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● 07.10.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 10/07/2023: Wayland on OpenBSD and Slackware 15 as Daily Driver

Posted in News Roundup at 1:15 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

=> ↺ 9to5Linux ☛ 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: July 9th, 2023

• This was a great week with lots of cool news, starting with the release of blendOS 3 and Solus 4.4, new development versions of the Firefox web browser and GNOME desktop environment, more KDE goodies, and some good news for Budgie desktop users.

• On top of that, TUXEDO Computers announced a new Linux laptop and I show you how to install the latest GNOME alpha/beta versions on Arch Linux. You can read this week’s hottest news and access all the distro and package downloads in 9to5Linux’s Linux weekly roundup for July 9th, 2023, below.

=> ↺ Linux Made Simple ☛ 2023-07-09 [Older] Linux Weekly Roundup #243

=> ↺ Linux Made Simple ☛ 2023-07-02 [Older] Linux Weekly Roundup #242

=> ↺ Dedoimedo ☛ The Slimbook Executive is here, and it’s majestic

• Without a doubt, the Slimbook Executive is the prettiest laptop I’ve ever owned. While it’s technically not dissimilar to most ultrabook-styled machines, it’s still ahead of my old Asus VivoBook and the Pro2. It simply feels more elegant, more refined, more pleasing to the touch. The keyboard is also great, among the best I’ve had a chance to use, side by side with the Asus ones (always served me well). The ergonomics are spot on, the usability is excellent, sans one or two tiny snags.

• On the software side, Kubuntu 22.04 works flawlessly on this hardware, with no ugly hiccups or problems. The system works great. The performance is solid, and the battery life is phenomenal. When you combine all of the above with a rather nice set of programs, including Steam with Proton for gaming needs, you have a laptop that can handle 99% of any and every modern task. It ain’t cheap, but it’s fabulous. A new journey has begun, and there will be a slew of combat reports, just as I did with the Pro2. Speaking of the old veteran, we shall attempt a battery pack change very soon. And there’ll be more reports from the Titan side of things, including the Linux gaming compatibility and the whole bye-bye-Windows adventure. So do stay tuned. Tux away.

Desktop/Laptop

=> ↺ HowTo Geek ☛ Kubuntu Focus Ir14 (Gen 1) Review: Linux Productivity Made Easy

• You may already know the name Kubuntu as a popular Linux distribution, but Kubuntu is also a company selling computers with the Kubuntu operating system preinstalled. I spent some time with the first generation of the Kubuntu Ir14 Focus laptop and found it worth the price but not without fault.

• Targeted at developers, the “Focus” branding speaks to the product line’s emphasis on productivity. Compared to the M2 and XE models, the Ir14 is a more slim all-rounder. Its hardware is easily configured to handle anyone’s everyday tasks, while it also provides the option to connect an external GPU (eGPU) for more intensive work. Plus, the serviceable body means you’re not stuck with the configuration you order.

• The Linux experience is exceptionally polished on the Ir14 thanks to some optimizations made to Kubuntu. The alternative operating system still won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s a lot to appreciate about Kubuntu’s effort to help you hit the ground running when you open up this Linux laptop.

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ The ThinkPad You All Wish You Had, With A Brain That’s Not Ancient

• An IBM (or, later, Lenovo) ThinkPad is a popular choice in our community. They’re prized for their rugged design, longevity, and good software support. Over the many years that the line has been available, there have been a few models which have captured the attention more than others, and among those, probably the most sought-after is the ThinkPad 701c. It would be an unremarkable mid-1990s 486 laptop were it not for the party piece of that flip-out butterfly keyboard (see video, below). [Karl Buchka] has one that’s profoundly dead, and rather than use it as a novelty paperweight, he’s giving it a new lease of life with a Framework motherboard.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ 2023-07-05 [Older] FLOSS Weekly 739: Whose AI Is It Anyway? – AI Security, Decentralized Identifiers

=> ↺ The TLLTS Podcast ☛ 2023-07-06 [Older] The Linux Link Tech Show Episode 1010

=> ↺ 2023-07-09 The Linux Tier List

=> ↺ 2023-07-09 Ken Thompson Hack: Every Computer Is Backdoored?

=> ↺ 2023-07-09 How to install ONLYOFFICE on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ 2023-07-08 [Older] NixOS : The HYPE is Real ! Everything You NEED to Know (NEW!)

=> ↺ 2023-07-08 [Older] SNAP only Ubuntu Store, Fedora adds telemetry & GNOME 45 alpha: Linux & Open Source News

=> ↺ 2023-07-08 [Older] Libreboot Is Right About CPU Microcode

=> ↺ 2023-07-07 [Older] App Launchers, Dashboard & Language Support – Configuring Emacs 04

=> ↺ 2023-07-07 [Older] What does this HUGE jump in SteamOS usage mean? | Steam Deck News 92

=> ↺ 2023-07-07 [Older] How to install Nobara Project 38

=> ↺ 2023-07-07 [Older] Best Linux Distros For Software Developers : Part 1 POP!_OS #distro #technology

=> ↺ 2023-07-06 [Older] How to Use the rsync Command to Transfer Files (Linux Crash Course Series)

=> ↺ 2023-07-06 [Older] How Linux Became King Of The UNIX World

=> ↺ 2023-07-06 [Older] How to install MMR Desktop on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ 2023-07-05 [Older] The LINUX DISTRO model is BROKEN

=> ↺ 2023-07-05 [Older] Aerospace Boomers Think Linux Isn’t Safe & Secure

=> ↺ 2023-07-05 [Older] A Quick Look At The New Peppermint OS (Based On Debian 12)

=> ↺ 2023-07-05 [Older] Nobara Project 38 overview | a modified version of Fedora Linux with user-friendly fixes added to it

=> ↺ 2023-07-05 [Older] How to install the Flowblade video editor on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ 2023-07-04 [Older] Alma Linux Has A Very Rocky Red Hat Future

=> ↺ 2023-07-03 [Older] Upgrading my Steam Deck with ELECTROMAGNETS!

=> ↺ 2023-07-03 [Older] Software Forks Aren’t As Easy As They Sound

=> ↺ 2023-07-03 [Older] Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Vs Debian 12 | This FINALLY Made Me Switch! (NEW)

=> ↺ 2023-07-03 [Older] How to install the PyCharm Community edtion on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ 2023-07-02 [Older] Addressing Wayland Network Transparency Complaints

=> ↺ 2023-07-02 [Older] Was I Wrong About Wayland Network Transparency

=> ↺ 2023-07-02 [Older] Red Hat Drama, Paying for Python and My Linux Desktop

=> ↺ 2023-07-02 [Older] How to install Steam on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ 2023-07-02 [Older] Kernel 6.4 boosts AMD, FOSS Nvidia Driver, Wayland gaming improvements:Linux & Open Source News

=> ↺ Open Source Security (Audio Show) ☛ Free Software Security Podcast Episode 383 – Is open source dying?

• Josh and Kurt talk about the notion that open source is somehow dying. What’s actually happening is corporate open source is changing, which some are trying to deform into something wrong with open source. Open source is doing great, probably better than ever.

=> ↺ GNU World Order (Audio Show) ☛ GNU World Order 520

• fftw , fluidsynth , freecell-solver , freetype , frei0r ,

• fribidi , fuse from the l software set of Slackware.

• shasum -a256=443c4933ba0b9ffb9b6881944e54e6f0d090b425a46de64289b9d979a9cd037a

=> ↺ Tux Digital ☛ Hardware Addicts 79: The Nvidia 4060 Controversy: Betrayal or Business Strategy?

• In episode #79 of Hardware Addicts we tackle the controversy of the new Nvidia 4060 GPU and why so many people are upset about this lower cost GPU. We also head to camera corner where we discuss the importance of firmware updates.

• So sit back, relax, and plug-in because Hardware Addicts starts now!

Applications

=> ↺ Linux Links ☛ Arianna – eBook reader and library management app

• Linux has a fairly limited range of eBook readers, so we’re always keen to explore new entrants. Arianna is a ebook reader built for the KDE Plasma desktop but, of course, runs under other desktop environments. It uses Qt, a C++ framework for developing graphical user interfaces and cross-platform applications, and the Kirigami UI framework.

• It’s free and open source software. We tested Arianna using the Arch distro. There’s a package in the AUR.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ Linux Handbook ☛ Exclude Files and Directories from rsync

• rsync is my preferred tool for creating backups from remote machines. It’s fast, and convenient and the incremental backups save time, disk space and bandwidth.

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ How to Install FFmpeg on Linux Mint 21/20

• Welcome to the universe of FFmpeg – an exemplary multimedia powerhouse that governs the realm of audio and video processing. Encapsulating a plethora of software libraries and programs, FFmpeg’s capabilities extend beyond the norm, allowing it to decode, encode, transcode, mux, demux, stream, filter, and play audio or video data alike. Why FFmpeg?

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ How to Install PlayOnLinux on Linux Mint 21/20

• PlayOnLinux offers an elegant and user-friendly interface to manage your games and applications installed through Wine, enabling Linux Mint users to unlock the vast array of software originally designed for Windows. Its unique selling point lies in its flexibility – it doesn’t lock users into a one-size-fits-all version of Wine.

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Arduino IDE on Linux Mint 21/20

• In the domain of embedded systems and the Internet of Things (IoT), developers often seek tools that can enhance their coding experiences, offering an optimal mix of simplicity, flexibility, and power. The Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) prominently stands out among these.

=> ↺ Red Hat ☛ Automate edge device onboarding with Ansible FDO collection

• Onboarding devices at the edge differs from doing so in a data center and presents some unique challenges. Among other requirements, the device onboarding process must: [...]

=> ↺ Linux Made Simple ☛ 2023-07-09 [Older] How to install ONLYOFFICE on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ Linux Made Simple ☛ 2023-07-06 [Older] How to install MMR Desktop on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ Linux Made Simple ☛ 2023-07-05 [Older] How to install the Flowblade video editor on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ Linux Made Simple ☛ 2023-07-03 [Older] How to install the PyCharm Community edtion on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ Linux Made Simple ☛ 2023-07-02 [Older] How to install Steam on MX Linux 21.3

=> ↺ Linux Handbook ☛ Exclude Files and Directories from rsync

• Want to exclude files and directories while making backup with rsync? Here’s how to use the –exclude flag of rsync command.

Desktop Environments/WMs

=> ↺ DebugPoint ☛ 10 Best Cursor Themes for Linux Desktops

• We often overlook the aspect of the cursor theme while customizing Linux desktops with various themes. A thoughtfully chosen cursor theme can elevate your Linux desktop, adding a touch of personalization and enhancing the overall aesthetics. From sleek and minimalist designs to whimsical and playful animations, here are the ten best cursor themes for everyone.

Distributions and Operating Systems

BSD

=> ↺ Wayland on OpenBSD

• These are my notes from experimenting with building Wayland bits on OpenBSD during g2k23 in Tallinn… Thanks to the OpenBSD foundation for organizing this event.

• This is still far from a complete running system as there are many issues on the road, but it’s a good start and it shows that it’s definatly not impossible to get Wayland running on OpenBSD.

Arch Family

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ Jenny’s Daily Drivers: Slackware 15

• As a recent emigre from the Ubuntu Linux distribution to Manjaro, I’ve had the chance to survey the field as I chose a new distro, and I realised that there’s a whole world of operating systems out there that we all know about, but which few of us really know. Hence this is the start of what I hope will be a long-running series, in which I try different operating systems in my everyday life as a Hackaday writer, to find out about them and then to see whether they can deliver on the promise of giving me a stable platform on which to earn a living.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ InfoWorld ☛ Red Hat kicked off a tempest in a teapot

• We’re going back to the future with commercial Linux. In case you missed it, Red Hat apparently got tired of companies masquerading as communities, building Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) clones through CentOS code and giving nothing back, not a line of code nor a penny. Some have called it freeloading. I called it a bad idea for enterprises to cut off cash to the company they ultimately depend upon to deliver enterprise Linux.

• In the wake of Red Hat’s decision, a range of Linux vendors are trying to capitalize on the alleged dissatisfaction with Red Hat’s mood. SUSE’s Dr. Thomas Di Giacomo decided he needed “to shed as much light as I can on the decision and provide reassurance to the community in general,” which translated into a few hundred words talking about how SUSE cares deeply about open source, etc. It didn’t shed any light on Red Hat’s decision and didn’t provide any reassurance to “the community in general” (whatever that means).

Debian Family

=> ↺ Netplan and systemd-networkd on Debian Bookworm

• Debian’s cloud-images are using systemd-networkd as their default network stack in Bookworm. A slim and feature rich networking daemon that comes included with Systemd itself. Debian’s cloud-images are deploying Netplan on top of this as an easy-to-use, declarative control layer.

• If you want to experiment with systemd-networkd and Netplan on Debian, this can be done easily in QEMU using the official images. To start, you need to download the relevant .qcow2 Debian cloud-image from…

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Time to move on

• After a bit over 12 years working for Canonical, Friday 7th of July was my last day.

• It’s a bit of a bittersweet moment leaving a company after you’ve invested so much of your time into it, but I believe that now was the right time for me. As I’ve told colleagues and upper management, Canonical isn’t the company I excitedly joined back in 2011 and it’s not a company that I would want to join today, therefore it shouldn’t be a company that I keep working for either.

• I’ll most miss working with the LXD team. Canonical is truly lucky to have such a great team of engineers going above and beyond to support a project like LXD. It’s quite unique to have a small team with such a wide variety of skills ranging from kernel development, to distributed systems, to web frontends and documentation, all working together to make a project like LXD possible.

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ Linux Gizmos ☛ MicroSOM features STM32MP1 Series MCU

• The MicroGEA STM32MP13 is a small embedded product based on one of the latest STM32 processors designed for wearables and low-powered consumer applications. Additionally, the device is industrial qualified and supports Linux operating systems.

• The product page mentions that the module operates on Linux and is Yocto compatible. Additionally, It’s also industrial qualified offering a wide operating temperature range for harsh environments.

• Specifications listed for these MicroGEA STM32MP13 include…

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ UniHiker review – A Linux-based STEM education platform with IoT and AI support, Micro:bit edge connector

• The UniHiker board is a versatile platform and we can create all sorts of STEM projects including IoT applications for the Smart Home, Smart Agriculture, and so on. That’s because we can connect additional sensors via USB Type-C and Type-A ports, 3-/4-pin Gravity connected, the Micro:bit edge connector, be it webcam, a driver, a servo, or other sensors and actuator, and because the UniHiker board runs on the Linux operating system so we have a large choice of programs that can be installed such as the Node-RED platform to use as an IoT gateway to manage other IoT devices such as ESP32 modules and board through the SIoT platform.

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Data Swamp ☛ Old Computer Challenge v3: day 1

• Hi! Today, I started the 3rd edition of the Old Computer Challenge. And it’s not going well, I didn’t prepare a computer before, because I wanted to see how easy it would be.

=> ↺ Andrew Hutchings ☛ Acorn Archimedes A5000: Restoration Part 2

• In my previous post I managed to get the A5000 to reliably boot. But due to battery damage it cannot use any drives. The restoration continues…

=> ↺ Ruben Schade ☛ Merlin Mann and my Commodore 16 taught me a small step is a catalyst

• It’s a silly example, but a couple of months ago I broke off a key from my second-hand 1984 Commodore 16. I knew that replacing it would entail removing the broken stem from the kepcap, desoldering the board to get access to the other broken part, sourcing a replacement stem, adding the stem, testing it, potentially sourcing replacement carbon pads for the PCB if they’re also damaged, soldering it back together, adding the cap back, and testing again.

=> ↺ Terence Eden ☛ How to make the Watchy vibrate

• I am enjoying playing with the eInk Watchy. It is a cute package and is everything I want in a Smart-Watch; geeky, long battery life, and not obnoxious.

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ Kim-1: Memory Problem Resolved

• At the very start of the personal computer revolution, there were relatively inexpensive boards with little more than a CPU, some memory, a display, and switches or a keypad. Some of these had expansion ports meant to allow you to build up, and some were just “trainers” to learn about computers. While you could argue that the Altair fell into this category, it had a case and a proper bus. The computers we are thinking about were usually just on a single board and — with luck — had an edge connector for expansion. Perhaps the most famous of these was the KIM-1 and [Old VCR] shows us how he brought one back to life.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ Express ☛ Nothing will rival Samsung tomorrow with a blockbuster Android upgrade | Express.co.uk

=> ↺ SlashGear ☛ 5 Big Reasons You Shouldn’t Switch From Android To iPhone

=> ↺ Tom’s Guide ☛ Android phones need to resurrect this fantastic option | Tom’s Guide

=> ↺ Geeky Gadgets ☛ How to check Android Battery Health – Geeky Gadgets

=> ↺ How to factory reset Samsung phone without password using PassFab Android Unlocker

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ LicheePi 4A RISC-V SBC gets 16GB/128GB version, metal enclosure, 10.1-inch display, and more accessories – CNX Software

=> ↺ India Today ☛ Android apps with over 10 lakh downloads found with spyware sending data to China – India Today

=> ↺ Tom’s Guide ☛ Android spyware with over 1.5 million downloads sends your data to China — delete these apps right now | Tom’s Guide

=> ↺ SlashGear ☛ 5 Of The Best Android Apps For Calorie Counting

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

=> ↺ It’s FOSS ☛ Geary 44 Email App for Linux Adds Two Nifty Enhancements

• Geary is one of the best email clients for Linux that has been receiving some pretty decent updates over the years.

• It’s an email application under the GNOME project that has been tailored for the GNOME desktop (not limited to), with support for the IMAP and SMTP protocols that allow it to integrate neatly with most webmail services.

• A few days back, a new version released with key improvements. Let’s take a quick look at those.

=> ↺ OMG! Linux ☛ Geary 44 is Out With Conversation List & Headerbar Tweaks

• Geary should (I’d hope) need minimal introduction. This relatively lightweight, user-friendly app offers an accessible, and more casual approach to managing your e-mail than the likes of Evolution and Thunderbird on Linux.

• Email protocols IMAP and SMTP are supported by Geary, and the app can be effortlessly setup to pull in mail from popular webmail services like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and whatever Microsoft’s email service is called (Outlook? Or is that its email app? I forget).

Web Browsers/Web Servers

=> ↺ University of Toronto ☛ The HTTP status code for a web server’s default “hello” front page

• I personally find this fascinating and can’t really vote against it (in contrast to Jonathan). To me, it raises the interesting question of whether a web server’s default ‘hello I am ‘ front page should actually exist, in the sense of what HTTP status code it should use.

• On the one hand, the front page is there and there’s often some traditional content to it (announcing the web server, host OS, and so on, although how wise that is these days is an open question). On the other hand, no one has actually set up this front page; the web server is mostly showing it to be friendly, especially in a completely stock configuration as installed by a package manager (where everyone can assume that the configuration itself is working). Since no actual person has deliberately set up the front page, I can see an argument that the right HTTP response code is a 404 not found. In the sense of deliberate content put there by the website operator, there is no front page.

FSFE

=> ↺ FSFE ☛ 2023-07-04 [Older] Interoperable Europe +++ Cyber Resilience Act +++ AI Act

Programming/Development

=> ↺ University of Toronto ☛ Polymorphism and other important aspects of inheritance

• This was in fact too much of a hot take, because I left out something that’s sufficiently important that it keeps being reinvented. This is what I’ll call data inheritance or embedding. One version of this embedding is done ad hoc in C through, for example, preprocessor tricks or ‘struct at start’ literal embedding. Go has a more thorough version of C’s struct embedding (see Struct types in the specification), where the embedded thing is more transparently visible than you normally get in C, where fields and methods in the embedded thing can be promoted to be accessed as if they were part of the struct.

=> ↺ Matt Rickard ☛ Towards Technical CEOs

• In software companies, almost every decision has technical implications. Those choices get compounded over time, accumulating technical debt or future-proofing infrastructure. Understanding the technology more can lead to creative strategic options: commoditizing your complement, api warfare, programming to the interface, and embrace/extend/extinguish.

=> ↺ Rlang ☛ New R Package For HTTP Headers Hashing

• While effective, HHHash’s performance relies heavily on the characteristics of the HTTP requests, so correlations are typically only established using the same crawler parameters. Locality-sensitive hashing (LSH) could be used to calculate distances between sets of headers for more efficient comparisons. There are some limitations with some LSH algorithms (such as the need to pad content to a minimum byte length) that make the initial use of SHA256 hashes a bit more straightforward.

=> ↺ Rlang ☛ The Doyle spiral with R

• It also returns a matrix providing the centers and the radii of the circles, and the color index of each circle. This allowed me to plot the Doyle spiral in 3D with rgl: [...]

=> ↺ How to Compile and Run C/C++ Program in Ubuntu

• Ubuntu is getting popular in programming for developers because of being a free and open-source operating system and most of the programming software and compiler

=> ↺ Rose Hudson: GSoC status report 4

• Some would call this whining – skip this section if you’re here for technology

• You’re not supposed to make yourself work when you don’t have energy to because you’ll feel bad. People have tried telling me this and I’ve tried listening but to really take it on board I had to figure out what low energy actually feels like, so here we are, skipping a week of status reporting and holding a suspiciously high Factorio play time. I spent some of that play time making a cool blue circuit factory! Downtime is a good idea, hopefully – we’ll find out next week whether it worked.

• It’s surprising that one of the hardest problems given to me by the Fates has been fighting against myself, which sounds overly dramatic but in a literal sense is true. I would be moving faster if I felt up to it, but I don’t feel up to it because I moved too fast recently. It’s my fault because I wore myself out, but it’s not my fault to rest when I need to, so instinctively I remain undecided on whether it’s my fault. Sadly this isn’t a balance that I’ve learned to strike, at least not for large scale work that I care about.

Python

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Pandas Add Index

• To add an index to the Pandas DataFrame, the “dataframe.set_index()” method or the “dataframe.index()” attribute is used in Python.

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Pandas Add Row to DataFrame

• To add/insert a row to Pandas DataFrame, the “dataframe.loc”, “pandas.concat()”, and “dataframe.append()” function is used in Python.

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ Reverse a String in Python: Practical Examples

• Python, a versatile and powerful programming language, offers a plethora of tools and techniques for manipulating strings. One such operation is string reversal, which, while seemingly simple, can be performed in various ways, each with its unique benefits and use cases.

Java

=> ↺ Nicolas Fränkel ☛ Reactive database access on the JVM

• A couple of years ago, Reactive Programming was all the rage, but it had one big issue: reactive stopped as soon as you accessed a SQL database. You had a nice reactive chain up to the database, defeating the whole purpose. Given the prevalence of SQL databases in existing and new apps, one couldn’t enjoy the full benefits of Reactive Programming but still pay the full price of complexity.

Leftovers

Science

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ A.I. Is Coming for Mathematics, Too

• Now mathematicians are grappling with the latest transformative force: artificial intelligence.

• In 2019, Christian Szegedy, a computer scientist formerly at Google and now at a start-up in the Bay Area, predicted that a computer system would match or exceed the problem-solving ability of the best human mathematicians within a decade. Last year he revised the target date to 2026.

Education

=> ↺ Connor Tumbleson ☛ Bloggers Block

• So what I wanted to review this time was my collection of drafts and remember why they are there.

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

=> ↺ Evernote Exodus: Bay Area Tech Giant Abandons Ship, Lays Off Workers, and Sails to Europe

• Bay Area tech company Evernote, a pioneer in collaborative workspaces, has laid off a majority of its US and Chile-based staff and is relocating almost its entire operation to Europe, according to an official statement from Bending Spoons CEO Luca Ferrari provided to SFGATE. This move comes just months after Italian app maker Bending Spoons acquired the note-taking giant in November.

=> ↺ India Today ☛ Note-taking platform Evernote announces major layoffs, plans to move operations to Europe

• Note-taking platform Evernote is laying off most of its Chile- and US-based employees as the company plans to restructure operations to ensure long-term growth. This comes after the company already laid off 129 workers in February after failing to make profits. In its initial years, Evernote gained massive traction for letting users take online notes and syncing them across devices. However, the company faced stiff competition from smartphone OEMs like Apple, Google, and Microsoft after they launched their own native note-taking apps. Even today, several Evernote functionalities are behind paywalls. On the other hand, free-to-use apps like Apple Notes, Google Notes, and Microsoft OneNote.

• In a blog post, Evernote states that it is moving its centre of operations to Europe, where its parent firm, Bending Spoons, is based. The blog post further adds that the company has initiated layoffs, and impacted workers are assured severance packages in the transition.

Windows TCO

=> ↺ [Repeat]Data Breaches ☛ It: Luigi Vanvitelli hospital hit by ransomware

• A spokesperson for the hospital also stated that the attack mostly affected software used in analysis laboratories. “This does not mean that the analysis laboratories are at a standstill, but,” she underlines, “at the moment they are proceeding at a very low speed, in a pseudo manual”.

=> ↺ Naples, [cracker] attack on Vanvitelli hospital

• The authors of the ransomware-type computer attack against the computer system of the Luigi Vanvitelli university hospital in Naples could be part of a group of Chinese [crackers]. The hypothesis is based on the type of email address provided by the attacker to invite the technicians of the Aou Vanvitelli to request information on how to get back the data which it is presumed to have been stolen.

• The first technical malfunction detected on the computer platform of the Aou Vanvitelli dates back to Saturday 1st July. Between Saturday and Sunday the technicians worked to get the platform back on its feet but, when this happened on Monday afternoon, they realized that it was not a technical failure, but a real cyber attack.

Security

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ NZ cloud assets the focus of attackers, Thales survey finds [Ed: If the very proposition of clown computing is that you do not control it and it's far away from you, only insanity can convince people that's better for security. Clown computing =means unsafe, not in your premises.]

• The company provided the statistic as part of its 2023 Thales Cloud Security Study, an annual assessment of cloud security threats, based on input from nearly 3000 professionals across 18 countries, including New Zealand.

=> ↺ Vasudev Kamath: Using LUKS-Encrypted USB Stick with TPM2 Integration [Ed: Microsoft systemd is not security, Microsoft systemd is a mess and complexity is the enemy of security]

• I use a LUKS-encrypted USB stick to store my GPG and SSH keys, which acts as a backup and portable key setup when working on different laptops.

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ EFF ☛ EFF’s Comment to the Meta Oversight Board on United States Posts Discussing Abortion

• EFF recently submitted comments to the Meta Oversight Board’s call for submissions last month about posts in the United States discussing abortion that were removed under the company’s violence and incitement policy.

• EFF’s comments address the over-removal of abortion-related content and the use of automated technologies to identify such content, as well as the need for contextualization in content moderation. EFF’s comments also remind Meta of its responsibility to respect international human rights law, and ensure that any content removal be both necessary and proportionate.

=> ↺ The Wire ☛ After Pegasus ‘PR Problem’, Modi Govt Looking for Spyware From Less Exposed Firms: Financial Times

• Among the companies named is Intellexa, headquartered in Greece, which has created the Predator spyware with the involvement of Israeli military veterans. Predator already has a lengthy record of having been used in countries low on the human rights index, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar and Oman.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ BW Businessworld Media Pvt Ltd ☛ Bangladesh Moves Beyond Dollar To Settle Trade With India In Rupee

• Bangladesh is all set to settle trade with India in Rupee from Tuesday, a move to cut their reliance on the American currency, which was involved in nearly 90 per cent of global forex transactions in 2022, The Daily Star reported.

=> ↺ Deutsche Welle ☛ France bans fireworks ahead of Bastille Day

• The ban excludes professional or municipality-organized fireworks displays traditionally planned to mark the national day.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ US drone strike kills IS group leader in Syria, says defence department

• A US drone strike has killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria after Russian warplanes harassed MQ-9 drones over the war-torn country, the US Central Command said Sunday.

War in Ukraine

=> ↺ France24 ☛ BRICS summit will be held in-person despite Putin arrest warrant, says South African president

• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday that next month’s BRICS summit, which Vladimir Putin has been invited to, will be held in-person despite an arrest warrant on the Russian leader.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ UN experts urge Russia to investigate Chechnya attack on journalist and lawyer

• A group of United Nations (UN) human rights experts called on the Russian Federation on Friday to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of a violent attack against journalist Yelena Milashina and human rights lawyer Alexander Nemov.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ South African BRICS Summit To Be ‘Physical’ Despite Putin Warrant

• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 9 said next month’s BRICS summit, to which Vladimir Putin has been invited, will be held in-person despite an arrest warrant on the Russian leader.

=> ↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Niinistö: Russia closing Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg opens “new dimension”

• PRESIDENT Sauli Niinistö says Russia has opened a new dimension by shutting down the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg.

• “We’ve known that many other countries have had pretty similar experiences in St. Petersburg. It wasn’t a unique surprise in that regard. But the fact that it came in this particular context was of course [a surprise],” he commented by phone to STT on Saturday.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ Prigozhin’s War

• Analysts differ on what motivated the head of the private Wagner military group to march thousands of his men towards Moscow, an episode with lessons to be learned for both Russia and the West, writes Joe Lauria.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Finland further tightens entry restrictions for Russians from Monday

• The updated measures are aimed at business travellers, students and Russian citizens who own land in Finland.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ Lukashenko Says Wagner Chief Prigozhin Is in Russia

• Prigozhin was previously in Belarus after his short-lived mutiny

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ State Security Service: No direct threat from Wagner to Latvia

• Information available to the State Security Service (VDD) does not indicate that the mercenary group “Wagner” would currently pose a direct threat to Latvia’s national security, LETA reported on July 9

=> ↺ Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-07-05 [Older] India’s exporting weapons to Russia is a Thrusting Blow to QUAD’s Aspirations

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ 2023-07-08 [Older] Ukraine Vows It Won’t Use Cluster Bombs in Russia

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Putin spokesman confirms president met with Prigozhin after rebellion — Meduza

• Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the president met with Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin after the latter’s failed mutiny, following similar reports Friday from the French newspaper Liberation.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Medvedev threatens to attack nuclear facilities in Ukraine and Europe, following unconfirmed reports of attempted missile strike on Russian nuclear plant — Meduza

• Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, threatened to attack Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities in Eastern Europe in a post on his Telegram channel.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Bring out your dead A joint investigation by Meduza and Mediazona reveals the true number of Russian soldiers killed so far in the invasion of Ukraine — Meduza

• Roughly 47,000. That is how many Russian soldiers have died so far in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a joint study by journalists at Meduza and Mediazona and Tubingen University statistician Dmitry Kobak. Analyzing existing reports about published obituaries, mortality data from the Federal State Statistics Service, and extensive records from the National Probate Registry, we estimate that between 40,000 and 55,000 Russian men under the age of 50 died fighting in Ukraine by May 27, 2023. When factoring in the number of men wounded so seriously that they did not return to military service, Russia’s total casualty count rises to at least 125,000 soldiers, based on our calculations. (This figure does not include missing or captured soldiers or Ukrainian nationals fighting with Russian proxy forces based in Donetsk and Luhansk.)

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister includes Crimean Bridge explosion in list of military victories. Kyiv previously denied involvement in the attack. — Meduza

• Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar posted a timeline of Ukraine’s Armed Forces victories in the 500 days since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Azov commanders who returned to Ukraine after prisoner swap say they plan to continue fighting — Meduza

• Denys Prokopenko, a commander of the Azov Regiment who returned to Ukraine, told journalists in Lviv the commanders plan to continue fighting. He was one of five Azov commanders who flew back to Ukraine from Turkey on July 8, accompanied by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. They were released from Russian captivity in a prisoner swap.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Australia sends RAAF aircraft to assist Ukraine efforts

• Australia will deploy a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft for logistical support to Ukraine, but won’t enter the war-torn nation’s airspace.

• The early warning and control aircraft will help protect multinational logistics hubs, to ensure the uninterrupted flow of military and humanitarian aid into Ukraine.

=> ↺ NYPost ☛ Victoria Azarenka booed at Wimbledon for not shaking hands with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina

• Azarenka did wave toward Svitolina after the match and said that she was following her opponent’s lead over the handshake.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Dispatch from Vilnius: Will Zelenskyy show at the summit? It depends on whether Biden listens to frontline NATO allies.

• Central European officials say the US has held up a fast track to NATO membership for Ukraine. That would be a mistake.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Deadly Russian strike hits aid distribution point in Zaporizhzhia region, governor says

• At least four people were killed and 11 more injured when Russia shelled a residential area of the frontline town of Orikhiv in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, the governor there said on Monday. The official said the attack took place during the distribution of humanitarian aid. Read our live blog for all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Call Russia campaign in Vilnius sparks protests, campaign suspended ahead of NATO summit

• “Did you CALL RUSSIA today?” Posters with such questions popped up in central Vilnius ahead of the NATO summit. The campaign, first launched after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has angered Lithuanians, saying that it sends the wrong message to the NATO leaders.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Ahead Of Crucial NATO Summit, Heavy Fighting Under Way As Ukraine Presses Its Counteroffensive In South

• Ukrainian and Russian forces are locked in fierce battles in multiple locations on the front line as Kyiv is continuing its counteroffensive in the south, the military said on July 10, as Moscow’s incessant shelling continued to claim victims among Ukrainian civilians.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Biden Says War Must End Before Ukraine Can Join NATO

• U.S. President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to attend an important NATO summit later this week, said in an interview prior to his departure that Ukraine is not ready for membership in the alliance, asserting that the war with Russia must end before an invitation can be issued.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Germany Should Not ‘Block’ U.S. Sending Cluster Munitions To Ukraine, President Says

• Germany’s president on July 9 said the country should not “block” the United States from sending cluster bombs to Ukraine, while defending its opposition to the use of the controversial weapon.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Ukrainian, Polish Presidents Promote Reconciliation While Remembering WWII-Era Massacres

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, met on July 9 in the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk to commemorate the victims of World War II-era clashes between Poles and Ukrainians that left tens of thousands of people dead.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Civilian Toll In Russian Shelling Rises To Nine As Ukrainian Counteroffensive Reportedly Makes Gains

• The death toll of civilians killed by Russian shelling in the Donetsk region city of Lyman on July 8 has been raised to nine, Ukrainian officials said on July 9.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Azov Commander Who Returned To Ukraine With Zelenskiy Hints He Will Resume Fighting

• One of the Ukrainian military commanders who returned to the country from Turkey with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on July 8 has hinted he intends to resume fighting.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Biden Says Ukraine Is Not Ready for NATO Membership

• President Biden, who will attend a NATO summit in Europe this week, said it was “premature” to allow Ukraine to join the alliance as the war with Russia continues.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ What the U.S. Risks By Supplying Ukraine With Cluster Weapons

• The weapons will remain a threat to the people of Ukraine no matter what the outcome of this conflict.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ Cluster Bombs for Ukraine? A Warning From Kosovo

• With Washington poised to ship cluster bombs to Kyiv, Declassified visits Kosovo to review the grim legacy of NATO firing this banned weapon in the Balkans.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ Biden Defends Decision to Send Cluster Bombs to Ukraine

• Last year, the White House said the use of cluster munitions was a ‘potential war crime’

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ ‘We’ve stopped monitoring Meduza,’ says Kremlin spox Peskov about joint report by Meduza and Mediazona on Russian losses in Ukraine — Meduza

• The Kremlin declined to comment on Meduza and Mediazona’s joint report on the Russian army’s losses in the full-scale war in Ukraine.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Biden says Russia’s war on Ukraine must end before Kyiv can join NATO

• President Biden said it’d be “premature” for Ukraine to begin the NATO membership process during a war, but he told Turkey’s president Sunday he wants Sweden to join the alliance as soon as possible.

• Driving the news: Biden told CNN in an interview broadcast Sunday ahead of attending this week’s NATO summit in Lithuania that Russia’s war on Ukraine must end before Kyiv can join the alliance.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Ukraine Celebrates Return of Azov Commanders Held as Prisoners of War

• Five members of the regiment returned home from Turkey to a heroes’ welcome on Saturday. The Kremlin accused Ankara of violating the terms of the deal that freed them.

Transparency/Investigative Reporting

=> ↺ Off Guardian ☛ 9/11 Family Denied New Inquest by UK Attorney General, Will Seek Judicial Review

• The family of Geoff Campbell, a British citizen who died in the September 11 attacks, released the following statement on the 6th of July 2023: On the 11th of September 2001, our beloved son and brother, Geoff Campbell, was murdered in the destruction of the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

Environment

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ FTX’s Celebrity Endorser Tom Brady Faces Worthless Stock, Lawsuits

• As an “ambassador” for FTX, football quarterback Tom Brady appeared at the company’s conference in the Bahamas, and in TV commercials promoting the exchange as “the most trusted” institution in crypto, remembers the New York Times. And it was all about to go very bad…

Finance

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Corruption watchdog referrals skyrocket since launch

• The federal anti-corruption watchdog’s in-tray is filling up, with more than 300 referrals made to it since launching last weekend.

• National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton said in his first speech on Monday there had been 44 referrals received via the body’s online system.

=> ↺ Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd ☛ Another Round of Layoffs Hits This Company – CEO Says, ‘We’re Taking This Step to Boost…’

• Layoffs 2023: After eliminating 129 workers in February this year after failing to make profits, this company has announced another round of layoffs. The CEO in the blog post further announced a substantial separation package which includes 16 weeks of salary, up to one year of health insurance coverage, and a performance bonus, paid pro-rata for the impacted employees.

=> ↺ Microchip joins parade of chip firms investing in India

• Microchip in recent days announced a $300 million investment into chip R&D efforts in India, the latest of multiple moves by semiconductor companies to invest in and locate facilities in the country as geopolitical factors continue to affect the sector.

• The investment by Chandler, Arizona-based Microchip will go toward expanding the firm’s existing operations in India, which the company described as “one of the world’s fastest-growing semiconductor industry hubs.”

=> ↺ Hindustan Times ☛ Layoffs run rampant with over 194,000 Americans left unemployed in 2023 so far, recession fears arise- Report [Ed: perpetuating Microsoft lies by lowballing the numbers]

• Microsoft also made its mark on the layoff landscape, announcing 10,000 job cuts in January. Microsoft-owned company GitHub followed suit in February with 300 layoffs, and in May, an additional 158 employees were let go from Microsoft’s headquarters.

=> ↺ Pro Publica ☛ LA Failed to Stop Landlords From Turning Housing Into Hotels

• By law, the American Hotel in downtown Los Angeles is supposed to be reserved for residents who can’t afford to live anywhere else. For decades, the building was a haven in the city’s sky-high housing market, where artists, musicians and people down on their luck could rent rooms for about $500 a month. At the end of the day, longtime tenants would hang out at Al’s Bar, a legendary punk and alternative rock venue on the ground floor where bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers played long before they sold out stadiums.

• But amid the largest homelessness crisis in the nation, the American’s owner has turned the building into a boutique hotel where tourists can book rooms for as much as $209 a night.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ European Commission ☛ Speech by Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič at the 3rd EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly

• European Commission Speech Brussels, 03 Jul 2023 Honourable chairs, dear Nathalie, dear Oliver.

=> ↺ BW Businessworld Media Pvt Ltd ☛ Twitter Relocates Gilgit-Baltistan Users To J-K, Shocks Pakistan

• Twitter reportedly blocked Pakistan’s official Twitter account in Gilgit-Baltistan and is showing the location of the region in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Dawn reported.

• As per the Pakistani English-language newspaper, even after the users turn the location feature on the app, tweets sent from the region are marked as originating from J-K.

• The locals explicitly showed changes in Twitter location and blocked access to Pakistan Government’s official account.

=> ↺ India Times ☛ Jack Ma’s clash with Beijing costs Ant, Alibaba $850 billion

• The costs go far beyond the latest fine. The crackdown has added to an erosion of confidence in the private sector in China as the country faces growing weakness in everything from consumer spending to the housing market, exports and infrastructure investment. Ant has had to overhaul its business model, pulling back from sensitive sectors and easing up on competition with state-backed banks. Its valuation, envisioned at about $315 billion after the IPO, has dropped to about $78.5 billion.

=> ↺ Pro Publica ☛ Right-Wing Websites Scam Loyal Followers With Phony Celebrity Pitches

• The photo caught her midsentence, her left hand jabbing at the camera.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ Off Guardian ☛ This is Psychosis, Plain and Simple

• The emperor has no clothes, and it is about time we all called a spade a spade and ended this insanity. It is destroying our children for one thing, and undermining our decency as human beings for another.

=> ↺ CBC ☛ Iranian rapper facing possible death sentence also accused of colluding with Canada

• Salehi also faces a charge of colluding with a hostile foreign government. That charge is linked to a rare interview he gave CBC News in October 2022.

• Raesian told the Iranian media outlet Ham-Mihan that interview is being cited as evidence of his client’s cooperation with the Canadian government.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ UChicago Course on Whiteness Sparks Debate Over Free Speech and Cyberbullying

• A student objected to a class, “The Problem of Whiteness,” and tweeted the lecturer’s photo and email address. Hate mail poured in. What should the school do?

=> ↺ Reason ☛ Federal Judge to Biden Administration: Stop Telling Social Media Sites To Limit Free Speech

• Plus: Teaching A.I. about the Fourth of July, and more…

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Judge tells Biden administration to stop contacting social media companies

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Sending money, food from Hong Kong to wanted overseas activists may ‘support their illegal activities,’ Regina Ip says

• Sending money or food from Hong Kong to eight democrats wanted overseas was akin to “supporting their illegal activities,” Regina Ip, the convenor of government advisory body the Executive Council has said.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ NPR ☛ A national newspaper in Mexico has said its reporter was killed in a western state

• Sánchez Iñiguez, 59, had been missing since Wednesday and an appeal had been made to find him, the Nayarit state prosecutors’ office said. The journalist’s wife reported him missing, along with a computer and his cellphone.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ The Nation ☛ “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Police violence: How can France tackle racial profiling without first addressing race?

• Young men in France perceived to be Black or Arab are 20 times more likely to be stopped by police than the rest of the population, according to the country’s human rights ombudsman. Racial profiling runs deep in the French police force, but unlike in the US and Canada, very little action is being taken to combat this form of discrimination.

=> ↺ Democracy Now ☛ “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”: James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass’s Historic Speech

• We begin our July Fourth special broadcast with the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Douglass gave one of his most famous speeches, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” He was addressing the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. James Earl Jones reads the historic address during a performance of Voices of a People’s History of the United States, which was co-edited by Howard Zinn. The late great historian introduces the address.

=> ↺ Democracy Now ☛ Hope and Resistance: Voices of a People’s History of the United States in the 21st Century

• In a special broadcast, we look at voices of a people’s history inspired by the late great historian Howard Zinn’s groundbreaking book, A People’s History of the United States, which helped reshape how history is taught in classrooms. Twenty years ago, Zinn and Anthony Arnove began organizing public readings of historical texts referenced in A People’s History of the United States. The two would go on to publish a book collecting theses texts under the title Voices of a People’s History of the United States. While Zinn died in 2010, his work continues to inspire millions across the country and the globe. Arnove and Hailey Pessin have just published a new book titled Voices of a People’s History of the United States in the 21st Century: Documents of Hope and Resistance. It gathers more than 100 speeches, essays and other documents of activism, protest and social change. We speak with them about the book, and feature readings from texts featured in it.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Congress May Not Renew Low-Income Broadband Program Birthed During COVID

• During peak pandemic, the FCC launched the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB program), giving lower income Americans a $50 ($75 for those in tribal lands) discount off of their broadband bill. Under the program, the government gave money to ISPs, which then doled out discounts to users if they qualified.

Monopolies

Copyrights

=> ↺ Torrent Freak ☛ YouTube Copyright ID Claims Reach a New High

• YouTube’s latest transparency report shows that the number of Content ID system claims has reached a new high. During the second half of last year, the advanced copyright tool flagged over 826 million issues, nearly all automated. Through monetization options, these Content ID claims generate roughly $1.5 billion in additional annual payouts to rightsholders.

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