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LinuxSecurity - Security Advisories


  • Debian Bookworm: GIMP Important Denial Of Service DSA-6093-1 CVE-2025-14422
    Several vulnerabilities were discovered in GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, which could result in denial of service or potentially the execution of arbitrary code if malformed XCF, JPEG 2000 or PNM files are opened. For the oldstable distribution (bookworm), these problems have been fixed






LWN.net

  • Kernel prepatch 6.19-rc4
    The 6.19-rc4 kernel prepatch is out fortesting.
    So this rc is still a bit smaller than usual, but it's not _much_ smaller, and I think next week is likely going to be more or less back to normal.
    Which is all exactly as expected, and nothing here looks particularly odd. I'll make an rc8 this release just because of the time lost to the holidays, not because it looks like we'd have any particular issues pending (knock wood).


  • Kroah-Hartman: Linux kernel security work
    Greg Kroah-Hartman has written anoverview of how the kernel's security team works.
    The members of the security team contain a handful of core kernel developers that have experience dealing with security bugs, and represent different major subsystems of the kernel. They do this work as individuals, and specifically can NOT tell their employer, or anyone else, anything that is discussed on the security alias before it is resolved. This arrangement has allowed the kernel security team to remain independent and continue to operate across the different governments that the members operate in, and it looks to become the normal way project security teams work with the advent of the European Union's new CRA law coming into effect.


  • 6.18.3 stable kernel released
    Greg Kroah-Hartman has announced the release of the 6.18.3 stable kernel. As always, thisupdate contains important fixes; users of this kernel are advised toupgrade.



  • Security updates for Friday
    Security updates have been issued by Debian (smb4k), Fedora (direwolf, gh, usd, and webkitgtk), Slackware (libpcap and seamonkey), and SUSE (kepler).


  • Security updates for Thursday
    Security updates have been issued by Debian (imagemagick and net-snmp), Fedora (delve, golang-github-google-wire, and golang-github-googlecloudplatform-cloudsql-proxy), and SUSE (podman, python3, and python36).


  • Shadow-utils 4.19.0 released
    Version4.19.0 of the shadow-utilsproject has been released. Notable changes in this release includedisallowingsome usernames that were previously accepted with the--badname option, and removingsupport for escaped newlines in configuration files. Possibly moreinteresting is the announcement that the project is deprecating anumber of programs, hashing algorithms, and the ability toperiodically expire passwords:

    Scientific research shows that periodic password expirationleads to predictable password patterns, and that even in atheoretical scenario where that wouldn't happen the gains insecurity are mathematically negligible (paperlink).

    Modern security standards, such as NIST SP 800-63B-4 in the USA,prohibit periodic password expiration. [...]

    To align with these, we're deprecating the ability toperiodically expire passwords. The specifics and long-termroadmap are currently being discussed, and we invite feedbackfrom users, particularly from those in regulated environments.See #1432.

    The release announcement notes that the features will remainfunctional "for a significant period" to minimizedisruption.


  • Security updates for Wednesday
    Security updates have been issued by Debian (mediawiki), Fedora (duc, golang-github-projectdiscovery-mapcidr, and kustomize), Slackware (wget2), and SUSE (cheat, duc, flannel, go-sendxmpp, python311, python312, python313, and trivy).


  • Stenberg: No strcpy either
    Daniel Stenberg has written a blogpost about the decision to ban the use strcpy()in curl:

    The main challenge with strcpy is that when using it we do notspecify the length of the target buffer nor of the source string. [...]

    To make sure that the size checks cannot be separated from the copyitself we introduced a string copy replacement function the other daythat takes the target buffer, target size,source buffer and source string length as argumentsand only if the copy can be made and the null terminator also fitsthere, the operation is done.


  • Security updates for Tuesday
    Security updates have been issued by Debian (openjpeg2, osslsigncode, php-dompdf, and python-django), Fedora (fluidsynth, golang-github-alecthomas-chroma-2, golang-github-evanw-esbuild, golang-github-jwt-5, and opentofu), Mageia (ceph and ruby-rack), and SUSE (anubis, apache2-mod_auth_openidc, dpdk22, kernel, libpng16, and python311-openapi-core).


  • Graham: [KDE] Highlights from 2025
    Nate Graham looksback at how 2025 went for the KDE project.
    Today Plasma is the default desktop environment in a bunch of the hottest new gaming-focused distros, including Bazzite, CachyOS, Garuda, Nobara, and of course SteamOS on Valve's gaming devices. Fedora's Plasma edition was also promoted to co-equal status with the GNOME edition, and Asahi Linux — the single practical option for Linux on newer Macs — only supports KDE Plasma. Parrot Linux recently switched to Plasma by default, too. And Plasma remains the default on old standbys like EndeavourOS, Manjaro, NixOS, OpenMandriva, Slackware and TuxedoOS — which ships on all devices sold by Tuxedo Computers!



LXer Linux News






  • M5Stack CoreS3 Thread BR Targets Matter and Thread IoT Gateways
    M5Stack has expanded its lineup with the CoreS3 Thread BR, a compact Thread Border Router kit designed for Matter- and Thread-based IoT deployments. The platform combines the CoreS3 controller with a dedicated IEEE 802.15.4 radio module in a DIN-rail-mountable enclosure for smart home, building automation, and low-power sensor networks. The system uses an ESP32-S3 application […]


  • TrixiePup64 2601 Released For Debian 13 Powered Puppy Linux In Wayland & X11 Flavors
    For those with fond memories of Puppy Linux as a very lightweight Linux distribution, released last month was a new TrixiePup64 for continuing the Puppy Linux spirit atop Debian. The new TrixiePup64 is based on Debian 13 components while shipping in both X11 and Wayland flavors. Out now is TrixiePup64 2601 as the latest iteration of this lightweight Linux distribution...


  • MYIR SoM Leverages Zynq UltraScale+ with Arm and FPGA Integration
    MYIR has announced the MYC-CZU3EG-V3, an updated SoM built around the AMD Zynq UltraScale+ ZU3EG MPSoC. The module integrates application-class Arm processing, real-time control cores, and FPGA fabric in a compact form factor targeting industrial automation, machine vision, edge computing, aerospace, and telecommunications systems. The MYC-CZU3EG-V3 combines a quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 application processor running at […]


  • Rust-Based Fjall 3.0 Released For Key-Value Storage Engine Akin To RocksDB
    In addition to the release of Stoolap 0.2 as a modern embedded SQL database written in Rust, Fjall 3.0 is available as another Rust-written database solution. Fjall is a log-structured, embedable key-value storage engine akin to RocksDB but with the benefit of being written in Rust. With Fjall 3.0 its performance is now very competitive...



Linux Insider"LinuxInsider"












Slashdot

  • 2025 Ends With Release of J. R. R. Tolkein's Unpublished Story
    2025'S final months finally saw the publication of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Bovadium Fragments, writes the Los Angeles Review of Books:Anyone who has read Tolkien's letters will know that he is at his funniest when filled with rage, and The Bovadium Fragments is a work brimming with Tolkien's fury — specifically, ire over mankind's obsession with motor vehicles. Tolkien's anger is expressed through a playful satire told from the perspective of a group of future archaeologists who are studying the titular fragments, which tell of a civilization that asphyxiated itself on its own exhaust fumes. Tolkien's fictional fragments use the language of ancient myth, reframing modern issues like traffic congestion and parking with a grandeur that highlights their total absurdity. It is Tolkien at his angriest and funniest, making The Bovadium Fragments a minor treasure in his ever-growing catalog... As Tolkien put it in one of his private letters, "the spirit of 'Isengard,' if not of Mordor, is of course always cropping up. The present design of destroying Oxford in order to accommodate motor-cars is a case." Readers of The Lord of the Rings (1954-55) will recognize the allusion. In the author's magnum opus, Isengard is a kind of industrial hell, endlessly feeding its furnaces with felled trees... The Bovadium Fragments brings Tolkien's visceral hatred of such machines to the fore for the first time — on the same level as Isengard or the scoured Shire. In Tolkien's story, the words "Motores" and "monsters" are interchangeable. And with his grand, mythic register, Tolkien defamiliarizes the car enough for modern readers to see it as he does — as truly monstrous. "[T]he Motores continued to bring forth an ever larger progeny," Tolkien writes. "[M]any of the citizens harboured the monsters, feeding them with the costly oils and essences which they required, and building houses for them in their gardens...." One suspects that Tolkien would have preferred to see Oxford return to the era of the donkey cart. That kind of nostalgia is familiar in Tolkien's work — the idea that we developed just a little too far, skipping past an Eden we failed to recognize a generation or two ago. (For Tolkien, the paragon of paradise seems to have been a rural village around the time of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.) But he also knows that mankind's impulse to develop is something we cannot help. And the inevitable blowback we get from our hubris is something we cannot avoid. That defeatist attitude is suggested in the frame narrative to The Bovadium Fragments, in which the archaeologists smugly declare their superiority to the extinct citizens of old Oxford. "We at any rate are not likely to fall into such folly," one of them says. In their more enlightened future, we are told, they only pursue the more benign science of longevity. Their wish is that one day they shall "at last conquer mortality, and not 'die like animals.'" But humans are animals, Tolkien argues. And in stretching beyond that, we may find progress and modern conveniences like motorcars. But perhaps we also pave a road to Isengard. And we may not recognize that destination until it is too late — until we are trapped within its walls, suffocating on our own exhaust fumes.


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • Workstation Owner Sadly Marks the End-of-Life for HP-UX
    Wednesday marked the end of support for the last and final version of HP-UX, writes OSNews. They call it "the end of another vestige of the heyday of the commercial UNIX variants, a reign ended by cheap x86 hardware and the increasing popularisation of Linux."I have two HP-UX 11i v1 PA-RISC workstations, one of them being my pride and joy: an HP c8000, the last and fastest PA-RISC workstation HP ever made, back in 2005. It's a behemoth of a machine with two dual-core PA-8900 processors running at 1Ghz, 8 GB of RAM, a FireGL X3 graphics card, and a few other fun upgrades like an internal LTO3 tape drive that I use for keeping a bootable recovery backup of the entire system. It runs HP-UX 11i v1, fully updated and patched as best one can do considering how many patches have either vanished from the web or have never "leaked" from HPE (most patches from 2009 onwards are not available anywhere without an expensive enterprise support contract)... Over the past few years, I've been trying to get into contact with HPE about the state of HP-UX' patches, software, and drivers, which are slowly but surely disappearing from the web. A decent chunk is archived on various websites, but a lot of it isn't, which is a real shame. Most patches from 2009 onwards are unavailable, various software packages and programs for HP-UX are lost to time, HP-UX installation discs and ISOs later than 2006-2009 are not available anywhere, and everything that is available is only available via non-sanctioned means, if you know what I mean. Sadly, I never managed to get into contact with anyone at HPE, and my concerns about HP-UX preservation seem to have fallen on deaf ears. With the end-of-life date now here, I'm deeply concerned even more will go missing, and the odds of making the already missing stuff available are only decreasing. I've come to accept that very few people seem to hold any love for or special attachment to HP-UX, and that very few people care as much about its preservation as I do. HP-UX doesn't carry the movie star status of IRIX, nor the benefits of being available as both open source and on commodity hardware as Solaris, so far fewer people have any experience with it or have developed a fondness for it. As the clocks chimed midnight on New Year's Eve, he advised everyone to "spare a thought for the UNIX everyone forgot still exists."


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • 39 Million Californians Can Now Legally Demand Data Brokers Delete Their Personal Data
    While California's residents have had the right to demand companies stop collecting/selling their data since 2020, doing so used to require a laborious opting out with each individual company," reports TechCrunch.But now Californians can make "a single request that more than 500 registered data brokers delete their information" — using the Delete Requests and Opt-Out Platform (or DROP):Once DROP users verify that they are California residents, they can submit a deletion request that will go to all current and future data brokers registered with the state... Brokers are supposed to start processing requests in August 2026, then they have 90 days to actually process requests and report back. If they don't delete your data, you'll have the option to submit additional information that may help them locate your records. Companies will also be able to keep first-party data that they've collected from users. It's only brokers who seek to buy or sell that data — which can include your social security number, browsing history, email address, phone number, and more — who will be required to delete it... The California Privacy Protection Agency says that in addition to giving residents more control over their data, the tool could result in fewer "unwanted texts, calls, or emails" and also decrease the "risk of identity theft, fraud, AI impersonations, or that your data is leaked or hacked."


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • North Dakota Law Included Fake Critical Minerals Using Lawyers' Last Names
    North Dakota passed a law last May to promote development of rare earth minerals in the state. But the law's language apparently also includes two fake mineral names, according to the Bismarck Tribune, "that appear to be inspired by coal company lawyers who worked on the bill."The inclusion of fictional substances is being called an embarrassment by one state official, a possible practical joke by coal industry leaders and mystifying by the lawmakers who worked on the bill, the North Dakota Monitor reported. The fake minerals are friezium and stralium, apparent references to Christopher Friez and David Straley, attorneys for North American Coal who were closely involved in drafting the bill and its amendments. Straley said they were not responsible for adding the fake names. "I assume it was put in to embarrass us, or to make light of it, or have a practical joke," Straley said, adding it could have been a clerical error. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring questioned the two substances listed in state law during a recent meeting of the North Dakota Industrial Commission, which is poised to adopt rules based on the legislation... Friezium and stralium first appeared in the bill on the last afternoon of the legislative session as lawmakers hurried to pass several final bills... The amended bill is labeled as prepared by Legislative Council for Rep. Dick Anderson, R-Willow City, the prime sponsor and chair of the conference committee. Anderson said the amendments were prepared by a group of attorneys and legislators, including representatives from the coal industry... Jonathan Fortner, president of the Lignite Energy Council that represents the coal industry, said it's unfortunate this happened in such an important bill. "From the president on down, everyone's interested in developing domestic critical minerals for national security reasons," Fortner said. "While this may have been a legislative joke between some people that somehow got through, the bigger picture is one that is important and is a very serious matter."


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • Are Hybrid Cars Helping America Transition to Electric Vehicles?
    America's electric car subsidies expired at the end of September, notes Bloomberg. Yet in those last three months, "while fully electric cars and trucks made up 10% of all auto sales in the US... another 15% of transactions were for hybrid vehicles."The EV market is slowing in the U.S., but analysts expect hybrid sales to continue accelerating. CarGurus Inc., a digital listings platform that covers most of the US auto market, predicts nearly one in six new cars next year will be a hybrid, as automakers green-light more and better machines with the technology. And though these cars and trucks will still burn gas, they will quietly move the needle on both transportation emissions and the transition to fully electric cars and trucks... CarGurus calls hybrids the success story of 2025. Indeed, the fastest-selling car in the country this year has been the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid; it sat on lots for fewer than 14 days on average... While carmakers have struggled to turn a profit on fully electric vehicles, analysts say their investments in batteries and electric motors are helping them sell more and better hybrid machines. It's also increasingly difficult to discern a hybrid from a solely gas-powered model, said Scott Hardman, assistant director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California at Davis. Carmakers today often don't even label a hybrid as such. Consider Toyota's RAV4, one of the best-selling vehicles in America. The 2026 version of the SUV comes in six different variants, all of which include an electric motor and a gas tank. "A hybrid is just a regular car now," Hardman said. "You can buy one by accident...." While not as clean as an electric vehicle, hybrids offer sneaky carbon cuts as well. Americans, on average, drive about 38 miles a day, which requires about one gallon of gas in most basic hybrids. Contemporary plug-in hybrids, which can run on all-battery power, can cover almost that entire range without the gas engine kicking in. And a small crowd of cars will do even better, stretching their batteries well over 40 miles per charge. All told, hybridization can reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of a vehicle by roughly 20% to 30%, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Some interesting statistics from the article:By 2030 Ford expects fully or partially electrified vehicles will represent half its global sales. Toyota has already reached 50% ("in part thanks to all those hybrid RAV4s").Honda is "basing its entire business on hybrids until at least 2030."Around one-third of America's hybrid drivers "transition to a fully electric vehicle when they next switch cars." In September 57% of America's car shoppers "were considering a fully electric auto, according to JD Power. However, among hybrid households, that share was almost 70%."


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • Fleischer Studios Criticized for Claiming Betty Boop is Not Public Domain
    Here it is — Betty Boop's first appearance, which became public domain on Thursday. It's a 60-second song halfway through a longer cartoon about a restaurant titled Dizzy Dishes. (The first scene makes it clear this is a restaurant of anthropomorphized animals — which explains why the as-yet-unnamed character has floppy dog ears...) So Fleischer Studios has now warned that claiming Betty Boop is public domain "is actually not true."Very often, different versions of a character that have been developed later can independently enjoy copyright protection. Also, names and depictions of a character very frequently will remain separately protected by trademark and other laws, regardless of whether the copyright has expired. But is that really true? Fleischer Studios went out of business in 1946, notes Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik:By then it had sold the rights to its cartoons and the Betty Boop character. A new Fleischer Studios was formed in the 1970s by Fleischer descendants, including Max's grandson Mark Fleischer, and set about repurchasing the rights that had been sold. Whether it reacquired the rights to Betty Boop is up for discussion... According to a federal appeals court ruling in 2011, the answer is no. Having navigated its way through the three or four copyright transfers that followed the original rights sale, the appeals court concluded that the original Fleischer studios sold the rights to Betty Boop and the related cartoons to Paramount in 1941 but couldn't verify that the rights to the character had been sold in an unbroken chain placing them with the new studio. The "chain of title" was broken, the appellate judges found — but they didn't say who ended up with Betty Boop. And last month Cory Doctorow pointed out that "while the Fleischer studio (where Betty Boop was created) renewed the copyright on Dizzy Dishes, there were many other shorts that entered the public domain years ago." That means that all the aspects of Betty Boop that were developed for Dizzy Dishes are about to enter the public domain. But also, all the aspects of Betty Boop from those non-renewed shorts are already in the public domain. But some of the remaining aspects of Betty Boop's character design — those developed in subsequent shorts that were also renewed — are also in the public domain, because they aren't copyrightable in the first place, because they're "generic," or "trivial," constitute "minuscule variations," or be so standard or indispensable as to be a "scène à faire...." But we're not done yet! Just because some later aspects of the Betty Boop character design are still in copyright, it doesn't follow that you aren't allowed to use them! U.S. Copyright law has a broad set "limitations and exceptions," including fair use. So while Fleischer Studios insists Betty Boop "will continue to enjoy copyright and trademark protection for years to come," Doctorow has some thoughts on that trademark:Even the Supreme Court has (repeatedly) upheld the principle that trademark can't be used as a backdoor to extend copyright. That's important, because the current Betty Boop license-holders have been sending out baseless legal threats claiming that their trademarks over Betty Boop mean that she's not going into the public domain. They're not the only ones, either! This is a routine, petty scam perpetrated by marketing companies that have scooped up the (usually confused and difficult-to-verify) title to cultural icons and then gone into business extracting rent from people and businesses who want to make new works with them. "Trademarks only prevent you from using character names and depictions in a way that misleads consumers into thinking your work is produced or sponsored by the rightsholder," Duke University clarified in their January 1st explanation of Public Domain Day 2026 — "for example, by putting them on unlicensed merchandise. They do not prevent you from using them in a new creative work clearly unaffiliated with the rights owners..." "Regardless of who owns the later versions of the character, the original Betty Boop character from 1930 is in the public domain."This is another reason why copyright expiration is so important: It brings clarity... Under US copyright law, anyone is free to use characters as they appeared in public domain works. If those characters recur in later works that are still under copyright, the rights only extend to the newly added material in those works, not the underlying material from the public domain works — that content remains freely available. Second, with newer versions of characters, copyright only extends to those new features that qualify for such protection... Dozens of post-1930 Betty Boop cartoons, including Ker-Choo (1932) and Poor Cinderella (1934), did not have renewals. The newly added material in these animations is also in the public domain... To sum up the copyright story so far: in 2026, the underlying Betty Boop character goes into the public domain. She is joined there by the attributes, plot lines, and dialogue that were first introduced in those later cartoons without renewed copyrights, as well as the uncopyrightable attributes of her later instantiations... Certainly, there would be a risk of consumer confusion if you use Betty Boop as a brand identifier on the kind of merchandise Fleischer sells — jewelry, back packs, water bottles, dolls. Trademark law does protect Fleischer against that risk. Contrast these uses with simply putting the Boop character in a new artistic work. This is exactly what copyright expiration is intended to allow. Were trademark law to prevent this, then trademark rights would be leveraged to obtain the effective equivalent of a perpetual copyright — precisely what the Supreme Court said we cannot do... If courts have delineated the line between copyright and trademark, why is there so little clarity in this area? Sadly, companies sometimes claim to have more expansive rights than they actually do, capitalizing on fear, uncertainty, and doubt to collect royalties and licensing fees to which they are not legally entitled.


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • 'Fish Mouth' Filter Removes 99% of Microplastics From Laundry Waste
    "The ancient evolution of fish mouths could help solve a modern source of plastic pollution," writes ScienceAlert. "Inspired by these natural filtration systems, scientists in Germany have invented a way to remove 99 percent of plastic particles from water. It's based on how some fish filter-feed to eat microscopic prey."The research team has already filed a patent in Germany, and in the future, they hope their creation will help curb a ubiquitous form of plastic pollution that many are unaware of. Every time a load of laundry is done, millions of microplastics are washed from the fibers of our clothes into local waterways. By some estimates, up to 90 percent of plastic in 'sewage sludge' comes from washing machines. This material is then often used in agriculture as soil or fertilizer, possibly exposing those who eat the resulting crops to these pollutants... Unlike other plastic filtration systems on the market, this one reduces clogging by 85 percent.


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • A Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' Fungus Infected 7,000 Americans in 2025
    An anonymous reader shared this report from the Independent: Candida auris, a type of invasive yeast that can cause deadly infections in people with weakened immune systems, has infected at least 7,000 people [in 2025] across 27 U.S. states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fungus, which can spread easily in healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes, is gaining virulence and spreading at an "alarming" rate, the CDC says. Some strains of the fungus are particularly troublesome — and even considered a superbug — because they're resistant to all types of antibiotics used to treat fungal infections, The Hill reports. While healthy people may be able to fight off the infection on their own, the fungus can be deadly, especially in healthcare settings, where it can quickly spread amongst a vulnerable population. "If you get infected with this pathogen that's resistant to any treatment, there's no treatment we can give you to help combat it. You're all on your own," Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina, told Nexstar... A recent study found that Candida auris is gaining virulence and spreading rapidly, not just in the U.S., but also globally. Candida auris has already been found in at least 61 countries on six continents. Some context from Newsweek:There are strategies available to combat Candida auris infection. While the superbug can develop ways to evade the immune response, vaccination and treatment strategies are possible, but researchers would like them to be strengthened. Four classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, with varying degrees of efficacy, and three new drugs are currently in trials or at newly approved stages


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • Microsoft's Risky Bet That Windows Can Become The Platform for AI Agents
    "Microsoft is hoping that Windows can once again serve as the platform where it all takes off," reports GeekWire:A new framework called Agent Launchers, introduced in December as a preview in the latest Windows Insider build, lets developers register agents directly with the operating system. They can describe an agent through what's known as a manifest, which then lets the agent show up in the Windows taskbar, inside Microsoft Copilot, and across other apps... "We are now entering a phase where we build rich scaffolds that orchestrate multiple models and agents; account for memory and entitlements; enable rich and safe tools use," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a blog post this week looking ahead to 2026. "This is the engineering sophistication we must continue to build to get value out of AI in the real world...." [The article notes Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude will also offer desktop-style agentsthrough browsers and native apps, while Amazon is developing "frontier agents" for automating business processes in the cloud.] But Microsoft's Windows team is betting that agents tightly linked to the operating system will win out over ones that merely run on top of it, just as a new class of Windows apps replaced a patchwork of DOS programs in the early days of the graphical operating system. Microsoft 365 Copilot is using the Agent Launchers framework for first-party agents like Analyst, which helps users dig into data, and Researcher, which builds detailed reports. Software developers will be able to register their own agents when an app is installed, or on the fly based on things like whether a user is signed in or paying for a subscription... Agents are meant to maintain this context across apps, ask follow-up questions, and take actions on a user's behalf. That requires a different level of trust than Windows has ever had to manage, which is already raising difficult questions for the company. Microsoft acknowledges that agents introduce unique security risks. In a support document, the company warned that malicious content embedded in files or interface elements could override an agent's instructions — potentially leading to stolen data or malware installation. To address this, Microsoft says it has built a security framework that runs agents in their own contained workspace, with a dedicated user account that has limited access to user folders. The idea is to create a boundary between the agent and what the rest of the system can access. The agentic features are off by default, and Microsoft is advising users to "understand the security implications of enabling an agent on your computer" before turning them on... There is a business reality driving all of this. In Microsoft's most recent fiscal year, Windows and Devices generated $17.3 billion in revenue — essentially flat for the past three years. That's less than Gaming ($23.5 billion) and LinkedIn ($17.8 billion), and a fraction of the $98 billion in revenue from Azure and cloud services or the nearly $88 billion from Microsoft 365 commercial.


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


  • Trump Organization's $499 Smartphone Delayed Again, Now Until the End of January
    Last June the Trump organization announced sales of a $499 "T1" smartphone with a gold-colored case. But though they originally were scheduled for release in August, this week a customer service representative for the wireless carrier told CBS News the device will be pushed back again, now until the end of January, "attributing the delay to the recent U.S. government shutdown." Some context from The Independent:Shortly after the phone was first announced, language describing it as "Made in the USA" was removed from its official website with the vague claim that the devices are "brought to life" in the United States posted in its place... Other information about the phone has also changed or been removed since its first unveiling, The Verge has reported. Trump Mobile initially indicated the T1's screen measured 6.78 inches, but now claims it is 6.25 inches. It also said the phone had 12GB of RAM; however, that claim has now also disappeared. As the wait for the T1 continues, Trump Mobile has begun offering refurbished Samsung S23s, S24s, and Apple iPhone 15s and 16s for sale on its site, which appear to have no specific Trump branding and are priced considerably higher than customers might pay elsewhere.


    Read more of this story at Slashdot.


The Register

  • Techie turned the tables on office bullies with remote access rumble
    Meet the ‘Mean Avenger’, the office anti-hero who steps in when managers don’t defend their team
    Who, Me? How on earth is it 2026 already? The Register will ponder that existential matter after first presenting a new instalment of “Who, Me?” – the reader-contributed column in which we share your stories of things you shouldn’t do at work, and how you escape them unscathed.…


  • Trump admin sends heart emoji to commercial spyware makers with lifted Predator sanctions
    Also, Korean Air hacked, EmEditor installer hijacked, a perfect 10 router RCE vuln, and more
    infosec in brief The Trump administration has cleared a trio of individuals sanctioned by the Biden administration for involvement with the Intellexa spyware consortium behind the Predator surveillance tool, removing restrictions that had barred them from doing business with the US.…








  • Cybercrook claims to be selling infrastructure info about three major US utilities
    For the bargain price of 6.5 bitcoin
    A cybercrook claims to have breached Pickett and Associates, a Florida-based engineering firm whose clients include major US utilities, and is selling what they claim to be about 139 GB of engineering data about Tampa Electric Company, Duke Energy Florida, and American Electric Power. The price is 6.5 bitcoin, which amounts to about $585,000.…




Linux.com









  • Xen 4.19 is released
    Xen Project 4.19 has been officially out since July 31st, 2024, and it brings significant updates. With enhancements in performance, security, and versatility across various architectures like Arm, PPC, RISC-V, and x86, this release is an important milestone for the Xen community. Read more at XCP-ng Blog

    The post Xen 4.19 is released appeared first on Linux.com.


  • Advancing Xen on RISC-V: key updates
    At Vates, we are heavily invested in the advancement of Xen and the RISC-V architecture. RISC-V, a rapidly emerging open-source hardware architecture, is gaining traction due to its flexibility, scalability and openness, which align perfectly with our ethos of fostering open development ecosystems. Although the upstream version of Xen for RISC-V is not yet fully [0]

    The post Advancing Xen on RISC-V: key updates appeared first on Linux.com.


Phoronix



  • Manjaro Linux 26.0 Rolling Out - Xfce Edition Recommended If Wanting To Use X11
    Package updates for the Arch Linux powered Manjaro Linux distribution have been pushed out for Manjaro 26.0 "Anh-Linh" while updated ISOs are expected to soon become available. The Manjaro 26.0 milestone brings KDE Plasma 6.5 and GNOME 49 but with both of those you may lose X11 session support so they are recommending their Xfce Edition for wanting wanting to continue using an X.Org desktop session...


  • TrixiePup64 2601 Released For Debian 13 Powered Puppy Linux In Wayland & X11 Flavors
    For those with fond memories of Puppy Linux as a very lightweight Linux distribution, released last month was a new TrixiePup64 for continuing the Puppy Linux spirit atop Debian. The new TrixiePup64 is based on Debian 13 components while shipping in both X11 and Wayland flavors. Out now is TrixiePup64 2601 as the latest iteration of this lightweight Linux distribution...


  • Linux9s Hung Task Detector Will Be Able To Be Reset For Easing System Administration
    Worked on back in 2024 for the Linux kernel was a built-in counter to keep track of the number of hung tasks since boot. That feature for keeping track of the number of hung tasks since boot was merged in Linux 6.13 and exposed via /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_detect_count. For helping ease use around it, new code working its way to the kernel will allow resetting that "hung_task_detect_count" counter...


  • Patch Posted For Bringing Rock Band 4 PS4 / PS5 Guitar Support To Linux
    Following Linux 6.19 adding support for CRKD guitar controllers, new patches posted to the Linux kernel mailing list are bringing some additional guitar controllers to Linux. This latest work is around enabling the Rock Band 4 guitars for the PlayStation 4 and PS5 consoles to work under Linux...


  • New AMD Linux Driver Patches Posted For Batch Userptr Allocation Support
    A new feature being worked on recently for the AMDKFD kernel compute driver is batch user pointer "userptr" allocation support. With this new user-space API it will become possible to support allocating multiple non-contiguous CPU virtual address ranges that map to a single contiguous GPU virtual address...


  • Rust-Based Fjall 3.0 Released For Key-Value Storage Engine Akin To RocksDB
    In addition to the release of Stoolap 0.2 as a modern embedded SQL database written in Rust, Fjall 3.0 is available as another Rust-written database solution. Fjall is a log-structured, embedable key-value storage engine akin to RocksDB but with the benefit of being written in Rust. With Fjall 3.0 its performance is now very competitive...





Engadget"Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics"

  • L'Oréal’s CES 2026 beauty devices include a skin-like flexible LED mask
    Over the last ten or so years, L9Oréal has brought a taste of beauty tech to the masses at CES 2026. This time, it has three devices to show off: the “Light Straight + Multi-styler” as well as the helpfully named LED Face Mask and LED Eye Mask. 

    Don’t let the unassuming names mislead you. These three products actually harbor some unique traits. The Light Straight (and multi-styler, which I’m going to just call the Light Straight from here on), for instance, uses infrared light to help generate the heat required to style your hair. Meanwhile, the LED Face Mask is different from those made by companies like Dr. Dennis Gross, Omnilux, Therabody and Shark. Instead of fairly hard shells that sit rigidly on your face, L9Oréal’s version looks to be pliable and thin. 

    I haven’t seen this in person yet, though I do intend to do so as soon as possible, but the pictures of the LED Eye Mask look, and I mean this in the best way, ridonkulous. Not only do they appear supple, but they also seem to be transparent, with bulbs and wires you can see inside. In some of the images that the company provided, the masks are completely awash in red as the lights are on. In others, only parts of it are red. One of them even shows the masks sitting in a little carrying case and they almost look like wireless earbuds. I haven’t seen any photos of the LED Face Mask but I can imagine they’d be fairly similar to these.
    The L9Oréal LED Eye Mask in a carrying caseL9Oréal
    According to the press release, this “ultra-thin, flexible silicone mask” is currently “in prototype form” and was developed in collaboration with LED solutions company iSmart. The company said this mask “delivers light directly to the face” in 10-minute automatically timed sessions. That’s not too different from existing red light masks, but L’Oréal said it believes “the key to the mask’s effectiveness is its advanced, transparent support, which integrates a skin-safe microcircuit to precisely control the emission of two selected wavelengths of light—red light (630 nm) and near-infrared light (830 nm).”

    Since the mask is only launching in 2027, there aren’t details yet on pricing and availability, though the company’s global vice president of tech and open innovation Guive Balooch told Engadget that it would be a premium product that would sit somewhere below the highest priced offerings currently out there.

    One of my problems with full-face LED masks is that my skin always feels too parched under them, because you have to use them on clean, dry skin for 10 minutes at a time. Balooch told me that L9Oréal would have a serum developed to be used with its mask that would help with that, while also improving the effectiveness of the light treatment.

    That certainly is intriguing, and Balooch indicated that creating formulations that are designed to work with devices like the LED masks is a future direction for the company. 
    A pair of hands using the L9Oréal Light Straight and multi-styler on a person9s hair. L9Oréal
    I’m also interested in the Light Straight, which like the company’s AirLight Pro uses infrared light to help dry or style hair. According to the company’s press release, hair straighteners with “ordinary heating places can reach temperatures of 400°F and higher—above the threshold at which keratin denatures, leading to weakened cuticles, breakage and reduced shine.” For context, I used to turn my flatiron all the way up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit to tame my tresses (though these days I find a more reasonable 330 degrees is good enough).

    L’Oréal says the Light Straight and its “patented infrared light technology” can “help provide exceptional styling results at lower temperatures, to better protect the health of the hair.” The device’s glass plates never exceed 320 degrees, and the company says its testing found that the Light Straight is three times faster and leaves hair twice as smooth as “leading premium hair stylers.” I’m not sure how you would quantify smoothness, but I’m hopeful the results do pan out in the real world. 

    The Light Straight uses near-infrared light that L’Oréal says “penetrates deeply into hair fibers” to “reshape internal hydrogen bonds.” It also has sensors onboard with “built-in proprietary algorithms and machine learning” to adapt to your gestures “to maximize individual experience.” I’m not sure what that means, but I hope to find out more this week at CES. Given the Light Straight doesn’t launch till 2027, it’s not surprising that pricing and other details aren’t yet available. But for now, I’m keen to see companies continue to investigate novel, hopefully healthier ways for us to look and feel beautiful.
    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/loreals-ces-2026-beauty-devices-include-a-skin-like-flexible-led-mask-070000576.html?src=rss


  • Samsung’s Freestyle+ projector hands-on: Much brighter and impressively adaptable
    Samsung announced its newest portable projector ahead of its First Look showcase at CES 2026, but you might have been a little confused as to what’s changed. The company says the 2022 Freestyle projector, rated at 230 ISO lumens, which was pretty underwhelming. The new Freestyle+ can output at 430 ISO lumens. If this is the first you’re hearing of ISO Lumens, it’s an internationally standardized rating for projectors, intended to standardize manufacturers9 claims of brightness.

    It still looks very similar to its predecessors, with 160 degrees of rotation that makes it easy to set up in most homes, Airbnbs or meeting rooms. Samsung added support for Q-Symphony, allowing you to connect it to the company’s soundbars, if you conveniently have one nearby. While the sound quality of its built-in speaker was hard to test in the middle of a post-keynote trade show floor, you’ll probably want to augment the built-in speaker, if only because it’s so small.

    Vision AI, mentioned several times during Samsung’s CES keynote, is also built into the portable projector. You can summon Bixby to adjust settings and whatever you’re watching. Based on the demos I saw, you’ll need to speak into the remote to access Bixby.

    Other improvements bring the projector into 2026, with keystone correction and focus. The Freestyle+’s AI OptiScreen can calibrate projections to different wall surfaces and colors to improve visibility even on your most vivid walls.
    Mat Smith for Engadget
    The updated 3D Auto Keystone corrects distortion even when projecting onto uneven or non-flat surfaces, such as corners, curtains or angled walls. It’s hard to put into words, but pointing the Freestyle+ to a corner, or at an undulating curtain, and watching the image morph and contort was almost hypnotic. The premise is that you can point this at any area of your home (or even, say, the side of a tent), and the 3D Auto Keystone will flatten the image in seconds. 

    There’s also Screen Fit, which automatically adjusts the image to match a projector screen size. The Freestyle+ can project up to a 100-inch 1080p image, at maximum. However, Wall Calibration might be the most technically impressive in a device this size. It detects and analyzes the color of the projection surface and recalibrates the image’s color tone to minimize the effect. It can even detect and match a wall pattern to reduce visual interference, which worked well in person. The Samsung spokesperson used the aforementioned Bixby voice commands to calibrate the screen.

    If there’s still something to address, it’s that this portable projector must be plugged in to operate. When that can be either a power bank or a wall outlet, it seems a bit cheeky to call it portable.

    Samsung typically announces prices and launch dates once the CES dust has settled, but it9s set to arrive in the first half of 2026. Previous iterations cost around $900, but early impressions suggest it’s a versatile, petite projector. 
    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsung-freestyle-plus-projector-hands-on-ces-2026-060840386.html?src=rss


  • Samsung brought an absolute beast of a 130-inch Micro RGB TV to CES 2026
    Amid endless AI hype and a guest visit from the CEO of Hartford Steam Boiler (?!), Samsung had a big surprise for us tonight at CES 2026: A massive 130-inch Micro RGB TV. It’s so large, it’s suspended by a large metal stand that surrounds the entire screen, which also lets you tilt the screen just a bit. (For the Samsung diehards, it’s basically a reinvention of its “timeless gallery” stand from 2013.) I imagine bringing this TV home would be like Bart Simpson adopting his beloved elephant Stampy: Your pets would be terrified, and your family would probably be annoyed at this television dominating so much of your home.

    But boy, it sure looks amazing in person. Just like LG’s Micro RGB set, it’s using an evolved form of Mini LED technology that allows for far better color accuracy and richness. As I fought through the crowds of Samsung’s CES First Look event to catch a glimpse of it, I couldn’t help but notice how everyone just looked a bit stunned, like the monkeys from 2001 seeing the monolith for the first time.
    Samsung9s 130-inch Micro RGB TV from the side.Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
    Samsung representatives were clear that this Micro RGB set was only a concept of what the company could do with the technology, it’s not an actual product it plans to ship. In another demo, Samsung took the 130-inch screen and mounted it directly on a wall (below). Of course, it still looked stunning. I also learned that if you wanted to wall mount the “timeless gallery” stand concept, you actually have to mount the entire stand to the wall, since it’s part of the TV’s speaker system.

    Samsung didn’t have too many details about the technical aspects of the 130-inch Micro RGB TV, but it did shout buzzwords at us during its announcement. it’s powered by the company’s “Micro RGB AI Engine Pro” processor, which includes “Micro RGB Color Booster Pro” and “Micro RGB HDR Pro” technology, using AI to “enhance dull tones and refine contrast, delivering vivid color and subtle detail across bright and dark scenes alike for realism and picture fidelity.”
    Samsung9s 130-inch Micro RGB TV mounted in a wall.Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
    The Micro RGB set also sports the company’s Glare Free technology to reduce reflections, and it supports HDR 10+ Advanced and the company’s Eclipsa Audio. It can also tap into Samsung’s Vision AI Companion for conversational search, as well as Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity.

    But of course, those details really don’t matter, because you won’t be able to buy the 130-inch Micro RGB TV in its current form. We were impressed by last year’s 115-inch model, but its $30,000 price didn’t make it feasible for anyone but the ultra-rich. And those folks would be better off investing in Samsung’s own Micro LED sets, which offer the benefits of OLED that Micro RGB does not. (Sure, those TVs start at $110,000, but for that’s not exactly a huge leap for those with deep pockets.)
    Samsung9s 130-inch Micro RGB TV from the rear.Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsung-brought-an-absolute-beast-of-a-130-inch-micro-rgb-tv-to-ces-2026-060245387.html?src=rss


  • Samsung Music Studio 5 and 7 hands-on: Unique speaker designs debut at CES 2026
    In addition to its annual soundbar updates, Samsung debuted two new home speakers at CES 2026. The Music Studio 5 and 7 are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi units designed to blend in with your home decor thanks to their minimalist look. They certainly don’t look like your typical speakers, and Samsung has packed them with features that it says will ensure optimal sound quality from each one. 

    The Music Studio 5 has a four-inch woofer and two tweeters, and a sound profile that’s optimized by AI Dynamic Bass Control. The design is an interesting interplay between a circle and a square, but the speaker delivers crisp, clear sound — even in the roar of a CES demo area. The Music Studio 5 will also come in a smattering of colors, which could lend a pop to a bookshelf. Controls line the top edge, including one-touch access to Spotify.
    Samsung Music Studio 7Billy Steele for Engadget
    If you’re looking for something more robust, the Music Studio 7 is a 3.1.1-channel unit that’s capable of four-direction spatial audio and high-resolution listening. Samsung says you can enjoy tunes at up to up to 24-bit/96kHz and the speaker can be used as part of a turntable setup. The sound here is more robust as I heard noticeably more bass from the 7 than on the 5. The various control buttons are up top here as well, positioned near the front of the speaker for easy access.

    You can also use up to four Music Studio speakers as a surround sound setup in your living room. I listened to a brief demo where Samsung was using four Music Studio 7 units in a makeshift home theater. This combo provided great immersion, with lots of detail in the directional sound in the clips being broadcast on the connected TV. Samsung also says you can use up to 10 Music Studio speakers for audio only.

    The company didn’t announce any pricing details yet, but that’s likely to come just before the Music Studio speakers are available for purchase. That date is TBD as well.
    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/samsung-music-studio-5-and-7-hands-on-unique-speaker-designs-debut-at-ces-2026-052009007.html?src=rss


  • Samsung HW-QS90H soundbar hands-on: Impressive bass performance without a subwoofer
    We’re used to Samsung updating its Q990 soundbar at CES every year, and 2026 is no different. However, the company also debuted the HW-QS90H: a new all-in-one option that Samsung says won’t require a standalone subwoofer due to its Quad Bass Woofer system. The QS90H offers 7.1.2-channel audio with 13 total drivers. Before the show properly kicks off, we got to listen to the new soundbar for a quick judge of its merits. 

    The first thing I noticed about the QS90H is its impressive bass performance. Most of the time when a company claims its soundbar doesn’t need a subwoofer, that proves to be untrue. But even in the chaos of a noisy demo area, I could clearly hear the bassy thump coming from the QS90H’s built-in subwoofers. For once, I think would-be buyers could get by without a sub, especially in smaller living rooms.

    Samsung achieved this with two of those Quad woofers. These drivers push air in two directions rather than just one, which helps with the extra low-end tone. The company didn’t sacrifice clarity either. The nine additional drivers, positioned for front, side, wide and up firing sound, provide the clear detail I’ve come to expect from Samsung.
    Samsung QS90H soundbarBilly Steele for Engadget
    The QS90H also features Samsung’s Convertible Fit Design technology that debuted on the QS700F last year. This tool allows you to sit the soundbar flat on a shelf or mantle, or rotate it to mount on the wall. Built-in sensors automatically adjust the driver performance for each orientation, so that sound quality isn’t affected by the selected positioning. During my demo, I didn’t notice any difference in performance when the orientation changed. In fact, the QS90H looks a lot like the QS700F on the outside, with similar grille patters and control designs.

    Samsung didn’t announce pricing or availability tonight, but that’s likely to come just prior to any on-sale date.


    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsung-hw-qs90h-soundbar-hands-on-impressive-bass-performance-without-a-subwoofer-045727939.html?src=rss


  • LG TVs at CES 2026: A stunning Wallpaper set, glorious Micro RGB colors and a better Gallery TV
    LG usually announces its CES TV lineup well ahead of the show, but this year the company had a surprise at CES 2026: The return of its ultra-thin "Wallpaper" TV. Now it9s toting a gorgeous OLED screen and wireless connectivity, and it9s about as thin as a pencil. We got a chance to check out the Wallpaper TV in action during a CES preview event, as well as the previously announced Gallery and Micro RGB sets. LG still has its typically OLED and LED sets around, but it9s clear that 2026 will be filled with intriguing TVs for a variety of consumers.
    LG9s 2026 Wallpaper OLED TVDevindra Hardawar for EngadgetThe Wallpaper TV (LG W6)
    If money were no object, I9d want a 100-inch LG Wallpaper TV in my family room immediately. It looks shockingly thin in person — almost as if it9s some sort of sci-fi prop — and it delivers the rich colors and dark levels we expect from OLED. Cable management is also a cinch, since it requires just a single power cable. The A/V inputs are handled by LG9s One Connect box, which you can position wirelessly up to 10 meters away from the TV.
    LG9s 2026 Wallpaper OLED TV from the rearDevindra Hardawar for Engadget
    The LG W6 combines the best of LG9s OLED technology, including "Hyper Radiant Color" for improved black levels and color, "Brightness Booster Ultra" to crank up luminance 3.9 times more than conventional OLEDs and a reflection free screen material. LG9s Alpha 9 Gen 3 processor beefs up its performance, and its NPU also helps to improve upscaling and overall image performance. (And yes, you can also access generative AI features via Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, if you9re into that sort of thing.)

    All of that adds up to one of the most remarkable TVs I9ve seen in years. I haven9t been too enamored with other TV gimmicks lately, like everything trying to mimic Samsung9s The Frame, or the usless 8K sets. But a super-thin wireless TV with the best OLED panel available? That9s the stuff dreams are made of.
    LG9s 2026 Gallery TVDevindra Hardawar for EngadgetThe Gallery TV competes with Samsung’s Frame
    While LG has made Gallery TVs before, in 2026 it9s making a more concerted effort to take on Samsung9s popular Frame TV. LG says the new sets were designed with the help of museum curators, which helps the "Gallery Mode" adjust brightness and contrast to specific works of art. They also ship with magnetic frame-like bezels, and they have anti-reflective screens to help make the art shine.

    In person, the new Gallery TV looks fine, though it9s easy to tell that the colors and contrast levels don9t match LG9s premium OLED TVs. To avoid burn-in issues, these sets feature Mini LED panels. As I noted above, I9m not the core consumer for one of these TVs, but it9s nice to see more competition against Samsung9s Frame TVs. (Despite pioneering the idea of TVs displaying art, the Frame sets are still fairly mediocre when it comes to actually watching TV shows and movies.)
    LG9s Micro RGB TVDevindra Hardawar for EngadgetMicro RGB looks like a genuine Mini LED upgrade
    As if we needed more TV acronyms to worry about, say hello to Micro RGB, a new technology built atop Mini LED to cover vastly more color range. Just don9t confuse it with Micro LED, which is the wildly expensive evolutionary step forward for OLED. LG already announced its Micro RGB set a few weeks ago, but that didn9t prepare me for standing in front of the 100-inch demo TV it brought to CES. Throughout a variety of clips, colors looked wonderfully rich, and the overall texture of the images looked surprisingly life-like.

    I9d have to compare it to LG9s Wall TV side-by-side to truly see how Micro RGB competes with OLED, but technically OLED should still offer better contrast and black levels, since each of its pixels are self-emissive. But sure, if I couldn9t get a 100-inch Wall TV in my family room, I certainly wouldn9t turn down an enormous Micro RGB.
    What about LG9s other OLED TVs?
    All of the next-generation OLED technology in the wallpaper TV will also make its way into LG9s G6 OLED models, while the new C6 and other lines will see improvements of their own. All I can say is that the new G6 OLED looked impressive, with a noticeably brighter picture and HDR elements compared to G-series OLEDs from several years ago.


    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-tvs-at-ces-2026-a-stunning-wallpaper-set-glorious-micro-rgb-colors-and-a-better-gallery-tv-033739600.html?src=rss


  • LG brought back the Wallpaper TV for CES and ditched the companion sound bar
    It9s been nearly 10 years since LG first introduced its Wallpaper TV that was so thin that the mounting process felt like applying wallpaper. After eventually discontinuing the ultra-thin TVs in 2020, LG is finally reviving the Wallpaper TV series with the OLED evo W6 that will make its debut at CES 2026. LG is marketing the updated Wallpaper TV as the "world9s thinnest" OLED that9s truly wireless, making some major upgrades to the original.

    Instead of the companion soundbar that housed all the ports, LG designed the Zero Connect Box that hosts all the inputs and can transmit from up to roughly 32 feet away. It9s similar to what Samsung has been doing with its Wireless One Connect Box, which is often paired with its Frame TV lineup. While you won9t have to worry about a web of tangled wires or a clunky soundbar, the OLED evo W6 measures slightly thicker at 9mm, compared to its predecessor9s hyperthin 2.6mm measurement. That9s more than three times the thickness, but it9s still impressive if you consider that the W6 will feel about as thick as putting an iPhone 17 Pro Max against your wall.
    LG
    The latest Wallpaper TV does come with plenty of improvements, though, including LG9s third-gen α 11 Processor. LG also added its new Hyper Radiant Color Technology to the W6, which translates to deeper blacks, improved colors and higher brightness levels. There9s even a Brightness Booster Ultra feature that LG claims results in four times the brightness of conventional OLED. To complement the extra nits, LG specifically designed a screen that reduces reflections for the Wallpaper TV.

    The updated W6 can handle gaming better, too, since it supports a 4K 165Hz refresh rate and has a 0.1 pixel response time that9s crucial for competitive gaming. LG added compatibility with NVIDIA9s G-Sync, AMD9s FreeSync Premium, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. When you9re not using the Wallpaper TV, LG has its Gallery+ feature that can display screensaver visuals, personal photos or images created with generative AI.
    LG
    LG didn9t reveal what sizes the upgraded Wallpaper TV would be available in, but it will be on display later this week at CES 2026. LG hasn9t offered any clues about pricing yet either, but we wouldn9t be surprised to see an equally shocking price as compared to the last Wallpaper TV, which cost up to $20,000.
    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-brought-back-the-wallpaper-tv-for-ces-and-ditched-the-companion-sound-bar-030057927.html?src=rss


  • Sweekar turns the Tamagotchi into a physical AI pocket pet that won't die on you
    Takway, a startup that wants to be the "Nintendo of the AI robot era," has unveiled a Tamagotchi-like virtual pet at CES 2026 that9s meant to go with you everywhere and develop a unique personality in the process. Sweekar is an AI companion built into a palm-sized toy, a cutesy egg-shaped device with ears and a screen for its face. As with a Tamagotchi, you9ll have to feed and play with it to keep it happy and healthy, and its mood and facial expressions will reflect your care. But this virtual pet will remember your voice and the activities you9ve done together — and once it9s grown up, it will keep itself entertained, go off on its own virtual excursions (kind of like a Finch birb) and bring back tales of its adventures.  
    The Sweekar pocket pet being placed into a large brown checkered purseTakway
    Sweekar comes in pink, yellow and blue, but there will also be the option to switch up the shells and buy silly little outfits for it, because why not. The pocket pet has four life stages, becoming less needy as it grows.

    It starts out as a closed egg for its two-day incubation period, after which it will "break" its shell to reveal a face. From then on, you have to keep it alive with care tasks and attention in order to raise it through the baby and teen stages. Once it9s an adult though, it will be able to care for itself autonomously. That means you no longer run the risk of killing it through neglect. Sweekar is unkillable from Level 51 on. (At least, in the virtual sense. Hardware can always break, and you9ll have to keep it charged).
    Two Sweekar devices are pictured on a table, one wearing a pink and blue snowboarder outfit and the other (behind it) wearing a cowboy hat and outfitKarissa Bell for Engadget
    There9s no set price for it just yet, but Sweekar will likely fall within the $100-$150 range once it becomes available. The company says it will soon be launching a Kickstarter campaign.
    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/sweekar-turns-the-tamagotchi-into-a-physical-ai-pocket-pet-that-wont-die-on-you-023525228.html?src=rss


  • Japanese startup Ludens AI brought two very adorable robots to CES 2026
    CES 2026 is already shaping up to be an interesting year for robots. But while some companies are chasing humanoids that can help you do stuff, there are also a surprising number of robots whose main job is to be cute and keep you company.

    Japanese startup Ludens AI is showing off two extremely adorable robot companions at CES. Cocomo is an autonomous robot pet that can follow you around the house and respond to voice and touch. It has a fuzzy, egg-shaped body, but the version we saw at CES was wearing an orange suit with ears that made it look a bit like a teddy bear. It was moving around on a wheeled base, but it also has tiny legs if you prefer to carry it around and hold it. 

    Cocoo9s exterior is meant to stay close to human body temperature at 98.6 degrees fahrenheit and the company says it will rise up to 102 degrees in "high contact" situations like hugging it. And while Cocomo can interact and respond to your actions, it "speaks" with hums and other sounds rather than words.
    Ludens AI brought some very cute robots to CES 2026. This is Cocomo, a robot pet that9s designed to be a companion. It can follow you around and learn about you over time. pic.twitter.com/rj6dLXN4h4
    — Karissa Bell (@karissabe) January 5, 2026
    We didn9t get to witness many of its abilities in action due to the loud environment, but Ludens says that Cocomo is designed to bond with its owners over time. "Cocomo engages through spontaneous gestures, imitation, and gentle initiation - learning what makes you laugh, what comforts you, and when to surprise you," the company says. 

    Ludens didn9t share pricing or availability info for Cocomo, but has a waitlist where you can sign up for updates in a forthcoming crowdfunding campaign. 
    Ludens AI9s Inu robot.Karissa Bell for Engadget
    Ludens also showed off a smaller, but also very adorable, robot called Inu, which it describes as a "desktop alien pupu." Rather than a robot that can move with you from room to room, Inu is meant to sit on your desk and keep you company while you work. It can also interact via audio and movement. It has a little tail that wiggles in response to voice and touch and its single eye can "blink." 

    Ludens plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign for Inu later this year.



    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/japanese-startup-ludens-ai-brought-two-very-adorable-robots-to-ces-2026-021914130.html?src=rss


  • PartyStudio is a wireless MIDI speaker with 128 built-in instrument sounds
    There are a slew of keyboards and apps that help people learn how to play the piano, but a small company called PopuMusic is showing off an intriguing set of products at CES to make the process easier. PartyKeys and PartyStudio are a 36-key MIDI keyboard and MIDI / Bluetooth speaker that pair together in seamless fashion. The PartyStudio is particularly interesting because it has a built-in library of 128 instrument tones and more than 50 different drum machine patterns. Naturally, it works with the PartyKeys, but any MIDI keyboard can connect to it and use those sounds.

    The PartyStudio and PartyKeys both use NFC to connect to each other — you can just tap and hold the keyboard up to the speaker for pairing. You can connect up to three devices using MIDI over Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE MIDI) as well as a fourth using a wired connection. If you have more than one keyboard, meanwhile, you can connect them together with NFC as well — you can pair three keyboards together total, giving you a huge 108-key surface to play.

    Both the PartyStudio and PartyKeys have an understated but appealing look to them (they’re available in black or white) and feel quite substantial and well-made. PopuMusic has been releasing hardware via Kickstarters campaigns for a few years now, so even though they’re a relatively small and new company they have some experience in this department. The speaker seems to hit a nice balance of portability and power; it has two tweeters and two woofers and weighs in at 3.75 pounds. It’s about 13.5 inches wide, 5.2 inches tall and 4 inches deep, so it’s not a tiny speaker you’ll just throw in your bag, but it still feels easy to tote around thanks to its attached handle.

    The other trick that the PartyStudio and PartyKeys have is on the software side. Using a companion app, multiple people can play along with a song. The light-up keyboard can show you what to play, and if you have multiple people playing each keyboard can display complimentary parts. It starts with simple three-key chord voicings, but I also saw a demo that used a familiar Guitar Hero-style interface of different notes flying down the screen, making for a more involved and advanced performance.

    The PartyKeys are up for order on Kickstarter now for $199, while the PartyStudio costs $349. The company says they’re on track to ship both products in Q1 of 2026.
    This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/partystudio-is-a-wireless-midi-speaker-with-128-built-in-instrument-sounds-015511003.html?src=rss


OSnews

  • Desktop Classic System wants to bring some classic Mac OS to MATE and Debian
    Desktop Classic System is an operating system based on Debian and a customized version of the MATE Desktop Environment that hearkens back to, but is not a direct copy of, the classic Mac OS. DCS seeks to provide and sometimes even improve upon the conceptual simplicity offered by the old Macintosh. ↫ Desktop Classic System website Im usually not particularly interested in reporting on random Linux distributions, but any one of them that defaults to a proper spatial file manager is one that I will highlight. Im not entirely sure if this is just a supported feature of MATEs file manager, or something more custom  there are some patches to Caja here, as mentioned  but spatial file managers are a dying breed and thats a shame. Theyre hard to implement and even harder to get right, which is probably why few people take on the challenge. Other than that, DCS isnt particularly revolutionary or special, but Id love for more Linux distributions to look back at what weve lost, and see if we can bring those things back.


  • KDE developer onboarding is good now
    KDE developer Herz published a detailed look at the immense amount of work theyve done cleaning up the developer onboarding documentation for KDE. All that just to say that I’m finally content with the state of beginner onboarding docs in our KDE Developer Platform. That is to say, all the beginner docs fixes I wanted to add to Develop are either already there or have merge requests ready or almost ready. ↫ Herz at rabbitictranslator.com Judging by the article, KDEs developer documentation really were in need of major work, and its great to see that thankless task being done. One of the areas where KDE lags behind GNOME is that the latter has a more vibrant application ecosystem, with tons of great GNOME applications under active development. Now, Im not saying its the state of KDEs documentation is the sole reason for this, but Im sure it wasnt helping either. Improving documentation is not a particularly glamorous task, but its vitally important nonetheless.


  • The scariest boot loader code
    It shouldnt be surprising that the HP-UX FAQ eventually grew an entry for how can I make a 712 run headless!. It was possible, and to do it you had to change the firmware console! path. The 712 firmware would not allow you to do this, to keep you locked to a keyboard and frame buffer console, but some of the HP-UX standalone tools could be used to change this without the firmware getting in the way, so the FAQ recipe was roughly abort the boot sequence, at the BOOT_ADMINb prompt, do not start the HP-UX kernel but some diagnostic tool, and then at the tools prompt, type a magic sequence without any mistake or youll be very, very, very sorry!. There was no exaggeration in these words: the magic sequence is conspath 2/0/4.0x283, which is everything but intuitive and easy to remember. ↫ Miod Vallat What a great story.


  • IceWM 4.0.0 brings alt+tab improvements
    IceWM, the venerable X11 window manager, has released a new version, bumping the version number to 4.0.0. This release brings a big update to the alt+tab feature. The Alt+Tab window switcher can now handle large numbers of application windows in both horizontal and in vertical mode. Type the first letter of an application class name in Alt+Tab, to select the next instance window of that application class. Select an application by pressing one of the number keys. Select an application by mouse in Alt+Tab in horizontal mode. Support navigating the quick switch with all navigation keys. Press the menu button on Alt+Tab to open the system menu. QuickSwitchPreview is a new mode to preview applications. These previews are updated while the quick switch is active. ↫ IceWM 4.0 release notes On top of this major set of improvements to alt+tab, theres the usual list of bug fixes and small changes, as well as a bunch if updated translations.


  • Haiku gets accelerated NVIDIA graphics driver
    The new year isnt even a day old, and Haiku developer X512 dropped something major in Haiku users laps: the first alpha version of an accelerated NVIDIA graphics drivers for Haiku. Supporting at least NVIDIA Turing and Ampere GPUs, its very much in alpha state, but does allow for proper GPU acceleration, with the code surely making its way to Haiku builds in the near future. Dont expect a flawless experience  this is alpha software  but even then, this is a major milestone for Haiku.


  • HP-UX hits end-of-life today, and Im sad
    Its 31 December 2025 today, the last day of the year, but it also happens to mark the end of support for the last and final version of one of my favourite operating systems: HP-UX. Today is the day HPE puts the final nail in the coffin of their long-running UNIX operating system, marking the end of another vestige of the heyday of the commercial UNIX variants, a reign ended by cheap x86 hardware and the increasing popularisation of Linux. HP-UX versioning is a bit of a convoluted mess for those not in the know, but the versions that matter are all part of the HP-UX 11i family. HP-UX 11i v1 and v2 (also known as 11.11 and 11.23, respectively) have been out of support for exactly a decade now, while HP-UX 11i v3 (also known as 11.31) is the version whose support ends today. To further complicate matters, like 11i v2, HP-UX 11i v3 supports two hardware platforms: HP 9000 (PA-RISC) and HP Integrity (Intel Itanium). Support for the HP-UX 11i v3 variant for HP 9000 ended exactly four years ago, and today marks the end of support for HP-UX 11i v3 for HP Integrity. And thats all she wrote. I have two HP-UX 11i v1 PA-RISC workstations, one of them being my pride and joy: an HP c8000, the last and fastest PA-RISC workstation HP ever made, back in 2005. Its a behemoth of a machine with two dual-core PA-8900 processors running at 1Ghz, 8 GB of RAM, a FireGL X3 graphics card, and a few other fun upgrades like an internal LTO3 tape drive that I use for keeping a bootable recovery backup of the entire system. It runs HP-UX 11i v1, fully updated and patched as best one can do considering how many patches have either vanished from the web or have never leaked! from HPE (most patches from 2009 onwards are not available anywhere without an expensive enterprise support contract). The various versions of HP-UX 11i come with a variety operating environments! you can choose from, depending on the role your installation is supposed to fulfill. In the case of my c8000, its running the Technical Computing Operating Environment, which is the OE intended for workstations. HP-UX 11i v1 was the last PA-RISC version of the operating system to officially support workstations, with 11i v2 only supporting Itanium workstations. There are some rumblings online that 11i v2 will still work just fine on PA-RISC workstations, but I have not yet tried this out. My c8000 also has a ton of other random software on it, of course, and only yesterday I discovered that the most recent release of sudo configures, compiles, and installs from source just fine on it. Sadly, a ton of other modern open source code does not run on it, considering the slightly outdated toolchain on HP-UX and few people willing and/or able to add special workarounds for such an obscure platform. Over the past few years, Ive been trying to get into contact with HPE about the state of HP-UX patches, software, and drivers, which are slowly but surely disappearing from the web. A decent chunk is archived on various websites, but a lot of it isnt, which is a real shame. Most patches from 2009 onwards are unavailable, various software packages and programs for HP-UX are lost to time, HP-UX installation discs and ISOs later than 2006-2009 are not available anywhere, and everything that is available is only available via non-sanctioned means, if you know what I mean. Sadly, I never managed to get into contact with anyone at HPE, and my concerns about HP-UX preservation seem to have fallen on deaf ears. With the end-of-life date now here, Im deeply concerned even more will go missing, and the odds of making the already missing stuff available are only decreasing. Ive come to accept that very few people seem to hold any love for or special attachment to HP-UX, and that very few people care as much about its preservation as I do. HP-UX doesnt carry the movie star status of IRIX, nor the benefits of being available as both open source and on commodity hardware as Solaris, so far fewer people have any experience with it or have developed a fondness for it. HP-UX didnt star in a Steven Spielberg blockbuster, it didnt leave behind influential technologies like ZFS. Despite being supported up until today, its mostly forgotten  and not even HPE itself seems to care. And that makes me sad. When you raise your glasses tonight to mark the end of 2025 and welcome the new year, spare a thought for the UNIX everyone forgot still exists. I know I will.


  • loss32: lets build a Win32/Linux
    Id just like to interject for a moment. What youre refering to as Linux, is in fact, Win32/Linux, or as Ive recently taken to calling it, loss32 Win32 plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning system made useful by WINE, the ReactOS userland, and other vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by Microsoft. ↫ The loss32 homepage Joking introduction aside, this is exactly what you think it is: a Linux kernel with the Windows user interface running on top through Wine. Im sure quite a few of use mused about this very concept at some point in time, but hikari_no_yume went a step further and created this working concept. Its rough around the edges and needs a ton of work, but I do think the idea is sound and could offer real benefits for certain types of users. Its definitely a more realistic idea than ReactOS, a project thats perpetually chasing the dragon but never coming even close to catching it. Not having to recreate the entire Windows NT kernel, drivers, and subsystems, and using Linux instead, is simply a more realistic approach that could bring results within our lifetimes. The added benefit here is that this could still run Linux applications, too, of course. hikari_no_yume is looking for help with the project, and I hope they find it. This is a great idea, with an absolutely amazing name, too.


  • Windows 2 for the Apricot PC/Xi
    Nina Kalinina has been on an absolute roll lately, diving deep into VisiOn, uncovering Bellcore MGR, installing Linux on a PC-98 machine, and much more. This time, shes ported Windows 2 to run on a machine it was never supposed to run on. I bought my first Apricot PC about three years ago, when I realised I wanted an 8086-based computer. At the time, I knew nothing about it and simply bought it because it looked rad and the price was low. I had no idea that it was not IBM PC-compatible, and that there were very few programs available for it. I have been on a quest to get a modern-ish word processor and spreadsheet program for it ever since. Which eventually made me port! Windows 2 on it. In this post, I will tell you the story of this port. ↫ Nina Kalinina To get Windows 2 working on the Apricot, Kalinina had to create basic video, keyboard, and mouse drivers, allowing Windows 2 to boot into text mode. I wasnt aware of this, but Windows 2 in text mode is funky: its rendering all the text you would see in a full Windows 2 user interface, just without any of the user interface elements. Further developing the video driver from scratch turned out to be too big of an undertaking for now, so she opted to extract the video driver from Windows 1 instead  which required a whole other unique approach. The keyboard and mouse drivers were extracted from Windows 1 in the same way. The end result is a fully working copy of Windows 2, including things like Word and Excel, which was the original goal in the first place. There arent many people around doing stuff like this, and its great to see such very peculiar, unique itches being scratched. Even if this is only relevant for exactly one person, its still been worth it.


  • What an unprocessed photo looks like
    I knew digital cameras and phones had to do a lot of processing and other types of magic to output anything human eyes can work with, but I had no idea just how much. This is wild.


  • Apples terrible UI design is not the fault of just one fall guy
    Theres been endless talk online about just how bad Apples graphical user interface design has become over the years, culminating in the introduction of Liquid Glass across all of the companys operating systems this year. Despite all the gnawing of teeth and scathing think pieces before the final rollout, it seems the average Apple user simply doesnt care as much about GUI design as Apple bloggers thought they did, as there hasnt been any uproar or stories in local media about how you should hold off on updating your iPhone. The examples of just how bad Apples GUI design has become keep on coming, though. This time its Howard Oakley showing once again how baffling the macOS UI is these days. If someone had told me 12 months ago what was going to happen this past year, I wouldn’t have believed them. Skipping swiftly past all the political, economic and social turmoil, I come to the interface changes brought in macOS Tahoe with Liquid Glass. After three months of strong feedback during beta-testing, I was disappointed when Tahoe was released on 15 September to see how little had been addressed. When 26.1 followed on 3 November it had only regressed, and 26.2 has done nothing. Here I summarise my opinions on where Tahoe’s overhaul has gone wrong. ↫ Howard Oakley at The Eclectic Light Company Apple bloggers and podcasters are hell-bent on blaming Apples terrible GUI design over the past 10 years on one man. Their first target was Jony Ive, who was handed control over not just hardware design, but also software design in 2012. When he left Apple, GUI design at Apple would finally surely improve again, and the Apple bloggers and podcasters let out a sigh of relief. History would turn out different, though  under Ives successor, Alan Dye, Apples downward trajectory in this area would continue unabated, culminating in the Liquid Glass abomination. Now that Alan Dye has left Apple, history is repeating itself: the very same Apple bloggers and podcasters are repeating themselves  surely now that Alan Dye is gone, GUI design at Apple will finally surely improve again. The possibility that GUI design at Apple does not hinge on the whims of just one person, but that instead the entire company has lost all sense of taste and craftmanship in this area does not cross their minds. Everyone around Jony Ive and Alan Dye, both below, alongside, and above them, had to sign off on Apples recent direction in GUI design, and the idea that the entire company would blindly follow whatever one person says, quality be damned, would have me far more worried as an Apple fan. At this point, its clear that Apples inability to design and build quality user interfaces is not the fault of just one fall guy, but an institutional problem. Anyone expecting a turnaround just because Ive Dye is gone isnt seeing the burning forest through the trees.



Linux Journal News

  • EU OS: A Bold Step Toward Digital Sovereignty for Europe
    Image
    A new initiative, called "EU OS," has been launched to develop a Linux-based operating system tailored specifically for the public sector organizations of the European Union (EU). This community-driven project aims to address the EU's unique needs and challenges, focusing on fostering digital sovereignty, reducing dependency on external vendors, and building a secure, self-sufficient digital ecosystem.
    What Is EU OS?
    EU OS is not an entirely novel operating system. Instead, it builds upon a Linux foundation derived from Fedora, with the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It draws inspiration from previous efforts such as France's GendBuntu and Munich's LiMux, which aimed to provide Linux-based systems for public sector use. The goal remains the same: to create a standardized Linux distribution that can be adapted to different regional, national, and sector-specific needs within the EU.

    Rather than reinventing the wheel, EU OS focuses on standardization, offering a solid Linux foundation that can be customized according to the unique requirements of various organizations. This approach makes EU OS a practical choice for the public sector, ensuring broad compatibility and ease of implementation across diverse environments.
    The Vision Behind EU OS
    The guiding principle of EU OS is the concept of "public money – public code," ensuring that taxpayer money is used transparently and effectively. By adopting an open-source model, EU OS eliminates licensing fees, which not only lowers costs but also reduces the dependency on a select group of software vendors. This provides the EU’s public sector organizations with greater flexibility and control over their IT infrastructure, free from the constraints of vendor lock-in.

    Additionally, EU OS offers flexibility in terms of software migration and hardware upgrades. Organizations can adapt to new technologies and manage their IT evolution at a manageable cost, both in terms of finances and time.

    However, there are some concerns about the choice of Fedora as the base for EU OS. While Fedora is a solid and reliable distribution, it is backed by the United States-based Red Hat. Some argue that using European-backed projects such as openSUSE or KDE's upcoming distribution might have aligned better with the EU's goal of strengthening digital sovereignty.
    Conclusion
    EU OS marks a significant step towards Europe's digital independence by providing a robust, standardized Linux distribution for the public sector. By reducing reliance on proprietary software and vendors, it paves the way for a more flexible, cost-effective, and secure digital ecosystem. While the choice of Fedora as the base for the project has raised some questions, the overall vision of EU OS offers a promising future for Europe's public sector in the digital age.

    Source: It's FOSS
    European Union


  • Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight

    Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight

    Linux kernel lead developer Linus Torvalds has admitted to forgetting to release version 6.14, attributing the oversight to his own lapse in memory. Torvalds is known for releasing new Linux kernel candidates and final versions on Sunday afternoons, typically accompanied by a post detailing the release. If he is unavailable due to travel or other commitments, he usually informs the community ahead of time, so users don’t worry if there’s a delay.

    In his post on March 16, Torvalds gave no indication that the release might be delayed, instead stating, “I expect to release the final 6.14 next weekend unless something very surprising happens.” However, Sunday, March 23rd passed without any announcement.

    On March 24th, Torvalds wrote in a follow-up message, “I’d love to have some good excuse for why I didn’t do the 6.14 release yesterday on my regular Sunday afternoon schedule,” adding, “But no. It’s just pure incompetence.” He further explained that while he had been clearing up unrelated tasks, he simply forgot to finalize the release. “D'oh,” he joked.

    Despite this minor delay, Torvalds’ track record of successfully managing the Linux kernel’s development process over the years remains strong. A single day’s delay is not critical, especially since most Linux users don't urgently need the very latest version.

    The new 6.14 release introduces several important features, including enhanced support for writing drivers in Rust—an ongoing topic of discussion among developers—support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile chip, a fix for the GhostWrite vulnerability in certain RISC-V processors from Alibaba’s T-Head Semiconductor, and a completed NTSYNC driver update that improves the WINE emulator’s ability to run Windows applications, particularly games, on Linux.

    Although the 6.14 release went smoothly aside from the delay, Torvalds expressed that version 6.15 may present more challenges due to the volume of pending pull requests. “Judging by my pending pile of pull requests, 6.15 will be much busier,” he noted.

    You can download the latest kernel here.
    Linus Torvalds kernel


  • AerynOS 2025.03 Alpha Released with GNOME 48, Mesa 25, and Linux Kernel 6.13.8
    Image
    AerynOS 2025.03 has officially been released, introducing a variety of exciting features for Linux users. The release includes the highly anticipated GNOME 48 desktop environment, which comes with significant improvements like HDR support, dynamic triple buffering, and a Wayland color management protocol. Other updates include a battery charge limiting feature and a Wellbeing option aimed at improving user experience.

    This release, while still in alpha, incorporates Linux kernel 6.13.8 and the updated Mesa 25.0.2 graphics stack, alongside tools like LLVM 19.1.7 and Vulkan SDK 1.4.309.0. Additionally, the Moss package manager now integrates os-info to generate more detailed OS metadata via a JSON file.

    Future plans for AerynOS include automated package updates, easier rollback management, improved disk handling with Rust, and fractional scaling enabled by default. The installer has also been revamped to support full disk wipes and dynamic partitioning.

    Although still considered an alpha release, AerynOS 2025.03 can be downloaded and tested right now from its official website.

    Source: 9to5Linux
    AerynOS


  • Xojo 2025r1: Big Updates for Developers with Linux ARM Support, Web Drag and Drop, and Direct App Store Publishing
    Image
    Xojo has just rolled out its latest release, Xojo 2025 Release 1, and it’s packed with features that developers have been eagerly waiting for. This major update introduces support for running Xojo on Linux ARM, including Raspberry Pi, brings drag-and-drop functionality to the Web framework, and simplifies app deployment with the ability to directly submit apps to the macOS and iOS App Stores.

    Here’s a quick overview of what’s new in Xojo 2025r1:
    1. Linux ARM IDE Support
    Xojo 2025r1 now allows developers to run the Xojo IDE on Linux ARM devices, including popular platforms like Raspberry Pi. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for developers who want to create apps for ARM-based devices without the usual complexity. Whether you’re building for a Raspberry Pi or other ARM devices, this update makes it easier than ever to get started.
    2. Web Drag and Drop
    One of the standout features in this release is the addition of drag-and-drop support for web applications. Now, developers can easily drag and drop visual controls in their web projects, making it simpler to create interactive, user-friendly web applications. Plus, the WebListBox has been enhanced with support for editable cells, checkboxes, and row reordering via dragging. No JavaScript required!
    3. Direct App Store Publishing
    Xojo has also streamlined the process of publishing apps. With this update, developers can now directly submit macOS and iOS apps to App Store Connect right from the Xojo IDE. This eliminates the need for multiple steps and makes it much easier to get apps into the App Store, saving valuable time during the development process.
    4. New Desktop and Mobile Features
    This release isn’t just about web and Linux updates. Xojo 2025r1 brings some great improvements for desktop and mobile apps as well. On the desktop side, all projects now include a default window menu for macOS apps. On the mobile side, Xojo has introduced new features for Android and iOS, including support for ColorGroup and Dark Mode on Android, and a new MobileColorPicker for iOS to simplify color selection.
    5. Performance and IDE Enhancements
    Xojo’s IDE has also been improved in several key areas. There’s now an option to hide toolbar captions, and the toolbar has been made smaller on Windows. The IDE on Windows and Linux now features modern Bootstrap icons, and the Documentation window toolbar is more compact. In the code editor, developers can now quickly navigate to variable declarations with a simple Cmd/Ctrl + Double-click. Plus, performance for complex container layouts in the Layout Editor has been enhanced.
    What Does This Mean for Developers?
    Xojo 2025r1 brings significant improvements across all the platforms that Xojo supports, from desktop and mobile to web and Linux. The added Linux ARM support opens up new opportunities for Raspberry Pi and ARM-based device development, while the drag-and-drop functionality for web projects will make it easier to create modern, interactive web apps. The ability to publish directly to the App Store is a game-changer for macOS and iOS developers, reducing the friction of app distribution.
    How to Get Started
    Xojo is free for learning and development, as well as for building apps for Linux and Raspberry Pi. If you’re ready to dive into cross-platform development, paid licenses start at $99 for a single-platform desktop license, and $399 for cross-platform desktop, mobile, or web development. For professional developers who need additional resources and support, Xojo Pro and Pro Plus licenses start at $799. You can also find special pricing for educators and students.

    Download Xojo 2025r1 today at xojo.com.
    Final Thoughts
    With each new release, Xojo continues to make cross-platform development more accessible and efficient. The 2025r1 release is no exception, delivering key updates that simplify the development process and open up new possibilities for developers working on a variety of platforms. Whether you’re a Raspberry Pi enthusiast or a mobile app developer, Xojo 2025r1 has something for you.
    Xojo ARM


  • New 'Mirrored' Network Mode Introduced in Windows Subsystem for Linux

    Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) continues to evolve with the release of WSL 2 version 0.0.2. This update introduces a set of opt-in preview features designed to enhance performance and compatibility.

    Key additions include "Automatic memory reclaim" which dynamically optimizes WSL's memory footprint, and "Sparse VHD" to shrink the size of the virtual hard disk file. These improvements aim to streamline resource usage.

    Additionally, a new "mirrored networking mode" brings expanded networking capabilities like IPv6 and multicast support. Microsoft claims this will improve VPN and LAN connectivity from both the Windows host and Linux guest. 

    Complementing this is a new "DNS Tunneling" feature that changes how DNS queries are resolved to avoid compatibility issues with certain network setups. According to Microsoft, this should reduce problems connecting to the internet or local network resources within WSL.

    Advanced firewall configuration options are also now available through Hyper-V integration. The new "autoProxy" feature ensures WSL seamlessly utilizes the Windows system proxy configuration.

    Microsoft states these features are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders running Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621.2359 or later. They remain opt-in previews to allow testing before final integration into WSL.

    By expanding WSL 2 with compelling new capabilities in areas like resource efficiency, networking, and security, Microsoft aims to make Linux on Windows more performant and compatible. This evolutionary approach based on user feedback highlights Microsoft's commitment to WSL as a key part of the Windows ecosystem.
    Windows


  • Linux Threat Report: Earth Lusca Deploys Novel SprySOCKS Backdoor in Attacks on Government Entities

    The threat actor Earth Lusca, linked to Chinese state-sponsored hacking groups, has been observed utilizing a new Linux backdoor dubbed SprySOCKS to target government organizations globally. 

    As initially reported in January 2022 by Trend Micro, Earth Lusca has been active since at least 2021 conducting cyber espionage campaigns against public and private sector targets in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Their tactics include spear-phishing and watering hole attacks to gain initial access. Some of Earth Lusca's activities overlap with another Chinese threat cluster known as RedHotel.

    In new research, Trend Micro reveals Earth Lusca remains highly active, even expanding operations in the first half of 2023. Primary victims are government departments focused on foreign affairs, technology, and telecommunications. Attacks concentrate in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Balkans regions. 

    After breaching internet-facing systems by exploiting flaws in Fortinet, GitLab, Microsoft Exchange, Telerik UI, and Zimbra software, Earth Lusca uses web shells and Cobalt Strike to move laterally. Their goal is exfiltrating documents and credentials, while also installing additional backdoors like ShadowPad and Winnti for long-term spying.

    The Command and Control server delivering Cobalt Strike was also found hosting SprySOCKS - an advanced backdoor not previously publicly reported. With roots in the Windows malware Trochilus, SprySOCKS contains reconnaissance, remote shell, proxy, and file operation capabilities. It communicates over TCP mimicking patterns used by a Windows trojan called RedLeaves, itself built on Trochilus.

    At least two SprySOCKS versions have been identified, indicating ongoing development. This novel Linux backdoor deployed by Earth Lusca highlights the increasing sophistication of Chinese state-sponsored threats. Robust patching, access controls, monitoring for unusual activities, and other proactive defenses remain essential to counter this advanced malware.

    The Trend Micro researchers emphasize that organizations must minimize attack surfaces, regularly update systems, and ensure robust security hygiene to interrupt the tactics, techniques, and procedures of relentless threat groups like Earth Lusca.
    Security


  • Linux Kernel Faces Reduction in Long-Term Support Due to Maintenance Challenges

    The Linux kernel is undergoing major changes that will shape its future development and adoption, according to Jonathan Corbet, Linux kernel developer and executive editor of Linux Weekly News. Speaking at the Open Source Summit Europe, Corbet provided an update on the latest Linux kernel developments and a glimpse of what's to come.

    A major change on the horizon is a reduction in long-term support (LTS) for kernel versions from six years to just two years. Corbet explained that maintaining old kernel branches indefinitely is unsustainable and most users have migrated to newer versions, so there's little point in continuing six years of support. While some may grumble about shortened support lifecycles, the reality is that constantly backporting fixes to ancient kernels strains maintainers.

    This maintainer burnout poses a serious threat, as Corbet highlighted. Maintaining Linux is largely a volunteer effort, with only about 200 of the 2,000+ developers paid for their contributions. The endless demands on maintainers' time from fuzz testing, fixing minor bugs, and reviewing contributions takes a toll. Prominent maintainers have warned they need help to avoid collapse. Companies relying on Linux must realize giving back financially is in their interest to sustain this vital ecosystem. 

    The Linux kernel is also wading into waters new with the introduction of Rust code. While Rust solves many problems, it also introduces new complexities around language integration, evolving standards, and maintainer expertise. Corbet believes Rust will pass the point of no return when core features depend on it, which may occur soon with additions like Apple M1 GPU drivers. Despite skepticism in some corners, Rust's benefits likely outweigh any transition costs.

    On the distro front, Red Hat's decision to restrict RHEL cloning sparked community backlash. While business considerations were at play, Corbet noted technical factors too. Using older kernels with backported fixes, as RHEL does, risks creating divergent, vendor-specific branches. The Android model of tracking mainline kernel dev more closely has shown security benefits. Ultimately, Linux works best when aligned with the broader community.

    In closing, Corbet recalled the saying "Linux is free like a puppy is free." Using open source seems easy at first, but sustaining it long-term requires significant care and feeding. As Linux is incorporated into more critical systems, that maintenance becomes ever more crucial. The kernel changes ahead are aimed at keeping Linux healthy and vibrant for the next generation of users, businesses, and developers.
    kernel


  • Linux Celebrates 32 Years with the Release of 6.6-rc2 Version

    Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Linus Torvalds introducing the inaugural Linux 0.01 kernel version, and celebrating this milestone, Torvalds has launched the Linux 6.6-rc2. Among the noteworthy updates are the inclusion of a feature catering to the ASUS ROG Flow X16 tablet's mode handling and the renaming of the new GenPD subsystem to pmdomain.

    The Linux 6.6 edition is progressing well, brimming with exciting new features that promise to enhance user experience. Early benchmarks are indicating promising results, especially on high-core-count servers, pointing to a potentially robust and efficient update in the Linux series.

    Here is what Linus Torvalds had to say in today's announcement:
    Another week, another -rc.I think the most notable thing about 6.6-rc2 is simply that it'sexactly 32 years to the day since the 0.01 release. And that's a roundnumber if you are a computer person.Because other than the random date, I don't see anything that reallystands out here. We've got random fixes all over, and none of it looksparticularly strange. The genpd -> pmdomain rename shows up in thediffstat, but there's no actual code changes involved (make sure touse "git diff -M" to see them as zero-line renames).And other than that, things look very normal. Sure, the architecturefixes happen to be mostly parisc this week, which isn't exactly theusual pattern, but it's also not exactly a huge amount of changes.Most of the (small) changes here are in drivers, with some tracingfixes and just random things. The shortlog below is short enough toscroll through and get a taste of what's been going on. Linus Torvalds


  • Introducing Bavarder: A User-Friendly Linux Desktop App for Quick ChatGPT Interaction

    Want to interact with ChatGPT from your Linux desktop without using a web browser?

    Bavarder, a new app, allows you to do just that.

    Developed with Python and GTK4/libadwaita, Bavarder offers a simple concept: pose a question to ChatGPT, receive a response, and promptly copy the answer (or your inquiry) to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere.

    With an incredibly user-friendly interface, you won't require AI expertise (or a novice blogger) to comprehend it. Type your question in the top box, click the blue send button, and wait for a generated response to appear at the bottom. You can edit or modify your message and repeat the process as needed.

    During our evaluation, Bavarder employed BAI Chat, a GPT-3.5/ChatGPT API-based chatbot that's free and doesn't require signups or API keys. Future app versions will incorporate support for alternative backends, such as ChatGPT 4 and Hugging Chat, and allow users to input an API key to utilize ChatGPT3.

    At present, there's no option to regenerate a response (though you can resend the same question for a potentially different answer). Due to the lack of a "conversation" view, tracking a dialogue or following up on answers can be challenging — but Bavarder excels for rapid-fire questions.

    As with any AI, standard disclaimers apply. Responses might seem plausible but could contain inaccurate or false information. Additionally, it's relatively easy to lead these models into irrational loops, like convincing them that 2 + 2 equals 106 — so stay alert!

    Overall, Bavarder is an attractive app with a well-defined purpose. If you enjoy ChatGPT and similar technologies, it's worth exploring.
    ChatGPT AI


  • LibreOffice 7.5.3 Released: Third Maintenance Update Brings 119 Bug Fixes to Popular Open-Source Office Suite

    Today, The Document Foundation unveiled the release and widespread availability of LibreOffice 7.5.3, which serves as the third maintenance update to the current LibreOffice 7.5 open-source and complimentary office suite series.

    Approximately five weeks after the launch of LibreOffice 7.5.2, LibreOffice 7.5.3 arrives with a new set of bug fixes for those who have successfully updated their GNU/Linux system to the LibreOffice 7.5 series.

    LibreOffice 7.5.3 addresses a total of 119 bugs identified by users or uncovered by LibreOffice developers. For a more comprehensive understanding of these bug fixes, consult the RC1 and RC2 changelogs.

    You can download LibreOffice 7.5.3 directly from the LibreOffice websiteor from SourceForge as binary installers for DEB or RPM-based GNU/Linux distributions. A source tarball is also accessible for individuals who prefer to compile the software from sources or for system integrators.

    All users operating the LibreOffice 7.5 office suite series should promptly update their installations to the new point release, which will soon appear in the stable software repositories of your GNU/Linux distributions.

    In early February 2023, LibreOffice 7.5 debuted as a substantial upgrade to the widely-used open-source office suite, introducing numerous features and improvements. These enhancements encompass major upgrades to dark mode support, new application and MIME-type icons, a refined Single Toolbar UI, enhanced PDF Export, and more.

    Seven maintenance updates will support LibreOffice 7.5 until November 30th, 2023. The next point release, LibreOffice 7.5.4, is scheduled for early June and will include additional bug fixes.

    The Document Foundation once again emphasizes that the LibreOffice office suite's "Community" edition is maintained by volunteers and members of the Open Source community. For enterprise implementations, they suggest using the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners.
    LibreOffice


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Page last modified on November 17, 2022, at 06:39 PM