LWDW 175: Trojan Snap

Ubuntu drops i386, Netflix discovers a DoS vulnerability, CERN ditches Microsoft, and we chat with Ted Gould from Inkscape.


Timestamps:
03:33 Linux network DOS
06:36 Ubuntu drops i386 support
10:40 Chromium Snap
14:07 Debian riscv64 port
17:16 GIMP 2.10.12
19:22 Deluge 2.0
24:15 Microsoft alternatives project
27:32 Three flavours of Linux
30:35 Interview: Ted Gould, co-founder of Inkscape
35:49 Nano Piserve 2


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Colour key – Venn Jill Pedro

Linux network DDoS

  • To check if you are vulnerable: sysctl net.ipv4.tcp_sack
  • sysctl -w net.ipv4.tcp_sack=0 until the patch is applied to your kernel.
  • This is an actual problem.
  • This is an exploit which can be triggered remotely and cause a kernel panic.
  • Denial of Service may be minimal, when compared to other malware, but this one we know how it’s being exploited and it’s done remotely.

 

Ubuntu dropping i386 from 19.10

  • So, this is dropping ALL THE THINGS, apparently.
  • I imagine some people will have a problem with this.
  • RIP games.
  • “…there are a number of ways that 32-bit applications can continue to be made available to users of later Ubuntu releases.” – Will Cooke
    • If you’re turning this whole thing into a desperate way to shove snaps down people’s throats, I can assure you it won’t end well.
  • Depending on what they actually do, this could turn into a poopstorm the likes of which only the Unity desktop has seen thus far.
  • To play the FSM’s advocate, this is something that will eventually need to be done.
  • Much like Wayland, someone has to take the first wave of bullets.
  • It’s one way to accelerate finding out what that future looks like.
  • We have been talking about Ubuntu 18.04 LTS being the last release to support i386 so we knew this was coming.
  • Also Linus deprecated i386 from the Linux 3.8 kernel back in 2012.

 

Chrome Snap

  • I am really concerned about how well Jitsi, that we use here at LinuxGameCast, and other WebRTC services will run in a Chromium Browser snap.
    • I’m not.
    • Removing Snap is step #1 of any Ubuntu install.
  • I know that the Discord app has issues with audio/video conferencing in the Snap app, let alone problems natively with the Electron app.
  • I get it from the security standpoint.
  • Thing is, I don’t need Chromium stuff using even more RAM than they already do, or giving it any excuse to be any slower.
  • This is a “firm” plan that’s not being debated.
  • Looks like I’m not the only one who enjoys testing in production.

 

Riscv64 Debian port

  • Here is an update on the status of the riscv64 Debian port.
  • 90% of the packages have been transitioned to the riscv64 port, with the exception of RUST applications, which includes Firefox, and LLVM applications.
  • There are over 500 packages from the Rust ecosystem in the Debian archive, which makes up about 4% of the archive, and they can’t be converted until there is Rust support for RISC-V.
  • Debian is the swiss army knife of distros and because of its RISC genealogy and continued support for the RISC architecture, such as with SPARC and DEC Alpha, the RISC-V transition is much further along and is one of the reasons that Debian is so well suited for it.
  • Having the software support in place when the price eventually drops to something that’s not completely mental is probably a very good idea.

 

GIMP 2.10.12

  • GIMP 2.10.12 has been released, and a lot of bugs have been fixed since the major refactoring of GIMP 2.10.10.
  • This release has some cool new features.
    • The Curves tool has had a major update and now has the ability to use numeric input to set coordinates of points on a curve for more accuracy.
    • A new sharp or corner control point has been added to the Curves tool so now you can combine sharp and smooth points on a single curve for greater flexibility of editing.
    • The TIFF format now has layer support when exporting, instead of having to be merged, so now you have another way to import layers into other programs.
  • They’re still looking for Windows and Mac developers, because no one in the team apparently uses those operating systems.

 

Deluge 2

  • This is a major release of Deluge, and includes performance updates of load times when handling thousands of torrents.
    • This was my complaint from the original release of Deluge and the other torrent clients that I have used, slow loading times!
  • I have also used Transmission, Vuze, WebTorrent, qBittorrent and the command line torrent client rTorrent.
  • I have found deluge quite reliable for my Linux ISO downloading needs.
  • Transmission.
  • If I’m downloading Linux ISOs I just need them to be downloaded, I don’t want an entire software suite ringing bells and blowing whistles around it.
    • Said the guy running KDE for a DM.

 

Microsoft alternatives project

  • CERN has been paying attention to what is going on over at NASA and SpaceX and seeing the progressive nature of open source.
  • Indeed, and this does not look like a bargaining move by CERN to get a better deal from MS.  
  • I look forward to CERN basically turning Cent into a proper enterprise desktop OS.
  • It’s also a unique opportunity for CERN to demonstrate that building core services can be done without vendor and data lock-in.
  • CERN launched MALT last year ago to investigate the migration from Microsoft (and other) commercial software to open source.
  • I’m guessing this all boils down to them wanting to get away from Skype for business /s.

 

3 flavour Linux

  • Wouldn’t you just love a time machine so you could mess with your year 2000 self… after you hand over the lotto numbers.
  • I actually remember someone laughing at me when I said Linux would rule the world back in the late 1990’s.  
  • Now I am the one laughing ;-D
  • Oh, 2 whole RPM distros!

 

Interview with Ted Gould, co-founder of Inkscape


Slice of Pi

Nano Piserve 2

  • We talked about The NODE Mini Server V2 using a Raspberry Pi 3, a 2.5 inch hard drive, and other components inside a tiny 3D-printed case in May.
  • Now here is The Node Nano Server V2 using a universal adapter which transforms a Raspberry Pi Zero W, into a tiny network connected server.
  • Simply plug it into a wall outlet for use as a compact server that you can use for decentralized web applications, as a Pi-hole, as a NAS, as a mini home entertainment PC or whatever else you like.
  • Currently the Nano Server Kit and pre assembled Nano Servers are sold out, but more are on the way.
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