today's leftovers

• Windowsfx 11, a whole Linux flavored like Windows 11 and without the need for TPM - itsfoss.net

  Windowsfx 11 is the new version of another of the GNU / Linux distributions that try to bring the free system closer to Windows users using the fantastic possibilities of visual and interface customization of Linux. Windowsfx already had custom versions of Windows 7 and Windows 10 and before Microsoft publishes the final version of Windows 11 they already have the one dedicated to the new system. And it offers what is expected. Windowsfx 11 Preview for x86 adapts the user interface to what Windows 11 offers, the general visual appearance and icons, a new start menu or the default centered start panel, as well as using Wine 6 to run Windows applications.

• Mecanum Omnidirectional Robot Car using the Quantum Integration System

  In this project, we’re going to be building a wireless robot car that uses mecanum wheels to enable omnidirectional movement. If you haven’t heard of mecanum wheels before, they’re tireless wheels with a series of rubberized rollers around the circumference.

• Keeping things creative: Real-world learning from a remote perspective

  Teaching students complex concepts from a remote distance is something that many educators have had to get to grips with over the last 18 months. Especially where engineering is concerned. Keeping things hands-on and with a strong connection to real-world scenarios is vitally important for students to progress. We recently discovered this MathWorks mechatronics article by Mojtaba Azadi at the San Francisco State University. Azadi was able to create several different types of drawing robots using the Arduino Education Engineering Kit. Aiming to foster independent confidence and strengthen the skills and abilities of students, this project is perfect for those teaching outside of the classroom setting or when running courses online.

• LibreOffice Conference 2021: How-to for participants

  The online LibreOffice Conference 2021 starts tomorrow! Here’s how to take part…

• 17 Best Open-source Headless eCommerce Solutions

  A headless software is a program that can work and performs without a user interface. A headless Linux and a headless Google Chrome can perform seamlessly and smoothly without the need to run its GUI. Likewise, a headless web system is a functional web app but without a user interface. Developers often use a headless web app as a base to build mobile, desktop, web, and IoT apps.

• Patch origin trust vs GitHub’s URL hierarchy

  Attentive readers may have noticed something a bit weird with the GitHub patch links in my last article. I shared links to two patches for Ruby's Rake build system which I also said hadn't yet been accepted into Rake. Yet, the patches looked like they came directly from the Rake project's official code repository at https://github.com/ruby/rake/. So, how did I get a patch URL that’s indistinguishable from commits/patches that are part of a project? [...] You could trick someone through social engineering to deploy a malicious patch that appears to legitimately have originated from a target project. All it would take to get a legitimate-looking URL is to open and close a pull request in the project. It’s not unheard of that large deployments receive an early heads up about critical security patches. The malicious source code and intent would then be public, but a quick “oops, that was stupid — honest mistake” comment on the pull request could be enough to defuse suspicions.

• Best Free Alternatives to Microsoft Bing [Ed: Well, hardly anyone even uses this junk from Microsoft and the first 3 entries violate privacy, including DDG and Startpage. LinuxLinks spreads Microsoft misinformation about "embracing" Open Source by naming proprietary things like GitHub and Visual Studio Code (both proprietary). Very disappointing.]

  Microsoft’s stance for decades was that community creation and sharing of communal code (later to be known as free and open source software) represented a direct attack on their business. Their battle with Linux stretches back many years. Back in 2001, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer famously tarnished Linux “a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches”. Microsoft also initiated its “Get the Facts” marketing campaign from mid-2003, which specifically criticized Linux server usage, total cost of ownership, security, indemnification and reliability. The campaign was widely criticized for spreading misinformation.

IBM/Red Hat Leftovers

• Automating the implementation of system-wide crypto policies with RHEL System Roles

  Having properly configured and consistent cryptography settings across your Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) environment is a key part of system security. RHEL System Roles are a collection of Ansible roles and modules that are included in RHEL to help provide consistent workflows and streamline the execution of manual tasks. The crypto_policies RHEL System Role can help you quickly and easily implement system-wide crypto policies across your RHEL environment. The crypto_policies role can also be used to check the current status of system-wide crypto policies in your environment. In this post, we show you how you can utilize the crypto-policies RHEL System Role to automate the configuration across your RHEL environment.

• Red Hat offers various free fundamentals and just-in-time learning opportunities

  It is no secret that organizations value candidates who demonstrate a commitment to staying abreast of new technologies and industry trends. A recent IDC whitepaper sponsored by Red Hat, "The Business Value of Red Hat Training," revealed that trained IT staff see greater productivity, risk mitigation and a reduction in IT infrastructure costs. When it comes to team onboarding, job readiness increased by 76% when new team members had already completed Red Hat training prior to joining, and by more than half (55%) in cases where they were trained as part of the onboarding process. Clearly, training and certification increases marketability of job candidates in a competitive employment landscape. Unfortunately, barriers persist in accessing quality training, as it can often present as cost-prohibitive for individuals who may not have educational opportunities sponsored by their employer. Red Hat Training and Certification is dedicated to making open source learning accessible to those who are interested in upskilling and improving their technical expertise and professional skills.

• Try out our new API developer playground: Accelerating technology exploration and app development with Developer Playground on IBM API Hub – IBM Developer

  In February, we introduced the IBM API Hub as a way for developers to access trusted, secure API-enabled services and data. With access to these APIs, developers were able to more quickly build the solutions they needed. Since the introduction of the API Hub, we’ve heard from our developer community: Being able to discover and learn about APIs and try out their endpoints is good. Being able to easily play with the APIs within a free playground environment would be even better.

• No-cost IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition 11 now available for all Java developers and deployments

  Following on from our recent introduction of the no-cost IBM Semeru Runtimes to develop and run Java applications, IBM is announcing the availability of IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition 11, previously known as IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition, 11. IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition includes the same OpenJDK class libraries and Eclipse OpenJ9 Java Virtual Machine as the Open Edition, and provides 100-percent compatibility. The Certified Edition has an IBM license, is Java TCK (Technology Compatibility Kit)-certified, and is available at no cost for you to write, build, and deploy Java applications in development or for production environments. It is available on Linux and AIX platforms for long-term support (LTS) Java releases, starting with Java 11. With the release of IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition, we are providing flexibility to IBM customers and Java users with the choice of licenses to use a Java runtime that is low and efficient in memory consumption, offers great performance, and is optimized for cloud and container-based deployments. If you prefer an IBM-licensed version with TCK certification, you can use the Certified Edition. If you prefer an open source (GPLv2 plus Classpath Exception) licensed version without need for TCK certification, you can use the Open Edition.

• Thoth prescriptions for resolving Python dependencies

  Python offers a wealth of programming libraries, which often invoke functions from other libraries in complex hierarchies. While these libraries make it possible to develop powerful applications quickly, the ever-changing library versions often introduce conflicts that cause runtime or build-time issues. Thoth, an open source project developed within the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (AICoE), is dedicated to alleviating this problem in Python programs. This article looks at Thoth prescriptions, a mechanism that you can use to avoid clashing library versions in your Python applications.

• IT hiring: 4 ways to keep it human | The Enterprisers Project

  Companies have been using technology to recruit and hire employees for many years, but COVID has made digital recruiting indispensable. It is the only option when in-person interaction is limited, and it enables recruiters to search more broadly and efficiently as remote work becomes more standard. Meanwhile, today’s red-hot job market is forcing organizations to be even more proactive and specific in finding the people they need to meet near-term business objectives, address cultural diversity, and prepare for long-term success. Furthermore, we have entered a new phase of digital recruiting by using artificial intelligence to find and assess candidates before a human even enters the process. The result is that the hiring process is quickly becoming almost entirely digital. From recruiting to interviewing to onboarding, a company and a prospective or new employee may never see each other in person.

Audiocasts/Shows: Manjaro 21.1.3 GNOME Edition, mintCast, LINUX Unplugged

• Linux overview | Manjaro 21.1.3 GNOME Edition overview - Invidious

  In this video, I am going to show an overview of Manjaro 21.1.3 GNOME Edition and some of the applications pre-installed.

• Enterprise Linux Security Episode 04 - Supply Chain Attacks - Invidious

• mintCast 370 – New Wanderers

  1:35 The News 30:19 Security Update 38:58 Bi-Weekly Wanderings 50:36 Announcements & Outro First up in the news Linux Mint gets a new website, A new point release, Firefox snaps back, Gnome and Plasma get updates, and much more In security, no encrypted chats are safe Then in our Wanderings, we hear from the old AND new crew

• Space for Theming | LINUX Unplugged 424

  A serious problem is brewing in Desktop Linux that hasn't impacted end users yet, but will soon. We break down why distribution makers are getting upset and explain what's next. Plus, an update on Matrix and the recent upgrades we made to our server.