Bits of Linux: 2015 #14
In this edition: Important companies for Linux, Linus answered Slashdot user questions, the LibreBox now ships with Ubuntu MATE, Linux 4.1 released, the yes command and a curated list of shell resources.
💬 Discussions / Q&A
Which company does the most for Linux?
The Linux Voice folks asked their readers for comments on this question as input for their podcast. I think it was unfortunate to make proposals in the intro text, but Red Hat being mentioned several times by the readers is certainly not a surprise, other names that show up more than once include SUSE and Canonical.
Google gets one honorary mention for putting Linux in so many pockets. My favorite answer comes from Michael Burke, who wrote:
Obviously Microsoft, because if it wasn't for their software none of us would really seek a better alternative.
Linus answers Slashdot User Questions
Last week Slashdot users had the chance to ask Linus a question, you find his answers here. One misconception Linus addresses is his stance on systemd, he writes:
I have to say, I don't really get the hatred of systemd. I think it improves a lot on the state of init, and no, I don't see myself getting into that whole area... Yeah, I've had some personality issues with some of the maintainers, but that's about how you handle bug reports and accept blame (or not) for when things go wrong. If people thought that meant that I dislike systemd, I will have to disappoint you guys.
💻 Linux Devices
Ubuntu MATE partners with LibreTrend
Ubuntu MATE announced a partnership with LibreTrend, the company that produces the LibreBox, a small black alloy "box" with Linux inside. You can now order the LibreBox with Trisquel GNU/Linux, Ubuntu MATE or if you prefer no operating system and different hardware configurations.
📖 Open Source Projects / Resources
Linux 4.1 released
2 weeks ago Linux 4.1 was released. While no ground breaking stuff happened in this release it has a special meaning to terminator fans as the T-800 runs Linux 4.1.15-1.1381_SKYN12nnmp.
Do you know the yes command?
I didn't until I saw this post on Reddit. This command outputs a string (defaults to y) repeatedly until killed. This can be handy when chaining commands, and as Redditor ryanknapper points out:
This helps lots of people make mistakes that they otherwise wouldn't be able to make.
Awesome Shell
Curated lists are a thing on GitHub. This one contains a selection of tools and resources for working on the command line.
Bash Fork Bomb T-Shirt White Print
How to create a fork bomb to crash a computer system? Use this cryptic bash command:
:(){ :|:& };:
A t-shirt with the code for a Bash fork bomb printed in a white monospace font.
Bits of Linux is a bi-weekly round-up of interesting articles, discussions, Q&A, open source software projects, new Linux devices and reviews as well as a dose of fun stuff related to Linux, that have been published or I have discovered during the past 2 weeks. To not miss posts in this series, subscribe to the Bits of Linux RSS feed.
To be informed of new posts, subscribe to the RSS feed or follow Linux Netbook on Facebook.
Affiliate Disclosure: External links on this website may contain affiliate IDs, which means that I earn a commission if visitors make a purchase via such a link. For details, see the disclosure page.
Latest Laptops
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook -...
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is a lightweight, portable laptop designed for students and...
HP Chromebook 14a-nf0019nr - Chrome OS Laptop
A lightweight Chromebook with a 14-inch HD display, Intel N100 processor, 64 GB eMMC storage,...
HP Chromebook 14a-nf0099nr - 14-inch Laptop
HP Chromebook with a micro-edge HD display, Intel N100 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB UFS...
Google Pixelbook Go - 13.3-inch...
The Google Pixelbook Go is a lightweight Chromebook designed for portability, performance, and...