GNU/Linux and Free, Libre Software Leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Feb 04, 2025

GNU/Linux

• Notebook Check ☛ CheckMag | Windows 10 support ending in 2025: Try out alternative operating systems without installing them

  The impending end of Windows 10 support (October 2025) means that many users may have to switch to a different OS. Alternative operating systems such as Linux and ChromeOS Flex can be tested on your own PC without affecting the existing Windows installation.

• HowTo Geek ☛ Linux Gaming: Do You Need to Wait for Vulkan Shaders?

  If you’re a Linux gamer, you’re probably used to all your more graphics-intensive games needing to “process Vulkan shaders.” There’s a button right there, though, that allows you to skip, should you hit that and skip this tedious process?

• Kernel Space

  • TechRepublic ☛ Data Centres Can Cut Energy Use By Up To 30% With Just About 30 Lines of Code, Research Shows

    New research has found that data centres can reduce their energy usage by up to 30% simply by altering around 30 lines of code in the GNU/Linux kernel’s network stack.

• Graphics Stack

  • Ubuntu Handbook ☛ NVIDIA 570.86.16 Beta Driver added VRR Support on Multiple Monitors

    NVIDIA released first Beta of the 570 driver series for GNU/Linux users a few days ago. See what’s new in this new driver. NVIDIA GNU/Linux driver introduced VRR support for Wayland since 560 driver series.

• Desktop Environments/WMs

  • GNOME Desktop/GTK

    • GNOME ☛ Sriram Ramkrishna: GNU/Linux App Summit 2025 – Call for Papers Open Now

      It’s that time again, and we are in our 7th year doing this conference (if you include LAS GNOME).

      This year, LAS will be held in Tirana, Albania and we are going all out this year to make it the best conference representing apps on Linux.

      For those who don’t know or have not heard of GNU/Linux App Summit, the idea is to have desktops work together to help enable application developers to build apps on the GNU/Linux platform. It’s a parallel effort to the Flathub and Snapstore app stores.

• Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

  • TechHQ ☛ LocalSend opens cross-platform filesharing

    Since 2011, Apple users have been able to share files between devices using AirDrop. Whether it’s a picture taken on an iPhone, or an office document from a desktop Mac, files can be exchanged simply and easily, with the facility listed in the Share submenu in users’ mobile apps and accessible from the Apple Finder.

    [...]

    Theoretically, like every open-source software, LocalSend’s cybersecurity team comprises of every security specialist on the internet capable of reading code! The same release model also gives users a degree of assurance as to the project’s longevity – even if the original developers stop working on LocalSend, others are free to fork and continue the project’s development and upkeep.

  • Web Browsers/Web Servers

    • Daniel Stenberg ☛ European Open Source Achievement Award

      I have been awarded the European Open Source Achievement Award! Proud, happy and humble I decided to accept it, as well as the associated nomination for president of the new European Open Source Academy for the coming two years.