NEWS
NEWS
In the news: Initial Support for Rust in the Linux Kernel; 4MLinux 41.0 Now Stable; Xfce 4.18; Orange Pi Board Has Arch-Based Linux Distribution in the Works; The New StarFighter Linux Laptop; Critical Escalation Vulnerability Found in the Linux Kernel; and AlmaLinux 8.7.
Initial Support for Rust in the Linux Kernel is Finally Released
Linus Torvalds finally announced that the latest LTS version of the Linux kernel (version 6.1) includes the initial support for the Rust programming language that recently has been hyped (https://lkml.org/lkml/2022/12/11/206). This, of course, comes on the heels of what Torvalds calls the "merge window from hell," thanks to the holidays and his pre-holiday travel.
On this, Torvalds announced he would be very strict with the merge window rules, saying "The rules are that the pull requests sent to me during the merge window should have been ready _before_ the merge window and have seen some time in linux-next. No last-minute batch of experimental new development that hasn't been seen by our test automation."
Of course, the big news for Linux 6.1 is the inclusion of experimental Rust support. It's important to know that this is very much still in the early phase of development, so the implications aren't nearly as game-changing as you might think. This is the very basic implementation of Rust in the kernel, so don't expect to find new and improved Rust-built drivers functioning within the kernel.
Much of the other work found in kernel 6.1 is dominated by drivers for media, Bluetooth, HID, GPU, and, more importantly, networking. Make sure to read the announcement to find out everything that's included with the latest LTS kernel, which should serve as a very important launch point for the addition of Rust drivers for Linux.
Linux Mint 21.1 Enters Beta Status
The developers of Linux Mint have officially announced the upcoming release is in beta (https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4442). What's big about this news is that 21.1 will include the latest release of the Cinnamon desktop.
The new version of Cinnamon has been tidied up to look cleaner and more modern. You'll find more vibrant colors, a new mouse pointer, new system sounds, and some of the desktop icons have been removed and are now pinned to the panel or opened from the main menu.
In order to achieve more vibrant colors, the developers had to use fewer accents across the user interface (UI). This change also required a number of other minor theme tweaks.
The Linux Mint Driver Manager also received a number of improvements for the user interface and includes a more robust driver installation. Even drivers for Broadcom wireless devices are easier than ever.
Other improvements include Flatpak integration into the Update Manager, a refreshed UI for the Software Manager, an easier way to verify ISO images (via a right-click menu in the file manager), and numerous improvements to the Nemo file manager. Linux Mint 21.1 features Linux kernel 5.15, Cinnamon 5.6, and is based on Ubuntu 22.04.
Learn more about the upcoming release (codenamed Vera) in the official release notes (https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_vera_cinnamon_whatsnew.php).
4MLinux 41.0 Now Stable and Ready for Use
4MLinux 41 is now available for general use and includes plenty of updates. There are new applications to be had, including FileZilla, XPaint, and GNU Paint, a command-line tool for managing NVM Express (NVMe) partitions, a small collection of games, LibreOffice 7.4.3, Gnome Office (AbiWord, Gimp, Gnumeric), Dropbox, Firefox, Chromium, Thunderbird, the Audacious music player, VLC, SMPlayer, Wine 7.18, and more.
With the release of 4MLinux 41.0, it is now possible to install on a Btrfs partition, with the help of Syslinux acting as a boot manager.
This lightweight Linux distribution ships with kernel 6.0.6 and Mesa 22.1.4, and uses Joe's Window Manager (JWM) as the desktop interface.
There are three different versions that can be downloaded and used: Full, Core, and Server. The Server edition makes it easy to set up a full LAMP stack with Apache 2.4.54, MariaDB 10.6.11, PHP 5.6.40/7.4.33, Python 2.7.18/3.10.6, Perl 5.36.0, and Ruby 3.1.2.
Download your copy of 4MLinux 41.0 desktop (https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/linux4m/41.0/livecd/4MLinux-41.0-64bit.iso) or Server (https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/linux4m/41.0/livecd/4MServer-41.0-64bit.iso) editions now and read the full list of installed packages here (http://4mlinux.com/addons-41.0.txt).
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.