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Asahi Linux 7.1 Progress Report
20 days ago
- Linux 7.1 released with progress on M3, Apple bugs, and other updates.
- macOS 27 beta broke Asahi Linux boot; fix involves setting APFS boot flag.
- macOS 27 SMC firmware change caused battery driver issues; patched in kernel 7.0.12.
- M3 machines now support audio output, CPU frequency switching, and big.LITTLE scheduling.
- AVD firmware reverse-engineered for custom video decoder driver; AVC support working.
- m1n1 version 1.6.0 requires Rust for stage 2 builds and improves M3 support.
- New contributors helped with audio, AVD, and m1n1 development.
Stop Quoting Steve Ballmer
20 days ago
- Steve Ballmer's 2001 quote calling Linux 'a cancer' is often used out of context and stripped of his initial praise for Linux as 'good competition.'
- The quote was aimed at the GPL's copyleft clause, not the Linux kernel itself, expressing concerns about intellectual property and the license's potential viral spread in commercial software.
- In 2001, legal questions about the GPL's enforceability were unresolved, and high-stakes litigation like SCO v. IBM brought these issues to the forefront, though the GPL later survived court challenges.
- Over time, legal precedent clarified that the GPL is enforceable, and Microsoft evolved to embrace Linux, joining initiatives like the Linux Foundation and pledging patents to protect open source.
- Using the 25-year-old quote in modern tech stories is outdated, as Microsoft now ships GPL Linux kernels and actively supports open source, making the reference misleading and irrelevant.
Claude Desktop is now available on Linux (in beta)
21 days ago
- Linux support for the Claude desktop app is in beta.
- Available features include the Chat, Cowork, and Code tabs.
- Requirements: Ubuntu 22.04 or later, or Debian 12 or later on x86_64 or arm64.
- Installation can be done via Anthropic's apt repository for automatic updates or from a downloaded .deb file.
- The desktop app on Linux does not update itself; updates come with the system's regular package updates.
- Current limitations in the Linux beta: no Computer Use (app/screen control), no Dictation, limited Quick Entry hotkey support, and only Debian-based distributions are supported.
Ditching Vagrant: VMs with KVM and Virsh on Debian
15 days ago
- The author decided to move away from Vagrant to using KVM and libvirt for virtual machine management, feeling it was overly complex and redundant since Linux can handle virtualization natively.
- KVM allows the Linux kernel to function as a hypervisor, while libvirt is a library that manages KVM and other virtualization platforms, with virsh as a command-line interface for interacting with libvirt.
- A practical example is given for creating a preseeded Debian VM using virt-install, which automates installation with predefined answers and handles network connectivity, mounting, and SSH agent forwarding.
- Key steps include checking KVM module status, installing libvirt and virsh, using preseed files for deterministic builds, and troubleshooting issues like serial output problems after OS upgrades.
- The author highlights the benefits of using libvirt for unified virtualization management and shares useful commands for VM lifecycle control, network setup, and file system mounting.
Linux on the Atari Jaguar. No, really.
15 days ago
- The Atari Jaguar, released in 1993, was a 64-bit console that became a commercial failure despite efforts like the Jaguar CD add-on.
- Linux can run on the Jaguar using uClinux for MMU-less systems, targeting the Motorola 68000 processor, with code under arch/m68k/.
- Key challenges included optimizing memory usage by splitting the kernel into ROM and RAM sections, addressing compiler issues with unaligned accesses, and setting up output and timers via the Jerry DSP.
- Booting required a serial output driver for early messages and a timer for system ticks, with adjustments for memory mapping and vector handling.
- Userspace involved using FLAT binaries instead of ELF, with busybox for a minimal init, and modifications to uClibc for memory allocation to avoid OOM errors.
- The setup resulted in a bootable Linux system on the Jaguar, with resources and configs available in a GitHub repository for replication.
'I'm not a programmer' anymore: Linus Torvalds on the only two tools he uses now
12 days ago
- Linus Torvalds now sees himself as a development lead rather than a programmer, focusing on understanding the bigger picture through pull requests and handling merge conflicts.
- He uses only two main tools: Git for version control and email for communication, relying on maintainers and avoiding last-minute fixes to maintain a steady release schedule.
- Torvalds emphasizes incremental improvements over splashy releases, though AI-generated bug reports and patches have added stress, often producing junk or superficial fixes.
- He supports removing obsolete hardware and software, like discontinuing support for 486 SX CPUs and old networking standards, to reduce maintenance burdens.
- While acknowledging Rust's value, he believes C remains simpler and more powerful, noting that Rust doesn't prevent logic errors and its guarantees break in mixed C/Rust codebases.
- AI and LLMs are used cautiously; they can prototype ideas but often generate invalid bug reports or band-aid patches, requiring human verification and suggested fixes.
- Torvalds values finding bugs, even embarrassing ones, over ignoring them, and uses AI for personal projects like adding Godzilla to family photos from his travels.
The Linux.org story
6 days ago
- Linux.org was founded in May 1994 by Michael McLagan.
- At that time, Linux was only about three years old, having been recently released by Linus Torvalds.
- The site was created to provide a learning resource and community hub for newcomers, filling the gap due to the lack of search engines, Wikipedia, and other modern infrastructure.
Ableton Live and Push can now run on Linux, unofficially
6 days ago
- A set of patches for Wine allows running Ableton Live 12, Max for Live, and Push 2/3 on Linux with near-native support.
- Wine is a compatibility layer that runs Windows software on Linux without emulation, widely used in gaming but less so in music tech.
- Patches enable features like Live 12 Suite and Beta support, Push device support, low-latency audio via WineASIO, VST3/JUCE/OpenGL compatibility, HiDPI, and system theme/font integration.
- The project is unofficial and unsupported, but users can run paid licenses and plugins via Wine without modifying binaries.
- Linux offers advantages for music tech, including security, privacy, and independence from uncertain trajectories of Apple and Microsoft.
- The developer used AI (local models and Claude Opus) for QA testing, documentation, and build pipeline setup, with proper disclosure.
Cosmic DE's First Seven Months
5 days ago
- COSMIC DE released new features including gaming enhancements like multiple full-screen windows per workspace and input protocols.
- Frosted Glass effect added for a customizable, immersive desktop experience.
- Non-COSMIC apps now match system corner styles, improving cross-desktop appearance.
- Workspaces Overview search allows searching apps directly from the overview.
- New COSMIC System Monitor provides system resource views with detailed graphs and processes.
- Ellipses support added to COSMIC Text, improving text handling across the desktop.
- Tab drag and drop implemented in COSMIC Files, Edit, and Terminal for better workflow.
- COSMIC Files improved with features like automatic filename selection, network path entry, and privacy controls.
- COSMIC Terminal offers configurable shortcuts, tab drag and drop, and IME support.
- COSMIC Settings added search, screen reader shortcut, and Caps Lock key reassignment options.
- COSMIC Player enhanced with continuous playback, skip controls, and playback speed options.
- Various applets and components updated, including battery applet, VPN integration, and window management improvements.
Building an Arch Linux Aarch64 Port for Holo Core
4 days ago
- Valve uses an adapted version of Arch Linux in its products, and Collabora has been working on Holo Core, a pure aarch64 port of Arch Linux for the Steam Frame, which uses an aarch64 CPU.
- Since Arch Linux does not officially support aarch64, the team has developed tooling and CI infrastructure to enable the port, including publishing binaries, sources, and development containers for exploration.
- The port involves complex challenges like ensuring reproducible builds in CI, calculating correct build orders due to Arch's rolling-release model, handling SONAME transitions, and dealing with outdated upstream sources and infrastructure issues.
- The released package tree serves as a proof of concept, demonstrating that the tooling can produce a functional package tree for product launches, with plans to track Arch Linux developments continuously and collaborate on upstream aarch64 porting efforts.
- The preview allows experimentation on aarch64 hosts or via containers on x86_64 hosts, with setup instructions for QEMU emulation and distrobox, enabling users to build packages like coreutils in the aarch64 environment.
Hyprland 0.55 announced the switch to Lua for its config files
19 hours ago
- Hyprland 0.55 introduces Lua configs, enabling Lua-based configuration with updated wiki guidance.
- User-defined layouts via Layout API in Lua allow custom layouts per workspace or monitor.
- Scrolling improvements include fullscreen window support and native trackpad gestures.
- ICC profiles can be loaded per-output for enhanced color accuracy.
- Renderer and color management upgrades include FP16 precision and improved pipelines.
- Breaking changes: removal of config options like dwindle:pseudotile and decoration:shadow:ignore_window.
- New features include scrolling goodies, device tags, window rules, and a glow decoration.
- Fixes and updates are extensive, with details available on the GitHub release.
Linux Now Runs on the Atari Jaguar, a 1993 Console with Just 2 MB of RAM
12 hours ago
- Linux kernel 7.2.0-rc1 has been booted on the 1993 Atari Jaguar game console by developer Joel Bueno.
- The Jaguar uses a Motorola 68000 CPU with no MMU, 2 MB of RAM, and custom chips Tom and Jerry.
- Key challenges included the lack of virtual memory support, solved using the uClinux/NOMMU option and a flat memory model.
- To fit the kernel in 2 MB RAM, execute-in-place (XIP) was used, keeping read-only parts on cartridge ROM.
- Timers from the Jerry DSP were repurposed to provide system interrupts for the Linux scheduler.
- Custom console drivers were written for early boot output, using Jerry's serial pins and later Tom's video output.
- Userspace is minimal: Buildroot with BusyBox, FLAT binaries, and a direct shell launch due to memory constraints.
- No full bootloader; control jumps directly to the kernel from the cartridge header.
- The project is seen as a demonstration of Linux flexibility and a retro-computing achievement, despite not being practical for daily use.
- Comments debate the value: some call it wasted time, others highlight the learning and problem-solving involved.

Hasty Briefsbeta

#linux

Asahi Linux 7.1 Progress Report

Stop Quoting Steve Ballmer

Claude Desktop is now available on Linux (in beta)

Ditching Vagrant: VMs with KVM and Virsh on Debian

Linux on the Atari Jaguar. No, really.

'I'm not a programmer' anymore: Linus Torvalds on the only two tools he uses now

The Linux.org story

Ableton Live and Push can now run on Linux, unofficially

Cosmic DE's First Seven Months

Building an Arch Linux Aarch64 Port for Holo Core

Hyprland 0.55 announced the switch to Lua for its config files

Linux Now Runs on the Atari Jaguar, a 1993 Console with Just 2 MB of RAM