• Home
• About
• Contact
• Disclaimer
• Privacy Policy

Red Hat is Becoming an Official Microsoft 'Windows Subsystem for Linux' Distro

Posted: 2024-11-23 17:34:00
Source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/11/23/0251245/red-hat-is-becoming-an-official-microsoft-windows-subsystem-for-linux-distro?utm_source=atom1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

"You can use any Linux distribution inside of the Windows Subsystem for Linux" Microsoft recently reminded Windows users, "even if it is not available in the Microsoft Store, by importing it with a tar file." But being an official distro "makes it easier for Windows Subsystem for Linux users to install and discover it with actions like wsl --list --online and wsl --install," Microsoft pointed out this week. And "We're excited to announce that Red Hat will soon be delivering a Red Hat Enterprise Linux WSL distro image in the coming months..." Thank you to the Red Hat team as their feedback has been invaluable as we built out this new architecture, and we're looking forwards to the release...! Ron Pacheco, senior director, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Ecosystem, Red Hat says: "Developers have their preferred platforms for developing applications for multiple operating systems, and WSL is an important platform for many of them. Red Hat is committed to driving greater choice and flexibility for developers, which is why we're working closely with the Microsoft team to bring Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the largest commercially available open source Linux distribution, to all WSL users." Read Pacheco's own blog post here. But in addition Microsoft is also releasing "a new way to make WSL distros," they announced this week, "with a new architecture that backs how WSL distros are packaged and installed." Up until now, you could make a WSL distro by either creating an appx package and distributing it via the Microsoft Store, or by importing a .tar file with wsl -import. We wanted to improve this by making it possible to create a WSL distro without needing to write Windows code, and for users to more easily install their distros from a file or network share which is common in enterprise scenarios... With the tar based architecture, you can start with the same .tar file (which can be an exported Linux container!) and just edit it to add details to make it a WSL distro... These options will describe key distro attributes, like the name of the distro, its icon in Windows, and its out of box experience (OOBE) which is what happens when you run WSL for the first time. You'll notice that the oobe_command option points to a file which is a Linux executable, meaning you can set up your full experience just in Linux if you wish.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

How to install BackBox Linux 9

Posted: 2024-11-22 16:55:57
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD65niX90Ek

New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation

Posted: 2024-11-22 14:55:35
Source: http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/News/New-Linux-Kernel-Patch-Allows-Forcing-a-CPU-Mitigation

Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.

6.11.10: stable

Posted: 2024-11-22 14:39:59
Source: https://www.kernel.org/

6.6.63: longterm

Posted: 2024-11-22 14:39:03
Source: https://www.kernel.org/

6.1.119: longterm

Posted: 2024-11-22 14:37:44
Source: https://www.kernel.org/

6.12.1: stable

Posted: 2024-11-22 14:30:34
Source: https://www.kernel.org/

next-20241122: linux-next

Posted: 2024-11-22 06:21:27
Source: https://www.kernel.org/

Jim Zemlin, 'Head Janitor of Open Source,' Marks 20 Years At Linux Foundation

Posted: 2024-11-21 22:00:00
Source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/24/11/21/2022220/jim-zemlin-head-janitor-of-open-source-marks-20-years-at-linux-foundation?utm_source=atom1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

ZDNet's Steven Vaughan-Nichols interviews Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of The Linux Foundation and "head janitor of open source." An anonymous Slashdot reader shares an excerpt from the article: When I first met Zemlin, he was the head of the Free Standards Group (FSG). The FSG's main project was the Linux Standard Base (LSB) project. The LSB's goal was to get everyone in the Linux desktop world to agree on standards to ensure compatibility among distributions and their applications. Oh well, some struggles are never-ending. Another group, the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), was simultaneously working on standardizing enterprise Linux. The two non-profits had the same goal of making Linux more useful and popular, so they agreed to merge. Zemlin was the natural pick to head this new group, which would be called The Linux Foundation. At the time, he told me: "The combination of the two groups really enables the Linux platform and all the members of the Linux Foundation to work really effectively. I clearly understand what the organization's charter needs to be: We need to provide services that are useful to the community and industry, as well as protect, promote, and continue to standardize the platform." While initially focused on Linux, the Foundation's scope expanded significantly around 2010. Until then, the organization had hosted about a dozen projects related to the Linux operating system. However, as Linux gained dominance in various sectors, including high-performance computing, automotive, embedded systems, mobile devices, and cloud computing, the Linux Foundation started to broaden its horizons. Zemlin says there are three words that sum up the Linux Foundation's effort to keep open source safe and open to a new generation of developers: helpful, hopeful, and humble. "You must be genuinely helpful to developers. We're the janitors of open source. The Linux Foundation takes care of all the boring but important stuff necessary to support software development so developers can focus on code. This work includes events, project marketing, project infrastructure, finances for projects, training and education, legal assistance, standards, facilitation, open source evangelism, and much, much more." He continued: "The hopeful part is really the optimistic part. When in 2007, people were saying that this would never work. When leaders of huge companies tell everyone that you know all that you're doing is a cancer or terrible, you have to have a sense of optimism that there are better days ahead. You have to always be thinking, 'No, we can do it and stick with it.'" However, Zemlin concluded that the number one trait that's "important in working in open source is this idea of humility. I work with hundreds of people every day, and none of them work at the Linux Foundation. We must lead through influence, and that really has been the secret for 20 years of working here without going totally insane. If you can check your ego and take criticism, open source actually turns out to be a really fun community to work with."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Using MAXQDA for Qualitative Data Analysis on Linux

Posted: 2024-11-21 17:00:00
Source: https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/using-maxqda-qualitative-data-analysis-linux

by George Whittaker

Introduction

Qualitative data analysis (QDA) is a cornerstone of research across various fields, from social sciences to marketing. It involves uncovering patterns, themes, and meanings within non-numerical data such as interviews, focus groups, and textual narratives. In this era of digital tools, MAXQDA stands out as a premier software solution for QDA, empowering researchers to organize and analyze complex datasets effectively.

Despite its strengths, MAXQDA lacks native Linux support, a limitation for researchers who prefer or rely on Linux environments. This article explores how Linux users can overcome these challenges, leverage MAXQDA for qualitative research, and integrate it seamlessly into their workflows.

Understanding MAXQDA

What is MAXQDA?

MAXQDA, developed by VERBI Software, has long been a trusted tool for qualitative and mixed-methods research. Known for its user-friendly interface and robust features, MAXQDA allows researchers to work with diverse data types, including text, audio, video, and images.

Key Features of MAXQDA

1. Data Importation

   • Supports multiple formats such as Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and even social media data.
   • Allows seamless transcription and analysis of audio/video files.

2. Coding and Categorization

   • Enables researchers to code textual and multimedia data with color-coded systems.
   • Offers hierarchical code systems for detailed organization.

3. Visualization Tools

   • Provides visual tools like mind maps, word clouds, and matrix analyses.
   • Facilitates understanding of data relationships and patterns.

4. Mixed-Methods Integration

   • Combines qualitative and quantitative data for comprehensive analysis.

Why MAXQDA for Researchers?

MAXQDA offers unmatched versatility for researchers handling complex qualitative datasets, providing tools for in-depth analysis, reporting, and visualization—all essential for producing meaningful insights.

Setting Up MAXQDA on Linux

While MAXQDA officially supports Windows and macOS, Linux users can employ workarounds to run the software. Below are practical methods to use MAXQDA on Linux.

Running MAXQDA with Wine or PlayOnLinux

Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on Linux. PlayOnLinux, built on Wine, provides a more user-friendly interface for installing and managing Windows applications.

Go to Full Article

Distribution Release: Proxmox 8.3 "Virtual Environment"

Posted: 2024-11-21 13:54:37
Source: https://distrowatch.com/12295

The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. The Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) distribution is is a Debian-based, open-source virtualisation platform for running virtual appliances and virtual machines. The project's latest release, Proxmox 8.3 Virtual Environment, improves its software-defined networking while also updating its kernel and ZFS packages. "This version is based on Debian 12.8 (Bookworm),....

BackBox Linux 9 overview | A penetration testing and security assessment Linux distribution.

Posted: 2024-11-21 10:43:00
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU3wkhNJDnc

Enterprise Linux Security Episode 102 - The Cybersecurity Resilience Act

Posted: 2024-11-21 06:44:24
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgbmKfG_O-w

next-20241121: linux-next

Posted: 2024-11-21 05:37:26
Source: https://www.kernel.org/

Ubuntu 24.04: How to Automate Updates with Unattended Upgrades

Posted: 2024-11-21 05:00:45
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5_wPaHlcHQ

Ubuntu Linux Impacted By Decade-Old 'needrestart' Flaw That Gives Root

Posted: 2024-11-21 01:00:00
Source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/11/21/0057206/ubuntu-linux-impacted-by-decade-old-needrestart-flaw-that-gives-root?utm_source=atom1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

Five local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerabilities in the Linux utility "needrestart" -- widely used on Ubuntu to manage service updates -- allow attackers with local access to escalate privileges to root. The flaws were discovered by Qualys in needrestart version 0.8, and fixed in version 3.8. BleepingComputer reports: Complete information about the flaws was made available in a separate text file, but a summary can be found below: - CVE-2024-48990: Needrestart executes the Python interpreter with a PYTHONPATH environment variable extracted from running processes. If a local attacker controls this variable, they can execute arbitrary code as root during Python initialization by planting a malicious shared library. - CVE-2024-48992: The Ruby interpreter used by needrestart is vulnerable when processing an attacker-controlled RUBYLIB environment variable. This allows local attackers to execute arbitrary Ruby code as root by injecting malicious libraries into the process. - CVE-2024-48991: A race condition in needrestart allows a local attacker to replace the Python interpreter binary being validated with a malicious executable. By timing the replacement carefully, they can trick needrestart into running their code as root. - CVE-2024-10224: Perl's ScanDeps module, used by needrestart, improperly handles filenames provided by the attacker. An attacker can craft filenames resembling shell commands (e.g., command|) to execute arbitrary commands as root when the file is opened. - CVE-2024-11003: Needrestart's reliance on Perl's ScanDeps module exposes it to vulnerabilities in ScanDeps itself, where insecure use of eval() functions can lead to arbitrary code execution when processing attacker-controlled input. The report notes that attackers would need to have local access to the operation system through malware or a compromised account in order to exploit these flaws. "Apart from upgrading to version 3.8 or later, which includes patches for all the identified vulnerabilities, it is recommended to modify the needrestart.conf file to disable the interpreter scanning feature, which prevents the vulnerabilities from being exploited," adds BleepingComputer.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

FLTK 1.4 Released

Posted: 2024-11-20 13:00:00
Source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/11/20/0541202/fltk-14-released?utm_source=atom1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

Longtime Slashdot reader slack_justyb writes: The Fast Light Toolkit released version 1.4.0 of the venerable, though sometimes looking a bit dated, toolkit from the '90s. New in this version are better CMake support, HiDPI support, and initial support for Wayland on Linux and Wayland on FreeBSD. Programs compiled and linked to this library launch using Wayland if it is available at runtime and fall back to X11 if not. FLTK 1.4.0 can be downloaded here. Documentation is also available.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

next-20241120: linux-next

Posted: 2024-11-20 06:14:01
Source: https://www.kernel.org/

Distribution Release: Oracle Linux 9.5

Posted: 2024-11-20 01:03:46
Source: https://distrowatch.com/12294

The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Gursewak Sokhi has announced the release of Oracle Linux 9 Update 5, the latest stable release of Oracle's Linux distribution built from the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). This new version updates the OpenJDK Java platform to version 17 and the .NET development platform to....

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released

Posted: 2024-11-19 20:54:42
Source: http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/News/Red-Hat-Enterprise-Linux-9.5-Released

Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.