Feed aggregator
AI-Ready Linux Distributions To Watch in 2025 - ITPro Today
Surgeons Transplant Genetically Modified Pig Liver Into Chinese Patient
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard: 40,000 Point Offer (Worth $1,000 in Amtrak Fare)
The Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard, issued by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO), offers a variety of perks for Amtrak riders. It also currently has a 40,000 points limited-time offer that is worth up to roughly $1,000 value in Amtrak train fare or $400 in Amazon gift cards. This boosted offer came around the same time last year. Here are the highlights:
- 40,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 billing cycles of account opening.
- Roundtrip companion coupon upon account opening and card anniversary.
- One-class upgrade upon account opening and card anniversary.
- Station Lounge pass upon account opening and card anniversary.
- 3X points per $1 spent on Amtrak travel, including onboard purchases.
- 2X points per $1 spent on dining, travel, transit and rideshare.
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 5% Amtrak Guest Rewards point rebate when you book your Amtrak redemption travel.
- 20% rebate on food and beverage purchases on board, via statement credit on this card.
- 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) every time you make at least $5,000 in purchases in a calendar year, up to 4,000 TQPs
- Amtrak points will not expire as long as your card account is open.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $99 annual fee.
This offer is not going to be attractive for everyone, but it can be very valuable if you either enjoy recreational train travel or if you can use it for your commuting needs.
Amtrak points are currently worth roughly 2.5 cents per points towards Amtrak train fare. That means 40,000 points is worth approximately $1,000 in Amtrak train fare. Amtrak redemptions are variable and directly-linked to the cash cost, so you can use points on basically any ticket. There is also the potential value of the companion coupon, lounge pass, and one-class upgrade.
The best value is for train fare, but Amtrak points do transfer to certain other hotel programs, although some require elite status in those programs.
Gift cards. You can also redeem for various gift cards at a rate of 5,000 points = $50 gift card. So 40,000 points would get you $400 in gift cards to Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, etc.
You could take the train across the entire country! There is an 18-hour Capitol Limited overnight train from Washington D.C. to Chicago in a “Superliner Bedroom” with a private bathroom.
You could then take the 3-day, 2-night trip on the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco. Enjoy the views as you cut through both the Rockies and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges.
Bottom line. The Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard currently has a limited-time offer that can get you roughly $1,000 value in Amtrak train fare, with an $99 annual fee. The potential value is high, but I don’t know if it is too niche to include in my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers. For you folks that prefer cash or near-cash, you could also get $400 in Amazon or Walmart gift cards with 40,000 points, minus the $99 annual fee.
Versatile Linux Distributions - Trend Hunter
Versatile Linux Distributions - Trend Hunter
Versatile Linux Distributions - Trend Hunter
Versatile Linux Distributions - Trend Hunter
Versatile Linux Distributions - Trend Hunter
Linux Kernel 6.14 Is a Big Leap Forward In Performance, Windows Compatibility
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Distribution Release: Zorin OS 17.3
Distribution Release: Emmabuntüs DE5-1.04
What’s KernelCare?
This article explains all that you need to know about KernelCare. But before studying about KernelCare, let’s do a quick recap of the Linux kernel. It’ll help you understand KernelCare better. The Linux kernel is the core part of Linux OS. It resides in memory and prompts the CPU what to do.
Now let’s begin with today’s topic which is KernelCare. And if you’re a system administrator this article is going to present valuable information for you.
What is KernelCare?So, what’s KernelCare? KernelCare is a patching service that offers live security updates for Linux kernels, shared libraries, and embedded devices. It patches security vulnerabilities inside the Linux kernel without creating service interruptions or any downtime. Once you install KernelCare on the server, security updates automatically get applied every 4 hours on your server. It dismisses the need for rebooting your server after making updates.
It is a commercial product and is licensed under GNU GPL version 2. Cloud Linux, Inc developed this product. The first beta version of KernelCare was released in March 2014 and its commercial launch was in May 2014. Since then they have added various useful integrations for automation tools, vulnerability scanners, and others.
Operating systems supported by KernelCare include CentOS/RHEL 5, 6, 7; Cloud Linux 5, 6; OpenVZ, PCS, Virtuozzo, Debian 6, 7; and Ubuntu 14.04.
Is KernelCare Important?Are you wondering if KernelCare is important for you or not? Find out here. By installing the latest kernel security patches, you are able to minimize potential risks. When you try to update the Linux kernel manually, it may take hours. Apart from the server downtime, it can be a stressful job for the system admins and also for the clients.
Once the kernel updates are applied, the server needs a reboot. This is usually done during off-peak work hours. And this causes some additional stress. However, ignoring server reboots can cause a whole lot of security issues. It’s seen that, even after rebooting, the server experiences issues and doesn’t easily come back up. Fixing such issues is a trouble for the system admins. Often the system admin needs to roll back all the applied updates to get the server up quickly.
With KernelCare, you can avoid such issues.
How Does KernelCare Work?KernelCare eliminates non-compliance and service interruptions caused by system reboots. KernelCare agent resides on your server. It periodically checks for new updates. In case it finds any, the agent downloads those and applies them to the running kernel. A KernelCare patch can be defined as a piece of code that’s used to substitute buggy code in the kernel.
Go to Full ArticleGetting Started with Docker Semi-Self-Hosting on Linode
With the evolution of technology, we find ourselves needing to be even more vigilant with our online security every day. Our browsing and shopping behaviors are also being continuously tracked online via tracking cookies being dropped on our browsers that we allow by clicking the “I Accept” button next to deliberately long agreements on websites before we can get the full benefit of said site.
Watch this article:
Additionally, hackers are always looking for a target and it's common for even big companies to have their servers compromised in any number of ways and have sensitive data leaked, often to the highest bidder.
These are just some of the reasons that I started looking into self-hosting as much of my own data as I could.
Because not everyone has the option to self-host on their own, private hardware, whether it's for lack of hardware, or because their ISP makes it difficult or impossible to do so, I want to show you what I believe to be the next best step, and that's a semi-self-hosted solution on Linode.
Let's jump right in!
Setting up a LinodeFirst things first, you’ll need a Docker server set up. Linode has made that process very simple and you can set one up for just a few bucks a month and can add a private IP address (for free) and backups for just a couple bucks more per month.
Get logged into your Linode account click on "Create Linode".
Don't have a Linode account? Get $100 in credit clicking here
On the "Create" page, click on the "Marketplace" tab and scroll down to the "Docker" option. Click it.
With Docker selected, scroll down and close the "Advanced Options" as we won't be using them.
Below that, we'll select the most recent version of Debian (version 10 at the time of writing).
In order to get the the lowest latency for your setup, select a Region nearest you.
When we get to the "Linode Plan" area, find an option that fits your budget. You can always start with a small plan and upgrade later as your needs grow.
Next, enter a "Linode Label" as an identifier for you. You can enter tags if you want.
Enter a Root Password and import an SSH key if you have one. If you don't that's fine, you don't need to use an SSH key. If you'd like to generate one and use it, you can find more information about how to do so here "Creating an SSH Key Pair and Configuring Public Key Authentication on a Server").
Go to Full ArticleManage Java versions with SDKMan
Java is more than just a programming language: It's also a runtime.
Applications written in Java are compiled to Java bytecode then interpreted by a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which is why you can write Java on one platform and have it run on all other platforms.
A challenge can arise, however, when a programming language and an application develop at different rates. It's possible for Java (the language) to increment its version number at the same time your favorite application continues to use an older version, at least for a while.
If you have two must-have applications, each of which uses a different version of Java, you may want to install both an old version and a new version of Java on the same system. If you're a Java developer, this is particularly common, because you might contribute code to several projects, each of which requires a different version of Java.
The SDKMan project makes it easy to manage different versions of Java and related languages, including Groovy, Scala, Kotlin, and more.
SDKMan is like a package manager just for versions of Java.
More on Java What is enterprise Java programming? Red Hat build of OpenJDK Java cheat sheet Free online course: Developing cloud-native applications with microservices arc… Fresh Java articles Install SDKManSDKMan requires these commands to be present on your system:
- zip
- unzip
- curl
- sed
On Linux, you can install these using your package manager. On Fedora, CentOS Stream, Mageia, and similar:
$ sudo dnf install zip unzip curl sedOn Debian-based distributions, use apt instead of dnf. On macOS, use MacPorts or Homebrew. On Windows, you can use SDKMan through Cygwin or WSL.
Once you've satisfied those requirements, download the SDKMan install script:
$ curl "https://get.sdkman.io" --output sdkman.shTake a look at the script to see what it does, and then make it executable and run it:
$ chmod +x sdkman.sh$ ./sdkman.shConfigure
When the installation has finished, open a new terminal, or run the following in the existing one:
source "~/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"Confirm that it's installed:
$ sdk versionInstall Java with SDKManNow when you want to install a version of Java, you can do it using SDKMan.
First, list the candidates for Java available:
$ sdk list java=================================================
Available Java Versions for Linux 64bit
=================================================
Vendor | Version | Dist | Identifier
-------------------------------------------------
Gluon | 22.0.0.3.r17 | gln | 22.0.0.3.r17-gln
| 22.0.0.3.r11 | gln | 22.0.0.3.r11-gln
GraalVM | 22.0.0.2.r17 | grl | 22.0.0.2.r17-grl
| 21.3.1.r17 | grl | 21.3.1.r17-grl
| 20.3.5.r11 | grl | 20.3.5.r11-grl
| 19.3.6.r11 | grl | 19.3.6.r11-grl
Java.net | 19.ea.10 | open | 19.ea.10-open
| 18 | open | 18-open
| 17.0.2 | open | 17.0.2-open
| 11.0.12 | open | 11.0.12-open
| 8.0.302 | open | 8.0.302-open
[...]
This provides a list of different Java distributions available across several popular vendors, including Gluon, GraalVM, OpenJDK from Java.net, and many others.
You can install a specific version of Java using the value in the Identifier column:
$ sdk install java 11.0.12-openThe sdk command uses tabbed completion, so you don't need to view a list. Instead you can type sdk install java 11 and then press Tab a few times to get the options.
Alternately, you can just install the default latest version:
$ sdk install javaSet your current version of JavaSet the version of Java for a terminal session with the use subcommand:
$ sdk use java 17.0.2-openTo set a version as default, use the default subcommand:
$ sdk default java 17.0.2-openGet the current version in effect using the current subcommand:
$ sdk current java Using java version 17.0.2-openRemoving Java with SDKManYou can remove an installed version of Java using the uninstall subcommand:
$ sdk uninstall java 11.0.12-openMore SDKManYou can do more customization with SDKMan, including updating and upgrading Java versions and creating project-based environments. It's a useful command for any developer or user who wants the ability to switch between versions of Java quickly and easily.
If you love Java, or use Java, give SDKMan a try. It makes Java easier than ever!
The SDKMan project makes it easy to manage different versions of Java and related languages, including Groovy, Scala, Kotlin, and more.
Image by:Image by WOCinTech Chat, CC BY 2.0
Java What to read next This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. 6482 points (Correspondent) Vancouver, CanadaSeldom without a computer of some sort since graduating from the University of British Columbia in 1978, I have been a full-time Linux user since 2005, a full-time Solaris and SunOS user from 1986 through 2005, and UNIX System V user before that.
On the technical side of things, I have spent a great deal of my career as a consultant, doing data analysis and visualization; especially spatial data analysis. I have a substantial amount of related programming experience, using C, awk, Java, Python, PostgreSQL, PostGIS and lately Groovy. I'm looking at Julia with great interest. I have also built a few desktop and web-based applications, primarily in Java and lately in Grails with lots of JavaScript on the front end and PostgreSQL as my database of choice.
Aside from that, I spend a considerable amount of time writing proposals, technical reports and - of course - stuff on https://www.opensource.com.
Open Sourcerer People's Choice Award 100+ Contributions Club Emerging Contributor Award 2016 Correspondent Columnist Contributor Club Author Comment Gardener Register or Login to post a comment.Open exchange, open doors, open minds: A recipe for global progress
Could open organization principles successfully apply to entire societies?
That's the question I asked as I read the book Open: The Story of Human Progress by Johan Norberg, which aims to examine the relative success of "open societies" throughout global history.
Learn about open organizations Download resources Join the community What is an open organization? How open is your organization?In this review—the first article in an extended discussion of the work from Open Organization community members—I will summarize more precisely what Norberg means when he uses the term "open" and offer an initial assessment of his arguments. Ultimately, however, our discussion will explore more expansive themes, like:
- the importance of open societies,
- what the future could (or should) look like in a more open world, and
- how these principles impact our collective understanding of how organizations operate in service of "the greater good"
Essentially, Norberg is looking at four dimensions of "open," which he calls:
- "open exchange" (global goods and service flows across borders),
- "open doors" (global movement of people),
- "open minds" (global receptivity to new and different ideas), and
- "open societies" (how cultures should be governed to benefit from the above three)
Let me discuss each one more extensively.
Open exchangeNorberg uses the phrase "open exchange" to refer to the movement of goods and services not just across borders but within them as well. Simply put, he believes that people across the world prosper when trade increases, because increased trade leads to increased cooperation and sharing.
His argument goes like this: when a nation (and to be sure, Norberg aims his advice at contemporary nation-states) allows and includes foreign goods into their market, in general they also gain expertise, skills, and knowledge, too. Surplus goods/services that one may have should be sold anywhere they might provide value and add benefit for someone else—and those benefits might include, for example, favors, ideas, knowledge, not just goods and services themselves. Reciprocity and relatively equal exchange is for Norberg an unavoidable aspect of human nature, as it builds binding relationships that promote more generosity. Generosity in turn promotes more trade, creating a cycle of prosperity for all involved.
This view holds for organizations working with uncommon trade partners as well. Greater organizational specificity leads to the need for more cooperation and sharing, which leads to even more specialization. So here we can see a link between open societies and open organizations regarding trade issues.
Open doorsFor Norberg, "open doors" refers to people's ability to move across national borders, for one reason or another. He believes the gradual inclusion of foreigners into a society leads to more novel and productive interactions, which leads to greater innovation, more ideas, and more rapid discoveries. For a society to be productive, it must get the right talent performing the right tasks. Norberg argues that there should be no barriers to that match-up, and people should be mobile, even across borders, so they can achieve it.
Norberg outlines how, throughout history, diverse groups of people solve problems more effectively—even if they create more friction as they do so, as members have their assumptions questioned. This kind of open environment must be promoted, supported, and managed, however, in order to avoid groupthink, the predominance of voices that are merely the loudest, and the outsized influence of niche interests.
Critical to the success of "open doors" are recognition, respect, understanding, acceptance, and inclusivity toward others. Norberg discusses the importance of these qualities, citing the World Values Survey, which measures some of them. Done well, open doors can allow societies to cross-fertilize, borrowing ideas and technology from each other and multiplying that which works best.
We could say that's equally true for an organization wanting to develop a new product or market, too.
Open minds"Open economies stimulate open-mindedness," Norberg writes. For him, "open minds" are those receptive to thoughts and belief systems that may seem different, foreign, or alien to them—those that both offer and receive different perspectives. Open minds, Norberg claims, lead to more rapid progress.
Open minds flourish when given the space to encounter new ideas and explore them freely—rather than, say, simply accept the given dogma of an age. According to Norberg, people from a wide range of disciplines, specialties, and skills coming together and sharing their perspectives stimulates growth and progress. But this is only possible when they exist in an environment where they feel free to question the status quo and possibly overturn long-standing beliefs. Barriers to creating those environments certainly exist (in fact, the entire second half of Norberg's book offers a deeper analysis of them).
Open minds flourish when given the space to encounter new ideas and explore them freely—rather than, say, simply accept the given dogma of an age.Of course this is true in organizations as well. The more people (and the more different people) who look at a problem, the better. This not only leads to faster solutions but helps overcome anyone's individual biases. Serendipitous solutions to problems can seemingly come out of nowhere more often, as there will be better and more peer review of strongly held positions. And yet differences create friction, so standards of protocol and behavior are required to ensure progress.
For Norberg, the world benefits when scientists, philosophers, industrialists, and craftspeople can influence one another's thinking (and are receptive to having their thinking changed!). The same is true in open organizations when people with different roles and functions can work together and enrich one another's thinking. More experiments and greater collaboration among disciplines lead to richer discoveries.
Open Organization resources Download resources Join the community What is an open organization? How open is your organization? Open societiesCombining open minds, open exchange, and open doors can lead to fully open societies globally, Norberg argues, and "the result is discoveries and achievements." Governments, he asserts, should work to foster those kinds of societies across the globe. In this way, societies can tap into the greatest talent from the entire global community.
According to Norberg, more inclusive societies based on these open policies can lead to material gains for people—fewer hours working, the ability to launch careers earlier (or retire earlier), longer lives in general, and more. This is not to mention reductions in extreme poverty, child and maternal mortality, and illiteracy globally. On top of that, for Norberg global cultural collaboration leads to better utilization of ecological, natural, and environmental resources. All this can be achieved through specific specialties that advance societies at an exponential rate though openness.
Open makes a historical argument. Norberg believes that throughout the ages it was not defenders of tradition that prospered most. Instead, those thinkers, engineers, and philosophers that challenged the status quo made the greatest contribution to global prosperity. Those figures benefitted from societies that were more open to improvements because they governed their own experiments, fostered rapid feedback loops, and built systems that quickly self-correct during setbacks.
Yet like any history, Norberg's is partial and selective, presenting isolated cases and examples. And some of those include even the most brutal empires, whose violence Norberg tends to overlook. In future parts of this review, we'll dive more deeply into various aspects of Norberg's analysis—and discuss its implications for thinking about a more open future.
Openness, this new book argues, has always been a necessary cornerstone of human civilization.
Image by:Opensource.com
The Open Organization What to read next This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. Register or Login to post a comment.22 Raspberry Pi projects to try in 2022
The possibilities for Raspberry Pi projects continue to perpetuate this Pi Day! The beloved single-board computer recently turned ten years old. To celebrate, we put together a list of recent Raspberry Pi tutorials written by members of the Opensource.com community.
More on Raspberry Pi What is Raspberry Pi? eBook: Guide to Raspberry Pi Getting started with Raspberry Pi cheat sheet eBook: Running Kubernetes on your Raspberry Pi Whitepaper: Data-intensive intelligent applications in a hybrid cloud blueprint Understanding edge computing Our latest on Raspberry Pi 10 Raspberry Pi projects for your homeThe Raspberry Pi is ripe for DIY projects for the home. Why risk your data with a proprietary home automation tool when you can take full control with a $35 computer? Opensource.com authors have shared how they've built thermostats, monitored their home climate, set parental controls, and much more in the following tutorials.
- Build a home thermostat with a Raspberry Pi The ThermOS project is an answer to the many downsides of off-the-shelf smart thermostats.
- Monitor your home's temperature and humidity with Raspberry Pis and Prometheus Instrument a Prometheus application with Python on Raspberry Pis to collect temperature sensor data.
- Set up temperature sensors in your home with a Raspberry Pi Find out how hot your house is with a simple home Internet of Things project.
- Build a router with mobile connectivity using Raspberry Pi Use OpenWRT to get more control over your network's router.
- Troubleshoot WiFi problems with Go and a Raspberry Pi Build a WiFi scanner for fun.
- Set up network parental controls on a Raspberry Pi With minimal investment of time and money, you can keep your kids safe online.
- Monitor your greenhouse with CircuitPython and open source tools Keep track of your greenhouse's temperature, humidity, and ambient light using a microcontroller, sensors, Python, and MQTT.
- Collect sensor data with your Raspberry Pi and open source tools Learning more about what is going on in your home is not just useful; it's fun!
- Measure your Internet of Things with Raspberry Pi and open source tools Setting up an environment-monitoring system demonstrates how to use open source tools to keep tabs on temperature, humidity, and more.
- Track your family calendar with a Raspberry Pi and a low-power display Help everyone keep up with your family's schedule using open source tools and an E Ink display.
You can be productive without a ton of fancy tools. Whether you want to host your personal blog or start crypto trading with a reduced carbon footprint, the Raspberry Pi has you covered.
- Host your website with dynamic content and a database on a Raspberry Pi You can use free software to support a web application on a very lightweight computer.
- Use your Raspberry Pi as a productivity powerhouse The Raspberry Pi has come a long way from being primarily for hacking and hobbyists to a solid choice for a small productive workstation.
- Run your blog on a Raspberry Pi I set up a Raspberry Pi to act as a web server to host my personal blog on Drupal.
- Use your Raspberry Pi as a data logger Here's how to log the CPU temperature of a Raspberry Pi and create a spreadsheet-based report on demand.
- Convert your Raspberry Pi into a trading bot with Pythonic Reduce your power consumption by setting up your cryptocurrency trading bot on a Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi is probably most famous for its serious use case of fun! The Pi offers lots of options for tinkering with Linux, learning about computers, or celebrating your favorite holiday.
- Create a countdown clock with a Raspberry Pi Start counting down the days to your next holiday with a Raspberry Pi and an ePaper display.
- Track aircraft with a Raspberry Pi Explore the open skies with a Raspberry Pi, an inexpensive radio, and open source software.
- Control your Raspberry Pi remotely with your smartphone Control the GPIOs of your Raspberry Pi remotely with your smartphone.
- Build a programmable light display on Raspberry Pi Celebrate the holidays or any special occasion with a DIY light display using a Raspberry Pi, Python, and programmable LED lights.
- Make an automated Jack-o'-lantern with a Raspberry Pi Here's my recipe for the perfect pumpkin Pi.
- Cast your Android device with a Raspberry Pi Use Scrcpy to turn your phone screen into an app running alongside your applications on a Raspberry Pi or any other Linux-based device.
- Learn everything about computers with this Raspberry Pi kit The CrowPi is an amazing Raspberry Pi project system housed in a laptop-like body.
Go ahead and mark your calendar for trying out a few of these creative Raspberry Pi projects this year.
Celebrate Pi Day by checking out these creative and useful Raspberry Pi projects.
Image by:Dwight Sipler on Flickr
Raspberry Pi What to read next Build a router with mobile connectivity using Raspberry Pi How I run my blog on a Raspberry Pi Control your Raspberry Pi remotely with your smartphone This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. Register or Login to post a comment.