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● 09.05.22

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● Links 05/09/2022: GNU/Linux Machines Nowadays Just Work

Posted in News Roundup at 9:50 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

=> ↺ Linux machines that just work

• In some sense, 2022 has been resembling the long-memed Year of the Linux Desktop. Although this sounds like some cult’s prophetic rubbish, by looking at the success of the Linux desktop in very empirical terms an improvement of the last couple of years becomes clearly noticeable.

• The Steam Deck alone has had the most merit for this. Although its reviews were mixed, its power and overall technical brilliance has been acknowledged by essentially all (mainstream) reviewers that could get their hands on it. And alongside it, a new generation of Android/Linux hybrid devices is slowly growing, alongside many ex-Android phones (with Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets) that are starting to “just work” on mainline Linux kernels.

• On the desktop side, products such as the Librem 14 laptop which we reviewed back in April show a surprisingly stable and practical Linux experience. Other reviewers – finally also on mainstream tech sites – acknowledged the Librem 14 perks and faults, mainly agreeing on the general practicality. Furthermore, newly developed machines such as the HP Dev One and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both heavily Linux-centric professional machines, the former being developed in collaboration with Pop OS, the latter officially certified by Ubuntu for full hardware support.

Server

=> ↺ Episode 38: All About LearnWP with Special Guest Hauwa Abashiya – WordPress News

• In the thirty-eighth episode of the WordPress Briefing, join Josepha Haden Chomphosy and special guest Hauwa Abashiya for a discussion on the WordPress Training team and LearnWP initiative.

=> ↺ URL Rewriting

• The URL that a client requests can be changed entirely or patly using the NGINX rewrite rules. In addition to directing the flow of NGINX’s executing pages, the primary goal of updating a URL is to alert the clients that the services they are seeking have moved. URLs are rewritten using the return and rewrite commands in NGINX. The same task of rewriting the URLs is carried out by both directives. The rewrite directive is stronger than the return directive, as it can handle a complicated rewriting without the need to parse the URLs. We will examine in this guide on how the NGINX uses the return and rewrite commands to modify or rewrite the URL. It is highly advised to update the current Nginx instance to the higher version because this instruction is optimized for NGINX version 1.0.1 and above. Nevertheless, some of the operations and syntaxes might still apply to the versions earlier than the one mentioned.

=> ↺ Most Reliable Hosting Company Sites in August 2022

• In August 2022, Rackspace had the most reliable hosting company site, securing first place on the leaderboard. Rackspace offers a range of cloud hosting solutions and has data centres across the globe including in Frankfurt, New York, and Hong Kong.

• Second and third place were occupied by New York Internet (NYI) and Bigstep respectively, resulting in the top three companies all moving up one spot compared to July 2022. NYI offers hybrid IT solutions and Bigstep provides ‘bare metal’ cloud hosting.

• The top six companies, which in August included ServerStack, Flexential, and Pair Networks, responded to all of Netcraft’s requests. Linux remained the most popular operating system and was used by nine out of the top ten hosting companies, with NYI using FreeBSD.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Linux User vs Windows User – Invidious

• A Discussion between a Linux and Windows User

=> ↺ Definitely Don’t Use GitHub Copilot Now – Invidious

• Many of my concerns about GitHub Copilot have become true and it’s still a very hard no for me on this piece of technology. Hope you enjoyed the video!

Graphics Stack

=> ↺ Blender Vulkan – Status report – Blender Development – Blender Developer Talk

• Last week there was some movement on discussing Vulkan Blender integration. This post will give the status of the Vulkan project and updated reasoning.

• Currently there are no active developers working on Vulkan integration in Blender. Although many decisions are driven by this API. If you have some ideas/comments or want to participate in such a project please get into contact with us by leaving a reply or via #eevee-viewport-module on Blender chat.

Applications

=> ↺ Notesnook Private Notes App Takes the Open Source Route

• Notesnook, an Evernote app alternative, officially open-sourced all its client apps (sync server will be open-sourced soon) on GitHub.

• Open Source is a way that an increasing number of apps are choosing to get greater popularity among consumers. And there is a logical explanation for this.

• When an app is Open Source, users’ trust in it skyrockets because there’s no way to hide malware, analytics, or anything else nefarious.

• In other words, this approach guarantees transparency and that nothing remains hidden behind the curtains. As a result, instead of constantly questioning, for example, if it’s just another tool with built-in telemetry capabilities, the end user approaches it with trust.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ How to schedule Linux upgrades with Webmin | TechRepublic

• I’ve been a fan of Webmin for years. Although there are newer, easier web-based administration tools available, Webmin happens to be one of the more mature and robust on the market. With a modular system that makes it easy to install new capabilities, there’s very little Webmin can do. And given much of its capability is already baked in, you can quickly install the software and get to work.

=> ↺ How To Install AngularJS on Ubuntu 22.04 – LinuxTuto

• AngularJS is an open-source JavaScript framework developed by Google for building dynamic web applications. Compared to other options such as jQuery, Knockout, Handlebars, or PagerJs, Angular integrates a complete solution that allows us to abandon the old PHP in our developments with modern technology.

• In this tutorial you will learn to install and create AngularJS Application on a Ubuntu 22.04 OS.

=> ↺ Learn the Basics of the Dired File Manager (Doom Emacs) – Invidious

• This tutorial will cover some of the basic commands and customization options of ‘”dired”, the file manager inside Emacs. This video will focus on dired within Doom Emacs, using the evil keybindings (vim-like keybindings). Although this video is nearly 30 minutes long, it barely scratches the surface of the functionality available within this excellent file manager!

=> ↺ How to Install Wine 7.16 on Ubuntu / Linux Mint

• Wine is a recursive acronym for “Wine Is Not an Emulator“.The project’s goal was and is to allow users to run their Windows software on non-Windows systems, and it has been very successful in this regard.

• WineHQ is made up of a number of different parts, all of which are necessary for the successful running of Windows software.

• WineHQ Team released its new Development version 7.16

=> ↺ How to Install Appwrite with Docker on Ubuntu 22.04

• Appwrite is a free and open-source back-end server that offers core APIs required to build any application packaged together as a set of easy-to-use Docker containers. It helps mobile developers to build advanced apps much faster.

=> ↺ How To Perform Arithmetic Operations In Bash – OSTechNix

• In this article, we will focus on how to do mathematical operations in bash scripts. We can perform arithmetic operations in Bash using the built-in and external tools. First, we will learn about the built-in tools.

=> ↺ How to install DD-WRT custom firmware on your WiFi Router – Dignited

• Every WiFi router comes with its own firmware. This is a proprietary operating system installed by the manufacturer right from the factory. This is one of the reasons it’s incredibly difficult to manage and use routers compared to other devices such as smartphones for instance. Also these vendor router firmware lack in features, are rarely updated with new features and security patches. So, one option you have is to install an open source custom router firmware on your router. The biggest ones include DD-WRT, OpenWRT and Tomato.

=> ↺ Using ifup, ifdown, and ifquery commands in Linux

• The ifup, ifdown, ifquery commands are some of the basic Linux networking commands.

• The ifup command is used to activate (up) a network interface, ifdown deactivates (down) it while ifquery lets you check the state of a network interface.

• To be more precise, these commands are used to configure network interfaces based on interface definitions in the file /etc/network/interfaces.

• Before you see the usage of ifup, ifdown and ifqury, get a few things in order first.

=> ↺ Reptyr: Move Working Process into Another Terminal Session without Closing in Linux – TREND OCEANS

• If you are a Linux or cloud administrator or anyone whose life revolves around a Linux terminal, then you need to LEARN about Reptyr, RIGHT NOW!

• You might be thinking, what the heck is this tool and why should you use it? What void space does it fill? Read the complete article and you will find your answer with a great sense of relaxation that you have never felt before.

• First, let me introduce you to the Reptyr tool in simple terms.

Games

=> ↺ How to Show FPS Counter in Linux Games

• Linux gaming got a major push when Valve announced Linux support for Steam client and their games in 2012. Since then, many AAA and indie games have made their way to Linux and the number of users who game on Linux have increased considerably. With the growth of Linux gaming, many users started to look for proper ways to display “frames per second” (FPS) counter as an overlay on running Linux games. An FPS counter helps in tweaking performance of running games as well as in benchmarking a PC’s overall ability to play games at different resolutions.

• Unfortunately there is no single unified way to display FPS counter in all Linux games that is independent of underlying technologies a game is running upon. Different renderers and APIs have different ways to display FPS counter. This guide will explain various methods that can be used to display an FPS counter in Linux games.

=> ↺ Syncthing can enable multi-device play for your favorite games. – Invidious

• It’s no secret that some games (even new releases) can be missing basic features like Steam Cloud support. but don’t worry.

Distributions and Operating Systems

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ This wrapping machine makes wire harness creation a breeze | Arduino Blog

• Many products require the use of wire harnesses, which are essentially bundles of cabling that connect one subsystem to another, such as a car engine’s sensors to the ECU. DIY projects can also find themselves needing one, but having to manage the wiring without tangles or unwanted bends can be a challenge.

• YouTuber Mr. Innovative has created a simple wire harness wrapping machine that takes the user’s choice of tape and quickly spins it around the bundle. He started by cutting out the base and fixed ring out of plywood before milling the spinning ‘C’ disk from acrylic. Once these parts were attached together and a set of bearings/pulleys were added around the moving disk, a timing belt was looped on one half to an awaiting stepper motor.

=> ↺ Automating precise welds with an Arduino | Arduino Blog

• Welding is a skill that takes years to perfect, and yet consistently placing a TIG welder in exactly the right spot many times over is nearly impossible. To assist with this process, a few of element14 Presents host Kaleb Clark and his company’s clients had constructed two rigs using PLCs but needed another solution after losing the accompanying laptop.

• The first device was a repurposed lathe that was driven by a stepper motor and gearbox assembly. Clark was able to retrofit the circuit by connecting an LCD display, rotary encoder, and a motor driver to an Arduino Uno. He also attached an optically-isolated relay for controlling when the welder should activate to begin welding the part, as well as two switches for toggling the welder’s output on or off. All of these components were then placed into a briefcase lined with foil to prevent outside interference from the TIG welder.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ All 42Gears Products Compatible with Android 13

=> ↺ All 42Gears Products Compatible with Android 13

=> ↺ Samsung brings Android 12L to the rest of its foldables

=> ↺ Android 12 beta 5 At a Glance widget settings broken issue escalated

=> ↺ Android TV boxes feature Amlogic SoCs and support Android 11.0

=> ↺ Dixon Tech gains on bagging sub licensing rights for Android – Google TV | Business Standard News

=> ↺ Best Android Board Games: Top Board Games on Mobile – Droid Gamers

=> ↺ The 6 best Android keyboard apps for effortless typing

=> ↺ Logitech G Gaming handheld’s leaked photos show possible Android-powered content | Pocket Gamer

=> ↺ Fake Antivirus and Cleaner Apps Caught Installing SharkBot Android Banking Trojan

=> ↺ Android Phones to Start Tracking Cough and Snore Through Digital Wellbeing

=> ↺ Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Fold owners get superb free Android features upgrade | T3

=> ↺ Google Pixel Tablet could be a ‘budget or mid-range’ Android tablet that doubles as a Nest Hub replacement – NotebookCheck.net News

=> ↺ android: Android device not charging: 4 tips to fix the issue

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

=> ↺ Community Member Monday: Jean-Baptiste Faure – The Document Foundation Blog

• Well, from my point of view, LibreOffice is the natural continuation of the OpenOffice.org project. I started with StarOffice 5.1 in 1998 because I needed a word processor able to write mathematical equations under Microsoft Windows, and I never liked Latex.

FSFE

=> ↺ Broad alliance demands: Digitization must serve social and ecological change

• A broad alliance of 13 organisations from the fields of environmental protection, digital policy, development cooperation and academia publishes a catalog of demands to show political solutions towards a more sustainable digital society. This as a prelude to the upcoming conference for digitization and sustainability “Bits & Bäume”.

• A broad alliance of 13 organizations from the fields of environmental protection and nature conservation, digital policy, development cooperation and academia demands: Digitization must be at the service of society and social and ecological change. This is what the organizations are calling for at the forthcoming conference on digitization and sustainability “Bits & Bäume”, which will take place from September 30 to October 2, 2022 in Berlin. Today, the same organizations publish a catalog of demands that show political solutions towards a more sustainable digital society.

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Qt Safe Renderer Monitor

• The Qt Safe Renderer is our solution for creating user interfaces (UI) for safety-critical systems. Since 2017 the Qt Safe Renderer has been used by multiple customers and certified for different functional safety standards. With the upcoming version 2.0, we are introducing a new approach for validating the correct rendering of safety-critical information – the Monitor.

• Functional safety applies to many industries, such as automation, medical, railway, and automotive. Safety-critical information in the digital displays must be correct, even if some malfunction prevents rendering the other parts of the user interface. Qt Safe Renderer provides a solution for rendering the safety-critical information to achieve functional safety. It can be used with Qt or other user interface technologies – or even for creating the whole user interface in some cases.

=> ↺ In Depth: Custom Shader Effects

• Qt Graphical Effects was one of the modules left out from the original Qt 6.0 release, unfortunately without a direct replacement at the time. There was a port available as source, but it wasn’t built or included in the official releases.

• One of the reasons was that not all effects were compatible with the Qt 6 approach of precompiling shader code: Some shaders in Qt Graphical Effects are generated at run-time from the properties, to enable pregenerating tables such as Gaussian weights. With the introduction of RHI in Qt 6, we now compile shader code at build time. This can give considerable improvements for startup times and frame rate during loading, but the trade-off is that it somewhat restricts our ability to generate code on the fly.

• And, in addition, we had seen over the years that there was a fundamental drawback in how the graphical effects were designed. Chaining effects requires an additional draw call, an additional set of shader passes and an additional offscreen buffer for each effect you add. This causes the chained effect to be both slower and more memory hungry than it needs to be. The end result was that users would often implement custom effects instead, in order to optimize their applications. We thought we could do better, and therefore we did not officially include Qt Graphical Effects in the first releases of Qt 6.

=> ↺ The modern OS desktop is a crime against humanity • The Register

• The reason for the unholy UX mess with no signs of converging is, of course, marketing, and the reason they get away with it is because of one of the greatest con jobs in IT. We have been taught, and never question, the near-abolition of customer support by the OS makers. Unless you pay extra, you cannot pick up the phone or email Apple, Microsoft, and especially not Linux, to ask basic questions. You cannot say to Apple, “Which bit of the Finder actually finds things?” You cannot complain to Microsoft that File Manager thinks “Share with Skype” is the second most important file operation, right after Open. You cannot pick up a phone to Ubuntu and scream “Stop! Stop! In God’s name, stop!”

• The OS companies have insulated themselves from user pain, the sort that soaks up customer service resources and actually costs them money. Go to the forums, thou sluggard, and try to work out which version the answers you find are actually about. They have created their own walled poison gardens where they can mess around according to the will of whatever internal faction is carrying the day, sentencing billions to useless frustration, cognitive load, lost work, and lost lives. It is frankly criminal.

=> ↺ Making games in R- Nara and eventloop Game Changers

• Making games in R- Nara and eventloop Game Changers, It’s possible that you are aware of the existence of the R programming language.

• This is a fairly understandable language that is mostly utilized by data scientists as well as more conventional statisticians.

Perl / Raku

=> ↺ 2022.36 Coming in at 50 – Rakudo Weekly News

• In IEEE Spectrum’s ninth annual ranking of Top Programming Languages, the Raku Programming Language comes in at #50 when weighted by trending (/r/rakulang comments)! A good trend!

Leftovers

Security

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

• Security updates have been issued by Debian (flac, ghostscript, libmodbus, qemu, rails, ruby-rack, and thunderbird), Fedora (kernel, kernel-headers, kernel-tools, libtar, qt5-qtwebengine, subscription-manager-cockpit, tcpreplay, and vim), Mageia (chromium-browser-stable, webkit2, and ytnef), SUSE (curl, firefox, freerdp, gdk-pixbuf, ImageMagick, json-c, libgda, php-composer2, and python-pyxdg), and Ubuntu (libzstd, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.4, linux-azure-5.4, and linux-oem-5.17).

Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt/Fear-mongering/Dramatisation

=> ↺ Ransomware attacks on Linux up 75%

=> ↺ ransomware is predominantly a Windows problem

=> ↺ 75% increase in ransomware attacks targeting Linux systems in 2022

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Bandt checks his privilege in pursuit of Morrison – Michael West

• When he’s not abjuring the Australian flag, or colonial history, or the nation itself, Greens leader Adam Bandt has a canny eye on the rulebook under which the nation’s legislators operate.

• On Monday he tried to have Scott Morrison referred to the privileges committee of the House of Representatives over his extra portfolios jape / threat to our democracy (strike out whichever does not fit your point of view). The move was rejected by the Speaker, Labor’s Milton Dick, although the House may yet take this action. Morrison’s secretive conduct is the subject of an inquiry headed by former High Court judge Virginia Bell.

• Privileges committees are a feature of parliaments that operate under the Westminster system or were inspired by it. Malta has one, so does Malaysia. ”The Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests is established under standing order 216 of the House of Representatives,” the Australian parliamentary website tells us.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Gauhati HC decision on internet shutdown in Assam

• On 18th August, the Government of Assam issued an order directing the suspension of internet services in several districts in Assam on the 21st and 28th of August to prevent cheating during governmental recruitment examinations. On 23rd August, Mr Raju Prosad Sarma, a social worker based in Assam filed a petition asking the Gauhati HC to restrain the Government of Assam from suspending internet services on the 28th August. On 26th August, the Gauhati High Court refused to grant interim relief and the Government of Assam suspended internet services on the 28th. Advocate Gayatri Goswami represented the Petitioner in Court and IFF provided legal support.

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal

=> ↺ SpellBinding: AXINOTD Wordo: CRIES

Technical

=> ↺ Never underestimate the bandwidth of a car full of disks driving down the highway, regardless of what kind of society you’re in

• Assuming the semi doesn’t drive any slower than a car does, an entire Snowmobile transfers data from LA to SF at 3,472,222 MB/s.

Internet/Gemini

=> ↺ Tux Machines in Gemini (gemini.tuxmachines.org)

• About a month ago Tux Machines added its presence to Geminispace (new Internet protocol). Everything you see in HTTP/S is also available over Gemini protocol (gemini://) at gemini.tuxmachines.org, though Gemini software (or a Web proxy) is needed. For those who are not familiar with what Gemini is and what it’s for, here’s a detailed primer from Jason McBrayer.

• 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

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