● 08.29.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 29/08/2023: Kdenlive 23.08.0 and UbuntuDDE 23.04

Posted in News Roundup at 7:37 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

• Recently, an article crossed my path that made me smile. There’s not much in tech these days that does that, so I took a moment to savor this rare sensation.

• The piece by Jack Wallen on ZDNet pitched Linux as a refuge from the desktop OS security pitfalls of its competitors. I’ve held this viewpoint for a while. What impressed me about the article, though, is that the author bothered to make the sell to an audience of mostly non-Linux-using consumer tech readers.

Desktop/Laptop

• Let me paint a picture for you.

• I was running a virtual instance of another Linux operating system this morning with VirtualBox. Everything was going fine (as it usually does) until it wasn’t. The virtual operating system prompted me for my user password (to run an admin task). When I started typing the admin password, things went a bit south.

• Essentially, what happened was VirtualBox locked up my desktop. It wasn’t a full-blown lockup, as I could still move my mouse. I couldn’t, however, click on anything or interact with the desktop in any way (besides moving the cursor).

• Sometimes, it’s just a matter of waiting for whatever is happening in the background to finish and control will be handed back over. That did not happen. No matter how long I waited, the desktop remained unresponsive.

• I know what you’re thinking. All I had to do was power down the machine, restart it, and get back to whatever it was I was doing.

• For any given MacOS or Windows user, that’s the logical process when the desktop locks up. But this is Linux and with Linux…there is always a way.

Audiocasts/Shows

• We can’t believe Proton has been around for 5 years, a bad sign for the Linux desktop long-term, the dilemma of whether to support your software on outdated operating systems, a laughable plan from WordPress to host your website for 100 years, and Félim shoehorns in some KDE nonsense.

Kernel Space

• Linus Torvalds announced Linux 6.5’s arrival on the official Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) as he always does, where he says that “nothing particularly odd or scary happened this last week [of development], so there is no excuse to delay the 6.5 release”.

• Read on for a drop more detail about the many improvements, enhancements, and merriments the latest stable kernel release brings with it.

• The Linux kernel is at the core of all desktop and server Linux distributions, from Ubuntu to Fedora, and it also powers countless other operating systems and virtual machines. Linux kernel 6.5 is now available, with some great improvements for newer AMD and Intel processors. You can expect to see it in your favorite Linux distribution soon,

• Linux kernel 6.5 enables P-State on some AMD Ryzen processors, which should mean performance and power consumption is balanced across CPU cores. There’s also improved load balancing for Intel’s newer hybrid CPUs — the ones with dedicated Performance Cores and Efficiency Cores, like 13th Gen Core processors. Beyond the processor improvements, kernel 6.5 adds initial support for USB4 Version 2, improvements for RISC-V, and progress on kernel drivers for MIDI 2.0 and Wi-Fi 7.

• Linus Torvalds released Linux Kernel 6.5, which is the latest mainline Kernel at the moment. You can try out to get the updated fixes and hardware support. After a smooth and quiet testing window, Linux Kernel 6.5 is now available to download.

• The key items of this release are the support for modern CPU and GPU lineups, WiFi 7 support and a whole lot of performance improvements.

• Let’s briefly take a look at what’s new.

Applications

• The granddaddy of archive managers is the tar utility (together with the ar and cpio tools). Tar was created in the early days of Unix and remains an essential utility for any Linux system. The filename extension .tar is synonymous with file archives. Other types of archive formats include .iso (for optical storage mediums such as CDROM and DVD-ROMs), .shar, .cpio, and .ar.

• We make the following recommendations captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. All the software featured is free and open source goodness.

• One of the best cloud storage contenders to emerge is Google Drive – the popular cloud storage application that allows you to store data and access it from a Google account securely.

• Unfortunately, despite its popularity, Google Drive has yet to have an official client for Linux. If you are a Linux user, there is a good chance you are looking for a Google Drive client or alternative.

Instructionals/Technical

• Flatpak applications are common on Linux. Users who install Flatpak apps from the Flathub app store leave data behind in their home directories. Data that stays there, even after a program is uninstalled from the system.

• This data can build up. If you want to keep your Linux system running in top shape, you need to clean it and maintain it occasionally. That’s where Flatsweep comes in. It’s a nice, easy-to-use program that can scan your Linux computer for residual Flatpak app data, and clean it for you.

• In this guide, we’ll show you how you can install Flatsweep, and how to use it to clean up the residual Flatpak data on your Linux desktop or laptop. To get started, ensure you have administrator access, so that you can install the Flatsweep program.

• Every system generates temporary files automatically once you open an application or do something on your computer. These files are required by the system so you can run your applications faster.

• If you’re in a rush and want to fix this problem quickly, just run the below command: However, I recommend you read the entire article to understand the main reason for this issue and become an informed Linux user.

• Here’s a tutorial for setting up a private GitLab server with PostgreSQL database and a replica server for database failover.

• GitLab is great for programming collaboration, but as I’ve found out, it’s become very useful to me for writing. I use it to keep track of revisions and my work in general.

• The Linux Foundation launched the LFCS certification (Linux Foundation Certified Sysadmin), a brand new program whose purpose is to allow individuals from all corners of the globe to get certified in basic to intermediate system administration tasks for Linux systems, which includes supporting running systems and services, along with overall monitoring and analysis, plus smart decision-making when it comes to raising issues to upper support teams.

• The series will be titled Preparation for the LFCS (Linux Foundation Certified Sysadmin) Parts 1 through 33 and cover the following topics…

Games

• Still in the market for a dock for your Steam Deck or whatever other handheld you have? At Gamescom, GuliKit revealed a pretty slick looking SNES styled retro dock for you.

• GOG is back with their Autumn Sale, so here’s your chance to get a whole bunch of DRM-free games on the cheap and also free games. So let’s take a look.

• It’s been a bit of a saga for Apex Legends players using the Proton compatibility tool to play it on Steam Deck and Linux desktop but it seems Respawn continue their ban investigation.

• Darwinia, a classic from Introversion Software (original devs of Prison Architect) released originally in 2005 just got upgraded to keep it running nice on modern platforms. Not many developers go back to update their classics like this, nice to see from Introversion!

• Deimos Games announced they’re shutting down but their games code is already open source, and now both Helium Rain and Astral Shipwright will be going free to play.

• After the recent news that Roblox was playable in Wine again with their special Beta channels, it seems they’ve now enabled Roblox to run in Wine on the stable version making it really easy to get Roblox on Linux.

Desktop Environments/WMs

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

• We’re excited to present the latest version of Kdenlive, packed with an array of fixes, enhancements, and optimizations. Some highlights include…

• Since this release focuses on resolving issues and enhancing stability most of the work was done under the hood but we managed to sneak in some nifty interface and usability improvements as well…

Distributions and Operating Systems

• In one of my previous articles, I’ve told you some of the basics when building a PC. Apart from all the techy and hardware stuff involved in the process, the software also plays a great role! After all the pieces are put together, you will need a “brain” to make them functional. Right now, the most conventional options are Windows and Linux. The former is popular for general users while the latter is more in the cycle of developers and enthusiasts. Windows needs a paid license while Linux is open-source and free. If you want to try an alternative over Windows, and want to dive into the world of Linux, we are here to present you some of the best Linux distros you can try in 2023.

• Linux is secure and flexible, and for that reason is gaining more attention these days. It’s also an excellent option for those who want to dive into the development field. Linux is the core behind everything in this world, while a Linux Distro is an operating system that relies on the Linux kernel. Due to the open-source nature of the OS, you will find multiple Linux distros offering distinct features and visuals. A few years ago, it would be hard for a inexperienced user to try to use Linux, but times have changed. Nowadays, there are many user-friendly Linux distros that don’t require you to be an expert to use them. Also, the compatibility with popular apps has improved over the past years. For those who aren’t available on Linux, you will also find neat alternatives.

• Dear reader, we hope you are doing well, but when it comes to choosing a Linux distribution, one size, as always and definitely does not fit all. The beauty of the Linux ecosystem lies in its diversity, offering a pack of options to cater to different user needs and preferences. When it comes to light-weight Linux distributions, there are many options available in 2023.

BSD

• Over the past 4 months I have been running various BSDs on my daily machine and I have to say I love it. I am coming from Gentoo Linux as a bit of background and I have been using Linux for about 5 years full time now, so I am writing with a decent amount of UNIX-Like experience. This will be mostly a discussion comparing BSD to Linux and what I like about and dislike about the various BSDs by itself.

• For those looking for a TLDR (To Long Didn’t Read) I will be sticking with OpenBSD for the time being and if something doesn’t work out I will be looking to move back to FreeBSD or Gentoo. I think BSD is amazing and the changes over Linux are worth making the switch.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

• UbuntuDDE makes it possible to enjoy the Deepin Desktop with a base of the latest Ubuntu release. This combination is not only beautiful, it’s also reliable and secure.

• This new release uses Deepin 23 (from May 2023), which comes from the upstream Deepin Desktop Environment and includes some (but not all) of the usual Deepin tools (such as Music, Move, Calculator, Log Viewer, and Text Editor).

• You’ll also find Firefox, GIMP, LibreOffice, and Thunderbird along for the ride. As far as the kernel, UbuntuDDE ships with version 6.2.0-27-generic.

• Five years ago, I proclaimed Deepin Linux one of the most beautiful desktops on the market. The only problem I found with Deepin was its software center, which had a tendency to prompt users to install what could have been less-than-trustworthy software.

• That lack of trust gave a lot of users pause and Deepin fell off many a “best of” list. That same distrust also led to the birth of another Ubuntu spin, this one called UbuntuDDE — and it’s not only a thing of beauty but as user-friendly as Deepin was, without the concern for malicious software.

• That joke is now even flatter as, following respectable™ consternation (i.e. a bug report) about the suitability of the background, Ubuntu developers issued an update to the image. That update dials the brightness down a notch or two (and eyes everywhere rejoice).

• Those booting up Ubuntu 23.10 daily builds during the coming weeks won’t feel compelled to dive for their brightness keys as they’ll be greeted by the following (non-retina damaging) image…

• We all love a bit of personalization, right? Well, nothing adds that touch of charm quite like a sleek dark theme in the popular Linux distribution – Ubuntu.

• Not only do these themes give your system a cool, sophisticated look, but they also make those late-night coding sessions much easier on the eyes.

• In this article, we’re about to list some of Ubuntu’s most fantastic dark themes. Get ready to take your Ubuntu to a new level of style and functionality!

• From pure voice to data, and now with the connectivity provided to devices and machines, telco systems make it possible to deliver digital services to society.

Devices/Embedded

• Orange Pi launched today their latest computer module based on a 64-bit Rockchip RK3566 quad-core processor. The device is compatible with a baseboard which offers a GbE, 40x GPIOs, multiple USB ports and a M.2 slot for SATA or PCIe connectivity.

• The embedded module measures about 55 x 40mm and features the same Rockchip System-on-Chip seen on the Orange Pi 3B covered earlier this month.

• The Downloads section doesn’t list this specific device yet, but the company mentions that the Orange Pi Computer Module 4 will support a variety of operating systems, for example, Android, Ubuntu, Debian, OpenHarmony, Orange Pi OS, etc.

• MYiR MYC-JD9360 is a CPU Module powered by SemiDrive D9-Pro (D9360) processor with six Arm Cortex-A55 application cores, a dual-core lock-step Cortex-R5 real-time core along with a PowerVR GPU, 4Kp30 H.265/H.264 VPU and a 0.8 TOPS NPU, and designed for motion control and industrial applications. The MYC-JD9360 CPU module also comes with 2GB LPDDR4, 16GB eMMC flash, 16MB QSPI Flash, 256Kbit EEPROM, and exposes I/Os such as PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0, CAN FD, and TSN-enabled Gigabit Ethernet through a 314-pin MXM connector. The company also provides the MYD-JD9360 development board to quickly get started with the module and evaluate the solution.

Open Hardware/Modding

• The decision to use Phillips Hue bulbs comes with its own challenges. They aren’t like regular LEDs in that they require a bridge device and a network connection to function. There are a few ways to integrate the bridge with this project. One involves creating a LAN for it to connect to while the other involves using an existing network to which you already have access.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

• Week highlights: new releases of Kdenlive, LSP plugins, Geonkick, Sigil; great new features in GIMP and Ardour; a new materials system is coming to FreeCAD, some rather depressing news about Olive.

• CmykStudent added Adobe Swatch Exchange palette importing, with support for RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, and LAB CIE palette colors.

• Martin Owens has been busy with various things related to text support in CMYK PDF exporting.

• The latest version of Mastodon includes search functionality. It’s early days, but seems to work pretty well. Here are some of the interesting things I found when using it.

• Amazingly, there are now at least two distributions which allow use of Dinit as the init system. One is Chimera, the other is Artix. These are both great distributions (but with different goals and likely appealing to different sets of users). A lot of the reviews of Artix on Distrowatch are mentioning Dinit in a really positive light, which is fantastic (Artix also allows the use of runit, OpenRC, and S6 as init system). Meanwhile, Wesley Moore has written about his experiences trying out Chimera Linux. He writes of Dinit specifically: [...]

Web Browsers/Web Servers

Mozilla

• Well, response to that post was actually pretty enthusiastic in itself. I heard from several people who wanted to donate money to the project to get it going again. Which then led to a new problem: we didn’t actually have a legal way to accept donations at the time. So after asking around a bit, and a few conference calls between myself, my own company’s lawyer, and a couple of Mozilla’s lawyers, it was decided that Bugzilla needed a legal entity to manage it, similar to how Thunderbird has been operating recently. And, that’s where the little bit of time that I’ve had to spend on Bugzilla has gone the last 6 months. And as you can understand, with the legal work going on in the background, there wasn’t much I could actually talk about until all of the pieces were actually in place.

• August 26 was the 25th anniversary of the release of the Bugzilla bug tracker as open-source software under the Mozilla Public License (MPL).

Education

• Some aspects of KohaCon where “ported” to the Perl Conference part (e.g. free attendance as compared the usual fee of €100+ for PerlCon), while we introduced the Koha crowd to features like Lighting Talks. Generally it took some time (and two social events followed by more hanging-out-in-bars) for the two groups to mingle, but at the end of the event I had the feeling that the mixing / unification of the two communities started to happen.

• For me (professionally) this event was perfect, as we started to work with Koha a few years ago, and meeting the core devs and other community members makes working with (and on!) Koha much easier.

• Welcome to another roundup of new additions to the Big Book of R collection of almost 400 books!

Programming/Development

• This is the final report of the work I did as a Google Summer of Code 2023 contributor to NVK. My work revolved around the implementation of YCbCr format support, which came in form of enabling three Vulkan extensions. Mesa is the open-source, default graphics driver stack on Linux, with implementations for graphics hardware from most vendors.

• The GSoC journey is coming to a close. In just over 100 days, I gained more experience in open-source development than I could ever imagine in this period.

• Prior to GSoC, I was not used to regularly submit patches to the mailing lists. Now, I’ve sent many patches and revisions. I believe my interaction with the community will only grow. I learned so much about the tools and workflow of kernel development.

• After this experience, I’m more than certain that I want to make this a job, contributing to open-source is fun, so why not make this a living

• gitlab is down, post low-effort blogs and touch grass until it returns

• Although there are probably a dozen patterns in Erlang that I love dearly, there are two that I consider my darlings.

• Now, these patterns are truly two sides of the same coin, but each do have their specific applications and aren’t used interchangeably.

• But first, some background.

• My initial goal at RC was to build an Audio Units (AU) extension. AU is Apple’s audio plugin system, which works with apps like Logic and GarageBand. There are other plugin systems, 1 but I use Logic when recording audio for myself and for my band, so I wanted to try extending it.

• My most recent useless programing project is a particle emitter engine with an interactive playground. It involves a nice combination of mathematics and creativity that results in a visual reward. I’ve lost quite a bit of time by unintentionally getting sucked into tinkering with this!

• It enables you to create animated patterns from thousands of particles using a few lines of code. It works by automatically producing new particles every few frames, and you just specify the initial properties and the update behavior in JavaScript. The engine does the rest!

Python

• In Python, the “IO” module is used to provide several functions and classes for handling and performing input/output operations on data.

• The “numpy.floor()” function is used along with the “df.apply()” method to determine the floor value of the Pandas DataFrame and Series object.

• The inbuilt “file.readable()” method is utilized in Python to determine whether the particular file is readable or not by retrieving the Boolean value.

• In Python, the “pandas.get_dummies()” method of the “pandas” module is utilized to convert the categorical variables into dummy variables.

• The “DataFrame.std()” method of the “pandas” module is used to compute the standard deviation of the specified DataFrame over the requested axis.

• In Python, the “math.isclose()” method of the “math” module is used to determine whether the input values are close to each other or not.

• The inbuilt “chr()” function in Python is utilized to determine the character of the specified valid Unicode integers point.

• The “pandas.read_csv()”, “pandas.read_table()”, and “pandas.read_fwf()” methods are used to read a text file using Pandas in Python.

• In this tutorial, we have discussed the JSON data files— how we can read them by using the read_json() function— and the syntax of the read_json() method.

• In Python, the “DataFrame.cov()” method of the “Pandas” module computes/calculates the pairwise column covariance and excludes the NA/Null values.

• In Python, the “hex()” function is utilized for converting particular integer numbers to the hexadecimal number representation.

• The “df.astype()”, “pd.to_numeric()”, “convert_dtypes()”, and “df.infer_objects()” methods are used to change the column type of Pandas DataFrame.

• The “to_string()”, “Square Brackets”, “df.loc[ ]”, and “df.iloc[ ]” methods are used to print Pandas DataFrame columns in Python.

• The “file.write()” method in Python is utilized to write or insert the text to the specified files based on the file mode.

• In Python, the “file.tell()” method is utilized to retrieve the present/current position of the file pointer or handle from the beginning of the file.

• In Python, the “max()” function is utilized to retrieve the largest item in an iterable or between the input-specified variables.

• The “DataFrame.insert()” method is utilized to add/insert the column with a default value or a different value to Pandas DataFrame.

• The “threading.get_ident()” method, “threading.get_native_id()” method, and “Logging” module are used to get the thread id in Python.

• In Python, we utilized the “math.pi” constant of the “math” module to print the value of “pi” and used it for various mathematical operations.

• The “pd.to_datetime()”, “df.astype()”, and the “df.apply()” with “lambda” methods are used to convert columns to DateTime objects in Python.

• The “pandas.read_json()” method of the “pandas” module is used to read the JSON file or JSON string and retrieve Pandas DataFrame.

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