Issue #296 / Jul 2025

So much of the big news these days is all about AI. AI advances, AI politics, AI corporate maneuvering, AI power usage … I was feeling a bit downcast about the prospect of writing yet another AI column when, in fact, there isn't that much I can say in one page that isn't either speculation or well-trodden platitudes. Then I noticed a news item that swung the other way, into the deep, retro past: Picture the oldest PC-style home computer you can remember, maybe the first computer your father brought home?

Fedora Workstation 42 Live and Ubuntu Budgie 25.04

In the news: openSUSE Joins End of 10; New Version of Flatpak Released; IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server; Plasma Ends LTS Releases; Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux; System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7; OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation; and TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes.

Chronicler Zack Brown reports on kernel efficiency improvements and tracking compiler plugin problems.

If you want to check your systems for security vulnerabilities, you need the right tools and a massive helping of experience. Prospective pen testers can get some practice by breaking into prefabricated training VMs.

The OWASP Juice Shop has over 100 tasks that will get you up to speed on pen testing. This article guides you through your first steps.

Some distros are more political than technical. EU OS attempts to break free of Active Directory and Microsoft Windows and keep distro maintenance close to home.

Ubuntu's ambitious dream of convergence is alive and well in the now-independent Lomiri desktop.

Nushell's data-first approach elevates shell scripting to a new level of clarity and precision.

The legacy Tcpdump is a tool no admin would want to do without, but it is a bit long in the tooth. The eBPF-based Ptcpdump aims to counter this worry. The rewrite offers extensive CLI compatibility and can even display process information.