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Linux Action News

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Linux Action News episodes

  • Linux Action News 119

    We go hands-on with the big Xfce release that took four years and five months to develop. Kubernetes gets an audit that might just set a precedent, and Google has a new feature for AMP that has us all worked up.

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    • Xfce 4.14 released
    — After 4 years and 5 months of work, we are pleased to announce the release of the Xfce desktop 4.14, a new stable version that supersedes Xfce 4.12.
  • Xubuntu Daily
  • Open Sourcing the Kubernetes Security Audit
    • — The group created an open request for proposals, taking responsibility for evaluating the submitted proposals and recommending the vendor best suited to complete a security assessment against Kubernetes, bearing in mind the high complexity and wide scope of the project.
  • wg-security-audit at master · kubernetes/community · GitHub
  • Someone audited the Kubernetes source
  • Server-side rendering for AMP
    • — AMP now officially supports a technique called server-side rendering (SSR) which you can apply to your AMP pages to make them load even faster. Our tests show increases of up to a whopping 50% on the popular FCP metric.
  • OSdisc.com Has Closed
    • — In just the past couple days, a very popular Linux OS supply site has closed.
    21 min
  • Linux Action News 118

    Ubuntu integrates ZFS even further, NVIDIA starts publishing GPU documentation, and Harmony OS makes its debut.

    Plus why you might actually want to use the new Dex, significant performance gains for a beloved project, and more.

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    • NVIDIA Starts Publishing GPU Hardware Documentation To Help Open-Source Drivers
    — NVIDIA is releasing more GPU hardware documentation at long last.
  • GitHub - NVIDIA/open-gpu-doc
  • Enhancing our ZFS support on Ubuntu 19.10
    • — We are going to enhance ZFS on root support in the coming cycles. Ubuntu 19.10 is a first-round towards that goal. We want to support ZFS on root as an experimental installer option, initially for desktop, but keeping the layout extensible for server later on.
  • Big performance improvements for LibreOffice
    • — The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 6.3, a feature-rich major release of the LibreOffice 6 family with better performance, a large number of new and improved features, and enhanced interoperability with proprietary document formats:
  • You might actually want to use the new DeX on the Galaxy Note 10
    • — Among the many new updates and features coming with the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus is a revamped take on DeX, Samsung’s desktop-like software that is powered by the phone.
  • Huawei officially reveals Harmony OS
    • — Harmony OS is microkernel-based, like Google’s in-development Fuchsia OS.
  • Linux Journal Ceases Publication
    • — On August 7, 2019, Linux Journal shut its doors for good. All staff were laid off and the company is left with no operating funds to continue in any capacity.
  • Linux Format - Print or Digital
    • 29 min
  • Linux Action News 117

    Manjaro's news starts us off and leads us into a bigger philosophical question about open source development.

    Plus Gnome and KDE come together at the Linux App Summit, Mozilla's update on DNS-over-HTTPS, and the case for the VR desktop.

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    • Manjaro to ship FreeOffice by default
    — We will ship FreeOffice by default. This is possible since we partnered up with Softmaker. Enjoy the best compatibility to MS Office.
  • Manjaro backtracks
    • — Manjaro will not be installing FreeOffice by default.
  • GNOME and KDE to co-host the Linux App Summit in November
    • — The GNOME Foundation and KDE e.V. are proud to announce Linux App Summit 2019. The Linux App Summit will be held in Barcelona from November 12th to 15th, 2019.
  • An update on Android for search providers in Europe
    • — Next year, we'll introduce a new way for Android users to select a search provider to power a search box on their home screen and as the default in Chrome (if installed).
  • Google will use a first-price sealed-bid auction
  • DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) Update
    • — We want to understand how often users of Firefox are subject to these network configurations.
  • Contract for the Web is becoming a reality
    • — Berners-Lee has called it many things since he announced it at the 2018 Web Summit: a contract, a “magna carta” and a Bill of Rights.
  • Browser vendors win war with W3C over HTML and DOM standards
  • Solid
  • Moving the Linux desktop to another reality
    • — Today, we are very excited to announce a new open source project which enables interaction with traditional desktop environments, such as GNOME and KDE, in VR.
    29 min
  • Linux Action News 116

    Fedora CoreOS is introduced and its future looks bright, VLC's president debunks security claims, Mozilla debuts an open-source router firmware and the Android flaw that might be our favorite in years.

    Plus how Sailfish OS 3.1 is stepping things up, the first 16-core RISC-V chip is revealed, and more.

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    • Introducing Fedora CoreOS
    — A new Fedora edition built specifically for running containerized workloads securely and at scale.
  • VLC developer debunks reports of ‘critical security issue’
    • — Widespread reports of a ‘critical security issue’ that supposedly impacted users of VLC media player have been debunked as “completely bogus” by developers.
  • Android Phones Open to ‘Spearphone’ Eavesdropping
    • — A Spearphone attacker can use the accelerometer in LG and Samsung phones to remotely eavesdrop on any audio that’s played on speakerphone, including calls, music and voice assistant responses.
  • Sailfish OS 3.1 released
    • — Redesigns to core apps such as People, Phone, Messages and Clock. Other areas that have been improved include; Document viewers, Email, Calendar, Dual SIM Card viewer information and Gallery gestures which have been improved.
  • Mozilla debuts implementation of open source router firmware
    • — Experimental builds of WebThings Gateway 0.9 are available on GitHub for the Turris Omnia router, with expanded support for routers and developer boards to come down the line.
  • Alibaba Reveals 16-core RISC-V Chip
    • — Alibaba Group’s chip subsidiary, Pingtouge Semiconductor, this week announced what it claims is the most powerful RISC-V based processor
    30 min
  • Linux Action News 115

    We're pleasantly surprised by a new Linux distro, EvilGnome malware spies on Gnome Shell users, and more good news for MacBook Linux users.

    Plus why RetroArch coming to Steam is a bit controversial, ubuntu-wsl is a cold drink for Windows users, and gpodder needs a new maintainer.

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    • EndeavourOS first stable release
    — We’re proud to present you our very first stable release of EndeavourOS.
  • RetroArch coming to Steam
    • — But will this "completely free" release run afoul of Steam Community Guidelines?
  • Introducing ubuntu-wsl
    • — “A collection of utilities for WSL” to let you create shortcuts on the Windows desktop with wslusc, start the default Windows browser with wslview, and do a few other things.
  • WSL - Ubuntu Wiki
  • EvilGnome: Rare Malware Spying on Desktop Users
    • — We have named the implant EvilGnome, for its disguise as a Gnome extension. The malware is currently fully undetected across all major security solutions. EvilGnome is a rare type of malware due to its appetite for Linux desktop users.
  • Macbook keyboard and trackpad support coming to Linux 5.3
    • — Linux up to now hasn't had mainline support for the keyboard and trackpad on recent years of MacBooks: from MacBook8,1 or later or MacBookPro13 and MacBookPro14 models. These IDs roughly correlate to the MacBook systems since the end of 2015.
  • Maintainer for gpodder.net needed
    • — Some effort is required to keep a website or web service running and up-to-date. I (the current maintainer) have enough time to keep the system up and running for now, but no time to do any improvements and other development.
    22 min
  • Linux Action News 114

    Another project breach raises significant questions, Fedora considers dropping Snaps in Gnome Software, and has the ISPA let Mozilla off the hook?

    Plus Microsoft makes it into linux-distros, the Raspberry Pi 4 charger issue, and more.

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    • Server breach at Pale Moon project goes undetected for 18 months
    — Server breach at Pale Moon browser project goes undetected for 18 months.
  • Data breach post-mortem
  • Firefox addons outage post mortem
    • — Sorry this took so long to get out; we’d hoped to have this out within a week, but obviously that didn’t happen. There was just a lot more digging to do than we expected. In any case, we’re now ready to share the results.
  • ISPA withdraws Mozilla Internet Villain Nomination and Category
    • — In the 21 years the event has been running it is probably fair to say that no other nomination has generated such strong opinion.
  • Firefox 68 Released
  • Microsoft admitted to linux-distros list
    • — I see no valid reasons not to subscribe Microsoft (or part(s) of it, see below) to linux-distros. The only voiced reasons not to, such as in Georgi Guninski's posting and in comments on some technology news sites that covered Microsoft's request, are irrelevant per our currently specified membership criteria.
  • On Microsoft request to access private linux bugs
  • Raspberry Pi 4 USB-C issues confirmed
    • — The Pi's co-creator Eben Upton says that not every USB-C cable will power the Pi.
  • IBM Red Hat deal closes
    • — IBM and Red Hat announced today that they have closed the transaction under which IBM acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Red Hat for $190.00 per share in cash, representing a total equity value of approximately $34 billion.
  • Mathew Miller's comments
  • Fedora to drop snap plugin in gnome-software
    • — In Fedora 31 I'll be disabling the snap plugin from GNOME Software.
  • Drop snap support (!253) · Merge Requests · GNOME
  • Canonical’s Robert Ancell calls the merge request “premature”
  • Remove GsAuth support. (!255) · Merge Requests
    • — This used to be used in the Snap and Ubuntu Reviews plugins, but is now no longer required. The remaining usage in the Snap plugin is not a common case on desktop and not necessary to support anymore.
    22 min
  • Linux Action News 113

    We try out Debian 10 Buster and cover what's new. There is a fresh Linux distro for Chromebooks that is very appealing, and the ISPA calls Mozilla a villain.

    Plus why Fucshia OS might be the most significant future threat to Linux.

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    • Debian 10 Buster released
    — We're happy to announce the release of Debian 10, codenamed buster.
  • Debian 10 buster release details
  • Debian and code names
  • GalliumOS 3.0 released
    • — GalliumOS can be installed in place of ChromeOS, or in a dual-boot configuration alongside ChromeOS.
  • You Can Finally Read/Write To The SSDs On Newer Macs
    • — This out-of-tree patch is against the current Linux 5.1 kernel and the write support should be considered particularly experimental, so be aware before trying to use this on a drive with any sensitive data.
  • Mozilla teases $5-per-month ad-free news subscription
    • — Mozilla has started teasing an ad-free news subscription service, which, for $5 per month, would offer ad-free browsing, audio readouts, and cross-platform syncing of news articles from a number of websites.
  • Scroll
  • ISPA calls Mozilla a villain
    • — The Internet Services Providers’ Association is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 Internet Hero and Villain.
  • ISPA doubles down
  • How to enable DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) in Firefox
  • Mozilla response in the register
  • No plans to enable DNS-over-HTTPS by default in the UK
  • Fuchsia gets a website
    • — A couple of days ago and without fanfare Google went live with Fuchsia.dev, a developer site for its new operating system, currently called the Fuchsia Project.
  • Dr. Xu Zhongxing's speech: Fuchsia OS Introduction Complete Record and Slide Download
    • — The world needs a new operating system. Linux only cares about the world of servers, like a boiler worker who specializes in working in a boiler room below the deck.
    In order to make up for the shortcomings of Linux, Android has a thick middle layer and is constantly making compromises.
    36 min
  • Linux Action News 112

    We've got the new Raspberry Pi 4 and share our thoughts, why Microsoft applied to join the linux-distros mailing list, and Ubuntu's 32-bit future is clarified.

    Plus Mozilla's big plans Firefox on Android, and the future of Steam on Linux.

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    • Raspberry Pi 4 Released
    — Raspberry Pi 4 is now on sale, starting at $35. This is a comprehensive upgrade, touching almost every element of the platform. For the first time we provide a PC-like level of performance for most users, while retaining the interfacing capabilities and hackability of the classic Raspberry Pi line.
  • New version of Raspbian
    • — We are actually releasing it slightly in advance of the official Debian release date. The reason for this is that one of the important new features of Raspberry Pi 4
  • Slightly faster than Stretch version
  • No USB boot yet
  • Reinventing Firefox for Android
    • — Today we’re very happy to announce a pilot of our new browser for Android devices that is available to early adopters for testing as of now.
  • Firefox to get a random password generator
  • Microsoft applies to join linux-distros mailing list
    • — Windows giant cheered on by Linux Foundation as it seeks membership of private security-focused message board.
  • Register's Coverage
  • Introducing people.kernel.org
    • — Ever since the demise of Google+, many developers have expressed a desire to have a service that would provide a way to create and manage content in a format that would be more rich and easier to access than email messages sent to LKML.
  • Statement on 32-bit i386 packages for Ubuntu 19.10 and 20.04 LTS
    • — We will put in place a community process to determine which 32-bit packages are needed to support legacy software, and can add to that list post-release if we miss something that is needed.
    35 min
  • Linux Action News 111

    Ubuntu sets the Internet on fire, new Linux and FreeBSD vulnerabilities raise concern, while Mattermost raises $50M to compete with Slack.

    Plus we react to Facebook's Libra confirmation and the end of Google tablets.

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    • Ubuntu to drop i386 architecture
    — he Ubuntu engineering team has reviewed the facts before us and concluded that we should not continue to carry i386 forward as an architecture. Consequently, i386 will not be included as an architecture for the 19.10 release, and we will shortly begin the process of disabling it for the eoan series across Ubuntu infrastructure.
  • Proposal: Let's drop i386 May 9th 2018
  • Proposal: Let's drop i386 May 14th 2018
  • Wine devs worried
    • — "I think not building packages for Ubuntu 19.10 would be the only practical option. It would probably be good to have a small explanation on the download page though. As I understand it, it would still be possible to run 32-bit executables on the Ubuntu 19.10 kernel, but we'd have to build and ship all our dependencies ourselves. I don't think we want to go there just yet."
  • At least some games not working without 32-bit
    • — Further to the recent announcement and subsequent discussion, I did a little testing over lunch on eoan 19.10 with all i386 packages removed and the i386 part of the repo disabled.
  • Ubuntu NOT “dropping support for i386 applications”
    • — What we are dropping is updates to the i386 libraries, which will be frozen at the 18.04 LTS versions. But there is every intention to ensure that there is a clear story for how i386 applications (including games) can be run on versions of Ubuntu later than 19.10.
  • Petition · Dont remove 32 bit support in the next version of Ubuntu
  • Test and run multiple instances of snaps
  • OpenMandriva also dropping 32-bit
  • New vulnerabilities may let hackers remotely SACK Linux and FreeBSD systems
    • — Netflix researchers discovered 4 flaws that could wreak havoc in data centers.
  • Linux devices vulnerable to ping of death attack
  • Red Hat's take on TCP SACK PANIC
  • Mattermost raises $50M
    • — The capital infusion follows a $20 million series A in February and a $3.5 million seed round in February 2017 and brings the Palo Alto, California-based company’s total raised to roughly $70 million.
  • Google says it’s done making tablets
    • — The Pixel Slate won’t get a sequel, but the Pixelbook will
  • Facebook's Libra confirmed
    • — Facebook is planning to launch a cryptocurrency it hopes will “transform the global economy.”
    27 min
  • Linux Action News 110

    Elders in the community show us how to properly build services, Huawei is reportedly working on a Sailfish OS fork and Apple joins the Cloud Native club.

    Plus Facebook wants you to use their cryptocurrency, and CERN launches "The Microsoft Alternatives project".

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    • Mozilla says paid subscription service is coming to Firefox
    — The goal for Mozilla is to develop “diverse sources of revenue” so that it isn’t so heavily reliant on money it receives from search companies that pay to be featured in the browser.
  • New Firefox branding
    • — The “Firefox” you’ve always known as a browser is stretching to cover a family of products and services united by putting you and your privacy first.
  • Apple joins the Cloud Native Computing Foundation
    • — The Cloud Native Computing Foundation, the home of open-source projects like Kubernetes, today announced that Apple is joining as a top-level Platinum End User Member.
  • MAlt project
    • — The Microsoft Alternatives project (MAlt) started a year ago to mitigate anticipated software license fee increases.
  • Huawei's struggle in the US has led to it cancel a new MateBook
    • — Huawei CEO Richard Yu has confirmed an indefinite hold on the release of a new MateBook laptop.
  • Huawei may use Sailfish OS-based Aurora
    • — Aurora OS is a Russian-made mobile operating system based on the open-source Sailfish OS Linux distribution developed by Finnish company Jolla.
  • Huawei's operating system in pipeline on 1 million phones?
    • — In a smartphone supply chain report that Huawei has allegedly shipped 1 million smartphones with its self-developed "HongMeng" operating system onboard for testing.
  • Facebook’s cryptocurrency to debut next week backed by Visa, Mastercard, and others
    • — Each will invest around $10 million to fund the development of the currency and will become part of the Libra Association, an independent consortium that will govern the digital coin independently of Facebook.
    32 min

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Weekly Linux news and analysis by Chris and Wes. The show every week we hope you'll go to when you want to hear an informed discussion about what’s happening.