LWDW 281: Expired Skype

Linux Kernel 5.13 is packed with cool features! Audacity Jacks up their latest release, Canonical launches Blender LTS support, and Microsoft forgets about Skype, again.

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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:07 Linux kernel 5.13
10:12 Audacity 3.0.3 preview
15:27 RIP Yaru theme
20:22 Canonical offers Blender support
26:57 Microsoft forgets about Skype on Linux
38:17 Windows 11 Pie

Colour key: Venn Pedro Jill

Linux Kernel 5.13 (RTheren)

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/06/new-linux-5-13-kernel-features

https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=w[email protected]/T/#u

Linus Torvalds released the much anticipated Linux Kernel 5.13 that includes huge improvements and hardware support.
Includes initial support for the Apple M1 chip, with only a UART serial console currently supported.
AMD GPU FreeSync/Adaptive-Sync over HDMI support.
AMD Aldebaran, AMDs next-gen CDNA GPU, accelerator support.
A new generic USB display driver which can be used to reuse old tablets and cell phones as USB displays.
Landlock is a new module for unprivileged access control.
- Something most users will disable.
There’s software interrupt support which allows for interrupts to be handled by your preempt queue.
Luna controller support over USB.
A handful of noteworthy EXT4 filesystem tweaks.
New tcc cooling driver for Intel chips.
This patch introduces a cooling devices driver that utilizes the TCC Offset feature.
Support for the Amazon Luna game controller and hardware monitoring for NZXT Kraken coolers.
Support for Apple’s M1 silicon.

Upcoming Audacity

https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/New_features_in_this_release

Linux gets an official Appimage.
It’s unable to find libavformat.so.57 so no ffmpeg import.
Hey, Jack support is back… but will you be bothered to do it correctly?
Update checking.
I can’t find the official AppImage binary either :-(
The View > Track Name overlay feature is a nice addition to keep track of all your audio tracks.
Especially when you have a lot of tracks, and the names of them are truncated, because they are too long to fit in the Track Control Panel.
I guess version 3.0.3 is not out for Linux yet in compiled form.
This to say I too couldn’t find the AppImage anywhere.
Then again, the new people in charge of Audacity seem to have a slightly more tenuous grasp on reality… and facts.

Too much work

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/06/ubuntu-21-10-yarn-theme-change

According to the peeps responsible for maintaining the Yaru theme, maintaining the mixed dark window decoration with light interior on GNOME is too much work.
The article author says it’s not GNOME’s fault.
Which I honestly don’t know what to say because, yes it is!
Every single time an extension or a theme gives up is because GNOME keeps making it very clear that the functionality those plugins add is not welcome.
I’d be surprised by how many people like such a user unfriendly environment but then I need only look at MacOS and Windows to see the exact same behavior.
Can’t really fault the GNOME people for trying to emulate success.
They are transitioning to GTK4, and as the article states “GTK4 doesn’t appear to support a mix of dark header bars and light widgets; they’re either all light, or all dark.”
Looks like you will have to rely on GNOME theming extensions for an inverted theme in the future.
All themes should be dark, period.

Ubuntu tech support

https://ubuntu.com/blog/blender-support-from-canonical

This is exciting, my favorite open source 3D modeling and animation suite Blender has partnered with Canonical to offer enterprise-grade support for the Blender LTS application suite!
Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical states:
- “It’s a privilege to support Blender and the fantastic work of this remarkable community, its founders and leaders. Today’s announcement strengthens Blender with full-service Canonical support and long term security maintenance, and delivers the level of assurance that professional Blender content creators need, in partnership with the Blender Foundation”
As Blender is becoming more industry standard, and the entertainment industry is using Ubuntu for content creation and rendering more and more, this partnership will help both grow.
It’s $500 per year for standard support, which includes 5 business days a week.
And $1000 per year for advanced support which is 24/7 and faster response time.
Canonical will offer this support to Blender LTS users on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Having someone to call is one thing, having someone to blame is another.
I want to know who is working in the call centers.
How do you staff a position like that?
Do they plan on using manual jockeys?

Expired Skype

https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/22/skype_gpg_expire/

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
And this is Microsoft, they’ve demonstrated time and time again that even their malicious intent is often riddled with stupid.
Though, I do think it’d be good for them to start phasing Skype out.
Ding, dong the wicked witch is almost dead . . .
Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31, 2021.

Slice of Pi

Windows 11 Pi

https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/oa1ylf/windows_11_on_the_raspberry_pi_4/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSaJfudt8S4