Articles about Linux

Last month, the open source community was abuzz with excitement following a shocking announcement from System76 that HP was planning to release a laptop running the Pop!_OS operating system. This was significant for several reasons, but most importantly, it was a huge win for Linux users as yet another hardware option was becoming available. Best of all, HP employees have been trained by System76 to offer high-quality customer support. If you aren't aware, System76 support is legendary.

At the time of the announcement, details about the hardware were a bit scarce, but I am happy to report we now have full system specifications for the 14-inch HP Dev One laptop. Most interestingly, there is only one configuration to be had. The developer-focused computer is powered by an octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U APU which features integrated Radeon graphics. The notebook comes with 16GB RAM and 1TB of NVMe storage, both of which can be user-upgraded later if you choose.

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Is Windows 11 a good desktop operating system. Absolutely. Is it the best desktop operating system? Well, that is harder to answer. Ultimately, if you are 100 percent dependent on Windows software, then yes, Windows 11 is the best operating system... for you. If you can get by without using software designed for Microsoft's OS, however, a Linux-based operating system might be the better option -- especially if you have an older computer.

You see, Windows 11 is very polarizing. The operating system features radical changes to the user interface (such as a centered task bar) which some users do like, but many others do not. Not to mention, the system requirements will leave many still-capable computers unable to upgrade without using unofficial hacks. Even worse, computers deemed incompatible could eventually stop getting updates! Linux doesn't have these problems.

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What makes Surfshark one of the best paid VPN services on the market? Well, besides being extremely affordable, it has no device limit and is very easy to use on many platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS. Not to mention, the developers are constantly adding new features -- they don't rest on their laurels. I highly recommend the service.

A desktop Linux version of Surfshark has been available for a while now, but sadly, it did not have a graphical user interface (GUI) -- you had to configure and run it from the terminal. While this technically worked, it was clunky and annoying, making Surfshark on Linux inferior to versions for other operating systems.

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If you are a fan of pirating TV shows and movies, you have undoubtedly used Plex over the years. If you aren't familiar, the service uses a server/client concept, where you store your media on one machine and then stream it to another device. While Plex technically can be used for legally-obtained media, I predict that many (if not most) of its users are watching pirated content. Look, I'm not judging... I'm just trying to be honest.

And now, the Plex Desktop app and new Plex HTPC client app are both available for Linux -- but only from the Snap Store. Don't like Canonical's snaps? Don't worry, according to a blog post, the Plex developers are planning to roll out flatpak versions eventually too. Before anyone starts arguing about snap vs flatpak, let's just celebrate another big win for the Linux community overall. Okay?

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We here at BetaNews often sing the praises of Tails, as the Linux-based operating system allows you to surf the web more privately. This is particularly important for those living under oppressive governments, such as China and Russia, but it can be beneficial for all internet users -- even those in the good ol' USA.

Sadly, it seems we must warn against using Tails for now, as it has been discovered that there is a significant vulnerability in the operating system. More specifically, a vulnerability was found in the Firefox and Tor web browsers, which are core aspects of Tails 5.0. The vulnerability is so severe, that the Tails developers are asking users to suspend use of the Live distribution entirely until a Tails 5.1 ISO is released next week.

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Rumors have been swirling lately that HP was planning to release a laptop running the Pop!_OS operating system. Today, System76's CEO Carl Richell shared on Twitter that this is absolutely happening -- a 14-inch developer-focused notebook called "Dev One." While this is good news for the Linux community overall, it is quite curious. After all, System76 doesn't just maintain the Pop!_OS operating system, it sells computers running the distribution too. In other words, HP and System76 are competitors in the hardware business.

So, what does this tell me? Well, it is purely speculation, but as the old adage says, "where there is smoke, there is fire." And so, it is safe to assume that HP acquiring System76 could be a possibility in the future -- if this new relationship pans out at least. HP could be testing the waters with the upcoming Dev One. Keep in mind, System76 does not even build its own laptops, so we could see the company leave the notebook business and focus on desktops only -- let HP handle the Pop!_OS laptops.

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Kali Linux is a fantastic distro that is used primarily for digital forensics and penetration testing. Even if you’ve never used it before, you may well have seen it in movies and TV shows like Mr Robot. It comes with wide range of tools to help in investigations and incident responses.

Today the distro’s developer, Offensive Security, announces Kali Linux 2022.2, with new features and tools, as well as a number of impressive updates.

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The arrival of Windows Subsystem for Linux in Windows 10 and Windows 11 opened up a world of new opportunities for users of Linux-based distros. Until now, Ubuntu fans have been limited to installing Long Term Supported (LTS) releases, but this is changing.

Recognizing that there are plenty of people who like to be on the cutting edge, Canonical has announced that preview builds of Ubuntu will now also be made available to download and install from the Microsoft Store.

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Ubuntu is a great Linux-based operating system that seems to get all the attention. Truth be told, however, Fedora is the better Linux distribution. Hell, some would argue it is the overall best distro. Quite frankly, if you are an open source champion, you should be using Fedora. It is the perfect no-nonsense distribution, and best of all, it largely focuses on truly free and open source software.

Today, following some delays, Fedora 36 finally becomes available for download. While hardly an exciting update, this new version of the Linux-based operating system is notable for utilizing GNOME 42 and kernel 5.17. Plus, for those using an NVIDIA GPU and driver, you will now get Wayland by default. You can read full release notes here.

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While Chromebooks are often great, there is a big problem -- a lack of AMD processors. Most laptops running Chrome OS are powered by Intel or ARM-based chips. Wouldn't it be great if AMD released some new specialized processors designed for Chromebooks specifically?

Well, folks, AMD has done exactly that with the all-new Ryzen 5000 C-Series processors. There are four such chips coming to market -- the dual-core Ryzen 3 5125C, quad-core Ryzen 3 5425C, hexa-core Ryzen 5 5625C, and octa-core Ryzen 7 5825C. These processors are based on Zen 3 architecture and AMD says they will be paired with Wi-Fi 6E/Bluetooth 5.2 modules -- likely its own RZ600 series radio chips it co-designed with MediaTek.

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If you’re at all worried about your privacy -- and frankly you should be -- Tails can help secure it. The Amnesiac Incognito Live System, to give it its full name, is a live Linux-based operating system that you can boot into on any computer. It can be used to encrypt files, emails and instant messaging chats, and much more besides.

Today, the developers release Tails 5.0, the first version of the distro based on Debian 11 (Bullseye), and this comes with an important new security feature, as well as lots of other changes and updates.

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Can you buy a Windows laptop and replace Microsoft's operating system with a Linux distribution? Sure, but you shouldn't have to. Look, folks, in 2022 you should be supporting the open source community by purchasing computers with Linux pre-installed. Even if it costs you a few bucks more, it will be worth it for the community overall.

Today, the latest Linux laptop is released, and it looks like a beast. You see, the 4th generation Kubuntu Focus M2 Linux laptop is powered by a bleeding-edge 12th gen Intel Core i7 processor. The company claims this chip will increase performance by 20 percent compared to the 3rd generation of the notebook. And yes, it comes with the latest-and-greatest Kubuntu 22.04 LTS pre-loaded.

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Today we get some very exciting news for the Linux gaming community. And yes, smart aleck, people do play video games on Linux these days. What is the big news? Canonical has released an early-access snap version of Steam for Ubuntu and other compatible Linux-based operating systems!

What exactly does this mean? Well, Canonical is aiming to make it even easier to get Steam up-and-running on Linux. Gamers will be able to install Valve's software from the snap store for a more elegant experience.

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As Linux continues to gain prominence, there has been a rise in network services being deployed on Linux for cost and flexibility reasons.

If you are a networking professional or an infrastructure engineer involved with networks, extensive knowledge of Linux networking is a must.

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Security researchers at Microsoft have found a series of vulnerabilities affecting Linux. Collectively named Nimbuspwn, the security flaws can be chained together to allow an attacker to gain root access to a system.

Microsoft warns that the vulnerabilities, which are being tracked as CVE-2022-29799 and CVE-2022-29800, could also be exploited to execute ransomware attacks and more.

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