The podcast discusses the new systemd release with a sudo replacement, upcoming ARM laptops, advantages of Arm processors, Linux nostalgia, and privacy concerns with personalized ads. They explore system management improvements, evolving views on sudo, and the transition to ARM ecosystems for laptops, highlighting performance benefits and challenges in the tech industry.
ARM laptops offer enhanced performance and battery life, competing with Apple's M1/M2 processors.
SystemD's 'systemD run zero' provides a secure alternative to pseudo, with colored terminal background feature.
Community meetups provide opportunities to engage with Linux enthusiasts, discuss ARM laptops, SystemD, and more.
Deep dives
ARM Laptop Support and Performance
ARM laptops are gaining more traction with improved Linux support and performance. Backed by ARM and Qualcomm, the Linux kernel development has focused on enhancing Linux laptop support for devices like the ThinkPad X13S. Benchmarks show that ARM processors are competing with and even surpassing Apple's M1 and M2 processors.
SystemD Run as a Pseudo Alternative
SystemD has introduced 'systemD run zero' as a potential alternative to pseudo. Unlike pseudo, 'systemD run zero' is not a set-UID binary, eliminating certain security vulnerabilities. Additionally, the colored terminal background feature adds a visual indicator when running commands with escalated privileges.
Diversifying ARM Ecosystem
The expanding ARM ecosystem is transitioning Linux from small board computers to full-fledged ARM laptops. Improved battery life, enhanced performance per watt ratio, and potentially better price points are among the selling points for ARM laptops. The broader availability of ARM laptops presents the opportunity for Linux users to consider ARM as a viable alternative to x86 devices.
Spokane Meetup and Nextcloud Conference
A Spokane meetup is scheduled on July 13th, potentially following the Nextcloud conference on September 14th in Berlin. These meetups offer the Jupiter Broadcasting community opportunities to connect in person and engage with Linux and open-source enthusiasts. Attendees can look forward to discussions on ARM laptops, SystemD, and Linux optimization.
The Impact of Classic Devices and Longevity Through Modding Communities
The discussion delves into the significance of classic devices like iPods and the communities that prolong their lifespan through modding and alternative OS installations. Examples are provided of individuals still using iPods and the comparison to XBMC evolving into Kodi to showcase the value in extending the life of beloved gadgets.
Tech Solutions and Engaging Community Interactions
Various tech solutions and community interactions are highlighted, such as resolving secure boot issues by replacing CMOS batteries, utilizing Squid for web caching, and leveraging Nix and Nextcloud for efficient note-taking and syncing. Engagement with the audience through boosts and suggestions for novel challenges, like creating personalized time servers, add a dynamic element to the podcast interactions.
Your Linux box is a-changin'. systemd has a huge new release; we'll get into the most impressive features, including the new sudo replacement. Plus, our thoughts on the new Linux Arm laptops that are just around the corner.
Announcing systemd v256 — In the weeks leading up to this release I have posted a series of serieses of posts to Mastodon about key new features in this release.
Lennart on systemd-vpick — Basically, you can now place multiple versions of the same resource in some dir of your choice, suffix that dir's name with .v/ and the you get some basic version management in place: delete or add new versions by just removing/adding new files, and the tools will find the newest item dropped in automatically.
Introduction to Portable Services — “Portable services” do not provide a fully isolated environment to the payload, like containers mostly intend to. Instead, they are more like regular system services, can be controlled with the same tools, are exposed the same way in all infrastructure, and so on. The main difference is that they use a different root directory than the rest of the system.
Trying out systemd's Portable Services — All in all, the core pieces are already in place for a very promising new technology that should make it easier for 3rd parties to provide Linux system-level software in a safe and convenient way, well done to the systemd team for a well executed concept. All it lacks is some polish around the tooling and integration.
systemd sleep — Putting a PC to sleep is complicated business and there are different mechanisms available to achieve this on Linux.
Lennart on run0 — There's a new tool in systemd, called run0. Or actually, it's not a new tool, it's actually the long existing tool systemd-run, but when invoked under the run0 name (via a symlink) it behaves a lot like a sudo clone. But with one key difference: it's not in fact SUID.
The Tragedy of systemd — Join me on a journey through the bootstrap process, the history of init, the reasons why change can be scary, and the discovery of a part of your OS you may not even know existed.