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History of PowerDNS: 2013-2020 (Technology) - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- PowerDNS performed a major internal cleanup, replacing ASCII domain name handling with a DNSName class and moving to C++11, which improved correctness and prepared for DNSSEC.
- DNSSEC implementation was professionalized by new hires (Pieter Lexis, Rémi Gacogne, Otto Moerbeek) and contributors, expanding from the authoritative server to the recursor.
- The 'Scandinavian Problem' (negative reputation) led to a bug hunt that improved performance metrics and eventually inspired the creation of dnsdist.
- dnsdist was created initially for query forwarding, then evolved into a vendor-neutral DNS load balancer with Lua scripting, console, and statistics, quickly adopted by many.
- dnsdist spawned weakforced for password brute-force detection, and later integrated DNSCrypt, DNS over TLS, and DNS over HTTPS.
- LUA records were introduced, allowing dynamic DNS response generation within zones, enabling traffic engineering and CDN-like functionality.
- Metrics became a focus, with the metronome.powerdns.com service and integration with Grafana/Prometheus, including logarithmic percentile performance histograms.
- Open source collaboration highlighted: LMDB documentation, TransIP's LMDB backend, and Cloudflare's contributions to dnsdist.
- Other improvements included automated builds, continuous integration, and a streamlined release process.
The EU's new Cyber Resilience Act is about to tell us how to code - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- The EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) imposes mandatory cybersecurity requirements on almost all software and connected devices sold in the EU, with fines up to €15 million or 2.5% of annual turnover.
- Key requirements include secure-by-default configurations, no known exploitable vulnerabilities, protection against unauthorized access, data encryption, minimization, and denial-of-service resilience.
- Open source software has a vague carve-out, but many fear it will apply if any commercial activity is involved, potentially chilling open source innovation.
- Standards to interpret the essential requirements will be set by European bodies (CEN, CENELEC, or ETSI) in a process that lacks transparency and may be dominated by large corporations.
- Critical products require third-party audits by notified bodies, but there is currently insufficient capacity and no established standards for such audits.
- The CRA may harm European innovation and international cooperation, as non-EU projects might avoid EU contributors or users to evade liability.
- The author recommends contacting national ministries and suggests the act should not be rushed; a narrower initial scope could reduce negative impacts.
Zig creator calls Bun's Claude Rust rewrite 'unreviewed slop'
15 days ago
- Meta's AI ambitions could lead to it becoming a major cloud provider.
- AI cost evaluation should factor in task completion rates, not just token expenses.
- Microsoft warns AI labs to protect intellectual property, despite its OpenAI investment.
- The AI boom is intensifying volatility in the memory market.
- There is a growing trend towards smaller, specialized AI tools over large models.
- Russians are using fake Signal support for phishing, while the US targets Iranian propaganda.
- Microsoft's SharePoint patches are insufficient, leaving on-prem systems vulnerable.
- DEF CON expands hacker efforts to protect critical infrastructure.
- EQT acquires a majority stake in Acronis, valuing it at over $3.5 billion.
- Mikko Hyppönen notes no end in sight for corporate ransomware after ten years.
- Linux Mint's Cinnamon 6.8 adds Wayland support, and KDE Plasma 6.8 will enforce Wayland.
- Collabora CODE 26.04 enhances cloud office suites with Markdown and optional AI.
- GIMP 0.54 is revived via Flatpak for retro computing enthusiasts.
- Bcachefs exits experimental status with performance improvements but AI-related issues.
- France's digital sovereignty efforts face challenges in moving away from Microsoft tools.
Photovoltaics are still running after a year under Swiss trains
16 days ago
- Memory makers face volatile cycles due to AI boom, with RAMpocalypse potentially leading to AIpocalypse.
- AI customers are shifting towards smaller, purpose-built tools over large general models like those from OpenAI and Anthropic.
- Microsoft's datacenter expansions for AI have increased its emissions by a quarter, highlighting environmental conflicts.
- OpenAI introduces GPT-Live, enabling real-time conversational AI with simultaneous talk, listen, and answer capabilities.
- SpaceXAI rebrands and expands Grok AI into legal and business tools, moving past controversial origins.
- Russian phishing attacks mimic Signal support, while US disrupts Iranian propaganda and a marketing firm data breach occurs.
- Microsoft's SharePoint on-prem remains vulnerable despite patches, facing zero-day attacks and other security updates.
- DEF CON's Franklin project engages hackers to protect critical infrastructure, expanding security efforts.
- EQT acquires a majority stake in Acronis at over $3.5 billion valuation, boosting cybersecurity investments.
- Ransomware persists a decade on, with infosec offering stable career prospects despite ongoing threats.
- Cinnamon 6.8 adds optional Wayland support, providing flexibility in Linux Mint's display server.
- KDE Plasma advances to version 6.6.6, with future updates mandating Wayland adoption.
- Collabora's CODE 26.04 enhances FOSS office suites with Markdown and AI features, intensifying competition.
- GIMP 0.54 is revived via Flatpak, offering retro-computing nostalgia with Motif toolkit.
- Bcachefs leaves experimental stage, incorporating Rust but facing challenges from AI-generated content.
- France's digital sovereignty efforts struggle against Microsoft dominance, with Nextcloud storage gains not matching Office migration.
Calculix: A Free Software Three-Dimensional Structural Finite Element Program
19 days ago
- CalculiX is a finite element method package for building, calculating, and post-processing field problem models.
- It includes an interactive 3D pre- and post-processor using OpenGL and a solver supporting linear/non-linear, static, dynamic, and thermal analyses.
- The solver uses Abaqus input format, allowing commercial pre-processors, while the pre-processor exports mesh data for various codes like Nastran and OpenFOAM.
- Developed by MTU Aero Engines employees in spare time, it runs on Unix, Linux, Irix, and MS-Windows.
- A jet engine case study demonstrates capabilities, including burst-speed, rotational speed limits, eigenfrequencies, and cyclic symmetry modeling with materials like aluminum and high-temperature alloy.

Hasty Briefsbeta

open source software

History of PowerDNS: 2013-2020 (Technology) - Bert Hubert's writings

The EU's new Cyber Resilience Act is about to tell us how to code - Bert Hubert's writings

Zig creator calls Bun's Claude Rust rewrite 'unreviewed slop'

Photovoltaics are still running after a year under Swiss trains

Calculix: A Free Software Three-Dimensional Structural Finite Element Program