Wayback has moved to FreeDesktop.org

Wayback has moved to FreeDesktop.org. Hopefully this means good things for the project.

The point of Wayback is to provide a stub/minimal Wayland compositor so that you can run a full X11 desktop on a rootful XWayland server. "Rootful" in this context means that the XServer owns the root window.

This way, if the project works out, you can continue to use your favorite X11 desktop or WM without any extra work on the distributions' part to support a standalone X Server. XWayland is going to be around for a long long time in my estimation.

https://redd.it/1lw25m1
@r_linux

Planning a LuCI Port from UCI to MGMT - Day 1

There are a lot of parallels between OpenWRT's uci and PurpleIdea's mgmt. They are both used for state management of the OS.

One major difference is that mgmt lacks a UI counterpart.

Instead of designing a whole UI from the ground up, I am going to try to recycle LuCI by swapping out uci for mgmt.

I'm hoping that this will give the networking community more options than being stuck between OpenWRT and pfSense/OPNSense and allow you to easily implement firewalls with any OS that can support mgmt.

# Work so far:

My first 2 objectives are:
- Rip uci out and replace it with mgmt
- Gain a more in-depth understanding of luci's internals

## Hurdle 1: Unraveling the Lua Spaghetti:

LuCI is quite large. She doesn't have the worst spaghetti code, but there is an existing amount of it. We need to unravel this small mess and identify where Lua interops/binds onto uci.

I believe the primary uci interop lives in luci/modules/luci-lua-runtime/luasrc/model/uci.lua

Conveniently, luci uses an old Lua version (pre-5.2), and actively uses module calls throughout the project. Their modules are also uniform across lua and c modules. To locate them, we can just use their string names (i.e. "luci.util") and that will give us results for both relevant C code and Lua code.

## Hurdle 2: Understanding the C Code:

OpenWRT's C code is relatively straightforward and lightweight. However, the build system is a bit of a spaghetti mess (as most low level build systems are). Taking a look around you will notice that a lot of the C code is bundled in directories with some makefiles of extremely consistent structure.

These makefiles are made using the LuCI templates: https://github.com/openwrt/luci/wiki/Modules

These makefiles don't reveal a whole lot about the intended build system. It appears that knowing that the build system is the OpenWRT build system is to be assumed. I did make some doc changes in the wiki to make this more obvious:
- https://github.com/openwrt/luci/wiki/Installation/history

When reviewing LuCI you may see references to a "buildroot." This seems to be a non-standard, but widely adopted term for wherever you cloned the OpenWRT repository to (the repository itself is effectively the build system). I believe this practice was adopter from OpenWRT's wiki (but I am not sure):
- https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-developer/toolchain/use-buildsystem#detailsfordownloadingsources

## Hurdle 3: Scoping OpenWRT's Build System Down:

OpenWRT's build system is quite large and designed primarily for the OpenWRT OS as a whole. I don't believe the entire thing is used by LuCI. I need to narrow down any parts of LuCI/OpenWRT's build system to just what is applicable to building my port. Preferably, I need to find something that can be used directly in my port without having to rewrite it. From what I've read so far, this may be a possibility, but not guarantee.

If it is possible, I will need to use raw commit links and not head links when I get around to writing a build noscript that would pull it. This would allow me to offload maintaining said noscript to OpenWRT while ensuring any changes they make don't immediately propagate and break my project (technically, my port would be out of scope for OpenWRT, so breakage is a significant risk)

## Hurdle 4: Naming

Small hurdle. I'm going to call my project LuMI - Lua Management Interface or Lua mgmt Interface (a play on LuCI which is Lua Configuration Interface)

I will be pushing my work here: https://github.com/project-laguardia/lumi

https://redd.it/1lvz088
@r_linux

Stupid Linux Tricks: change your root filesystem offline, without booting to a separate disk

This one's short and sweet and will probably work on anything that uses systemd:

(As usual, this is dangerous, at your own risk, and if you break something and don't have backups it's your own fault.)

Suppose you need to fsck your root filesystem, and whatever filesystem you're running can't do that online like btrfs can*. Or, suppose you need to change the filesystem's own UUID for some messed up reason, or you need to do something so awful to LVM that you don't want anything using the disk.

Here's what you do:

Reboot, and at the grub menu, hit 'e' to edit the boot entry
Add the following to the kernel command line: rd.systemd.debug_shell
Remove from kernel command line everything to do with your root filesystem (you heard me)

This will result in the system not booting, because it can't find the the root filesystem, which is the the point.

Hit alt+f9 to go to the debug shell systemd has spawned on tty9 (you don't have to wait for the boot process to time out; the debug shell is available immediately).

Now you can do whatever you need to do - but some tools may be missing. You can temporarily mount your root filesystem to grab copies of these, just don't mount it where your distribution wants it mounted (e.g. in Fedora, if you mount something in /sysroot during initrd, it may decide that since the root filesystem has been successfully mounted, it is now time to continue to boot normally - so put it at /mnt or something instead).

(If your root filesystem is on a LUKS encrypted partition and your initramfs doesn't include the `cryptsetup` command, see if a command called `systemd-cryptsetup` is there - that should let you unlock it.)



\ Bonus tip: You can fsck a btrfs filesystem while it's mounted read-write and in use just by doing:

fsfreeze -f /
btrfsck --force /dev/sdXpY
fsfreeze -u /

As long as the fsck doesn't take more than a couple minutes,** this is pretty safe... probably.

If it starts taking a long time, you may want to have a second terminal up with pkill btrfsck ; fsfreeze -u / pre-entered. (Fun fact: most terminals cannot start when root is frozen, because they need to write something somewhere on startup... or the shell does? I dunno.)

(** There are limits to how long some distributions will tolerate not being able to write and fsync to the root filesystem. If you're frozen for too long, your system may freeze to the point that you can't issue the unfreeze command. If your keyboard has a SysRq key and magic sysrq is enabled, you can unfreeze with alt+sysrq+j , but I don't know what that would do to a running btrfsck. It would probably be fine; it is supposed to be in read-only mode by default, but I've never tried unfreezing during it. The only times I've totally locked up a system with fsfreeze, I was doing other things.)

https://redd.it/1lw45fp
@r_linux

Raspberry Pi OS on AMD CPU

Hi everybody, I have a question. I have been using Ubuntu for a long time, but now, I want to try another OS. Long time ago, I have tried Debian (aesthetically is not what I want), but recently, I have tried on a Rasperry Pi, Raspberry Pi OS (or Raspbian). It was AMAZING. So, I want to put it on my portable PC. Someone can give me a link when can I find the distro for the AMD CPU if it exist? because I had listen a lot about it...

...thanks.

https://redd.it/1lw83mi
@r_linux

scroll wayland compositor stable release 1.11.2

https://github.com/dawsers/scroll

scroll is a Wayland compositor forked from sway. scroll only supports one layout, a scrolling layout similar to PaperWM, niri or hyprscroller.

scroll is compatible with your sway configuration, and the dependencies are the same, so you can have both sway and scroll installed on your system and start either one of them.

Aside from the scrolling layout, scroll adds many new features to sway, including:

- Animations: scroll supports very customizable animations, but you can disable them.

- Lua API: you can run Lua noscripts that access the compositor and modify its behavior.

- Content scaling: The content of individual Wayland windows can be scaled
independently of the general output scale. You can do that with the mouse or some key binding.

- Overview and Jump modes: You can see a full overview of the desktop and work with the windows at that scale. Jump allows you to move to any window with just a few key presses, like easymotion in some editors. There are jump modes to preview and switch workspaces, tiling or floating windows or applications in the scratchpad. For floating windows and the scratchpad, it shows every window without overlaps for easier selection.

- Workspace scaling: Apart from overview, you can scale the workspace to any scale using key bindings or the mouse, and continue working.

- Trackpad/Mouse scrolling: You can use the trackpad or mouse dragging to
navigate/scroll the workspace windows.

- Portrait and Landscape monitor support: scroll is designed from the ground up
to adapt its layout to both portrait or landscape monitors. You can define the
layout orientation per output (monitor) or change it with a key stroke.

...and many other features.

Make sure to check out the TUTORIAL linked from the main README. It contains several videos explaining most features.

https://redd.it/1lw8e0l
@r_linux

Graphic software that supports DDS files and generates normal maps - recommendations

Hello, I recently decided that I don't want to use Photoshop anymore after it hit me with the 20€ cancellation fee (I'm a student and it hit hard). I'm looking for a software that:

1. Supports DDS files, can be natively or with a plugin.

2. Can generate normal maps based on height maps.

3. Can be used to edit textures.

4. Can be used to draw.

5. Is compatible with Linux.

I would prefer to use only one software at a time but if it's not possible, then I will settle for max two softwares.

I've heard that people hate Gimp and it doesn't allow non-destructive workflow.

For context, I'm a video game modder and I plan to switch to Linux from Windows 10.

https://redd.it/1lw9zea
@r_linux

Minigalaxy - A simple GOG client for Linux
https://github.com/sharkwouter/minigalaxy/

https://redd.it/1lwbcka
@r_linux

What do you use for backups?

I've got a few machines running as many distros. They each began as projects just for fun, but I have increasingly important services running on them and I'm at the point where losing any one of them would be a real headache.

I'm curious to learn what people use, I'm not looking for anything intricate, but something which is robust and reliable.

What do you use for backups?

https://redd.it/1lwc4k5
@r_linux

For those still hesitant to try Linux + It's Desktop Apps, because of the command line
https://redd.it/1lwdacc
@r_linux

A Linux distro that draws you in by its name alone

Is there a linux distro that draws you in and like to try by its name alone?

The Void



For me its Void linux. I love the name and the project seems interesting too. Not sure if i can work with runit and if they got all my needed programs in the repos.

https://redd.it/1lwe46m
@r_linux

Sparky Linux: "Takes the Options Ball and Runs With It!"
https://fossforce.com/2025/07/sparky-linux-takes-the-options-ball-and-runs-with-it/

https://redd.it/1lwi9t8
@r_linux

How old is too old to make into a Linux laptop

Hi all,
I recently came back to running Linux. Using Mint in particular.
I have a few older laptops that are no longer upgradable, so I was thinking of wiping windows and putting Mint on them too.
How old is too old? One is 10 years old. (Found it in a box of old computer gear). The other is 2019.
Thanks.

https://redd.it/1lwizqu
@r_linux

Want to shift to Linux from Windows

I am currently a windows 11 user. Quite fed up. I have a 64bit, 4Gb ram, intel i3 laptop....Acer Aspire A514. I as mentioned want t stitch to linux, basic usage, yt, ott, whatsapp, google suite, soke microsoft apps....so pleae guide me. I don't know much about linux!!

https://redd.it/1lwmtbq
@r_linux

I finally did it.
https://redd.it/1lwnkrp
@r_linux

Windows running a Linux VM at 4K 240Hz - I love QEMU
https://redd.it/1lwmys3
@r_linux

Mint/Cinnamon is horribly outdated

Cinnamon is currently my favorite desktop environment, and while I want it to stay that way, I am not sure whether or not that will hold true for long.

Linux Mint comes in three DE flavors, two of which are known to be conservative by design, so their supposed outdatedness can be justified as a feature.. Cinnamon serves as the flagship desktop, and is thus burdened with certain expectations of modernity. Due to its superficial similarities with Windows and ease of use, this is what a significant portion of new Linux are exposed to, adding a lot of pressure to provide a good first impression.

I've begun to question if Cinnamon is truly up to the task of being a desktop worthy of recommendation among the general populace. Technology is moving fast, and other major desktop environments have been innovating a lot since the birth of Cinnamon. One big elephant in the room is Wayland support, which is still in an experimental state. The recent developments in the Linux scene to drop X11 support have put this issue in the spotlight. If there isn't solid Wayland support soon, Cinnamon users will be left in the dirt when apps outright stop working on X11 platforms. Now, there's reason to believe that it's just a matter of time for this one issue to be addressed, but that still leaves a lot of other things on the table. GNOME's latest release has introduced HDR support, which is yet another feature needed for parity with other major platforms. How long will Cinnamon users have to wait for that to become accessible?

Even if patience is key to such concerns, there's still a more fundamental question about the desktop's future. Cinnamon inherits most of its components from GNOME, but many of these came all the way back from 2011 when GNOME 3 launched. To this day, there are still many quirks that are remnants of this timeline. For instance, Cinnamon is still limited to having only four concurrent keyboard layouts. This is an artifact of the old X11-centric backend that GNOME ditched as early as 2012. This exemplifies the drift that naturally occurs with forked software, and it's only going to get worse at the current velocity.

https://redd.it/1lwrkmh
@r_linux

FlatSync: Sync flatpaks between devices.
https://github.com/Ian-Marcel/FlatSync

https://redd.it/1lwt4tt
@r_linux

Intel Readies Big Graphics Driver Changes For Linux 6.17: Multi-Device Prep, SR-IOV, WCL
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Intel-Xe-Driver-Linux-6.17-Big

https://redd.it/1lwv1m9
@r_linux

I've again updated my Linux installer for Windows that allows you to install Linux without a USB stick or manually having to configure your BIOS
https://rltvty.net/installlinux.html

https://redd.it/1lwxvl1
@r_linux

What’s a Linux Distro you want to use but for whatever reason don’t?

For example, I’d like to use OpenSUSE but am so used to Debian based distros that I always give up.

I’d also use Fedora but the name alone has too many negative associations of neckbeardism.

Finally antiX, I love everything about it but can’t take it seriously because of how overly political and self righteous the creators are and how that’s injected into everything around the distro.

https://redd.it/1lx4jff
@r_linux

OneDrive reliability on Linux

Afternoon all,

I'm trying to transition to a full daily Linux machine. At the moment i'm running a Win11 VM to support my Office365 suite, most specifically OneDrive.

(Currently on the family plan and Office365 is cheap.. makes sense for the 1TB storage, although it made A LOT more sense when you have the Skype minutes each month).


Does anybody here have OneDrive running and syncing reliably on a linux machine? It would be real bonus points to have the Just In Time file access like the native OneDrive. My OneDrive account is hundreds of gigs at this point and I generally just go for 256 GB SSDs on my laptop / OS drive.

I have seen the usual OneDrive / Fuse tutorials etc.. just curious well they work and any tips would appreciated, thanks.

Thanks a lot.

P.S. Am I the only one who prefers to use Excel / OneNote / Word instead of Googles products?

https://redd.it/1lx46qj
@r_linux