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Digital liberation: EU Parliament calls for detachment from US tech giants
3 months ago
- EU Parliament adopts report on technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure with broad cross-party support.
- MEPs aim to reduce European dependence on US technologies and expand domestic capabilities, including AI and open source.
- Calls for bold reforms like the 'Cloud and AI Development Act' and reaffirms EU's right to enforce laws like the Digital Services Act (DSA).
- Strategic reorientation of public procurement to favor European tech providers, with Greens advocating stricter 'Made in EU' regulations.
- Push for European digital public infrastructure based on open standards, interoperability, and the 'Public Money, Public Code' principle.
- Proposal for a 'European Sovereign Tech Fund' with €10 billion to build strategic infrastructures not provided by the market.
- Concerns over US 'digital imperialism' and risks of Europe becoming politically disenfranchised due to US tech monopolies.
- EU's services trade deficit with the USA hits €148 billion in 2024, highlighting the urgency for a shift in public IT procurement.
- Criticism of 'Sovereignty Washing' by US hyperscalers, advocating for open-source solutions from the European economic area instead.
- MEPs seek to establish an independent, value-oriented digital Europe free from external algorithmic control.
Overrun with AI slop, cURL scraps bug bounties to ensure "intact mental health"
3 months ago
- cURL, a popular open-source networking tool, is ending its vulnerability reward program due to an influx of low-quality, AI-generated reports.
- Daniel Stenberg, cURL's founder, cited the small team's inability to handle the volume of submissions and maintain mental health as reasons for the decision.
- Users expressed concerns that ending the program could harm the tool's security, but Stenberg emphasized the necessity of the move.
- cURL will ban and publicly ridicule those submitting poor-quality reports, with the program termination effective at the end of the month.
- Originally released 30 years ago, cURL is a critical tool for admins, researchers, and security professionals, integrated into Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Security is crucial for cURL, given its widespread use, and the project previously relied on private bug reports and cash bounties for high-severity vulnerabilities.
Yann LeCun's new venture is a contrarian bet against large language models
3 months ago
- Yann LeCun, a Turing Award recipient and AI pioneer, has launched a new Paris-based company, AMI Labs, focusing on world models as an alternative to large language models (LLMs).
- LeCun criticizes the current industry obsession with LLMs, arguing they lack a true understanding of the real world and cannot achieve human-level intelligence without major conceptual breakthroughs.
- He advocates for open-source AI, contrasting with the closed approaches of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, and sees a demand for a credible, non-US, non-China AI company.
- AMI Labs will focus on JEPA (joint embedding predictive architecture), a framework for AI to learn abstract representations of the world from video, audio, and sensor data, enabling better reasoning and planning.
- Potential applications of world models include industrial processes, smart glasses, domestic robots, and autonomous driving, where predicting real-world dynamics is crucial.
- LeCun left Meta, where he founded FAIR, due to disagreements over strategic directions, but maintains no bad blood and sees potential collaboration with Meta as AMI's first client.
- He believes academia should avoid LLM research, which is now industry-dominated, and instead focus on foundational breakthroughs like world models.
- AMI Labs is global, with offices planned in Paris, North America (likely New York), and possibly Singapore, attracting talent from top AI labs like OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
- LeCun will serve as executive chairman, focusing on science and vision, while Alex LeBrun, a serial AI entrepreneur, will be CEO, handling day-to-day operations.
GNU Guix 1.5.0 Released
3 months ago
- GNU Guix 1.5.0 released with ISO-9660 installation images, VM images, and tarballs.
- New features include a consensus-based decision-making process, migration to Codeberg, and an annual release cycle.
- Added 12,525 new packages and 29,932 package updates, including KDE Plasma 6.5 and GNOME 46.
- Guix System now uses GNU Shepherd 1.0 with new services like Forgejo Runner and RabbitMQ.
- Full-source bootstraps for Zig and Mono compilers, and reduced bootstrap size for Guix.
- Improved CLI tools including new backends for `guix graph` and `guix pack`.
- Security improvements with rootless Guix daemon and AppArmor profiles.
- Extended architecture support for RISC-V 64-bit and improved Hurd support.
- Fundraising campaign launched to support infrastructure costs.
- Acknowledgments to contributors and release team members.
Ubuntu Pro subscription – should you pay to use Linux?
3 months ago
- Ubuntu Pro is a subscription service offering quick and high-quality security updates for Ubuntu.
- Pricing: $25/year for Enterprise users, with a free version available for personal use.
- Activation involves using a token from the Ubuntu Pro dashboard and running a command in the terminal.
- Key services include ESM Apps, ESM Infra, and Livepatch for security updates.
- Commands like `sudo pro status --all` and `sudo pro security-status` help monitor subscription and security status.
- Ubuntu Pro provides extended security updates until 2034 for Main/Restricted and Universe/Multiverse packages.
- Landscape is a fleet management tool for Ubuntu Pro systems, though more suited for servers than desktops.
- Canonical is actively investing in Landscape, indicating its importance in their business model.
- Ubuntu Pro marks a shift towards offering services to individual users, not just enterprises.
- The article advocates for paid open-source models like Ubuntu Pro to sustain development and maintenance.
Godot 4.6 Release: It's all about your flow
3 months ago
- Godot 4 has matured over almost 3 years, enabling developers to publish games across all genres.
- Steam saw over 1,200 new Godot games in 2025, and itch.io gets around 500 new Godot games weekly.
- Despite being fully capable, minor roadblocks and bugs still hinder the development experience.
- The latest release focuses on polish and usability to solidify Godot as a reliable engine.
- Close to 400 contributors worked on this release, authoring 2,001 commits.
Hacker News: Savage Edition
3 months ago
- Hacker News features a variety of tech-related discussions, from debates on programming languages to critiques of corporate behavior.
- Several posts highlight the absurdity in tech, such as Apple's expensive device for finding lost keys and the 'Auto-LGTM as a Service' startup idea.
- There's a recurring theme of skepticism towards AI hype, with posts mocking AI productivity tools and the concept of prompt engineering.
- Open-source communities and their dynamics are discussed, including the spite-driven sustainability of some projects.
- Corporate and startup culture is critiqued, with posts on private equity's impact on beloved tools and the disillusionment with meritocracy.
- Nostalgia and deep dives into obscure tech topics provide a contrast to the more cynical posts.
- International tech developments, like a Chinese lab outperforming OpenAI, spark debates mixing xenophobia and industry rivalry.
- The platform also serves as a space for showcasing personal projects, though many humorously acknowledge they'll never be completed.
- Critiques of major tech companies and their products are common, with particular disdain for Google's search quality and Windows' user experience.
- The community engages in both highbrow intellectual discussions and lowbrow humor, reflecting the diverse interests of its users.
The state of Linux music players in 2026
3 months ago
- Linux music players in 2026 are explored as alternatives to Spotify and other streaming services.
- The manifesto argues for owning music over streaming, citing cost, artist support, and control over one's library.
- Key features desired in music players include modern UI, native integration, performance, and library management.
- Amberol is highlighted for its simplicity and GNOME integration, suitable for casual listening.
- Euphonica, an MPD client, is praised for its UI and features but has quirks like volume control issues.
- Feishin is recommended for those wanting a 'personal Spotify', with extensive features but relies on Electron.
- Lollypop offers unique features like album of the day but suffers from poor UX design.
- Plattenalbum focuses on album playback with a minimal UI but lacks advanced library management.
- Recordbox is lauded for its intuitive onboarding and library management, despite some unfinished elements.
- Strawberry (and predecessors Clementine, Amarok) are functional but outdated in design, with potential for improvement.
- Tauon is suited for power users with its playlist-centric approach and extensive features.
- Feishin is the top recommendation for server-based playback, while Tauon and Recordbox are best for local playback.
- The Linux music player ecosystem is vibrant, with many options catering to different user needs.
Codeless: From Idea to Software
3 months ago
- Codeless software development leverages AI to orchestrate fleets of coding bots, enabling large-scale software creation from plain-English strategic goals.
- Key innovations include orchestration (controlling multiple bots) and resilience (handling unreliable code outputs), making the system robust and scalable.
- Codeless tools are open-source, non-commercial, and allow swapping LLM components, addressing ethical concerns and vendor lock-in issues.
- Unlike 'no-code' platforms, codeless outputs can run on any infrastructure, offering flexibility and control to developers.
- Codeless shifts power dynamics, enabling individuals (not just coders) to create software without needing extensive resources or permissions.
- Management interfaces are accessible, often using Markdown files, making it approachable for non-developers like product managers or designers.
- Codeless is less suited for legacy codebases due to context limitations and challenges in describing complex legacy systems.
- The approach continues the trend of coding abstractions, letting developers focus on problem-solving rather than manual coding.
- Early adoption is challenging, with high costs and technical complexity, but it offers more potential than corporate-driven AI tools.
- Codeless tech emerges from independent developers, not big corporations, fostering innovation and reducing reliance on proprietary AI vendors.
Funding Open Source?
3 months ago
- Attackers targeted an old, maintained open-source package by taking over maintenance and inserting malicious code to steal cryptocurrencies.
- Three models for sustaining scholarly infrastructures: taxation, byproduct, and oligopoly, as discussed in Cameron Neylon's paper.
- The 'Red Hat' model exemplifies the byproduct approach, where free software is supported through paid services.
- Oligopoly in open source is evident in organizations like the Linux Foundation, dominated by corporate members.
- Proposal for 'community' software where users are taxed proportionally to fund maintenance, akin to public infrastructure funding.
- Memecoins like $GAS and $BLEEBZORX emerged as a novel, albeit controversial, funding mechanism for projects, leveraging attention and trading fees.
- Steve Yegge's Gas Town project inadvertently became a case study in memecoin financing, highlighting the risks and ethical dilemmas involved.
- The memecoin model thrives on attention, with creators and promoters benefiting from trading fees and price pumps, often at the expense of uninformed investors.
- Criticism of the memecoin model focuses on its resemblance to pump-and-dump schemes and the potential for financial and reputational harm.
Linux after Linus? Kernel community drafts a plan for replacing Torvalds
3 months ago
- The Linux kernel community has drafted a succession plan for replacing Linus Torvalds as the top-level maintainer.
- The plan does not name a single successor but outlines a process for selecting one or more maintainers in case of Torvalds' departure.
- Greg Kroah-Hartman is currently seen as the most likely interim successor, though he is older than Torvalds.
- There is discussion about distributing the top-level maintainer role among multiple trusted developers instead of a single BDFL (Benevolent Dictator For Life).
- Torvalds, now 56, remains active with no immediate plans to retire, but the community is preparing for eventual succession.
- The plan addresses the 'bus factor' risk, ensuring project continuity if Torvalds can no longer lead.
SFC vs. VIZIO: who can enforce the GPL?
3 months ago
- The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) is suing VIZIO for not providing complete source code for GPL-licensed software in its smart TVs.
- SFC is suing as a TV owner, not a copyright holder, raising legal questions about who can enforce the GPL.
- The case could establish that GPL enforcement can be a matter of contract law, not just copyright law.
- VIZIO provided incomplete and non-compilable source code, leading to the lawsuit.
- The lawsuit argues that SFC is a 'third-party beneficiary' of the GPL, intended to benefit users.
- If SFC wins, it could set a precedent allowing product owners to sue for GPL compliance.
- The trial is scheduled for January 12, with potential implications for GPL enforcement in the US.
- Judge Leal's tentative rulings suggest VIZIO has a contractual duty to provide complete source code.
- The outcome could influence future GPL enforcement cases, even if it's not binding precedent outside California.
The Sovereign Tech Fund Invests in Scala
3 months ago
- Scala receives €377,300 investment from the Sovereign Tech Fund for long-term security, maintenance, and developer experience.
- The Sovereign Tech Fund supports open-source software components critical for digital infrastructure, investing €34 million in 95 projects since 2022.
- Scala is widely used in essential systems across industries like finance and public services, emphasizing reliability and sustainability.
- The Scala Center, founded in 2016, aims to strengthen the Scala ecosystem with support from industry partners and EPFL.
- Investment deliverables include a security audit by OSTIF, improvements to scoverage, maintenance of core libraries, modernization of documentation, and sbt 2.0 update.
- The Scala Center coordinates the work, emphasizing Scala's role in digital infrastructure and inviting community feedback and involvement.
GitHub - lobehub/lobehub: The ultimate space for work and life — to find, build, and collaborate with agent teammates that grow with you. We are taking agent harness to the next level — enabling multi
3 months ago
- LobeHub is a platform for finding, building, and collaborating with AI agents that grow with users.
- It supports a wide range of features including agent creation, collaboration networks, and co-evolution of humans and agents.
- Features include multi-model support, local LLM integration, visual recognition, TTS/STT, text-to-image generation, and plugin systems.
- LobeHub offers agent marketplaces, multi-user management, and supports both local and server-side databases.
- It provides Progressive Web App (PWA) support, mobile device adaptation, and custom themes for personalized user experience.
- Self-hosting options are available via Vercel, Docker, and other cloud platforms with easy deployment steps.
- LobeHub emphasizes privacy, with data stored locally, and offers extensive customization and plugin development support.
- The platform is under active development, welcoming community feedback and contributions.
9front OS
3 months ago
- 9front.org is a website with various sections including bugs, code, contributions, downloads, FAQs, mailing lists, manuals, and a wiki.
- The site features different categories such as 'About' with sub-sections like coc, extra, movies, mp3, n, propaganda, releases, and who.
- There is a 'Howto' section with DASH 1 and wiki links, and an 'Invest' section listing books and bounties.
- The latest release mentioned is 'GEFS SERVICE PACK 1', highlighting security with 'Only eight remote holes in the default install, in a heck of a long time!'.
T2 SDE: Customizable build system for creating Linux distributions from source
3 months ago
- T2 SDE is a customizable and portable build system for creating Linux distributions from source.
- Originated from ROCK Linux, T2 SDE was forked in 2004 and expanded cross-compilation support.
- Features include source-based builds, cross-compilation for multiple architectures, and modularity with over 5000 package recipes.
- Use cases range from embedded systems to custom desktops, secure deployments, and academic research.
- T2 SDE offers total control over software, ideal for developers seeking transparency and customization.
FOSDEM 2026 – Open-Source Conference in Brussels – Day#1 Recap
3 months ago
- FOSDEM 2026 highlighted the growing importance of digital sovereignty and Europe's technological future.
- The conference emphasized self-hosted solutions, open infrastructure, and community-driven software.
- Projects like FreeBSD, SmolBSD, and BoxyBSD showcased the value of control, transparency, and resilience in open-source systems.
- Talks covered topics from Rust-VMM and Garage S3 best practices to mobility of virtual machines in Kubernetes clusters.
- The Mozilla Foundation's free cookies and Michael Meeks' talk on FLOSS office suites were standout moments.
- FOSDEM 2026 faced challenges with overcrowding, reflecting its growing popularity and the urgency of open-source discussions.
- The conference balanced serious discussions on digital sovereignty with the need for accessibility and community spirit.
- Despite logistical challenges, FOSDEM remained a vital space for in-person connections and spontaneous conversations.
50 years ago, a young Bill Gates took on the 'software pirates'
3 months ago
- Bill Gates wrote an 'Open Letter to Hobbyists' in 1976, complaining about software piracy.
- Gates and Paul Allen created BASIC for the Altair 8800, leading to the founding of Micro-Soft.
- Hobbyists freely copied and shared software, leading to a rift between commercial and hobbyist programmers.
- Gates' letter sparked controversy, with many hobbyists rejecting the idea of paying for software.
- The free software movement gained momentum, with Richard Stallman founding the Free Software Movement in 1983.
- Open Source became popular, with Linux and other projects leading the way.
- Steve Jobs initially dismissed Open Source but later embraced it, as seen with the Safari browser.
GNU Hurd Is "Almost There" with x86_64, SMP and ~75% of Debian Packages Building
3 months ago
- GNU Hurd progress update presented at FOSDEM 2026 by Samuel Thibault.
- Driver support improving via NetBSD's rump layer, though still lags behind Linux.
- SMP support for multi-core systems and x86_64 port now essentially complete.
- AArch64 support is being considered for future development.
- Debian GNU/Hurd, Guix/Hurd, and Alpine/Hurd distributions provide more exposure and testing.
- Around 75% of Debian packages, including desktop environments, now build on GNU/Hurd.
- Developers seek more community contributions to further advance GNU/Hurd.
- Presentation available on FOSDEM.org for those interested in GNU/Hurd's 2026 status.
How Vibe Coding Is Killing Open Source
3 months ago
- Vibe coding, or LLM-assisted software development, may risk the Open Source ecosystem by reducing user interaction with OSS projects and making it harder to start new ones.
- LLMs can steer developers towards libraries prevalent in their training data, potentially reducing visits to project websites and community forums.
- AI-assisted coding may lead to more bugs, with reports indicating a 41% increase in bugs when using tools like GitHub Copilot.
- Experienced developers report decreased productivity (19%) and cognitive skill degradation when relying heavily on LLMs.
- OSS projects may suffer from reduced bug reports and community engagement as developers delegate more to LLMs.
- Some developers find LLMs helpful for mundane tasks and debugging, but caution against over-reliance to maintain coding skills.
- The debate includes concerns about the democratization of coding vs. the potential for lower-quality contributions to OSS projects.
- LLMs can empower non-coders to create software, but may also lead to a loss of deep technical understanding among developers.
- Stack Overflow and similar forums see reduced traffic as developers turn to LLMs for quick answers.
- The future of OSS with widespread LLM use remains uncertain, with potential for both innovation and ecosystem degradation.

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#open source

Digital liberation: EU Parliament calls for detachment from US tech giants

Overrun with AI slop, cURL scraps bug bounties to ensure "intact mental health"

Yann LeCun's new venture is a contrarian bet against large language models

GNU Guix 1.5.0 Released

Ubuntu Pro subscription – should you pay to use Linux?

Godot 4.6 Release: It's all about your flow

Hacker News: Savage Edition

The state of Linux music players in 2026

Codeless: From Idea to Software

Funding Open Source?

Linux after Linus? Kernel community drafts a plan for replacing Torvalds

SFC vs. VIZIO: who can enforce the GPL?

The Sovereign Tech Fund Invests in Scala

GitHub - lobehub/lobehub: The ultimate space for work and life — to find, build, and collaborate with agent teammates that grow with you. We are taking agent harness to the next level — enabling multi

9front OS

T2 SDE: Customizable build system for creating Linux distributions from source

FOSDEM 2026 – Open-Source Conference in Brussels – Day#1 Recap

50 years ago, a young Bill Gates took on the 'software pirates'

GNU Hurd Is "Almost There" with x86_64, SMP and ~75% of Debian Packages Building

How Vibe Coding Is Killing Open Source