GNU/Linux and BSD Leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 27, 2026

• France is switching 2.5 million government computers to Linux and the rest of Europe is watching

  The directive is not a pilot program or a political aspiration. France’s DINUM, the central body responsible for state digital infrastructure, has formally announced it is migrating its own workstations from Windows to Linux and has mandated that all other ministries, agencies, and affiliated public bodies submit their own migration plans before autumn 2026. The scope covers an estimated 2.5 million government devices. The directive extends well beyond the operating system: cloud infrastructure, collaborative tools, and artificial intelligence platforms are all included. French budget minister David Amiel was direct about the motivation. “We can no longer accept that our data, our infrastructure, and our strategic decisions depend on solutions whose rules, pricing, and risks we do not control,” he said. That is not the language of a procurement review. It is the language of a government that has decided American tech dependence is a strategic liability.

• Audiocasts/Shows

  • Jupiter Broadcasting ☛ Back to Root | LINUX Unplugged 664

    After 26 years, we return to our roots and reflect on why LinuxFest Northwest is still a special event.

• Kernel Space / File Systems / Virtualization

  • Neowin ☛ Linux 7.1 arrives with a massive NTFS speed boost and the end of an era for i486

    The first Linux 7.1 candidate is here, packing everything from next-gen defective chip maker Intel graphics support to game-changing NTFS performance. Discover why this kernel marks a major turning point.

• Applications

  • Make Use Of ☛ This app fixed my Linux audio in ways I didn’t think a free app could

    Audio on Linux has always been fickle. In my experience, audio quality on Linux has been hit-or-miss. At best, it works “fine,” but it still lacks much of the volume and punch you’d ordinarily see in a Windows install.

• Distributions and Operating Systems

  • Distro Watch ☛ DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

    [...] We wrap up this issue with a warm thanks to the readers who donated to us this past month, we appreciate you all. [...]

  • BSD

    • DragonFly BSD Digest ☛ Lazy Reading for 2026/04/26

      Several conferences are linked here; check your calendar accordingly. The BSDCan 2026 Schedule is up, plus some other event details. pcc lives again, with details. Silvio Lorusso: Serif Populism, Hyperpolitics and the Diminishing Returns of Graphic Design Culture.  (via) A dictionary of demons.  Not daemons.  (also via) Roguelike Conference 2026 is in October.

  • Arch Family

    • Distro Watch ☛ Distribution Release: CachyOS 260426

      The CachyOS project has published a new snapshot of its Arch-based distribution. The new release puts a lot of work into iproving the initial install and configuration process: [...]