● 02.23.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 23/02/2023: Torvalds Pushes Back Against Unwanted Linux Code

Posted in News Roundup at 2:57 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Fedora Linux Unveils New 5 Year Roadmap – Invidious

• Fedora Linux whilst making weird decisionfs from time to time actually has the ability to make decisions in the long term and recently unveiled there plan for the next 5 years

=> ↺ Linux Desktop Randomly Stuttering? Here’s Why #shorts – Invidious

• I’ve been dealing with this seemingly random stutter on my Linux system for a while now and I’ve had no idea what it was, it turns out it wasn’t even a driver issue. License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DISCLOSURE: Wherever possible I use referral links, which means if you click one of the links in this video or description and make a purchase I may receive a small commission or other compensation.

=> ↺ Why We Need Even More Linux Distros!?! – Invidious

• Every so often you’ll here people complain that we have too many Linux distros so I thought why don’t I try to defend the other position, we actually need even more Linux distros

=> ↺ Hay Tay | Coder Radio 506

• It’s been one week, and Microsoft’s new bot’s already gone full Tay.

=> ↺ Linux Action News 281

• Our favorite features in Linux 6.2, the Hollywood tool getting open-sourced, and a systemd update you need to know about.

Kernel Space

=> ↺ Linus Torvalds Reacts to Poorly-Executed Pull Requests for Linux 6.3

• Seeing that the merge window for Linux Kernel 6.3 is open right now while looking at the pull requests made by developers, Linus came across a one-liner commit that mentioned “Merge branch ‘for-linus/hardening’ intofor-next/hardening”.

• While the request was merged, and it may have been a fix for Linux 6.2 cycle, Linus Torvalds was not happy to see it the way it was.

Instructionals/Technical

MJ Fransen ☛ Zoom window in EmacsZoom window in EmacsZoom in tmuxI am a great fan of the zoom function in tmux, which can be called with [escape-key]-z. This is useful when you have split the tmux window into two or more panels.Calling zoom in tmux will enlarge the current panel to fill the entire window.Calling zoom again will return to the ‘normal’ state.

=> ↺ Peter Czanik: Installing a syslog-ng 4 development snapshot on FreeBSD

• Unless there is a serious problem, FreeBSD ports usually contains the latest stable syslog-ng release. However, sometimes people want to compile a git snapshot to test a new feature or bugfix. To do that, one way is to generate a syslog-ng release tgz on FreeBSD and edit the syslog-ng port files yourself. However, this needs some practice. As such, an easier solution is to use my weekly development snapshots.

=> ↺ How to Add a Package Repository to Debian, Ubuntu and Mint

• A package repository (repo in short) is a location where software packages are stored and can be retrieved from.

=> ↺ Sean Davis: Enable Flatpak in Xubuntu

• Out of the box, Xubuntu supports Debian, Snap, and AppImage packages with no additional configuration or packages to install. If you want to further expand your options, you can easily add Flatpak support to your Xubuntu desktop. Here&aposs how!

Desktop Environments/WMs

=> ↺ Xfce Wins Our ‘Favorite Linux Desktop’ Poll

• Xfce takes home the award for “Favorite Linux Desktop Environment.” Coming in second in our poll was KDE Plasma, followed by Gnome and Cinnamon.

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

=> ↺ Maui Report 21

• Today, we bring you a new report on the Maui Project’s progress right before the upcoming 2.2.2 release; here you will find some detailed information on the new features, bug fixes, and improvements that have been made to the Maui set of apps and frameworks.

• Besides the common bug fixes, some of the highlights include a refactor and cleanup of the Cask components: the plugin templates and the internal ones; the CaskServer interfaces are gaining more features and exposing more properties for interacting with the Cask shell parts. In parallel, there are tweaks and improvements for the MauiKit Frameworks and new features coming to the core Maui Apps.

• Work on the migration has been started, and MauiKit can now be compiled with Qt6, however, it has not been yet tested properly, but now that the underlying technologies from KDE Frameworks have been moved to Qt6 on their master branches more progress can be made. The plan is to move MauiMan and MauiKit frameworks first and then proceed with Maui Shell parts. Ideally this year we’ll have all the projects ported to Qt6.

• For now, the CMake build files for MauiKit and MauiMan are compatible with Qt6, and the rest of the frameworks should follow.

• As part of the Qt6 transition, many MauiKit-Core controls have been refactored and reorganized internally, and some others have been removed or renamed. More info about the steps being taken to migrate to Qt6 and MauiKit 3 can be found here:​ [...]

Distributions and Operating Systems

New Releases

=> ↺ EasyOS Kirkstone-series version 4.101 (RC for 5.0)

• There were lots of issues with 4.99. Thanks to the feedback, hopefully they are now resolved. Release notes:

• https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/2023/4.101/release-notes.htm

• Download:

• https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/2023/4.101/

• Preferably do a pristine first-bootup, so that you get to test the ask-language GUI. This is now a text-mode GUI, keyboard only. Photo:

SUSE/OpenSUSE

=> ↺ openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available

• You might not be surprised that the final release in the openSUSE Leap 15 series doesn’t include a lot of new features. In fact, this new beta release is quite bereft in the new features category.

• As expected, Leap 15.5 is really just about bug fixes and new versions of the installed applications.

• However, tucked inside the list of new packages, you will find the Leap version migration tool, which makes it possible to migrate from one release to another with the ease of a GUI.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Ubuntu’s Latest Move: Goodbye Flatpak Support

• A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, Ubuntu = Linux for human beings. Surely, however, in some other life, on some different planet, in some really far, far away galaxy. Canonical never stops to amaze, adding another bright shining star to their rich collection of unpopular decisions. In short, starting with its upcoming April 20 release Ubuntu 23.04 “Lunar Lobster,” Ubuntu flavors will no longer include default support for Flatpak apps.

• But let’s see what the official announcement says first, and then I’ll give my thoughts on it.

=> ↺ Ubuntu Flavours Decide to Stop Flatpak by Default

• In a surprise move, Canonical announced that all the official Ubuntu flavours would not ship Flatpak support by default. The decision is taken in agreement with all the official Ubuntu flavours teams/maintainers. The change is planned from the April 2023 release of “Lunar Lobster” onwards which is due in a few weeks.

• Here are all the details.

=> ↺ 10 Must-Know Features of Linux Mint OS

• Over the years, Linux Mint has become one of the most popular distributions because of its simplicity and ease of use. Unlike some of its counterparts, it provides an intuitive interface that can be learned quickly to navigate and complete stuff. Moreover, Linux Mint has a range of software packages available. This makes it even more appropriate for people who must carry out a lot of varied stuff.

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ A DIY peristaltic pump controlled by an Arduino

• There are many different fluid pumping mechanisms to choose from, but the peristaltic pump is a great choice when you don’t want the liquid to contact any moving parts.

=> ↺ Detecting falls by embedding ML into clothing

• Bone density, strength, and coordination all decrease as we age, and this fact can lead to some serious consequences in the form of slips, falls, and other accidents. In Finland, falling is the most common type of accidental death among those age 65 and over, amounting to around 1,200 per year.

=> ↺ James Bruton improves his triangle-tracked tank

• Tanks are already quite maneuverable, because the tracks allow them to rotate in place. But what if they were even more maneuverable and could drive in any direction? About a year ago, James Bruton built a small robot tank that had that capability thanks to a triangle-shaped track system with omniwheel-style rollers.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Events

=> ↺ NOGs: Fostering operational excellence in the region

• Return to in-person NOG BoFs at APRICOT 2023!

GNU Projects

GNU ☛ parallel @ Savannah: GNU Parallel 20230222 (‘Gaziantep’) releasedGNU Parallel 20230222 (‘Gaziantep’) has been released. It is available for download at: lbry://@GnuParallel:4Quote of the month:  Praise GNU parallel, though. That gets me pretty far.     — Your Obed. Servant, J. B. @JeffinatoratorNew in this release:parsort: –parallel now does closer to what you expect. parallel: –files0 is –files but \0 separated. Bug fixes and man page updates. News about GNU Parallel:5 great Perl scripts to keep in your sysadmin toolbox https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/perl-scriptsGNU Parallel – For people who live life in the parallel lane.If you like GNU Parallel record a video testimonial: Say who you are, what you use GNU Parallel for, how it helps you, and what you like most about it. Include a command that uses GNU Parallel if you feel like it.About GNU ParallelGNU Parallel is a shell tool for executing jobs in parallel using one or more computers. A job can be a single command or a small script that has to be run for each of the lines in the input. The typical input is a list of files, a list of hosts, a list of users, a list of URLs, or a list of tables. A job can also be a command that reads from a pipe. GNU Parallel can then split the input and pipe it into commands in parallel.If you use xargs and tee today you will find GNU Parallel very easy to use as GNU Parallel is written to have the same options as xargs. If you write loops in shell, you will find GNU Parallel may be able to replace most of the loops and make them run faster by running several jobs in parallel. GNU Parallel can even replace nested loops.GNU Parallel makes sure output from the commands is the same output as you would get had you run the commands sequentially. This makes it possible to use output from GNU Parallel as input for other programs.For example you can run this to convert all jpeg files into png and gif files and have a progress bar:  parallel –bar convert {1} {1.}.{2} ::: .jpg ::: png gifOr you can generate big, medium, and small thumbnails of all jpeg files in sub dirs:  find . -name ‘.jpg’ |     parallel convert -geometry {2} {1} {1//}/thumb{2}_{1/} :::: – ::: 50 100 200You can find more about GNU Parallel at: http://www.gnu.org/s/parallel/You can install GNU Parallel in just 10 seconds with:    $ (wget -O – pi.dk/3 || lynx -source pi.dk/3 || curl pi.dk/3/ || \        fetch -o – http://pi.dk/3 ) > install.sh     $ sha1sum install.sh | grep 883c667e01eed62f975ad28b6d50e22a     12345678 883c667e 01eed62f 975ad28b 6d50e22a     $ md5sum install.sh | grep cc21b4c943fd03e93ae1ae49e28573c0     cc21b4c9 43fd03e9 3ae1ae49 e28573c0     $ sha512sum install.sh | grep ec113b49a54e705f86d51e784ebced224fdff3f52     79945d9d 250b42a4 2067bb00 99da012e c113b49a 54e705f8 6d51e784 ebced224     fdff3f52 ca588d64 e75f6033 61bd543f d631f592 2f87ceb2 ab034149 6df84a35     $ bash install.shWatch the intro video on http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL284C9FF2488BC6D1Walk through the tutorial (man parallel_tutorial). Your command line will love you for it.When using programs that use GNU Parallel to process data for publication please cite:O. Tange (2018): GNU Parallel 2018, March 2018, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1146014.If you like GNU Parallel:Give a demo at your local user group/team/colleagues Post the intro videos on Reddit/Diaspora*/forums/blogs/ Identi.ca/Google+/Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin/mailing lists Get the merchandise https://gnuparallel.threadless.com/designs/gnu-parallelRequest or write a review for your favourite blog or magazine Request or build a package for your favourite distribution (if it is not already there) Invite me for your next conference If you use programs that use GNU Parallel for research:Please cite GNU Parallel in you publications (use –citation) If GNU Parallel saves you money:(Have your company) donate to FSF https://my.fsf.org/donate/About GNU SQLGNU sql aims to give a simple, unified interface for accessing databases through all the different databases’ command line clients. So far the focus has been on giving a common way to specify login information (protocol, username, password, hostname, and port number), size (database and table size), and running queries.The database is addressed using a DBURL. If commands are left out you will get that database’s interactive shell.When using GNU SQL for a publication please cite:O. Tange (2011): GNU SQL – A Command Line Tool for Accessing Different Databases Using DBURLs, ;login: The USENIX Magazine, April 2011:29-32.About GNU NiceloadGNU niceload slows down a program when the computer load average (or other system activity) is above a certain limit. When the limit is reached the program will be suspended for some time. If the limit is a soft limit the program will be allowed to run for short amounts of time before being suspended again. If the limit is a hard limit the program will only be allowed to run when the system is below the limit.

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Qt Creator 9.0.2 released

• We are happy to announce the release of Qt Creator 9.0.2!

Leftovers

=> ↺ Need a mystery solved? You could do worse than hiring a teen hacker

• If you were teaching a course online detective work, you could do worse than show Missing in the first class.

=> ↺ Indian guru jailed for rape and murder allowed 131 days of parole in 13 months, sparking outrage

• Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is serving long jail sentences for committing rape and murder in India.

=> ↺ ‘Follow my instructions in the bedroom’: Lawyer accused of propositioning former clients

• Embattled Melbourne lawyer Pat Lennon allegedly made sexual advances on at least two former female clients but continues to practise while under investigation by the legal industry regulator.

=> ↺ When life’s this good, who needs the Metaverse, chorus Danes in their condemnation of virtual worlds

• Only the Irish hate it more, according to a new study, but there’s a good reason why people in advanced societies tend to shun such technology, according to an expert

=> ↺ ‘Sorry, we thought you were thieves’: Refugee recounts attack during quake rescue efforts

• A group of refugees from Syria were accused of thievery and attacked by locals and relief officers in Hatay city.

=> ↺ FEBRUARY 6 EARTHQUAKES: Demolition of Diyarbakır residential complex begins despite pets trapped inside buildings

• At least 14 pets are trapped inside a residential complex that was left severely damaged after the double earthquake.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ ‘We didn’t ask for this’: Residents report ill health after Ohio toxic disaster

• Two weeks after a train carrying hazardous material came off the tracks, locals are still feeling the effects. The town is also having to deal with a celebrity influx.

Security

=> ↺ Linux security: your questions, answered

• At Canonical, we often get questions about open-source security and of course, Linux security is a common topic. Based on a recent webinar hosted by our security team and an accompanying blog post, we put together the most common questions we receive.

• [...]

• Are there plans to allow sysadmins to turn off auto updates for snap packages to maintain system stability?

• Turning off auto updates is not recommended, as we mentioned earlier about systems being compromised when attackers exploit known vulnerabilities that have not been patched. If you follow a stable track for your snaps then you should only receive important security updates that won’t compromise stability.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ Finnish Army to conduct local defence drills across the country

• The exercises are meant to train participants in securing transport, energy supplies and IT networks in disturbance situations, as well as keeping disturbances from spreading to other areas.

=> ↺ Mexico’s Ex-Public Security Chief Convicted in US Drug Case

• A U.S. jury has convicted a former Mexican presidential cabinet member of taking massive bribes to protect the drug cartel…

=> ↺ Man Tied to Lyft Driver Slaying Charged in Separate Case

• A man who police say was driving the car of a dead South Florida Lyft driver has been charged with murder and other counts in a separate case

=> ↺ Putin: Russia-China relations are ‘reaching new milestones’

=> ↺ US can’t keep up with China’s warship building, Navy Secretary says

• China’s navy has significant advantages over its US rival, including a bigger fleet and greater shipbuilding capacity, as Beijing seeks to project its power across the oceans, the head of the United States Navy said Tuesday.

=> ↺ Pentagon releases selfie taken by US pilot showing Chinese spy balloon in air

• The US Defense Department has released a selfie taken in the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane, as an airman flew above the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down by the US military earlier this month.

=> ↺ Russia’s Warship With Hypersonic Missiles Arrives for Drills With S.Africa, China

=> ↺ Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency for Second Time

=> ↺ Aerial night vision video shows Ukrainian attack on Russian convoy

• New video appears to show Ukrainian paratroopers fend off a night attack by Russian convoys.

=> ↺ Court hears of bid to publicly name high-profile man charged with rape

• The man, who cannot be named under Queensland law, did not appear in person in Toowoomba Magistrates Court.

=> ↺ The Cold War spy, the KGB and photos from a Moscow orgy

• A Norwegian man reviled as one of the most notorious Russian spies of the Cold War era has died aged 80.

=> ↺ China says Russia ties ‘solid as rock’ amid Ukraine peace push

• Top diplomat Wang Yi said China sought to ‘promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas’.

=> ↺ China tells Japan it is troubled by Tokyo’s military build-up

• Beijing and Tokyo are holding their first formal security talks in four years.

=> ↺ ‘So many tears’: Ukrainian volunteer details process to give families closure

• CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward follows a volunteer who is a part of a group that provides closure to grieving families of Ukrainian soldiers.

=> ↺ North Korea a ‘clear and present danger,’ says South Korean Foreign Minister

• North Korea is a “clear and present danger,” the foreign minister of South Korea has told CNN in an exclusive interview.

Environment

=> ↺ Wetter storms, deforestation: Manila faces worsening floods

• When it rains, many neighbourhoods in the Philippine capital turn into disease-infested swamps.

=> ↺ Ultramarathoners trapped as severe weather hits southern New Zealand

• Six athletes among the 110 trapped were airlifted to hospital, after suffering from symptoms of mild hypothermia.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ Consumer rebate on the cards? State audit uncovers huge discrepancies with the way Danish energy is delivered

• Households and businesses have been overcharged over 60 million kroner since 2018 – and this might just be a fraction of the extra cost

Overpopulation

=> ↺ South Korea again smashes own record for world’s lowest fertility rate in 2022

• The number of babies expected per woman fell to 0.78 in 2022, down from 0.81 in 2021.

=> ↺ South Korea breaks its own record for world’s lowest fertility rate

• South Korea’s fertility rate, already the world’s lowest, has dropped yet again in the latest setback to the country’s efforts to boost its declining population.

Finance

=> ↺ No income tax for banks as Indonesia seeks new capital investors

• That is one of various incentives being offered to get businesses to support the billion dollar move of the capital.

=> ↺ Hong Kong flags handouts to speed up recovery from Covid-19 shock

• The Covid-19 pandemic brought Hong Kong to its knees, but all that is behind it now, says Financial Secretary Paul Chan.

=> ↺ Worker strikes increased nearly 50% last year

• The number of major worker strikes in the U.S. rose to its second highest level in two decades in 2022, per a government report out Wednesday.

• Why it matters: The strength of the labor market and the rise in popularity of unions drove up the numbers. COVID-era issues, like short-staffing, burnout and pay that didn’t keep up with inflation, also pushed workers to the picket lines.

=> ↺ Most workers are getting raises this year, survey finds

• Looks like a lot of folks may be getting raises this year, according to a Payscale survey out Wednesday morning.

=> ↺ Sneaker resale prices are falling to Earth

• Coveting a pair of Travis Scott Jordans or Panda Dunks? You just might be able to snag them for a reasonable price in the resale market — quite a turnaround from a year ago.

• Why it matters: Price declines are signaling that the froth has left the market, leading sneaker heads and analysts alike to wonder if the market is crashing — or just normalizing.

=> ↺ Grocery prices remain stubbornly high

• Grocery prices ticked up nationally in January after an apparent inflation respite in December, per the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ News Corp says $4.4 billion deal to sell US real estate business Move is off

• A month after abruptly halting plans for a potential merger of its major media companies Fox Corporation and News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch’s business empire said it’s no longer involved in discussions to sell its real-estate listings business Move to rival CoStar.

=> ↺ Ex-defence minister charged (again) with divulging state secrets

• Claus Hjort Frederiksen to most likely face court behind closed doors

=> ↺ Trial by Combat: Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman Speeches Included in Ed Badalian Exhibit List

• In the case where you can draw the clearest line between things that Trump and Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman said at the January 6 rally to an assault at the Capitol — Danny Rodriguez’ near-murder of Michael Fanone — DOJ has laid the ground work to demonstrate that clear line.

=> ↺ The Evolving Robert Costello – Steve Bannon Timeline

• Last year, Robert Costello said he had worked with Steve Bannon for three years. In a lawsuit trying to force Bannon to pay for legal services, Costello’s firm said they started working with Bannon in late 2020. The discrepancy may involve “Hunter Biden’s” “laptop.”

=> ↺ Shamima Begum loses UK citizenship appeal

• Shamima Begum, who left the United Kingdom to join ISIS at the age of 15, has lost her appeal against the decision to revoke her British citizenship.

=> ↺ In a Celebration of War, Moscow Displays, and Demands, Unity

• A concert and rally in Russia’s largest stadium romanticized the invasion of Ukraine, as Vladimir V. Putin and his government seek to normalize the country’s war footing.

=> ↺ Putin and Biden Shore Up Alliances in Dueling Appearances

• On the surface, it looked like a reversion to the Cold War era. The reality was even more complicated.

=> ↺ Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump Subpoenaed in Jan. 6 Investigation

• The special counsel overseeing the inquiry into Donald Trump’s efforts to retain power after the 2020 election wants the former president’s daughter and son-in-law to testify to a grand jury.

=> ↺ Giving Jan. 6 Tapes to Carlson, McCarthy Keeps a Promise to the Hard Right

• In granting exclusive access to Jan. 6 Capitol surveillance footage to a cable news host bent on rewriting the history of the attack, the speaker effectively outsourced a politically toxic re-litigation of the riot.

=> ↺ Here’s the Status of the Four Criminal Investigations Into Donald Trump

• The revelations from grand jury proceedings in Georgia are the latest signs that federal and local inquiries into the former president could reach key decision points in coming months.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ FEBRUARY 6 EARTHQUAKES: Türkiye’s media authority fines three TV outlets over earthquake coverage

• Opposition members of the council criticized the decisions.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ ‘Please go home!’: Indian firm deploys software for work-life balance

• The software has a notification system that kicks in the moment an employee’s shift is over.

Monopolies

Patents

=> ↺ Embargoed judgments: lessons learnt from the recent decisions of the Court

• A number of recent decisions have highlighted the risks that can arise from the practice of supplying draft judgments to litigants and their advisers under an embargo.

=> ↺ Guest Post: Third-Party Litigation Funding: Disclosure to Courts, Congress, and the Executive

• Patent assertion finance today is a multibillion-dollar business.[2]  Virtually nonexistent in the patent space in the U.S. ten years ago—at least in part due to longstanding common law rules on champerty, maintenance,[3] and patent law’s relative high risk—today third-party litigation funding (TPLF)[4] undergirds about 30% of all patent litigation, by conservative estimates.[5] Insurance options are suddenly plentiful,[6] funders are expanding and multiplying,[7] and new deal commitments are on the rise.[8] This general trend is seen in the first chart below, adapted from a recent white paper by Korok Ray.[9]

Gemini* and Gopher

Technical

=> ↺ Starforged initial impressions

• This game is so great. It’s basically the never-ending version of something like those old choose-your-own-adventure books like Citadel of Chaos.

• The strength of skill challenges are the low-prep / pickup nature of them; create a textured description purely generatively. They’re the ultimate extension of the “wallpaper salience” #blorb principle.

• The problem is that it’s at the expense of agency. It reduces the joy of exploring to a drab one-dimensional bingo. And the math is broken, too (that goes for 5e’s group checks also). It’s one of the reasons why Diaspora wasn’t that fun after a while.

• 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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