GNU/Linux and Hardware Leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 08, 2026,
updated Jan 08, 2026

• Graphics Stack

  • XDA ☛ As Linux begins to drop X11 for Wayland, Phoenix wants to keep the X server ball rolling

    hile Linux has supported X11 for a very long time, developer teams are beginning to make the shift toward Wayland. For example, Kubuntu will only install the Wayland version by default, and KDE Plasma will scrap X11 support in 2027. Even our local Linux guru, Rich Edmonds, ditched X11 in favor of Wayland.

    From what I've seen, this move toward Wayland has had a mixed reception. Some people prefer Wayland over X11, while others find that Wayland breaks their apps and renders their workflow unusable. So, as Wayland begins its slow and gradual march through the Linux space, some people have taken it on themselves to keep the X server tech running. Such is the case of Phoenix, which, while it doesn't have a lot to show just yet, wants to keep the X11 flame burning despite Wayland's rollout.

• Docker

  • XDA ☛ Docker Desktop is convenient, but native containers taught me how Docker actually works

    Docker Desktop offers the convenience of a single GUI-driven app for experimenting, testing, and deploying containers. It’s a no-nonsense tool for quickly spinning up containers on Windows and macOS. I started my self-hosting journey with Docker Desktop, and everything felt almost magical at first.

    Running the same containers natively revealed their true nature. Containers have processes that interact directly with the host operating system’s kernel. In that sense, native Docker felt like driving a manual car: more control, more engagement, and a better understanding of what’s happening under the hood. Meanwhile, Docker Desktop felt like an automatic car that simply gets me to the destination. Besides, the difference between the two approaches turned out to be more significant than I initially expected.

• Games

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Lenovo brings handheld-favorite SteamOS to the flagship Legion Go 2 — the AMD Z2 Extreme gets official SteamOS support for the first time

    Lenovo is bringing official SteamOS support to AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor for the first time with an updated Legion Go 2.

• Distributions and Operating Systems

  • Barry Kauler ☛ virt-manager works in EasyOS

    The guys have figured it out here:

    https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=16193

    I've created /etc/udev/rules.d/65-kvm.rules:

    #20260107 ref: https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?p=162982#p162982
    KERNEL=="kvm", NAME="%k", GROUP="kvm", MODE="0660"
    

    Also created /etc/init.d/tun-module:

    #!/bin/sh
    #ref: https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?p=162990#p162990
    case "$1"
     start) modprobe tun ;;
    esac
    

    ...but its flags are set with execute off. So you would have to set the execute flags on it.

    It was also mentioned that the firewall needs to be turned off. Disable the execute flags on /etc/init.d/rc.firewall    
    

  • SUSE/OpenSUSE

    • openSUSE 15.6 to 16.0 upgrade notes

      In a previous article I have shown how to upgrade a distro using zypper and the plugin zypper-upgradedistro, but some issues might always happen for a specific version, that’s why I collected all the changes and the tweaks I applied switching from openSUSE Leap 15.6 to 16.0 during and after the installation process.

  • Open Hardware/Modding

    • CNX Software ☛ ESP32-S3 development board features 4.2-inch Reflective LCD (RLCD), dual microphone array, onboard speaker

      Waveshare ESP32-S3-RLCD-4.2 is a 4.2-inch Reflective LCD (RLCD) development board built around ESP32-S3 wireless SoC for DIY projects, rapid prototyping, and smart display devices that need a paperlike experience with a higher refresh rate compared to e-paper displays. The ESP32-S3 provides 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 LE connectivity, and the board also includes a dual microphone array with ES7210 ADC and ES8311 audio codec, as well as an onboard speaker for Hey Hi (AI) voice interaction. Other features include an SHTC3 temperature and humidity sensor, a PCF85063 RTC, a microSD card slot for storage, along with multiple GPIO, UART, and I²C expansion headers.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Raspberry Pi and mini PC home lab prices hit parity as DRAM costs skyrocket — price hikes force hobbyists to weigh up performance versus power consumption

      The price of a Raspberry Pi now has parity with defective chip maker Intel N100 mini PCs at just over $200, with flash memory price spikes continuing to push prices up across the board.