GNU/Linux Leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Sep 05, 2026

• Kernel Space / File Systems / Virtualization

  • Miguel Grinberg ☛ You Should be Using Rootless Containers

    The other day a serious vulnerability was disclosed in one of the newer Linux distributions (the one led by the racist, so it isn't getting a mention here). The issue was interesting because it was caused by a non-standard Docker configuration that their installer applied by default, without alerting users that this configuration was creating a security risk. The end result was that any process running on these systems had the ability to elevate itself to root, without password, sudo or any prompts to the user.

    While this incident did not affect me, it served as a reminder that it is difficult to set up Docker in a way that is secure. If you are interested in understanding what the issues with Docker are and what can be done to address them, then you are in the right place.

  • Alisa Sireneva ☛ The NX bit is not just about security

    This bug hunting saga started several months ago. While developing a bare-metal hypervisor on ARM64 for postmarketOS, I hit a strange bug: if I enabled the CTR_EL0 intercept (which was the whole purpose of the HV, so could not be skipped), the phone would randomly lock itself up. After a few seconds, the watchdog kicked in and reset the system. At first I thought that the boot got slowed down so much that the system simply did not have enough time to boot, but disabling the watchdog did not help either (fortunately, the phone in question had removable battery, and I didn’t have to wait several hours for it to discharge). So, I started digging deeper.

• Benchmarks

  • Make Use Of ☛ I benchmarked GPU performance on Windows vs. Linux, and the driver tax was unbelievable

    Linux and Windows use very different methods for distributing and updating drivers. Windows takes a more hands-on approach, where you’ll have to download and update most packages manually. This is especially true for GPU drivers. On the other hand, Linux updates GPU drivers system-wide when you trigger the update through your package manager, which streamlines the process.

    Windows might automate some of these updates, but more often than not, there is a conflict between Windows' version and the latest official version from the Nvidia website itself. This makes Windows really annoying to deal with on certain kinds of hardware.

• Applications

  • HowTo Geek ☛ I replaced cloud apps with these 8 open-source Linux programs that keep everything local

    Cloud applications seem very convenient until you start thinking about how much of your work depends on someone else’s servers, but Linux gives you another option.

    Over the past few years, I have found open-source desktop applications that can replace many cloud-based tools while keeping the actual work on my machine. The result is a simpler setup where files stay on local storage, applications continue working without an internet connection, and I have more control over my data. These are 8 Linux applications that replaced cloud services I previously used.

  • Septabee, an insane-looking free Linux/Windows DAW with pomegranates

    Suddenly, a bunch of the producers I follow are buzzing about the music-mangling possibilities of Septabee, a free DAW for Linux and Windows developed “in secret” over “20,000 hours.” And it looks like insane fun: a bonkers dataflow interface and “violently unfinished” early-access software available through an intentionally broken website that autoplays music and makes you hunt for the click zone like it’s 1994.