The Linux Kernel Will Be Able To Detect Split-Locks To Then Warn Or Kill Offending Apps

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February 6, 2020

Not yet mainlined in the Linux kernel but currently queued as part of the x86/cpu changes for next round is the ability for the kernel to detect split locks and either warn the offending applications or kill the processes.

Split locks are when an atomic instruction operates on data spanning multiple cache lines. Due to the atomic nature, a global bus lock is needed when working on two cache lines and that in turn causes a big performance hit for the overall system performance. This Linux kernel support for detecting split locks is contingent upon x86_64 CPUs supporting the capability for generating alignment check exceptions (#AC) on encountering a split lock. For now the necessary MSR appears to be only supported on Intel CPUs.

[Source: Phoronix]

Dell’s 2019 XPS 13 DE: As close as we currently get to Linux-computing nirvana

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 6, 2020

Dell’s XPS 13 Developer Edition, the company’s flagship “just works” Ubuntu-based machine, was recently refreshed. These days Dell’s XPS line is not the cheapest Linux option, nor is it the most configurable or user-upgradable. And if any of those factors are a big part of your criteria, this is likely not the laptop for you.

On top of that, many Linux users still have a strong DIY streak and will turn up their noses at the XPS 13. After all, in a day and age when just about every laptop I test seems to run Linux fairly well right out of the box, do you need official support? If you know what you’re doing and don’t mind troubleshooting your own problems, the answer is probably not.

[Source: Ars Technica]

Best Open Source eCommerce Platforms to Build Online Shopping Websites

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 6, 2020

Do you want to build your own online shopping websites? Thankfully, we have some good open source eCommerce solutions that you can deploy on your own Linux server.

These eCommerce software are tailored for the sole purpose of giving you a shopping website. So they have essential features like inventory management, product listings, cart, checkout, wishlisting and option to integrate a payment solution. There are many open source eCommerce software available. We have listed the ones which are actively maintained so that your shopping website doesn’t suffer because of obsolete or maintained software stack.

[Source: It’s FOSS]

Nasty Linux, macOS sudo bug found and fixed

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 6, 2020

Sudo is a very popular, very simple Unix-system sysadmin application. It enables users to switch identities for the purpose of running a single command. Usually, but not always, it lets you run a command as the root, system administrator, user. Sudo’s easy to abuse, but it’s so darn useful, until it’s not. A recently discovered sudo bug once more spells out why you should be wary of this command.

In this latest security hole, CVE-2019-18634, Apple Information Security researcher Joe Vennix discovered that if the “pwfeedback” option is enabled in your sudoers configuration file, any user, even one who can’t run sudo or is listed in the sudoers file, can crack a system.

[Source: ZDNet]

Getting started with GitHub’s desktop and mobile tools

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 5, 2020

Microsoft has taken a very hands-off approach with GitHub since its acquisition last year. It’s an approach that makes a lot of sense; Microsoft’s past relationship with the open source community hasn’t been the best, and there’s still not much trust there, despite significant moves towards open design and open development models from Redmond.

However, that hasn’t left GitHub stagnant and drifting. Instead, under new leadership and with more clarity about its future, GitHub has accelerated its product development and rollout, adding features to its Web services and to its platform. GitHub’s own developer-focused tools have gotten much more attention in the past year, with regular updates to GitHub Desktop and the release of its first native mobile applications for iOS and Android.

[Source: InfoWorld]

IBM CTO: Edge Will Implode Without Open Source

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 5, 2020

Edge computing devices are proliferating at an astonishing rate, jumping from about 15 billion devices today to about 55 billion by 2022, according to Rob High, VP and CTO of IBM Watson.

“This marketplace around edge computing is enormous,” he said. “We don’t really know where the saturation point is … There will be a limit at some point, but we don’t know what that is.”

As edge devices continue to hit the market, “the No. 1 thing you begin to realize is that this industry is at risk of imploding on itself if it does not solve the problem of creating a standard way of managing it, [and] creating a set of standards that developer communities can begin to form and create ecosystems from,” High said.

[Source: SDxCentral]

The Top 10 Free and Open Source HR Technology Solutions

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 5, 2020

Searching for HR technology solutions can be a daunting (and expensive) process, one that requires long hours of research and deep pockets. The most popular HR tech tools often provide more than what’s necessary for non-enterprise organizations, with advanced functionality relevant to only the most technically savvy users. Thankfully, there are a number of free and open source HR technology solutions out there. Some of these solutions are offered by vendors looking to eventually sell you on their enterprise product, and others are maintained and operated by a community of developers looking to democratize HR tech.

Let’s examine free and open source HR technology solutions, first by providing a brief overview of what to expect and also with short blurbs of the options currently available in the space.

[Source: Solutions Review]

Oreboot Continues Advancing For Open-Source, Rust-Based Booting On RISC-V

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 5, 2020

Oreboot is the effort that has been taking shape over the past year as an open-source focused, Rustlang-based downstream of Coreboot. Oreboot continues advancing in its own right concurrent to the wonderful Coreboot advancements.

Oreboot continues to pride itself on being as open-source as possible though acknowledging at least for now on x86 CPUs they need the likes of ME/FSP firmware. Oreboot is also still focused on using Rust code rather than C code in the name of better security and reliability.

[Source: Phoronix]

Nasty Linux, macOS sudo bug found and fixed

By

Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 4, 2020

A vulnerability has been discovered in ‘Sudo,’ a powerful utility used in the Linux and macOS Terminal, one that could allow for users with restrictive privileges or malicious software to be able to run commands with administrative-level privileges, which could result in the loss or theft of user data in unpatched Macs. According to sudo developer Todd C. Miller, the bug can be observed “by passing a large input to sudo via a pipe when it prompts for a password.” As the attacker has “complete control of the data used to overflow the buffer,” this means there is a “high likelihood of exploitability.”

[Source: AppleInsider/ZDNet]

UBank releases open source accessibility kit on Github

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Swapnil Bhartiya

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February 4, 2020

UBank has released an open source accessibility kit on Github in a move to help iOS app developers and contributors improve the accessibility for users that experience issues such as low vision, cognitive impairment, or neurological impairment. UBank digital banking chief product officer Peter O’Malley said making the accessibility kit openly available for the first time is part of the bank’s mission of “making technology accessible to everyone”.

[Source: ZDNet]