Most-read stories
Policy & Community
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Sovereign Tech Agency
Key Takeaway
The German-backed Sovereign Tech Agency has evolved from a feasibility study into a permanent public funder with five distinct programs supporting maintenance, security, standards, and structural improvements in critical open-source infrastructure.
The Sovereign Tech Agency (STA) celebrated its fifth anniversary in Berlin, tracing its evolution from a 2019 feasibility study commissioned by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to a fully operational public investment body. The agency's founding was...
Linux Kernel & OS
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Phoronix
Key Takeaway
A new Wayland protocol would let privileged clients create virtual outputs dynamically, enabling cleaner VNC and remote desktop implementations without hardware display dependencies.
Wayland developer Simon Ser has submitted a merge request for ext-transient-output, a protocol extension designed to help remoting software like VNC servers operate in Wayland environments. The protocol allows privileged clients to create independent virtual outputs that are...
Linux Kernel & OS
2 reads
Phoronix
Key Takeaway
A scheduler fix prioritizes asymmetric core packing over LLC co-location on hybrid AMD Zen 5/5C systems, resolving severe performance degradation in cache-intensive workloads.
A regression fix has been merged for Linux 7.4 that addresses Cache Aware Scheduling problems on AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 'Strix Point' laptop SoC and potentially other hybrid Zen 5/5C processors. The issue, first reported in August by a Gentoo user running LLVM Clang with full...
Distro News
2 reads
9to5Linux
Key Takeaway
The offensive-security distribution upgrades to Linux kernel 7.1 and KDE Plasma 6.7 while expanding its mobile penetration-testing platform NetHunter.
Kali Linux 2026.3, the Debian-based distribution maintained by Offensive Security for penetration testing and security auditing, is now available with a Linux 7.1 kernel and KDE Plasma 6.7 desktop environment. This release refreshes the core platform that security professionals...
Linux Kernel & OS
2 reads
Phoronix
Key Takeaway
The budget $22 GameSir Nova Lite wireless controller gains out-of-the-box Linux support through a simple device ID addition to the existing XPad driver.
The input subsystem changes for Linux 7.4 have been merged, bringing with them support for the GameSir Nova Lite gaming controller in the widely-used XPad driver. The patch adds the Nova Lite's device ID alongside existing GameSir controller entries, enabling force feedback...
Linux Kernel & OS
1 reads
Phoronix
Key Takeaway
The Rust-based Binder driver is now the sole implementation for Android's core IPC mechanism, marking one of the largest production Rust adoptions in the Linux kernel.
Linus Torvalds merged the char/misc pull request for Linux 7.4, which removes Google's original C-written Binder driver from the kernel tree. The Rust-based Binder driver, developed over multiple kernel cycles, is now positioned to handle inter-process communication for all...
Policy & Community
1 reads
Sovereign Tech Agency
Key Takeaway
The PHP2Shell vulnerabilities demonstrate that vulnerability discovery without sustained funding for remediation leaves critical open-source infrastructure exposed.
On 21 October 2026, the PHP project disclosed and patched two critical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerabilities collectively designated PHP2Shell. These flaws affect web servers running PHP, which powers government portals, healthcare systems, universities, and...
Linux Kernel & OS
1 reads
Phoronix
Key Takeaway
The Linux 7.4 sound pull request includes core ALSA race condition fixes, new AMD ACP 7.0/7.F IP for upcoming Zen 6 platforms, and marks the OSS sequencer emulation code as deprecated amid continued AI-generated patch volume.
Linux sound subsystem maintainer Takashi Iwai has merged the Linux 7.4 sound pull request, which spans core code hardening, new hardware enablement, and codec additions. The core ALSA code received fixes for race conditions, a buffer leak in compression offload, and race fixes...
Linux Kernel & OS
1 reads
Phoronix
Key Takeaway
Intel is building SVT-AV2, an open-source CPU-based encoder for the royalty-free AV2 codec that offers 30% better compression than AV1, with YouTube and Meta planning deployment.
The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) has issued a press release highlighting early industry adoption of the AV2 video codec, whose v1.0 specification was finalized in May. AV2 delivers approximately 30% improved compression efficiency over AV1 along with enhanced HDR...
Linux Kernel & OS
1 reads
Phoronix
Key Takeaway
Redox OS implemented direct context switching to bypass the scheduler for system service calls, cutting IPC latency by 24% and reducing TLB misses by 75%.
The Rust-based microkernel operating system Redox OS delivered substantial performance gains in September 2026 through several low-level kernel optimizations. The most significant change introduces direct context switching, allowing applications to bypass the scheduler entirely...
Linux Kernel & OS
1 reads
Phoronix
Key Takeaway
Mark Harmstone, creator of the open-source Windows Btrfs driver, has built Moxnox, an NT-like POSIX-compatible hobby operating system that uses Btrfs as its native file system.
Open-source developer Mark Harmstone, known for his Btrfs file-system driver for Windows, has released Moxnox, a new hobby operating system with an NT-like architecture and POSIX compatibility. The OS is designed to run natively on Btrfs, leveraging Harmstone's deep expertise...
Open Gaming & Graphics
1 reads
Steam Deck HQ
Key Takeaway
The action RPG requires heavy quality compromises to reach a locked 30 FPS on the Steam Machine, with 60 FPS unattainable even at minimum settings with FSR and dynamic resolution scaling.
Steam Deck HQ published performance testing for Phantom Blade Zero on Valve's Steam Machine, the living-room Linux gaming PC that predates the Steam Deck. The game, which the reviewer calls one of the best action RPGs of the year, proves too demanding for the hardware even with...
