Personal success.

I have bean working for this company for 6 years now as Chief systems/network/dba administrator and when I started I was a newcomer technician and at my previous job I was an assistant in the IT department.

After 5 months at the new place the chief sysadmin quid and as there was no one to do his job everyone started to fill in some how. A month later I got a promotion offer (for the same salary). Of course I accepted it. At this time I new that much that Linux is better than Windows 2003 or even Win 2k (our mail server at the time) so I started lerning Linux despite of the fact that all the infrastructure was built on Windows and it seamed like our IT manager was strongly against Linux.

Now 6 years later we have a 2 to 3 linux to Windows server ratio, mail, storage, VPN, webservers, docker, ect... (Windows runs AD and some old medical servers that don't run on Linux)

I'm a little proud that I could show the path of FOSS to the company and even save some money.

P.S. Did not get the FOSS saved money as a bonus. Actually....I think I didn't get some of the promised bonuses....

https://redd.it/lclgwv
@r_linux

Help users in Iran reconnect to Signal
https://signal.org/blog/help-iran-reconnect/

https://redd.it/lcodg6
@r_linux

Linux in biological sciences and instrumentation

I find it very disconcerting to find Windows XP (and 95 in one case) on computers which are coupled with an instrument like a spectrophotometer.

One of the reasons my laboratory insists on using Windows is because of the software support for equipment. Even new equipment come with software which is exclusively compatible with Windows. Like how drivers are made available to Linux, is there something for scientific equipment? This is one of the reasons why this OS is not being accepted in biological sciences. Every university wants to save money. Unfortunately, the lack of software support locks us in.

https://redd.it/lco51n
@r_linux

Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS is out now
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FocalFossa/ReleaseNotes/ChangeSummary/20.04.2

https://redd.it/lcp7oo
@r_linux

Apple M1 SoC platform bring-up
https://lkml.org/lkml/2021/2/4/1177

https://redd.it/lcq2ey
@r_linux

Geninuely curious, why are there no preinstalled fun music installed by major distributions ?

Hi everyone,

I’m sure some of us remember playing those three songs on Windows 7 that came preinstalled and some of us might remember some older songs that I didn’t even know existed or some I vaguely remember but finally found it after so long. However that got me thinking, why haven’t we seen any major distros out there that preinstalled some dope unknown music from copyright free distributions ? Is it the risk that the artists themselves would make it profitable or something else ?

Honestly I could just download some vaporwave j-pop and call it the Anthem of Fedora but that doesn’t come near close to the classic Kalimba song

https://redd.it/lctpch
@r_linux

Have you noticed how much better audio sounds on Linux?

I have two computers and dual boot on both of them with Windows, which I only need to use from time to time for Visual Studio and such. I always listen to music when I code or write, and no matter what I do I cannot make Windows' audio quality be as good as on Linux on each of the machines (which use default ALSA configs). While the difference is not huge, on Windows audio sounds somewhat "dull", not as clear as with ALSA, both with Spotify and local music players, and since I'm used to how things sound on Linux it becomes rather bothersome.

This is something I noticed long ago, and I've tried switching music players / outputs / configs thinking that, since the hardware is the same in each case, they should sound identical, but nope.

What do you think?

https://redd.it/lcv9rj
@r_linux

I'm a gamer and looking to go to Linux

I'm a gamer and looking to go to Linux as it looks the best one for games but I do not know what one to get can you help so this is a very new and unique experience for me as I have bin on windows 10 but find it to be a bit hight Requirements and performance

https://redd.it/lcwwkm
@r_linux

Total War: WARHAMMER III will be coming to Linux
https://www.totalwar.com/blog/total-war-warhammer-iii-faq/

https://redd.it/lcdumz
@r_linux

Best way to encrypt disk or home folder without additional password (small office setup)

Hi folks,
I manage a small network of 15 linux workstation/laptops. They all run Ubuntu 18.04 LTS on fresh Dell hardware. I would like to increase the security by enforcing at-rest encryption on all machines, but without the hassle of an additional password.

The scenario I am trying to address is basically preventing a thief to access the data of a stolen workstation/laptop.

I have few questions:

* Is it possibile to setup data encryption without the need for the user to enter a dedicated password?
* Can I add a "master" key so that me, as a sysadmin, can recover the data if the original key is lost?
* Do you think Full disk encryption in mandatory or Home folder encryption is enough?

Thanks for any idea!

https://redd.it/ld361g
@r_linux

LibreOffice project + community activities, January 2021
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2021/02/05/libreoffice-monthly-recap-january-2021/

https://redd.it/ld48ug
@r_linux

How to schedule cron to run image with docker-compose?

Hi,
I have a dockerised noscript that I need to run once daily (at 8am local time). The image is pushed onto my repo and I have a docker-compose.yml file with the image tag and settings that I need for it to work.

How can I get cron to run docker-compose up in the directory with the docker-compose.yml file in it and log the output of the image to a file?

​

I have already tried:

0 8 * * * cd ~/directory/with/yml && /usr/local/bin/docker-compose up -d > ~/directory/with/log.log 2>&1

https://redd.it/ld52g5
@r_linux

FSF founder Richard Stallman shares his views on 35 years of FSF
https://peertube.qtg.fr/videos/watch/d4aab174-50ca-4455-bb32-ed463982e943

https://redd.it/ld761x
@r_linux

Worth the effort for performance?

I'm about to purchase a ThinkPad x250 i5 with 8gb ram. I always see that Linux is recommended for older machines as it's lightweight etc.

The only experience I've had with it is on a Chromebook (which just died) so that I could install calibre. Other than that I have no idea.

I'm not going to be doing anything really too taxing on the ThinkPad, some light music production being the hardest it will work. Other than that it will be pretty basic word processing, ebook management, music management etc.

Researching the things I would install, it seems that quite a few have little problems or are difficult to get up and running with the latest versions etc (difficult for somebody with my level of experience that is). For instance, I use Google drive and docs quite a lot, and need things synced with my phone.

Just unsure if it's worth the effort for the performance increase to switch from Windows?

A list of some of the apps I'd want/like to run if possible :

Musicbee,
YouTube music,
Audacity,
Renoise,
Reaper,
Anki,
Google drive,
Google docs,
Google sheets,
Google keep,
Simple note,
Scrivener,

I was looking at mint, kubuntu, and manjaro.

Any advice or guidance would be appreciated.

https://redd.it/ld86d7
@r_linux

MPV open video specific time

I have another app which accepts file:// protocol. But then it only opens the video file with default app.

I want to be able it open at a specific time (let's say 8m 30s). Does mpv have it's own protocol something like mpv:// ?

How can I open the file at specified time in other app?

https://redd.it/ldapz5
@r_linux

LiveBoot New-User Experience, Top 10 DistroWatch Distros

**Intro**

Hi there Linux Subreddit!
I don't use Linux much privately (see some exceptions below) these days but every now and again I check what's going on in the Linux Desktop world.
So, I decided to test the LiveBoot Experience on the Top 10 most popular distros as ranked on https://DistroWatch.com from a "newbie's" (remarks on that below) perspective.
The goal was not to "get the distros to run" but rather check out the Out-of-the-Box experience for a user that might consider switching to Linux and wants to try it out first.
In each case I downloaded the first ISO that was listed / recommended on each distro's home page (as of last weekend, 2021-01-30 to 31).
I know, no one cares about my opinion, but it's fun for me to write up and share my experience.

These are not meant in-depth and long-term reviews of all the Distros and are highly subjective.
User experiences in each case might very well vary. :)
Please don't get offended if I had a bad subjective experience with your favorite distro that runs like a rocket for you and millions of other users.

---
**Debian Live 10.7.0 Cinnamon - 0 Stars**

- Starts with two errors (unkown chipset and no HID input somethingsomething)
- then just hangs with a blinking error without further information, doesn't boot

---
**ElementaryOS 5.1 Stable - * * * Stars**

- nice verbose boot process
- boot time fast to medium
- pretty good out-of-the-box desktop with most common programs in dock
- Corsair headset was recognized as default sound device
- display drivers / monitor resolution not properly detected

---
**EndeavourOS 20.09.20 - 0 Stars**

- starts with nouveau error (unkown chipset)
- completely freezes after that, even Ctrl+Alt+Del doesn't work
- utter fail, would give -1 stars if I could.

---
**Fedora Workstation Live 33-1.2 - * * Stars**

- nice verbose boot but starts with an apparently non-critical error about being unable to extract intramfs
- quite fast boot time
- Corsair headset recognized as default sound device
- display drivers / monitor not properly detected
- desktop is barren with no welcome message etc., could be confusing for new users

---
**Linux Mint 20.1 Cinnamon - * * * (*) Stars (would be 4 with proprietary display drivers at boot)**

- nice verbose boot process
- super fast boot - the fastest of the bunch
- Corsair headset recognized as default sound device
- Helpful icons on Desktop and taskbar layout intuitive
- display drivers / monitor resolution not properly detected (but in theory proprietary driver switching easy via helper app)
- impressive bonus: Network printer automatically recognized and added

---
**Manjaro 20.2.1 Xfce Edition - * * * * Stars**

- option to boot with foss drivers or proprietary (way to go!)
- nice verbose boot
- some waits / hangups in the boot process but with proper indicators and timers
- nice welcome screen and clean, stylish desktop background
- helpful icons and helpful taskbar layout
- absolutely every single piece of hardware, including GPU, was properly recognized, resolution set correctly
- minor gripe: Corsair headset was not selected as default output device, but then again I have several options

---
**MX 19.3 ahs - 0 Stars**

- nice initial boot screen with option to see verbose boot via Alt+F1...
- ...then just a black screen, no boot and even Ctrl+Alt+Del isn't working...

---
**Pop_OS! 20.10 NVIDIA Edition - * * * (*) Stars (would be 4 with better post-boot experience)**

- welcome screen at boot nice addition
- nice verbose boot BUT with several weird resolution changes during the process (looks buggy)
- the desktop is very barren and you only get a welcome screen encouraging you to install the OS - almost a chore to get into "demo" mode
- all hardware, including GPU, properly recognized, resolution set correctly

---
**Solus 4.1 Budgie - 0 Stars**

- nouveau error in the beginning (unknown chipset)
- hangs at error "iwlwifi bios contains WGDS but no WRDS"
- at least Ctrl+Alt+Del works
- Update: Checked out Solus 4.2 in the meantime. Same

experience, just hangs on a different error.

---
**Ubuntu 20.04.01 - * * * Stars**

- nice verbose boot
- boot speed pretty slow, comparable to Manjaro
- helpful icons on the desktop & dock
- Corsair headset recognized as default sound device
- display drivers / monitor resolution not properly detected

------

**Conclusion:**

**If I were to recommend someone to try out Linux via a LiveOS experience, I'd choose Manjaro.**

Congratulations to this very subjective winner!

Runner-Ups are Pop!_OS and (still!) Linux Mint - the former could offer a better LiveOS experience and the latter would be better off with offering a nonfree boot option a priori.

In general I very well understand the advantages of FOSS but I think the way of getting more people on board with Linux would be to make the initial experience as smooth as possible.
I truly believe that many Distros could take some lessons from ones that offered nonfree drivers either by default - or like Manjaro as an option at boot - and had very good hardware detection.

P.S. I didn't even give out a 1-Star-rating. I guess I would give it to an OS that would boot to the desktop but offered an utterly terrible experience. I do believe there are Distros that would qualify for that, just not in the DistroWatch Top10.

------

**BONUS ROUND!**

I decided to try some other distros I'm familiar with or which popped up in my research as attractive options.

---
**Linux Lite 5.2 - * * * Stars**

- nice verbose boot but with (skipped) errors strewn throughout
- surprisingly long boot for such a "light" distro
- Corsair headset recognized as default device and nice startup sound played as welcome
- display drivers / monitor resolution not properly detected
- useful icons on desktop, nice welcome message and clean interface

---
**Kali 2020.4 - * * * Stars** (4 as a utility distro)

- several boot options to choose from (nice)
- vebose boot that turns into a graphic loading screen - pretty smooth
- surprisingly quick boot
- tons of helpful programs and icons on desktop (understandably)
- display drivers / monitor resolution not properly detected
- Corsair headset was not selected as default output device (but detected)
- bonus: all Windows partitions were auto-mounted

---
**Garuda Dr460nized Gaming Edition (KDE) - * * Stars**

- customizable boot with nonfree driver option preselected
- rather non-verbose boot that is incredibly slow with not one but TWO subsequent loading screens with spinners (LOL!)
- nice interface and helpful welcome message
- all hardware detected including GPU, proper resolution set - only wrong audio device selected as default
- Firefox comes with several preinstalled extensions that I would rather not have and loads slowly on top? Big no-no!
- overall the desktop experience seems rather sluggish, even on my hardware (yes, by that time it had finished loading from the USB drive)

---
**Zorin OS 15.3 - * * * Stars**

- nice verbose boot
- display drivers / monitor resolution not detected (especially disappointing from a distro touted as a drop-in Windows replacement, just my opinion)
- Corsair headset recognized as default device
- helpful icons on desktop and intuitive taskbar layout

---

**FAQ:**

**What system are you running this on?**

* Alienware Aurora R11
* Intel Core i7-10700KF
* GeForce RTX 3080
* Proprietary Dell Mobo with Z490 Chipset
* 32 GB RAM by Kingston @ 3200 MHz
* 1 TB Micron NVMe

Yes, yes, I know, Alienware, hard to get an RTX 3080 otherwise though, bought it during a Black Friday sale and here in Europe they seem to offer a much better price-performance than e.g. in the US.

Also, the price difference between the Aurora and purchasing, assembling and setting up my own PC is more than made up for in saved time.
Been building my own PCs for over 20 years before that.

---

**You just don't know how to make the systems run!**

That's not the point of this exercise. I want to emulate the "out-of-the-box" experience for a new-ish user without having to adjust any configs, debugging etc.

---

**You're a Linux n00b / hater!**

It's true

that I currently don't run Linux on the PC listed above (outside of Ubuntu via WSL2), however, I have Linux Lite installed on my old Netbook and run Debian on my private server.

Also, I'm an IT-professional with 10 years experience in the industry, working with Red Hat Enterprise Linux on OpenShift, Amazon Linux 2 and running Ubuntu and Kali in WSL2 on my enterprise laptop. While dealing with OS-specifics is not at the core of my job, I do have a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages FOSS as well as non-free Software.

Up until around 10 years ago I was also usually dual-booting Linux with Ubuntu and later Linux Mint, also always having kept SlaX (when it was Slackware-Based) on a USB stick as a kind of rescue OS (saved me from so many Windows MBR disasters! ;)).

https://redd.it/ldbq9m
@r_linux

FSlint GUI: only show results if file is in one of the specified directories

Let's say I have three directories: 'a', 'b' and 'c'. In FSlint GUI, I am using the 'Name Clashes' tab ('Same names' search option selected) to find duplicate files with the same filenames across directories a, b and c. Is is possible to only display the results when a duplicate is found in directory c?

Example 1: 0001.png is found in a, b, and c, so the three duplicates are listed.

Example 2: 0002.png is found in a and b only, so the duplicates are not listed.

The 'Select using wildcard' option only works on filenames, not paths, so that can't be used in this case.

https://redd.it/ldb93o
@r_linux

Why is FreeOffice free but proprietary?

So I have recently found myself using the office-alternative, freeoffice. I really like how it has a similar aesthetic and feel as MS Office, especially given my indoctrination into the MS Office suite from a young age. However, in the wake of privacy violations by larger tech firms, and seeing the FOSS communities reeling for safer, more transparent services - I have found myself wondering, why is FreeOffice free but proprietary?

Sure, I could use some truly open sourced alternatives such as LibreOffice - but again, with my Microsoft product upbringing, I’m drawn towards an office suite with similar UI fundamentals. I use various distros as my daily driver, and have done so for a number of years - but I can’t shake the feeling that on my beautiful, open source system, there is some proprietary thing lurking under the guise as “freeware”.

Could someone with a bit more understanding of its history explain why it is as it is?

https://redd.it/ldaz7e
@r_linux

Could WebAssembly and WebGPU be the next hope of the Linux desktop ?

I recently learned about WebAssembly (WASM) which is a new standard that allows developers to compile pretty much any language (like C++, Rust, C#...) to a portable virtual machine that can be run in any modern browser with near-native performance while being sandboxed. To be fair I'm pretty hyped by this technology and I'd like to share my reflection about what that could implies for software development as a whole and how that could help the Linux desktop.

Firstly, the only real problem with Linux today is software availability, it is literally the only problem that cannot be reasonably addressed by its users, we probably all know some people who tried Linux and even tho they enjoyed it, they need to use some kind of Windows-only software, however they would happily make the switch if only they could run all their software and games on it.

However, recently thanks to technology like Electron, this problem started to see some answers : cross-platforms frameworks that allow to "Write once, run everywhere" are probably the only reasonable solution. Electron allow developers to take any web application and ship it as a desktop application (Discord is written in Electron for example), even tho I perfectly understand the hate towards Electron for a variety of reasons, I still think it is a wonderful technology that helped Linux : some companies who previously would not have care about shipping a Linux build can now do it simply by editing a single compilation flag without any further modification to their code.

So, even if Electron is very useful, there are still some major limitations : most notably it is still just a Chrome tab running JavaScript, for light applications it is not a problem, but if the app needs near-native performance or direct access to the GPU, Electron is out of luck. However this may no longer be true very soon thanks to WASM and a new standard which is right now under active development : WebGPU which will allow web applications that need heavy graphics workload to operate like native applications.

In a few years, I can see a future where any application could run in a web browser, we may for example use Photoshop right into the browser or play any game directly in the browser as the gap between real native performance and WASM will tend to zero. The best part is that thanks to technologies like the Emnoscripten compiler, C++ code can directly be ported into WASM, not requiring developers to make massive changes to their codebase, making it directly executable in a browser or in Electron. Stuff like "Universal binaries" already exist by taking advantage of the WASM format (the Wasmer runtime for example).

Essentially operating systems may just become a bootloader for these universal platforms, once this happen for real, Windows may lose its biggest advantage, in fact Microsoft will probably fight against it but it's not clear how they could win in the long run, once we'll be there, the Linux desktop will finally become a fully viable alternative.
So, what do you think is going to happen ? Is WASM just another technology that will remain marginal or the start of something great ? Could the Linux desktop rise because of that ? It this reflection realistic ?

https://redd.it/ldlese
@r_linux