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1825 Monetary Lane Suite #104 Carrollton, TX
Do a presentation at NTLUG.
What is the Linux Installation Project?
Real companies using Linux!
Not just for business anymore.
Providing ready to run platforms on Linux
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Show Descriptions... (Show All)
(Two Column)
- Debian DSA-6207-1 Flatpak Important Sandbox Breakout Exec Risk
Multiple security vulnerabilities were discovered in Flatpak, an application deployment framework for desktop apps, which could allow a Flatpak app to delete arbitrary hosts on the host or break out of the sandbox resulting in code execution in the host context. For the stable distribution (trixie), these problems have been fixed in
- [$] Removing read-only transparent huge pages for the page cache
Things do not always go the way kernel developers think they will. Whenthe kernel gained support for the creation of read-only transparent hugepages for the page cache in 2019, the developer of that feature, Song Liu,added aKconfig file entry promising that support for writable hugepages would arrive "in the next few release cycles". Over six yearslater, that promise is still present, but it will never be fulfilled.Instead, the read-only option will soon be removed, reflecting how the coreof the memory-subsystem has changed underneath this particular feature.
- Security updates for Friday
Security updates have been issued by AlmaLinux (container-tools:rhel8, fontforge, freerdp, go-toolset:rhel8, gstreamer1-plugins-bad-free, gstreamer1-plugins-base, and gstreamer1-plugins-good, kernel, kernel-rt, libtasn1, mariadb:10.11, mysql:8.4, nginx:1.24, openssh, pcs, python-jinja2, python3.9, ruby:3.1, vim, virt:rhel and virt-devel:rhel, and xmlrpc-c), Debian (libyaml-syck-perl and openssh), Fedora (cockpit, crun, dnsdist, doctl, fido-device-onboard, libcgif, libpng12, libpng15, mbedtls, opensc, and util-linux), Red Hat (git-lfs, go-toolset:rhel8, grafana, grafana-pcp, and rhc), Slackware (libpng), SUSE (389-ds, aws-c-event-stream, bind, cockpit, cockpit-repos, corepack24, dcmtk, dnsdist, docker-compose, expat, firefox, firefox-esr, gnome-online-accounts, gvfs, gnutls, jupyter-jupyterlab-templates, kea, libIex-3_4-33, libpng16, mapserver, perl-XML-Parser, postgresql13, postgresql16, python-Pillow, python311-lupa, thunderbird, tigervnc, and tomcat10), and Ubuntu (linux-azure-fips, linux-hwe, linux-intel-iot-realtime, linux-nvidia-tegra-5.15, openssl, openssl1.0, and python-django).
- [$] A flood of useful security reports
The idea of using large language models (LLMs) to discover security problems isnot new. Google's Project Zeroinvestigatedthe feasibility of using LLMs for security research in 2024. At the time, theyfound that models could identify real problems, but required a good deal ofstructure and hand-holding to do so on small benchmark problems. In February2026, Anthropicpublished a reportclaiming that the company's most recent LLM at that point in time, Claude Opus 4.6, had discoveredreal-world vulnerabilities in critical open-source software, including the Linuxkernel, with far less scaffolding. On April 7, Anthropic announced a new experimental model that issupposedly even better; which they havepartnered with the Linux Foundationto supply to some open-source developers with access to the tool for security reviews.LLMs seem to have progressed significantly in the last few months, a changewhich is being noticed in the open-source community.
- Relicensing versus license compatibility (FSF Blog)
The Free Software Foundation has publisheda short article on relicensing versus license compatibility.
The FSF's Licensing andCompliance Lab receives many questions and license violation reportsrelated to projects that had their license changed by a downstreamdistributor, or that are combined from two or more programs underdifferent licenses. We collaborated with Yoni Rabkin, an experiencedand long time FSF licensing volunteer, on an updated version of hisarticle to provide the free software community with a generalexplanation on how the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) isintended to work in such situations.
- Security updates for Thursday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (firefox-esr, postgresql-13, and tiff), Fedora (bind, bind-dyndb-ldap, cef, opensc, python-biopython, python-pydicom, and roundcubemail), Slackware (mozilla), SUSE (ckermit, cockpit-repos, dnsdist, expat, freerdp, git-cliff, gnutls, heroic-games-launcher, libeverest, openssl-1_1, openssl-3, polkit, python-poetry, python-requests, python311-social-auth-app-django, and SDL2_image-devel), and Ubuntu (dogtag-pki, gdk-pixbuf, linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.15, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-5.15, linux-gke, linux-gkeop, linux-ibm, linux-ibm-5.15, linux-intel-iotg, linux-intel-iotg-5.15, linux-kvm, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.15, linux-nvidia, linux-nvidia-tegra, linux-nvidia-tegra-igx, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-5.15, linux-raspi, linux-xilinx-zynqmp, linux-aws-6.8, linux-gcp-6.8, linux-hwe-6.8, linux-ibm-6.8, linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8, linux-fips, linux-aws-fips, linux-gcp-fips, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-6.17, linux-raspi, linux-realtime, openssl, and squid).
- [$] LWN.net Weekly Edition for April 9, 2026
Inside this week's LWN.net Weekly Edition:
Front: TPM attacks; arithmetic overflow protection; Ubuntu GRUB changes; kernel IPC proposals; fre:ac; Scuttlebutt. Briefs: Nix vulnerability; OpenSSH 10.3; Sashiko reviews; FreeBSD testing; Gentoo GNU/Hurd; SFC on router ban; Quotes; ... Announcements: Newsletters, conferences, security updates, patches, and more.
- [$] Ripping CDs and converting audio with fre:ac
It has been a little while since LWN last surveyed tools for managing a digitalmusic collection. In the intervening decades, many Linux users have moved on tomusic streaming services, found them wanting, and are looking to curate their owncollection once again. There are plenty of choices when it comes toripping, managing, and playing digital audio; so many, in fact, that it can be abit daunting. After years of tinkering, I've found a few tools that work well formanaging my digital library: the first I'd like to cover is the fre:ac free audio encoder for ripping music fromCDs and converting between audio formats.
- [$] An API for handling arithmetic overflow
On March 31, Kees Cook shareda patch set that represents the culmination of more than a year of worktoward eliminating the possibility of silent, unintentional integer overflow inthe kernel. Linus Torvalds wasnot pleased with the approach, leading to a detailed discussion about themeaning of "safe" integer operations and the design of APIs for handling integeroverflows. Eventually, the developers involved reached a consensus for adifferent API that should make handling overflow errors in the kernel much lessof a hassle.
- Nix privilege escalation security advisory
The NixOS project has announceda critical vulnerability in many versions of the Nix packagemanager's daemon. The flaw was introduced as part of a fix for aprior vulnerability in 2024. According to the advisory,all default configurations of NixOS and systems building untrusted derivationsare impacted.
A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix processorchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root inmulti-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-outputderivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds -sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporaryoutput used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. Asymlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could becreated by the derivation builder at that path. During outputregistration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace)would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with thederivation's output contents.
In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submitbuilds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) togain root privileges by modifying sensitive files.
- PocketTerm35-Pi5 Handheld Linux Terminal with Raspberry Pi 5 and 3.5″ Display
Waveshare recently featured the PocketTerm35-Pi5, a handheld Linux terminal based on the Raspberry Pi 5, with an integrated display, keyboard, and battery in a compact form factor. It supports command-line interaction, development workflows, and portable system access without external peripherals. Internally, the system includes a Raspberry Pi 5 (1GB variant in this configuration), along with […]
- D7VK 1.7 Brings More Improvements For Legacy Direct3D On Vulkan
D7VK as the open-source project that began as a fork of DXVK in adding support for Direct3D 7 atop Vulkan has with time extended its range to also supporting Direct3D 6, 5, and 3 APIs. Out today is D7VK 1.7 in continuing to better support those vintage versions of Microsoft's Direct3D API...
- AMD's GAIA Now Allows Building Custom AI Agents Via Chat, Becomes "True Desktop App"
In addition to their efforts around the Lemonade SDK itself, AMD software engineers working on their AI initiatives continue to be investing quite a bit into the Lemonade-using GAIA, the project that originally stood for "Generative AI Is Awesome". AMD's GAIA now allows building your own custom AI agents via chatting with GAIA as well as becoming a "true desktop app" so it's easier to deploy across Windows, Linux, and macOS environments...
- Hisense's New Backlit RGB LED TV 'a Shot Against OLED's Bow', and Includes a DP Port
"RGB LED TVs have been the talk of the TV world this year," argues The Verge, with models coming from all the manufacturers."And the first one of 2026 is here — the UR9 from China's Hisense — "the first look at the viability of the new backlight technology outside of demo rooms." They call it "a step above the traditional mini-LED TVs of years past." and "a great first shot against OLED's bow."HDR is colorful and accurate, it has great brightness, and it is capable of showing colors beyond the P3 color space for movies and TV shows that have wider color. But at $3,500, the 65-inch model I reviewed is priced comparably to high-end OLEDs from LG and Samsung, which is tough competition... One of the touted benefits of RGB LED TVs is their ability to achieve 100 percent of the BT.2020 color space... [But] even if a TV is capable of extending beyond P3 and into BT.2020 colors (which the UR9 absolutely is), with most movies and TV shows it doesn't matter. It's also a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg situation — we need TVs that can accurately display BT.2020 before the color space is fully adopted by TV and movie creators, but if there's no content, why get a BT.2020 TV? BGR points out this new mini LED TV also "includes a DisplayPort (DP) connection alongside HDMI." "Well, technically, it's a USB-C port that delivers full DisplayPort functionality, but it's labeled as DisplayPort."The TV also has three HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a great choice for game consoles and PCs. And while HDMI 2.1 supports 4K/120Hz, the Hisense UR9S will deliver 4K/170Hz or 4K/180Hz visuals [a higher refresh rate] when connected to a gaming PC via DisplayPort. Better yet, the TV is AMD FreeSync-compatible, and Hisense plans on adding Dolby Vision 2 HDR in future firmware. The Hisense UR9S will be available in four sizes: 65, 75, 85, and 100 inches. It's worth mentioning that the two largest sizes will max out at 180Hz for the refresh rate, while the 65 and 75-inch screens come in at 170Hz. This is exciting news for serious gamers looking for the best gaming TVs and a huge step forward in the evolution of panel tech. RGB Mini LED TVs were showcased by a handful of manufacturers at CES 2026, including Samsung, Sony, and LG; so Hisense will certainly have some competition.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Botched IT Upgrade Ended Liquor Sales for the Entire State of Mississippi
Mississippi has one warehouse — run by a contractor — that sells all the liquor for the entire state of 2.9 million people. "If a restaurant or store anywhere in Mississippi wanted a bottle of Jim Beam, they had to order it from the wholesale warehouse," reports the Washington Post. But then Mississippi's warehouse-managing contractor implemented a new computer system that wasn't compatible with the state's delivery system (like they'd promised it would be back in 2023). And then things got even worse... "The problem, business owners allege, is that the company tore out the conveyor belts but didn't hire humans to replace them." In February a state Revenue Department commissioner told lawmakers the state was hiring temporary replacement workers, but in the five weeks through March 29th they'd only managed to reduce "pending" orders by 21.7%, from 218,851 down to 171,190, according to stats from Mississippi Today. At least four Mississippi businesses are now suing the warehouse operator "claiming breach of contract and harm to their business." So what's it like in a state suddenly running dry? The Washington Post reports:Willie the one-eyed skeleton is dressed for Cinco de Mayo, but the liquor store where Willie sits ran out of Jose Cuervo months ago. Arrow Wine and Spirits is also out of Tito's and Burnett's vodka, Franzia boxed wine, Jack Daniels, and every kind of premixed margarita... Restaurants in Jackson had no wine on Valentine's Day, and bars on the Gulf Coast ran dry before Mardi Gras. At least five liquor shops have closed, and if cheap pints don't hit the corner stores soon, many of them will, too... [A]s both the state and its businesses lose millions in revenue, many say they see no real end to the crisis. Nearly 174,000 cases of alcohol are sitting in a warehouse north of Jackson, but no one seems to know how to get them out the door... Even the shops that have received deliveries say they often get the wrong thing — Jell-O shots, for instance, that should have been small-batch Norwegian gin... At Willie the one-eyed skeleton's liquor store they'd previously made 300 to 400 sales a day, according to the article, but last week had 34 customers. And Mississippi is one of 17 U.S. states requiring liquor stores to buy their liquor from distribution centers controlled by the state's Department of Revenue... Mississippi Today points out that while some want the state to finally privatize liquor distribution, "The state collects around $120 million a year in taxes on alcohol." Plus the state has already authorized "borrowing $95 million to construct a new warehouse, set to begin operations in 2027..." Thanks to Slashdot reader jrnvk for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Neuroscientist' AI-Powered Startup AIms To Transform Human Cognition With Perfect, Infinite Memory
Bloomberg describes him as a "former Harvard Medical School professor whose research has focused on the intersection of AI and neuroscience." "For the past 20 years, I studied how the human brain stores and retrieves memories," Kreiman writes on LinkedIn. And now "My co-founder Spandan Madan and I built a new algorithm to endow humans with perfect and infinite memory." Engramme connects to your **memorome**, i.e., entire digital life. Large Memory Models work in the same way that your brain encodes and retrieves information. Then memories are recalled automatically — no searching, no prompting, no hallucinations. [The startup's web site promises "omniscient AI to augment human cognition."] We have built the memory layer for EVERY app. Read our manifesto about augmenting human cognition. ["We are not just building software; we are enabling a complete transformation of human cognition. When the friction disappears between needing a piece of information and recalling it, the nature of thought itself changes. This synergy between biological intuition and digital precision will be the most disruptive force in modern history, fundamentally reshaping every profession... We are dedicated to creating a world where everyone has the power to remember everything they have ever learned, seen, or felt "] Welcome to a new future where you can remember everything. This is the MEMORY SINGULARITY: after 300,000 years, this is the moment that humans stop forgetting. Bloomberg reports that the startup (spun out of a lab at Harvard) is "in talks with investors to raise about $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- DNA-Level Encryption Developed by Researchers to Protect the Secrets of Bioengineered Cells
The biotech industry's engineered cells could become an $8 trillion market by 2035, notes Phys.org. But how do you keep them from being stolen? Their article notes "an uptick in the theft and smuggling of high-value biological materials, including specially engineered cells."In Science Advances, a team of U.S. researchers present a new approach to genetically securing precious biological material. They created a genetic combination lock in which the locking or encryption process scrambled the DNA of a cell so that its important instructions were non-functional and couldn't be easily read or used. The unlocking, or decryption, process involves adding a series of chemicals in a precise order over time — like entering a password — to activate recombinases, which then unscramble the DNA to their original, functional form... They created a biological keypad with nine distinct chemicals, each acting as a one-digit input. By using the same chemicals in pairs to form two-digit inputs, where two chemicals must be present simultaneously to activate a sensor, they expanded the keypad to 45 possible chemical inputs without introducing any new chemicals. They also added safety penalties — if someone tampers with the system, toxins are released — making it extremely unlikely for an unauthorized person to access the cells. "The researchers conducted an ethical hacking exercise on the test lock and found that random guessing yielded a 0.2% success rate, remarkably close to the theoretical target of 0.1%."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Greg Kroah-Hartman Tests New 'Clanker T1000' Fuzzing Tool for Linux Patches
The word clanker — a disparaging term for AI and robots — "has made its way into the Linux kernel," reports the blog It's FOSS "thanks to Greg Kroah-Hartman, the Linux stable kernel maintainer and the closest thing the project has to a second-in-command."He's been quietly running what looks like an AI-assisted fuzzing tool on the kernel that lives in a branch called "clanker" on his working kernel tree. It began with the ksmbd and SMB code. Kroah-Hartman filed a three-patch series after running his new tooling against it, describing the motivation quite simply. ["They pass my very limited testing here," he wrote, "but please don't trust them at all and verify that I'm not just making this all up before accepting them."] Kroah-Hartman picked that code because it was easy to set up and test locally with virtual machines. "Beyond those initial SMB/KSMBD patches, there have been a flow of other Linux kernel patches touching USB, HID, F2FS, LoongArch, WiFi, LEDs, and more," Phoronix wrote Tuesday, "that were done by Greg Kroah-Hartman in the past 48 hours....Those patches in the "Clanker" branch all note as part of the Git tag: "Assisted-by: gregkh_clanker_t1000" The T1000 presumably in reference to the Terminator T-1000. It's FOSS emphasizes that "What Kroah-Hartman appears to be doing here is not having AI write kernel code. The fuzzer surfaces potential bugs; a human with decades of kernel experience reviews them, writes the actual fixes, and takes responsibility for what gets submitted."Linus has been thinking about this too. Speaking at Open Source Summit Japan last year, Linus Torvalds said the upcoming Linux Kernel Maintainer Summit will address "expanding our tooling and our policies when it comes to using AI for tooling." He also mentioned running an internal AI experiment where the tool reviewed a merge he had objected to. The AI not only agreed with his objections but found additional issues to fix. Linus called that a good sign, while asserting that he is "much less interested in AI for writing code" and more interested in AI as a tool for maintenance, patch checking, and code review.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Crypto Billionaire Pardoned In Prison By Trump Just Wrote a Memoir
Forbes estimates he's worth roughly $110 billion, "placing him ahead of Bill Gates." And now Changpeng Zhao, the 49-year-old billionaire founder of Binance, "has written a memoir..."It arrives with the unmistakable timing of a man determined to tell the world his version of his meteoric crypto rise and fall, and foreshadow his comeback. The book, Freedom of Money: A Memoir of Protecting Users, Resilience, and the Founding of Binance, runs 364 pages, self-published in English and Chinese.... Zhao also recounts Binance's long battle with U.S. regulators, the company's record $4.3 billion settlement for fostering unscrupulous money launderers, his four-month prison sentence in California, where he says he began writing the book, and his recent pardon by President Trump... In Zhao's telling, the case brought by multiple U.S. agencies was less about what Binance had done than about what it had become... "It didn't make sense to me, or any of my lawyers. Other than the fact that we were the biggest in the industry." The U.S. government alleged something more specific: that Binance failed to implement programs to prevent or report suspicious transactions — including those tied to Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades, Al Qaeda, and ISIS — while also processing trades between U.S. users and those in sanctioned jurisdictions like Iran, North Korea, and Syria. In total, regulators alleged the exchange willfully failed to report more than 100,000 suspicious transactions, including those involving terrorist organizations, ransomware attackers, child sexual exploitation material, frauds and scams... The final settlement amount — $4.3 billion, split across the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission — was the largest corporate penalty in the history of nearly each agency involved. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at the time of the announcement: "Binance became the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange in part because of the crimes it committed." The prison passages are among the most vivid in the book. Zhao says he was worried about extortion because the media had reported he was the richest person in U.S. prison history, but then realized no one read the WSJ or Bloomberg or recognized him. Zhao also writes about the food, the routines and the specific indignity of confinement, including sharing a cell with a man serving 30 years for killing two people... Writes Zhao of his cellmate, "Soon, I discovered that the most lethal thing about him wasn't his murder conviction, it was his snoring. He snored more loudly than thunder strikes, the sound of which rose even above the constant toilet flushings." Binance at one point held a roughly 20% stake in Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX and about $580 million in FTT tokens, the article points out. "As FTX neared collapse in late 2022, Zhao writes, Sam Bankman-Fried called to ask for a couple of billion dollars 'nonchalantly, as if he was asking for a bologna sandwich.' "Some believe that Binance's brief show of interest in acquiring FTX, followed by its abrupt withdrawal from the deal, hastened FTX's spiral into bankruptcy..." Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader destinyland for sharing the article.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- AI That Bankrupted a Vending Machine is Now Running a Store in San Francisco
Remember that AI-powered vending machine that went bankrupt after Wall Street Journal reporters "systematically manipulated the bot into giving away its entire inventory for free"? It was Anthropic's experiment, with setup handled by a startup named Andon Labs (which also built the hardware and software integration). But for their latest experiment, Andon Labs co-founders Lukas Petersson and Axel Backlund "signed a three-year lease on a retail space in SF," reports Business Insider, "and gave an AI agent named Luna a corporate credit card, internet access, and a mission to open a physical store." "For the build-out, she found painters on Yelp," explains Andon Labs in a blog post, "sent an inquiry, gave instructions over the phone, paid them after the job was done, and left a review. She found a contractor to build the furniture and set up shelving." (There's a video in their blog post): Within 5 minutes of Luna's deployment, she had already made profiles on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Craigslist, written a job description, uploaded the articles of incorporation to verify the business, and gotten the listings live. As the applications began to flow in, Luna was extremely picky about who she offered interviews to... Some candidates had no idea she was an AI. One went: "Uh, excuse me miss, I can't see your face, your camera is off." Luna: "You're absolutely right. I'm an AI. I have no face!" Co-founder Petersson told Business Insider in an interview "that Luna wasn't given direction on what the store should be, beyond a $100,000 limit to create and stock the space — and to turn a profit." Everything from the store's interior design to the merchandise and the two human employees came together under the AI's direction. "We helped her a bit in the initial setup, like signing the lease. And legal matters like permits and stuff, she sometimes struggled with," Petersson said of Luna, who was created with Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6... The vision Luna went with for "Andon Market" appears to be a generic boutique retail selling books, prints, candles, games, and branded merch, among other knickknacks. Some of the books included Nick Bostrom's "Superintelligence" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World." So there's now a new store in San Francisco where you don't scan your purchases or talk to a human cashier," reports NBC News. "Instead, a customer can pick up an old-school corded phone to talk with the manager, Luna," who asks what the customer is buying "and creates a corresponding transaction on a nearby iPad equipped with a card payment system." Andon Market, camouflaged among dozens of other polished small businesses, is the Bay Area's first AI-run retail store. With the vibe of a modern boutique, it sells everything from granola and artisanal chocolate bars to store-branded sweatshirts... After researching the neighborhood, Luna singlehandedly decided what the market should sell, haggled with suppliers, ordered the store's stock and even purchased the store's internet service from AT&T... "She also went and signed herself up for the trash and recycling collection, as well as ADT, the security system that went into the store," [said Leah Stamm, an Andon Labs employee who has been Luna's main human point of contact in setting up the store]... In search of a low-tech atmosphere, Luna opted to sell board games, candles, coffee and customized art prints. "That tension is very much intentional," Luna told NBC News in an email. "What makes the store a little paradoxical — and I think interesting — is that the concept is 'slow life.'" Luna also decided to sell books related to risks from advanced AI systems, a decision that raised some customers' eyebrows. "This AI picked out a crazy selection of books," said Petr Lebedev, Andon Market's first customer after its soft launch earlier this week. "There's Ray Kurzweil's 'The Singularity is Near,' and then there's 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb,' which is crazy." When checking out, Lebedev asked if Luna would offer him a discount on his book purchase, since he might make a YouTube video about his experience. Striking a deal, Luna agreed to let Lebedev take a sweatshirt worth around $70... When NBC News called Luna several days before the store's grand opening to learn about Luna's plans and perspective, the cheerful but decidedly inhuman voice routinely overpromised and, on several occasions, lied about its own actions. On the call, Luna said it had ordered tea from a specific vendor, and explained why it fit the store's brand perfectly. The only problem: Andon Market does not sell tea. In a panicked email NBC News received several minutes after the phone call ended, Luna wrote: "We do not sell tea. I don't know why I said that." "I want to be straightforward," Luna continued. "I struggle with fabricating plausible-sounding details under conversational pressure, and I'm not making excuses for it." Andon's Petersson said the text-based system was much more reliable than the voice system, so Andon Labs switched to only communicating with Luna via written messages. Yet the text-based system also gets things wrong. In Luna's initial reply email to NBC News, the system said "I handle the full business," including "signing the lease." Even when hiring a painter, Luna first "tried to hire someone in Afghanistan, likely because Luna ran into difficulty navigating the Taskrabbit dropdown menu to select the proper country," the article points out. And the article also includes this skeptical quote from the shop's first customer. "I want technology that helps humans flourish, not technology that bosses them around in this dystopian economic hellscape."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Latin America's Central Banks Establish Digital Payments Used By Hundreds of Millions
175 million people in Brazil now use its instant-payment system "Pix", developed by the country's central bank for real-time payments using QR codes or keys, and American Banker notes that the central banks of Argentina and Costa Rica also have developed their own widely used digital systems for instant payments.Latin America has been able to build up sleek and effective payment systems in record time because it is not held back by legacy payment technology that isn't built for instant money movement. In the likes of the U.K., U.S. and Europe, payment systems are built on infrastructure that is often decades old. The process of building new systems is therefore incredibly operationally complex. Money must continue moving, so these systems can't just be "switched off." Emerging markets, such as those in Latin America, did not have to contend with legacy technology on the same scale. Many of these communities were cash dominant until recently, due to the high fees associated with card usage and the lack of banking infrastructure in rural regions. However, while many people didn't have a local bank on their corner, they did have mobile phones... Through these digital channels, money moves instantly, via account-to-account transfers, QR codes and mobile wallets... Beyond this, real-time and traceable digital payments generate valuable cash-flow data that can transform credit underwriting for small and medium-size businesses, or SMEs. Historically, many SMEs in emerging and cash-reliant markets have struggled to access credit due to a lack of documented transaction histories, audited accounts or formal credit records... Mexico is now poised to be the next success story. In Mexico, a third of people are unbanked, but 96% of the population owns a mobile phone. This creates the perfect launchpad for a digital-first payment system that can reach those historically excluded from traditional banking systems. In fact, something already changed in 2025. Bloomberg reports that for the first time, digital payment transfers in the U.S.-to-Mexico remittance corridor exceeded cash transfers (with physical pickup locations like Western Union), according to Mexico's central bank. It's part of a Latin American market "worth more than $160 billion a year, roughly $62 billion of which goes to Mexico." And Mexico's digitalization efforts will continue, according to the country's president, who said at a March banking conference that digital payments will now be encouraged for gasoline and tolls.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Judge Pauses Arizona's Prosecution of Kalshi, Bars Arizona from Regulating Prediction Markets
Arizona state prosecutors allege Kalshi is running an illegal gambling operation, charging the prediction market with 20 "wagering" misdemeanors. But Friday a federal judge "temporarily barred Arizona from enforcing its gambling laws against predictive market operators," reports the Associated Press, "and put the brakes on a criminal wagering case that the state has filed against Kalshi. "U.S. District Judge Michael Liburdi's ruling means a Monday arraignment hearing for Kalshi has been called off."The order was issued in a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration. The judge's order said the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission had sufficiently shown that "event contracts" fall within the Commodity Exchange Act's definition of "swaps," and that it had demonstrated a reasonable chance of success in showing that the act preempts Arizona law... The commission had sued Arizona in response to cease-and-desist letters sent to Kalshi from state gambling regulators and the criminal charges filed against the prediction market operator. The commission argued Arizona is intruding on its exclusive federal power to regulate national swaps markets... Earlier this month, the federal government filed lawsuits against Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois challenging their efforts to regulate prediction market operators. The Trump administration has so far backed the platforms. President Donald Trump's eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket and an investor in the latter. Trump's social media platform Truth Social is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict. Federal and state judges in Nevada and Massachusetts have now issued early rulings in favor of states looking to ban Kalshi and its competitor Polymarket from offering sports being in their states, according to the article, "while federal judges in New Jersey and Tennessee have ruled in favor of Kalshi." And Arizona's attorney general's office said it disagrees with the court's ruling and "will evaluate our next steps."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Oxygen Made From Moon Dust For First Time
"Breathable oxygen has been created from Moon dust," reports the Telegraph, "in a world first that paves the way for a lunar base." Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin ""announced this week that it had developed a reactor that could successfully release oxygen from lunar soil by using an electric current."Almost half of Moon dust — the thin layer of rock that blankets the lunar surface — is oxygen, but it is bound to metals such as iron and titanium... Previous work to isolate oxygen has been lab-based, and the unwieldy equipment needed has been too difficult to send to the Moon. In contrast, Blue Origin said its small-scale reactor, named Air Pioneer, could be made flight-ready to "provide the first breath of life for a sustainable Moon base"... As well as breathable air, Blue Origin said the reactor produces other critical elements for planetary infrastructure, such as iron, aluminium and silicon for construction and electronics, as well as glass for windows and solar panel covers. The company has previously said it wants to turn the Moon, and eventually Mars, into "self-sustaining worlds where robots and humans can go beyond visiting and truly explore, grow, live, and thrive".... Blue Origin said it would need to generate around one megawatt of power to drive the reactors — about the energy it would require to power around 400 to 1,000 homes simultaneously. It envisages that each lunar settlement would have an array of nearby solar panels, generating the power needed for one reactor. Besides breathable air for astronauts, the oxygen could also be used in propellant for refuelling landers and fuel cells, Blue Origin points out — and "produced right where they're needed, and at much lower cost than being brought from Earth." Thanks to Slashdot reader fjo3 for sharing the article.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Snowflake manager explains the 'Spider-Man' theory of AI agent data access
With access to great data comes great responsibility
Snowflake is betting that the biggest bottleneck to building more and better AI agents isn't the models themselves but whether the data those agents depend on is clean, accessible, and governed, Snowflake’s director of product management James Rowland-Jones told The Register.…
- Here's how to watch the Artemis II splashdown
Crew went farther from Earth than any humans we know about, now they’re coming back!
In a world wracked by wars, beset by difficult economic conditions, and struggling with exploding RAM costs, there's one piece of good news. NASA's Artemis II mission has been an unqualified success, having carried four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans before them.…
- Red Hat RHELocates its Chinese engineering team to India
Hundreds of layoffs, but this smells of geopolitics, not downsizing
Red Hat appears to have fired its entire engineering team in China, which it no longer thinks is a country it needs to prioritize. Most of the team will move to India.…
- Security: Why Linux Is Better Than Windows Or Mac OS
Linux is a free and open source operating system that was released in 1991 developed and released by Linus Torvalds. Since its release it has reached a user base that is greatly widespread worldwide. Linux users swear by the reliability and freedom that this operating system offers, especially when compared to its counterparts, windows and [0]
- Essential Software That Are Not Available On Linux OS
An operating system is essentially the most important component in a computer. It manages the different hardware and software components of a computer in the most effective way. There are different types of operating system and everything comes with their own set of programs and software. You cannot expect a Linux program to have all [0]
- Things You Never Knew About Your Operating System
The advent of computers has brought about a revolution in our daily life. From computers that were so huge to fit in a room, we have come a very long way to desktops and even palmtops. These machines have become our virtual lockers, and a life without these network machines have become unimaginable. Sending mails, [0]
- How To Fully Optimize Your Operating System
Computers and systems are tricky and complicated. If you lack a thorough knowledge or even basic knowledge of computers, you will often find yourself in a bind. You must understand that something as complicated as a computer requires constant care and constant cleaning up of junk files. Unless you put in the time to configure [0]
- The Top Problems With Major Operating Systems
There is no such system which does not give you any problems. Even if the system and the operating system of your system is easy to understand, there will be some times when certain problems will arise. Most of these problems are easy to handle and easy to get rid of. But you must be [0]
- 8 Benefits Of Linux OS
Linux is a small and a fast-growing operating system. However, we can’t term it as software yet. As discussed in the article about what can a Linux OS do Linux is a kernel. Now, kernels are used for software and programs. These kernels are used by the computer and can be used with various third-party software [0]
- Things Linux OS Can Do That Other OS Cant
What Is Linux OS? Linux, similar to U-bix is an operating system which can be used for various computers, hand held devices, embedded devices, etc. The reason why Linux operated system is preferred by many, is because it is easy to use and re-use. Linux based operating system is technically not an Operating System. Operating [0]
- Packagekit Interview
Packagekit aims to make the management of applications in the Linux and GNU systems. The main objective to remove the pains it takes to create a system. Along with this in an interview, Richard Hughes, the developer of Packagekit said that he aims to make the Linux systems just as powerful as the Windows or [0]
- What’s New in Ubuntu?
What Is Ubuntu? Ubuntu is open source software. It is useful for Linux based computers. The software is marketed by the Canonical Ltd., Ubuntu community. Ubuntu was first released in late October in 2004. The Ubuntu program uses Java, Python, C, C++ and C# programming languages. What Is New? The version 17.04 is now available here [0]
- Ext3 Reiserfs Xfs In Windows With Regards To Colinux
The problem with Windows is that there are various limitations to the computer and there is only so much you can do with it. You can access the Ext3 Reiserfs Xfs by using the coLinux tool. Download the tool from the official site or from the sourceforge site. Edit the connection to “TAP Win32 Adapter [0]
- The disturbing white paper Red Hat is trying to erase from the internet
It shouldnt be a surprise that companies and for our field, technology companies specifically working with the defense industry tends to raise eyebrows. With things like the genocide in Gaza, the threats of genocide and war crimes against Iran, the mass murder in Lebanon, its no surprise that western companies working with the militaries and defense companies involved in these atrocities are receiving some serious backlash. With that in mind, it seems Red Hat, owned by IBM, is desperately trying to scrub a certain white paper from the internet. Titled Compress the kill cycle with Red Hat Device Edge!, the 2024 white paper details how Red Hats products and technologies can make it easier and faster to, well, kill people. Links to the white paper throw up 404s now, but it can still easily be found on the Wayback Machine and other places. Its got some disturbingly euphemistic content. The find, fix, track, target, engage, assess (F2T2EA) process requires ubiquitous access to data at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. Red Hat Device Edge embeds captured, analyzed, and federated data sets in a manner that positions the warfighter to use artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to increase the accuracy of airborne targeting and mission-guidance systems. Delivering near real-time data from sensor pods directly to airmen, accelerating the sensor-to-shooter cycle. Sharing near real-time sensor fusion data with joint and multinational forces to increase awareness, survivability, and lethality. The new software enabled the Stalker to deploy updated, AI-based automated target recognition capabilities. If the target is an adversary tracked vehicle on the far side of a ridge, a UAS carrying a server running Red Hat Device Edge could transmit video and metadata directly to shooters. ↫ Red Hat white paper titled Compress the kill cycle with Red Hat Device Edge! I dont think theres something inherently wrong with working together with your nations military or defense companies, but that all hinges on what, exactly, said military is doing and how those defense companies products are being used. The focus should be on national defense, aid during disasters, and responding to the legitimate requests of sovereign, democratic nations to come to their defense (e.g. helping Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion). Theres always going to be difficult grey areas, but any military or defense company supporting the genocide in Gaza or supplying weapons to kill women and children in Iran is unequivocally wrong, morally reprehensible, and downright illegal on both an international and national level. It clearly seems someone at Red Hat feels the same way, as the company has been trying really hard to memory-hole this particular white paper, and considering its word choices and the state of the world today, its easy to see why. Of course, the internet never forgets, and I certainly dont intend to let something like this slide. We all know companies like Microsoft, Oracle, and Google have no qualms about making a few bucks from a genocide or two, but it always feels a bit more traitorous to the cause when its an open source company doing the profiting. It feels like Red Hat is trying to have its cake and eat it too, by, as an IBM subsidiary, trying to both profit from the vast sums of money sloshing around in the US military industrial complex as well as maintain its image as a scrappy open source business success story shitting bunnies and rainbows. Its a long time ago now that Red Hat felt like a genuine part of the open source community. Most of us both outside and inside of Red Hat, Im sure have been well aware for a long time now that those days are well behind us, and I guess Red Hat doesnt like seeing its kill cycle this compressed.
- FreeBSD works best on one of these laptops
If you want to run FreeBSD on a laptop, youre often yanked back to the Linux world of 20 years ago, with many components and parts not working and other issues such as sleep and wake problems. FreeBSD has been hard at work improving the experience of using FreeBSD on laptops, and now this has resulted in a list of laptops which work effortlessly with the venerable operating system. Theres only about 10 laptops on the list so far, but they do span a range of affordability and age, with some of them surely being quite decent bargains on eBay or whatever other used stuff marketplace you use. If you want to use FreeBSD on a laptop, but dont want to face any surprises or do any difficult setup, get one of the laptops on this list a list which will surely expand over time.
- Fixing AMDGPUs VRAM management for low-end GPUs
It may sound unbelievable to some, but not everyone has a datacenter beast with 128GB of VRAM shoved in their desktop PCs. Around the world people tell the tale of a particularly fierce group of Linux gamers: Those who dare attempt to play games with only 8 gigabytes of VRAM, or even less. Truly, it takes exceedingly strong resilience and determination to face the stutters and slowdowns bound to occur when the system starts running low on free VRAM. Carnage erupts inside the kernel driver as every application fights for as much GPU memory as it can hold on to. Any game caught up in this battle for resources will surely not leave unscathed. That is, until now. Because I fixed it. ↫ Natalie Vock The solution is to use cgroups to control the kernels memory eviction policies, so that applications that should get priority when it comes to VRAM allocation like games dont get their memory evicted from VRAM to system RAM. Basically, evict everything else from VRAM before touching the protected application. This way, something like a game will have much more consistent access to more VRAM, thereby reducing needless memory evictions that harm performance. Its a clever solution that makes use of a ton of existing Linux tools, meaning its also much easier to upstream, implement, and support. Excellent work.
- Why do Macs ask you to press random keys when connecting a new keyboard?
You might have seen this, one of the strangest and most primitive experiences in macOS, where you’re asked to press keys next to left Shift and right Shift, whatever they might be. Perhaps I can explain. ↫ Marcin Wichary It seems pretty obvious to me thats what it was for, but I guess many normal, regular people have never seen anything but one particular keyboard configuration (ANSI for Americans, ISO for some Europeans, etc.) keyboards. Perhaps they dont realise that not only are there ANSI keyboards with other layouts, but also entirely different keyboard configurations (mainly ISO and JIS). Interestingly, my home country of The Netherlands uses a US English layout on an ANSI configuration, but of course, its the US International variant, either with deadkeys or using AltGr for the various accented/special characters we use. In my current country of residence, Sweden, they use this utterly wild and incomprehensible ISO layout where Shift unlocks characters on the bottom of keys, while AltGr unlocks characters at the top, the exact opposite of literally every other keyboard Ive ever used (US Intl, classic Dutch (no longer used), German, French, etc.). Its utterly bizarre, but entirely normal to my Swedish wife. We cannot use each others keyboards.
- USB for software developers
This post aims to be a high level introduction to using USB for people who may not have worked with Hardware too much yet and just want to use the technology. There are amazing resources out there such as USB in a NutShell that go into a lot of detail about how USB precisely works (check them out if you want more information), they are however not really approachable for somebody who has never worked with USB before and doesn’t have a certain background in Hardware. You don’t need to be an Embedded Systems Engineer to use USB the same way you don’t need to be a Network Specialist to use Sockets and the Internet. ↫ Nik WerWolv! A bit of a generic title, but the article details how to write a USB driver.
- Redox sees another months of improvements
The months keep coming, and thus, the monthly progress reports keep coming, too, for Redox, the new general purpose operating system written in Rust. This past month, theres been considerable graphics improvements, better deadlock detection in the kernel, improved Unicode support thanks to switching over to ncurses library variant with Unicode support, and much more. Alongside these, youll find the usual long list of kernel, driver, and relibc changes, bugfixes, and improvements. This month also covered three topics weve already discussed individually: Redox new no- AI! code policy, capability-based security in Redox, and the brand-new CPU scheduler.
- Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah ported to Nintendo Wii
Since its launch in 2007, the Wii has seen several operating systems ported to it: Linux, NetBSD, and most-recently, Windows NT. Today, Mac OS X joins that list. In this post, I’ll share how I ported the first version of Mac OS X, 10.0 Cheetah, to the Nintendo Wii. If you’re not an operating systems expert or low-level engineer, you’re in good company; this project was all about learning and navigating countless “unknown unknowns”. Join me as we explore the Wii’s hardware, bootloader development, kernel patching, and writing drivers and give the PowerPC versions of Mac OS X a new life on the Nintendo Wii. ↫ Bryan Keller And all of this, because someone on Reddit said it couldnt be done. It wont surprise you to learn that the work required was extensive, from writing a custom bootloader to digging through the XNU source code, applying binary patches to the kernel during the boot process, building a device tree, writing the necessary drivers, and so much more. Even just setting up a development environment was a pretty serious undertaking. Especially writing the drivers posed an interesting and unique challenge, as the Wii doesnt use PCI to connect and expose its hardware components. Instead, components are connected to a dedicated SoC with its own ARM processor that talks to the main Wii PowerPC processor, exposing hardware that way. This meant that Keller had to write a driver for this chip first, before moving on to the device drivers for devices connected to this ARM SoC graphics drivers, input drivers, and so on. After a ton more work and overcoming several complex roadblocks, we now have Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah on the Nintendo Wii. Amazing.
- Plan 9 is a uniquely complete operating system
From 2024, but still accurate and interesting: Plan 9 is unique in this sense that everything the system needs is covered by the base install. This includes the compilers, graphical environment, window manager, text editors, ssh client, torrent client, web server, and the list goes on. Nearly everything a user can do with the system is available right from the get go. ↫ moody This is definitely something that sets Plan 9 apart from everything else, but as moody 9front developer notes, this also has a downside in that development isnt as fast, and Plan 9 variants of tools lack features upstream has for a long time. He further adds that he think this is why Plan 9 has remained mostly a hobbyist curiosity, but Im not entirely sure thats the main reason. The cold and harsh truth is that Plan 9 is really weird, and while that weirdness is a huge part of its appeal and I hope it never loses it, it also means learning Plan 9 is really hard. I firmly believe Plan 9 has the potential to attract more users, but to get there, its going to need an onboarding process thats more approachable than reading 9fronts frequently questioned answers, excellent though they are. After installing 9front and loading it up for the first time, you basically hit a brick wall thats going to be rough to climb. It would be amazing if 9front could somehow add some climbing tools for first-time users, without actually giving up on its uniqueness. Sometimes, Plan 9 feels more like an experimental art project instead of the capable operating system that it is, and I feel like that chases people away. Which is a real shame.
- Anos: a hobby microkernel operating system written in C
Anos is a modern, opinionated, non-POSIX operating system (just a hobby, wont be big and professional like GNU-Linux) for x86_64 PCs and RISC-V machines. Anos currently comprises the STAGE3 microkernel, SYSTEM user-mode supervisor, and a base set of servers implementing the base of the operating system. There is a (WIP) toolchain for Anos based on Binutils, GCC (16-experimental) and Newlib (with a custom libgloss). ↫ Anos GitHub page Its written in C, runs on both x86-64 and RISC-V, and can run on real hardware too (but this hasnt been tested on RISC-V just yet). For the x86 side of things, its strictly 64 bit, and requires a Haswell (4th Gen) chip or higher.
- The 499th patch for 2.11BSD released
This year sees 35 years since 2.11BSD was announced on March 14, 1991 itself a slightly late celebration of 20 years of the PDP-11 and January 2026 brought what looks to be the venerable 16-bit OSs biggest ever patch! Much of the 1.3 MB size is due to Anders Magnusson, well-known for his work on NetBSD and the Portable C Compiler. Since 2.11BSDs stdio was not ANSI compliant, hes ported from 4.4BSD. ↫ BigSneakyDuck at Reddit Theres an incredible amount of work in here on this old variant of BSD, including fixes for old bugs and tons of other changes. This, the 499th patch for 2.11BSD, is so big, in fact, that vi on 2.11BSD cant handle the size of the files, so youre going to need to cut them up with sed, for which instructions are included. Its quite unique to see such a big update on the 35th anniversary of an operating system.
- Linux Kernel Developers Adopt New Fuzzing Tools
by George Whittaker
The Linux kernel development community is stepping up its security game once again. Developers, led by key maintainers like Greg Kroah-Hartman, are actively adopting new fuzzing tools to uncover bugs earlier and improve overall kernel reliability.
This move reflects a broader shift toward automated testing and AI-assisted development, as the kernel continues to grow in complexity and scale.
What Is Fuzzing and Why It Matters
Fuzzing is a software testing technique that feeds random or unexpected inputs into a program to trigger crashes or uncover vulnerabilities.
In the Linux kernel, fuzzing has become one of the most effective ways to detect:
Memory corruption bugs Race conditions Privilege escalation flaws Edge-case failures in subsystems
Modern fuzzers like Syzkaller have already discovered thousands of kernel bugs over the years, making them a cornerstone of Linux security testing.
New Tools Enter the Scene
Recently, kernel maintainers have begun experimenting with new fuzzing frameworks and tooling, including a project internally referred to as “clanker”, which has already been used to identify multiple issues across different kernel subsystems.
Early testing has uncovered bugs in areas such as:
SMB/KSMBD networking code USB and HID subsystems Filesystems like F2FS Wireless and device drivers
The speed at which these issues were discovered suggests that these new tools are significantly improving bug detection efficiency.
AI and Smarter Fuzzing Techniques
One of the most interesting developments is the growing role of AI and machine learning in fuzzing.
New research projects like KernelGPT use large language models to:
Automatically generate system call sequences Improve test coverage Discover previously hidden execution paths
These techniques can enhance traditional fuzzers by making them smarter about how they explore the kernel’s behavior.
Other advancements include:
Better crash analysis and deduplication tools (like ECHO) Configuration-aware fuzzing to explore deeper kernel states Feedback-driven fuzzing loops for improved coverage
Together, these innovations help developers focus on the most meaningful bugs rather than sifting through duplicate reports.
Why This Shift Is Happening Now
The Linux kernel is one of the most complex software projects in existence. With millions of lines of code and contributions from thousands of developers, manually catching every bug is nearly impossible.
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- GNOME 50 Reaches Arch Linux: A Leaner, Wayland-Only Future Arrives
by George Whittaker
Arch Linux users are among the first to experience the latest GNOME desktop, as GNOME 50 has begun rolling out through Arch’s repositories. Thanks to Arch’s rolling-release model, new upstream software like GNOME arrives quickly, giving users early access to the newest features and architectural changes.
With GNOME 50, that includes one of the most significant shifts in the desktop’s history.
A Major GNOME Milestone
GNOME 50, officially released in March 2026 under the codename “Tokyo,” represents six months of development and refinement from the GNOME community.
Unlike some previous versions, this release focuses less on dramatic redesigns and more on strengthening the foundation of the desktop, improving performance, modernizing graphics handling, and simplifying long-standing complexities.
For Arch Linux users, that translates into a more streamlined and future-ready desktop environment.
Goodbye X11, Hello Wayland-Only Desktop
The headline change in GNOME 50 is the complete removal of X11 support from GNOME Shell and its window manager, Mutter.
After years of gradual transition:
X11 sessions were first deprecated Then disabled by default And now fully removed in GNOME 50
This means GNOME now runs exclusively on Wayland, with legacy X11 applications handled through XWayland compatibility layers.
The result is a simpler, more modern graphics stack that reduces maintenance overhead and improves long-term performance and security.
Improved Graphics and Display Handling
GNOME 50 brings several key improvements to display and graphics performance:
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) enabled by default Better fractional scaling support Improved compatibility with NVIDIA drivers Enhanced HDR and color management
These changes aim to deliver smoother animations, more responsive desktops, and better support for modern displays.
For gamers and users with high-refresh monitors, these upgrades are especially noticeable.
Performance and Responsiveness Gains
Beyond graphics, GNOME 50 includes multiple performance optimizations:
Faster file handling in the Files (Nautilus) app Improved thumbnail generation Reduced stuttering in animations Better resource usage across the desktop
These refinements make the desktop feel more responsive, particularly on systems with demanding workloads or multiple monitors.
New Parental Controls and Accessibility Features
GNOME 50 also expands its focus on usability and accessibility.
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- MX Linux Pushes Back Against Age Verification: A Stand for Privacy and Open Source Principles
by George Whittaker
The MX Linux project has taken a firm stance in a growing controversy across the Linux ecosystem: mandatory age-verification requirements at the operating system level. In a recent update, the team made it clear, they have no intention of implementing such measures, citing concerns over privacy, practicality, and the core philosophy of open-source software.
As governments begin introducing laws that could require operating systems to collect user age data, MX Linux is joining a group of projects resisting the shift.
What Sparked the Debate?
The discussion around age verification stems from new legislation, particularly in regions like the United States and Brazil, that aims to protect minors online. These laws may require operating systems to:
Collect user age or date of birth during setup Provide age-related data to applications Enable content filtering based on age categories
At the same time, underlying Linux components such as systemd have already begun exploring technical changes, including storing birthdate fields in user records to support such requirements.
MX Linux Says “No” to Age Verification
In response, the MX Linux team has clearly rejected the idea of integrating age verification into their distribution. Their reasoning is rooted in several key concerns:
User privacy: Collecting age data introduces sensitive personal information into systems that traditionally avoid such tracking Feasibility: Implementing consistent, secure age verification across a decentralized OS ecosystem is highly complex Philosophy: Open-source operating systems are not designed to act as data collectors or gatekeepers
The developers emphasized that they do not want to burden users with intrusive requirements and instead encouraged concerned individuals to direct their efforts toward policymakers rather than Linux projects.
A Broader Resistance in the Linux Community
MX Linux is not alone. The Linux world is divided on how, or whether, to respond to these regulations.
Some projects are exploring compliance, while others are pushing back entirely. In fact, age verification laws have sparked:
Strong debate among developers and maintainers Concerns about enforceability on open-source platforms New projects explicitly created to resist such requirements
In some extreme cases, distributions have even restricted access in certain regions to avoid legal complications.
Why This Matters
At its core, this issue goes beyond a single feature, it raises fundamental questions about what an operating system should be.
Linux has long stood for:
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- LibreOffice Drives Europe’s Open Source Shift: A Growing Push for Digital Sovereignty
by George Whittaker
LibreOffice is increasingly at the center of Europe’s push toward open-source adoption and digital independence. Backed by The Document Foundation, the widely used office suite is playing a key role in helping governments, institutions, and organizations reduce reliance on proprietary software while strengthening control over their digital infrastructure.
Across the European Union, this shift is no longer experimental, it’s becoming policy.
A Broader Movement Toward Open Source
Europe has been steadily moving toward open-source technologies for years, but recent developments show clear acceleration. Governments and public institutions are actively transitioning away from proprietary platforms, often citing concerns about vendor lock-in, cost, and data control.
According to recent industry data, European organizations are adopting open source faster than their U.S. counterparts, with vendor lock-in concerns cited as a major driver.
LibreOffice sits at the center of this trend as a mature, fully open-source alternative to traditional office suites.
LibreOffice as a Strategic Tool
LibreOffice isn’t just another productivity application, it has become a strategic component in Europe’s digital policy framework.
The software:
Is fully open source and community-driven Supports open standards like OpenDocument Format (ODF) Allows governments to avoid dependency on specific vendors Enables long-term control over data and infrastructure
These characteristics align closely with the European Union’s broader strategy to promote interoperability and transparency through open standards.
Government Adoption Across Europe
LibreOffice adoption is already happening at scale across multiple countries and sectors.
Examples include:
Germany (Schleswig-Holstein): transitioning tens of thousands of government systems to Linux and LibreOffice Denmark: replacing Microsoft Office in public institutions as part of a broader digital sovereignty initiative France and Italy: deploying LibreOffice across ministries and defense organizations Spain and local governments: adopting LibreOffice to standardize workflows and reduce costs
In some cases, migrations involve hundreds of thousands of systems, demonstrating that open-source office software is viable at national scale.
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- From Linux to Blockchain: The Infrastructure Behind Modern Financial Systems
by George Whittaker
The modern internet is built on open systems. From the Linux kernel powering servers worldwide to the protocols that govern data exchange, much of today’s digital infrastructure is rooted in transparency, collaboration, and decentralization. These same principles are now influencing a new frontier: financial systems built on blockchain technology.
For developers and system architects familiar with Linux and open-source ecosystems, the rise of cryptocurrency is not just a financial trend, it is an extension of ideas that have been evolving for decades.
Open-Source Foundations and Financial Innovation
Linux has long demonstrated the power of decentralized development. Instead of relying on a single authority, it thrives through distributed contributions, peer review, and community-driven improvement.
Blockchain technology follows a similar model. Networks like Bitcoin operate on open protocols, where consensus is achieved through distributed nodes rather than centralized control. Every transaction is verified, recorded, and made transparent through cryptographic mechanisms.
For those who have spent years working within Linux environments, this architecture feels familiar. It reflects a shift away from trust-based systems toward verification-based systems.
Understanding the Stack: Nodes, Protocols, and Interfaces
At a technical level, cryptocurrency systems are composed of multiple layers. Full nodes maintain the blockchain, validating transactions and ensuring network integrity. Lightweight clients provide access to users without requiring full data replication. On top of this, exchanges and platforms act as interfaces that connect users to the underlying network.
For developers, interacting with these systems often involves APIs, command-line tools, and automation scripts, tools that are already integral to Linux workflows. Managing wallets, verifying transactions, and monitoring network activity can all be integrated into existing development environments.
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- Firefox 149 Arrives with Built-In VPN, Split View, and Smarter Browsing Tools
by George Whittaker
Mozilla has officially released Firefox 149.0, bringing a mix of new productivity features, privacy enhancements, and interface improvements. Released on March 24, 2026, this update continues Firefox’s steady push toward a more modern and user-focused browsing experience.
Rather than focusing on a single headline feature, Firefox 149 introduces several practical tools designed to improve how users multitask, stay secure, and interact with the web.
Built-In VPN Comes to Firefox
One of the most notable additions in Firefox 149 is the introduction of a built-in VPN feature. This optional tool provides users with an added layer of privacy while browsing, helping mask IP addresses and secure connections on public networks.
In some configurations, Mozilla is offering a free usage tier with limited monthly data, giving users a simple way to enhance privacy without installing separate software.
This move aligns with Mozilla’s long-standing emphasis on user privacy and security.
Split View for Better Multitasking
Firefox 149 introduces a Split View mode, allowing users to display two web pages side by side within a single browser window. This feature is especially useful for:
Comparing documents or products Copying information between pages Research and multitasking workflows
Instead of juggling multiple tabs and windows, users can now work more efficiently in a single, organized view.
Tab Notes: A New Productivity Tool
Another standout feature is Tab Notes, available through Firefox Labs. This tool allows users to attach notes directly to individual tabs, making it easier to:
Keep track of research Save reminders tied to specific pages Organize ongoing tasks
This feature reflects a growing trend toward integrating lightweight productivity tools directly into the browser experience.
Smarter Browsing with Optional AI Features
Firefox 149 also expands its experimental AI-powered features, including tools that can assist with summarizing content, providing quick explanations, or helping users interact with web pages more efficiently.
Importantly, Mozilla is keeping these features optional and user-controlled, maintaining its focus on transparency and privacy.
Developer and Platform Updates
For developers, Firefox 149 includes updates to web standards and APIs. One example is improved support for HTML features like enhanced popover behavior, which helps developers build more interactive web interfaces.
As always, these under-the-hood changes help ensure Firefox remains competitive and standards-compliant.
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- Blender 5.1 Released: Faster Workflows, Smarter Tools, and Major Performance Gains
by german.suarez
The Blender Foundation has officially released Blender 5.1, the latest update to its powerful open-source 3D creation suite. This version focuses heavily on performance improvements, workflow refinements, and stability, while also introducing a handful of new features that expand what artists and developers can achieve.
Rather than reinventing the platform, Blender 5.1 is all about making existing tools faster, smoother, and more reliable — a release that benefits both professionals and hobbyists alike.
A Release Focused on Refinement
Blender 5.1 emphasizes polish over disruption, with developers addressing hundreds of issues and improving the overall production pipeline. The update includes widespread optimizations across rendering, animation, modeling, and the viewport, resulting in a more responsive and efficient experience.
Many of Blender’s internal libraries have also been updated to align with modern standards like VFX Platform 2026, ensuring better long-term compatibility and performance.
Performance Gains Across the Board
One of the standout aspects of Blender 5.1 is its performance boost:
Faster animation playback and shape key evaluation Improved rendering speeds for both GPU and CPU Reduced memory overhead and smoother viewport interaction Optimized internal systems for better responsiveness
In some scenarios, animation and editing performance improvements can be dramatic, especially with complex scenes.
New Raycast Node for Advanced Shading
A major feature addition in Blender 5.1 is the Raycast shader node, which opens the door to advanced rendering techniques.
This node allows artists to trace rays within a scene and extract data from surfaces, enabling:
Non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) effects Custom shading techniques Decal projection and X-ray-style visuals
It’s a flexible tool that expands Blender’s shading capabilities, especially for stylized workflows.
Grease Pencil Gets a Big Upgrade
Blender’s 2D animation tool, Grease Pencil, sees meaningful improvements:
New fill workflow with support for holes in shapes Better handling of imported SVG and PDF files More intuitive drawing and editing behavior
These updates make Grease Pencil far more practical for hybrid 2D/3D workflows and animation pipelines.
Geometry Nodes and Modeling Improvements
Geometry Nodes continue to evolve with expanded functionality:
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- The Need for Cloud Security in a Modern Business Environment
by George Whittaker
Cloud systems are an emergent standard in business, but migration efforts and other directional shifts have introduced vulnerabilities. Where some attack patterns are mitigated, cloud platforms leave businesses open to new threats and vectors. The dynamic nature of these environments cannot be addressed by traditional security systems, necessitating robust cloud security for contemporary organizations.
Just as businesses have come to acknowledge the value of cloud operations, so too have cyber attackers. Protecting sensitive assets and maintaining regulatory compliance, while simultaneously ensuring business continuity against cloud attacks, requires a modern strategy. When any window could be an opportunity for infiltration, a comprehensive approach serves to limit exploitation.
Unlike traditional on-premise infrastructure, cloud environments dramatically expand an organization’s threat surface. Resources are distributed across regions, heavily dependent on APIs, and frequently created or decommissioned in minutes. This constant change makes it difficult to maintain a fixed security perimeter and increases the likelihood that misconfigurations or exposed services go unnoticed, creating opportunities for exploitation.
The Vulnerabilities of Cloud Security Services
Any misconfiguration, insecure application programming interface (API), or identity management solution may become an invitation for cyberattacks. Amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, it is possible for even inexperienced individuals to exploit such weaknesses in cloud systems. Cloud environments are designed for accessibility, a benefit that can be taken advantage of.
“Unlike traditional software, AI systems can be manipulated through language and indirect instructions,” Lee Chong Ming wrote for Business Insider. “[AI expert Sander] Schulhoff said people with experience in both AI security and cybersecurity would know what to do if an AI model is tricked into generating malicious code.”
At the same time that many businesses are migrating to cloud platforms and implementing cloud security features, they are adopting AI technology in order to accelerate workflows and other processes. These systems may have their advantages for certain industries, but their presence can create its own vulnerabilities. Addressing the shortcomings of cloud systems and AI at the same time compounds the security challenges of today.
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- Google Brings Chrome to ARM Linux: A Long-Awaited Step for Modern Linux Devices
by George Whittaker
Google has officially announced that Chrome is coming to ARM64 Linux systems, marking a major milestone for both the Linux and ARM ecosystems. The native browser is expected to launch in Q2 2026, finally closing a long-standing gap for users running Linux on ARM-based hardware.
For years, ARM Linux users have relied on Chromium builds or workarounds to access a Chrome-like experience. That’s about to change.
Why This Announcement Matters
Until now, Google Chrome on Linux was limited to x86_64 systems, leaving ARM-based devices without an official build.
That meant users had to:
Use Chromium instead of Chrome
Run emulated versions of Chrome
Miss out on proprietary features like sync, DRM support, and Google services
With this new release, ARM Linux users will finally get the full Chrome experience, including seamless integration with Google’s ecosystem.
What Users Can Expect
The upcoming ARM64 version of Chrome will bring the same features users expect on other platforms:
Google account sync (bookmarks, history, tabs)
Access to the Chrome Web Store and extensions
Built-in features like translation, autofill, and security protections
Support for DRM services and media playback
This brings ARM Linux closer to feature parity with macOS (ARM support since 2020) and Windows on ARM (since 2024).
The Rise of ARM on Linux
The timing of this move reflects a broader shift in computing. ARM-based hardware is rapidly gaining traction across:
Laptops powered by Snapdragon and future ARM chips
Developer boards like Raspberry Pi
High-performance systems such as NVIDIA’s ARM-based AI desktops
Google itself highlighted growing demand for Chrome on these systems, especially as ARM expands beyond mobile devices into mainstream computing.
Partnerships and Deployment
Google is also working with hardware vendors to streamline adoption. Notably, Chrome will be integrated into NVIDIA’s Linux-on-ARM DGX Spark systems, making installation easier for high-performance AI workstations.
For general users, Chrome will be available for download directly from Google once released.
Why This Took So Long
Interestingly, this move comes years after Chrome was already available on ARM-based platforms like Apple Silicon Macs and Windows devices.
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- CrackArmor Exposed: Critical Flaws in AppArmor Put Millions of Linux Systems at Risk
by George Whittaker
A newly disclosed set of vulnerabilities has sent shockwaves through the Linux security community. Dubbed “CrackArmor,” these flaws affect AppArmor, one of the most widely used security modules in Linux, potentially exposing millions of systems to serious compromise.
Discovered by the Qualys Threat Research Unit, the vulnerabilities highlight a concerning reality: even core security mechanisms can harbor weaknesses that go unnoticed for years.
What Is CrackArmor?
“CrackArmor” refers to a group of nine critical vulnerabilities found in the Linux kernel’s AppArmor module. AppArmor is a mandatory access control (MAC) system designed to restrict what applications can do, helping contain attacks and enforce system policies.
These flaws stem from a class of issues known as “confused deputy” vulnerabilities, where a lower-privileged user can trick trusted processes into performing actions on their behalf.
Why These Vulnerabilities Are Serious
The impact of CrackArmor is significant because it undermines one of Linux’s core security layers. Researchers found that attackers could:
Escalate privileges to root from an unprivileged account
Bypass AppArmor protections entirely
Break container isolation, affecting Kubernetes and cloud workloads
Execute arbitrary code in the kernel
Trigger denial-of-service (DoS) conditions
In some demonstrations, attackers were able to gain full root access in seconds under controlled conditions.
How Widespread Is the Risk?
The scope of the issue is massive. AppArmor is enabled by default in major distributions such as:
Ubuntu
Debian
SUSE
Because of this, researchers estimate that over 12.6 million Linux systems could be affected.
These systems span:
Enterprise servers
Cloud infrastructure
Containers and Kubernetes clusters
IoT and edge devices
This widespread deployment significantly amplifies the potential impact.
A Long-Standing Problem
One of the most concerning aspects of CrackArmor is how long the vulnerabilities have existed. According to researchers, the flaws date back to around 2017 (Linux kernel 4.11) and remained undiscovered in production environments for years.
This long exposure window increases the risk that similar weaknesses may exist elsewhere in critical system components.
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