● 09.01.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 01/09/2023: LibReSSL 3.8.1 and sslh 2.0 Released

Posted in News Roundup at 12:29 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Audiocasts/Shows

• Top Ten Reasons to Upgrade to FreeBSD 13.2, History never repeats but sometimes it rhymes, Wayland on OpenBSD, OpenBGPD 8.1 released, Shoot yourself in the foot, Zenbleed: aka: The new fun for a while, and more

Applications

• While things sometimes slow down during summer while we take a well-deserved break, the LXD team stuck to our usual monthly release schedule delivering two new feature releases.

• We completed several bigger features from our roadmap, as well as some usual user experience improvements and bug fixes.

• Let’s take a look at what’s new in LXD 5.16 and 5.17.

• Knowing how to edit files quickly and effectively via the command line is vital for every Linux system administrator. File edits are performed on a daily basis, whether it’s a configuration file, user file, text document, or whatever file you need to edit.

• It’s a good idea to choose a favorite command-line text editor and master it. While it’s beneficial to know how to use various text editors, mastering at least one is essential for handling more complex tasks.

• Computer-aided design (CAD) involves the process of using computers to create, modify, analyze, or optimize designs.

• The CAD software is used by architects, animators, graphic designers, and engineers to create and perfect their design quality, create a database for maintenance, and improve communication via documentation.

• There are several free and paid CAD software to choose from and these days both the free and paid ones have the same features.

• On August 15, 2023, the Kubernetes project announced the general availability of the community-owned package repositories for Debian and RPM packages available at pkgs.k8s.io. The new package repositories are replacement for the legacy Google-hosted package repositories: apt.kubernetes.io and yum.kubernetes.io.

Instructionals/Technical

howtoforge

• Terraform is an open-source infrastructure automation tool that allows you to deploy and manage hundreds of servers via a command-line interface. This tutorial will explain how to install Terraform on Ubuntu 22.04.

• Zabbix is a powerful open-source monitoring solution to monitor IT infrastructure. With Zabbix, you can monitor various IT components, including networks, servers, virtual machines, and cloud services.

idroot

• In the realm of Linux systems administration, the “sudo” command stands as an essential tool, enabling users to execute commands with elevated privileges. However, encountering the dreaded “sudo command not found” error can be a perplexing and frustrating experience.

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Cockpit on AlmaLinux 9. In the ever-evolving landscape of IT management, the effective administration of servers is a critical pillar for business success.

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Timeshift on Debian 12. In the ever-evolving world of technology, ensuring the stability and security of your digital assets is paramount. System backups and restoration are the foundation of this stability, acting as a safety net against unexpected data loss or system failures.

• LAMP is a free and open-source stack made up of four software Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB and PHP. Linux is used as an operating system, Apache is used as a web server, MariaDB used for database and PHP used as a language.

• Viber was founded on 2010, and it started originally as a voice over IP app. However, nowadays It is one of the most popular chatting app that is used massively around the world.

• Viber is a cross platform app, which means you can run it on any smartphone and Computer.

• CockroachDB is a scalable and cloud-native SQL database for building scalable cloud services. It is specially designed to store copies of data in multiple locations to deliver speedy access. It’s a distributed SQL database built on the transactional and key-value store.

• The prowess of WebStorm as an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is hard to contest. Especially for web developers, it offers a bouquet of features, from intelligent coding assistance to seamless version control integration. If you’re an Ubuntu user, integrating this powerful tool into your workflow can elevate your coding endeavors manifold.

• System optimizer apps are quite the thing on platforms such as Windows and Android.

• Urbit is a cloud-based operating system (OS) that aims to create a decentralized space for content creation and socialization. Unlike a traditional OS, Urbit works by bootstrapping from an existing Linux distribution. This makes it easy to use and approachable even for novice users.

• This article will guide you through the process of installing Urbit on Ubuntu.

• Shared Folders feature does not work for your OS in VirtualBox Virtual Machine? Here’s a quick workaround to transfer files between host and VMs. VirtualBox has port forwarding feature that allows to access a service or an app running in VM from the host or even the internet.

• Note that you need to have a .config file that will be included in the build. It will also use the Version as specified in your Makefile. Then run

• Which will use the RPM build infra set up for your user to put the rpm in $HOME/rpmbuild/

• Jellyfin is free software for building a media server. It lets you collect, manage, and stream your media files from multiple devices or clients. Jellyfin is a free and self-hosted application that can be installed on your server, so you can create your own media server in your local environment, such as at home, and then allow multiple clients and devices to access all your media files.

• Something that relaxes me after hours of painting or drawing is doing DIY projects. It’s always very rewarding for me to hack, repair or customise existing hardware.

• Today I’m going to show you how I turned a cheap USB numeric keypad (also known as a numeric keypad, number pad, numpad, 10-key…) into a pad that I use for my digital painting shortcuts when I’m using my display pen tablet or when I’m painting on the go with my laptop. I bought this from a local computer shop for just 5€, a very good deal as this type of device usually sells for between 13€ and 30€. The build quality is a little bulky, the cable is thin and of poor quality, but in the shop I noticed that the keys felt good to press and weren’t too noisy (they weren’t even in sealed boxes). At this price, it wasn’t much of a risk to try it out on a DIY project.

• In this tutorial, I’ll describe what commands and steps I used to create this project: remap the key on Linux, and paint the keys.

• Listing users on Ubuntu is useful for discovering who or what is currently running on your system.

• In Linux and Ubuntu, not every user is used by an actual person. Users are also used for applications to run under.

• Over the following sections, you will learn various ways to list users on the Ubuntu operating system. Each of these methods has its pros and cons, so use what you find easiest.

• There’s a certain allure to Pop!_OS’s robust nature, but what if you’re missing some of your favorite Windows applications? Enter ‘Wine’ – a compatibility layer capable of running Windows apps seamlessly on Linux distributions, including Pop!_OS.

• Debugging is an indispensable skill for programmers and security researchers. Having a strong grasp of debugging allows you to understand an executable on a lower level and catch any lurking errors.

• The GNU debugger or, GDB, is a timeless debugging tool that has been relied upon by programmers for years now. Here’s how to use GDB on Linux.

Games

• Trivia, I’m not a huge gamer, I still play many games nowaday, but I only play each of them for a couple of hours to see what they have to offer in term of gameplay, mechanics, and see if they are innovative in some way. If a game is able to surprise me or give me something new, I may spend a bit more time on it.

• As I speculated previously when Steam Deck OS 3.4.9 went into Preview, Valve has now released it as a Stable update for all Steam Deck owners for Starfield.

• Well, there goes another big industry name. Embracer Group, who currently own a stupidly vast portfolio of developers and publisher has shut down Volition.

• Snake is a classic game that has been enjoyed by people of all ages for decades. This simple game is easy to learn but difficult to master, making it a challenge that players of all skill levels can enjoy.

• Native Linux beat-’em-up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge received its Dimension Shellshock DLC on August 31st, with discounts available for both the DLC and the base game.

• Valve released a new upgrade for Proton Experimental for Steam Deck and desktop Linux on August 31st with a few additions, here’s what’s new. Quite a small one but as always, all fixes are appreciated to get more games into a playable state even when the developers have long since stopped updating their games.

• I will admit, I know basically nothing about Hololive, VTubers or anything like that and yet I’m now completely sucked in by the free fan game HoloCure – Save the Fans! This is a Vampire Survivors clone made for fans of Hololive, but don’t let that dissuade you, it’s also a surprisingly great game to kill some time with.

• Well, there goes basically all of my free time. Halls of Torment blends together retro Diablo with Vampire Survivors and it was already horribly addictive and now I fear I’m going to be sucked in again.

• Love wrestling? Well the new release of WrestleQuest might be what you need. A blend of sweet pixel-art with pro wrestling and fantasy elements. Coming from Mega Cat Studios and Skybound Games it has Native Linux support and it’s Steam Deck Playable.

• It finally seems like it might be time for me to put another 500 hours into Dota 2, as Valve has given the game quite an interesting upgrade for The Summer Client Update.

Desktop Environments/WMs

GNOME Desktop/GTK

• Every major GNOME release is exciting to me.

• You can always expect UI-focused changes, feature improvements, and updates to the core apps.

• GNOME 44 introduced some interesting abilities like being able to check running background apps, thumbnail view in the file chooser, and more.

• The GNOME 45 release is scheduled for September 20, but the feature set can already be seen in its beta version. So, let us look at what you can expect with GNOME 45.

Distributions and Operating Systems

Reviews

• We review the latest Mageia 9 release with its new features, upgrades and performance. Mageia stands out for its elegant simplicity and unique approach that sets it apart from the typical Debian or Fedora bases.

BSD

• Let me show you a very practical feature of qcow2 virtual disk format, that is available in OpenBSD vmm, allowing you to easily create derived disks from an original image (also called delta disks).

• A derived disk image is a new storage file that will inherit all the data from the original file, without modifying the original ever, it’s like stacking a new fresh disk on top of the previous one, but all the changes are now written on the new one.

• This allows interesting use cases such as using a golden image to provide a base template, like a fresh OpenBSD install, or create a temporary disks to try changes without harming to original file (and without having to backup a potentially huge file).

• This is NOT OpenBSD specific, it’s a feature of the qcow2 format, so while this guide is using OpenBSD as an example, this will work wherever qcow2 can be used.

• We have released LibreSSL 3.8.1, which will be arriving in the LibreSSL directory of your local OpenBSD mirror soon. This is a development release for the 3.8.x branch, so we appreciate early testing and feedback.

• It includes the following changes: [...]

• Introduction

• Let me show you a very practical feature of qcow2 virtual disk format, that is available in OpenBSD vmm, allowing you to easily create derived disks from an original image (also called delta disks).

• A derived disk image is a new storage file that will inherit all the data from the original file, without modifying the original ever, it’s like stacking a new fresh disk on top of the previous one, but all the changes are now written on the new one.

Arch Family

• In the expansive universe of Linux distributions, the choice of which one to use can be overwhelming. Among the galaxies of options, two Arch-based stars have shone increasingly brightly: Manjaro and EndeavourOS. Both are rooted in the Arch Linux ecosystem, yet they cater to different kinds of users and offer unique experiences. If you’re currently a Manjaro user contemplating the switch to EndeavourOS, this article aims to help you make an informed decision.

• Choosing between Manjaro and EndeavourOS boils down to what you need and what you’re comfortable with. If you prefer a system that is ready-to-go with a safety net of added features and stability, Manjaro is your go-to choice. However, if you enjoy diving deep into system customization and getting updates as quickly as possible, EndeavourOS is the way to go.

• Choosing a Linux distribution is a personal journey. We encourage you to try both Manjaro and EndeavourOS to see which fits your needs and preferences best. Got any experiences or tips to share? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Fedora Family / IBM

• The Linux open source controversy was kicked off in late June when Red Hat announced changes in access to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) source code. We discussed this in an earlier episode of this podcast, Sorting through the Linux Source Uproar — Red Hat Sets off a Firestorm, with special guest and HPC software analyst Joe Landman. We’ve also spoken with Greg Kurtzer of CIQ and Mike McGrath of Red Hat for their conflicting perspectives on this issue.

• Red Hat Inc. was names Google LLC’s “Partner of the Year for Infrastructure” during the 2023 Google Cloud Partner Summit. The award recognizes the two companies’ close collaboration in developing and delivering open-source solutions that help organizations build and run hybrid and multicloud applications.

Open Hardware/Modding

• Most people today rely on technology to navigate through the world. That is practical thanks to the reliability of modern GPS. But receiving directions can be difficult for people with certain disabilities. People who are blind, for instance, cannot look at a map on a smartphone.

• Today, I’d like to highlight a tool that brings your hacking skills to a whole new level, and does that without breaking the bank – in fact, given just how much debugging time you can save, how many fun pursuits you can unlock, and the numerous features you can add, this might be one of the cheapest tools you will get. Whether it’s debugging weird problems, optimizing your code, probing around a gadget you’re reverse-engineering, or maybe trying to understand someone’s open-source library, you are likely missing out a lot if you don’t have a logic analyzer on hand!

• You might know [Evan Martin] as the developer of retrowin32. It’s a Windows and x86 emulator designed to run on a Mac or on the web. He’s recently been exploring how to run 32-bit x86 binaries on the AArch64 (aka ARM64) architecture.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

• The new malware, named Infamous Chisel, is actually a collection of components designed to provide persistent backdoor access to compromised Android devices over the Tor network, and enable the attackers to collect and exfiltrate data.

• The campaign has been linked to the threat actor known as Sandstorm, which was previously connected to Russia’s GRU foreign military intelligence agency.

• Russia’s Sandworm crew is using an Android malware strain dubbed Infamous Chisel to remotely access Ukrainian soldiers’ devices, monitor network traffic, access files, and steal sensitive information, according to a Five Eyes report published Thursday.

• The Sandworm gang, which Western government agencies have previously linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence unit, was behind a series of attacks leading up to the bloody invasion of neighboring Ukraine. They’ve continued infecting that country and its allies’ computers with data wipers, info-stealers, ransomware, and other malicious code ever since.

• Russia is pivoting from disruptive cyberattacks to more targeted operations aimed at giving it an advantage on the Ukrainian battlefield.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

• sslh-v2.0.0 is now available from the usual sources: [...]

SaaS/Back End/Databases

• DBLab Engine version 3.4, an open-source tool for PostgreSQL thin cloning and database branching, has been released with numerous improvements.

• Rapid, cost-effective cloning and branching are extremely valuable when you need to enhance the development process. DBLab Engine can handle numerous independent clones of your database on a single machine, so each engineer or automated process can work with their own database created within seconds without additional expenses. This enables testing of any changes and optimization concepts, whether manually or in CI/CD pipelines, as well as validating all the concepts suggested by ChatGPT or another LLM. This effectively addresses the issue of LLM hallucinations.

• The new name for the Database Lab Engine is “DBLab Engine”. Updates are currently underway across our materials to reflect this change. To align with this change, we have introduced specific domains for the product: dblab.dev and dblab.sh. For ease of access, we have established the following short URLs: [...]

GNU Projects

Programming/Development

• Suppose you’ve been monitoring a rare event for a long time, then you see your first occurrence on the Nth observation. Now what would you say about the event’s probability?

• For example, suppose you’re wondering whether dogs ever have two tails. You observe thousands of dogs and never see two tails. But then you see a dog with two tails? Now what can you say about the probability of dogs having two tails? It’s certainly not zero.

• We’ll first look at the case of 0 successes out of N trials then look at the case of 1 success out of N trials.

• Qt for MCUs 2.5.1 LTS (Long-Term Support) has been released and is available for download. As a patch release, Qt for MCUs 2.5.1 LTS provides bug fixes and other improvements, and maintains source compatibility with Qt for MCUs 2.5.x.

• We have released Qt Safe Renderer 2.1.0 Beta1 for commercial license holders today. The release provides a snapshot of upcoming QSR 2.1.0 features:

Shell/Bash/Zsh/Ksh

• If you don’t live on the command line, it can be easy to forget the exact syntax of commands. It often leaves you running to the “/?” or “–help” switches, or else a quick Google search to find the proper incantations. Shell-AI is a machine-learning assistant that could change all that by helping you find the proper command for the job, right on the command line!

• Recently, I had a chat with some of my friends about Nushell and why they stuck with traditional shells like bash/zsh or the “new” hotness like fish rather than using Nushell. After chatting with them, my brain kept bubbling away at the state of how folks were using their terminals and the end result is this blog post.

• In this post, I make the case for really taking a hard look at Nushell and also for generally asking the question: “can the state of shells be improved enough to overcome the inertia of sticking to what you know?”

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