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- [$] Fedora shares strategy updates and "weird research university" model
In early February, members of the Fedora Council met in Tirana,Albania to discuss and set the strategic direction for the Fedora Project. Thecouncil has publishedsummaries from its strategy summit, and Fedora Project Leader (FPL) Jef Spaleta,as well as some of the council members, held a video meeting to discuss outcomes fromthe summit on February 25. Topics included a plan to experiment with Open Collective to raisefunds for specific Fedora projects, tools to build image-based editions, andmore. Spaleta also explained his model for Fedora governance.
- OpenWrt 25.12.0 released
Version25.12.0 of the OpenWrt router distribution is available; this releasehas been dedicated to the memory of Dave Täht. Changes include a switch tothe apk package manager, the integration of the attendedsysupgrade method, and support for a long list of new targets.
- Security updates for Friday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (chromium), Fedora (freerdp, libsixel, opensips, and yt-dlp), Mageia (python-django, rsync, and vim), Red Hat (go-rpm-macros and osbuild-composer), SUSE (7zip, assertj-core, autogen, c3p0, cockpit-machines, cockpit, cockpit-repos, containerized-data-importer, cpp-httplib, docker, docker-stable, expat, firefox, gnutls, go1.25-openssl, golang-github-prometheus-prometheus, haproxy, ImageMagick, incus, kernel, kubevirt, libsoup, libsoup2, mchange-commons, ocaml, openCryptoki, openvpn, php-composer2, postgresql14, postgresql15, python-Authlib, python-azure-core, python-nltk, python-urllib3_1, python311-Django4, python311-pillow-heif, python311-PyPDF2, python313, python313-Django6, qemu, rhino, roundcubemail, ruby4.0-rubygem-rack, sdbootutil, and wicked2nm), and Ubuntu (less, nss, python-bleach, qtbase-opensource-src, and zutty).
- Rust 1.94.0 released
Version1.94.0 of the Rust language has been released. Changes include arraywindows (an iterator for slices), some Cargo enhancements, and a numberof newly stabilized APIs.
- A GitHub Issue Title Compromised 4,000 Developer Machines (grith.ai)
The grith.ai blog reportson an LLM prompt-injection vulnerability that led to 4,000 installations ofa compromised version of the Cline utility. For the next eight hours, every developer who installed or updated Cline got OpenClaw - a separate AI agent with full system access - installed globally on their machine without consent. Approximately 4,000 downloads occurred before the package was pulled. The interesting part is not the payload. It is how the attacker got the npm token in the first place: by injecting a prompt into a GitHub issue title, which an AI triage bot read, interpreted as an instruction, and executed.
- [$] The relicensing of chardet
Chardetis a Python module that attempts to determine which character set was usedto encode a text string. It was originally written by Mark Pilgrim, who isalso the author of a number of Python books; the 1.0 release happened in2006. For many years, this module has been under the maintainership ofDan Blanchard. Chardet has always been licensed under the LGPL, but, withthe 7.0.0release, Blanchard changed the terms to the permissive MIT license.That has led to an extensive (and ongoing) discussion on when code can berelicensed against the wishes of its original author, and whether using alarge language model to rewrite code is a legitimate way to strip copyleftrequirements from code.
- Buildroot 2026.02 released
Peter Korsgaard has announced version 2026.02 of Buildroot, a tool for generatingembedded Linux systems through cross-compilation. Notable changesinclude added support for HPPA, use of the 6.19.x kernel headers bydefault, better SBOM generation, and more. Again a very active cycle with more than 1500 changes from 97 uniquecontributors. I'm once again very happy to see so many "new" people nextto the "oldtimers". See the changelogfor full details. Thanks to Julien Olivain for pointing us to the announcement.
- New stable kernels to address build failures
Sasha Levin has announced the release of the 6.12.76, 6.6.129, and 6.1.166 stable kernels. These releasesaddress a regression reportedby Peter Schneider; Levin said that an upgrade is only necessary forthose who have observed a build failure with the 6.12.75, 6.6.128, or6.1.165 kernels.
- [$] Reconsidering the multi-generational LRU
The multi-generational LRU (MGLRU) is analternative memory-management algorithm that was merged for the 6.1 kernelin late 2022. It brought a promise of much-improved performance andsimplified code. Since then, though, progress on MGLRU has stalled, and itstill is not enabled on many systems. As the 2026 Linux Storage,Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit (LSFMM+BPF) approaches,several memory-management developers have indicated a desire to talk aboutthe future of MGLRU. While some developers are looking for ways to improvethe subsystem, another has called for it to be removed entirely.
- Security updates for Thursday
Security updates have been issued by AlmaLinux (go-rpm-macros, libpng, thunderbird, udisks2, and valkey), Fedora (coturn, php-zumba-json-serializer, valkey, and yt-dlp), Red Hat (delve, go-rpm-macros, grafana, grafana-pcp, image-builder, osbuild-composer, and postgresql), Slackware (nvi), SUSE (firefox, glibc, haproxy, kernel, kubevirt, libsoup, libsoup2, libxslt, mozilla-nss, ocaml, python, python-Django, python-pip, util-linux, virtiofsd, wicked2nm,suse-migration-services,suse-migration- sle16-activation,SLES16-Migration,SLES16-SAP_Migration, and wireshark), and Ubuntu (gimp, linux-aws, linux-lts-xenial, linux-aws-fips, linux-azure, linux-azure-fips, linux-fips, nss, postgresql-14, postgresql-16, postgresql-17, and qemu).

- Grinn ReneSOM-V2H module runs Renesas RZ/V2H vision AI processor
Polish embedded systems company Grinn has introduced the ReneSOM-V2H, described as the world’s smallest SoM based on the Renesas RZ/V2H processor. Measuring 37 × 42.6 mm, the module targets edge AI and vision-based systems such as smart cameras, robotics platforms, and industrial inspection devices. The ReneSOM-V2H integrates the RZ/V2H processor with a heterogeneous architecture featuring […]
- Rocky Linux Becomes a KDE Patron
Rocky Linux has become a KDE patron, joining organizations like Canonical, Google, and SUSE in supporting the KDE open-source ecosystem.
- Linux 7.0 File-System Benchmarks With XFS Leading The Way
With a number of file-system improvements in Linux 6.19 and more file-system optimizations in Linux 7.0, it's past due for running some fresh file-system benchmarks. Here is a look at how the prominent file-system contenders are performing on the latest Linux 7.0 development kernel.

- Oura Buys Gesture-Navigation Startup DoublePoint
Smart ring maker Oura has acquired Doublepoint, a Finnish startup specializing in gesture recognition technology for wearables. Engadget reports: The Finnish startup uses smartwatches and wristbands as examples of products that benefit from its technology, but Oura will clearly be looking to incorporate it into its rings, in theory allowing you to control your connected devices with hand movements. Oura said in a press release that the deal sees it inherit an "exceptional team of AI architects and builders from Doublepoint," including Doublepoint's four founders. The newly-acquired company will remain in its native Helsinki, where it will work with Oura's international teams. It added that Doublepoint's expertise in helping devices register subtle hand movements will be key, as nobody wearing a smart ring is going to engage with gesture control if they have to thrash their hand around like a conductor.
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Apple Blocks US Users From Downloading ByteDance's Chinese Apps
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: While TikTok operates in the United States under new ownership, Apple has deployed technical restrictions to block iOS users in the United States from downloading other apps made by the video platform's Chinese parent organization ByteDance. ByteDance owns a vast array of different apps spanning social media, entertainment, artificial intelligence, and other sectors. The leading one is Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, which has over 1 billion monthly active users. While most of those users reside in China, iPhone owners around the world have traditionally been able to download these apps from anywhere without using a VPN, as long as they have a valid App Store account registered in China. That's not true anymore. Starting in late January, iPhone users in the U.S. with Chinese App Store accounts began reporting that they were encountering new obstacles when they tried to download apps developed by ByteDance. WIRED has confirmed that even with a valid Chinese App Store account, downloading or updating a ByteDance-owned Chinese app is blocked on Apple devices located in the United States. Instead, a pop-up window appears that says, "This app is unavailable in the country or region you're in." The restriction appears to apply only to ByteDance-owned apps and not those developed by other Chinese companies. The timing and technical specifics suggest the restriction is related to the deal TikTok agreed to in January to divest Chinese ownership of its U.S. operations. The agreement was the result of the so-called TikTok ban law passed by Congress in 2024, which also barred companies like Apple and Google from distributing other apps majority-owned by ByteDance. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act states that no company can "distribute, maintain, or update" any app majority-controlled by ByteDance "within the land or maritime borders of the United States." The law was primarily aimed at TikTok, which has more than 100 million users in the U.S. and had been the subject of years of debate in Washington over whether its Chinese ownership posed a national security risk. But ByteDance also has dozens of other apps that at some point were also removed from Apple's and Google's app stores in the U.S.. Now it seems like the scope of impact has reached even more apps that are not technically designed for U.S. audiences, such as Douyin, the AI chatbot Doubao, and the fiction reading platform Fanqie Novel.
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- System76 Comments On Recent Age Verification Laws
In a blog post on Thursday, System76 CEO Carl Richell criticized new state laws in California, Colorado, and New York that would require operating systems to verify users' ages and expose that information to apps, arguing the rules are easy for kids to bypass and ultimately undermine privacy and freedom more than they protect minors. "System76's position is interesting given that they sell Linux-loaded desktops, workstations and laptops plus being an operating system vendor with their in-house Pop!_OS distribution and COSMIC desktop environment," adds Phoronix's Michael Larabel, noting that they're also based out of Colorado. Here's an excerpt from the post: "A parent that creates a non-admin account on a computer, sets the age for a child account they create, and hands the computer over is in no different state. The child can install a virtual machine, create an account on the virtual machine and set the age to 18 or over. It's a similar technique to installing a VPN to get around the Great Firewall of China (just consider that for a moment). Or the child can simply re-install the OS and not tell their parents. ... In the case of Colorado's and California's bills, effectiveness is lost. In the case of New York's bill, liberty is lost. In the case of centralized platforms, potential is lost. ... The challenges we face are neither technical nor legal. The only solution is to educate our children about life with digital abundance. Throwing them into the deep end when they're 16 or 18 is too late. It's a wonderful and weird world. Yes, there are dark corners. There always will be. We have to teach our children what to do when they encounter them and we have to trust them." "We are accustomed to adding operating system features to comply with laws," writes Richell, in closing. "Accessibility features for ADA, and power efficiency settings for Energy Star regulations are two examples. We are a part of this world and we believe in the rule of law. We still hope these laws will be recognized for the folly they are and removed from the books or found unconstitutional."
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Mozilla Is Working On a Big Firefox Redesign
darwinmac writes: Mozilla is working on a huge redesign for its Firefox browser, codenamed "Nova," which will bring pastel gradients, a refreshed new tab page, floating "island" UI elements, and more. "From the mockups, it appears Mozilla took some inspiration from Googles Material You (or at least, the dynamic color extraction part of it) because the browser color accent appears influenced by the wallpaper setting," reports Neowin. "Choosing a mint-green desktop background automatically shifts the top navigation bars to match that exact shade." Mozilla has a habit of redesigning Firefox every few years. Before "Nova," there was the "Proton" redesign in 2021, the "Photon" redesign in 2017, and the "Australis" redesign in 2014. Nova is still in early development, so it might take a year or two before it appears in an official stable Firefox release. Neowin adds: "Not every redesign project ends well for Mozilla, though. You might remember 2012's Firefox Metro, an ambitious attempt to build a custom browser for Windows 8s touch-first interface. The team built it to operate both as a traditional desktop application and as a touch-optimized Metro app. The whole thing was scrapped in 2014 after two years in development due to a dismally low user adoption rate (a preview version of the software had been released a year earlier on the Aurora channel)."
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Iran War Provides a Large-Scale Test For AI-Assisted Warfare
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg, written by Katrina Manson: The U.S. strikes on Iran ordered by President Donald Trump mark the arrival on a large scale of a new era of warfare assisted by artificial intelligence. Captain Timothy Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, told me last night that the AI tools the U.S. military is using in Iran operations don't make targeting decisions and don't replace humans. But they do help "make smarter decisions faster." That's been the driving ambition of the U.S. military, which has spent years looking at how to develop and deploy AI to the battlefield [...]. Critics, such as Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of 270 human-rights groups, argue that AI-enabled decision-support systems reduce the separation between recommending and executing a strike to a "dangerously thin" line. Hawkins said the military's use of AI assistance follows a rigorous process aligned with U.S. policy, military doctrine and the law. Artificial intelligence helps analysts whittle down what they need to focus on, generating so-called points of interest and helping personnel make "smart" decisions in the Iran operations, he told me. AI is also helping to pull data within systems and organize information to provide clarity. Among the AI tech used in the Iran campaign is Maven Smart System, a digital mission control platform produced by Palantir [...]. That emerged from Project Maven, a project started in 2017 by the Pentagon to develop AI for the battlefield. Among the large language models installed on the system is Anthropic's Claude AI tool, according to the people, who said it has become central to U.S. operations against Iran and to accelerating Maven's development. Claude is also at the center of a row that pits Anthropic against the Department of Defense over limits on the software. Further reading: Hacked Tehran Traffic Cameras Fed Israeli Intelligence Before Strike On Khamenei
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Python 'Chardet' Package Replaced With LLM-Generated Clone, Re-Licensed
Ancient Slashdot reader ewhac writes: The maintainers of the Python package `chardet`, which attempts to automatically detect the character encoding of a string, announced the release of version 7 this week, claiming a speedup factor of 43x over version 6. In the release notes, the maintainers claim that version 7 is, "a ground-up, MIT-licensed rewrite of chardet." Problem: The putative "ground-up rewrite" is actually the result of running the existing copyrighted codebase and test suite through the Claude LLM. In so doing, the maintainers claim that v7 now represents a unique work of authorship, and therefore may be offered under a new license. Version 6 and earlier was licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). Version 7 claims to be available under the MIT license. The maintainers appear to be claiming that, under the Oracle v. Google decision, which found that cloning public APIs is fair use, their v7 is a fair use re-implementation of the `chardet` public API. However, there is no evidence to suggest their re-write was under "clean room" conditions, which traditionally has shielded cloners from infringement suits. Further, the copyrightability of LLM output has yet to be settled. Recent court decisions seem to favor the view that LLM output is not copyrightable, as the output is not primarily the result of human creative expression -- the endeavor copyright is intended to protect. Spirited discussion has ensued in issue #327 on `chardet`s GitHub repo, raising the question: Can copyrighted source code be laundered through an LLM and come out the other end as a fresh work of authorship, eligible for a new copyright, copyright holder, and license terms? If this is found to be so, it would allow malicious interests to completely strip-mine the Open Source commons, and then sell it back to the users without the community seeing a single dime.
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' Protester
Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from 404 Media: Privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data that the FBI then used to determine who was allegedly behind an anonymous account affiliated with the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta, according to a court record reviewed by 404 Media. The records provide insight into the sort of data that Proton Mail, which prides itself both on its end-to-end encryption and that it is only governed by Swiss privacy law, can and does provide to third parties. In this case, the Proton Mail account was affiliated with the Defend the Atlanta Forest (DTAF) group and Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta, which authorities were investigating for their connection to arson, vandalism and doxing. Broadly, members were protesting the building of a large police training center next to the Intrenchment Creek Park in Atlanta, and actions also included camping in the forest and lawsuits. Charges against more than 60 people have since been dropped.
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- AI Startup Sues Ex-CEO Saying He Took 41GB of Email, Lied On Resume
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Hayden AI, a San Francisco startup that makes spatial analytics tools for cities worldwide, has sued its co-founder and former CEO, alleging that he stole a large quantity of proprietary information in the days leading up to his ouster from the company in September 2024. In a lawsuit filed late last month in San Francisco Superior Court but only made public this week, Hayden AI claims that former CEO Chris Carson undertook what it called "numerous fraudulent actions," which include "forged board signatures, unauthorized stock sales, and improper allocation of personal expenses." [...] Hayden AI, which is worth $464 million according to an estimated valuation on PitchBook, has asked the court to impose preliminary injunctive relief, requiring Carson to either return or destroy the data he allegedly stole. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that Carson secretly sold over $1.2 million in company stock, forged board signatures, and copied 41GB of proprietary company emails before being fired in September 2024. The complaint also claims Carson fabricated key parts of his resume, including a PhD and military service. It's a "carefully constructed fraud," says Hayden AI. "That is a lie," the complaint states. "Carson does not hold a PhD from Waseda or any other university. In 2007, he was not obtaining a PhD but was operating 'Splat Action Sports,' a paintball equipment business in a Florida strip mall."
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- The National Videogame Museum Acquires the Mythical Nintendo Playstation
The National Videogame Museum has acquired an extremely rare MSF-1 development kit, believed to be the oldest surviving prototype of the canceled Nintendo PlayStation. Engadget reports: Nicknamed the Nintendo PlayStation, the idea was that a new CD-ROM format backed by Sony would be added to the cartridge-based Super NES, resulting in a hybrid console that could play both. The partnership didn't last long, though, with Nintendo backing out before it ever really got off the ground, announcing that it would instead be working with Philips. Sony decided to make the PlayStation on its own instead, in an act of revenge that you have to say paid off in the long run, and we never did get to see Crash Bandicoot running around the Mushroom Kingdom. Still, the short-lived Nintendo PlayStation remains a fascinating what-if scenario in video game history, and the USA's National Video Museum has acquired the original development kit.
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Florida Woman Gets Prison Time For Illegally Selling Microsoft Product Keys
A Florida woman was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison and fined $50,000 for illegally trafficking thousands of Microsoft certificate-of-authenticity labels used to activate Windows and Office. Prosecutors said she bought genuine labels cheaply from suppliers and resold them without the accompanying licensed software, wiring over $5 million during the scheme. TechRadar reports: The indictment details how [52-year-old Heidi Richards] purchased tens of thousands of genuine COA labels from a Texas-based supplier between 2018 and 2023 for well below the retail value, before reselling them in bulk to customers globally without the licensed software. "COA labels are not to be sold separately from the license and hardware that they are intended to accompany, and they hold no independent commercial value," the US Attorney's Office wrote. Richards was found to have wired $5,148,181.50 to the unnamed Texas company during the scheme's operation. Some examples include the purchase of 800 Windows 10 COA labels in July 2018 for $22,100 (under $28 each) and a further 10,000 Windows 10 Pro COA labels in December 2022 for $200,000 ($20 each). Ultimately fined $50,000 and given a near-two-year sentence, prosecutors had sought to get Richards to pay $242,000, "which represents the proceeds obtained from the offenses."
 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

- US state laws push age checks into the operating system
Bad legislation, but an especially big headache for FOSS Many web sites, social media services, and other platforms require age verification on the theory that it will protect kids from seeing inappropriate content. But now some US states want to require the operating system itself to check your age and that could cause big headaches for FOSS vendors.…
- Cisco warns of two more SD-WAN bugs under active attack
Switchzilla says flaws could allow file overwrites or privilege escalation Just when network admins thought the Cisco SD-WAN patch queue might finally be shrinking, Switchzilla has confirmed miscreants are exploiting more vulnerabilities in its SD-WAN management software.…
- Washington reportedly moves to tighten leash on AI chip exports
Draft rules could force Nvidia and AMD to seek government approval before selling abroad The Trump administration is reportedly planning new restrictions on GPU exports, aimed not only at controlling who gets them, but at driving AI investment back into the US.…
- Microsoft spots ClickFix campaign getting users to self-pwn on Windows Terminal
Crooks tweak familiar copy-paste ruse so that victims run malicious commands themselves A new twist on the long-running ClickFix scam is now tricking Windows users into launching Windows Terminal and pasting malware into it themselves – handing the credential-stealing Lumma infostealer the keys to their browser vault.…

- Using OpenTelemetry and the OTel Collector for Logs, Metrics, and Traces
OpenTelemetry (fondly known as OTel) is an open-source project that provides a unified set of APIs, libraries, agents, and instrumentation to capture and export logs, metrics, and traces from applications. The project’s goal is to standardize observability across various services and applications, enabling better monitoring and troubleshooting. Read More at Causely
The post Using OpenTelemetry and the OTel Collector for Logs, Metrics, and Traces appeared first on Linux.com.
- Xen 4.19 is released
Xen Project 4.19 has been officially out since July 31st, 2024, and it brings significant updates. With enhancements in performance, security, and versatility across various architectures like Arm, PPC, RISC-V, and x86, this release is an important milestone for the Xen community. Read more at XCP-ng Blog
The post Xen 4.19 is released appeared first on Linux.com.

- Wine 11.4 Released With More Improvements
Wine 11.4 is out today as the latest bi-weekly development release of this open-source software that powers Valve's Steam Play (Proton) and allows for Windows games and applications to run on Linux and macOS...
- ZimaBoard 2: An Interesting Intel-Powered Linux Home Mini Server
For those looking for a low-power, well-built small office / home office Linux server with interesting connectivity options, the ZimaBoard 2 is an interesting option that has been available for some months now and powered by the Intel N150 processor. Besides the interesting single board hardware and well built aluminum chassis, the offering is rounded out by being preloaded with ZimaOS as a Linux-based "personal cloud OS" to easily get hosting for your own SOHO server needs.
- Valve doesn't sound confident the Steam Machine will ship in 2026
As part of a Year in Review blog detailing changes Valve made to Steam in 2025, the company shared a minor update on its hardware plans that doesn9t sound good for anyone hoping to buy a Steam Machine, Steam Controller or Steam Frame in 2026. Specifically, the company is now opening up the possibility its new hardware won9t ship this year at all.
In February, when Valve acknowledged the ongoing memory and storage shortage had delayed the launch of its hardware and could lead to higher prices, the company was still committing to a (fairly wide) window of when its hardware would ship:
"Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed. But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change."
As of the company9s latest post, however, things somehow sound even less certain. "We hope to ship in 2026, but as we shared recently, memory and storage shortages have created challenges for us," Valve wrote in its Year in Review post. "We’ll share updates publicly when we finalize our plans!"
While Valve9s air of secrecy can make it easy to read too much into the limited information the company does share, moving from "the first half of the year" to "[hoping] to ship in 2026" certainly gives it wiggle room to not release new hardware this year. And considering the difficulties other companies are facing sourcing memory and storage, it wouldn9t be all that surprising.
HP said in February that RAM accounts for a third of its PC costs, and industry analysts expect the RAM shortage could radically alter the PC landscape as companies are forced to raise prices. Valve9s already struggling to keep the Steam Deck in stock due to its issues securing RAM, it stands to reason sourcing components for even more devices wouldn9t make that process any easier. Then again, the company hasn’t updated its launch timing FAQ, so there’s still reason to hope the Steam Machine ships in 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/valve-doesnt-sound-confident-the-steam-machine-will-ship-in-2026-221709517.html?src=rss
- Nintendo is suing the US government over Trump's tariffs
Nintendo of America is suing the US government, including the Department of Treasury, Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection, over its tariff policy, raised prices on the Nintendo Switch in August 2025 in response to “market conditions,” but has so far left the price of its newer Switch 2 console unchanged.
Nintendo’s lawsuit, filed in the US Court of International Trade, cites a Supreme Court ruling from February that confirmed a lower courts’ opinion that the Trump administration’s global tariffs were illegal. Nintendo’s lawyers claim that the video game company has been “substantially harmed by the unlawful of execution and imposition” of “unauthorized Executive Orders,” and the fees Nintendo has already paid to import products into the country. In response, the company is seeking a “prompt refund, with interest” of the tariffs it has paid.
“We can confirm we filed a request,” Nintendo of America said in a statement. “We have nothing else to share on this topic.”
While taxes and other trade policies are supposed to be set by Congress, President Donald Trump implemented a collection of global tariffs over the course of his first year in office using executive orders and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law that gives the president expanded control over trade during a global emergency. The Trump administration has positioned tariffs as a way to punish enemies and bargain with trade partners, but many companies have passed the increased price of importing goods onto customers.
In upholding opinions from the US District Court of the District of Columbia and the US Court of International Trade, the Supreme Court removed the Trump administration’s ability to collect tariffs using IEEPA, but didn’t clarify how the tariffs the government had illegally collected should be returned to companies. Like Nintendo, other companies have decided filing a lawsuit is the best way to get refunded.
announced plans to introduce tariffs using other, more constrained methods. Tariffs aren’t the only obstacle Nintendo faces, either. The company could also be forced to raise the price of its consoles in response to the current RAM shortage. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-is-suing-the-us-government-over-trumps-tariffs-191849003.html?src=rss
- Dell XPS 14 (2026) review: A beautiful laptop that excels at almost everything… except typing
There is so much to love about Dell9s new XPS 14, it9s hard for me to discuss it without sounding like a total fanboy. Its new design makes it incredibly thin and light. And Intel9s Panther Lake chips give it a ton of power, even when it comes to games. After reviving the XPS brand from last year9s ignominious rebranding, it9s as if Dell was laser-focused on fixing all the issues we9ve had with the XPS 14 so far.
Unfortunately, a shallow, unresponsive and hilariously error-prone keyboard kept me from truly loving the XPS 14. Simply put, it has trouble recognizing keys if you press them too quickly in succession. And for fast and demanding typists like myself, that leads to countless errors that disrupt your flow. In the last sentence alone, I counted ten times where I had to go back and make sure commas appeared before a space, or tweak simple spelling errors. What good is a fast, light and beautiful machine if I can9t type a sentence in peace?
It9s not unusual for laptop keyboards to require a bit of user training. But my issues with the XPS 14 aren9t from a lack of practice — it simply doesn9t recognize key presses as quickly as every other laptop I9ve tested. As you can see in the video below, quick key presses are almost always recognized in reverse, or sometimes aren9t recognized at all. Those issues mostly go away if you type more slowly and deliberately, but that seems like a ridiculous compromise for a premium machine in 2026.
Dell engineers are currently testing one of the two review samples I received, both of which exhibited the exact same keyboard issue. Other reviewers have also noted that they need to type more slowly for the keyboard to work best. Gizmodo9s Kyle Barr seems to be just as frustrated with the keyboard as I am, but he thinks it9s due to Dell9s seamless key design, which doesn9t have any spaces between keys. My brother, who is an IT professional, also noticed the input issues when he typed on the XPS 14.
I9m not crazy, I swear! Dell XPS 14 (2026) keyboard Devindra Hardawar for Engadget According to Dell, its engineers say that “a small batch of early XPS units” have the quick typing issue I ran into. They also say the issue is currently resolved and doesn’t affect XPS units shipping now. The company plans to release a firmware fix later this month, and I’ll be sure to update this review once I get my hands on it. But given that these laptops have been out in the wild for weeks, I decided to review the XPS 14 as is. TL;DR, it9s the prettiest machine I9ve ever used that I hate to type on.
Seriously, this thing is gorgeous. Dell9s designers outdid themselves with the machine9s smooth metal case, which is more MacBook-like than its boxy predecessors. It9s astonishing this system weighs just three pounds, putting it right between the 3.4-pound 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 2.7-pound 13.6-inch MacBook Air. It9s also just a third of a pound heavier than the MacBook Neo, Apple9s attempt at an underpowered entry-level laptop.
I9m also glad to see that Dell has heard my complaints about how over-designed the last XPS line was. For example, the company has stuck with its "invisible" trackpad, which sits flush with the laptop9s wrist rest. But now there are two faint lines that designate where, exactly, the trackpad begins and ends. It9s a solution reminiscent of Apple9s MacBooks, which all feature large glass trackpads separated by a light border from their metal cases. Thanks to these two small lines, which don9t detract from XPS 149s minimalist aesthetic, I feel more confident swiping around.
Dell also reversed course on the wonky capacitive function row from the previous models — which again, looked cool, but had some serious usability issues. It was tough to touch type with them, since they didn9t feel as tactile as normal keys. And most crucially, the capacitive function row completely disappeared in direct sunlight. God forbid you were outside and wanted to change the volume level! This XPS 14 brings back a normal keyed function row, which is easier to touch type on and actually works in direct sunlight. (I sometimes wonder if Dell9s designers ever went outside with the last XPS 14.) Dell XPS 14 (2026) Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Our review model9s 2.8K 14-inch OLED touchscreen looked spectacular, with bold colors and wonderfully deep black levels. But that9s pretty much what I9ve come to expect from OLED by this point. I can9t get enough of the extra eye candy OLED adds to photos and videos, and it makes a huge difference with games as well. But take note that OLED is only available for the priciest XPS 14, all other models get a standard non-touch 2K LCD.
When it comes to connectivity, three USB-C ports and a headphone jack are all you get with the new XPS 14. The microSD card slot from the previous model is gone, and there9s also no HDMI or USB Type A connections like you9d find on similar systems from ASUS and Acer. Apple9s 14-inch MacBook Pro, notably, features three USB-C ports, a full-sized HDMI slot, a large SD card reader and a headphone jack. Dell XPS 14 (2026) Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Beyond Dell9s redesign, the main star of the XPS 14 is Intel9s new Panther Lake Core Ultra X7 358H chip, which offers some serious graphics upgrades over the last generation. Our review unit, which featured 32GB of RAM and Intel9s built-in Arc B390 GPU, was able to reach 130fps in Arc Raiders while playing in 1080p with medium graphics settings, as well as XeSS upscaling and frame generation. I was able to play through a few rounds with no lag — my only distraction was the lingering realization I was playing so smoothly on an ultraportable9s integrated graphics.
I certainly wouldn9t recommend the XPS 14 for heavy gamers. But if you9re forced to choose a new non-gaming system for work or school, it9s certainly nice that it can play some modern titles well. I also saw 63fps while playing Cyberpunk 2077 in 1080p with medium graphics settings and XeSS tech active. Not bad for one of the most demanding PC games in recent memory! Computer PCMark 10 Geekbench 6 Geekbench 6 GPU Cinebench 2024 Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H) 9,651 2,890/16,745 56,378 125/685 MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H) 10,169 2,864/16,633 56,425 117/719 Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) N/A 4,310/18,003 48,840 197/1,034 Dell 16 Premium (Core Ultra 7 255H, NVIDIA RTX 5070) 7,780 2,711/15,919 109,443 127/1,104
Benchmarks also point to plenty of power under the hood: The XPS 14 scored similarly to the MSI Prestige 14 AI+, which also has the Ultra X7 358H chip, in PCMark 10 and Geekbench 6. I was also surprised to see that its single-core Geekbench 6 score was higher than ASUS9s ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition, a beastly machine with 128GB of RAM and a powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip. The XPS 14 also scored 3,000 points higher than the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI gaming laptop (powered by a last-gen Core Ultra 9 288V chip) in Geekbench9s multi-threaded CPU test.
Clearly, this was a growth year for Intel9s hardware. Just keep in mind that all of our figures come from Dell9s highest-end XPS 14 configuration, which currently starts at $2,250 with 64GB of RAM on the company9s site. The lowest-end configuration, which starts at $1,450, comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. When I briefly tested that system (it had to be sent back to Dell for that keyboard issue), it scored 2,000 points lower than the Ultra X7 model in PCMark 10. I didn9t get to game on the entry-level XPS 14, but I wouldn9t expect much, since Intel9s beefy Arc graphics are reserved for its pricier X7 and X9 CPUs. Dell XPS 14 (2026) case logo Devindra Hardawar for Engadget I was also surprised to see that the XPS 14 lasted just 10 hours and 21 minutes in PCMark 10’s Modern office battery test. The MSI Prestige 14 went for a whopping 22 hours and 15 minutes — that’s far more in line with Intel’s efficiency claims for Panther Lake systems. I tested both the XPS 14 and MSI Prestige 14 in Window’s “balanced” battery profile, so you may be able to eke out more life with more battery saving features turned on.
If I were to judge the XPS 14 based purely on its specs and design alone, it would be my favorite Windows laptop available today. But I swear, I can9t live with its keyboard issues. I had to seriously slow down my typing just to get this review written, and even then I still had to back up and make more corrections than usual. Dell is so close to making a PC that’s a true MacBook Pro competitor, it9s a shame a simple keyboard issue holds the XPS 14 back from true greatness.
Update 3/6/26 2:20PM ET: Added further information about the XPS 14’s keyboard issue and a potential firmware fix.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-xps-14-2026-review-a-beautiful-laptop-that-excels-at-almost-everything-except-typing-130000656.html?src=rss
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro review: Impressive audio, imperfect ANC
Samsung caught flak for the Galaxy Buds 3. The company’s mimicry of Apple’s AirPods was all too obvious last year when it opted for a stem or “blade” design after several generations of putting touch controls on the main housing of its earbuds. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro continue that trajectory, as Samsung keeps adding new features with direct parallels to AirPods. The good news is, both models have been improved in various ways, all while their prices stay the same.
A refined design that’s still too familiar On last year’s Galaxy Buds models, Samsung introduced its “blade” design and overall shapes that clearly took inspiration from Apple’s earbuds. While all of that remains the same on the Galaxy Buds 4 lineup, Samsung made some refinements that at least gives its earbuds a more polished look.
The angular “blade” is gone from both the open-fit Galaxy Buds 4 and silicone-tipped Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. That stem is now a flat panel with a thin metal cover, but it’s still called the blade (thanks, Samsung). And thank the gods, the gimmicky blade lights on the last Pro model are now gone. The Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro both have an indented area that accepts both swipes and presses for the onboard controls, a design choice that makes that area easy to find by touch alone. Aside from that, the overall shape of both Galaxy Buds 4 models remains mostly the same, and they’re both pretty much the same size too.
One big change for the Galaxy Buds 4 duo is the charging case. Since the buds now lay flat in there instead of sitting vertically in the case on the previous model, Samsung has gone back to its rounded square shape from older generations. The company did, however, keep the translucent lids, so you can clearly see if the earbuds are in the case without having to open it.
In addition to their styles (the Buds 4 are open fit while the Pro have ear tips), a notable distinction between the two is their ingress protection (IP) levels. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is rated IP57, which is good enough for dust protection and full immersion in up to three feet for 30 minutes, while the Galaxy Buds 4 is IP54. That latter number means you’re only guarded against dust intrusion and water splashes. Useful features, if you have a Samsung phone Samsung Buds 4 Pro Billy Steele for Engadget A few years ago, Samsung offered iPhone users the same suite of features as those onGalaxy phones. Those days are long gone. Like Apple does with AirPods and Google with Pixel Buds, Samsung requires you to pair a Galaxy phone to get the most out of a pair of Galaxy Buds 4 or 4 Pro. If you opt for the open-fit model though, you’ll have to sacrifice a few features.
Let’s start with the tools that are available on both versions. You can expect Adaptive EQ 2.0, 360 audio with head tracking, Auracast, automatic switching, head gestures and both touch and swipe controls across the board. Both models also offer AI assistance via either Bixby or Gemini.
Voice features are where the two models primarily differ. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro has voice detection that automatically lowers the volume and activates ambient sound mode when you start speaking. The pricier version also offers hands-free access to an AI assistant without having to touch the earbuds or your connected device.
Pretty much all of this stuff requires a Samsung phone. Sure, you can use the basics — ANC, onboard controls and ambient sound — from the likes of iPhones and Macs. But the more advanced items like voice detection, head gestures and automatic switching won’t be available there. As before, there’s an app for Android users with non-Galaxy phones, but things like UHD audio and higher-quality calls are not available on those devices. If you do have a Galaxy phone, everything is baked into the Bluetooth menu, just like Apple does with AirPods. Shockingly good sound quality Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (left) and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 (right) Billy Steele for Engadget I’ve come to expect good sound from the Galaxy Buds line. I usually go into any new Samsung audio review knowing I”ll be getting average audio quality at the very least. On last year’s Galaxy Buds 3, the sound performance was well above average for both sets, and that continues on the two latest models. However, if audio is your main priority, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is the better pick.
Like Samsung did with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, this year’s 4 Pro has a two-way driver setup with an 11mm “super-wide” woofer and a 5.5mm planar tweeter. While the woofer is larger than what’s inside the 3 Pro, the tweeter is smaller. Those components combine for shockingly good sound quality for a pair of Samsung earbuds. I was truly surprised when I put the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in my ears for the first time and played aya’s electro-tinged hexed! The driving bass line on “off the ESSO” is energetic yet nuanced, vocals are cutting and clear, while the synths and other percussive elements pierce through the mix. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro deftly handled everything I threw at it, from Spiritbox’s heavy metal to the mellow acoustic tunes on Muscadine Bloodline’s 2025 release.
The Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t a sonic slouch by any means. It’s true you’ll get deeper bass and more overall clarity and detail from the Pro model, but prospective buyers who desire an open fit don’t have to sacrifice too much in the sound department. There’s still punchy bass and crunchy highs, with enough midrange to fill in the gaps adequately. I noticed the biggest difference on that aya track, where the bass isn’t as deep or detailed and the rest of the mix isn’t quite as dynamic as it is on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Active noise cancellation that still needs work Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (left) and Galaxy Buds 4 (right) Billy Steele for Engadget While both Galaxy Buds 4 models offer active noise cancellation (ANC), the Pro version has what Samsung calls Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation 2.0 versus just Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation on the other. The company didn’t go into much detail about the differences, other than to say the ANC performance on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is superior. Hence the 2.0, I guess.
ANC performance was a major issue on the Galaxy Buds 3 and that continues on the Galaxy Buds 4. Samsung just hasn’t managed to crack the noise cancellation code on open-fit earbuds the same way Apple has with its “regular” AirPods. In fact, the ANC on this new model makes such a modest difference, I’d wager most customers would prefer to trade it for longer battery life (or a lower price). I only kept it on in the interest of my battery rundown, otherwise I wouldn’t have used it at all. It’s definitely more like active noise reduction than outright cancellation.
Thankfully, noise cancellation is a different story on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. It’s still not going to silence the world like the second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds can, but Samsung’s tech does just enough to make it useful in most circumstances. I found it particularly adept at blocking moderate levels of constant noise, like a clothes dryer, fan or white noise machine. It’s the sudden jolts of racket where the Pro struggles. The Buds 4 Pro also does a decent job at muffling human voices, which caused my family much frustration. Calls and voice quality Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (left) and Galaxy Buds 4 (right) Every audio company claims its special sauce is the key to the clearest calls, and Samsung is no different. The company boasts that its combo of a 16kHz super wideband mode, DNN noise reduction and personalized beamforming mics offer “calls so clear, it’s stunning.” Of course, that promise requires a Galaxy S26 series phone — not just the earbuds.
I was shocked to discover how well I sounded in quiet environments as both of these earbuds offer voice quality that’s crisp and clear. If you move to a noisy spot, both models will completely block any background roar, but you will sound slightly digitized on the other end. This was more apparent on the Galaxy Buds 4, but it’s noticeable on both versions. That’s due to all the audio processing Samsung is doing to mute those distractions.
To top it all off, the ambient sound mode on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is very natural, which means you won’t be yelling to hear yourself during calls or meetings. The competition If you’re looking for the best earbuds to use with a Samsung phone, the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro are your best options. Again, like Apple does with the AirPods and Google with the Pixel Buds, Samsung continues to offer the most advanced and most useful features to the Galaxy faithful. If you don’t really care about that synergy, the second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are currently my top pick. That set won’t wow you with features, but the combination of excellent sound quality and the best ANC performance make them hard to beat. Plus, multipoint Bluetooth connectivity offers easy switching between a Galaxy S26 and a MacBook. Wrap-up With each passing year, Samsung draws closer to offering Galaxy phone users a true like-for-like AirPods rival. The company is really only lagging behind Apple in two areas: hearing health and heart-rate tracking. Samsung currently offers the option to amplify voices on its earbuds, but it hasn’t built a hearing test or the hearing protection tools Apple has. The biggest update on the AirPods Pro 3 was the addition of heart-rate tracking last year, which would be a great foundation for a fitness-focused version of the Galaxy Buds.
Everything else continues to improve on a familiar formula. Samsung has bolstered overall sound quality and ANC performance, even if the noise canceling abilities of the Galaxy Buds 4 remain somewhat lackluster. The design changes offer a more premium look and the gradual addition of modern features like head gestures help the company keep pace with the competition. While the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro are both good, Samsung really needs to take bigger swings with new features to make its earbuds the must-buy that AirPods are for iPhone users. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/samsung-galaxy-buds-4-and-4-pro-review-impressive-audio-imperfect-anc-190000202.html?src=rss
- Pokémon Pokopia review: Possibly the most charming Pokémon game yet
One of the biggest issues with mainline Pokémon games is that you9re often so focused on catching, battling and trying to be the very best that you don9t have time to stop and smell the flowers. But in Pokémon Pokopia, you9re rewarded for doing just that while building a loving community of friendly monsters. The game is one part Animal Crossing and one part Dragon Quest Builders sprinkled with a touch of Minecraft and Stardew Valley. he result might be one of the coziest, most wholesome life sims on the market. Setup and gameplay In Pokopia, you play as a Ditto, who has awakened to a world where all the other humans and Pokémon have mysteriously disappeared. Naturally, the loss of your trainer has inspired you to take the form of a person (well, as best as a Ditto can). You work together with the only other soul around, Professor Tangrowth, to figure out how to revitalize this once thriving town. As you explore, you learn to create habitats from a mix of shrubs, trees and anything else you can scavenge. You can also create new homes for the missing Pokémon and lure them back, slowly converting the wasteland into a bustling place full of life and excitement. It9s a simple but extremely rewarding gameplay loop, and as you make friends with the returning monsters, they help you on your quest by teaching you skills that allow you to continue shaping and manipulating the environment. They also provide handy items and building materials.
Some Pokémon like Squirtle can even teach you new moves that you can use to manipulate your environment. Nintendo / Engadget This is where the other main gameplay cycle comes in, as the entire world is made up of blocks that you can excavate or rework to your heart9s content. Not only does this let you customize your environment, it also serves as a way to traverse the world. See a shiny treasure on the other side of a river but you can9t swim there? You can simply build a bridge instead. And just like in Minecraft, you can use raw materials to create all sorts of fancy blocks and furniture so your homes look exactly how you want. When compared to games like Animal Crossing, I found I actually prefer Pokopia9s flavor of world-building a touch more, as it relies slightly more on building and exploring and less on decorating.
In order to lure Pokémon to your town, first you need to build a home they9ll want to live in. Nintendo / Engadget My one small issue with the game is that while I like the real-time building mechanic that lets Pokémon work on stuff while you9re not playing, having to wait a full day for bigger projects to be completed can bog down your progress a bit. With a game that easily provides more than 50 hours of content just for its main story (and that9s not counting all the time you9ll spend customizing and tweaking your town), sometimes things become a slower burn than they ought to be. The magic of Pokopia As befitting a Pokémon game, each monster has skills befitting their type like Charmander being able to light fires. Sam Rutherford for Engadget While the success of Pokopia9s core mechanics can be largely attributed to co-developer Bandai Namco borrowing the game9s basic template from the Dragon Quest Builders series, the real magic of the game comes from the Pokémon themselves. When I load into the world and the first thing that happens is one of my townsfolk running up to me to say thanks or give me a present, it just makes me happy. And unlike most other Pokémon games, you can actually have proper conversations with them, instead of just hearing them do their 8-bit cries. Speaking of that, I really think it9s time for Game Freak to archive those Game Boy-inspired sound bites in favor of proper voice acting. We9ve had thirty years of crunchy, low-fi yells, and in an open-world game with adorable polygonal graphics, I think we can finally let the 9mons say their names like they do in the anime.
Pokopia9s roster of characters is also bigger than expected. That9s because in addition to new faces like Peakychu and Mosslax, there are well over 100 different Pokémon to befriend. And while the game leans a bit more heavily on characters from Kanto and the original 151, there9s solid representation from other generations, including cameos from legendaries. Furthermore, each monster has its own unique habitat, preferences and abilities. I appreciate little details like water-type Pokémon who ask you to make their home a bit more humid or fighting-type monsters who ask for exercise equipment to spruce up theirs. Similarly, when it comes to building out your town, I like that the game makes you turn towards plant-types if you want help with your crops or a fire-type if you need help smelting some iron.
Teamwork makes the dream work. Nintendo / Engadget However, the most heartwarming thing about Pokopia might not even be how you interact with the other Pokémon, but how they socialize with themselves. Sometimes you9ll run into two mons chasing each other around, working out together or cuddling up for a nap. And thanks to the game9s photo mode, you can capture all these moments when they happen.
Exploring the world is also quite satisfying, particularly for anyone who has played any of the Pokémon games from gen one. There are a ton of references to memorable people and places from Kanto. Plus, when you9re just out and about or spelunking, you9ll sometimes run into other adventurous mons who need a little help before you can convince them to move into town. It feels like there are fun secrets hiding around every other corner, and even for those that are a bit less obvious, Pokopia drops just enough hints to point you in the right direction. Wrap-up Just look how happy everyone is when we all work together. Nintendo / Engadget There9s so much to do in Pokopia that I wouldn9t be surprised if dedicated players could tide themselves over with this game until Pokémon Winds and Waves comes out next year. But more importantly, Bandai Namco and Game Freak have found a perfect balance between the title9s open-world building mechanics and homages to the underlying franchise. Pokopia isn9t just a half-hearted life-sim clone with a thin veneer of monster catching (or in this case, monster community outreach) draped on top; it9s a good game in its own right that just gets better with the addition of neighborly Pokémon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-pokopia-review-possibly-the-most-charming-pokemon-game-yet-183000812.html?src=rss
- COPPA 2.0 passes the Senate again, unanimously this time
Today the US Senate unanimously passed proposed legislation known as COPPA 2.0. This measure, fully named the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, aims to create new protections for younger users online, such as blocking platforms from collecting their personal data without consent.
COPPA 2.0 is a modernized take on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, attempting to address recent changes in common online activities, like targeted advertising, that could prove harmful to minors. Lawmakers have made several attempts to get this bipartisan bill through. While it has made varying amounts of headway in the Senate, none of the COPPA 2.0 bills to date have gotten past the House of Representatives. Industry groups such as NetChoice have previously opposed COPPA 2.0 and other measures around minors9 online activity such as KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act. NetChoice members include Google, YouTube, Meta, Reddit, Discord, TikTok and X. Google specifically has since changed its stance to support COPPA 2.0, however.
"This bill expands the current law protecting our kids online to ensure companies cannot collect personal information from anyone under the age of 17," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement about the latest result. "This is a big step forward for protecting our kids. We hope the House can join us. They haven’t thus far."
However, there has been a bigger push both domestically and internationally toward restrictions on when and how younger people engage online. Several states — Utah, California and Washington to name a few — have enacted laws requiring some level of age verification, either to access mature content online or to use social media apps at all. Many of these efforts have raised concerns about privacy regarding where and how people9s personal information is stored and protected. COPPA 2.0 might wind up benefitting from the privacy debates since it emphasizes giving teens and parents ways to protect themselves from having their data used against them rather than asking adults to give up data in order to use the internet as usual.
Update, March 6 2026, 11:38AM ET: Article updated with additional context on Google. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/coppa-20-passes-the-senate-again-unanimously-this-time-215044656.html?src=rss
- Capcom's long-delayed Pragmata is now arriving a week earlier
Capcom revealed during its March 5 Spotlight showcase that Pragmata, its repeatedly delayed dystopian sci-fi adventure game, will release on April 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam. The game had been set for April 24 since its appearance at The Game Awards in December.
The game’s new trailer shows previously unseen locations and gameplay moments, and new elements within the Shelter, the in-game lunar base. Pragmata was first revealed in 2020 with a 2022 release window. Capcom then delayed it to 2023, then went radio silent on the project before resurfacing with a new 2026 date last year.
A free Sketchbook demo is available now on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop and Steam. Pre-orders for the game are available now. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/capcoms-long-delayed-pragmata-is-now-arriving-a-week-earlier-160257053.html?src=rss
- Rad Power Bikes gets a new owner, pledge to build bikes in the US
Life EV has completed a court-approved acquisition of Rad Power Bikes, granting a second life to the troubled e-bike brand.
The Florida-based Life EV now owns Rad’s brand, intellectual property, inventory and certain unspecified operating assets, and will continue to operate as Rad Power Bikes in the US, with plans to expand to "select key markets."
Rad’s new owner has committed to honoring certain warranties and gift cards purchased prior to the acquisition, and says new bikes will be built in the US going forward. Life EV will adopt a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) structure for its manufacturing operations, allowing it to take advantage of special domestic customs procedures when sourcing parts from global suppliers.
"Rad Power Bikes has helped define the e-bike category in North America with its innovative products and passionate rider community," said Life EV CEO, Rob Provost. "Respecting and preserving that legacy - its brand, vision, and leadership - is foundational to this acquisition. Together, we will build on that trust and create new opportunities for riders nationwide."
The completed acquisition marks the end of a turbulent period for Rad. Back in December, the company was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned Rad’s customers to "immediately stop using" some of its e-bike batteries due to a serious fire hazard. At the time, Rad said it couldn’t afford to recall the at-risk batteries.
Less than two months later, in what can only be described as a strange twist of fate, a fire broke out at a Rad Power Bikes retail store warehouse in Huntington Beach, California. "We’re working with local authorities to review a thermal incident that occurred at our Huntington Beach store Sunday evening," a Rad Power Bikes spokesperson told Engadget at the time. "The incident was contained and happened while the store was closed. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed." This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rad-power-bikes-gets-a-new-owner-pledge-to-build-bikes-in-the-us-144641940.html?src=rss
- Engadget Podcast: Is the MacBook Neo the one?
It9s been a wild week for Apple. After announcing a slew of new hardware, the company capped things off with its cheapest laptop ever: the $599 MacBook Neo. It9s low on specs, but high on character and value. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into the MacBook Neo, as well as the refreshed MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max, iPad Air M4 and iPhone 17e.
Also, Devindra chats with Spencer Ackerman, author of Forever Wars and recent Iron Man comics, about the ongoing battle between Anthropic and the Department of Defense. It turns out the DOD still used Claude for attacks on Iran, after banning Anthropic9/s AI last week. And really, what do these AI companies expect to happen when they jump at military contracts? Subscribe! iTunes
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Pocket Casts
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Google Podcasts Topic Apple announces a the MacBook Neo priced at $599 and it’s shockingly great – 0:53
MacBook Air got the M5, MacBook Pro got the M5 Pro and M5 Max, and who needs the new iPad Air now? – 22:31
Anthropic vs. DoD with Spencer Ackerman, author of The Forever Wars – 30:34
Gemini encouraged a man to end his own life to be with his ‘AI wife’ – 58:53
Polymarket nixes bets on nuclear detonation after public outcry – 1:01:55
No Yōtei on PC: Sony closes down first party titles outside of PS5 – 1:03:56
Wildlight Studios’ Highguard shuts down after 46 days live – 1:08:23
Working on: Dell’s XPS 14 will be great when the keyboard fix comes through – 1:15:09
Pop culture picks – 1:15:58 Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Nathan Ingraham Guest: Spencer Ackerman Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/engadget-podcast-is-the-macbook-neo-the-one-132801575.html?src=rss

- Haiku inches closer to next beta release
And when a Redox monthly progress report is here, Haikus monthly report is never far behind (or vice versa, depending on the month). Haikus February was definitely a busy month, but theres no major tentpole changes or new features, highlighting just how close Haiku is to a new regular beta release. The OpenBSD drivers have been synchronised wit upstream to draw in some bugfixes, theres a ton of smaller fixes to various applications like StyledEdit, Mail, and many more, as well a surprisingly lost list f various file system fixes, improving the drivers for file systems like NTFS, Btrfs, XFS, and others. Theres more, of course, so just like with Redox, head on over to pour over the list of smaller changes, fixes, and improvements. Just like last month, Id like to mention once again that you really dont need to wait for the beta release to try out Haiku. The operating system has been in a fairly stable and solid condition for a long time now, and whatevers the latest nightly will generally work just fine, and can be updated without reinstallation.
- Redox gets NodeJS, COSMICs compositor, and much more
February has been a busy month for Redox, the general purpose operating system written in Rust. For instance, the COSMIC compositor can now run on Redox as a winit window, the first step towards fully porting the compositor from COSMIC to Redox. Similarly, COSMIC Settings now also runs on Redox, albeit with only a very small number of available settings as Redox-specific settings panels havent been made yet. Its clear the effort to get the new COSMIC desktop environment from System76 running on Redox is in full swing. Furthermore, Vulkan software can now run on Redox, thanks to enabling Lavapipe in Mesa3D. Theres also a ton of fixes related to the boot process, the reliability of multithreading has been improved, and theres the usual long list of kernel, driver, and Relibc improvements as well. A major port comes in the form of NodeJS, which now runs on Redox, and helped in uncovering a number of bugs that needed to be fixed. Of course, theres way more in this months progress report, so be sure to head on over and read the whole thing.
- Hardware hotplug events on Linux, the gory details
One day, I suddenly wondered how to detect when a USB device is plugged or unplugged from a computer running Linux. For most users, this would be solved by relying on libusb. However, the use case I was investigating might not actually want to do so, and so this led me down a poorly-documented rabbit hole. ↫ ArcaneNibble (or R) And ArcaneNibble (or R) is taking you down with them.
- New Oracle Solaris CBE release released
Oracles Solaris 11 basically comes in two different flavours: the SRU (Support Repository Update) releases for commercial Oracle customers, and the CBE (Common Build Environment) releases, available to everyone. Weve covered the last few SRU releases, and now its time for a new CBE release. We first introduced the Oracle Solaris CBE in March 2022 and we released an updated version in May 2025. Now, as Oracle Solaris keeps on evolving, we’ve released the latest version of our CBE. With the previous release Alan and Jan had compiled a list to cover all the changes in the three years since the first CBE release. This time, because it’s relatively soon after the last release we are opting to just point you to the what’s new blogs on the feature release SRUs Oracle Solaris 11.4 SRU 84, Oracle Solaris 11.4 SRU 87, and Oracle Solaris 11.4 SRU 90. And of course you can always go to the blogs by Joerg Moellenkamp and Marcel Hofstetter who have excellent series of articles that show how you can use the Oracle Solaris features. ↫ Joost Pronk van Hoogeveen at the Oracle Solaris Blog You can update your existing installation with a pkg update, or do a fresh insrtall with the new CBE images.
- The great license-washing has begun
In the world of open source, relicensing is notoriously difficult. It usually requires the unanimous consent of every person who has ever contributed a line of code, a feat nearly impossible for legacy projects. chardet, a Python character encoding detector used by requests and many others, has sat in that tension for years: as a port of Mozilla’s C++ code it was bound to the LGPL, making it a gray area for corporate users and a headache for its most famous consumer. Recently the maintainers used Claude Code to rewrite the whole codebase and release v7.0.0, relicensing from LGPL to MIT in the process. The original author, a2mark, saw this as a potential GPL violation. ↫ Tuan-Anh Tran Everything about this feels like a license violation, and in general a really shit thing to do. At the same time, though, the actual legal situation, what lawyers and judges care about, is entirely unsettled and incredibly unclear. Ive been reading a ton of takes on what happened here, and it seems nobody has any conclusive answers, with seemingly valid arguments on both sides. Intuitively, this feels deeply and wholly wrong. This is the license-washing AI! seems to be designed for, so that proprietary vendors can take code under copyleft licenses, feed it into their AI! model, and tell it to regurgitate something that looks just different enough so a new, different license can be applied. Tim takes Jims homework. How many individual words does Tim need to change without adding anything to Jims work before its no longer plagiarism? I would argue that no matter how many synonyms and slight sentence structure changes Tim employs, its still a plagiarised work. However, what it feels like to me is entirely irrelevant when laws are involved, and even those laws are effectively irrelevant when so much money is riding on the answers to questions like these. The companies who desperately want this to be possible and legal are so wealthy, so powerful, and sucked up to the US government so hard, that whatever they say might very well just become law. AI! is the single-greatest coordinated attack on open source in history, and the open source world would do well to realise that.
- DOS memory management
The memory management in DOS is simple, but that simplicity may be deceptive. There are several rather interesting pitfalls that programming documentation often does not mention. ↫ Michal Necasek at the OS/2 Museum A must-read for people writing software for earlier DOS versions.
- Lock scroll with a vengeance
Whats the scroll lock key actually for? Scroll Lock was reportedly specifically added for spreadsheets, and it solved a very specific problem: before mice and trackpads, and before fast graphic cards, moving through a spreadsheet was a nightmare. Just like Caps Lock flipped the meaning of letter keys, and Num Lock that of the numeric keypad keys, Scroll Lock attempted to fix scrolling by changing the nature of the arrow keys. ↫ Marcin Wichary I never really put much thought into the scroll lock key, and I always just assumed that it would, you know, lock scrolling. I figured that in the DOS era, wherein the key originated, it stopped DOS from scrolling, keeping the current output of your DOS commands on the screen until you unlocked scrolling again. In graphical operating systems, I assumed it would stop any window with scrollable content from scrolling, or something I just never thought about it, and never bothered to try. Well, its original function was a bit different: with scroll lock disabled, hitting the arrow keys would move the selection cursor. With scroll lock enabled, hitting the arrow keys would move the content instead. After reading this, it makes perfect sense, and my original assumption seems rather silly. It also seems some modern programs, like Excel, Calc, some text editors, and others, still exhibit this same behaviour when the scroll lock key is used today. The more you know.
- The new MacBook Neo is a great deal in the US, not so much in Europe
Apple today announced the MacBook Neo,! an all-new kind of low-cost Mac featuring the A18 Pro chip for $599. The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip; the A18 Pro debuted in 2024s iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple says it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads, and up to 2x faster for tasks like photo editing. The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2408-by-1506 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and an anti-reflective coating. The display does not have a notch, instead featuring uniform, iPad-style bezels. ↫ Hartley Charlton at MacRumors Theres no denying this is a great offering from Apple, and its going to sell really well, especially in the US. I cant think of any other laptop on the market that offers this kind of complete package at such an attractive price point on the Windows side, youre going to get plastic laptops with worse displays, worse battery life, and, well, Windows. For education buyers, the price drops from $599 to $499, making it a no-brainer choice for families sending their kids off to high school or university. In the US, at least. Here in Europe, or at least in Sweden where I checked the price of the base model, its going for almost €800 ($930), at which point the cost-cutting measures Apple has taken are a bit harder to swallow. At that kind of price point, Im not going to accept a mere 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a paltry 60Hz display. When I saw the announcement of this new MacBook earlier today, I wondered if this could be my way of finally getting a macOS review on OSNews after well over a decade, but at €800 for something I wont be using after Im done with the review? I cant justify that. Regardless, youre going to see tons of these in schools and in wrapping paper for the holiday season and birthdays, and at least at American pricing, its definitely a great deal.
- Never bet against x86
Chips and Cheese has an excellent deep dive into Arms latest core design, and I have thoughts. Arm now has a core with enough performance to take on not only laptop, but also desktop use cases. They’ve also shown it’s possible to deliver that performance at a modest 4 GHz clock speed. Arm achieved that by executing well on the fundamentals throughout the core pipeline. X925’s branch predictor is fast and state-of-the-art. Its out-of-order execution engine is truly gargantuan. Penalties are few, and tradeoffs appear well considered. There aren’t a lot of companies out there capable of building a core with this level of performance, so Arm has plenty to be proud of. That said, getting a high performance core is only one piece of the puzzle. Gaming workloads are very important in the consumer space, and benefit more from a strong memory subsystem than high core throughput. A DSU variant with L3 capacity options greater than 32 MB could help in that area. X86-64’s strong software ecosystem is another challenge to tackle. And finally, Arm still relies on its partners to carry out its vision. I look forward to seeing Arm take on all of these challenges, while also iterating on their core line to keep pace as AMD and Intel improve their cores. Hopefully, extra competition will make better, more affordable CPUs for all of us. ↫ Chester Lam at Chips and Cheese The problem with Arm processors in the desktop (and laptop) space certainly isnt one of performance as this latest design by Arm once again shows. No, the real problem is a complete and utter lack of standardisation, with every chip and every device in the Arm space needing dedicated, specific operating system images people need to create, maintain, and update. This isnt just a Linux or BSD problem, as even Microsoft has had numerous problems with this, despite Windows on Arm only supporting a very small number of Qualcomm processors. A law or rule that has held fast since the original 8086: never bet against x86. The number of competing architectures that were all surely going to kill x86 is staggeringly big PowerPC, Alpha, PA-RISC, Sparc, Itanium, and many more and even when those chips were either cheaper, faster, or both, they just couldnt compete with x86s unique strength: its ecosystem. When I buy an x86 computer, either in parts or from an OEM, either Intel or AMD, I dont have to worry for one second if Windows, Linux, one of the BSDs, or goddamn FreeDOS, and all of their applications, are going to run on it. They just will. Everything is standardised, for better or worse, from peripheral interconnects to the extremely crucial boot process. On the Arm side, though? Its a crapshoot. Thats why whenever anyone recommends a certain cool Arm motherboard or mini PC, the first thing you have to figure out is what its software support situation is like. Does the OEM provide blessed Linux images? If so, do they offer more than an outdated Ubuntu build? Have they made any update promises? Will Windows boot on this thing? Does it work with any GPUs I might already own? Theres so many unknowns and uncertainties you just dont have to deal with when opting for x86. For its big splashy foray into general purpose laptops with its Snapdragon Elite chips, Qualcomm promised Linux support on par with Windows from day one. Were several years down the line, and its still a complete mess. And thats just one chip line, of one generation! As long as every individual Arm SoC and Arm board are little isolated islands with unknown software and hardware support status, x86 will continue to survive, even if x86 laptops use more power, even if x86 chips end up being slower. Without the incredible ecosystem x86 has, Arm will never achieve its full potential, and eventually, as has happened to every single other x86 competitor, x86 will eventually catch up to and surpass Arms strong points, at lower prices. Never bet against x86.
- The 64-bit Hurd for Gux is here
Fifteen months have passed since our last Guix/Hurd on a Thinkpad X60 post and a lot has happened with respect to the Hurd. And most of you will have guessed, unless you skipped the title of this post, the rumored x86_64 support has landed in Guix! ↫ Janneke Nieuwenhuizen and Yelninei at the Guix blog A huge amount of work has gone into this effort over the past 18 months, but you can now download Guix and alongside the Linux kernel, you can now opt for the Hurd as well, in eother 32bit or 64 bit flavour. Do note that while Debian GNU/Hurd offers about 75% of Debian packages, Guix/Hurd only offers about 1.7% (32-bit) and 0.9% (64-bit) of packages for now. These percentages are always growing, of course, and now that Guix/Hurd can be installed in virtual machines and even on bare metal relatively easily like this, things might speed up a bit.

- EU OS: A Bold Step Toward Digital Sovereignty for Europe
Image A new initiative, called "EU OS," has been launched to develop a Linux-based operating system tailored specifically for the public sector organizations of the European Union (EU). This community-driven project aims to address the EU's unique needs and challenges, focusing on fostering digital sovereignty, reducing dependency on external vendors, and building a secure, self-sufficient digital ecosystem. What Is EU OS? EU OS is not an entirely novel operating system. Instead, it builds upon a Linux foundation derived from Fedora, with the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It draws inspiration from previous efforts such as France's GendBuntu and Munich's LiMux, which aimed to provide Linux-based systems for public sector use. The goal remains the same: to create a standardized Linux distribution that can be adapted to different regional, national, and sector-specific needs within the EU.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, EU OS focuses on standardization, offering a solid Linux foundation that can be customized according to the unique requirements of various organizations. This approach makes EU OS a practical choice for the public sector, ensuring broad compatibility and ease of implementation across diverse environments. The Vision Behind EU OS The guiding principle of EU OS is the concept of "public money – public code," ensuring that taxpayer money is used transparently and effectively. By adopting an open-source model, EU OS eliminates licensing fees, which not only lowers costs but also reduces the dependency on a select group of software vendors. This provides the EU’s public sector organizations with greater flexibility and control over their IT infrastructure, free from the constraints of vendor lock-in.
Additionally, EU OS offers flexibility in terms of software migration and hardware upgrades. Organizations can adapt to new technologies and manage their IT evolution at a manageable cost, both in terms of finances and time.
However, there are some concerns about the choice of Fedora as the base for EU OS. While Fedora is a solid and reliable distribution, it is backed by the United States-based Red Hat. Some argue that using European-backed projects such as openSUSE or KDE's upcoming distribution might have aligned better with the EU's goal of strengthening digital sovereignty. Conclusion EU OS marks a significant step towards Europe's digital independence by providing a robust, standardized Linux distribution for the public sector. By reducing reliance on proprietary software and vendors, it paves the way for a more flexible, cost-effective, and secure digital ecosystem. While the choice of Fedora as the base for the project has raised some questions, the overall vision of EU OS offers a promising future for Europe's public sector in the digital age.
Source: It's FOSS European Union
- Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight
Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight
Linux kernel lead developer Linus Torvalds has admitted to forgetting to release version 6.14, attributing the oversight to his own lapse in memory. Torvalds is known for releasing new Linux kernel candidates and final versions on Sunday afternoons, typically accompanied by a post detailing the release. If he is unavailable due to travel or other commitments, he usually informs the community ahead of time, so users don’t worry if there’s a delay.
In his post on March 16, Torvalds gave no indication that the release might be delayed, instead stating, “I expect to release the final 6.14 next weekend unless something very surprising happens.” However, Sunday, March 23rd passed without any announcement.
On March 24th, Torvalds wrote in a follow-up message, “I’d love to have some good excuse for why I didn’t do the 6.14 release yesterday on my regular Sunday afternoon schedule,” adding, “But no. It’s just pure incompetence.” He further explained that while he had been clearing up unrelated tasks, he simply forgot to finalize the release. “D'oh,” he joked.
Despite this minor delay, Torvalds’ track record of successfully managing the Linux kernel’s development process over the years remains strong. A single day’s delay is not critical, especially since most Linux users don't urgently need the very latest version.
The new 6.14 release introduces several important features, including enhanced support for writing drivers in Rust—an ongoing topic of discussion among developers—support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile chip, a fix for the GhostWrite vulnerability in certain RISC-V processors from Alibaba’s T-Head Semiconductor, and a completed NTSYNC driver update that improves the WINE emulator’s ability to run Windows applications, particularly games, on Linux.
Although the 6.14 release went smoothly aside from the delay, Torvalds expressed that version 6.15 may present more challenges due to the volume of pending pull requests. “Judging by my pending pile of pull requests, 6.15 will be much busier,” he noted.
You can download the latest kernel here. Linus Torvalds kernel
- AerynOS 2025.03 Alpha Released with GNOME 48, Mesa 25, and Linux Kernel 6.13.8
Image AerynOS 2025.03 has officially been released, introducing a variety of exciting features for Linux users. The release includes the highly anticipated GNOME 48 desktop environment, which comes with significant improvements like HDR support, dynamic triple buffering, and a Wayland color management protocol. Other updates include a battery charge limiting feature and a Wellbeing option aimed at improving user experience.
This release, while still in alpha, incorporates Linux kernel 6.13.8 and the updated Mesa 25.0.2 graphics stack, alongside tools like LLVM 19.1.7 and Vulkan SDK 1.4.309.0. Additionally, the Moss package manager now integrates os-info to generate more detailed OS metadata via a JSON file.
Future plans for AerynOS include automated package updates, easier rollback management, improved disk handling with Rust, and fractional scaling enabled by default. The installer has also been revamped to support full disk wipes and dynamic partitioning.
Although still considered an alpha release, AerynOS 2025.03 can be downloaded and tested right now from its official website.
Source: 9to5Linux AerynOS
- Xojo 2025r1: Big Updates for Developers with Linux ARM Support, Web Drag and Drop, and Direct App Store Publishing
Image Xojo has just rolled out its latest release, Xojo 2025 Release 1, and it’s packed with features that developers have been eagerly waiting for. This major update introduces support for running Xojo on Linux ARM, including Raspberry Pi, brings drag-and-drop functionality to the Web framework, and simplifies app deployment with the ability to directly submit apps to the macOS and iOS App Stores.
Here’s a quick overview of what’s new in Xojo 2025r1: 1. Linux ARM IDE Support Xojo 2025r1 now allows developers to run the Xojo IDE on Linux ARM devices, including popular platforms like Raspberry Pi. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for developers who want to create apps for ARM-based devices without the usual complexity. Whether you’re building for a Raspberry Pi or other ARM devices, this update makes it easier than ever to get started. 2. Web Drag and Drop One of the standout features in this release is the addition of drag-and-drop support for web applications. Now, developers can easily drag and drop visual controls in their web projects, making it simpler to create interactive, user-friendly web applications. Plus, the WebListBox has been enhanced with support for editable cells, checkboxes, and row reordering via dragging. No JavaScript required! 3. Direct App Store Publishing Xojo has also streamlined the process of publishing apps. With this update, developers can now directly submit macOS and iOS apps to App Store Connect right from the Xojo IDE. This eliminates the need for multiple steps and makes it much easier to get apps into the App Store, saving valuable time during the development process. 4. New Desktop and Mobile Features This release isn’t just about web and Linux updates. Xojo 2025r1 brings some great improvements for desktop and mobile apps as well. On the desktop side, all projects now include a default window menu for macOS apps. On the mobile side, Xojo has introduced new features for Android and iOS, including support for ColorGroup and Dark Mode on Android, and a new MobileColorPicker for iOS to simplify color selection. 5. Performance and IDE Enhancements Xojo’s IDE has also been improved in several key areas. There’s now an option to hide toolbar captions, and the toolbar has been made smaller on Windows. The IDE on Windows and Linux now features modern Bootstrap icons, and the Documentation window toolbar is more compact. In the code editor, developers can now quickly navigate to variable declarations with a simple Cmd/Ctrl + Double-click. Plus, performance for complex container layouts in the Layout Editor has been enhanced. What Does This Mean for Developers? Xojo 2025r1 brings significant improvements across all the platforms that Xojo supports, from desktop and mobile to web and Linux. The added Linux ARM support opens up new opportunities for Raspberry Pi and ARM-based device development, while the drag-and-drop functionality for web projects will make it easier to create modern, interactive web apps. The ability to publish directly to the App Store is a game-changer for macOS and iOS developers, reducing the friction of app distribution. How to Get Started Xojo is free for learning and development, as well as for building apps for Linux and Raspberry Pi. If you’re ready to dive into cross-platform development, paid licenses start at $99 for a single-platform desktop license, and $399 for cross-platform desktop, mobile, or web development. For professional developers who need additional resources and support, Xojo Pro and Pro Plus licenses start at $799. You can also find special pricing for educators and students.
Download Xojo 2025r1 today at xojo.com. Final Thoughts With each new release, Xojo continues to make cross-platform development more accessible and efficient. The 2025r1 release is no exception, delivering key updates that simplify the development process and open up new possibilities for developers working on a variety of platforms. Whether you’re a Raspberry Pi enthusiast or a mobile app developer, Xojo 2025r1 has something for you. Xojo ARM
- New 'Mirrored' Network Mode Introduced in Windows Subsystem for Linux
Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) continues to evolve with the release of WSL 2 version 0.0.2. This update introduces a set of opt-in preview features designed to enhance performance and compatibility.
Key additions include "Automatic memory reclaim" which dynamically optimizes WSL's memory footprint, and "Sparse VHD" to shrink the size of the virtual hard disk file. These improvements aim to streamline resource usage.
Additionally, a new "mirrored networking mode" brings expanded networking capabilities like IPv6 and multicast support. Microsoft claims this will improve VPN and LAN connectivity from both the Windows host and Linux guest.
Complementing this is a new "DNS Tunneling" feature that changes how DNS queries are resolved to avoid compatibility issues with certain network setups. According to Microsoft, this should reduce problems connecting to the internet or local network resources within WSL.
Advanced firewall configuration options are also now available through Hyper-V integration. The new "autoProxy" feature ensures WSL seamlessly utilizes the Windows system proxy configuration.
Microsoft states these features are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders running Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621.2359 or later. They remain opt-in previews to allow testing before final integration into WSL.
By expanding WSL 2 with compelling new capabilities in areas like resource efficiency, networking, and security, Microsoft aims to make Linux on Windows more performant and compatible. This evolutionary approach based on user feedback highlights Microsoft's commitment to WSL as a key part of the Windows ecosystem. Windows
- Linux Threat Report: Earth Lusca Deploys Novel SprySOCKS Backdoor in Attacks on Government Entities
The threat actor Earth Lusca, linked to Chinese state-sponsored hacking groups, has been observed utilizing a new Linux backdoor dubbed SprySOCKS to target government organizations globally.
As initially reported in January 2022 by Trend Micro, Earth Lusca has been active since at least 2021 conducting cyber espionage campaigns against public and private sector targets in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Their tactics include spear-phishing and watering hole attacks to gain initial access. Some of Earth Lusca's activities overlap with another Chinese threat cluster known as RedHotel.
In new research, Trend Micro reveals Earth Lusca remains highly active, even expanding operations in the first half of 2023. Primary victims are government departments focused on foreign affairs, technology, and telecommunications. Attacks concentrate in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Balkans regions.
After breaching internet-facing systems by exploiting flaws in Fortinet, GitLab, Microsoft Exchange, Telerik UI, and Zimbra software, Earth Lusca uses web shells and Cobalt Strike to move laterally. Their goal is exfiltrating documents and credentials, while also installing additional backdoors like ShadowPad and Winnti for long-term spying.
The Command and Control server delivering Cobalt Strike was also found hosting SprySOCKS - an advanced backdoor not previously publicly reported. With roots in the Windows malware Trochilus, SprySOCKS contains reconnaissance, remote shell, proxy, and file operation capabilities. It communicates over TCP mimicking patterns used by a Windows trojan called RedLeaves, itself built on Trochilus.
At least two SprySOCKS versions have been identified, indicating ongoing development. This novel Linux backdoor deployed by Earth Lusca highlights the increasing sophistication of Chinese state-sponsored threats. Robust patching, access controls, monitoring for unusual activities, and other proactive defenses remain essential to counter this advanced malware.
The Trend Micro researchers emphasize that organizations must minimize attack surfaces, regularly update systems, and ensure robust security hygiene to interrupt the tactics, techniques, and procedures of relentless threat groups like Earth Lusca. Security
- Linux Kernel Faces Reduction in Long-Term Support Due to Maintenance Challenges
The Linux kernel is undergoing major changes that will shape its future development and adoption, according to Jonathan Corbet, Linux kernel developer and executive editor of Linux Weekly News. Speaking at the Open Source Summit Europe, Corbet provided an update on the latest Linux kernel developments and a glimpse of what's to come.
A major change on the horizon is a reduction in long-term support (LTS) for kernel versions from six years to just two years. Corbet explained that maintaining old kernel branches indefinitely is unsustainable and most users have migrated to newer versions, so there's little point in continuing six years of support. While some may grumble about shortened support lifecycles, the reality is that constantly backporting fixes to ancient kernels strains maintainers.
This maintainer burnout poses a serious threat, as Corbet highlighted. Maintaining Linux is largely a volunteer effort, with only about 200 of the 2,000+ developers paid for their contributions. The endless demands on maintainers' time from fuzz testing, fixing minor bugs, and reviewing contributions takes a toll. Prominent maintainers have warned they need help to avoid collapse. Companies relying on Linux must realize giving back financially is in their interest to sustain this vital ecosystem.
The Linux kernel is also wading into waters new with the introduction of Rust code. While Rust solves many problems, it also introduces new complexities around language integration, evolving standards, and maintainer expertise. Corbet believes Rust will pass the point of no return when core features depend on it, which may occur soon with additions like Apple M1 GPU drivers. Despite skepticism in some corners, Rust's benefits likely outweigh any transition costs.
On the distro front, Red Hat's decision to restrict RHEL cloning sparked community backlash. While business considerations were at play, Corbet noted technical factors too. Using older kernels with backported fixes, as RHEL does, risks creating divergent, vendor-specific branches. The Android model of tracking mainline kernel dev more closely has shown security benefits. Ultimately, Linux works best when aligned with the broader community.
In closing, Corbet recalled the saying "Linux is free like a puppy is free." Using open source seems easy at first, but sustaining it long-term requires significant care and feeding. As Linux is incorporated into more critical systems, that maintenance becomes ever more crucial. The kernel changes ahead are aimed at keeping Linux healthy and vibrant for the next generation of users, businesses, and developers. kernel
- Linux Celebrates 32 Years with the Release of 6.6-rc2 Version
Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Linus Torvalds introducing the inaugural Linux 0.01 kernel version, and celebrating this milestone, Torvalds has launched the Linux 6.6-rc2. Among the noteworthy updates are the inclusion of a feature catering to the ASUS ROG Flow X16 tablet's mode handling and the renaming of the new GenPD subsystem to pmdomain.
The Linux 6.6 edition is progressing well, brimming with exciting new features that promise to enhance user experience. Early benchmarks are indicating promising results, especially on high-core-count servers, pointing to a potentially robust and efficient update in the Linux series.
Here is what Linus Torvalds had to say in today's announcement: Another week, another -rc.I think the most notable thing about 6.6-rc2 is simply that it'sexactly 32 years to the day since the 0.01 release. And that's a roundnumber if you are a computer person.Because other than the random date, I don't see anything that reallystands out here. We've got random fixes all over, and none of it looksparticularly strange. The genpd -> pmdomain rename shows up in thediffstat, but there's no actual code changes involved (make sure touse "git diff -M" to see them as zero-line renames).And other than that, things look very normal. Sure, the architecturefixes happen to be mostly parisc this week, which isn't exactly theusual pattern, but it's also not exactly a huge amount of changes.Most of the (small) changes here are in drivers, with some tracingfixes and just random things. The shortlog below is short enough toscroll through and get a taste of what's been going on. Linus Torvalds
- Introducing Bavarder: A User-Friendly Linux Desktop App for Quick ChatGPT Interaction
Want to interact with ChatGPT from your Linux desktop without using a web browser?
Bavarder, a new app, allows you to do just that.
Developed with Python and GTK4/libadwaita, Bavarder offers a simple concept: pose a question to ChatGPT, receive a response, and promptly copy the answer (or your inquiry) to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere.
With an incredibly user-friendly interface, you won't require AI expertise (or a novice blogger) to comprehend it. Type your question in the top box, click the blue send button, and wait for a generated response to appear at the bottom. You can edit or modify your message and repeat the process as needed.
During our evaluation, Bavarder employed BAI Chat, a GPT-3.5/ChatGPT API-based chatbot that's free and doesn't require signups or API keys. Future app versions will incorporate support for alternative backends, such as ChatGPT 4 and Hugging Chat, and allow users to input an API key to utilize ChatGPT3.
At present, there's no option to regenerate a response (though you can resend the same question for a potentially different answer). Due to the lack of a "conversation" view, tracking a dialogue or following up on answers can be challenging — but Bavarder excels for rapid-fire questions.
As with any AI, standard disclaimers apply. Responses might seem plausible but could contain inaccurate or false information. Additionally, it's relatively easy to lead these models into irrational loops, like convincing them that 2 + 2 equals 106 — so stay alert!
Overall, Bavarder is an attractive app with a well-defined purpose. If you enjoy ChatGPT and similar technologies, it's worth exploring. ChatGPT AI
- LibreOffice 7.5.3 Released: Third Maintenance Update Brings 119 Bug Fixes to Popular Open-Source Office Suite
Today, The Document Foundation unveiled the release and widespread availability of LibreOffice 7.5.3, which serves as the third maintenance update to the current LibreOffice 7.5 open-source and complimentary office suite series.
Approximately five weeks after the launch of LibreOffice 7.5.2, LibreOffice 7.5.3 arrives with a new set of bug fixes for those who have successfully updated their GNU/Linux system to the LibreOffice 7.5 series.
LibreOffice 7.5.3 addresses a total of 119 bugs identified by users or uncovered by LibreOffice developers. For a more comprehensive understanding of these bug fixes, consult the RC1 and RC2 changelogs.
You can download LibreOffice 7.5.3 directly from the LibreOffice websiteor from SourceForge as binary installers for DEB or RPM-based GNU/Linux distributions. A source tarball is also accessible for individuals who prefer to compile the software from sources or for system integrators.
All users operating the LibreOffice 7.5 office suite series should promptly update their installations to the new point release, which will soon appear in the stable software repositories of your GNU/Linux distributions.
In early February 2023, LibreOffice 7.5 debuted as a substantial upgrade to the widely-used open-source office suite, introducing numerous features and improvements. These enhancements encompass major upgrades to dark mode support, new application and MIME-type icons, a refined Single Toolbar UI, enhanced PDF Export, and more.
Seven maintenance updates will support LibreOffice 7.5 until November 30th, 2023. The next point release, LibreOffice 7.5.4, is scheduled for early June and will include additional bug fixes.
The Document Foundation once again emphasizes that the LibreOffice office suite's "Community" edition is maintained by volunteers and members of the Open Source community. For enterprise implementations, they suggest using the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners. LibreOffice

- Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
- Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.
- LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.
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