Linux Action News

Linux gains a world class media editor, Atari is making Chris nervous, and the Librem 5 hits some rocky waters.

Plus the EU fines Google over how they leverage Android, some follow up, and more.

Sponsored By:

• Digital Ocean: Create an account and apply our promo heresthething to get a $10 credit. Or visit: https://do.co/action Promo Code: heresthething

Links:

• REAPER 5.93 Brings New Linux-Native Builds
• REAPER | Technical Features — Forum
• Atari VCS update/FAQ
• Librem 5 update
• EU fines Google $5BN
• Google responds
• Introducing Data Transfer Project
• Slackware turns 25

Arch finds itself in the barrel, Ubuntu goes on a diet, and Python's leader for life has had enough, and steps down.

Plus Debian joins KDE's council of wizards.

Sponsored By:

• Ting: Save $25 off your first device, or $25 in service credit if you bring one!

Links:

• Arch Linux AUR Repository Found to Contain Malware
• Minimal Ubuntu released
• Guido van Rossum resigns as Python leader
• PEP 572 and decision-making in Python
• Firefox for Android enters maintenance phase as team prepares new browser
• Arm throws shade on RISC-V
• But then backtracks
• HTC's blockchain smartphone
• Debian Joins KDE's Advisory Board

SUSE is acquired and GNOME is hiring, and it might just be the summer of forks.

Plus how about a new package manager for your distro?

Sponsored By:

• Linux Academy: Visit linuxacademy.com/unplugged and sign up for a free 7 day trial!

Links:

• SUSE Partners with Growth Investor EQT to Continue Momentum, Strategy Execution and Product Expansion
• GNOME Foundation opens recruitment for further expansion
• Positions available – GNOME
• GNU Guix & GuixSD 0.15.0 released
• Most Android apps can surreptitiously access screen contents
• Fork of Copperhead OS appears
• Stylish extension steals browsing history

Gentoo's GitHub is compromised, and Google's writing big checks to the Linux Foundation to distract you from the Fuchsia elephant in the room.

Plus we try out AWS' new Linux WorkSpace, RISC-V's Linux first commitment looks a lot stronger this week, and why we think the STARTTLS Everywhere initiative is a great first step.

Sponsored By:

• Digital Ocean: Create an account and apply our promo heresthething to get a $10 credit. Or visit: https://do.co/action Promo Code: heresthething

Links:

• SiFive talks up RISC-V
• RISC-V so far not as open as hoped
• But will be soon
• Announcing STARTTLS Everywhere
• Gentoo’s GitHub compromised
• AWS adds Linux to WorkSpaces
• Google ups its Linux Foundation membership to platinum
• Google invests in KaiOS

Projects once thought dead are now full of life, with new major releases and we kick the tires.

Plus new commits suggest Fuchsia will support Linux apps, Fedora CoreOS is announced, and we look over the first public Ubuntu desktop metrics.

Sponsored By:

• Ting: Save $25 off your first device, or $25 in service credit if you bring one!

Links:

• Ubuntu Touch OTA 4 RC released
• Android X86 8.1 RC released
• Fuchsia will support Linux apps
• Atari’s PR train goes off the rails
• Welcome to Fedora CoreOS
• A first look at desktop metrics
• Ubuntu Data Usage Infographic

Plasma Desktop has a new release so we cover new features and some bugs, Mycroft has an "opportunity" for you, and trouble at CopperheadOS.

Plus Debian's call for help, and more.

Sponsored By:

• Linux Academy: Visit linuxacademy.com/unplugged and sign up for a free 7 day trial!

Links:

• KDE Plasma 5.13 released
• An opportunity to invest in Mycroft
• Dockerhub malware
• 5% of Monero has been mined with malware
• Vulnerable devices shipped with ADB enabled
• Debian seeking artwork for the 10.0 release
• Rebble Auth Sign Up

Free and open source developers are still freaking out about Microsoft buying GitHub, ReactOS reaches a major milestone, TrueOS appears to be forking, and changes are coming to the core of Plasma desktop team.

Plus we try out the new Devuan release, and more.

Sponsored By:

• Digital Ocean: Create an account and apply our promo heresthething to get a $10 credit. Or visit: https://do.co/action Promo Code: heresthething

Links:

• Microsoft to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion
• ReactOS Is Finally Able To Build Itself
• TrueOS to Focus on Core Operating System
• Project Trident
• Stepping down as maintainer
• Find your way to Plasma Mobile
• Devuan 2.0 released

Ubuntu-based Atari VCS crowdfunding is going very well, Endless employees are hit with layoffs, and why GNOME might be too fat for Pi.

Plus the group trying to force Samsung to update its phone loses, and Essential says they are definitely, totally, not shutting down.

Sponsored By:

• Linux Academy: Visit linuxacademy.com/unplugged and sign up for a free 7 day trial!

Links:

• Ubuntu-based Atari box doing very well on Indiegogo — Built on an open source Linux OS so you can add your own software and apps to customize your own platform.
• Endless lays off several employees - Michael Hall on Twitter — If anybody needs an energetic and experienced community manager or developer advocate, give me an email or DM, I'm suddenly on the market for a new opportunity
• Endless lays off several employees - Emmanuele — In completely unrelated news: if you're looking to hire a GTK/GNOME developer with strong opinions (and the battle scars to hold them up) on CI/CD, UX design, and dev methodologies, hit me up
• Endless lays off several employees - Nuritzi Sanchez on Twitter — .... I guess it’s my turn to announce that I’m looking for new opportunities as well! I’m a jack of all trades who loves building things from scratch and am passionate about the intersection of tech and social impact. DM me if you have any important world challenges to solve :)
• GNOME too fat for the Pi — If you try running the GNOME Shell today on the Raspberry Pi, it's a frustratingly slow experience. While some work is being done in addressing GNOME's GPU, CPU, and memory consumption, it might not ever be in a state to run smoothly on Raspberry Pi hardware.
• Huawei locks down its bootloaders — In order to deliver the best user experience and prevent users from experiencing possible issues that could arise from ROM flashing, including system failure, stuttering, worsened battery performance, and risk of data being compromised, Huawei will cease providing bootloader unlock codes for devices launched after May 25, 2018.
• Samsung won't be forced to update old phones — A consumer association had argued that Samsung should update its phones for at least four years after they go on sale.
• Essential not shutting down — The email details that Andy Rubin has no plans of shutting down the company. However, he said that the firm will work with banks to get some financial assistance and the company might be sold under the financing deal.

openSUSE Leap 15 is released, along a new LXQt, the Essential Phone getting canceled, and why older Chrombooks might be receiving the big Linux apps update.

Plus we'll explain what portable systemd services are, and the Android phones that recently shipped with Malware.

Sponsored By:

• Linux Academy: Visit linuxacademy.com/unplugged and sign up for a free 7 day trial!

Links:

• openSUSE Leap 15 released — With a brand new look developed by the community, openSUSE Leap 15 brings plenty of community packages built on top of a core from SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) 15 sources
• LXQt 0.13 released — The LXQt team is proud to announce the release of LXQt 0.13.0, the Lightweight Qt Desktop Environment.
• Portable Services arrives in systemd — "Portable Services" are supposed to be an incremental improvement over traditional system services, making two specific facets of container management available to system services more readily.
• Next Essential phone cancelled — Company cancels development of second version of smartphone
• XDA lament the news
• Some cheap Android phones shipped with malware — The app consists of a dropper and a payload.
• Linux apps coming to older Chromebooks — Thanks to an issue found on Chromium’s public bugtracker, we have confirmation that containers won’t be limited to the handful of Chrome OS devices released with kernel 4.4.

Asteroid OS reaches 1.0, and Joe gives it a go. GNOME developers consider removing the ability to launch binaries, but punt for now. And the lessons learned from malware in the Snap Store.

Plus the reality of EFail, Steam Link on Android, and another shoe drops for Ubuntu's 32bit support.

Sponsored By:

• Digital Ocean: Create an account and apply our promo heresthething to get a $10 credit. Or visit: https://do.co/action Promo Code: heresthething

Links:

• AsteroidOS 1.0 released — AsteroidOS is built on standard Linux technologies including OpenEmbedded, opkg, Wayland, Qt5, systemd, BlueZ, and PulseAudio.
• EFAIL — EFAIL describes vulnerabilities in the end-to-end encryption technologies OpenPGP and S/MIME that leak the plaintext of encrypted emails.
• GnuPG's Efail press release Response
• Nautilus removes the ability to execute binaries — Or, to put it another way, you won’t be able to double-click on programs, scripts or apps to launch them using Nautilus.
• But then brings it back — A few cases appeared that we need to support, specially for enterprise and content creators. Specifically, cases similar to #434
• Steam Link on Android — Stream PC games to your Android smartphone
• Malware found in (and removed from) the Snap Store — This situation marks the first major “security” issue in the Snappy packaging system. But although unwelcome this particular fail is not necessarily as frightening as it sounds at first, nor is is necessarily a fault with the Snappy format.
• Kubuntu to drop 32-bit images — I'm reluctant to do this, however, I do not have the time or technical knowledge required to do this on my own, and the Kubuntu Devels want Kubuntu to stop issuing i386 images.
• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is now on Windows 10 — Bionic beavering away on Windows
• TechSNAP Episode 368: EFail Explained