The Open Invention Network looks to the future of open-source patent protection https://opensourcewatch.beehiiv.com/p/the-open-invention-network-looks-to-the-future-of-open-source-patent-protection by @sjvn

The OIN has expanded the #Linux System Definition and changed its financing model. #OpenSource

Latest 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 - 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲/𝟬𝟮/𝟬𝟮 (Valuable News - 2026/02/02) available.

https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/valuable-news-2026-02-02/

Past releases: https://vermaden.wordpress.com/news/

#verblog #vernews #news #bsd #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #linux #unix #zfs #opnsense #ghostbsd #solaris #vermadenday

DDWrap provides a graphical interface around the `dd` command that allows you to do things easily.

https://github.com/HarderLemonade/ddwrap/

It maybe useful to many users.

#unix #linux #opensource

Alt...

a screenshot of DDWrap GUI tool. it a lightweight, safety-focused Qt GUI wrapper for dd, written in Python

Latest 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 - 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲/𝟬𝟮/𝟬𝟮 (Valuable News - 2026/02/02) available.

https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/valuable-news-2026-02-02/

Past releases: https://vermaden.wordpress.com/news/

#verblog #vernews #news #bsd #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #linux #unix #zfs #opnsense #ghostbsd #solaris #vermadenday

Episode 2 of Dark Blue Weekly released

https://darkblueraven.com/sites/news/dbw-e2.php

#darkblueweekly #opensource #freesoftware #linux #bsd #opnsense #budgiedesktop #cosmicdesktop #aerynos #gstreamer #gettext

Super+Space opens a small menu script that launches apps and system actions (WiFi, reboot, shutdown),
all keyboard-driven via sxhkd.

No panel, no mouse menus, WM-agnostic.

#!/bin/sh
ROOT=doas
# Open a terminal (st) with the given title and command
# example: st -t terminal_title -e command 
term() {
    st -t "$1" -e "${@:2}"
}
choice=$(printf "%s\n" \
    "Browser" \
    "Terminal" \
    "IRC" \
    "Mail" \
    "PDF" \
    "Editor" \
    "Files" \
    "Mixer" \
    "WiFi" \
    "Bluetooth" \
    "Reboot" \
    "Shutdown" |
    dmenu -i -l 12 -p "Menu" \
        -fn "Iosevka Term-11" \
        -nb '#000000' -nf '#ffffff' \
        -sb '#005f87' -sf '#ffffff')
case "$choice" in
    Browser)    firefox ;;
    Terminal)   term st tmux ;;
    IRC)        term senpai senpai ;;
    Mail)       term mutt mutt ;;
    PDF)        pdf-open.sh ;;
    Editor)     geany ;;
    Files)      term fff fff ;;
    Mixer)      term alsamixer alsamixer ;;
    WiFi)       term wifitui "$ROOT" wifitui ;;
    Bluetooth)  blueman-manager ;;
    Reboot)     "$ROOT" /sbin/reboot ;;
    Shutdown)   "$ROOT" /sbin/poweroff ;;
esac

#dwm #dmenu #sxhkd #x11 #linux #suckless

Guix System first impressions as a Nix user

But NixOS isn't the only declarative distro out there. In fact GNU forked Nix fairly early and made their own spin called Guix, whose big innovation is that, instead of using the unwieldy Nix-language, it uses Scheme. Specifically Guile Scheme, GNU's sanctioned configuration language. I've been following Guix for a bit, but it never felt quite ready t

https://www.osnews.com/story/144313/guix-system-first-impressions-as-a-nix-user/

#Linux

I already had notes on dwm, st, and X11 usage, and
this thread was the motivation to turn them into a
short, standalone document about the trade-offs
around scope, ecosystem complexity, and sustainability.

Original thread:
https://swiss.social/@LukePhilipps/115973122695310819

Document:
https://git.sr.ht/~r1w1s1/code-notes/blob/main/notes/Understanding_Wayland_X11_and_Minimalism.txt

Blog:
https://4c6e.xyz/

#Unix #Linux #BSD #Wayland #X11 #SystemDesign #Minimalism

@cks

I suspect that this has changed over the years. Kay Sievers's original proposal in 2010 indeed had the active device as the last one. But Lennart Poettering writing in 2012, after things had settled down amongst the kernel developers, wrote that the active device was the first one. I vaguely remember inspecting the code that constructed the string to check, at the time. I'll try to remember to have another look.

https://0pointer.de/blog/projects/serial-console.html

#Linux #console #vt #manual #nosh

wonder if there's now a set of #linux users who actually see any "year of the linux desktop" as a bad thing

they see all those new users, with their new demands and such, and either treat them as invaders, or see any potential change from linux desktops becoming more commercially viable as more negative than positive

i imagine a few possible examples, but there could be more

• a power-user gamer who already knows which PC components to pick for the best compatibility, plays either native linux games or uses proton, and is not interested in things like fortnite, league of legends or gta online, which require kernel-level anti-cheat, instead playing other games which disable kernel-level protection requirements for linux users

they see a potential expansion of linux user base as a threat that could lead more games to develop, and then enforce, kernel-level anti-cheat

• or maybe a hobbyist user with an esoteric distro and minimalist config

who is annoyed that the new users all go for the major distros and DEs like gnome and kde, reducing the share of attention paid to the alternatives, they fear that if this continues, more programs will start depending on things like systemd

or maybe they fear that higher popularity of desktop linux will lead to more malware development, and eventually linux users will need to run an anti-viral program similar to windows defender

Turns out I'm not the only one currently with Bluetooth problems on Linux. The latest WirePlumber version 0.5.13 introduces a new auto-switch to headset profiles for Bluetooth headsets, which crashes my Jabra Headset from work but not my Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

The workaround for the moment is either downgrading to 0.5.12 or disabling the new auto-switch feature with the following:
```
wpctl settings -s bluetooth.autoswitch-to-headset-profile false
```
(Taken from https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libgnome-volume-control/-/issues/34#note_2645091)

The `-s` persists this change - otherwise I'd have to remember setting this after every login.
#bluetooth #linux #wireplumber

@cks

I write a console(4) and a vt(4) manual page for #Linux, too, as there is a larger gap there, Linux doco not having a vt(4) page as #FreeBSD does.

http://jdebp.info/Softwares/nosh/guide/commands/linux-console.xml

http://jdebp.info/Softwares/nosh/guide/commands/linux-vt.xml

#console #vt #manual #nosh

Eigentlich habe ich die Daten schon lange nicht mehr angepackt. Aber jetzt wäre es mal wieder soweit. Aber -- welche Möglichkeiten gibt es, mit alten Corel Draw Daten unter Linux weiter zu arbeiten?

#CorelDraw #Linux

My wife's little sister, who is special needs, wants to attend a community college (well, not technically a community college, but it's a special program connected to a well-known Utah-based university.)

Her family doesn't want to buy her a laptop or other computer.

My wife is headed to Utah next month to spend time with family. I'm preparing an #Ubuntu #Linux system to donate to her little sister.

Education is crucial in life. I'll always support (to the best of my ability) efforts to better one's knowledge and skills.

Uh. Is this a known #ubuntu thing? Or is this a quirk of #Wayland?
Sometimes when I bring a window from the background it stays like this, text and icons all garbled. Sometimes if I resize or jiggle it, it sorts itself out, sometimes I have to kill it. #linux
It is also on a very ancient laptop that hasn't been rebooted in months.

Alt...

Screenshot of a file manager window in #Ubuntu but the file listing text is all garbled and unreadable, almost as if the character code page has switched to weird Matrix style glyphs.

What's the most common complaint I've heard about Linux?

Not the installation process.
Not finding a distro.
Not getting programs to work.
Not troubleshooting.
Not hardware compatibility.

The most common complaint about Linux I've seen is this:
For a normal computer user, asking for help is just about impossible.

They ask a simple question and:
People respond "Did you Google it?"
People respond "RTFM"
People get mad??? at them for making an easy mistake.

We can't expect people to know to, or even know how to deal with any of that stuff.

Search engines these days are awful, manuals are hard to read for most people (especially stuff like ArchWiki), and normal people make mistakes we think are easily avoidable.

The solution to making Linux more popular is not ruthless promotion. The solution is to actually help the people who are trying to use it.

#Linux

One feature I would like added to the #GLiNet #CometPro is #IPv6 support in the web UI.

The device runs a version of #Linux that supports IPv6, and sets a link-local address up.

That means the only thing that's missing is the web UI integration (there for IPv4 already, so shouldn't be difficult to implement.)

New Vivaldi release for Windows, Mac & Linux. We got some cool stuff for you and we avoided AI, so enjoy!

#Windows #Macos #Linux #Browser #Vivaldi #Computer #AI

https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-7-8-launches-with-message-to-big-tech-humans-dont-need-ai-babysitters/

I don’t want using my computer to be like a game of Russian roulette

I've been terribly sick for a few days so we've got some catching up to. Let's first take a look at how Windows is doing.

People often say Linux is "too much work." And I agree. They're completely justified to complain. There's the documentation page diving, the forums, the reddit threads. And, mo

https://www.osnews.com/story/144290/i-dont-want-using-my-computer-to-be-like-a-game-of-russian-roulette/

#Linux

The Framework 16 laptop detects when it's booted partially assembled. It boots into a special mode to walk you through completing the assembly. The screen updates to reflect your progress and prompt the next step. This requires no tools to complete. Impressive! Watch:

@frameworkcomputer

#Framework #FrameworkLaptop #Framework16 #Linux #Video

From Microsoft to Microslop to Linux: Why I Made the Switch

> I was a happy user, for over 20 years, and Windows has been my go-to for everything computer-related. Even after becoming a software developer and using a macbook, I'd still find myself reaching for Windows at times. That is, until Microsoft decided to turn it into something completely unrecognizable and unusable.

https://www.himthe.dev/blog/microsoft-to-linux

#microsoft #windows #microslop #linux #technology #endOf10

Luanti (formerly Minetest) v5.15 brings UI improvements, mod upgrades and a big performance boost https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/luanti-formerly-minetest-v5-15-brings-ui-improvements-mod-upgrades-and-a-big-performance-boost/

#VoxeLibre #Luanti #Minetest #OpenSource #Linux #Gaming #FreeGame