Release of Rsync 3.2.7 and rclone: 23/10/2022 Rsync 3.2.7, a utility for synchronizing files and for backup, which allows you to minimize traffic by incrementally copying of changes, has been published. Ssh can be used as a transport, rsh or it's own rsyncprotocol. Anonymous rsync servers, optimally suitable for synchronization of mirrors, is supported. The project code is distributed under the GPLv3 license. https://www.mail-archive.com/rsync-announce@lists.samba.org/msg00111.html

Linus Torvalds proposed to stop supporting the i486 CPU in the Linux kernel: 23/10/2022 During the discussion of the work track on x86 processors, that do not support the “cmpxch8b” instruction (Pentium and later), Linus Torvalds said that it was time to declare the presence of this instruction mandatory for the core and to refuse to support the i486 processors that do not support “cmpxchg8b,” instead of trying to emulate the operation of this instruction on processors that no one is using. Currently, almost all Linux distributions, which continue to support 32-bit x86 systems, switched to the kernel build with the X86_PAE option, requiring the support of “cmpxchg8b.” According to Linus, in terms of support in the core, the i486 processors have lost relevance, despite the fact that they are still found in use. At some point, the processors become museum exhibits and for them it is possible to do with “museum” cores. Users who have systems with i486 processors will be able to use LTS-letter cores, which will be accompanied by many years. The termination of support for the classic i486 will not affect Intel's built-in Quark processors, which, although they belong to the class of the i486, but include additional instructions associated with Pentium generation, including the “cmpxchg8b.” The same is true for the Vortex86DX processors. Support for i386 processors was discontinued in the core 10 years ago. https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=wikUaRM5H_y1Bc+QyvGi40dKDL8fnCTyz7ECbwK7aHNPQ@mail.gmail.com/

Release of IceWM 3.1.0: 24/10/2022 The release of the lightweight window manager IceWM 3.1.0 is available. IceWM provides full control through keyboard combinations, the ability to use virtual desktops, taskbar and application menus. The window manager is configured through a fairly simple configuration file and you can use themes. It has built-in applets for monitoring CPU, memory, traffic. Several third-party GUIs are developed for customization, desktop implementations and menu editors. The code is written in C++ and is distributed under the GPLv2 license. The new version continues to develop the window management mechanism based on tabs. A special indicator was added to the window header, which allows you to judge the presence of tabs and switch between them (previously, switching was carried out using a keyboard combination or menu, and the tabs themselves were not allocated). They added a new parameter, “frame” window for automatic grouping in tabs of application windows with one “frame.” Saving tabs bindings after restarting was ensured. The tabs are displayed in the window list. They also improved the Alt+Tab behavior for windows with tabs. https://github.com/ice-wm/icewm/releases/tag/3.1.0

Flatpak 1.15.0 available: 25/10/2022 Among the most outstanding novelties, there are changes regarding the compilation: from now on this type of package can be compiled with Meson instead of Autotools. To do this you need to use Meson 0.53.0 or later and Python 3.5 or later. They say the Autotools build system will probably be removed during the 1.15 or 1.17 cycle. Other Flatpak 1.15 news This version allows the system call modify_ldtas part of –alow=multiarch, which increases the attack surface, but is necessary when using 16-bit executable in some versions of WINE. The gssproxy socket can also be shared, which acts as a portal for Kerberos authentication and allows apps to use Kerberos authentication without a hole in the sandbox. Finally, a httpbackend variable has been added to flatpak.pc, which allows dependent objects such as GNOME software to detect if they are compatible with libflatpak. https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/releases/tag/1.15.0

Lennart Pottering proposes Linux trusted boot: 26/10/2022 Lennart Poettering (systemd) has published a proposal to modernize the process of loading Linux distributions, aimed at solving existing problems and simplifying a full verified download, confirming the reliability of the core and the basic system environment. The changes required for the new architecture are already included in the systemd code base and affect components such as systemd-stub, systemd-measure, systemd-cryptenroll, systemd-cryptsetup, systemd-pcrphase and systemd-creds. The proposed changes are to create a single universal image of the UKI (Unified Kernel Image), combining the image of the Linux kernel, the handler to load the kernel from UEFI (UEFI boot stub) and the initrd system environment loaded into memory, used for initial initialization at the stage before the root FS. Instead of the image of an RAM disk in UKI can be packed and the entire system, which allows you to create fully verified system environments, downloaded in RAM. The UKI-image is made in the form of an executable file in PE format, which not only can be loaded with traditional bootloaders, but also directly called from UEFI firmware. https://0pointer.de/blog/brave-new-trusted-boot-world.html

Display server - Mir 2.10: 27.10.2022 The release of the display server, Mir 2.10, still developed by Canonical, despite the rejection of the development of the Unity shell. Mir remains in demand in Canonical projects and is now positioned as a solution for embedded devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). Mir can be used as a composite server for Wayland, which allows you to run in the environments based on Mir any applications using Wayland (for example, assembled with GTK3/4, Qt5/6 or SDL2). Packages for installation are prepared for Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04 and 22.10 (PPA) and Fedora 34, 35, 36 and 37. The project code is distributed under the GPLv2 license. The new version has modernized the processing of events from touch screens, support for a new screen gesture to move windows (driving with Shift, Alt or Ctrl keys pressed), added the ability to move windows from the deployed state, for the X11 platform, a correct selection of pixel formats has been implemented and scrolling is improved. https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/mir-release-2-10-0/31871

Experiment to obtain packet control in the AUR repository: 27.10.2022 The results of the experiment to seize the control of packages in the AUR repository (Arch User Repository), used to distribute third-party packages of third-party developers without inclusion in the main repository of the Arch Linux distribution, was announced. The researchers have prepared a script that checks the expiry of the registration of domains appearing in the PKGBUILD and SRCINFO files. During the launch of this script, 14 expired domains were identified, used in 20 packages for downloading files. A simple domain registration is not enough to replace the package, as the downloadable content is checked by the already loaded AUR checks the checksum. However, it turned out that accompanying about 35% of packages in AUR use the “SKIP” parameter in the PKGBUILD file to skip check the checksum (for example, the sha256sums are indicated). Of the 20 packages with expired domains, the SKIP parameter was used in 4. To demonstrate the possibility of an attack, the researchers bought the domain of one of the packages that do not checksum, and placed an archive with code and a modified installation script on it. Instead of the actual content, the display of a third-party code warning was added to the script. The attempt to install the package led to the download of the substituted files and, since the checksum was not checked, to the successful installation and launch of the code added by the experimenters. https://blog.nietaanraken.nl/posts/aur-packages-expired-domains/

Release of ToaruOS 2.1: 27.10.2022 The Unix-like operating system ToaruOS 2.1, written from scratch and supplied with its core, loader, standard C-library, packet manager, user space components and graphical interface with a composite window manager, was announced. The project was originally developed at the University of Illinois as research work in the field of creating new composite graphic interfaces, but then transformed into a separate operating system. The project code is written in the C language and distributed under the BSD license. For download there is a live image, size 14.4 MB, which can be tested in QEMU, VMware or VirtualBox ToaruOS is based on a kernel using a hybrid modular architecture that combines a monolithic base and tools for the use of downloadable modules, which formalize most of the existing device drivers, such as disk drivers (PATA and ATAPI), EXT2 and ISO9660, framebuffer, keyboards, mouse and network cards (AMD PCnet FAST, Realtek RTL8139 and Intel's Complemented The core supports Unix-streams, TTY, virtual FS, pseudo-FS /proc, multithreading, IPC, ramdisk, ptrace, shared memory, multitasking and other typical features). https://github.com/klange/toaruos/releases/tag/v2.1.0

Fedora 37 delayed for two weeks due to critical vulnerability in OpenSSL: 28.10.2022 The developers of the Fedora project announced the postponement of the release of Fedora 37 to November 15 due to the need to eliminate critical vulnerability in the OpenSSL library. Since the data on the nature of the vulnerability will be disclosed only on November 1 and it is not clear how long it will take to implement the protection in the distribution, they decided to postpone the release for 2 weeks. This is not the first postponement - initially the release of Fedora 37 was expected on October 18, but was postponed twice (on October 25 and November 1) due to failure to comply with quality criteria. The vulnerability is classified as critical, details have not yet been reported, but the level of danger is close to the sensational vulnerability of Heartbleed. The critical level of danger implies the possibility of a remote attack on typical configurations. Critical can be attributed to remote leaks of server memory, execution of code or the attacking/compromising server keys. The fix of OpenSSL 3.0.7 with the elimination of the problem and information on the nature of the vulnerability will be published on November 1. https://www.mail-archive.com/devel-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/msg02909.html

The openSUSE distribution proposes to test a new installer: 28.10.2022 The developers of the openSUSE project asked users to take part in the testing of the new installer D-Installer. Installation images are prepared for x86_64 (598MB) and Aarch64/ARM64 (614MB) architectures. The uploaded image allows you to install three platforms: a stable release of openSUSE Leap 15.4, the continuously updated openSUSE Tumbleweed build and the Leap Micro 5.2, based on isolated containers (for x86_64 only). In the future, the plan is, the new installer is to be used in products based on the ALP (Adaptable Linux Platform), which replaces SUSE Linux Enterprise. Among the goals of the development of D-Installer, they mention the elimination of existing restrictions of the graphical interface, the expansion of opportunities for using the functionality of YaST in other applications, the departure from the link to one programming language (D-Bus API will create add-ons in different languages) and stimulate the creation of alternative settings by community representatives. https://news.opensuse.org/2022/10/27/call-for-testing-next-gen-installer/

Epiphany (GNOME Web) translated to GTK4: 28.10.2022 The main branch of the web-browser Epiphany, developed by the GNOME project, based on the WebKitGTK engine and offered to users under the name GNOME Web, added support for the GTK4 library. The Epiphany interface is close to the modern requirements for the GNOME application style, for example, the textured selection of buttons in the panel has been discontinued, the design of the tabs has been changed, the corners of the window are more rounded. Test builds based on GTK4 and available at the gnome-nightly flatpak repository. In stable releases, the GTK4 port will be part of GNOME 44. https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany

OpenVPN 2.5.8 Release: 29.10.2022 OpenVPN 2.5.8, a package for creating virtual private networks, is out, allowing you to create an encrypted connection between the two client machines or provide a centralized VPN server for the simultaneous operation of several clients. The OpenVPN code is distributed under the GPLv2 license, ready-to-use binary packages are built for Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL and Windows. The new version provides the ability to run the default configuration with TLS-libraries that do not have support BF-CBC (Blowfish in CBC mode). For example, Blowfish is not supported in the OpenSSL 3.0 library, the initial support is transferred from the OpenVPN 2.6 branch. Previously, the presence of BF-CBC in the list of default-supported ciphers led to an error, even if BF-CBC was not used in the connection. In addition to fixing errors in the new version, there is also an extension for a test set and the addition of the git-brain name and the commit identifier in the line with the OpenVPN version in the builds for Windows. https://github.com/OpenVPN/openvpn/releases/tag/v2.5.8

Release of Zorin OS 16.2: 29.10.2022 Zorin OS 16.2, based on Ubuntu 20.04, is available for download. The target audience of this distribution are novice users, accustomed to working in Windows. The distribution offers a special configurator that allows you to change the desktop a view, similar to different versions of Windows and macOS, and includes a selection of programs close to programs that Windows users are accustomed to. To integrate the desktop with a smartphone, the Zorin Connect application (based on KDE Connect) is available. In addition to Ubuntu repositories, the default way for installing programs from the Flathub and Snap Store directories is enabled. The size of the bootable iso-image is 2.7 GB (four builds are available - one based on GNOME, “Lite” with Xfce and their options for educational institutions). https://blog.zorin.com/2022/10/27/zorin-os-16.2-has-landed/

Release of GNU Make 4.4: 31/10/2022 After almost three years of development, the GNU Make 4.4 assembly system was released. In addition to correcting errors, the new version included quite a few changes, chief among them was removing outdated platforms, like OS/2/2 (EMX), AmigaOS, Xenix and Cray, who's support of which will be discontinued in the next release. https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/help-make/2022-10/msg00020.html

Haiku implemented a layer for compatibility with Wayland: 31/10/2022 Haiku operating system, who continues to develop the ideas of BeOS added a layer to ensure compatibility with Wayland, allowing you to run toolkits and applications that use this protocol, including applications based on the GTK library. The interlayer was developed by Ilya Chugin, who is also engaged in the Haiku port for the RISC-V architecture and the adaptation of Wine for Haiku. The layer provides the libwayland-client.so library, based on libwayland code and compatible at API and ABI, which allows you to run the Wayland applications unchanged. Unlike Wayland's typical composite servers, the layer is not running in the form of a separate server process, but is loaded as a plugin to client processes. Instead of sockets, the server uses a native messaging cycle based on Blooper. Previously, another Haiku developer had already prepared an initial implementation of the layer to ensure compatibility with the Xlib library, which allows you to run the X11 applications in Haiku without using an X-server. The layer is implemented through the emulation of Xlib functions by streaming calls to the high-level Haiku graphical API. https://discuss.haiku-os.org/t/my-progress-in-wayland-compatibility-layer/12373

Release of OBS Studio 28.1: 01/11/2022 OBS Studio 28.1, a package for streaming, compositing and video recording, is out. The code is written in C/C++ and is distributed under the GPLv2 license. The builds provided are for Linux, Windows and macOS. The purpose of the development of OBS Studio was to create a portable version of the Open Broadcaster Software (OBS Classic) application, not tied to the Windows platform, which supports OpenGL and is extensible through plugins. The difference is also the use of modular architecture, which involves the separation of the interface and the core of the program. It supports transcoding of original streams, video capture during games and streaming in PeerTube, Twitch, Facebook Gaming, YouTube, DailyMotion, Hitbox and other services. To ensure high performance, hardware acceleration mechanisms (e.g., NVENC and VAAPI) can be used. Support is provided for compositing with the construction of the scene based on arbitrary video streams, data from web cameras, video capture maps, images, text content of applications or the entire screen. In the process of broadcasting, it is allowed to switch between several predefined scenes. The program also provides tools for mixing sound, filtering with VST plugins, leveling volume and noise suppression. https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/28.1.0

Release of SuperTuxKart 1.4: 01/11/2022 After a year of development, the release of Supertuxkart 1.4, a free racing game, with a large number of maps, tracks and opportunities, was published. The game code is distributed under the GPLv3 license. Binary builds are available for Linux, Android, Windows and macOS. https://blog.supertuxkart.net/2022/11/supertuxkart-14-release.html

Release of the Nitrux 2.5 distribution with NX Desktop: 01/11/2022 Nitrux 2.5.0, built on Debian, KDE technologies and the OpenRC initialization system, has been published. The project offers its own desktop NX Desktop, which is an add-on over the user environment of KDE Plasma. Based on the Maui library for the distribution, a set of typical user applications was developed, which can be used on both desktop and mobile devices. AppImages are being promoted to install additional applications. The size of the image is 1 GB. The project is distributed under free licenses. The NX Desktop desktop offers a different style design, its own implementation of the system tray, notification output center and various plasmoids, like a network connector and multimedia applet to control the volume and control the playback of multimedia content. Applications are created using the MauiKit framework, noteworthy apps - the file manager Index (you can also use Dolphin), text editor Note, Station terminal emulator, VVave music player, Clip video player, NX Software Center application center and Pix image viewer. https://nxos.org/changelog/release-announcement-nitrux-2-5-0/

Release of TrueNAS CORE 13.0-U3: 02/11/2022 The release of TrueNAS CORE 13.0-U3, a distribution for fast deployment of Network-Attached Storage (NAS), which continues the development of the FreeNAS project, is available. TrueNAS CORE 13 is based on the FreeBSD 13 codebase, it features integrated support for ZFS and the ability to manage it through a web interface built using Python and the Django framework. FTP, NFS, Samba, AFP, rsync and iSCSI are supported to provide storage access, software RAID (0.1.5) it can be used to authorize clients with LDAP/Active Directory support. Io-image size is 990MB (x86_64). https://www.truenas.com/blog/truenas-13-0-u3-increases-maturity-and-includes-ix-storj-service/

NPM includes mandatory two-factor authentication for accompanying major packages: 02/11/2022 GitHub has expanded the use of mandatory two-factor authentication in the NPM repository, which will now apply to developer accounts accompanying packages of more than 1 million downloads per week or used as a dependency in more than 500 pakages. Previously, two-factor authentication was mandatory only for accompanying the 500 most popular NPM-packages (according to the number of dependent packages). Major packages will now be able to perform changes related to the repository operation only after the two-factor authentication, that requires one-time passwords (OTP) generated by applications such as Authy, Google Authenticator and FreeOTP, or hardware keys and biometric scanners that support the WebAuth protocol. https://github.blog/changelog/2022-11-01-high-impact-package-maintainers-now-require-2fa/

New 9front, offshoot of Plan 9 operating system: 03/11/2022 A new release of the 9front project is available, in which the community has been developing a type of fork operating system Plan 9 independent of Bell Labs since 2011. Ready-made installation builds for i386, x86_64 architectures and Raspberry Pi 1-4 boards, are available to play with. The project code is distributed under the Lucent Public License based on the IBM Public License, but differs from the requirement of publishing source code for derivative works. The new version provides support for full operation on the MNT Reform laptop, including support for graphics, sound, Ethernet, USB, PCIe, trackball, SD card and NVMe. The MNT Reform does not yet have a built-in Wi-Fi, instead they recommended you use an external wireless adapter. The system implements new taskbar programs (plate display, for example, for output of the battery charge indicator, date and time), ktrans (performs input transliteration), riow (hotkey manager) and doom (doom game). The basic idea of Plan 9 is to erase the differences between local and remote resources. The system is a distributed environment based on three basic principles: all resources can be considered as a hierarchical set of files; there is no difference in access to local and external resources; each process has its own variable name space. The 9P protocol is used to create a single distributed hierarchy of file resources. http://9front.org/releases/2022/10/31/0/

New release of Warzone 2100: 03/11/2022 After eight months of development, the release of the strategic (RTS) game Warzone 2100 4.3 is ready for download. The game was originally developed by Pumpkin Studios and released on the market in 1999. In 2004, the source code was opened under the GPLv2 license and the game continued to be developed by the community. Both single-player against bots and network games are supported. Packages are prepared for Ubuntu, Windows and macOS. https://wz2100.net/news/version-4-3-1/

ROSA Fresh 12.3: 04/11/2022 The company STC IT ROSA has released a corrective release of ROSA Fresh 12.3, built on the platform rosa2021.1. Free builds designed for the x86_64 platform in versions with KDE Plasma 5, LXQt, GNOME, Xfce and without GUI is available. Users who have already installed the ROSA Fresh R12 distribution will receive an update automatically. The release is notable for the fact that, in addition to the previous images with KDE 5, GNOME and LXQt, images with Xfce and a minimalist server image - the first server distribution on the ROSA Fresh packet database were released. The server build includes only the minimum necessary for easy operation and from the repository you can install the necessary packages, including, for example, FreeIPA and the Russian fork nginx Angie with additional modules. http://wiki.rosalab.ru/ru/index.php/ROSA_Fresh_12.3

Lennart Pottering proposed to modernize loading: 04/11/2022 Lennart Pottering continued to publish ideas on the processing of components for Linux loading and considered the situation with duplication of loading sections. Lennart suggested that you use only one boot partition and on EFI systems by default to place images with the kernel and initrd in the VFAT section /efi. On systems without EFI or if the EFI partition already exists during installation (when another OS is used in parallel) and there is not enough free space in it, you can use a separate /boot section with the XBOOTLDR type (section /efi in the partition table has an ESP type). Sections ESP and XBOOTLDR are proposed to be created in separate directories (separate mount /efi and /boot instead of nested mount /boot/efi), make them definite and auto-mounted through identification type XBOOTLDR in the partition table (without prescripting partitioning in /etc/fstab). The /boot section will be common to all Linux distributions installed on the computer, and the separation of files specific to distributions will be carried out at the subdirectories level (for each installed distribution distribution, your subdirector). In accordance with the established practice and requirements of the UEFI specification, only the VFAT file system is used in the section with EFI components. To unify and rid the loader of the loader from complications associated with the support of different FS, it is proposed to use VFAT as a file system for the /boot partition, which will greatly simplify the implementation of components that access data in the /boot and /efi sections running on the boot side. Unification will allow you to equally support both sections (/boot and /efi) to load kernel images and initrd. https://0pointer.net/blog/linux-boot-partitions.html

Release of the GNU Taler 0.9 payment system developed by the GNU project: 04/11/2022 After a year of development, the free electronic payment system GNU Taler 0.9, which provides anonymity to buyers, but retains the ability to identify sellers to ensure transparency in the provision of tax reports, was released. The system does not allow you to track information about where the user spends money, but provides funds to track the receipt of funds (the sender remains anonymous), which solves the problems with the tax audit inherent in BitCoin. The code is written in Python and is licensed under AGPLv3 and LGPLv3 licenses. GNU Taler does not create its own cryptocurrency, but works with existing currencies, including dollars, euros and bitcoins. Support for new currencies can be ensured through the creation of a bank that acts as a financial guarantor. The GNU Taler business model is based on the execution of exchange operations - money from traditional payment systems such as BitCoin, Mastercard, SEPA, Visa, ACH and SWIFT are converted into anonymous electronic money in the same currency. The user can transfer electronic money to the sellers, who can then change them back to the real money presented by traditional payment systems at the exchange point. All transactions in GNU Taler are protected using modern cryptographic algorithms that allow you to maintain reliability even when leaking private keys of customers, sellers and exchange points. The OBD format provides the ability to verify all transactions and confirm their consistency. Confirmation of payment for sellers is the cryptographic proof of the transfer within the framework of the contract concluded with the client and cryptographically signed confirmation of the availability of funds at the point of exchange. The GNU Taler includes a set of basic components that provide logic for the bank's work, exchange points, trading platform, wallet and auditor https://www.mail-archive.com/info-gnu@gnu.org/msg03107.html

LXQt 1.2: 05/11/2022 Available now is the user environment, LXQt 1.2 (QCT Lightweight Desktop Environment), developed by the combined teams of developers from LXDE and Razor-qt. The LXQt interface continues to follow the ideas of the classical desktop layout, bringing modern design and techniques that increase the usability. LXQt is positioned as a lightweight, modular, fast and convenient continuation of the development of Razor-qt and LXDE desktops, which combine the best features of both shells. The code is placed on GitHub and falls under GPL 2.0+ and LGPL 2.1+ licenses. Ready-made builds are expected for Ubuntu (LXQt is offered by default in Lubuntu), Arch Linux, Fedora, openSUSE, Mageia, FreeBSD, ROSA and ALT Linux. https://lxqt-project.org/release/2022/11/05/release-1.2-0/

Release of Trinity R14.0.13: 06/11/2022 TDE is a free/libre lightweight desktop environment intended for computer users preferring a lean and efficient experience. It is available for various Linux distros and BSD Low on system requirements, it is also an ideal choice for dated hardware, while still providing a fully usable desktop. Born from the ashes of KDE 3.5.10 in 2010, TDE is a fully independent project with its own personality, community and development team. This release comes with fixes for both CVE-2020-12755 (FISH protocol) and KMail's EFAIL vulnerabilities. It adds Markdown support in Kate, a new window style, a new tdeioslave protocol to gather application information (tdeio-appinfo), several improvements to GUI interaction and a new SFTP tdeioslave based on libssh. It also solves the issue with opening files from media:/ and system:/media/ URLs from non-TDE applications and is compatible with OpenSSL 3.0 API. https://www.trinitydesktop.org/newsentry.php?entry=2022.10.30

Publication of Portmaster 1.0: 06/11/2022 Portmaster 1.0, an application firewall, which provides access control and traffic tracking at the level of individual programs and services has been released. The project code is written in Go and distributed under the AGPLv3 license. The interface is implemented on JavaScript using the Electron platform. It works in Linux and Windows. Portmaster uses iptables and nfqueue to inspect and control network traffic. The nfqueue allows packets to be handed over to user space and return a verdict and set a mark on that connection. Portmaster accepts all packets, but marks the whole connection to be accepted/dropped afterwards. This relieves Portmaster of heavy network traffic because once the fate of connection is decided, it is handed back to the kernel, never to be handed to userspace again, which is quite costly. Linux uses iptables and nfqueue to remove the processing of locking solutions into the user's space for inspection and management. In the future, they plan to use a separate module of the kernel for Linux. For trouble-free work, they recommend you use versions of the Linux 5.7 kernel and newer (theoretically, it is possible to work on the kernels starting from the 2.4 branch, but in versions up to 5.7 there are problems). Windows uses its own kernel module to filter traffic. https://docs.safing.io/portmaster/architecture/os-integration#linux

Microsoft has published an update of CBL-Mariner: 08/11/2022 Microsoft has published an update to the CBL-Mariner 2.0.20221029 (Common Base Linux Mariner). They are developing as a universal base platform for Linux environments used in cloud infrastructure, edge systems and various Microsoft services. The project is aimed at unifying the Linux solutions used in Microsoft and simplifying the maintenance of Linux systems for various purposes in the current state. The project is distributed under the MIT license. Packages are formed for aarch64 and x86_64 architectures. The ISO bootable is prepared (1.1 GB) for x86_64 architecture. https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner/releases/tag/2.0.20221029-2.0

Yuzu project develops an open emulator of the Nintendo Switch: 08/11/2022 The update of the Yuzu project with the implementation of the Nintendo Switch game console emulnerator, capable of running commercial games supplied for this platform, is presented. The project was founded by the developers of Citra, the Nintendo 3DS prefix emulator. Development is carried out by reverse engineering equipment and firmware of the Nintendo Switch. The Yuzu code is written in C++ and distributed under the GPLv3 license. Ready-made builds are prepared for Linux (flatpak) and Windows. Yuzu emulates only the equipment, the original firmware dump to the Nintendo Switch, the dump of games with cartridges and the keys to decrypt the game files, which can be obtained by downloading the prefix in RCM mode with the external loader Hekate. Full emulation of the console requires a CPU with SIMD support for FMA and 6 or more cores/flows (at minimum an Intel Core i5-4430 and AMD Ryzen 3, and they recommend - an Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600), 8 GB RAM and graphics card with support for graphical API OpenGL 4.6 or Vulcan 1, MJD 2GB 2GB300 8GB, AMD Radeon R5. https://yuzu-emu.org/entry/yuzu-progress-report-oct-2022/

GNU Texinfo 7.0: 08/11/2022 The release of the free documentation system, GNU Texinfo 7.0, originally developed by Richard Stallman and used for the preparation of documentation for GNU projects, is presented. GNU Texinfo defines a special markup format for documentation and allows you to convert the source document into various formats for publication and printing, for example, PDF, HTML, DVI, Info, DocBook, XML, etc. The new release significantly expanded the capabilities of the texi2any utility, in which problems with encodings are solved, The options “—latex” and “–epub3” for the output in LaTeX and EPUB 3 formats have been significantly expanded, support for HTML output is significantly improved. They added new commands ?latex, ?iflatex, ?ifnotlatex for LaTeX format output. The info utility has improved support for entries in the index containing brackets, and they improved the selection of text when displaying man-pages in bold. https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-texinfo/2022-11/msg00036.html

NVIDIA has released an open engine for PhysX 5: 08/11/2022 After almost four years since the last branch, NVIDIA published the source code of the PhysX 5 physical process simulation engine, which was the second major release after the project was declared open. The project code is distributed under the BSD license and supports Linux, macOS, iOS, Windows and Android platforms. In addition to the BSD license, the code and associated PhysX SDK tools are also opened under the BSD license. PhysX is one of the most popular physics engines that are used to handle physical interactions in more than 500 games and is part of many popular gaming engines, including Unreal Engine, Unity3D, AnvilNext, Stingray, Dunia 2 and REDengine. NVIDIA expects that after the project is made open, they will be able to go beyond the tools for game development and will become in demand in areas such as the synthesis of data for research in the field of artificial intelligence and for training neural networks, the creation of realistic environments for training robots, the simulated conditions in the process of running autonomous vehicles and autopilots. It is also expected that the adaptation of the engine for high-performance cluster systems will achieve a new level of detail and accuracy of simulation of physical processes. https://developer.nvidia.com/blog/open-source-simulation-expands-with-nvidia-physx-5-release/

Release of Clonezilla Live 3.0.2: 08/11/2022 The release of the Linux distribution “Clonezilla Live” v3.0.2, designed for fast cloning disks (copying only the units used), was announced. The tasks performed by the distribution are similar to the proprietary product Norton Ghost. The size of the iso-image of the distribution is 363 MB (i686, amd64). The distribution is based on Debian GNU/Linux and uses the code of projects such as DRBL, Partition Image, ntfsclone, partclone, udpcast. It is possible to download and work from CD/DVD, USB Flash and via the network (PXE). Supported formats include: LVM2 and FS ext2, ext3, ext4, reiserfs, reiserfs, reiser4, xfs, jfs, btrfs, f2fs, nilfs2, FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, HFS+, UFS, minix, VMFS3 and VMFS5 (VMWH ESX). There is a mode for mass cloning over a network, including the transfer of traffic in a multicast mode, which allows you to clone the original disk on a large number of client machines at the same time. You can clone from one disk to another, and creating backups by saving the disk image to the file. You can also clone an entire disk or individual partitions. https://sourceforge.net/p/clonezilla/news/2022/11/stable-clonezilla-live-302-21-released/

Release of Phosh 0.22: 09/11/2022 The Phosh 0.22.0, mobile-based screen shell based on GNOME technology and the GTK library, was released. The environment was originally developed by Purism as an analogue of GNOME Shell for the Librem 5 smartphone, but then became one of the unofficial GNOME projects and is now also used in postmarketOS, Mobian, some firmware for Pine64 and Fedora editorial devices for smartphones. Phosh uses a Phoc composite server running on top of Wayland, as well as its own squeekboard keyboard. The project is distributed under the GPLv3+ license. https://social.librem.one/@agx/109303752788802026

Source code of theRADIOSS engineering package: 09/11/2022 Altair, as part of the OpenRADIOSS project, has opened the source codes of the RADIOSS package, which is an analogue of LS-DYNA and is designed to solve the problems of continuous media mechanics, such as the strength of engineering structures in highly linear tasks associated with large plastic deformities of the environment under study. The code is mostly written in Fortran and opened under the AGPLv3 license. It works in Linux and Windows. TAltair Radioss is an industry-proven analysis solution that helps users evaluate and optimize product performance for highly nonlinear problems under dynamic loadings. For more than 30 years, organizations have used Altair Radioss to streamline and optimize the digital design process, replace costly physical tests with quick and efficient simulation, and speed up design optimization iterations – all so users and organizations can improve product quality, reduce costs, and shorten development cycles. https://github.com/OpenRadioss/OpenRadioss

Microsoft has published an open .NET 7: 10/11/2022 Microsoft has unveiled a major release of the .NET 7 open platform, created thanks to the unification of .NET Framework, .NET Core and Mono products. With .NET 7, you can create multi-platform applications for browsers, cloud systems, desktop, IoT devices and mobile platforms, using a single library and a common build process that does not depend on the type of application. .NET SDK 7, .NET Runtime 7 and ASP.NET Core Runtime 7 are formed for Linux, macOS and Windows. .NET Desktop Runtime 6 is only available for Windows. The project-related developments are distributed under the MIT license. The .NET 7 branch will be supported for 18 months until 14 May 2024. https://devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/announcing-dotnet-7/

Release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.7: 11/11/2022 Red Hat has released Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.7. Installation builds are prepared for x86_64, s390x (IBM System z), ppc64le and Aarch64 architectures, but are available for download only to registered Red Hat Customer Portal users. The original code of the red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 rpm packages are distributed through the Git repository of CentOS. The 8.x branch is accompanied in parallel with the RHEL 9.x and will be maintained until at least 2029. Preparation of new releases is carried out in accordance with the development cycle, implying the formation of releases every six months at a predetermined time. Until 2024, the 8.x branch will be at the full support stage, implying the inclusion of functional improvements, after which it will go to the support stage, where priorities will shift to bug-fixes and security, with minor improvements related to the support of important hardware systems. https://access.redhat.com/announcements/6983803

Wa-tunnel for tunneling traffic through WhatsApp messenger: 12/11/2022 The Wa-tunnel toolkit has been published, which allows you to pass TCP traffic through another host, using a tunnel running on top of the WhatsApp messenger. Such manipulations can be useful if you need to gain access to the external network from the environments in which only the messenger is available, or to save traffic when connecting to networks or providers providing unlimited options for instant traffic (for example, unlimited access to WhatsApp is provided in the onboard networks of aircraft of some airlines). The code is written in JavaScript using Node.js and is distributed under the MIT license. The Baileys library is used to interact with the WhatsApp API. The tunnel requires two accounts in WhatsApp - one is used on the client side, and the other on the server side. It sends TCP network packages through WhatsApp text and file messages, depending on the amount of characters it splits them into different text messages or files. To not get timed out by WhatsApp by default it's limited at 20k characters per message, at the moment it's hardcoded in wasocket.js. https://github.com/aleixrodriala/wa-tunnel

Updating the open audio codec Lyra 1.3: 12/11/2022 Google has published the release of the Lyra 1.3 audio codec, aimed at achieving a high quality of voice transmission in a limited amount of information transmitted. The quality of speech on bitrates of 3.2 kbps, 6 kbps and 9.2 kbps, when using the Lyra codec roughly corresponds to the 10 kbps, 13 kbps and 14 kbps codecs when using the Opus codec. To accomplish this, in addition to the usual methods of sound compression and signal conversion, Lyra uses a speech model based on the machine learning system, which allows you to recreate the missing information based on the standard speech characteristics. The reference implementation of the code is written in C++ and is distributed under the Apache 2.0 license. Unlike the radically redesigned Lyra 1.2 issue of October, which was transferred to a new neural network architecture, version 1.3 optimizes the machine learning model without architectural changes. In the new version for storing weights and performing arithmetic operations instead of 32-bit floating point numbers, it involves 8-bit integers, which led to a 43% reduction in the model and acceleration of the model by 20% when tested on a Pixel 6 Pro smartphone. The quality of speech at the same time managed to maintain at the same level, but the format of the transmitted data has changed and is not compatible with the previous releases. https://github.com/google/lyra/releases/tag/v1.3.0

Release of MPV 0.35: 12/11/2022 The release of an open video player MPV 0.35 was announced, which was in response to the code base of the MPlayer2 project in 2013. The MPV focuses on developing new features and ensuring the constant transfer of innovations from MPlayer repositories, without worrying about maintaining compatibility with MPlayer. The MPV code is distributed under the LGPLv2.1+ license, some parts remain under the GPLv2, but the LGPL transition process is almost complete and the option “-enable-lgpl” can be used to disconnect the remaining GPL code. https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv/releases/tag/v0.35.0