Linux

UGent VPN from Ubuntu with open source software

Ghent University uses Cisco AnyConnect VPN and recommends the proprietary “Cisco Secure Client”. While I’m happy there is an actual supported option for Linux users, I’d rather not have more proprietary software on my machine, so I looked for alternative ways to connect.

Llama's Legal Labyrinth

Meta just introduced the Llama 3.1 AI model and accompanied the launch with a blog post explaining “Open Source AI is the path forward” [a]. But buyer beware: Llama 3.1 itself is a legal labyrinth.

What is the Apache 2.0 LLVM Exception?

Some open source projects use the Apache 2.0 license “with LLVM Exception” SPDX: "Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception"). So what is the “LLVM exception” exactly, and why do some projects add it to their license?

A year in the Ubuntu Community Council

Let me tell you a secret. When I was elected to the Ubuntu Community Council in the fall of 2022, I had no idea what to expect. I was excited to start working, but I had no idea what I would be working on.

Using Dell MH3021P speakerphone on Ubuntu Linux

I recently bought the Dell MH3021P speakerphone. I want to use it for hybrid meetings and for recording audio during lectures. Dell doesn’t say the device supports Linux, so I was curious to see how much of the device works. Google didn’t have an answer so I bought the device to test it for myself.

You can finally disable Snap updates

During the Ubuntu Summit, a long-awaited feature was quietly released for preview: You can now completely turn off automatic updates of snaps. “The snap refresh --hold command holds, or postpones, snap updates for individual snaps, or for all snaps on the system, either indefinitely or for a specified period of time.”

Lightweight Kubernetes Operators with WebAssembly

We created a prototype that runs Kubernetes operators in WebAssembly (wasm) and suspends them to disk when they are not used. Why Developers want to use Kubernetes in the edge, but it uses too much memory for most devices. Running k8s operators in wasm greatly reduces their memory overhead and allows us to start and stop them dynamically. This way, they only run when there is actually something to do.

How to verify the source of a Snap package

Many Snap packages contain two files which allow users to verify what sources were used to build the package. snap/snapcraft.yaml is the “source” of the package. This file was used by snapcraft to build the package. snap/manifest.yaml is a “recording” of the build of that package. It is similar to the first file, but it includes a lot more information to pinpoint what exact sources were being used. It records the exact package versions of dependencies, the git commit of all source repositories, checksums of any downloaded binary and more. The manifest is used by the Snap Store to check if Snap packages contain libraries with security vulnerabilities. If this is the case, the publisher gets an email asking them to rebuild the package.

Why is there only one Snap Store?

Snap and Flatpak are the basis of two universal app stores for Linux: the Snap Store and Flathub. Interestingly, Flatpak has multiple repositories: Flathub is the main one but both Fedora and Elementary OS also host their own store. In contrast; there is only one Snap store. Why is that?

Copyleft and LGPL in Snaps and Flatpaks

The question often comes up of how Snaps and Flatpaks influence copyleft, GPL and LGPL licenses. It is a common misconception that these new packaging formats significantly influence license compliance.

Why Linux desktop apps need containers

The Snap Store and Flathub are two universal app stores for Linux. They are very different from how traditional software distribution works. As is always the case with new software, the question “why do we need this?” often arises. “Including software in distribution repositories has worked for so long, so why do we need to change it?”

A fundamental difference between Snap and Flatpak

Snaps and Flatpaks are often compared to each other because they both make it super easy for Linux users to get the latest versions of desktop applications. If a Linux user wants to install the latest version of apps like Slack, Krita or Blender, either tool will work just fine. There is one fundamental difference between Snaps and Flatpaks, however. While both are systems for distributing Linux apps, snap is also a tool to build Linux Distributions.

Tutorial: S4A on Ubuntu

S4A, or Scratch for Arduino, is an app that you can use to program Arduino boards using Scratch. You can program robots and LED’s without writing any code: all you need to do is drag and drop instructions in the visual programming environment.

What's up with CRI-O, Kata Containers and Podman?

The container ecosystem is moving rapidly. A lot happened in 2019! It seems the container ecosystem has arrived at the “consolidation” stage of the hype cycle: Docker Inc. sold off its enterprise business and had a bunch of restructuring. They shelved Docker Swarm saying “The primary orchestrator going forward is Kubernetes.” Twitter joined Spotify in moving away from Mesos-based container orchestration to Kubernetes. This was a huge blow to Mesos given Twitter was its original developer. The Cloud Native Compute Foundation archived rkt. Canonical doubled down on Kubernetes with MicroKubernetes for local development and Charmed Kubernetes for production setups and introduced support for Kata Containers to improve the security and isolation of containers. Red Hat released RHEL8 without Docker support, pointing customers towards their own Podman and CRI-O project. Kubernetes is the clear winner here, but how do Podman, CRI-O and Kata Containers relate to this ecosystem? The diagram below gives a simplified overview.

What does “perf interrupt took too long” mean?

Wifi problems So, I’m having a problem with my laptop. When I’m using the “TelenetWiFree” connection, I get disconnected after a certain amount of time, and for some reason I cannot reconnect until I restart my computer. Toggling the hardware Wifi kill-switch, which lets you disable and enable the power to the wifi hardware, does not resolve the problem. After re-enabling the hardware, the wifi doesn’t seem to come back again. Only a reboot makes the Wifi work again…

Pragmatic Docker Day 2015

I got a ticket to the Pragmatic Docker Day meetup in Ghent in exchange for writing a blogpost about it. Free food, drinks & awesome talks for a whole day, who would want to miss that? Not me!

Windows power users are not Linux power users!

Let’s rid the world of one of the most prominent Linux myths: “Desktop Linux sucks. It’s just not there yet”. When Windows power users try out Linux two things always happen: