Free Republic

Wind River’s new Debian-based server and edge Linux distribution was born out of a need to create a CentOS replacement that would remove Red Hat from the equation.Wind River, the Alameda-based software company that once upon a time was part of Intel, on Tuesday announced eLxr Pro, a commercial Linux offering tailored for enterprise use.In a way, this release represents something of a new chapter in the brouhaha that started in 2020 and which resulted in several new Linux distributions after Red Hat ended support for CentOS, the community clone of its commercial operating system.This time, however, the new distro...

Last week it became clear to me that although Microsoft has “loved” Linux for more than a decade now, that love still doesn’t extend to the Linux desktop.This realization came to me as I read news of a Windows security update that borked Grub, the open-source boot loader that’s used by most Linux distributions and which is used to load Windows in dual-boot situations.After the Windows update was applied, an untold number of Windows’ dual booters were unable to boot Linux, but instead were served the scary and cryptic error message: “Something has gone seriously wrong.”According to Ars Technica, the...

Its a small difference, but a real one.Go into your operating system and for all WiFi connections set MAC address randomization.For Windows 11 it is under Network & Internet -> WiFi right at the bottom -- "Random hardware addresses."For Android it is on by default for WiFi connections -- check all of them you use, and it should be on.I suspect IOS on Macs has a similar feature.Unfortunately for most systems there is no similar setting for hardware connections (e.g. cabled.)This didn't used to matter much in the world of IPv4 because MAC addresses do not travel beyond the local...

Microsoft is known for their signature, “my way or the highway” approach when it comes to their offerings, with the Windows operating system being the most prominent one among those.Many in the FOSS community disagree with that approach, with a strong rejection of such practices, suggesting people go for more open options for their operating systems and applications, and I agree with them.Unfortunately, that same approach has now affected many Linux distribution users, who were sent scampering searching for a fix to a problem caused by a Windows update (who would've expected that?).Microsoft Slips Up: Linux Users Beware!Source: paku1234First spotted...

I have a question for LINUX users: We ran updates for LINUX last night, and when I turned on the computer this morning, I had no sound. It doesn't seem to be a problem with the speakers, and my Bluetooth ear buds are still getting sound when I listen to various YT sites; but nothing is coming out of the computer/speakers otherwise. Has anyone experienced this? We have Mint, I think it's 21. We have never had an issue like this. Thanks to anyone who has time to respond.

Linux Desktop Market Share Climbs to 4.45% The Linux operating system has reached a notable milestone in desktop market share, according to the latest data from StatCounter. As of July 2024, Linux has achieved a 4.45% market share for desktop operating systems worldwide.Desktop Operating System Market Share WorldwideWhile this percentage might seem small to those unfamiliar with the operating system landscape, it represents a significant milestone for Linux and its dedicated community. What makes this achievement even more thrilling is the upward trajectory of Linux's adoption rate.Table of ContentsLinux Desktop Market Share Between July 2023 and July 2024Why more People...

So, Microsoft has been threatening me all year that they're going to force everyone to use "Outlook" on their computers, getting rid of "Mail". I use Outlook on my computer for a 'side hustle' business, and do not want to intermingle my email accounts on one application - and "Mail" does everything I need for my Yahoo/Gmail/etc. accounts. I've tried looking online for some, but can't really find anything that fits the job like the simple, basic "Mail". So, reaching out to the technocrati here at FreeP to see what y'all use for e-mail on a Windows laptop?

COSMIC! This name has become increasingly popular in the open-source community over the past year, raising high expectations. Now, more than two years after System76 unexpectedly announced its bold plan to create a new desktop environment written in Rust programming language from scratch, users can finally try it out. And let me tell you, the wait was worth it.We recently tested the alpha version of COSMIC, and our initial thoughts can be summed up most briefly with this: it’s a game-changer! Above all, it is incredibly fast. And when I say fast, I don’t just mean fast – it’s fast...

Glibc-based Linux systems are vulnerable to a new bug (CVE-2024-6387) in OpenSSH's server (sshd) and should upgrade to the latest version.Infosec researchers at Qualys published their findings today, revealing that sshd is vulnerable to a race condition that could allow an unauthenticated attacker to achieve remote code execution (RCE) on potentially hundreds of thousands of targets. Successful exploitation could give intruders root-level access to a system, allowing them to potentially get away with virtually anything.Of the 14 million possibly vulnerable sshd instances that show up on Censys and Shodan scans, Qualys believes that roughly 700,000 of these internet-facing instances could...

I've been pointing out Windows security bugs since Windows for Workgroups showed up in 1992 and I showed how you could steal data from your coworker's spreadsheets using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). You'd think Microsoft would have figured security out by now. But no. It's only gotten worse – much worse.In June 2023, Chinese hacking group Storm-0558 stole US government "secure" messages from Microsoft's Exchange Online. I was only surprised that the Feds managed to catch them – Microsoft certainly didn't figure it out.Former senior White House cyber policy director AJ Grotto said it best: he asserted it was...

Diversity & Inclusivity The power of collaboration is greater when many different perspectives are included. Addressing Diversity and Inclusivity A diversity of ideas and contributions, one that originates from a diverse community, from all walks of life, cultures, countries, and skin colors—is vital for building sustainable and healthy open source communities. Individuals from diverse backgrounds inject new and innovative ideas to advance an inclusive and welcoming ecosystem for all. Linux Foundation is committed to building diverse and inclusive communities. Creating those diverse communities requires effort and commitment to creating inclusive and welcoming spaces. We continue to work to address this...

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has once again targeted Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) after a clip of Satya Nadella surfaced on social media talking about new AI capabilities in Windows PCs. What Happened: In an interview with Wall Street Journal which was made public on Monday, Nadella spoke about new AI capabilities of Microsoft’s Copilot+PCs with Qualcomm chips and AI Windows. One of the features was “Recall,” which enables Windows to take constant screenshots of the user’s screen and use a generative AI model to process the data, making it searchable. The clip from the video was shared by a...

Microsoft will officially end support for its most popular operating system in October 2025. Here's what you should do with your Windows 10 PCs before that day arrives. In less than two years, Microsoft will draw the final curtain on Windows 10 after a successful 10-year run. That news shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The end date is right there on the Microsoft Support document that lists "products retiring or reaching the end of support in 2025." The schedule is defined by Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy: "Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. The...

These are the most popular computer operating systems from 1985 to 2024, based on market share. The latest numbers from 2003 on are readily available from Wikipedia and Statcounter. The first half of the video required a bit more research, which entailed finding and converting sales figures into market share. These numbers may be different based on what OSes are included in the stats, this is why different videos have slightly different numbers.

I'm running Kubuntu 22.04. I've been annoyed for some time that Thunderbird removed support for Movemail a while back. I have searched for ways around it, to no avail. I'd like to be able to read my local system mail using something more then just the command-line mail program. Does anyone have a good recommendation for an email program that will move mail from /var/spool/mail/ This is strictly local mail. I do not intend to send mail at all from this

What just happened? It's not just China that is replacing Windows on government PCs. Germany's most northern state, Schleswig-Holstein, has begun moving from the popular OS to Linux while also switching from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice. The state's Minister-President Daniel Gunther said the move from proprietary to open-source software was being made to ensure independence, sustainability, and security. "In addition to improved IT security, cost-effectiveness, and data protection, the use of open-source software also enables seamless collaboration between different systems," officials said. "Alongside open-source software development, the goal is to release future development results of the country under free licenses."The...

The way Google has been stepping up its data collection game, it has prompted many people to opt for privacy-focused web browsers that respect their privacy by providing a secure browsing experience.Floorp is one such web browser that I recently came across that claims to be “the most Advanced and Fastest Firefox derivative” around.So, join me as I check out this browser.Floorp: Overview ⭐Being a fork of the popular Firefox browser, Floorp was built keeping privacy and user freedom in mind. It is a cross-platform web browser that prides itself in being completely open-source and not collecting any kind of...

I am looking for a decent place to host a web site or two. The plan is to post information the certain folks (you know who) might not like. No, I’m not talking porn in any form. Let’s put it this way: We don’t want this site to get ‘parlered’ if you know what we mean. It’s just a host that will be scalable. For the nerd/geeks out there, I am looking to install a LAMP stack for Wordpress with a CRUD backend attachment. Does anyone have any ideas?

Linux has surpassed a 4% share in the desktop operating system market as of the end of February 2024. According to the latest data from StatCounter, a leading web traffic analysis tool, Linux’s market share has reached 4.03%.At first glance, the number might seem modest, but it represents a significant leap. Let’s break it down. It took Linux 30 years to secure a 3% share of desktop operating systems, a milestone reached last June.Impressively, the open-source operating system has surged by an additional 1% in the last eight months.Linux desktop market share, February 2024Now, we’re all curious about the journey...

Elon Musk received an invitation from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin to join the desktop Linux community in a fascinating exchange on the social media site X. This gesture came shortly after Musk expressed his dissatisfaction with Microsoft Windows OS, highlighting the compulsory requirement for a Microsoft account to use his newly purchased computer. Buterin’s proposal highlights a broader movement in favor of open-source software, reflecting the critical juncture in which business executives are candidly exploring alternatives to popular operating systems.