Linux, BSD, and Free, Libre Software

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Dec 21, 2024

• GNU/Linux

  • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Going Linux ☛ Going GNU/Linux #463 · Top 5 Myths About Linux

      Millions of computer users are already using or preparing to switch to GNU/Linux because soon, their computers won't be able to cope with Windows, and they cannot afford to upgrade their hardware. GNU/Linux is not just their only choice but also their best choice. Sometimes, though, it's the myths about GNU/Linux that stand in the way. In this episode we hope to dispel some of those myths.
      

  • Instructionals/Technical

    • Make Tech Easier ☛ How to Use Emacs as a Desktop Environment in GNU/Linux with EXWM

      Exwm is a minimalist window manager that uses Emacs for its base. Learn how to use Emacs as a bona fide GNU/Linux desktop with Exwm today.

    • Ubuntu Handbook ☛ NVIDIA Driver 565 Available to Install in Ubuntu / GNU/Linux Mint via PPA

      For those who are waiting for the latest NVIDIA 565.77 driver package, it’s now available in PPA for Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 24.10. NVIDIA 565.77 is so far the latest feature branch version graphics driver for Linux.

  • Desktop Environments/WMs

    • XDA ☛ What's you favorite Linux desktop environment?

      Linux distros are known for their endless customization options, and for good reason. Not only can you modify the widgets, dock, and taskbar, but you can also fine-tune the appearance of the terminal emulator, file manager, and other desktop apps to your liking. Heck, you can even choose from a variety of desktop environments to further enhance the UI to your liking. Personally, I'm a fan of KDE's aesthetics - to the point where I'd call it the prettiest desktop environment in the Linux space. What about you?

• Distributions and Operating Systems

  • Eerie Linux ☛ A journey into the 8-Bit microcomputing past: Exploring the CP/M operating system – part 1 – eerielinux

    His company, Digital Research, was very successful for a while, proving that he correctly assessed the microcomputer as a serious thing (while many disregarded them as toys). But his life ended under dubious circumstances after having experienced betrayal (he initially couldn’t believe that a man whom he called a friend would backstab him: Bill Gates!), infringement of his code (what later become MS-DOS started out as a copycat product that stole the API from CP/M), being tricked by big business (Kildall accepted IBM’s proposal to offer customers both DOS and CP/M for their PC to choose from if he didn’t take legal action – but then they priced CP/M six times higher…) and personal tragedy.

  • The wait is almost over, 3 more days !

  • BSD

    • FreeBSD ☛ FreeBSD Foundation: A Year of Sponsored Development in 2024

      The FreeBSD Foundation proudly supports numerous initiatives aimed at advancing the FreeBSD operating system. With contributions from the Foundation and the community, 2024 has been a year of significant developments in security, performance, and usability. Below is a detailed overview of the projects completed or in progress this year.

  • PCLinuxOS/Mageia/Mandriva/OpenMandriva Family

    • PCLOS Official ☛ PCLinuxOS Recent Updates

  • Fedora Family / IBM

    • Fedora Project ☛ Fedora Community Blog: Infra and RelEng Update – Week 51 2024

      This is a weekly report from the I&R (Infrastructure & Release Engineering) Team. We provide you both infographic and text version of the weekly report. If you just want to quickly look at what we did, just look at the infographic. If you are interested in more in depth details look below the infographic.

      Week: 16 – 20 December 2024

    • CentOS ☛ December 2024 News

      We're pleased to announce the general availability of CentOS Stream 10. EPEL 10 has also been announced. Along with CentOS Stream 10, we have launched a new website and docs site. Our new docs site has Quick Docs, similar to Fedora. Check out the Quick Docs issues for ways you can contribute.

  • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

    • Ubuntu ☛ Ubuntu Blog: Building RAG with enterprise open source Hey Hi (AI) infrastructure

      One of the most critical gaps in traditional Large Language Models (LLMs) is that they rely on static knowledge already contained within them. Basically, they might be very good at understanding and responding to prompts, but they often fall short in providing current or highly specific information. This is where Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG) comes in;  RAG addresses these critical gaps in traditional LLMs by incorporating current and new information that serves as a reliable source of truth for these models. 

    • OMG Ubuntu ☛ Ubuntu Users Get Easier Access to Cutting-Edge defective chip maker Intel Drivers

      Canonical and defective chip maker Intel have announced they’re making it easier for Ubuntu users to get cutting-edge drivers for Intel’s newest discrete GPUs. The effort brings “ray tracing and improved machine learning performance” for defective chip maker Intel Arc B580 and B570 “Battlemage” discrete GPUs to users on Ubuntu 24.10, building on that releases’ preexisting support for defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra Xe2 iGPUs. “For the past decade, Ubuntu has been one of the first distributions to enable the latest defective chip maker Intel architectures.

      [...]

      So why is this is a preview, and why is it only on Ubuntu 24.10?

  • Devices/Embedded

    • Ivan Kuleshov ☛ Firmware update Raspberry Pi CM5 (Compute Module 5)

      The firmware upgrade on Raspberry Pi CM5 at the moment (December 2024) is complicated by the fact that the available downloadable versions of RPIBOOT do not work with the BCM2712 processor.

• Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

  • Web Browsers/Web Servers

    • Mozilla

      • Mozilla ☛ Mozilla Privacy Blog: Mozilla Joins Amicus Brief Supporting Software Interoperability [Ed: Mozilla backs Google, its sponsor]

        Earlier this week the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion that thoroughly rejects the district court’s dangerous interpretation of copyright monopoly law. Recall that, under the district court’s ruling, interoperability alone could be enough for new software to be an infringing derivative work of some prior software. If upheld, this would have threatened a wide range of open source development and other software.

        The Ninth Circuit corrected this mistake. It wrote that “neither the text of the Copyright Act nor our precedent supports” the district court’s “interoperability test for derivative works.” It concluded that “mere interoperability isn’t enough to make a work derivative.” Adding that “the text of the Copyright Act and our case law teach that derivative status does not turn on interoperability, even exclusive interoperability, if the work doesn’t substantially incorporate the preexisting work’s copyrighted material.”

  • Licensing / Legal

    • Threema GmbH ☛ Threema 2.0 for Desktop (Beta) Is Now Open Source

      The source code of Threema’s new desktop app is now publicly accessible. Consequently, the app is also covered by Threema’s bug bounty program. However, bounty hunters shouldn’t get too excited: the new desktop app has already undergone a thorough security audit, and it passed a recent bug bounty challenge.