Issue #309 / Aug 2026

Cover Theme:
Firefox and the AI Kill Switch

DVD: Fedora Workstation 44 and antiX 26

Article Code

Approximate on sale dates:

  • UK/Europe: Jul 10
  • USA/Canada: Jul 10
  • Australia: Jul 10

Highlights:

SERVICE: Welcome

The Equalizer

Open source software has always served as an equalizing force in the IT space. When one company or group gets too much power, the open source ecosystem offers a head start to others who wish to oppose that dominance.

NEWS: News

In the news: KDE Linux Drops AUR; California May Exempt Linux from Its Age-Verification Law; Another Logic Bug Found in Linux Kernel; Ubuntu Core 26 Offers Game-Changing Enterprise Features; Flooding the Linux Kernel Security Mailing List; Top Priorities for Open Source Pros Seeking a New Job; Container-Based Fedora Hummingbird Designed for Agent-First Builders; and Linux Kernel Developers Considering a Kill Switch.

NEWS: Kernel News

Chronicler Zack Brown reports on the Importance of the User.

COVER STORIES: Firefox AI Kill Switch

Exploring the Firefox AI Kill Switch and Mozilla's Default Behavior with Trackers and Ads

Firefox 148 introduced an option called "Block AI enhancements." What does that mean, is it really a "kill switch" for AI, and does Firefox live up to its reputation as a browser that exists beyond corporate control? We decided to start up Wireshark and find out.

: Aging like Wine

The Latest Quirky and Creative Linux Distros

This month we explore Archcraft 2026.05.12, NetHydra 2026.2, PrismLinux 2026.05.05, and ZenLake OS 26.04.

IN-DEPTH: Monitoring with eBPF Tools

Mastering I/O Latency Monitoring with eBPF

Old-school performance monitoring won't cut it for today's complex configurations. Extended Berkeley Packet Filter and its suite of surrounding tools are here to help.

IN-DEPTH: gocryptfs

Encrypt Your Cloud-Based Files with gocryptfs

With gocryptfs, you can avoid security breaches by encrypting files on your hard disk before uploading them to the cloud.

IN-DEPTH: Strange Binaries

Run Apps from Old or Different Linux Installations

If you want to run an app from a different distribution or architecture or one that needs different libraries, we show you some tricks to make this work on your Linux machine.

IN-DEPTH: Home Cinema Folder

Schedule Movie Viewing Time with a Go TUI

To help Mike Schilli finish watching the movies he's already started, a Go TUI assists him with cross-service home theater scheduling and timekeeping.

IN-DEPTH: Network Monitoring with ss

Why the Powerful ss Command Is Gradually Replacing netstat

We take a close look at the Socket Statistics utility ss and show why it is better than netstat for forensics, troubleshooting, and other networking tasks.

NEWS: Voice Assistant

Teaching a Rasp Pi Model B to Speak

bitVox, a small voice assistant built on a 2011 Raspberry Pi Model B, separates hardware control, speech processing, intent routing, and skills into plain Linux processes, allowing you to read, test, and modify one piece at a time.

NEWS: UEFI for Raspberry Pi

UEFI on the Raspberry Pi

A conventional PC and the Raspberry Pi have many things in common, but the single-board computer does not natively support UEFI boot. For some models, you can change that.

LINUX VOICE: Introduction

This month in Linux Voice.

LINUX VOICE: maddog's Doghouse

Moving Away from Non-Sovereign Tech

A good plan – and FOSS – can pave the way to the security, simplicity, and local financial benefit of tech sovereignty.

LINUX VOICE: Pipes Redirecting

Redirecting Output and Using Pipes

Turn simple commands into complex pipelines to process files and automate tasks in seconds.

LINUX VOICE: WTF Terminal Dashboard

Track Information in a Terminal with WTF

This simple dashboard tool keeps you up to date on everything from system information to soccer scores.

LINUX VOICE: FOSSPicks

This month we explore the top FOSS, including one of the great ebook managers, an anarcho-pacifist Doom clone, and a Monero CPU miner.

LINUX VOICE: Spot the Difference

A Visual Diff and Merge Tool

Use Meld to visually compare files and directories, resolve complex three-way merge conflicts, and audit your code repositories via a visually appealing, color-coded, side-by-side interface.

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