● 05.13.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 13/05/2023: Plasma Sprint 2023 and EasyOS 5.3

Posted in News Roundup at 8:38 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Instructionals/Technical

• Back in 2018, a previous article demonstrated how to use LVM to clone the root filesystem before upgrading Fedora Linux so as to have a fallback in the unlikely event that something goes wrong. Today, the default Fedora Workstation install uses Btrfs. Now you can use a Btrfs snapshot to make creating a bootable fallback much easier. Note that converting or migrating a system to Btrfs from another filesystem is outside the scope of this article.

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• This example uses a Pinebook aarch64 laptop. Before proceeding, first make sure that Btrfs is being used for the root (system) filesystem. Not every spin or image uses Btrfs by default.

• In Linux, the ‘Broken Pipe’ error is a common issue that users may encounter when dealing with inter-process communication or network connectivity. This error typically occurs when one process tries to send data to another, but the receiving process is no longer available or willing to accept that data. It can be a frustrating problem, but with the right knowledge and tools, it’s certainly manageable.

• There are lots of ports available for Serenity… and building them is easier than it looks.

• In this tutorial you will learn how to mirror your android screen to your linux computer by using an usb cable.

• Scrcpy is the utility that we’l be installing and using to mirror screen of the android phone on your computer.

• Want to remove the KDE Plasma environment from your Ubuntu machine and revert back to the default GNOME desktop environment, you just need to follow a few simple steps.  GNOME is the default desktop environment that comes pre-installed on Ubuntu distributions.

• Not able to connect to the database server on MySQL Workbench? Solve this error with a simple ALTER query. I think last week I published an article on how to install MySQL Workbench on Ubuntu 20.04. After a couple of days, someone sent me an email.

• Yesterday, one of the Android users emailed me and described his issue. When I launch the application on the emulator, it crashes, and as soon as I checked the logs, it stated that “Cleartext HTTP traffic is * not allowed,” and because of this, I am not able to test the functionality of my app.

• Python is quite a well-known language in today’s world when Artificial Intelligent backed products are booming. It is popular because of its simplicity and versatility.

• AnyDesk is an advanced remote desktop software that allows users to access their systems from anywhere in the world. With its extensive features, high-speed data transmission, and user-friendly interface, AnyDesk has become a popular choice among Linux Mint users. What separates AnyDesk from other remote desktop software?

• Thunderbird, a powerful, open-source email client, has been a reliable companion for Linux Mint users for quite some time. Though Mozilla does not maintain it, the Thunderbird community has taken up the mantle, dedicating themselves to continuously improving this free, robust, and user-friendly application.

• Node.js is a compelling platform that has revolutionized the way we think about server-side scripting. It’s not just another tool in the developer’s arsenal, it’s a game-changer.

• The easy way to install your own Passbolt Server, I consolidated in the following script.

• If you want to use it, copy and paste the following code in an empty file called “install_passbolt-ce.sh”

• The Importance of Cloud Storage in Modern Computing Cloud storage has become an essential component of modern computing.

• In this tutorial, we are going to write a bash script that will send an email from your terminal on Linux. The script is simple, it asks you enter 3 inputs, message, subject and the email address where you want to send this email to.

• The Importance of Access Control and Namespaces in Kubernetes Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system that helps organizations deploy, scale, and manage containerized applications more efficiently. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and managing access control in Kubernetes can be a daunting task.

Desktop Environments/WMs

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

• KDE Plasma packages have been updated to 5.27.5 and KDE Application packages have been updated to 23.04.1. 592 total package updates for the KDE Plasma Desktop have been shipped to the PCLinuxOS Software Repository.

• I was at the Plasma 6 sprint. It took place in Augsburg at Tuxedo office, a well-known german company selling computers that offers preinstalled with Gnu/Linux and KDE Plasma. They also are a KDE e.v (i.e foundation) sponsor. I will certainly consider their offers when buying hardware. Their office were great and very nice people welcomed us.

• It was great to get to work in person again with KDE community members, since I wasn’t in person at last Akademy in Barcelona.

• I am very happy to have met the new contributors that I hadn’t met before.

• Meetings and discussions were incredibly valuable and galvanizing.

• After some detour building plasma 6, I am now using Plasma 6 Wayland. It turns out only Qt 6.5.1 and 6.5.0 are compatible with Plasma 6, not even dev branch (6.6) are compatible with current plasma dev.

• The stability is decent but it made a few issues glaring that we can take care of head-on, both visualy and with our development environment. Qt6 is now 5 years and we never really used it, so a few paper cuts were to-be expected.

• IT feels like a billion years before the last plasma sprint, which was in 2019 in Valencia, before the pandemic, but finally this year we are back on track, and was great to see again many old friends as well as seeing many new faces for which it was the first sprint.

• We were gracefully hosted by Tuxedo Computers in Augsburgh, makers of very nice laptops that come with Linux and KDE Plasma, as well as being KDE patrons.

• First of all, everybody got up to speed with a full git build of a Plasma 6 session, so that everybody could participate in development and discussions from the same level.

• There were many discussions about Plasma 6, about what we want to do in Plasma and in Kirigami, how we want to change the look and defaults for the new major release. Most of the user-facing changes have been wonderfully described by Nate.

Distributions and Operating Systems

• We have covered plenty of Arch and Ubuntu-based distros.

• What about a distro based on Fedora? And why would you even need that?

• Well, risiOS is one of the best Fedora-based distros that aims to make the experience easier. While Fedora is not the most complex distribution, some nuances could become a hassle when setting it up for the first time.

New Releases

• Version 5.2.4 was released on May 4:

• https://bkhome.org/news/202305/easyos-kirkstone-series-version-524-released.html

• The two main news items for 5.3 are ext4 folder encryption changed from fscrypt v1 to v2, and secondly greatly improved Flatpak Installer (Flapi).

• The change of fscrypt from v1 to v2 means that the encrypted folders prior to 5.3 will no longer be accessible. For 5.2.3 and earlier, you need to download the ‘easy-update’ script prior to updating to 5.3, as explained in the above 5.2.4 announcement blog post.

• You must do this, otherwise update to 5.3 will break the installation. Though, the problem only applies if you enter a password at bootup and have encrypted folders.

• Here are the 5.3 release notes: [...]

PCLinuxOS/Mageia/Mandriva/OpenMandriva Family

• Kernel 6.3.2, 6.2.15, 6.1.28 and 5.15.111 updates have been shipped to the PCLinuxOS Software Repository.

• Mate Desktop packages have been updated to 1.26.1 and shipped to the PCLinuxOS Software Repository. 51 total package updates for the MATE Desktop.

Fedora Family / IBM

• AlmaLinux, a community-driven enterprise-grade Linux distribution, has been gaining popularity among users who seek a free, reliable, and stable operating system.

• The distribution provides a variety of desktop environments to choose from, including KDE, MATE, and Xfce. In addition to these options, AlmaLinux is set to expand its collection by adding an official Live ISO with the Cinnamon desktop environment.

• In the spirit of Open Source and listening to the voice of its community, after a user suggested on the distribution’s Reddit channel to include a prebuilt installation live image with the Cinnamon desktop environment, the response was not late.

• Here’s your weekly Fedora report. Read what happened this week and what’s coming up. Your contributions are welcome (see the end of the post)!

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

• Ubuntu announced its 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) release 5 years ago, on April 26, 2018. As with the earlier LTS releases, Ubuntu committed to ongoing security and critical fixes for a period of 5 years. The standard support period is now nearing its end and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS will transition to Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.

• Users are encouraged to evaluate and upgrade to our latest 22.04 LTS release via 20.04 LTS. The supported upgrade path from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is via Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Instructions and caveats for the upgrades may be found at: [...]

Open Hardware/Modding

• The RejsaCAN-ESP32-S3 is an ESP32-S3 board suitable for developers who want to build a car-related project. It can control or read the data from the OBD-II connector in your car using 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or/and Bluetooth 5 (LE), or for IoT projects, connecting a sensor to the board and sending data to an app, the cloud, or log the data to a microSD Card. The board is designed to be small enough to be installed in a car.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

• If you don’t have access to Word, fear not, our experts run through their favourite tips and tricks for mastering LibreOffice’s free equivalent

Leftovers

Hardware

• Modern processors can execute several instructions per cycle. Because processors cannot easily run faster (in terms of clock speed), vendors try to get their processors to do more work per cycle. Apple processors are wide in the sense that they can retire many more instructions per cycle than comparable Intel or AMD processors.

Proprietary

Windows TCO

• Unlike many high-priority Windows fixes, the update will be disabled by default for at least a few months after it’s installed…

• Lake County officials secured the account and investigated the unauthorized activity with Microsoft.

• In the first blog post of this series, we have seen how strong authentication, i.e., Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), could be enforced for users using a free Azure Active Directory subscription within the Microsoft 365 environment.

Security

Privacy/Surveillance

• The new integrated database, mandated by law in 2017, is designed to address Mexico’s crisis of disappearances and unidentified remains.

• What someone can learn from your Image EXIF Metadata, and how to secure your photos

Defence/Aggression

• France’s highest court Friday ruled that the country could try foreign suspects under the universal jurisdiction principle, greenlighting inquiries into two Syrians accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

• FRANCE 24’s jihadism expert Wassim Nasr recently travelled to Idlib, the northwestern Syrian province controlled by the armed Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and a desired target for President Bashar al-Assad and his regime. During his visit, Nasr became the first-ever French journalist to meet with Abou Mohammed al-Joulani – the former chief of al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch turned HTS leader and today a sworn enemy of jihadists. Travelling from the Turkish border through to Idlib via Harem, Atmeh, Ariha, Jisr al-Choughour and the Christian village of Yacubiyeh, Nasr shares his notes and observations.

• The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), along with 20 other human rights organizations, issued a joint statement on Thursday calling out Lebanon’s deportation of Syrian refugees.

• The drone attack occurs amid a period of relative calm in the ongoing conflict between government forces and the Houthis.

• Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify the Swedish membership bid.

• The head of Iran’s Armed Forces Judicial Organization has revealed that indictments have been issued for 26 individuals suspected of having links to the November 30 massacre in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan that saw at least 100 people killed.

Environment

• New genetic evidence suggests some Indigenous peoples adapted to cope with periods of climate change rather than migrating.

• A fresh example of global climate interconnectedness has emerged in the effects of Australia’s catastrophic wildfires of 2019-20 playing out across the world.

Energy/Transportation

Axios ☛ How the other half drives: Mercedes’ $129,000 electric EQS SUVYou know you’re not sliding into just any electric car when your head settles into a fluffy white pillow on the headrest of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.Why it matters: Electric vehicles (EVs) are still out of reach for many, but luckily that’s beginning to change as more affordable models hit the market. Still, the EQS SUV — starting at $104,400 — takes EV ownership to a whole new level of opulence.

• Legislators are moving to erect barriers to clean energy development while providing incentives for fossil fuels.

• The responsible ministers of Latvia and Estonia signed a memorandum of cooperation in Tallinn on Friday, May 12, for the joint use of the Paldiski liquefied natural gas terminal in crisis cases, the Latvian Ministry of Climate and Energy announced.

• With its benign location and natural resources, Mexico has high hopes for hydrogen.

• Environmentalists who had praised the approval of rules adopted nearly two years ago to crack down on oilfield spills allege New Mexico regulators aren’t doing enough to enforce the provisions

Finance

• There’s a System Tazvida song titled ‘Pandagona Wondipembedzawo’ which translates to ‘When I do good, praise me.’ It’s about a man pleading for the world to keep the same energy when he excels as they do when he flounders. The Zimbabwe govt may feel like that man sometimes.

• In the city of Antakya in southern Turkey, which was heavily damaged by the devastating February 6 twin earthquakes, the Turkish government has made an ambitious pledge: to rebuild – better – in a year. But residents there remain sceptical. Not only do homes need rebuilding, but those who live there must have jobs to return to as well. Our correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Hussein Assad report from the quake-damaged region.

• Xi Jinping wants to insulate China from perceived threats from the West. He also wants to promote the country as deserving of foreign investment and clout. Can he do both?

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

• There’s no economic future in sentencing people to a permanent state of poverty, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said while defending cost-of-living measures in the federal budget. “This is a change of course for our country,” Mr Bowen told a Business Western Sydney lunch on Friday.

• European Commission Speech Eindhoven, 12 May 2023 It’s time, in our lives, that we start taking good care of our children and grandchildren. Now. Because they deserve it, because they are focused on this positive change.

• European Commission Press release Brussels, 12 May 2023 The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Danish measures to set-up Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (‘the Fund’), with a total estimated value of over €4 billion. The Fund aims at supporting economic development, competitiveness, innovation and growth for Danish companies.

• The federal opposition has opened up debate on how those on welfare payments should be able to earn more money as they face a rising cost of living.

• If Morena wins a Congressional supermajority next year, President López Obrador says he’ll propose at least three constitutional amendments.

• A watershed national election on Sunday marks an opportunity to put democratic participation above disillusionment and fear.

• Turkey’s first-time voters, 8% of the electorate, may decide Sunday’s elections, pitting strongman President Erdoğan against a diverse coalition.

• Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has tilted the political playing field in his favor over the past two decades, concentrating power in his own hands. Still, he faces a stiff challenge in Sunday’s election.

• The Homeland Party’s leader has submitted his retreat from the race to the electoral authority. His name remains on the ballot papers on May 14.

• The former CHP member has been seen as a potential threat to the opposition’s chances of defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Sunday’s polls.

• A senior PES official hailed Kılıçdaroğlu and the united opposition as a “beacon of hope for democracy, human rights, freedom, cooperation and bringing Turkey closer to Europe.”

Censorship/Free Speech

• Featuring interviews with policial leaders, BaBaLa TV has attracted millions of views in the run-up to Sunday’s elections.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• “Our mission is to boost UK and US publishers’ revenue four times at one-fourth cost in bad economic conditions,” Sunny Sen, CEO of Conscent.ai.

Civil Rights/Policing

• Those made to leave the U.S. face gangs and a Mexican asylum system where cases linger for years.

• At points all along the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, crowds of migrants clutching sacks of belongings or holding the hands of children waited to apply for asylum as new immigration rules took effect.

• The border between the U.S. and Mexico is relatively calm, offering few signs of the chaos that had been feared following a rush by worried migrants to enter the U.S. before the end of pandemic-related immigration restrictions. Less than 24 hours after the rules known as Title 42 were lifted, migrants and government officials on Friday were still assessing the effect of the change and the new regulations adopted by President Joe Biden’s administration to stabilize the region. A Homeland Security official said the agency did not see any substantial increase in immigration on Friday morning.

• Billions of dollars have been “ripped away” from regional Australians, the Nationals leader says as he steps up his attack on the government’s biosecurity levy. David Littleproud accused the government of ceding sovereignty to foreign competitors, instead urging for a tax on importers to pay for the risks they pose.

• EL PASO, Texas — Tens of thousands of migrants are desperately lining up at the doorstep of the United States, having survived perilous journeys to take a chance on admission to the U.S. in the face of the Biden administration’s strict new migration policies.

• Why it matters: The confusion over changing U.S. policies has led many to rush to the border. Some who’ve crossed into the U.S. are being allowed to stay as they pursue their immigration cases — and are telling harrowing tales of their struggles.

• Hours before the end of Title 42, a family of six from Afghanistan awaited their fate at the border wall in Tijuana, Mexico, after traveling through more than a dozen countries.

• From predominantly Kurdish towns in the earthquake-hit south to the multicultural metropolis of Istanbul, Turkey’s Kurds say discrimination and repression are part of their daily lives – and fear that another victory for Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the country’s upcoming elections will mean more of the same.

• A workplace dispute between workers from Turkey in a politically tense environment resulted in the killing of two at the Mercedes factory in Stuttgart. One laid off worker shot two team leaders dead. The suspect was taken into custody, and the police started an investigation.

• It’s graduation season, and students are getting ready to put on their caps and gowns to celebrate this rite of passage. For many Indigenous students, this milestone event cannot be fully realized without wearing traditional tribal regalia, which are sacred markers of achievement, tradition, and connection with ancestors.

• The head of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) says any suspected problems related to the agency’s operations must be thoroughly investigated.

Monopolies

Trademarks

• The USPTO refused to register the mark KOSA for “restaurant and bar services,” finding confusion likely with the identical mark registered for “entertainment in the nature of music festivals and live musical performances; entertainment, namely, production of music festivals and live performances featuring music; entertainment, namely, live music concerts.” The key issue, of course, was whether the involved services are related for Section 2(d) purposes. How do you think this appeal came out? In re Angel Asset Management LLC, Serial No. 90188208 (May 10, 2023) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Frances S. Wolfson).

Copyrights

Axios ☛ Inside the booming Taylor Swift economyTaylor Swift’s 52-night, 20-city tour through the U.S. is breaking attendance records — and poised to be one of the highest-grossing tours of all time.But the Eras Tour’s influence and impact extends beyond just ticket and merch sales. Share in other sites/networks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. Permalink  Send this to a friend

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