AMD sent out a set of Linux kernel patches today for enabling use of a new instruction dubbed RMPOPT. Given the timing of these patches, RMPOPT is presumably a feature coming with next-gen AMD EPYC Zen 6 "Venice" processors...
Turning source code into running services requires a series of steps. Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are key concepts behind automating, as much as possible, build and deployment processes. LPI covers CI/CD in objective 701.4. Martin Fowler offers ... Read more The post DevOps Tools Introduction #05: Continuous Delivery appeared first on Linux Professional Institute (LPI).
The LED subsystem updates for the Linux kernel typically aren't too noteworthy each kernel cycle but with Linux 7.0 is a new TI RGB LED driver that captured my attention in being curious over its "autonomous animation engine" integration...
Various forms of tools, colloquially known as "AI", have been rapidly pervading all aspects of open-source development. Many developers are embracing LLM tools for code creation and review. Some project maintainers complain about suffering from a deluge of slop-laden pull requests, as well as fabricated bug and security reports. Too many projects are reeling from scraperbot attacks that effectively DDoS important infrastructure. But an AI bot flaming an open-source maintainer was not on our bingo card for 2026; that seemed a bit too far-fetched. However, it appears that is just what happened recently after a project rejected a bot-driven pull request.
Version 6.6.0 of KDE's Plasma desktop environment has been released. Notable additions in this release include the ability to create global themes for Plasma, an "extract text" feature in the Spectacle screenshot utility, accessibility improvements, and a new on-screen keyboard. See the changelog for a full list of new features, enhancements, and bug fixes. The release is dedicated to the memory of BjΓΆrn Balazs, a KDE contributor who passed away in September 2025. "BjΓΆrn's drive to help people achieve the privacy and control over technology that he believed they deserved is the stuff FLOSS legends are made of."
KDE Plasma 6.6 is now available to download, adding text extraction to screenshots, per-app volume control in the taskbar and the ability to create your own themes. The update also introduces new components, including an on-screen keyboard, login manager and an OEM setup wizard. All are alternatives rather than replacements for existing software. The seventh major update to KDE Plasma 6 since Plasma 6.0 launched in February 2024, part of the popular desktop environmentβs Qt 6 rewrite. Users of Ubuntu-based KDE Neon as well as rolling-release distributions like Arch will be able to install KDE Plasma 6.6 from today. Users [β¦]
In December 2025, Canonical announced a plan to develop a universal Public Key Infrastructure called upki. Jon Seager has published an update about the project with instructions on trying it out. In the few weeks since we announced upki, the core revocation engine has been established and is now functional, the CRLite mirroring tool is working and a production deployment in Canonical's datacentres is ongoing. We're now preparing for an alpha release and remain on track for an opt-in preview for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
The close_range system call for closing all file descriptors "FDs" in a given range should enjoy a nice speed boost with the in-development Linux 7.0 kernel...
One of the limitations of the AMDGPU Linux kernel graphics driver has been the lack of its support for HDMI 2.1 and later. AMD has wanted to support HDMI 2.1+ functionality under Linux but it's been legally blocked by the HDMI Forum. But anxious independent users have been working on open-source patches for wiring up HDMI 2.1 into the AMDGPU driver outside of the realm of AMD and the HDMI Forum's blessings...