Free, Libre, and Open Source Software Leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jul 31, 2026

• Protesilaos Stavrou ☛ Emacs: default minibuffer completions overview (Emacs 31)

  In this video I provide an overview of the default interface for minibuffer completions in Emacs. This is an interface that has been improved considerably over the years. In Emacs version 31, this interface gets some nice new features which make it even more appealing to use.

  Below is the article I prepared for this video, with all the code samples.

• University of Toronto ☛ Solving my problem with the Emacs Lisp byte compilation checker

  I will skip ahead to the solution; since I normally use Flycheck, I fixed this by setting flycheck-emacs-lisp-initialize-packages to t, which works in my particular setup and for what I do with Emacs Lisp (but might not for you). The rest of this entry is the background explanation.

• Frank Delporte ☛ Sheetmusic4J 0.0.3: ABC Notation, Guitar Pro, Engraving Improvements

  Last week I introduced Sheetmusic4J , a Java(FX) library to render and interact with sheet music. That first 0.0.1 release was really a question more than a product: is there any interest in a native Java(FX) sheet music library before I invest more time in it? So I shared it on social media and waited to see what would come back.

• Frank Delporte ☛ MelodyMatrix 1.2.0 and 1.2.1: Learn Section Groundwork, Playback Improvements, and a Startup Fix

  Two MelodyMatrix releases went out last week, one right after the other. 1.2.0 brings the first steps toward a Learn section, some playback improvements, and initial MusicXML support. 1.2.1 followed a day later to fix a startup issue that 1.2.0 itself introduced.

• It's FOSS ☛ FOSS Weekly #26.31: Ubuntu 26.10 Features, OpenUK, Graphene Trouble, Vibe Coded GNU/Linux and More

  Ubutnu 26.10 is shaping up nicely.

• Events

  • Bootlin ☛ Netconf 2026 and Netdev 0x1a

    From the 13th to 16th of July in Rome, Italy, 130 GNU/Linux Kernel developers specialized in networking gathered at the Netdev 0x1a Conference, accompanied by 50 people attending remotely.

• Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

  • Please participate in a survey about LibreOffice Base

    In the past we run several surveys to better understand the use cases for Calc, Impress, Draw, and Writer templates. And since TDF hired a developer for Base it’s time to investigate this module.

• Content Management Systems (CMS) / Static Site Generators (SSG)

  • Cyble Inc ☛ Wp2shell Vulnerability: WordPress Fixes Critical RCE Flaw

    WordPress has released security updates to address the wp2shell vulnerability, a critical flaw that allowed attackers to achieve remote code execution (RCE) on vulnerable sites using a single anonymous web request.

    Unlike many previous attacks, this issue did not require plugins, authentication, or third-party code, making affected core installations particularly vulnerable. Security patches were released in WordPress 6.9.5 and 7.0.2.

  • Robert Birming ☛ Robeart - my take on Bear's default theme

    Robeart is my take on Bear's default theme. I know, I'm running out of pun theme names. Small bonus though: say it out loud and it sounds like my name in Swedish.

• FSF / Software Freedom / Digital Sovereignty

  • FSF ☛ A warm thank you and welcome!

    Last Friday, we closed out our summer fundraiser and are very happy to welcome all our new associate members! Associate members and donors enable us to run the infrastructure for the GNU Project and the Free Software Directory, maintain the FSF Licensing & Compliance Lab — the preeminent resource for free software developers — and allow us to protect and expand user freedom through our many campaigns and projects, including LibrePhone, Defective by Design, Fight to Repair, and LibreLocal.

• Openness/Sharing/Collaboration

  • Open Access/Content

    • Techdirt ☛ What 20 Million Bans Reveal About The Stress On Wikipedia’s Volunteers

      As Wikipedia has become more prominent, its resistance to top-down control has made it a target for people who have political or financial power. There is frequent news about takedown demands and censorship abroad, investigations and threats to its nonprofit status in the U.S., and, outside the U.S., volunteers have been arrested and imprisoned.

      The Wikipedia community is also sensitive to its rising importance, but not in the way you might think. Contributors are keenly aware of political rhetoric that takes aim at their project or threatens volunteers. But the chief effect on volunteers has been a sense of heightened obligation to their global readership, which has gradually increased quality standards.

• Standards/Consortia

  • SQ Magazine ☛ Why Domain Name Security Is Critical Infrastructure

    Domain names are not a marketing tool. Domain names are the basis of trust for almost all systems that have your name on them: email authentication, SSO, TLS certificates, API endpoints, password reset workflows, and in crypto-native companies, the frontend which the users link their wallet to. Control over the domain name is control over the identity.

  • Maury ☛ You have been mislead about lightbulbs

    This is wrong, but it's the type of wrong that cites its sources and hides in the part you'd never think to fact check:

    The assumption that a longer lasting lightbulb is a good product.

    In truth, increasing the lifespan of a bulb makes it worse in every other way... but people think they want a long lasting lightbulb: the purpose of standardizing was (primarly) to avoid a race to the bottom.