Articles about Linux

We here at BetaNews often sing the praises of Tails, as the Linux-based operating system allows you to surf the web more privately. This is particularly important for those living under oppressive governments, such as China and Russia, but it can be beneficial for all internet users -- even those in the good ol' USA.

Sadly, it seems we must warn against using Tails for now, as it has been discovered that there is a significant vulnerability in the operating system. More specifically, a vulnerability was found in the Firefox and Tor web browsers, which are core aspects of Tails 5.0. The vulnerability is so severe, that the Tails developers are asking users to suspend use of the Live distribution entirely until a Tails 5.1 ISO is released next week.

Continue reading →

Rumors have been swirling lately that HP was planning to release a laptop running the Pop!_OS operating system. Today, System76's CEO Carl Richell shared on Twitter that this is absolutely happening -- a 14-inch developer-focused notebook called "Dev One." While this is good news for the Linux community overall, it is quite curious. After all, System76 doesn't just maintain the Pop!_OS operating system, it sells computers running the distribution too. In other words, HP and System76 are competitors in the hardware business.

So, what does this tell me? Well, it is purely speculation, but as the old adage says, "where there is smoke, there is fire." And so, it is safe to assume that HP acquiring System76 could be a possibility in the future -- if this new relationship pans out at least. HP could be testing the waters with the upcoming Dev One. Keep in mind, System76 does not even build its own laptops, so we could see the company leave the notebook business and focus on desktops only -- let HP handle the Pop!_OS laptops.

Continue reading →

Kali Linux is a fantastic distro that is used primarily for digital forensics and penetration testing. Even if you’ve never used it before, you may well have seen it in movies and TV shows like Mr Robot. It comes with wide range of tools to help in investigations and incident responses.

Today the distro’s developer, Offensive Security, announces Kali Linux 2022.2, with new features and tools, as well as a number of impressive updates.

Continue reading →

The arrival of Windows Subsystem for Linux in Windows 10 and Windows 11 opened up a world of new opportunities for users of Linux-based distros. Until now, Ubuntu fans have been limited to installing Long Term Supported (LTS) releases, but this is changing.

Recognizing that there are plenty of people who like to be on the cutting edge, Canonical has announced that preview builds of Ubuntu will now also be made available to download and install from the Microsoft Store.

Continue reading →

Ubuntu is a great Linux-based operating system that seems to get all the attention. Truth be told, however, Fedora is the better Linux distribution. Hell, some would argue it is the overall best distro. Quite frankly, if you are an open source champion, you should be using Fedora. It is the perfect no-nonsense distribution, and best of all, it largely focuses on truly free and open source software.

Today, following some delays, Fedora 36 finally becomes available for download. While hardly an exciting update, this new version of the Linux-based operating system is notable for utilizing GNOME 42 and kernel 5.17. Plus, for those using an NVIDIA GPU and driver, you will now get Wayland by default. You can read full release notes here.

Continue reading →

While Chromebooks are often great, there is a big problem -- a lack of AMD processors. Most laptops running Chrome OS are powered by Intel or ARM-based chips. Wouldn't it be great if AMD released some new specialized processors designed for Chromebooks specifically?

Well, folks, AMD has done exactly that with the all-new Ryzen 5000 C-Series processors. There are four such chips coming to market -- the dual-core Ryzen 3 5125C, quad-core Ryzen 3 5425C, hexa-core Ryzen 5 5625C, and octa-core Ryzen 7 5825C. These processors are based on Zen 3 architecture and AMD says they will be paired with Wi-Fi 6E/Bluetooth 5.2 modules -- likely its own RZ600 series radio chips it co-designed with MediaTek.

Continue reading →

If you’re at all worried about your privacy -- and frankly you should be -- Tails can help secure it. The Amnesiac Incognito Live System, to give it its full name, is a live Linux-based operating system that you can boot into on any computer. It can be used to encrypt files, emails and instant messaging chats, and much more besides.

Today, the developers release Tails 5.0, the first version of the distro based on Debian 11 (Bullseye), and this comes with an important new security feature, as well as lots of other changes and updates.

Continue reading →

Can you buy a Windows laptop and replace Microsoft's operating system with a Linux distribution? Sure, but you shouldn't have to. Look, folks, in 2022 you should be supporting the open source community by purchasing computers with Linux pre-installed. Even if it costs you a few bucks more, it will be worth it for the community overall.

Today, the latest Linux laptop is released, and it looks like a beast. You see, the 4th generation Kubuntu Focus M2 Linux laptop is powered by a bleeding-edge 12th gen Intel Core i7 processor. The company claims this chip will increase performance by 20 percent compared to the 3rd generation of the notebook. And yes, it comes with the latest-and-greatest Kubuntu 22.04 LTS pre-loaded.

Continue reading →

Today we get some very exciting news for the Linux gaming community. And yes, smart aleck, people do play video games on Linux these days. What is the big news? Canonical has released an early-access snap version of Steam for Ubuntu and other compatible Linux-based operating systems!

What exactly does this mean? Well, Canonical is aiming to make it even easier to get Steam up-and-running on Linux. Gamers will be able to install Valve's software from the snap store for a more elegant experience.

Continue reading →

As Linux continues to gain prominence, there has been a rise in network services being deployed on Linux for cost and flexibility reasons.

If you are a networking professional or an infrastructure engineer involved with networks, extensive knowledge of Linux networking is a must.

Continue reading →

Security researchers at Microsoft have found a series of vulnerabilities affecting Linux. Collectively named Nimbuspwn, the security flaws can be chained together to allow an attacker to gain root access to a system.

Microsoft warns that the vulnerabilities, which are being tracked as CVE-2022-29799 and CVE-2022-29800, could also be exploited to execute ransomware attacks and more.

Continue reading →

Ubuntu is a great operating system -- and so are the many Linux distributions that are based on it. Quite frankly, you really can't go wrong by choosing any Ubuntu-based distro. With that said, there is one Ubuntu-based operating system in particular that really takes things to another level -- Pop!_OS by System76.

System76's operating system focuses more on the user experience, making it a superior desktop distribution compared to "regular" Ubuntu. Following the release of Ubuntu 22.04, today, Pop!_OS 22.04 becomes available as well, and yes, you should be excited. The distribution uses Linux kernel 5.16.19, Mesa 22, and the GNOME 42 desktop environment (with System76's COSMIC UX enhancements).

Continue reading →

Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, we will start to see updates to all the Linux distributions that are based on Canonical's operating system. For instance, the first release candidate of Linux Lite 6.0, which is based on Ubuntu 22.04, is now available. If you aren't familiar, Linux Lite is very popular with those that are switching to Linux from Microsoft Windows.

Linux Lite 6.0 RC1 is notable for ditching Mozilla Firefox as the default web browser, and switching to Google Chrome 100 instead. The operating system currently uses Linux kernel 5.15.0-25 and the desktop environment Xfce 4.16.3. It comes with some excellent software pre-installed, such as GIMP 2.10.30, Thunderbird 91.7.0, VLC 3.0.16, and LibreOffice 7.2.6.2.

Continue reading →

The developers over at Canonical have been busy baking a yummy new version of Ubuntu recently, and following a brief beta period, it is finally time to take the open-source operating system out of the oven. Yes, folks, the stable Ubuntu 22.04 is finally here!

Code-named "Jammy Jellyfish," Ubuntu 22.04 is an "LTS" version, which stands for "Long Term Support." Yeah, that means exactly what it sounds like. The Linux distribution will be supported for a long time -- five years to be exact. Very nice.

Continue reading →

Last month, Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 5 was released to the world. Code-named "Elsie," many fans of the operating system probably did a fresh install right away. Understandably, however, some users are still running the previous version of the distribution, LMDE 4 "Debbie."

If your computer is still running Debbie, but you want to easily move onto Elsie, I have some great news. Today, the Linux Mint developers officially release the new LMDE Upgrade Tool in Beta. It is important to note this tool is only to be used with LMDE at this time, and not the "regular" Ubuntu-based Linux Mint.

Continue reading →