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(Two Column)
- [$] LWN.net Weekly Edition for April 23, 2026
Inside this week's LWN.net Weekly Edition:
Front: LLMs and Python bugs; scheduler regression; new Rust traits; dependency cooldowns; 7.1 merge window; Shor's algorithm; drama at The Document Foundation. Briefs: Firefox zero-days; kernel code removal; reproduceible Arch; Debian election; Firefox 150; Forgejo 15.0; Git 2.54.0; KDE Gear 26.04; LillyPond 2.26.0; Rust 1.95.0; Quotes; ... Announcements: Newsletters, conferences, security updates, patches, and more.
- [$] Dependency-cooldown discussions warm up
Efforts to introduce malicious code into the open-source supplychain have been on the rise in recent years, and there is no indication that theywill abate anytime soon. These attacks are often found quickly, but not quicklyenough to prevent the compromised code from being automatically injected into otherprojects or code deployed by users where it can wreak havoc. One method of avoidingsupply-chain attacks is to add a delay of a few days before pulling upates in whatis known as a "dependency cooldown". That tactic is starting to find favor withusers and some language ecosystem package managers. While this practice isconsidered a reasonable response by many, others are complaining that thoseemploying dependency cooldowns are free-riding on the larger community by lettingothers take the risk.
- [$] One Sized trait does not fit all
In Rust, types either possess a constant size known at compile time, or adynamically calculated size known atrun time. That is fine for most purposes, but recent proposals for the languagehave shown the need for a more fine-grained hierarchy.RFC 3729 from David Wood and Rémy Rakic would add a hierarchy oftraits to describe types with sizes known under different circumstances. Whilethe idea has been subject to discussion for many years, a growing number ofuse cases for the feature have come to light.
- LilyPond 2.26.0 released
Version2.26.0 of the LilyPondmusic-engraving program has been released. Majorchanges include the ability to use the Cairo library to generateoutput and improvements in spacing between clefs and timesignatures. See the release notes for a full list of miscellaneousimprovements as well as what's new with musicaland specialistnotation.
- Four stable kernels for Wednesday
Greg Kroah-Hartman has announced the release of the 7.0.1, 6.19.14, 6.18.24, and 6.12.83 stable kernels. As usual, eachcontains important fixes throughout the tree. Users are encouraged toupgrade.
- Security updates for Wednesday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (firefox-esr, flatpak, ngtcp2, ntfs-3g, packagekit, python-geopandas, simpleeval, strongswan, and xdg-dbus-proxy), Fedora (chromium, cups, curl, jq, opkssh, perl-Net-CIDR-Lite, python-cbor2, python-pillow, tinyproxy, xdg-dbus-proxy, and xorg-x11-server-Xwayland), Slackware (libXpm and mozilla), SUSE (botan, chromium, clamav, cockpit, cockpit-machines, cockpit-packages, cockpit-podman, cockpit-subscriptions, dovecot24, firefox, flatpak, freeipmi, gdk-pixbuf, glibc, gnome-remote-desktop, go1.25, go1.26, go1.26-openssl, google-cloud-sap-agent, gosec, graphicsmagick, haproxy, kernel, libpng16, libraw, libtasn1, libvncserver, ncurses, nebula, nodejs24, openssl-3, ovmf, pam, pcre2, perl-Authen-SASL, pgvector, plexus-utils, podman, python-cbor2, python-cryptography, python-django, python-gi-docgen, python-pypdf2, python-python-multipart, python311, python311-PyPDF2, python313, qemu, roundcubemail, rust1.94, sqlite3, strongswan, systemd, tar, tigervnc, util-linux, vim, webkit2gtk3, xorg-x11-server, xwayland, and zlib), and Ubuntu (commons-io, libcap2, ntfs-3g, and rapidjson).
- Kernel code removals driven by LLM-created security reports
There are a number of ongoing efforts to remove kernel code, mostly fromthe networking subsystem, as an alternative to dealing with the increase insecurity-bug reports from large language models. The proposed removalsinclude ISAand PCMCIA Ethernet drivers, a pairof PCI drivers, the ax25 and amateurradio subsystem, the ATM protocols and drivers,and the ISDNsubsystem.
Remove the amateur radio (AX.25, NET/ROM, ROSE) protocol implementation and all associated hamradio device drivers from the kernel tree. This set of protocols has long been a huge bug/syzbot magnet, and since nobody stepped up to help us deal with the influx of the AI-generated bug reports we need to move it out of tree to protect our sanity.
- Firefox: The zero-days are numbered
ThisFirefox blog post reports that the Firefox 150 release includesfixes for 271 vulnerabilities found by the Claude Mythos preview.
Elite security researchers find bugs that fuzzers can't largely by reasoning through the source code. This is effective, but time-consuming and bottlenecked on scarce human expertise. Computers were completely incapable of doing this a few months ago, and now they excel at it. We have many years of experience picking apart the work of the world's best security researchers, and Mythos Preview is every bit as capable. So far we've found no category or complexity of vulnerability that humans can find that this model can't.
This can feel terrifying in the immediate term, but it's ultimately great news for defenders. A gap between machine-discoverable and human-discoverable bugs favors the attacker, who can concentrate many months of costly human effort to find a single bug. Closing this gap erodes the attacker's long-term advantage by making all discoveries cheap.
- Fedora Verified: a proposal to recognize Fedora contributor status
The Fedora Project has been wrestling with the question of who should be able to vote inFedora elections recently, with project membership being a major topic atthe Fedora Council face-to-face held in early February. Now theproject is considering a new contributor status, "Fedora Verified",and is lookingto get input on the idea from the community.
What are the proposed benefits? The primary motivation behind"Fedora Verified" is to build trust-based recognition that grantselevated, privileged rights within the project. Most notably, thisstatus would determine eligibility for strategic governanceactivities, such as:
Voting in Fedora community elections.Running for leadership or decision-making roles within the project(i.e., Fedora Council, FESCo, Mindshare Committee, EPEL SteeringCommittee).(Potential, unplanned) Accessing specific shared project resourcesor educational opportunities (e.g., Red Hat training credits).
The blog post includes a list of proposed baseline metrics for"Verified" status as well as open questions to be decided. A surveyon the topic will be open until May 5.
- [$] Using LLMs to find Python C-extension bugs
The open-source world is currently awash inreports of LLM-discovered bugs and vulnerabilities, which makes for a lot morework for maintainers, but many of the current crop are being reportedresponsibly with an eye toward minimizing that impact. A recent reporton an effort to systematically find bugs in Python extensionswritten in C has followed that approach. Hobbyist Daniel Diniz used ClaudeCode to find more than 500 bugs of various sorts across nearly a millionlines of code in 44 extensions; he has been working with maintainers to getfixes upstream and his methodology serves as a great example of how to keepthe human in the loop—and the maintainers out of burnout—when employing LLMs.
- Linux may get a hall pass from one state age-check bill, but Congress plays hall monitor
Colorado amendments could exempt open source OSes, code repos, and containersThe prospect of OS-level age checks applying to open source systems is a serious concern for FOSS advocates. Campaigners appear to have secured proposed exemptions for open source operating systems, code repositories, and containers in one US state, but stricter federal legislation has already been introduced in Congress.…
- Zorin OS 18.1 released - and the Lite edition reappears
Plus news from its Dublin neighbors, Linux MintThe latest point release of Zorin OS is here, as an interesting alternative to Linux Mint for those still searching for a replacement for Windows 10 as the dust settles over the ruins.…
- NTFS-3G FUSE Driver Sees First New Release In Four Years
Coming today as a big surprise -- one week after the new NTFS file-system driver was merged for Linux 7.1 and separately the existing NTFS3 kernel driver seeing some fixes -- is a new release of the NTFS-3G driver providing a FUSE-based user-space driver for NTFS on Linux and other platforms...
- Billionaire Backer Sues Trump Family's Crypto Firm Over Alleged Extortion
Ancient Slashdot reader Alain Williams shares a report from the BBC: The Trump family's World Liberty crypto venture is being sued by one of its billionaire backers over allegations of extortion. Justin Sun has accused World Liberty of an "illegal scheme" to seize his WLFI tokens, a cryptocurrency issued by the company. Sun alleges the firm, co-founded by U.S. President Donald Trump and his son Eric Trump, has "frozen" all of his tokens and stripped him of his right to vote on governance issues. [...] Sun alleged that those running World Liberty, including another co-founder, Chase Herro, are using it as a "golden opportunity to leverage the Trump brand to profit through fraud." In his complaint, filed on Tuesday in a San Francisco federal court, Sun argues that initial promises to give token-holders the option to trade the currency in future "were false and misleading." While the tokens at large became tradeable, Sun said World Liberty has blocked him from being able to sell a single one, and is now threatening to "burn" his - deleting them entirely. WLFI said in a post on X: "Does anyone still believe @justinsuntron? Justin's favorite move is playing the victim while making baseless allegations to cover up his own misconduct. Same playbook, different target. WLFI isn't the first. We have the contracts. We have the evidence. We have the truth. See you in court pal."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Ping-Pong Robot Makes History By Beating Top-Level Human Players
Sony AI's autonomous table-tennis robot Ace has become the first robot to compete against top-level human players. Reuters reports: Ace, created by the Japanese company Sony's AI research division, is the first robot to attain expert-level performance in a competitive physical sport, one that requires rapid decisions and precision execution, the project's leader said. Ace did so by employing high-speed perception, AI-based control and a state-of-the-art robotic system. There have been various ping-pong-playing robots since 1983, but until now they were unable to rival highly skilled human competitors. Ace changed that with its performances against human elite-level and professional players in matches following the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation, the sport's governing body, and officiated by licensed umpires. The project's goal was not only to compete at table tennis but to develop insights into how robots can perceive, plan and act with human-like speed and precision in dynamic environments. In matches detailed in the study, Ace in April 2025 won three out of five versus elite players and lost two matches against professional players, the top skill level in the sport. Sony AI said that since then Ace beat professional players in December 2025 and last month. "The success of Ace, with its perception system and learning-based control algorithm, suggests that similar techniques could be applied to other areas requiring fast, real-time control and human interaction -- such as manufacturing and service robotics, as well as applications across sports, entertainment and safety-critical physical domains," said Peter Durr, director of Sony AI Zurich and leader for Sony AI's project Ace. The findings have been published in the journal Nature.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Anthropic's Mythos Model Is Being Accessed by Unauthorized Users
Bloomberg reports that a small group of unauthorized users gained access to Anthropic's restricted Mythos model through a mix of contractor-linked access and online sleuthing. Anthropic says it is investigating and has no evidence the access extended beyond a third-party vendor environment or affected its own systems. From the report: The users relied on a mix of tactics to get into Mythos. These included using access the person had as a worker at a third-party contractor for Anthropic and trying commonly used internet sleuthing tools often employed by cybersecurity researchers, the person said. The users are part of a private Discord channel that focuses on hunting for information about unreleased models, including by using bots to scour for details that Anthropic and others have posted on unsecured websites such as GitHub. [...] To access Mythos, the group of users made an educated guess about the model's online location based on knowledge about the format Anthropic has used for other models, the person said, adding that such details were revealed in a recent data breach from Mercor, an AI training startup that works with a number of top developers. Crucially, the person also has permission to access Anthropic models and software related to evaluating the technology for the startup. They gained this access from a company for which they have performed contract work evaluating Anthropic's AI models. Bloomberg is not naming the company for security reasons. The group is interested in playing around with new models, not wreaking havoc with them, the person said. The group has not run cybersecurity-related prompts on the Mythos model, the person said, preferring instead to try tasks like building simple websites in an attempt to avoid detection by Anthropic. The person said the group also has access to a slew of other unreleased Anthropic AI models.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- The 'Missing-Scientist' Story Is Unbelievably Dumb
Longtime Slashdot reader mmarlett writes: The Atlantic has a long article on the story of missing scientists recently featured here on Slashdot. In short, it is an incoherent conspiracy theory that spreads wide and far, not paying any attention to boundaries of time, space, or area of expertise. "Which is all to say that another piece of flagrant nonsense has ascended to the highest levels of U.S. politics and media," writes the Atlantic's Daniel Engber. "To call it a conspiracy theory would be far too kind, because no comprehensive theory has been floated to explain the pattern of events. But then, even the phrase pattern of events is imprecise, because there is no pattern here at all. Given all the people who could have been roped into this narrative but weren't, any hope of finding meaning falls away. Barring any dramatic new disclosures, the mystery of the missing scientists has the dubious honor of being a sham in every way at once."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Gates Foundation To Cut 20% of Staff, Review Epstein Ties
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The Gates Foundation opened an external review earlier this year into its engagement with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the philanthropic group said on Tuesday. The foundation has been mired in controversy due to Chairman Bill Gates' association with Epstein. A release of emails in January by the U.S. Justice Department also showed communication between Epstein and the Gates Foundation's staff. "Early this year, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships," the foundation said in a statement. "That review is underway, and we expect the board and management will receive an update this summer," it added. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news earlier on Tuesday, said Suzman told staff in a memo, "this is a challenging time for our organization in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of taking the tough actions now." The WSJ also reports that the Gates Foundation will eliminate up to 500 jobs, or about 20% of its staff, by 2030. It said the foundation has a 2026 budget of about $9 billion, but plans to cap operating expenses at $1.25 billion. Further reading: The Bill Gates-Epstein Bombshell - and What Most People Get Wrong
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Google Unveils Two New AI Chips For the 'Agentic Era'
Google announced two new tensor processing units (TPUs) for the "agentic era," with separate processors dedicated to training and inference. "With the rise of AI agents, we determined the community would benefit from chips individually specialized to the needs of training and serving," Amin Vahdat, a Google senior vice president and chief technologist for AI and infrastructure, said in a blog post. Both chips will become available later this year. CNBC reports: After years of producing chips that can both train artificial intelligence models and handle inference work, Google is separating those tasks into distinct processors, its latest effort to take on Nvidia in AI hardware. [...] None of the tech giants are displacing Nvidia, and Google isn't even comparing the performance of its new chips with those from the AI chip leader. Google did say the training chip enables 2.8 times the performance of the seventh-generation Ironwood TPU, announced in November, for the same price, while performance is 80% better for the inference processor. Nvidia said its upcoming Groq 3 LPU hardware will draw on large quantities of static random-access memory, or SRAM, which is used by Cerebras, an AI chipmaker that filed to go public earlier this month. Google's new inference chip, dubbed TPU 8i, also relies on SRAM. Each chip contains 384 megabytes of SRAM, triple the amount in Ironwood. The architecture is designed "to deliver the massive throughput and low latency needed to concurrently run millions of agents cost-effectively," Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google parent Alphabet, wrote in a blog post.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- AI Tool Rips Off Open Source Software Without Violating Copyright
A satirical but working tool called Malus uses AI to create "clean room" clones of open-source software, aiming to reproduce the same functionality while shedding attribution and copyleft obligations. "It works," Mike Nolan, one of the two people behind Malus, who researches the political economy of open source software and currently works for the United Nations, told 404 Media. "The Stripe charge will provide you the thing, and it was important for us to do that, because we felt that if it was just satire, it would end up like every other piece of research I've done on open source, which ends up being largely dismissed by open source tech workers who felt that they were too special and too unique and too intelligent to ever be the ones on the bad side of the layoffs or the economics of the situation." 404 Media reports: Malus's legal strategy for bypassing copyright is based on a historically pivotal moment for software and copyright law dating back to 1982. Back then, IBM dominated home computing, and competitors like Columbia Data Products wanted to sell products that were compatible with software that IBM customers were already using. Reverse engineering IBM's computer would have infringed on the company's copyright, so Columbia Data Products came up with what we now know as a "clean room" design. It tasked one team with examining IBM's BIOS and creating specifications for what a clone of that system would require. A different "clean" team, one that was never exposed to IBM's code, then created BIOS that met those specifications from scratch. The result was a system that was compatible with IBM's ecosystem but didn't violate its copyright because it did not copy IBM's technical process and counted as original work. This clean room method, which has been validated by case law and dramatized in the first season of Halt and Catch Fire, made computing more open and competitive than it would have been otherwise. But it has taken on new meaning in the age of generative AI. It is now easier than ever to ask AI tools to produce software that is identical in function to existing open source projects, and that, some would argue, are built from scratch and are therefore original work that can bypass existing copyright licenses. Others would say that software produced by large language models is inherently derivative, because like any LLM output, it is trained on the collective output of humans scraped from the internet, including specific open source projects. Malus (pronounced malice), uses AI to do the same thing. "Finally, liberation from open source license obligations," Malus's site says. "Our proprietary AI robots independently recreate any open source project from scratch. The result? Legally distinct code with corporate-friendly licensing. No attribution. No copyleft. No problems." Copyleft is a type of copyright license that ensures reproductions or applications of the software keep it free to share and modify.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- China's CATL Reveals 621-Mile EV Battery, Under-7-Minute Charging
CATL unveiled a new wave of EV battery tech, "including a lighter battery pack rated for a 1,000-km (621-mile) driving range and an upgraded fast-charging battery that can go from 10 percent to 98 percent in under seven minutes," reports Interesting Engineering. From the report: The launches were made during a 90-minute event in Beijing ahead of the Beijing Auto Show, where automakers are expected to showcase next-generation EVs and connected technologies. CATL said its latest Qilin battery -- a high-energy-density pack often paired with nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells for long range and improved space efficiency -- can deliver a 1,000-km (621-mile) driving range. It is designed to deliver long range while reducing battery pack weight. The company said the product is aimed at automakers facing tighter efficiency rules in China and other markets. It also rolled out an upgraded Shenxing battery -- CATL's fast-charging lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack -- that targets one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption: charging time. CATL said the pack can recharge from 10 percent to 98 percent in less than seven minutes. The new Shenxing battery marks a significant improvement over CATL's previous version, which charged from 5 percent to 80 percent in 15 minutes, according to Financial Times. [...] The company also announced plans to begin mass delivery of sodium-ion batteries in the fourth quarter. Sodium-ion technology is seen as a lower-cost alternative that could reduce dependence on lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Pentagon Wants $54 Billion For Drones
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The US military's massive $1.5 trillion budget request for the next fiscal year includes what Pentagon officials described as the largest investment in drone warfare and counter-drone technology in US history. The proposed spending on drone and autonomous warfare technologies within the FY2027 budget proposal for the US Department of Defense would surpass most countries' defense budgets and rank among the top 10 in the world for military spending, ahead of countries such as Ukraine, South Korea, and Israel. Specifically, the Pentagon is requesting $53.6 billion to boost US production and procurement of drones, train drone operators, build out a logistics network for sustaining drone deployments, and expand counter-drone systems to defend more US military sites. The funding request is budgeted under the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG), an organization established in late 2025 that would see a massive budget increase after receiving about $226 million in the 2026 fiscal year budget. [...] Another $20.6 billion would help purchase one-way attack drones and drone aircraft developed through the US Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which is building drone prototypes capable of teaming up with human-piloted fighter jets. Part of this funding would also go toward defensive systems for countering small drones and the US Navy's Boeing MQ-25 drone designed to perform midair refueling of carrier-borne fighter aircraft to extend their strike ranges. Such drone-related spending even rivals the entire budget of the US Marine Corps. But the Pentagon has not said that it is creating a dedicated drone branch of the US military similar to the standalone Space Force. Pentagon officials emphasized that most of the money would go toward procuring drone and autonomous warfare technologies that already exist, and is largely separate from additional funding that would bolster US domestic manufacturing capacity to build such weapon systems. "That $70 billion is all going into existing systems and technologies," said Hurst. "The industrial base support is entirely separate." "The evolution we've seen in the battlefield is this evolution of technologies in the timeframe of weeks, not the typical years we see with our defense production," said Lt. Gen. Steven Whitney, director of force structure, resources, and assessment for the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a Pentagon press briefing. "So it's really critical we work with industry to get that capability fielded."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Mars Rover Detects Never-Before-Seen Organic Compounds In New Experiment
NASA's Curiosity rover has identified a diverse set of organic molecules on Mars, including a nitrogen-bearing compound similar in structure to DNA precursors. The finding strengthens the case that ancient organic material can survive in the Martian subsurface, though it does not prove past life because the compounds could also come from geology or meteorites. Phys.org reports: The study was led by Amy Williams, Ph.D., a professor of geological sciences at the University of Florida and a scientist on the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rover missions. Curiosity landed on Mars in 2012 to find evidence that ancient Mars had conditions that could support microbial life billions of years ago; the Perseverance rover, which landed in 2021, was sent to look for signs of any ancient life that might have formed. Among the 20-plus chemicals identified by the experiment, Curiosity spotted a nitrogen-bearing molecule with a structure similar to DNA precursors -- a chemical never before spotted on Mars. The rover also identified benzothiophene, a large, double-ringed, sulfurous chemical often delivered to planets by meteorites. "The same stuff that rained down on Mars from meteorites is what rained down on Earth, and it probably provided the building blocks for life as we know it on our planet," Williams said. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Another npm supply chain worm is tearing through dev environments
Plus, the payload references 'TeamPCP/LiteLLM method'
Yet another npm supply-chain attack is worming its way through compromised packages, stealing secrets and sensitive data as it moves through developers' environments, and it shares significant overlap with the open source infections attributed to TeamPCP last month.…
- SK Hynix’s aspirations for ’Merica-made HBM inch closer to reality
New site set to begin manufacturing and testing HBM memory just in time for Nvidia's Rubin-Ultra GPUs in 2028
SK Hynix has reportedly broken ground on a new advanced memory packaging facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, that should boost the supply of US-made high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a key component in high-end AI accelerators from the likes of Nvidia and AMD.…
- GitHub opts all CLI users into telemetry collection whether they want it or not
Opt-out instructions included if you're not keen on GitHub watching you in the name of product improvement
Users of GitHub's command-line interface (CLI) who value privacy, beware. The Microsoft-owned code-hosting platform has quietly begun collecting pseudonymous client-side telemetry from CLI users and enabled it by default.…
- Linux may get a hall pass from one state age-check bill, but Congress plays hall monitor
Colorado amendments could exempt open source OSes, code repos, and containers
The prospect of OS-level age checks applying to open source systems is a serious concern for FOSS advocates. Campaigners appear to have secured proposed exemptions for open source operating systems, code repositories, and containers in one US state, but stricter federal legislation has already been introduced in Congress.…
- Datacenter boom keeps dirty coal plants alive in the US
Happy Earth Day!
Datacenter growth in the US is helping keep aging fossil-fuel plants online longer, slowing the shift to a cleaner grid and worsening air pollution, according to new research from a group of environmental nonprofits.…
- Workday, Rippling, and Slack flunk data access test, claims Fivetran
Report also slams multiple vendors for poor data integration and egress fees
Workday, Rippling, and Salesforce-owned Slack rank among the worst performers for enterprise data movement, according to a new industry benchmark tracking the speeds needed to power analytics, machine learning, and AI agents.…
- 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]
- Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux
You can find beauty in the oddest of places. WSL9x runs a modern Linux kernel (6.19 at time of writing) cooperatively inside the Windows 9x kernel, enabling users to take advantage of the full suite of capabilities of both operating systems at the same time, including paging, memory protection, and pre-emptive scheduling. Run all your favourite applications side by side no rebooting required! ↫ Hailey Somerville Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. Hailey Somerville basically recreated the first version of WSL or coLinux, for the old people among us but instead of running on Windows NT, it runs on Windows 9x. A VxD driver loads a patched Linux kernel using DOS interrupts, and this Linux kernel calls Windows 9x kernel APIs instead of POSIX APIs. A small DOS client application then allows the Linux kernel to use MS-DOS prompts as TTYs. This is a great oversimplification, but it does get the general gist across. Anyway, the end result is that you can use a modern Linux kernel and Windows 9x at the same time, without virtualising or dual-booting. This might be one of the greatest hacks in recent times, and I find it oddly beautiful in its user-facing simplicity.
- Oracle Solaris 11.4 SRU92 released
Despite years of apparent stagnation and reported mass layoffs, it seems the Solaris team at Oracle has found somewhat of a renewed stride recently. Both branches of Solaris the one for paying customers (SRU) and the free one for enthusiasts (CBE) are receiving regular updates again, and there seems to be a more concerted effort to let the outside world know, too. Weve got another update to the SRU branch this week which brings updates to a few important open source packages, like Django, Firefox, Thunderbird, Golang, and others, to address security issues. In addition, this update marks as a change in the release cadence for the commercial branch of Solaris. From here on out, there will be two Critical Patch Updates! per quarter to address security issues, followed by a Support Repository Update containing new features and larger changes.
- Some tech company to replace its CEO
I need to post about this because if I dont, people will get mad. Cook will continue on as Apple CEO through the summer, with Ternus set to join Apples Board of Directors and take over as CEO on September 1, 2026. Cook is going to transition to chairman of the board at Apple, and he will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.! ↫ Juli Clover at MacRumors This concludes OSNews coverage of Keeping Up With the Yacht Class, but rest assured, every other tech site will be milking this for weeks to come. You will still be worrying about how to pay for your next tank of gas.
- Google to punish back button hijacking
Have you ever tried clicking the back button in your browser, only to realise the website youre on somehow doesnt allow that? Out of all the millions of annoyances on the web, Google has decided to finally address this one: theyre going to punish the search rankings of websites that use this back button hijacking. Pages that are engaging in back button hijacking may be subject to manual spam actions or automated demotions, which can impact the sites performance in Google Search results. To give site owners time to make any needed changes, were publishing this policy two months in advance of enforcement on June 15, 2026. ↫ Google Search Central Its always uncomfortable when Google unilaterally takes actions such as these, since rarely do Googles interests align with our own as users. This is in such rare case, though, and I cant wait to see this insipid practice relegated to the dustbin of history.
- LXQt 2.4.0 released
LXQt, the desktop environment which is effectively to KDE what Xfce is to GNOME, has released version 2.4.0. Quite a few changes in this release are further refinements and fixes related to LXQts adoption of Wayland, but there are also a ton of small fixes, improvements, and small new features that have nothing to do with Wayland at all. There are also a few layout cleanups to make some dialogs and panels look a bit tidier and nicer. Note that LXQt supports both X11 and Wayland equally, and the choice of which to use is up to you. If youre using LXQt, youve already seen a few of these changes in point releases of its components, so not everything listed in the release notes might be news to you.
- Nationwide bill to put age verification in operating systems introduced in the US
The title of my article on age verification in Linux and other operating systems had a for now! added for a reason, and here we are, with two members of the US Congress introducing a bill to add age verification to operating systems. The text of the proposed bill was only published today, and its incredibly vague and wishy-washy, without any clear definitions and ton of open-ended questions. Still, if passed, the bill would require actual age verification, instead of mere voluntary age reporting that current state-level bills cover. It also seems to eschew the concept of age brackets, giving application developers access to specific ages of users instead. Its a vague mess of a bill that no sane person would ever want passed, but alas, sanity is a rare commodity these days, especially in US Congress. Its introduced by Democrat Josh Gottheimer and Republican Elise M. Stefanik, so it has that bipartisan sheen to it, which could increase its odds of going anywhere. At the same time, though, US Congress is about as useful as a box of matches during a house fire, so for all we know, this will end up going nowhere as its members focus on doing absolutely nothing to reign in the flock of coked-up headless chickens passing for an executive branch over there. If something like this gets passed, every US-based operating system which includes most open source operating systems and Linux distributions will probably fall in line when faced with massive fines and legal pressure. This isnt going to be pretty.
- Tribblix m34 for SPARC released
Tribblix, the Illumos distribution focused on giving you a classic UNIX-style experience, doesnt only support x86. It also has a branch for SPARC, which tends to run behind its x86 counterpart a little bit and has a few other limitations related to the fact SPARC is effectively no longer being developed. The Tribblix SPARC branch has been updated, and now roughly matches the latest x86 release from a few weeks ago. The graphical libraries libtiff and OpenEXR have been updated, retaining the old shared library versions for now. OpenSSL is now from the 3.5 series with the 3.0 api by default. Bind is now from the 9.20 series. OpenSSH is now 10.2, and you may get a Post-Quantum Cryptography warning if connecting to older SSH servers. zap install now installs dependencies by default. zap create-user will now restrict new home directories to mode 0700 by default; use the -M flag to choose different permissions. Support for UFS quotas has been removed. ↫ Tribblix release notes Theres no new ISO yet, so to get to this new m34 release for SPARC youre going to have to install from an older ISO and update from there.
- Haiku on ARM64 boots to desktop in QEMU
Another Haiku monthly activity report, but this time around, theres actually a big ticket item. Haiku has been in a pretty solid and stable state for a while now, so the activity reports have been dominated by fairly small, obscure changes, but during March a major milestone was reached for the ARM64 port. smrobtzz contributed the bulk of the work, including fixes for building on macOS on ARM64, drivers for the Apple S5L UART, fixes to the kernel base address, clearing the frame pointer before entering the kernel, mapping physical memory correctly, the basics for userland, and more. SED4906 contributed some fixes to the bootloader page mapping, and runtime_loader’s page-size checks. Combined, these changes allow the ARM64 port to get to the desktop in QEMU. There’s a forum thread, complete with screenshots, for anyone interested in following along. ↫ waddlesplash While its only in QEMU, this is still a major achievement and paves the way for more people to work on the ARM64 port, possibly increasing its health. Theres tons of smaller changes and fixes all over the place, too, as usual, and the team mentions beta 6 isnt quite ready yet, still. Dont let that stop you from just downloading the latest nightly, though Haiku is mature enough to use it.
- Fixing a 20-year-old bug in Enlightenment E16
The editor in chief of this blog was born in 2004. She uses the 1997 window manager, Enlightenment E16, daily. In this article, I describe the process of fixing a show-stopping, rare bug that dates back to 2006 in the codebase. Surprisingly, the issue has roots in a faulty implementation of Newton’s algorithm. ↫ Kamila Szewczyk Im not going to pretend to understand any of this, but I know you people do. Enjoy.
- Let sleeping CPUs lie — S0ix
Modern laptops promise a kind of magic. Shut the lid or press the sleep button, toss it in a backpack, and hours, days, or weeks later, it should wake up as if nothing happened with little to no battery drain. This sounds like a fairly trivial operation — y’know, you’re literally just asking for the computer to do nothing — but in that quiet moment when the fans whir down, the screen turns dark, and your reflection stares back at you, your computer and all its little components are actually hard at work doing their bedtime routine. ↫ Aymeric Wibo at the FreeBSD Foundation A look at how suspend and resume works in practice, from the perspective of FreeBSD. Considering FreeBSDs laptop focus in recent times, not an unimportant subject.
- Archinstall 4.2 Shifts to Wayland-First Profiles, Leaving X.Org Behind
by George Whittaker
The Arch Linux installer continues evolving alongside the broader Linux desktop ecosystem. With the release of Archinstall 4.2, a notable change has arrived: Wayland is now the default focus for graphical installation profiles, while traditional X.Org-based profiles have been removed or deprioritized.
This move reflects a wider transition happening across Linux, one that is gradually redefining how graphical environments are built and used.
A Turning Point for Archinstall
Archinstall, the official guided installer for Arch Linux, has steadily improved over time to make installation more accessible while still maintaining Arch’s minimalist philosophy.
With version 4.2, the installer now aligns more closely with modern desktop trends by emphasizing Wayland-based environments during setup, instead of offering traditional X.Org configurations as first-class options.
This doesn’t mean X.Org is completely gone from Arch Linux, but it does signal a clear shift in direction.
Why Wayland Is Taking Over
Wayland has been gaining traction for years as the successor to X.Org, offering a more streamlined and secure approach to rendering graphics on Linux.
Compared to X.Org, Wayland is designed to:
Reduce complexity in the graphics stack Improve security by isolating applications Deliver smoother rendering and better performance Support modern display technologies like high-DPI and variable refresh rates
As the Linux ecosystem evolves, many distributions and desktop environments are prioritizing Wayland as the default display protocol.
What Changed in Archinstall 4.2
With this release, users installing Arch through Archinstall will notice:
Wayland-based desktop environments and compositors are now the primary options X.Org-centric setups are no longer emphasized in guided profiles Installation workflows better reflect modern Linux defaults
This simplifies the installation experience for new users, who no longer need to choose between legacy and modern display systems during setup.
What About X.Org?
While Archinstall is moving forward, X.Org itself is not disappearing overnight.
Many applications and workflows still rely on X11, and compatibility is maintained through XWayland, which allows X11 applications to run within Wayland sessions.
For advanced users, Arch still provides full flexibility:
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- OpenClaw in 2026: What It Is, Who’s Using It, and Whether Your Business Should Adopt It
by George Whittaker
“probably the single most important release of software, probably ever.”
— Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
Wow! That’s a bold statement from one of the most influential figures in modern computing.
But is it true? Some people think so. Others think it’s hype. Most are somewhere in between, aware of OpenClaw, but not entirely sure what to make of it. Are people actually using it? Yes. Who’s using it? More than you might expect. Is it experimental, or is it already changing how work gets done? That depends on how it’s being applied. Is it more relevant for businesses or consumers right now? That’s one of the most important, and most misunderstood, questions.
This article breaks that down clearly: what OpenClaw is, how it works, who is using it today, and where it actually creates value.
What makes OpenClaw different isn’t just the technology, it’s where it fits. Most of the AI tools people are familiar with still require a human to take the next step. They assist, but they don’t execute. OpenClaw changes that dynamic by connecting decision-making directly to action. Once you understand that shift, the rest of the discussion, who’s using it, how it’s being deployed, and where it creates value, starts to make a lot more sense.
Top 10 Questions About OpenClaw
What is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent framework that enables large language models like Claude, GPT, and Gemini to execute real-world tasks across software systems, including APIs, files, and workflows.
What does OpenClaw actually do?
OpenClaw functions as an execution layer that allows AI systems to take actions, such as sending emails, updating CRM records, or running scripts, instead of only generating responses.
Do you need to be a developer to use OpenClaw?
No, but technical familiarity helps. Non-developers can use prebuilt workflows, while developers can customize and scale implementations more effectively.
Is OpenClaw more suited for business or consumer use?
OpenClaw is currently more suited for business and technical use cases where structured workflows exist. Consumer use is emerging but remains secondary.
How is OpenClaw different from ChatGPT or Claude?
ChatGPT and Claude generate outputs, while OpenClaw enables those outputs to trigger actions across connected systems.
Who created OpenClaw?
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- 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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