This page permanently redirects to gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2022/07/21/links-21072022-more-gnulinux-laptops-and-more-typical-fud-against-linux/.

● 07.21.22

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 21/07/2022: More GNU/Linux Laptops and More Typical FUD Against Linux

Posted in News Roundup at 3:09 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

=> ↺ Linux Around The World: Netherlands – LinuxLinks

• We cover events and user groups that are running in Netherlands. This article forms part of our Linux Around The World series.

=> ↺ macOS vs. Linux: 5 Key Differences You Should Know

• Much as these two operating systems have in common, they are unique in their own ways. Let’s take a look at some key differences between macOS and Linux.

• Brief History of macOS and Linux

• The main parts of macOS and Linux are the kernel, core utilities, the GUI or desktop environment, and applications.

• macOS is based on a BSD Unix kernel known as Darwin which is open-source. The other parts of macOS (for example, the GUI and core applications) are closed-source and proprietary. Apple builds and maintains these software systems and they come as part of your Mac device.

• Apple adopted Unix into macOS in the early 2000s. Prior to that, macOS was based on a non-Unix operating system.

• Linux on the other hand started out as a personal project and as a clone of the Unix operating system in the early 90s by Linus Torvalds. Strictly speaking, Linux is just the kernel. The operating system itself is made up of core parts such as the GNU utilities, and desktop environments such as GNOME, KDE, etc.

Desktop/Laptop

=> ↺ System76′s Oryx Pro Linux Laptop Gets a 12th Gen Intel CPU, NVIDIA RTX 3000 Ti GPUs

•  It’s been ten months since the last Oryx Pro refresh and now System76 has updated its flagship Linux laptop with the new 12th Gen Intel Core “Alder Lake” i7-12700H processor that boasts 14 cores and 20 threads at a range of 1.7 to 4.7 GHz clock speeds, and 24 MB cache.

• But the Alder Lake processor isn’t the only component that was upgraded in the refreshed Oryx Pro as customers will now be able to configure the Linux laptop with either NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti with 6144 CUDA Cores or NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti with 7424 CUDA Cores dedicated graphics cards.

=> ↺ System76 Oryx Pro gets Intel Core i7-12700H and GeForce RTX 3070/3080 Ti

• If you want a thin and light Linux laptop, there are plenty of options on the market these days, including the excellent HP Dev One. A svelte laptop is ideal for those that travel often and highly value having something lightweight.

• Some consumers, however, don’t care about the heft of a Linux laptop at all. These performance-junkies want hardcore specifications… weight be damned! For these folks, the System76 Oryx Pro has long been an excellent option. This hefty portable workstation is a great choice for both gamers and enthusiasts.

• Today, the Oryx Pro — which can weigh up to 6.17 pounds — gets a huge refresh. You see, the Linux laptop (available with either a 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch display) now comes with the powerful 12th gen Intel Core i7-12700H standard. Equally impressive are the GPU options — you can choose between an NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti or RTX 3080 Ti. Wow!

=> ↺ Dell XPS 13 Plus (Developer Edition) Gets Certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS – It’s FOSS News

• Dell XPS is a premium lineup of laptops suitable for professionals and business users.

• And it is also one of the most preferred laptops to run Linux. But, if you have always wanted to get a Dell XPS laptop tailored for Ubuntu’s latest and greatest, the Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is for you.

• The developer edition for the 13-inch XPS laptop is now certified to work with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

=> ↺ Dell’s XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is the first laptop certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

=> ↺ Dell and Ubuntu certify latest model of XPS 13 ultrabook • The Register

• Dell’s latest XPS 13 ultrabook is now certified for version 22.04 of Ubuntu’s operating system.

• Starting next month, the “developer edition” of Dell’s long-running XPS series of thin and light laptops, the Alder Lake-based 2022 XPS 13, will be available with “Jammy Jellyfish” pre-installed, but existing owners can install it now and get full driver support.

• This isn’t a big surprise, the previous version of the laptop was certified to run the previous Ubuntu LTS. The announcement is the latest installment in Dell’s decade-old “Project Sputnik” program, although there were some bumps and it did take a few years to reach worldwide availability.

• For now, five models of XPS 13 seem to be the only certified devices, but more will follow. Canonical lists three whole manufacturers – Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

• There are several reasons this matters. For one, if you’re a big customer buying thousands of units, you want assurance they will work. The certification lends legitimacy to both companies, and the work that went into the drivers will help compatibility on other machines.

• The device’s keyboard is “zero lattice” instead of a chiclet design. This means that there are no gaps between the keys. While that sounds good, the keyboard’s total flatness and 1mm key travel do not. The trackpad blends seamlessly into the glass fascia, which looks neat but will doubtless make it hard to locate by eye or by touch, especially the all-important tap zones in the lower corners.

Google

=> ↺ Google wants to REPLACE LINUX?, GNOME 43, and Unreal Engine on Linux – Linux and Open Source News – Invidious

=> ↺ How to install ChromeOS Flex the hard way

• Now that Google ChromeOS Flex is generally available and supports more than 400 devices, I decided to give it a try. I grabbed my daughter’s old MacBook Air from 2013, which was collecting dust. And I went through the process, which is about as easy as it can be. Still, I learned how to install ChromeOS Flex the hard way during this process.

• Before sharing the often frustrating experience in this particular case, I want to be clear. I love what Google is doing with ChromeOS Flex. The ability to repurpose old computers from running macOS or Windows so they can continue on with ChromeOS is brilliant. It will reduce e-waste while also saving both consumers and businesses money since they can reuse computers they already own.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Bad Voltage 3×48: Brave Internet Explorers

• Stuart Langridge, Jono Bacon, and Jeremy Garcia present Bad Voltage, in which everyone’s middle name is Elaine, there is discussion of the nature of business in the modern age…

=> ↺ Linux Action News 250

=> ↺ but they cannot tell you that

• Microsoft makes a hard about-face, a significant fix for Ubuntu 22.04 is in the works, and the recent breakthrough by the Asahi Linux project.

=> ↺ BSD Now 464: Compiling with kefir

• From 0 to bhyve on FreeBSD, Analyze OpenBSD’s Kernel with Domain-Specific Knowledge, OpenBSD Webzine: ISSUE #10, HardenedBSD June 2022 Status Report, two new C compilers: chibicc and kefir in OpenBSD, SSD TRIM in NetBSD HEAD, and more

=> ↺ The Linux Link Tech Show Episode 963

• Joel is the pho.

Kernel Space

=> ↺ What are masked services in Linux, and how do you manage them?

• Have you ever gone to start or stop a service in Linux using the systemctl command only to see a warning such as:

• You know you installed the Postgresql database server and it was working properly, yet somehow you no longer have control over the service. You can’t manage it in any way. What happened?

• First of all, masks are a different way of disabling a service. Here’s the difference: When you disable a service with sudo systemctl disable, all symlinks for the service are removed. When masking a service, the symlinks are moved and then point to /dev/null. When you simply disable a service, it can still be started manually. When you mask a service, it cannot be started manually. In other words, masking a service renders the service permanently unusable until it’s unmasked.

Applications

=> ↺ LightDM 1.32 Display Manager Released, Dropping Qt 4 Support

• The LightDM project announced the release of the LightDM 1.32 display manager with a host of fixes. Here’s what is new!

• A display manager is a program that provides graphical login capabilities for your Linux distribution. It manages user logins and graphic display servers and is used to start an X server session on the same or another computer.

• LightDM is a popular display manager that is characterized by its ability to work with all desktop environments. It is a lightweight cross-desktop display manager designed to be simple, fast, secure, and flexible.

• LightDM can use various front-ends called Greeters, a GUI that prompts the user for credentials to draw a User Interface. Additionally, LightDM supports different display technologies, including X11 and Wayland.

=> ↺ LibreJS – News: LibreJS 7.21.0 released [Savannah]

• GNU LibreJS aims to address the JavaScript problem described in Richard Stallman’s article The JavaScript Trap. LibreJS is a free add-on for GNU IceCat and other Mozilla-based browsers. It blocks nonfree nontrivial JavaScript while allowing JavaScript that is free and/or trivial.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ How to install KDE neon 20220714 – Invidious

• In this video, I am going to show how to install KDE neon 20220714.

=> ↺ How to Install Joomla! on Ubuntu 22.04 – RoseHosting

• Joomla! is a popular open-source CMS written in PHP. It is built on a model–view–controller web application framework, and it offers many features such as blogs, page caching, support for language internationalization, etc.

• A number of modules are also available for discussion forums, photo galleries, social media, etc. Joomla! makes it easy to create a personal blog and other personal or community online presences. Installing Joomla! is fairly easy, we will show you how to install Joomla! on Ubuntu 22.04.

=> ↺ How to repair and clone disk with ddrescue

• ddrescue is a tool that can be used to repair and clone disks on a Linux system. This includes hard drives, partitions, DVD discs, flash drives, or really any storage device. It performs data recovery by copying data as blocks.

• If ddrescue encounters errors from the data it’s trying to copy, it can discard them and keep only the good data. This makes it an ideal tool when trying to recover data from a corrupted disk. In this tutorial, you will learn how to install ddrescue and use it to clone a full disk or partition, and write that data to an empty storage space.

=> ↺ How to Install LAMP Stack on Fedora 36 (Simple Guide)

• The step-by-step guide on this page will show you how to install LAMP stack on Fedora 36.

=> ↺ Ansible Vault Tutorial

• In previous tutorials we discussed Ansible, a great tool we can use for automation and provisioning. We talked about basic Ansible concepts, we saw some of the most used Ansible modules, how to manage variables and how to perform basic loops in playbooks; now it’s time to see how to protect sensitive information which sometimes may be needed to accomplish some tasks. In order to protect sensitive information when using Ansible, we encrypt them with Ansible Vault.

• In this article we discuss the basics of Ansible Vault, and we see how we can use it to encrypt variables or entire playbooks.

=> ↺ How to run commands periodically with anacron on Linux

• When we need to schedule a task on a Linux system we can use utilities like cron or systemd-timers. Various implementations of cron exist, but they have in common the fact that they run as a system service, and are designed to be used on systems which are always up and running, like servers. When we need to schedule a task on a desktop or a notebook, which are turned off more often, we can use anacron instead.

• In this article we learn what is anacron, what are the differences between anacron and cron, and how to use anacron to schedule commands on Linux.

=> ↺ How to change LibreOffice language

• The purpose of this tutorial is to show how to change the language in LibreOffice on a Linux system. Setting the language in LibreOffice will not only reflect changes in the menus of the application, but will also allow you to get auto correct recommendations in the target language, but these settings can be configured independently of each other. Follow the steps below to get started.

=> ↺ How to enable language spell check in LibreOffice

• The purpose of this tutorial is to show how to enable the language spell check feature in LibreOffice on a Linux system. This will allow you to get spell check and auto correct suggestions in the language of your choosing. Follow the steps below to get started.

=> ↺ How to create desktop shortcuts in Linux

• Many people find it useful to organize some of their most frequented applications as shortcuts on their desktop. This allows for quick launching of programs or custom shortcuts. Although most Linux systems rely on a sidebar app launcher or start menu, desktop shortcut launchers can allow you to open applications or websites super fast, since they live right on your desktop and make the targets only a click away.

• In this tutorial, you will see how to create desktop shortcuts on a variety of desktop environments, including GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, Cinnamon, MATE, and LXQt. This will include setting a custom icon and name for your desktop shortcut, in order to make them easily identifiable and tailored to your tastes.

=> ↺ How to play Hollow Knight on Linux

• Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania-style action-adventure game developed and published by Team Cherry. Here’s how you can play Hollow Knight on Linux.

=> ↺ How To Install Tabby Terminal on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS – idroot

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Tabby Terminal on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. For those of you who didn’t know, Tabby (formerly Terminus) is a highly configurable terminal emulator, SSH, and serial client for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Terminus was developed using web technologies and was primarily influenced by Hyper, another web-based terminal. It allows us to operate and automate computer processes without needing a graphical user interface.

• This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the Tabby Terminal on Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish). You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu 22.04 and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pop!_OS, and more as well.

=> ↺ How to Install and Configure Apache on Ubuntu – Pi My Life Up

• Apache is a popular and powerful HTTP web server. In fact, it is one of the most widely used web servers around.

• One of the things that have made Apache so popular is its many powerful dynamic modules, easy integration, and robust support.

• If you want an alternative to Apache, be sure to check out our guide on installing Nginx on Ubuntu.

• These steps for installing Apache will work on all Ubuntu versions, including Ubuntu 22.04, 20.04, and 18.04.

=> ↺ How to Add or Remove the Ubuntu Universe Repository – Pi My Life Up

• Ubuntu has several different repositories that give you access to numerous more packages. However, these packages have been separated for various reasons.

• The Ubuntu universe repository contains community-maintained software. Additionally, the software in this repository must also be free and open-source.

• An example of a package that you will find within this repository is the open-source and free game SuperTuxKart.

=> ↺ How to use the id Command in Linux – Pi My Life Up

• The id command in Linux is extremely helpful for finding both the user ID (UID) and group IDs (GID) of a user. Knowing these IDs will be useful for tasks that involve user management. For example, checking if a specific user belongs to a group.

• For managing users on Linux, several other commands might interest you. For example, usermod, useradd, userdel, and passwd help with the creation and modification of users on a Linux operating system.

=> ↺ How to Install DOSBox on Ubuntu – Pi My Life Up

• DOSBox is an open-source emulator for the DOS operating system. It even emulates various features of hardware of the time, such as Tandy/Hercules/CGA/EGA/VGA/VESA graphics, as well as SoundBlaster/Gravis Ultra sound cards.

=> ↺ How to Install PHP 8.0 on Rocky Linux 9

• PHP is a widely-used general-purpose scripting language especially suited for web development. Fast, flexible and pragmatic, PHP powers everything from your blog to the most popular websites in the world. PHP 8.0 is a significant release from PHP 7 series with improvements and changes to the language, including many long-awaited additions by developers everywhere! This includes named arguments; union types. It also boasts improved JIT compilation tools which will help optimize your application code even further than before while increasing performance. As always, this new PHP version comes with several fixes and improvements in addition to the new features.

• In the following tutorial, you will learn how to import the REMI PHP Module and install PHP 8.0 on Rocky Linux 9 server or workstation desktop, along with some tips about configuring Nginx with FPM using the command line terminal.

=> ↺ How to Set Date, Time, and Timezone on Ubuntu – Dignited

• macOS and Windows absolutely dominate the desktop operating system space but Linux remains one of the most endeared platforms by its users.

• Of the numerous Linux distros available in the market today, Ubuntu is perhaps the most popular. This is geared towards Linux beginners but its simplicity endears it not only to these noobs but to the experts and pros as well, coders and developers alike.

• In this post, we look at a relatively simple concept but for immigrants from Windows or macOS, this could be a daunting task to accomplish. Here’s how to set the date and time on your Ubuntu computer.

=> ↺ What happens when you press a key in your terminal?

• I’ve been confused about what’s going on with terminals for a long time.

• But this past week I was using xterm.js to display an interactive terminal in a browser and I finally thought to ask a pretty basic question: when you press a key on your keyboard in a terminal (like Delete, or Escape, or a), which bytes get sent?

• As usual we’ll answer that question by doing some experiments and seeing what happens

Desktop Environments/WMs

GNOME Desktop/GTK

=> ↺ GNOME 43 to add ‘Device Security’ Settings with Secure Boot status & HSI Level | UbuntuHandbook

• GNOME announced the first alpha for the next 43 stable series. See what’s new in this popular Linux desktop environments.

• GNOME is the default desktop environment for Ubuntu and Fedora Workstation, and optional for Debian, Arch Linux and so forth.

• The next v43 is planned for September 21, 2022. So far, it features new “Device Security” sub-settings page of “Privacy” in GNOME Control Center. With it, you can easily find out if “Secure Boot” is enabled in your machine.

=> ↺ Mini-GUADEC 2022 in Berlin | Philip Withnall

• GUADEC 2022 has been happening in person for the first time in two years, in Guadalajara. Twenty of us in Europe met up in Berlin for a mini-GUADEC, to attend the main conference remotely. There have been several talks given from here using the nice A/V setup in c-base, who are hosting us.

• I gave my talk this afternoon, on the threading rework which is ongoing in gnome-software. The slides are here, the notes are here (source is here), and the recording should be available soon on the GUADEC YouTube channel.

Distributions and Operating Systems

Red Hat / Fedora / IBM

=> ↺ Linux fundamentals: How to copy, move, and rename files and directories | Enable Sysadmin

• Copying, moving, and renaming files and directories are standard tasks for sysadmins and end users. Depending on your Linux distribution, you can accomplish these operations in various ways.

• The Bash shell is usually the most efficient tool for file management. This article assumes you already have a basic understanding of how to open a Linux terminal and enter commands. (See How to access the Linux terminal if you want a refresher.) Connect to your Linux terminal with your regular user account, and get ready to reorganize.

=> ↺ Irving Wladawsky-Berger: Web3 – Safeguarding Our Identity and Personal Data in the Digital World

• Transformative technologies are generally accompanied by a mixture of excitement and confusion in their early years. Something important is going on out there, although there’s no consensus on what it is yet. A major reason for the lack of consensus is that there’s no single dimension around which to define an emerging technology or business model. It’s like the fable of the blind men and the elephant. Each one touches a different part of the elephant. They then compare notes on what they felt, and learn that they are in complete disagreement.

• This was the case with the advent of the commercial internet in the early 1990s. A lot was starting to happen around the internet, but we weren’t sure where things were heading. It was pretty clear that a communications revolution was underway: after all, the internet was fundamentally a network of networks, and email was one of its earliest and most popular applications. It was also an information revolution: anyone with a browser, a PC, and an internet connection could now access all kinds of content in the new World Wide Web. And, above all, it promised to be an economic revolution: the internet ushered a historical transition to a new kind of digital economy, including many innovative e-business applications.

=> ↺ FWD 2022 call for volunteers – Fedora Community Blog

• Fedora’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team is starting to work on the Fedora Week of Diversity (FWD) 2022. This year, we’ll hold a live event on 14–15 October. We want the FWD to be the best one yet and you can help us accomplish this. This is a great opportunity for you to share your experiences with the Fedora community!

• The DEI team always welcomes new folks to join! We would love to have a larger group of volunteers to make Fedora Week of Diversity bigger and better this year. Help us celebrate our diverse and inclusive community, by signing up to volunteer.

=> ↺ Choosing the right Camel for your ride

• Apache Camel has been around for more than a decade, and you are probably familiar with the name. But you might not realize that Camel has evolved into multiple innovative solutions, some built specifically to solve the challenges of integration in a Kubernetes and cloud-native environment. Consequently, Apache Camel is still an important developer toolbox for connectivity and digital transformation.

Debian Family

=> ↺ Martina Ferrari & Debian, DebConf room list: who sleeps with who?

• Dr Preining has raised fresh concerns about the relationship between Martina Ferrari (anti-harassment team) and Enrico Zini (Debian Account Managers).

• Credible organizations seek to establish a separation of powers between different decision making bodies, especially the bodies responsible for political prisoners like Dr Preining. Zini alleges Dr Preining has been expelled twice from Debian, this has never happened to anybody before. It is an outrage and the only way to respond is to look at Zini and Ferrari and their bed-buddies.

• Google and other Debian/DebConf sponsors insist that DebConf participants share rooms. This is a gimmick to prevent people bringing their wives and girlfriends. When we come to DebConf, they want us to do free work for them without distractions from family. For ninety percent of the population who are heterosexual this is an inconvenience and an insult. For the ten percent who have an LGBT+ lifestyle there is no inconvenience at all.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Download Linux Mint 21 based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to Test

• Here are the download links to get the Linux Mint 21 “Vanessa” Xfce, Cinnamon, and Mate editions ISO files based on Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy JellyFish.

• We already have a long-term version of Linux Mint that is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa. However, as we know currently the latest LTS version of Ubuntu is 22.04 jammy jellyfish, then how can Linux Mint stay behind.

• Recently, in an official blog, the developers of Linux Mint announced that – The new Ubuntu-based Linux Mint Edition is ready for public download and testing. The project has been officially announced and the first mirror servers have already been loaded. That allows the users to download Linux Mint 21 bootable ISO images with the different Desktop environments.

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ 20 Best Internet of Things Projects (IoT Projects) in 2022

• Internet of Things (IoT) is a new predominant technology for this advanced world. This technology can change the lifestyle people lead. The question is, what the Internet of Things is? IoT can be described as a network of physical objects connected through the internet.

• Physical objects could be anything that contains embedded electronics, software, sensor, etc., with the internet. Using the IP addresses, those smart objects can exchange data among the network and can make a decision. Research is going on over the IoT trends and projects.

• In this article, we will talk about a few IoT project ideas based on standard IoT protocols so that readers get basic knowledge about the Internet of Things. These internet of things examples are keen, useful, and interesting to build.

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Equipping a go-kart with an omni wheel for endless drifting | Arduino Blog

• An omni wheel, sometimes referred to by the more specific trade name “Mecanum” wheel, is a unique type of wheel with “tread” made up of several rollers oriented at an angle relative to the wheel’s spin direction. They allow for forward driving like any other wheel, but also sideways and rotational locomotion depending on the vectoring of all of a vehicle’s wheels working in concert. James Bruton used omni wheels on many of his robots in the past and in his most recent project he equipped a go-kart with an omni wheel for endless drifting.

• The go-kart has three drive motors. Two Hoverboard-style hub motor/wheel combos sit at the front of the go-kart on a steering rack. They provide normal front-wheel drive dynamics. But at the back of the go-kart there is a large omni wheel oriented perpendicular to the front wheels (at their neutral position). That means that the omni wheel’s rollers are inline with the vehicle. Those rollers spin freely, so the go-kart drives normally. But when Bruton spins the omni wheel motor, the rear end of the go-kart slides out in a drifting maneuver.

=> ↺ This coffee machine lets you know when you’ve had too much caffeine | Arduino Blog

• You’ve probably heard that caffeine is a drug. That is true and it is possible to overdose on caffeine and die. Heathline reports that a lethal dose of caffeine is around 10 grams. But a typical cup of coffee only contains around 100-200 milligrams of caffeine, so you’d have to drink at least 50 cups to reach a lethal amount. However, some coffee, such as from Death Wish Coffee Co, contains much more caffeine and that makes it easier to overdose. With that in mind, Michael Pick used an Arduino to build a custom coffee machine.

• According to Pick, Death Wish coffee contains up to 728mg of caffeine per 12oz cup. Theoretically, that makes it possible for a person to drink enough coffee to overdose on caffeine. There aren’t many people out there who drink that much coffee, so this project is entirely tongue-in-cheek. But it is still fun to see an actual progress meter counting up to your death with every cup of joe that you brew. That is exactly what Pick’s coffee machine does. It tracks each cup of coffee brewed and displays the caffeine overdose progress on a small OLED screen attached to the front of the coffee machine.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Events

=> ↺ Free Software Directory meeting on IRC: Friday, July 22, starting at 12:00 EDT (16:00 UTC)

• Help improve the Free Software Directory (FSD) by adding new entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet on IRC in the #fsf channel on Libera.Chat.

Web Browsers

Chromium

=> ↺ Stable Channel Update for Desktop

• The Stable channel has been updated to 103.0.5060.134 for Windows,Mac and Linux which will roll out over the coming days/weeks.

=> ↺ Google Releases Security Updates for Chrome

• Google has released Chrome version 103.0.5060.134 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This version addresses vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit to take control of an affected system.

Mozilla

=> ↺ Are Thunderbird 102′s New Features Enough to Make You Switch?

• On June 28th 2022, popular open-source email client Mozilla Thunderbird released a major new version. An update so impressive that it skipped ten extra version numbers, going from v91 all the way to v102.

• It was announced that the application would receive a completely modernized user interface by version 114. While the user interface overhaul isn’t complete, this latest release has already kicked things off. So let’s find out what’s new in Thunderbird 102!

=> ↺ Support.Mozilla.Org: Introducing Smith Ellis

• I’m so happy to introduce our latest addition to the Customer Experience team. Smith Ellis is going to join forces with Tasos and Ryan to develop our support platform. It’s been a while since we got more than 2 engineers on the team, so I’m personally excited to see what we can unlock with more engineers.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

=> ↺ Drupal Releases Security Update | CISA

• Drupal has released security updates to address vulnerabilities affecting Drupal 9.3 and 9.4. An attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. 

Programming/Development

=> ↺ GSoC Post 1: FlatpakKCM Update 1

• The previous blog post introduced my project for this summer. This blog post gives an update on the work that has been done so far in the past 5 weeks, and sketches out the plans for upcoming weeks.

=> ↺ How to Install PHP on Ubuntu – Pi My Life Up

• PHP is a dynamic programming language that helps drive a lot of the modern web. It allows you to write fast and flexible web applications.

• If you have browsed much of the internet, you will have run into a website that PHP drives. For example, any website that uses WordPress is driven by PHP.

• Best of all, PHP easily integrates into the Nginx and Apache web servers, complementing the features both provide.

=> ↺ How to use PHP $_POST Global Variable – Pi My Life Up

• The $_POST super global (superglobal) variable within PHP is an associative array of variables containing data sent via an HTTP POST request. Using this variable, you can access data sent to your PHP script from a HTML form. You can also send form data via JavaScript.

• An alternative to $_POST is the $_GET super global variable. The $_GET variable allows you to access data sent via a GET request. The parameters for a GET request are included in the URL, for example, https://example.com/post.php?test=example. The “test” text is the parameter name and “example“, is the value.

=> ↺ Using the htmlspecialchars() Function in PHP – Pi My Life Up

• The htmlspecialchars() function is incredibly useful in PHP, especially when you have text you intend to output.

• You can easily convert any special characters to their HTML entity equivalent using this function.

• One of the key reasons you will want to do this is to try and prevent XSS. “XSS” stands for cross-site scripting and is an attack when a bad actor attempts to inject malicious code onto your website.

Perl / Raku

=> ↺ Climbing the Charts (request for feature requests) | lichtkind [blogs.perl.org]

• Hurray, released another version of Chart without new features. Actually rewrote the complete documentation and I guess especially this page (with a little help of this list) is all what most people need. That also allowed us to drop the old PDF and HTML docs which took 8/9 of the distributions space (good side effect).

Leftovers

Hardware

=> ↺ PIX NII is a pocket-sized mini PC powered by an Intel Pentium N6005 processor (Crowdfunding)

• PIX NII pocket-sized mini PC features an Intel Pentium N6005 Gemini Jasper Lake processor that should provide a nice upgrade to existing 2.4-inch mini PCs based on Gemini Lake processors such as Larkbox.

• The tiny computer is slightly larger (2.7×2.6 inch) than the previous 2.4-inch models, but ships with up to 16GB RAM, up to a 1TB NVMe SSD, and offers two 4K-capable HDMI 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet & WiFi 6 connectivity, as well as a few USB 3.2 ports, plus a 3.5mm audio jack.

=> ↺ XRF16 Gen3 SOM features Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ ZU49DR RFSoC with up to 6GHz bandwidth

• We’ve written about Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoCs that combine Arm Cortex-A53/R5 cores and Mali-400 GPU with Ultrascale FPGA fabric several times over the course of a few years. But AMD-Xilinx also offers the Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC single-chip adaptable radio platforms that support up to 7.125GHz analog bandwidth.

• The topic came to my attention because of an upcoming ZU49DR SoM from iWave Systems that seems to be under development but also noticed Avnet had launched a solution last year with the XRF16 Gen3 SoM featuring the same third-generation Zynq Ultrascale+ ZU49DR RFSoC with 16 RF-ADC, 16 RF-DAC channels, and 6GHz RF bandwidth.

Security

=> ↺ Critical flaws in GPS tracker enable “disastrous” and “life-threatening” hacks | Ars Technica

• An assessment from security firm BitSight found six vulnerabilities in the Micodus MV720, a GPS tracker that sells for about $20 and is widely available. The researchers who performed the assessment believe the same critical vulnerabilities are present in other Micodus tracker models. The China-based manufacturer says 1.5 million of its tracking devices are deployed across 420,000 customers. BitSight found the device in use in 169 countries, with customers including governments, militaries, law enforcement agencies, and aerospace, shipping, and manufacturing companies.

• BitSight discovered what it said were six “severe” vulnerabilities in the device that allow for a host of possible attacks. One flaw is the use of unencrypted HTTP communications that makes it possible for remote hackers to conduct adversary-in-the-middle attacks that intercept or change requests sent between the mobile application and supporting servers. Other vulnerabilities include a flawed authentication mechanism in the mobile app that can allow attackers to access the hardcoded key for locking down the trackers and the ability to use a custom IP address that makes it possible for hackers to monitor and control all communications to and from the device.

• The security firm said it first contacted Micodus in September to notify company officials of the vulnerabilities. BitSight and CISA finally went public with the findings on Tuesday after trying for months to privately engage with the manufacturer. As of the time of writing, all of the vulnerabilities remain unpatched and unmitigated.

=> ↺ Critical Vulnerabilities in GPS Trackers

• I wouldn’t have buried “vehicle control” in the middle of that sentence.

=> ↺ Oracle Releases July 2022 Critical Patch Update | CISA

• Oracle has released its Critical Patch Update for July 2022 to address 349 vulnerabilities across multiple products. A remote attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. 

=> ↺ Security updates for Thursday [LWN.net]

• Security updates have been issued by Mageia (kernel and kernel-linus), SUSE (dovecot23), and Ubuntu (freetype, libxml-security-java, and linux-oem-5.17).

=> ↺ U.S. Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint Launched

• A 120-Day Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint was announced at the recent National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit at the White House as part of new efforts to train “a skilled and diverse cybersecurity workforce.”

• “With approximately 700,000 cybersecurity positions open, America faces a national security challenge that must be tackled aggressively, the summit briefing said.

Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt/Fear-mongering/Dramatisation

=> ↺ New Linux Malware Framework Lets Attackers Install Rootkit on Targeted Systems

• A never-before-seen Linux malware has been dubbed a “Swiss Army Knife” for its modular architecture and its capability to install rootkits.

• This previously undetected Linux threat, called Lightning Framework by Intezer, is equipped with a plethora of features, making it one of the most intricate frameworks developed for targeting Linux systems.

=> ↺ New ‘Lightning Framework’ Linux malware installs rootkits, backdoors

• A new and previously undetected malware dubbed ‘Lightning Framework’ targets Linux systems and can be used to backdoor infected devices using SSH and deploy multiple types of rootkits.

=> ↺ CNMF Discloses Malware in Ukraine

=> ↺ original

• CISA encourages users and administrators to review U.S. Cyber Command’s press release, Cyber National Mission Force discloses IOCs from Ukrainian networks, as well as their VirusTotal and GitHub pages for more information. See Mandiant’s report, Evacuation and Humanitarian Documents used to Spear Phish Ukrainian Entities, for additional information.

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Post-Roe, civil society calls on data brokers to do no harm

• Yesterday, Access Now, Amnesty International USA, and Fight for the Future sent letters to four geolocation data brokers — Amazon Web Services Data Exchange, Oracle, Near, and Mobilewalla — about their data collection practices in a post-Roe world. Led by Representative Trahan, members of the U.S. Congress sent companion letters to the same companies.

• Now that Roe v. Wade is overturned, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in states that have criminalized abortion will likely seek to access geolocation and other data to identify people who have sought abortions. This means that data collected by geolocation data brokers could easily be used by law enforcement to prosecute those who seek to exercise their reproductive rights. Law enforcement agencies are able to access this data without due legal process or a search warrant.

• “Since the U.S. government has failed to protect our reproductive rights and right to privacy, we call on the private sector to take a stand,” said Jennifer Brody (she/her), U.S. Policy and Advocacy Manager at Access Now. “Geolocation data brokers profit off of deeply sensitive and private information about our whereabouts, and this must stop. Our data will forever be weaponized against us if companies ignore the need for human rights safeguards.”

• “For too long data brokers have operated in the shadows, collecting and selling the personal information of hundreds of millions of people,” said Michael Kleinman (he/him), Director, Tech and Human Rights at Amnesty International USA. “We are asking them a simple question – what thought, if any, have you given to how your actions might undermine the privacy and reproductive rights of people across the U.S.?”

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

Misinformation/Disinformation

=> ↺ Amazon Going After Fake Reviews Brokered on Facebook

• It’s a great status symbol for products to be listed on Amazon with four- or five-star ratings. The question is how they go about getting those ratings. Amazon is cracking down on that and is going up against Facebook and other social media companies to stop the fake reviews.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Public Knowledge Applauds FCC Inquiry Into Data Practices of Mobile Providers – Public Knowledge

• This week, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenrocel announced that the agency had sent letters of inquiry to the top 15 mobile providers requesting information about their data retention, data privacy policies, and general practices.

• According to the agency, the letters ask providers to share information about geolocation data policies, including how long geolocation data is retained and why and what the current safeguards are to protect this sensitive information. The letters also probe providers about their processes for sharing subscriber geolocation data with law enforcement and other third parties, and how the carriers combine geolocation data with other data to which they have unique access. Finally, the letters ask if and how consumers are notified when their geolocation data is shared with third parties. Carriers have until August 3 to respond to the inquiry.

• Unlike application access to GPS location data, carriers have access to uniquely precise geolocation data (A-GPS, or “assisted GPS”) to facilitate 911 response. Additionally, carriers can combine geolocation data with other customer-related data to provide more accurate information on a customer’s location and activities. This is why law enforcement and others, such as bounty hunters, prefer access to carrier information over that made available by applications on the phone.

=> ↺ Public Knowledge Welcomes Bill Prohibiting Predatory Broadband Data Caps – Public Knowledge

• Today, Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the “Uncap America Act of 2022” to prevent broadband providers from applying predatory data caps to subscribers. To accomplish this, the bill would direct the Federal Communications Commission to create regulations that define when a data cap is tailored for network management and when it isn’t – as well as give the Commission enforcement authority when those conditions are violated. Public Knowledge applauds Sens. Luján and Booker for stepping up to end this predatory practice.

Digital Restrictions (DRM)

=> ↺ Misrepresentation by Deere and Company to the US EPA and SEC

=> ↺ Repair.org and PIRG call on the EPA to investigate Deere and its dealers over Right to Repair for violating the Clean Air Act — The Repair Association

• Tractor manufacturer John Deere has been preventing farmers from fixing their tractors in apparent violation of federal law, says Repair.org and the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), independent advocacy groups promoting “right to repair” legislation. The groups called on the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday to investigate Deere after discovering that Deere’s repair restrictions seem to run contrary to the Clean Air Act requirement for a company to state that it allows independent repair of the emissions control systems, and confirm in EPA certification filings that it does so.

• By restricting access to software necessary to make repairs, Deere forces farmers to pay a premium for repair, according to research compiled by Repair.org and PIRG. In doing so, the company violates the Clean Air Act, and long-standing federal regulations (CFR Section 1039.125 (f)). Moreover, Deere’s monopoly on repairs contradicts some of its own Operator’s Manuals.

Monopolies

=> ↺ How the world’s biggest investors could transform Big Tech

• Big Tech’s 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) season has come and gone — and if there’s one takeaway from this year’s round of meetings, it’s that there’s an appetite and a pathway for delivering social change at (almost) every level. This year alone saw shareholders back proposals for amplifying independent shareholder voices at Meta, conducting a human rights assessment for data cloud centers at Google, and independently evaluating facial recognition risks at Amazon.

• However, even with a majority of “independent” shareholders — that is, non-executive or management level shareholders — supporting these proposals, none of them passed. Why? Because at companies like Meta and Google that have a dual-class share structure, power is often stacked against independent shareholders, making the companies immune to positive pressure. Under this structure, some executives, usually company founders, have outsized voting power compared to other shareholders. For instance, Mark Zuckerberg owns 14% of Meta’s shares, but holds a massive 58% of the voting power at the company.

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal

=> ↺ SpellBinding: AHNYRXP Wordo: DYADS

Technical

=> ↺ Regarding watches

• Yesterday, I’ve seen a person wearing what looked like a traditional watch. But upon seeing them more, I saw it was a digital watch, too. The analog watch was controlled and set remotely by the program on a smartphone, basically making it connected to technology, thus being useless without technology nearby.

• That’s what happened, the respective person couldn’t check the time because the connection to the smartphone didn’t work. Why make it an analog watch then? Why not fully digital to get all the disadvantages? It’s beyond me.

• I don’t see why a watch should be connected to the internet, nor why it should send your pulse straight to some Big Tech server.

=> ↺ Packaging and logging

• Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It’s like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter. Share in other sites/networks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. Permalink  Send this to a friend

=> Techrights

➮ Sharing is caring. Content is available under CC-BY-SA.