless OS 3.2
        This major release brings some exciting changes with a refreshed desktop, great visual improvements, and more offline apps for our users in Southeast Asia to enjoy. Since this is a major release, make sure to update your OS (Settings > Details > Check for updates now), before you update your apps from the App Center!




    • Red Hat Family



    • Debian Family





  • Devices/Embedded





Free Software/Open Source



  • Web Browsers



    • Mozilla



      • Pale Moon browser new release, better media support


        I have updated my palemoon.SlackBuild and have uploaded fresh Slackware packages for this new Pale Moon 27.4.0. As previously shared with you, I diverge from the official developers’ recommendations about how to compile this browser on Linux. For instance the gcc compiler I used on Slackware 14.2 is gcc-5.3.0 (which is part of this distro release). On -current I failed compiling with the gcc-7.1.0 compiler which is the default there and I had to create a “gcc5” package for gcc-5.4.0 (which was an earlier gcc version in slackware-current). I wrote an article on this very blog about that gcc5 package if you are interested, it can be installed in parallel with Slackware’s own gcc-7. There are some other differences, mainly in the way I optimize my build.






  • Oracle/Java/LibreOffice



    • LibreOffice 5.3.4 Released and Available via PPA for Ubuntu/Linux Mint
      LibreOffice is the power-packed free, libre and open source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and GNU/Linux, that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs: Writer, the word processor, Calc, the spreadsheet application, Impress, the presentation engine, Draw, our drawing and flowcharting application, Base, our database and database frontend, and Math for editing mathematics. Its clean interface and powerful tools let you unleash your creativity and grow your productivity. Support and documentation is free from our large, dedicated community of users, contributors and developers.




  • BSD



    • NAS4Free 11.1.0.4.4485 Released


    • FreeBSD 11.1-RC3 Available
      The third RC build for the FreeBSD 11.1 release cycle is now available. ISO images for the amd64, armv6, i386, aarch64, powerpc, powerpc64 and sparc64 architectures are available on most of our FreeBSD mirror sites.


    • FreeBSD 11.1-RC3 Now Available
      The third RC build of the 11.1-RELEASE release cycle is now available. This is expected to be the final RC build of the 11.1-RELEASE cycle.


    • FreeBSD 11.1 RC3 Released As The Final Build Is Near
      FreeBSD 11.1 remains on track for releasing later this month.

      FreeBSD 11.1 RC3 is available this weekend as what should be the final release candidate for this minor update to FreeBSD 11. Changes found in FreeBSD 11.1 RC3 include adding deprecation notices to gdb/kgdb/sicontrol/wlconfig and other drivers that will be removed in FreeBSD 12.0, Capsicum support in the Bhyve virtualization code, and various other fixes and clean-ups.




  • Licensing/Legal



    • EUPL v1.2 becomes OSI approved

      "The OSI has approved EUPL v1.2. It will be added to the public list of OSI-approved licenses in due course. As with EUPL 1.1, the approval extends to all the official language versions of the license."





Leftovers



Recent Techrights' Posts

The "Nazi Bars"
We don't condone or condemn the label "Nazi Bar"
TV Programmes in Geminispace
Sort of like teletext except more cross-platform
Techrights' Assessment of Red Hat Layoffs in 2025 (Yes, They Happened!)
In short, Red Hat layoffs did occur this year, but even when they did the media did not mention these (and those would count as "IBM" regardless)
The GPU Bubble (GPUs Marketed by Useless Slop)
"they're selling GPUs for the sake of selling GPUs"
Formalities Officers at the EPO Face Uncertain Future, Administration Gets Asked About That
They're being too polite (perhaps) to people whose agenda is detrimental not just to the EPO but also the EPC
EPO General Consultative Committee (GCC) Agenda: Reduction of Staff's Salaries (Compared to Inflation)
knocking salaries down some more
 
Links 18/11/2025: "Bitcoin Showing Signs of Severe Collapse" and CEOs of GAFAM Finally Speak About a Slop Bubble
Links for the day
Apparent Red Hat Layoffs in "AI" (Supposedly a Strategic Area for IBM)
What is going on there?
Gemini Protocol as a Growing Source of Audience (Mostly Technical People)
Clients for Gemini Protocol are available for almost every platform imaginable
EPO Change May be Afoot, Keep Pushing and Hold Those Feet to the Fire
Backlash is brewing and societal trends reinforce backlash right now
Links 18/11/2025: CISA Advisories, Climate, "U.S. Layoffs Surge and Blaming AI is Part of the Smokescreen"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/11/2025: "Block Them All", Annex, Signed Commits, and "Cryptography of the Internet"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, November 17, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, November 17, 2025
Right Under the Nose of Mainstream Media
That the media fails to cover the matter mostly speaks volumes about the media
Spanish Focus Coming Soon and Maturity of Site Search
We'll soon be focusing on Spain
Slopwatch: LLM Slopfarms Seem to be Slowing Down Somewhat
LLM addiction is a very unhealthy addiction
Thailand: Windows Down Sharply, Microsoft Loses Share to GNU/Linux
the Thai economy is strategic and relatively important in the region
Gaming Journalist and Guru Jason Schreier Says Microsoft is Indeed Behaving Like It Exits the Console Market
Remember that many shops no longer sell or stock XBox
Links 17/11/2025: ‘Agentic OS’ Backlash and Facebook ('Meta') Loses Yann Le Cun
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/11/2025: Technology's Harm in Schools, 3D Printer Blurb
Links for the day
Coming Soon: EPO Trip in Spain
António Campinos being 'Marcosed'
Links 17/11/2025: "You Don't Need Animations" and Blocking Copyright-Infringing Sites Inevitably Goes Wrong
Links for the day
The Register MS: Slop is "FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out), FOMO is Funding Us
even former management (Editor in Chief of The Register MS) admitted to me it was aware of this issue
What's 4Chan and Why It's So Problematic
Incels and losers converge around online echo chambers
Difficult to Win Arguments When the Simple Facts Are Not on One's Side
Starting arguments over things when you know the facts (unlike money!) aren't on your side is a dumb move that can only ever result in severe loss of credibility
Python is Attempting an Outreach to African-Americans, Microsoft Lunduke Has a Problem With That
Did he manage to brainwash himself into this ideology wherein bigotry is in fact tolerance, inclusion, equity?
Tribalism Injures Projects
In Free software communities, there are many species and "breeds". Some developers are happy to work with everyone else based upon technical merit
IBM is Googlebombing Its Way Out of Trouble and Criticism
IBM is a dying giant
No, There is Nothing Impressive About Slop Plagiarism-Enabled, Computer-Generated Images in Your Web Site...
When people use slop they do not broadcast an embrace of innovation; they merely signal they're lazy, unethical, and unscrupulous
After Denial (of the Issues) Comes Censorship
Every critic of the status quo is "racist" and every criticism is "racism"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, November 16, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, November 16, 2025
Intel, Facing Mass Layoffs (Including Many Key Engineers Who Work on Linux Kernel), is Pushing for Slop Inside Linux
replacing proper, well-tested code (and documentation thereof) with slop
More People Want to Quit Windows (Vista 10 is "End of Life"), Restricted Boot (UEFI) Makes That Harder
It's widely agreed (a consensus) that Restricted Boot is a bad thing for GNU/Linux
IRCNow Helped Techrights
If you want to gain more independence or "sovereignty" over your communications and need help setting things up (no prior experience setting up/configuring IRC), go to IRCNow
How We Managed to Make IRC Inclusive and Free Speech-Tolerant Without Banning People
People in IRC seldom agree on everything, more so if politics are aired and especially in the wrong context/s
UEFI 'Restricted Boot' Will Usher in Rootkits Into Linux
Those of us who understand and value what it means to truly own our devices should definitely be alarmed by these trends
Plan for European Patent Office (EPO) Coverage This Month, Next Month, and Next Year
How much longer can European politicians ignore all this corruption?
Germany-Based Focus Online is Apparently Covering Up Cocaine Use at Europe's Second-Largest Institution, the European Patent Office
More contact details for the German press - Focus online
opensource.net Dead Since Middle of Summer, opensource.org (OSI) Still Leaderless
At the moment the brand "Open Source" is misused so heavily that we have considered adding a new category to our Daily Links, focusing a lot less on "Open" and more on software freedom as a concept
Photos From Richard Stallman's Talk in Argentina Earlier Today (Remote Talk)
Dr. Stallman's talk went ahead
Slopwatch: Google News Full of Slop
Google News has serious problems
Gemini Links 16/11/2025: The Cure for Slop, Rapsberry Pi Zero 2 W, and POSIX from Ada
Links for the day
NHS Data Breach Caused by Proprietary Software, as Usual, The Register MS Blames "Hackers" and "Cybercriminal Gang"
Nothing will get solved unless we have a rethink and media quits using the "hacker" narrative, which shifts blame from the holes to those who merely exploit them
IBM is Vanishing (First Moving, Then Going Away Completely)
Salary reduction is only the first step
Links 16/11/2025: Japan-China Tensions Grow, Surveillance Giant Google Checked for Breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA)
Links for the day
Links 16/11/2025: Censorship Battles and Margaret Sullivan Speaks
Links for the day
German Media and German Politicians: Working for the Public or Manipulating the Public?
The "common person" does not have printing presses
Informing the Public of Suppressed Facts
We are all in this together
Canadian Linus Meets Finnish-American Linus
LTT does have a very large audience, which it can steer away from Microsoft and Windows
The UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) Discourages Technological Entities, Including Free Software Projects, Being Based in or Near the UK
When it comes to IRC hosting, we never had any serious speech restrictions imposed upon us by the UK
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, November 15, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, November 15, 2025
Father of GNU Giving Keynote Talk Today, Father of Linux Collaborating With Linus Tech Tips (LTT)
Some time soon we can expect Linus Tech Tips (LTT) / Linus Media Group / Linus Gabriel Sebastian to produce something with Torvalds
Gemini Links 16/11/2025: Emacs Font Fun and UI x TUI x CLI
Links for the day