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Pinta 3.0 Open-Source Paint Program Released with GTK4 Port, New Effects

Almost a year in the works, Pinta 3.0 has been ported to the latest GTK4 and libadwaita technologies to provide users with a more modern UI/UX experience. Due to API changes in GTK4, the “New Screenshot” option in the File menu now invokes platform-specific tools like the XDG screenshot portal on Linux and macOS’s screenshot tool.

Internet Society

Local Businesses Benefit from Burkina Faso’s Internet Development

Ten years ago, if there had been a submarine cable cut like the one that happened last year, most services in Burkina Faso would have been unavailable or hindered.

LinuxGizmos.com

(Updated) Sipeed Previews Compact, Low-Cost NanoCluster for Multi-SOM Computing

The NanoCluster is a compact computing platform designed for multi-SOM configurations, offering a balance between size and functionality. It supports up to seven system-on-modules, including the LM3H, CM4, CM5, and M4N, making it adaptable for various applications requiring distributed computing.

Sony Introduces AS-DT1, Described as the World’s Smallest and Lightest Precision LiDAR Sensor

The AS-DT1 is built on Sony’s proprietary Direct Time of Flight LiDAR technology. It employs a Single Photon Avalanche Diode sensor to deliver precise 3D measurements across length, width, and depth. With a horizontal field of view of 30° or more and 576 ranging points (24 x 24), the sensor supports a frame rate of 30 fps, with a reduced 15 fps mode for maximum distance operation.

Zephyr RTOS 4.1 Released with Performance Boosts, IAR and Rust Support, and Broader Board Compatibility

Zephyr Project has released version 4.1 of its RTOS, bringing notable improvements in kernel performance, toolchain support, and hardware compatibility. While not an LTS release, it introduces key updates aimed at enhancing developer experience and system efficiency.

Banana Pi Teases BPI-CM6 Module Featuring SpacemiT K1 RISC-V Processor

Banana Pi has shared details of its upcoming BPI-CM6 module, built with the SpacemiT K1 octa-core RISC-V processor. Though not yet launched, it is suggested for AI edge computing, robotics, industrial control, and network storage

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Catching up with calibre

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 10, 2025

Saying that calibre is ebook-management software undersells the application by a fair margin. Calibre is an open-source Swiss Army knife for ebooks that can be used for everything from creating ebooks, converting ebooks from obscure formats to modern formats like EPUB, to serving up an ebook library over the web. The most recent major release, calibre 8.0, brings a better text-to-speech engine, a tool for creating audio overlays when authoring ebooks, support for profiles in the ebook viewer, and more.

Calibre development started in 2006, when creator Kovid Goyal bought a Sony E Ink reader, the Portable Reader System (PRS) 500. It was one of the first e-readers, and, not surprisingly, did not have support for Linux; so Goyal set about reverse engineering its USB protocol to be able to manage the device from Linux and called the program libprs500. Along the way, he also created tools to convert existing ebook formats to LRF, one of the formats supported by the PRS-500, and created a graphical interface for the project.

The name "calibre" (all lower case) was suggested by Goyal's wife, Krittika, with libre ""indicating that calibre is a free and open source product, modifiable by all"". Goyal pronounces the name "ca-luh-ber" rather than, as one might expect, "ca-lee-bray" a fact I learned while writing this article and after more than a decade of pronouncing it incorrectly. Fast-forward to 2025, and calibre has evolved to have comprehensive support for a wide variety of e-readers; its site claims ""almost every single e-reader"", and dozens of file types.

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