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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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- [$] Bootc for workstation use
The bootc project allows users tocreate a bootable Linux system image using the container tooling that manydevelopers are already familiar with. It is an evolution of OSTree(now called libostree), which is used to create FedoraSilverblue and other image-based distributions. While creatingcustom images is still a job for experts, the container technologysimplifies delivering heavily customized images to non-technicalusers.
- Security updates for Friday
Security updates have been issued by AlmaLinux (bind, bind9.16, libsoup, mariadb:10.5, and sssd), Debian (chromium, keystone, and swift), Fedora (apptainer, buildah, chromium, fcitx5, fcitx5-anthy, fcitx5-chewing, fcitx5-chinese-addons, fcitx5-configtool, fcitx5-hangul, fcitx5-kkc, fcitx5-libthai, fcitx5-m17n, fcitx5-qt, fcitx5-rime, fcitx5-sayura, fcitx5-skk, fcitx5-table-extra, fcitx5-unikey, fcitx5-zhuyin, GeographicLib, libime, mbedtls, mingw-poppler, mupen64plus, python-starlette, webkitgtk, and xen), Mageia (dcmtk, java-1.8.0-openjdk, java-11-openjdk, java-17-openjdk, java-latest-openjdk, libvpx, and sqlite3), Oracle (bind, bind9.16, kernel, libsoup, libsoup3, osbuild-composer, qt6-qtsvg, sssd, and valkey), Red Hat (kernel and kernel-rt), SUSE (bind, gpg2, ImageMagick, python-Django, and runc), and Ubuntu (linux-azure, linux-azure-4.15, linux-fips, linux-aws-fips, inux-gcp-fips, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-6.8, linux-gke, linux-intel-iot-realtime, linux-realtime, linux-raspi-5.4, and linux-realtime, linux-realtime-6.8).
- Mastodon 4.5 released
Version4.5 of the Mastodondecentralized social-media platform has been released. Notablefeatures in this release include quoteposts, native emoji support, as well as enhanced moderation andblocking features for server administrators. The project also has a postdetailing new features in 4.5 for developers of clients and othersoftware that interacts with Mastodon.
- Freedesktop.org now hosts the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
The future of the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) has been under discussion for some time; now,Neal Gompa has announcedthat the FHS is "hosted and stewarded" by Freedesktop.org.
For those who are unaware, the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) is the definition for POSIX operating systems to organize system and user data. It is broadly adopted by Linux, BSD, and other operating systems that follow POSIX-like conventions.
See thispage for the specification's new home.
- [$] Toward fast, containerized, user-space filesystems
Filesystems are complex and performance-sensitive beasts. They can alsopresent security concerns. Microkernel-based systems have long pushedfilesystems into separate processes in order to contain any vulnerabilitiesthat may be found there. Linux can do the same with the Filesystem inUserspace (FUSE) subsystem, but using FUSE brings a significantperformance penalty. Darrick Wong is working on ways to eliminate thatpenalty, and he has a massive patchset showing how ext4 filesystems can be safely implemented in user space byunprivileged processes with good performance. This work has the potentialto radically change how filesystems are managed on Linux systems.
- Security updates for Thursday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (unbound), Fedora (deepin-qt5integration, deepin-qt5platform-plugins, dtkcore, dtkgui, dtklog, dtkwidget, fcitx-qt5, fcitx5-qt, fontforge, gammaray, golang-github-openprinting-ipp-usb, kddockwidgets, keepassxc, kf5-akonadi-server, kf5-frameworkintegration, kf5-kwayland, plasma-integration, python-qt5, qadwaitadecorations, qt5, qt5-qt3d, qt5-qtbase, qt5-qtcharts, qt5-qtconnectivity, qt5-qtdatavis3d, qt5-qtdeclarative, qt5-qtdoc, qt5-qtgamepad, qt5-qtgraphicaleffects, qt5-qtimageformats, qt5-qtlocation, qt5-qtmultimedia, qt5-qtnetworkauth, qt5-qtquickcontrols, qt5-qtquickcontrols2, qt5-qtremoteobjects, qt5-qtscript, qt5-qtscxml, qt5-qtsensors, qt5-qtserialbus, qt5-qtserialport, qt5-qtspeech, qt5-qtsvg, qt5-qttools, qt5-qttranslations, qt5-qtvirtualkeyboard, qt5-qtwayland, qt5-qtwebchannel, qt5-qtwebengine, qt5-qtwebkit, qt5-qtwebsockets, qt5-qtwebview, qt5-qtx11extras, qt5-qtxmlpatterns, qt5ct, and xorg-x11-server), Mageia (binutils, gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad, libsoup, libsoup3, mediawiki, net-tools, and tigervnc, x11-server, and x11-server-xwayland), Red Hat (tigervnc), SUSE (aws-efs-utils, fetchmail, flake-pilot, ImageMagick, java-1_8_0-ibm, java-1_8_0-openjdk, kernel-devel, kubecolor, OpenSMTPD, sccache, tiff, and zellij), and Ubuntu (linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-6.14, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-6.14, linux-oem-6.14, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-6.14, linux-raspi, linux-realtime, linux, linux-aws, linux-gkeop, linux-hwe-6.8, linux-ibm, linux-ibm-6.8, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8, linux-nvidia, linux-nvidia-lowlatency, linux, linux-aws, linux-kvm, linux-lts-xenial, linux-oracle-6.8, linux-realtime-6.14, poppler, python-django, and various linux-* packages).
- [$] LWN.net Weekly Edition for November 6, 2025
Inside this week's LWN.net Weekly Edition:
Front: Python thread safety; Namespace reference counting; Merigraf; Speeding up short reads; Julia 1.12; systemd security. Briefs: CHERIoT 1.0; Chromium XSLT; Arm KASLR; Bazzite; Devuan 6.0; Incus 6.18; LXQt 2.3.0; Rust 1.91.0; Quotes; ... Announcements: Newsletters, conferences, security updates, patches, and more.
- Removing XSLT from Chromium
Mason Freed and Dominik Röttsches have published a documentwith a timeline and plans for removing Extensible Stylesheet LanguageTransformations (XSLT) from the Chromium project and Chromebrowser:
Chromium has officially deprecated XSLT, including the XSLTProcessorJavaScript API and the XML stylesheet processing instruction. Weintend to remove support from version 155 (November 17, 2026). TheFirefox and WebKit projects have also indicated plans to remove XSLTfrom their browser engines. This document provides some history andcontext, explains how we are removing XSLT to make Chrome safer, andprovides a path for migrating before these features are removed fromthe browser.
LWN covered the WebHypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) discussionabout XSLT in August.
- LXQt 2.3.0 released
Version2.3.0 of the Lightweight Qt Desktop Environment (LXQt) has beenreleased. The highlight of this release is continued improvement inWayland support across LXQt components. Rather than offering its owncompositor, the LXQt project takes a modular approach and works withseveral Wayland compositors, such as KWin, labwc, and niri.
- [$] A security model for systemd
Linux has many security features and tools that have evolved overthe years to address threats as they emerge and security gaps as theyare discovered. Linux security is all, as Lennart Poettering observed at the All Systems Go! conference heldin Berlin, somewhat random and not a "clean"design. To many observers, that may also appear to be the case forsystemd; however, Poettering said that he does have a vision for howall of the security-related pieces of systemd are meant to fittogether. He wanted to use his talk to explain "how the individualsecurity-related parts of systemd actually fit together and why theyexist in the first place".
- Bell bottom-era tape unearthed, could contain lost piece of Unix history
It might have the first-ever version of UNIX written in CA tape-based piece of unique Unix history may have been lying quietly in storage at the University of Utah for 50+ years. The question is whether researchers will be able to take this piece of middle-aged media and rewind it back to the 1970s to get the data off.…
- CachyOS Continues Delivering Leading Performance Over Ubuntu 25.10, Fedora Workstation 43
With Intel having sunset Clear Linux, when it comes to aggressive out-of-the-box Linux performance there is the Arch Linux based CachyOS as the leading contender. Given the recent releases of Ubuntu 25.10 and Fedora Workstation 43, if you are curious about the out-of-the-box performance here are some fresh benchmarks of all three using the Framework Desktop.
- Lego Unveils First-Ever Star Trek Set
New submitter semper_statisticum shares a report from the Independent: Lego is releasing its first-ever Star Trek-inspired model -- with an incredible recreation of the signature ship from the '80s TV series. Made from 3,600 pieces, the [first-ever] Star Trek inspired Lego set is of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D, the spaceship that serves as the main setting of Star Trek: The Next Generation series, which ran for seven seasons, as well as the 1994 film, Star Trek Generations. "[It] allows builders to craft a detailed replica of the iconic starship, complete with a detachable command saucer, secondary hull, and warp nacelles with distinctive red and blue detailing," according to a press release from Lego. "The model also features an opening shuttlebay and two mini shuttlepods, perfect for recreating classic scenes." The set comes with nine mini-figures of Star Trek: The Next Generation characters, including Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Riker, Lieutenant Worf, Lieutenant Commander Data, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, Counsellor Deanna Troi, bartender Guinan, and Wesley Crusher. The set will be sold on Lego's website and in stores for $399.99, with orders shipping on November 28th.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- The First New Subsea Habitat In 40 Years Is About To Launch
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: Vanguard feels and smells like a new RV. It has long, gray banquettes that convert into bunks, a microwave cleverly hidden under a counter, a functional steel sink with a French press and crockery above. A weird little toilet hides behind a curtain. But some clues hint that you can't just fire up Vanguard's engine and roll off the lot. The least subtle is its door, a massive disc of steel complete with a wheel that spins to lock. Once it is sealed and moved to its permanent home beneath the waves of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary early next year, Vanguard will be the world's first new subsea habitat in nearly four decades. Teams of four scientists will live and work on the seabed for a week at a time, entering and leaving the habitat as scuba divers. Their missions could include reef restoration, species surveys, underwater archaeology, or even astronaut training. One of Vanguard's modules, unappetizingly named the "wet porch," has a permanent opening in the floor (a.k.a. a "moon pool") that doesn't flood because Vanguard's air pressure is matched to the water around it.It is this pressurization that makes the habitat so useful. Scuba divers working at its maximum operational depth of 50 meters would typically need to make a lengthy stop on their way back to the surface to avoid decompression sickness. This painful and potentially fatal condition, better known as the bends, develops if divers surface too quickly. A traditional 50-meter dive gives scuba divers only a handful of minutes on the seafloor, and they can make only a couple of such dives a day. With Vanguard's atmosphere at the same pressure as the water, its aquanauts need to decompress only once, at the end of their stay. They can potentially dive for many hours every day. That could unlock all kinds of new science and exploration.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- 'Vibe Coding' Named Word of the Year By Collins Dictionary
Collins Dictionary has named "vibe coding" its 2025 word of the year -- a term coined by Andrej Karpathy for when a user makes an app or website by describing it to AI rather than writing programming code manually. The term, which is confusingly made up of two words, was "one of 10 words on a shortlist to reflect the mood, language and preoccupations of 2025," reports the BBC. From the report: By giving an AI tool a simple description such as "make me a program that schedules my weekly meals", people can use "vibe coding" to make basic apps without any previous programming knowledge. More complicated tools still require skill, but the practice has opened up creating digital platforms to non-coders. As many have discovered, it isn't perfect - with no guarantee the code will actually work or be free of bugs. Alex Beecroft, the Managing Director of Collins, said the term "perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology." Other words that made the list include "clanker," "aura farming," "broligarchy," "biohacking," and "coolcation." You can view the full list here.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- James D. Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead At 97
ole_timer shares a report from the New York Times: James D. Watson, who entered the pantheon of science at age 25 when he joined in the discovery of the structure of DNA, one of the most momentous breakthroughs in the history of science, died on Thursday in East Northport, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 97. His death, in a hospice, was confirmed on Friday by his son Duncan, who said Dr. Watson was transferred to the hospice from a hospital this week after being treated there for an infection. Dr. Watson's role in decoding DNA, the genetic blueprint for life, would have been enough to establish him as one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. But he cemented that fame by leading the ambitious Human Genome Project and writing perhaps the most celebrated memoir in science.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- 'Nintendo Has Too Many Apps'
The Verge's Ash Parrish writes: Nintendo has released a new store app on Android and iOS giving users the ability to purchase hardware, accessories, and games for the Switch and Switch 2. When I open my phone and scroll down to the N's, I get a neat, full row dedicated entirely to Nintendo. That's four apps: the Switch app, the music app, the Nintendo Today news app, and now the store. (The tally increases to five if you're a parent using the Switch Parental Controls app.) And it is entirely too much. Nintendo has always been the one company of the big three publishers that does its own thing, and that's worked both for and against it. The company hasn't chased development trends with the same zeal as Microsoft and Sony. That insulates Nintendo when those trends don't pan out, like exorbitant spending on live-service games that fail. But also hurts it when it comes to performance and user experience. Console-native voice chat, for example, has been a standard on other platforms for a long time, but was only offered on a Nintendo console with the Switch 2 this year. With the deployment of these apps, Nintendo is both trying to innovate and playing catch-up with results that feel confusing and overwhelming. Do we really need four distinct apps? That's not to say these apps shouldn't exist; they serve valuable and necessary purposes. But when I look at all the programs I have to manage in my Nintendo life, it just feels like it's too much... Further reading: Nintendo Won't Shy Away From Continuing To 'Try Anything'
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- You Can't Leave Unless You Buy Something
An anonymous reader quotes a report from SFGATE: At the Safeway on San Francisco's King Street, you now can't leave the store unless you buy something. The Mission Bay grocery store recently installed new anti-theft measures at the entrance and exit. New gates at the entrance automatically swing open when customers walk in, but they're set to trigger an alarm if someone attempts to back out. And if you walk into Safeway and change your mind about grocery shopping, you might find yourself trapped: Another gate that only opens if you scan your receipt blocks the store's sole exit. During my Monday visit, I purchased a kombucha and went through the check-out line without incident. (No high-tech gates block the exit if you go through the line like normal.) But for journalism's sake, I then headed back into the store to try going out the new gate. While I watched some customers struggle with the new technology, my receipt scanned immediately. The glass doors slid open, and I was free. But if, like this person on the San Francisco subreddit recounted, I hadn't bought anything, my only means of exit would have been to beg the security guard to let me out.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Texas Sues Roblox For Allegedly Failing To Protect Children On Its Platform
Texas is suing Roblox, alleging the company misled parents about safety, ignored online-protection laws, and allowed an environment where predators could target children. Texas AG Ken Paxton said the online game platform is "putting pixel pedophiles and profits over the safety of Texas children," alleging that it is "flagrantly ignoring state and federal online safety laws while deceiving parents about the dangers of its platform." The Verge reports: The lawsuit's examples focus on instances of children who have been abused by predators they met via Roblox, and the activities of groups like 764 which have used online platforms to identify and blackmail victims into sexually explicit acts or self harm. According to the suit, Roblox's parental controls push only began after a number of lawsuits, and a report released last fall by the short seller Hindenburg that said its "in-game research revealed an X-rated pedophile hellscape, exposing children to grooming, pornography, violent content and extremely abusive speech." Eric Porterfield, Senior Director of Policy Communications at Roblox, said in a statement: "We are disappointed that, rather than working collaboratively with Roblox on this industry-wide challenge and seeking real solutions, the AG has chosen to file a lawsuit based on misrepresentations and sensationalized claims." He added, "We have introduced over 145 safety measures on the platform this year alone."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Gemini Starts Rolling Out On Android Auto
Gemini is (finally) rolling out on Android Auto, replacing Google Assistant while keeping "Hey Google," adding Gemini Live ("let's talk live"), message auto-translation, and new privacy toggles. "One feature lost between Assistant and Gemini, though, is the ability to use nicknames for contacts," notes 9to5Google. From the report: Over the past 24 hours, Google has quietly started the rollout of Gemini for Android Auto, seemingly starting with beta users. The change is server-side, with multiple users reporting that Gemini has gone live in the car. One user mentions that they noticed this on Android Auto 15.6, and we're seeing the same on our Pixel 10 Pro XL connected to different car displays, and also on a Galaxy Z Fold 7 running Android Auto 15.7. It's unclear if this particular version is what delivers support, but that seems unlikely seeing as this very started rolling out last week. Android Auto 15.6 and 15.7 are currently only available in beta, so it's also unclear at this time if the rollout is tied to the Android Auto beta or simply showing up on that version as a coincidence.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Denmark's Government Aims To Ban Access To Social Media For Children Under 15
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Denmark's government on Friday announced an agreement to ban access to social media for anyone under 15, ratcheting up pressure on Big Tech platforms as concerns grow that kids are getting too swept up in a digitized world of harmful content and commercial interests. The move would give some parents -- after a specific assessment -- the right to let their children access social media from age 13. It wasn't immediately clear how such a ban would be enforced: Many tech platforms already restrict pre-teens from signing up. Officials and experts say such restrictions don't always work. Such a measure would be among the most sweeping steps yet by a European Union government to limit use of social media among teens and younger children, which has drawn concerns in many parts of an increasingly online world. "We've given the tech giants so many chances to stand up and to do something about what is happening on their platforms. They haven't done it," said Caroline Stage, Denmark's minister for digital affairs. "So now we will take over the steering wheel and make sure that our children's futures are safe." "I can assure you that Denmark will hurry, but we won't do it too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulation is right and that there is no loopholes for the tech giants to go through," Stage said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- States Seek Extension of Ecommerce Tariff Moratorium at WTO
An anonymous reader shares a report: A group of states is seeking to extend a World Trade Organization agreement to refrain from placing customs duties on digital transmissions, a World Trade Organization document showed on Thursday. The proposal submitted by Barbados on behalf of a group of African, Caribbean and Pacific states proposed to extend the current moratorium -- a key pillar of internet development for decades -- beyond March 2026, when it was set to expire.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Microsoft's lack of quality control is out of control
At one point, Microsoft's QC was legendary. Now, it's the wrong kind of legend
OPINION I have a habit of ironically referring to Microsoft's various self-induced whoopsies as examples of the company's "legendary approach to quality control." While the robustness of Windows NT in decades past might qualify as "legendary", anybody who has had to use the company's wares in recent years might quibble with the word "quality."…
- Meta can't afford its $600B love letter to Trump
The Zuck better hope his finance bros have deep pockets and a whole lotta patience to pull this off
Meta on Friday floated plans to invest $600 billion in US infrastructure and jobs by 2028 as part of a massive datacenter expansion.…
- ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok make very squishy jury members
All three acquitted a teen in a mock trial based on a case where a judge ruled guilty
Law students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law last month held a mock trial to see how AI models administer justice.…
- Previously unknown Landfall spyware used in 0-day attacks on Samsung phones
'Precision espionage campaign' began months before the flaw was fixed
A previously unknown Android spyware family called LANDFALL exploited a zero-day in Samsung Galaxy devices for nearly a year, installing surveillance code capable of recording calls, tracking locations, and harvesting photos and logs before Samsung finally patched it in April.…
- Blackwell a no-sell in China as trade deal fails to materialize
Xi and Trump haven't gotten to discuss the chips, though they were supposed to
Nvidia's latest generation of Blackwell accelerators won't be available in China anytime soon, according to CEO Jensen Huang, who said there were no "active discussions" about selling the coveted chips to the Middle Kingdom.…
- Bell bottom-era tape unearthed, could contain lost piece of Unix history
It might have the first-ever version of UNIX written in C
A tape-based piece of unique Unix history may have been lying quietly in storage at the University of Utah for 50+ years. The question is whether researchers will be able to take this piece of middle-aged media and rewind it back to the 1970s to get the data off.…
- 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]
- Tape containing UNIX v4 found
A unique and very important find at the University of Utah: while cleaning out some storage rooms, the staff at the university discovered a tape containing a copy of UNIX v4 from Bell Labs. At this time, no complete copies are known to exist, and as such, this could be a crucial find for the archaeology of early UNIX. The tape in question will be sent to the Computer History Museum for further handling, where bitsavers.org will conduct the recovery process. I have the equipment. It is a 3M tape so it will probably be fine. It will be digitized on my analog recovery set up and Ill use Len Shusteks readtape program to recover the data. The only issue right now is my workflow isnt a while you wait! thing, so I need to pull all the pieces into one physical location and test everything before I tell Penny its OK to come out. ↫ bitsavers.org Its amazing how we still manage to find such treasures in nooks and crannies all over the world, and with everything looking good so far, it seems well soon be able to fill in more of UNIX early history.
- There is no such thing as a 3.5 inch floppy disk
Wait, what? The term`3.5 inch floppy disc`is in fact a misnomer. Whilst the specification for 5.25 inch floppy discs employs Imperial units, the later specification for the smaller floppy discs employs metric units. The standards for these discs are all of which specify the measurements in metric, and only metric. These standards explicitly give the dimensions as 90.0mm by 94.0mm. Its in clause 6 of all three. ↫ Jonathan de Boyne Pollard Even the applicable standard in the US, ANSI X3.171-1989, specifies the size in metric. We couldve been referring to these things using proper measurements instead of archaic ones based on the size of a monks left testicle at dawn at room temperature in 1375 or whatever nonsense imperial or customary used to be based on. I feel dirty for thinking I had to use inches! for this. If we ever need to talk about these disks on OSNews from here on out, Ill be using proper units of measurement.
- Servo ported to Redox
Redox keeps improving every month, and this past one is certainly a banger. The big news this past month is that Servo, the browser engine written in Rust, has been ported to Redox. Its extremely spartan at the moment, and crashes when a second website is loaded, but its a promising start. It also just makes sense to have the premier Rust browser engine running on the premier Rust operating system. Htop and bottom have been ported to Redox for much improved system monitoring, and theyre joined by a port of GoAccess. The version of Rust has been updated which fixed some issues, and keyboard layout configuration has been greatly improved. Instead of a few hardcoded layouts, they can now be configured dynamically for users of PS/2 keyboards, with USB keyboards receiving this functionality soon as well. Theres more, of course, as well as the usual slew of low-level changes and improvements to drivers, the kernel relibc, and more.
- MacOS 26’s new icons are a step backwards
On the new MacOS 26 (Tahoe), Apple has mandated that all application icons fit into their prescribed squircle. No longer can icons have distinct shapes, nor even any fun frame-breaking accessories. Should an icon be so foolish as to try to have a bit of personality, it will find itself stuffed into a dingy gray icon jail. ↫ Paul Kafasis The downgraded icons listed in this article are just0 Sad. While theres no accounting for tastes, Apples new glassy icons are just plain bad, void of any whimsy, and lacking in artistry. Considering where Apple came from back when it made beautifully crafted icons that set the bar for the entire industry. Almost seems like a metaphor for tech in general.
- A lost IBM PC/AT model? Analyzing a newfound old BIOS
Some people not only have a very particular set of skills, but also a very particular set of interests that happen to align with those skills perfectly. When several unidentified and mysterious IBM PC ROM chips from the 1980s were discovered on eBay, two particular chips dumped contents posed particularly troublesome to identify. In 1985, the FCh model byte could only mean the 5170 (PC/AT), and the even/odd byte interleaving does point at a 16-bit bus. But there are three known versions of the PC/AT BIOS released during the 5170 familys lifetime, corresponding to the three AT motherboard types. This one here is clearly not one of them: its date stamps and part numbers dont match, and the actual contents are substantially different besides. My first thought was that this may have come from one of those more shadowy members of the 5170 family: perhaps the AT/370, the 3270 AT/G(X), or the rack-mounted 7532 Industrial AT. But known examples of those carry the same firmware sets as the plain old 5170, so their BIOS extensions (if any) came in the shape of extra adapter ROMs. Whatever`this`thing was some other 5170-type machine, a prototype, or even just a custom patch it seemed Id have to inquire within for any further clues. ↫ VileR at the int10h.org blog Ill be honest and state that most of the in-depth analysis of the code dumped from the ROM chips is far too complex for me to follow, but that doesnt make the story it tells any less interesting. Theres no definitive, 100% conclusive answer at the end, but the available evidence collected by VileR does make a very strong case for a very specific, mysterious variant of the IBM PC being the likely source of the ROMs. If youre interested in some very deep IBM lore, heres your serving.
- The Microsoft SoftCard for the Apple II: getting two processors to share the same memory
We talked about the Z80 SoftCard, Microsofts first hardware product, back in 2023, but thanks to Raymond Chen and Nicole Branagan, weve got some more insights. The Microsoft Z-80 SoftCard was a plug-in expansion card for the Apple II that added the ability to run CP/M software. According to Wikipedia, it was Microsoft’s first hardware product and in 1980 was the single largest revenue source for the company. ↫ Raymond Chen at The Old New Thing And Chen links to an article by Branagan from 2020, which goes into even more detail. So there I was, very happy with my Apple ][plus. But then I saw someone on the internet post, and it seems that my Apple is an overpriced box with a toy microcontroller for a CPU, while real computers use an Intel 8080, 8085 or Zilog Z80 to run something called “CP/M”… but I’ve already spent so much money on the Apple, so can I turn it into a real computer? ↫ Nicole Branagan I have a soft spot for this particular subgenre of hardware add-in cards that allow you to run an entirely different architecture inside your computer and soon, Ill be diving into a particularly capable example here on OSNews.
- bluetui and restterm: two beautiful TUI applications
Theres something incredibly enticing and retrofuturistic about a well-designed TUI, or text-based user interface. Theres an endless list number of these, but two crossed my path these past few days, and I found them particularly appealing. First, weve got bluetui, an application for managing Bluetooth connections on Linux systems with bluez installed. The second is resterm. Resterm is a terminal-first client for working with`HTTP,GraphQL, and`gRPC`services. No cloud sync, no signups, no heavy desktop app. Simple, yet feature rich, terminal client for .http/.rest files. It pairs a Vim-like-style editor with a workspace explorer, response diff, history, profiler and scripting so you can iterate on requests without leaving the keyboard. ↫ restterm GitHub page I dont use TUIs or the command line in general all that much, but these are two excellent examples of just how beautiful and user-friendly a good text-based user interface can really be. The command line is about a lot more than just archaic, cryptic incantations designed in the 1960s.
- Sculpt OS 25.10 released
In the light of this years roadmap focus on rigidity, clarity, performance!, Sculpt OS 25.10 looks the same as the version 25.04 but might feel different as it includes countless under-the-hood improvements of the two preceding framework releases 25.05 and 25.08. User interaction on performance-starved platforms like the PinePhone has become visibly smoother thanks our recent CPU scheduling advances. The streamlined block-storage stack combined with various refinements of the package-installation mechanism make the on-target installation of 3rd-party components a bliss. Regarding supported hardware, we steadily follow the tireless work of the Linux kernel community. All PC driver components using Linux kernel code are now consistently based on kernel version 6.12. ↫ Sculpt OS 25.10 release announcement Theres also an optional brand new configuration format, which optionally replaces Scultps use of XML for this purpose. Norman Feske, one of the co-founders of Genode Labs, published an article detailing how to test this new format, which also goes much deeper into how it works. For Sculpt OS 25.10 release, Alexander Böttcher has also released an experimental image with five different kernel to choose from. The image is for PC, and works as a live system so theres no need to install it to explore Sculpt OS. Speaking of Alexander Böttcher, he also published an article about improvements and changes to Sculpt OS lockscreen component. This component has existed for a very long time, and has been improved considerably over the years, and Böttchers article details how to install it, configure it, and use it.
- Debian to add hard Rust dependency to APT
It seems like a number of Debian ports are going to face difficult times over the coming months. Debian developer Julian Andres Klode has sent a message to the Debian mailing lists that APT will very soon start requiring Rust. I plan to introduce hard Rust dependencies and Rust code into APT, no earlier than May 2026. This extends at first to the Rust compiler and standard library, and the Sequoia ecosystem. In particular, our code to parse .deb, .ar, .tar, and the HTTP signature verification code would strongly benefit from memory safe languages and a stronger approach to unit testing. ↫ Julian Andres Klode The problem for a lot of architectures that Debian supports, in one way or another, is that Rust and its toolchain simply arent available for them. As such, Julian Andres Klode states, rather directly, that these architectures have about six months to get themselves a full Rust toolchain, or sunset their Debian ports. The Debian PA-RISC (hppa) and Alpha ports, for instance, do not have a Rust toolchain port, and most likely wont be getting one either, especially not within six months. The reasoning for moving towards a hard Rust dependency for APT is the same as it is in every other similar case: Debians and APTs developers want to be able to make use of modern tools and technologies, even if that means dead architectures get left behind. As much as I am a massive fan of retro-architectures like PA-RISC, I really dont want otherwise modern Linux distributions to eschew modern tools and technologies just because theyre not available for an architecture that died in 2005. I own and use the last and most powerful PA-RISC workstation running HP-UX as a retro platform, so I definitely care but I really dont expect Debian or Fedora or whatever to waste any resources on supporting them if that means holding the distributions back for everyone else using it on actually modern platforms. If theres a large enough community of people around such architectures, theyll keep the Linux train running. If not, well, thats life.
- Microsoft breaks Task Manager in Windows 11, hard
Lets take a look at how things are going at Microsoft, whose CEO claimed a few months ago that 30% of their code was generated by AI!. After installing Windows Updates released on or after October 28, 2025 (KB5067036), you might encounter an issue where closing Task Manager using the Close (X) button does not fully terminate the process. When you reopen Task Manager, the previous instance continues running in the background even though no window is visible. This results in multiple lingering instances of taskmgr.exe, consuming system resources and potentially degrading device performance. Additional instances appear as “Task Manager” in the Processes tab and as “Taskmgr.exe” in the Details tab. Although the impact is less if Task Manager is opened and closed a few times, many instances accumulated over time can cause noticeable slowdowns in other applications. ↫ The Windows Health Dashboard Well okay then.
- The Most Critical Linux Kernel Breaches of 2025 So Far
by George Whittaker
The Linux kernel, foundational for servers, desktops, embedded systems, and cloud infrastructure, has been under heightened scrutiny. Several vulnerabilities have been exploited in real-world attacks, targeting critical subsystems and isolation layers. In this article, we’ll walk through major examples, explain their significance, and offer actionable guidance for defenders.
CVE-2025-21756 – Use-After-Free in the vsock Subsystem
One of the most alarming flaws this year involves a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel’s vsock implementation (Virtual Socket), which enables communication between virtual machines and their hosts.
How the exploit works:A malicious actor inside a VM (or other privileged context) manipulates reference counters when a vsock transport is reassigned. The code ends up freeing a socket object while it’s still in use, enabling memory corruption and potentially root-level access.
Why it matters:Since vsock is used for VM-to-host and inter-VM communication, this flaw breaks a key isolation barrier. In multi-tenant cloud environments or container hosts that expose vsock endpoints, the impact can be severe.
Mitigation:Kernel maintainers have released patches. If your systems run hosts, hypervisors, or other environments where vsock is present, make sure the kernel is updated and virtualization subsystems are patched.
CVE-2025-38236 – Out-of-Bounds / Sandbox Escape via UNIX Domain Sockets
Another high-impact vulnerability involves the UNIX domain socket interface and the MSG_OOB flag. The bug was publicly detailed in August 2025 and is already in active discussion.
Attack scenario:A process running inside a sandbox (for example a browser renderer) can exploit MSG_OOB operations on a UNIX domain socket to trigger a use-after-free or out-of-bounds read/write. That allows leaking kernel pointers or memory and then chaining to full kernel privilege escalation.
Why it matters:This vulnerability is especially dangerous because it bridges from a low-privilege sandboxed process to kernel-level compromise. Many systems assume sandboxed code is safe; this attack undermines that assumption.
Mitigation:Distributions and vendors (like browser teams) have disabled or restricted MSG_OOB usage for sandboxed contexts. Kernel patches are available. Systems that run browser sandboxes or other sandboxed processes need to apply these updates immediately.
CVE-2025-38352 – TOCTOU Race Condition in POSIX CPU Timers
In September 2025, the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
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- Steam Deck 2 Rumors Ignite a New Era for Linux Gaming
by George Whittaker
The speculation around a successor to the Steam Deck has stirred renewed excitement, not just for a new handheld, but for what it signals in Linux-based gaming. With whispers of next-gen specs, deeper integration of SteamOS, and an evolving handheld PC ecosystem, these rumors are fueling broader hopes that Linux gaming is entering a more mature age. In this article we look at the existing rumors, how they tie into the Linux gaming landscape, why this matters, and what to watch.
What the Rumours Suggest
Although Valve has kept things quiet, multiple credible outlets report about the Steam Deck 2 being in development and potentially arriving well after 2026. Some of the key tid-bits:
Editorials note that Valve isn’t planning a mere spec refresh; it wants a “generational leap in compute without sacrificing battery life”.
A leaked hardware slide pointed to an AMD “Magnus”-class APU built on Zen 6 architecture being tied to next-gen handhelds, including speculation about the Steam Deck 2.
One hardware leaker (KeplerL2) cited a possible 2028 launch window for the Steam Deck 2, which would make it roughly 6 years after the original.
Valve’s own design leads have publicly stated that a refresh with only 20-30% more performance is “not meaningful enough”, implying they’re waiting for a more substantial upgrade.
In short: while nothing is official yet, there’s strong evidence that Valve is working on the next iteration and wants it to be a noteworthy jump, not just a minor update.
Why This Matters for Linux Gaming
The rumoured arrival of the Steam Deck 2 isn’t just about hardware, it reflects and could accelerate key inflection points for Linux & gaming:
Validation of SteamOS & Linux Gaming
The original Steam Deck, running SteamOS (a Linux-based OS), helped prove that PC gaming doesn’t always require Windows. A well-received successor would further validate Linux as a first-class gaming platform, not a niche alternative but a mainstream choice.
Handheld PC Ecosystem Momentum
Since the first Deck, many Windows-based handhelds have entered the market (such as the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go). Rumours of the Deck 2 keep spotlight on the form factor and raise expectations for Linux-native handhelds. This momentum helps encourage driver, compatibility and OS investments from the broader community.
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- Kali Linux 2025.3 Lands: Enhanced Wireless Capabilities, Ten New Tools & Infrastructure Refresh
by George Whittaker Introduction
The popular penetration-testing distribution Kali Linux has dropped its latest quarterly snapshot: version 2025.3. This release continues the tradition of the rolling-release model used by the project, offering users and security professionals a refreshed toolkit, broader hardware support (especially wireless), and infrastructure enhancements under the hood. With this update, the distribution aims to streamline lab setups, bolster wireless hacking capabilities (particularly on Raspberry Pi devices), and integrate modern workflows including automated VMs and LLM-based tooling.
In this article, we’ll walk through the key highlights of Kali Linux 2025.3, how the changes affect users (both old and new), the upgrade path, and what to keep in mind for real-world deployment.
What’s New in Kali Linux 2025.3
This snapshot from the Kali team brings several categories of improvements: tooling, wireless/hardware support, architecture changes, virtualization/image workflows, UI and plugin tweaks. Below is a breakdown of the major updates.
Tooling Additions: Ten Fresh Packages
One of the headline items is the addition of ten new security tools to the Kali repositories. These tools reflect shifts in the field, toward AI-augmented recon, advanced wireless simulation and pivoting, and updated attack surface coverage. Among the additions are:
Caido and Caido-cli – a client-server web-security auditing toolkit (graphical client + backend).
Detect It Easy (DiE) – a utility for identifying file types, a useful tool in reverse engineering workflows.
Gemini CLI – an open-source AI agent that integrates Google’s Gemini (or similar LLM) capabilities into the terminal environment.
krbrelayx – a toolkit focused on Kerberos relaying/unconstrained delegation attacks.
ligolo-mp – a multiplayer pivoting solution for network-lateral movement.
llm-tools-nmap – allows large-language-model workflows to drive Nmap scans (automated/discovery).
mcp-kali-server – configuration tooling to connect an AI agent to Kali infrastructure.
patchleaks – a tool that detects security-fix patches and provides detailed descriptions (useful both for defenders and auditors).
vwifi-dkms – enables creation of “dummy” Wi-Fi networks (virtual wireless interfaces) for advanced wireless testing and hacking exercises.
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- VMScape: Cracking VM-Host Isolation in the Speculative Execution Age & How Linux Patches Respond
by George Whittaker Introduction
In the world of modern CPUs, speculative execution, where a processor guesses ahead on branches and executes instructions before the actual code path is confirmed, has long been recognized as a performance booster. However, it has also given rise to a class of vulnerabilities collectively known as “Spectre” attacks, where microarchitectural side states (such as the branch target buffer, caches, or predictor state) are mis-exploited to leak sensitive data.
Now, a new attack variant, dubbed VMScape, exposes a previously under-appreciated weakness: the isolation between a guest virtual machine and its host (or hypervisor) in the branch predictor domain. In simpler terms: a malicious VM can influence the CPU’s branch predictor in such a way that when control returns to the host, secrets in the host or hypervisor can be exposed. This has major implications for cloud security, virtualization environments, and kernel/hypervisor protections.
In this article we’ll walk through how VMScape works, the CPUs and environments it affects, how the Linux kernel and hypervisors are mitigating it, and what users, cloud operators and admins should know (and do).
What VMScape Is & Why It MattersThe Basics of Speculative Side-Channels
Speculative execution vulnerabilities like Spectre exploit the gap between architectural state (what the software sees as completed instructions) and microarchitectural state (what the CPU has done internally, such as cache loads, branch predictor updates, etc). Even when speculative paths are rolled back architecturally, side-effects in the microarchitecture can remain and be probed by attackers.
One of the original variants, Spectre-BTI (Branch Target Injection, also called Spectre v2) leveraged the Branch Target Buffer (BTB) / predictor to redirect speculative execution along attacker-controlled paths. Over time, hardware and software mitigations (IBRS, eIBRS, IBPB, STIBP) have been introduced. But VMScape shows that when virtualization enters the picture, the isolation assumptions break down.
VMScape: Guest to Host via Branch Predictor
VMScape (tracked as CVE‑2025‑40300) is described by researchers from ETH Zürich as “the first Spectre-based end-to-end exploit in which a malicious guest VM can leak arbitrary sensitive information from the host domain/hypervisor, without requiring host code modifications and in default configuration.”
Here are the key elements making VMScape significant:
The attack is cross-virtualization: a guest VM influences the host’s branch predictor state (not just within the guest).
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- Self-Tuning Linux Kernels: How LLM-Driven Agents Are Reinventing Scheduler Policies
by George Whittaker Introduction
Modern computing systems rely heavily on operating-system schedulers to allocate CPU time fairly and efficiently. Yet many of these schedulers operate blindly with respect to the meaning of workloads: they cannot distinguish, for example, whether a task is latency-sensitive or batch-oriented. This mismatch, between application semantics and scheduler heuristics, is often referred to as the semantic gap.
A recent research framework called SchedCP aims to close that gap. By using autonomous LLM‐based agents, the system analyzes workload characteristics, selects or synthesizes custom scheduling policies, and safely deploys them into the kernel, without human intervention. This represents a meaningful step toward self-optimizing, application-aware kernels.
In this article we will explore what SchedCP is, how it works under the hood, the evidence of its effectiveness, real-world implications, and what caveats remain.
Why the Problem Matters
At the heart of the issue is that general-purpose schedulers (for example the Linux kernel’s default policy) assume broad fairness, rather than tailoring scheduling to what your application cares about. For instance:
A video-streaming service may care most about minimal tail latency.
A CI/CD build system may care most about throughput and job completion time.
A cloud analytics job may prefer maximum utilisation of cores with less concern for interactive responsiveness.
Traditional schedulers treat all tasks mostly the same, tuning knobs generically. As a result, systems often sacrifice optimisation opportunities. Some prior efforts have used reinforcement-learning techniques to tune scheduler parameters, but these approaches have limitations: slow convergence, limited generalisation, and weak reasoning about why a workload behaves as it does.
SchedCP starts from the observation that large language models can reason semantically about workloads (expressed in plain language or structured summaries), propose new scheduling strategies, and generate code via eBPF that is loaded into the kernel via the sched_ext interface. Thus, a custom scheduler (or modified policy) can be developed specifically for a given workload scenario, and in a self-service, automated way.
Architecture & Key Components
SchedCP comprises two primary subsystems: a control-plane framework and an agent loop that interacts with it. The framework decouples “what to optimise” (reasoning) from “how to act” (execution) in order to preserve kernel stability while enabling powerful optimisations.
Here are the major components:
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- Bcachefs Ousted from Mainline Kernel: The Move to DKMS and What It Means
by George Whittaker Introduction
After years of debate and development, bcachefs—a modern copy-on-write filesystem once merged into the Linux kernel—is being removed from mainline. As of kernel 6.17, the in-kernel implementation has been excised, and future use is expected via an out-of-tree DKMS module. This marks a turning point for the bcachefs project, raising questions about its stability, adoption, and relationship with the kernel development community.
In this article, we’ll explore the background of bcachefs, the sequence of events leading to its removal, the technical and community dynamics involved, and implications for users, distributions, and the filesystem’s future.
What Is Bcachefs?
Before diving into the removal, let’s recap what bcachefs is and why it attracted attention.
Origin & goals: Developed by Kent Overstreet, bcachefs emerged from ideas in the earlier bcache project (a block-device caching layer). It aimed to build a full-featured, general-purpose filesystem combining performance, reliability, and modern features (snapshots, compression, encryption) in a coherent design.
Mainline inclusion: Bcachefs was merged into the mainline kernel in version 6.7 (released January 2024) after a lengthy review and incubation period.
“Experimental” classification: Even after being part of the kernel, bcachefs always carried disclaimers about its maturity and stability—they were not necessarily recommends for production use by all users.
Its presence in mainline gave distributions a path to ship it more casually, and users had easier access without building external modules—an important convenience for adoption.
What Led to the Removal
The excision of bcachefs from the kernel was not sudden but the culmination of tension over development practices, patch acceptance timing, and upstream policy norms.
“Externally Maintained” status in 6.17
In kernel 6.17’s preparation, maintainers marked bcachefs as “externally maintained.” Though the code remained present, the change signified that upstream would no longer accept new patches or updates within the kernel tree.
This move allowed a transitional period. The code was “frozen” inside the tree to avoid breaking existing systems immediately, while preparation was made for future removal.
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- Linux Mint 22.2 ‘Zara’ Released: Polished, Modern, and Built for Longevity
by George Whittaker Introduction
The Linux Mint team has officially unveiled Linux Mint 22.2, codenamed “Zara”, on September 4, 2025. As a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, Zara will receive updates through 2029, promising users stability, incremental improvements, and a comfortable desktop experience.
This version is not about flashy overhauls; rather, it’s about refinement — applying polish to existing features, smoothing rough edges, weaving in new conveniences (like fingerprint login), and improving compatibility with modern hardware. Below, we’ll delve into what’s new in Zara, what users should know before upgrading, and how it continues Mint’s philosophy of combining usability, reliability, and elegance.
What’s New in Linux Mint 22.2 “Zara”
Here’s a breakdown of key changes, refinements, and enhancements in Zara.
Base, Support & Kernel Stack
Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble) base: Zara continues to use Ubuntu 24.04 as its upstream base, ensuring broad package compatibility and long-term security support.
Kernel 6.14 (HWE): The default kernel for new installations is 6.14, bringing support for newer hardware.
However — for existing systems upgraded from Mint 22 or 22.1 — the older kernel (6.8 LTS) remains the default, because 6.14’s support window is shorter.
Zara is an LTS edition, with security updates and maintenance promised through 2029.
Major Features & EnhancementsFingerprint Authentication via Fingwit
Zara introduces a first-party tool called Fingwit to manage fingerprint-based authentication. With compatible hardware and support via the libfprint framework, users can:
Enroll fingerprints
Use fingerprint login for the screensaver
Authenticate sudo commands
Launch administrative tools via pkexec using the fingerprint
In some cases, bypass password entry at login (unless home directory encryption or keyring constraints force password fallback)
It is important to note that fingerprint login on the actual login screen may be disabled or limited depending on encryption or keyring usage; in those cases, the system falls back to password entry.
UI & Theming Refinements
Sticky Notes app now sports rounded corners, improved Wayland compatibility, and a companion Android app named StyncyNotes (available via F-Droid) to sync notes across devices.
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- Ubuntu Update Backlog: How a Brief Canonical Outage Cascaded into Multi-Day Delays
by George Whittaker Introduction
In early September 2025, Ubuntu users globally experienced disruptive delays in installing updates and new packages. What seemed like a fleeting outage—only about 36 minutes of server downtime—triggered a cascade of effects: mirrors lagging, queued requests overflowing, and installations hanging for days. The incident exposed how fragile parts of Ubuntu’s update infrastructure can be under sudden load.
In this article, we’ll walk through what happened, why the fallout was so severe, how Canonical responded, and lessons for users and infrastructure architects alike.
What Happened: Outage & Immediate Impact
On September 5, 2025, Canonical’s archive servers—specifically archive.ubuntu.com and security.ubuntu.com—suffered an unplanned outage. The status page for Canonical showed the incident lasting roughly 36 minutes, after which operations were declared “resolved.”
However, that brief disruption set off a domino effect. Because the archives and security servers serve as the central hubs for Ubuntu’s package ecosystem, any downtime causes massive backlog among mirror servers and client requests. Mirrors found themselves out of sync, processing queues piled up, and users attempting updates or new installs encountered failed downloads, hung operations, or “404 / package not found” errors.
On Ubuntu’s community forums, Canonical acknowledged that while the server outage was short, the upload / processing queue for security and repository updates had become “obscenely” backlogged. Users were urged to be patient, as there was no immediate workaround.
Throughout September 5–7, users continued reporting incomplete or failed updates, slow mirror responses, and installations freezing mid-process. Even newly provisioning systems faced broken repos due to inconsistent mirror states.
By September 8, the situation largely stabilized: mirrors caught up, package availability resumed, and normal update flows returned. But the extended period of degraded service had already left many users frustrated.
Why a Short Outage Turned into Days of Disruption
At first blush, 36 minutes seems trivial. Why did it have such prolonged consequences? Several factors contributed:
Centralized repository backplane Ubuntu’s infrastructure is architected around central canonical repositories (archive, security) which then propagate to mirrors worldwide. When the central system is unavailable, mirrors stop receiving updates and become stale.
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- Bringing Desktop Linux GUIs to Android: The Next Step in Graphical App Support
by George Whittaker Introduction
Android has long been focused on running mobile apps, but in recent years, features aimed at developers and power users have begun pushing its boundaries. One exciting frontier: running full Linux graphical (GUI) applications on Android devices. What was once a novelty is now gradually becoming more viable, and recent developments point toward much smoother, GPU-accelerated Linux GUI experiences on Android.
In this article, we’ll trace how Linux apps have run on Android so far, explain the new architecture changes enabling GPU rendering, showcase early demonstrations, discuss remaining hurdles, and look at where this capability is headed.
The State of Linux on Android TodayThe Linux Terminal App
Google’s Linux Terminal app is the core interface for running Linux environments on Android. It spins up a virtual machine (VM), often booting Debian or similar, and lets users enter a shell, install packages, run command-line tools, etc.
Initially, the app was limited purely to text / terminal-based Linux programs; graphical apps were not supported meaningfully. More recently, Google introduced support for launching GUI Linux applications in experimental channels.
Limitations: Rendering & Performance
Even now, most GUI Linux apps on Android are rendered in software, that is, all drawing happens on the CPU (via a software renderer) rather than using the device’s GPU. This leads to sluggish UI, high CPU usage, more thermal stress, and shorter battery life.
Because of these limitations, running heavy GUI apps (graphics editors, games, desktop-level toolkits) has been more experimental than practical.
What’s Changing: GPU-Accelerated Rendering
The big leap forward is moving from CPU rendering to GPU-accelerated rendering, letting the device’s graphics hardware do the heavy lifting.
Lavapipe (Current Baseline)
At present, the Linux VM uses Lavapipe (a Mesa software rasterizer) to interpret GPU API calls on the CPU. This works, but is inefficient, especially for complex GUIs or animations.
Introducing gfxstream
Google is planning to integrate gfxstream into the Linux Terminal app. gfxstream is a GPU virtualization / forwarding technology: rather than reinterpreting graphics calls in software, it forwards them from the guest (Linux VM) to the host’s GPU directly. This avoids CPU overhead and enables near-native rendering speeds.
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- Fedora 43 Beta Released: A Preview of What's Ahead
by George Whittaker Introduction
Fedora’s beta releases offer one of the earliest glimpses into the next major version of the distribution — letting users and developers poke, test, and report issues before the final version ships. With Fedora 43 Beta, released on September 16, 2025, the community begins the final stretch toward the stable Fedora 43.
This beta is largely feature-complete: developers hope it will closely match what the final release looks like (barring last-minute fixes). The goal is to surface regression bugs, UX issues, and compatibility problems before Fedora 43 is broadly adopted.
Release & Availability
The Fedora Project published the beta across multiple editions and media — Workstation, KDE Plasma, Server, IoT, Cloud, and spins/labs where applicable. ISO images are available for download from the official Fedora servers.
Users already running Fedora 42 can upgrade via the DNF system-upgrade mechanism. Some spins (e.g. Mate or i3) are not fully available across all architectures yet.
Because it’s a beta, users should be ready to encounter bugs. Fedora encourages testers to file issues via the QA mailing list or Fedora’s issue tracking infrastructure.
Major New Features & Changes
Fedora 43 Beta brings many updates under the hood — some in visible user features, others in core tooling and system behavior.
Kernel, Desktop & Session Updates
Fedora 43 Beta is built on Linux kernel 6.17.
The Workstation edition features GNOME 49.
In a bold shift, Fedora removes GNOME X11 packages for the Workstation, making Wayland-only the default and only session for GNOME. Existing users are migrated to Wayland.
On KDE, Fedora 43 Beta ships with KDE Plasma 6.4 in the Plasma edition.
Installer & Package Management
Fedora’s Anaconda installer gets a WebUI by default for all Spins, providing a more unified and modern install experience across desktop variants.
The installer now uses DNF5 internally, phasing out DNF4 which is now in maintenance mode.
Auto-updates are enabled by default in Fedora Kinoite, ensuring that systems apply updates seamlessly in the background with minimal user intervention.
Programming & Core Tooling Updates
The Python version in Fedora 43 Beta moves to 3.14, an early adoption to catch bugs before the upstream release.
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