Linux

OC text by @[email protected]

A new version of fontconfig release recently with the added option to disable bitmap fonts. If you're using a rolling release distro, this might break bitmap fonts for you. It definitely does on Arch (and likely Arch-based distros) because they opted to disable them by default for some reason (AFAICT upstream gives the choice but does not recommend one way or the other).

This'll cause fontconfig to skip bitmap fonts, your apps won't be able to access them.

To fix it, you need to configure fontconfig to not ignore bitmap fonts. There are a number of ways to do that.

I'd recommend a user-level fontconfig file. Create $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/fontconfig/fonts.conf with below contents and you get your bitmap fonts back. This negates the file in /etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps-except-emoji.conf. This is the first time I'm configuring fontconfig so there may be a better way ¯_(ツ)_/¯

This should've definitely been news imo especially because this is not the default behavior of upstream. I shouldn't have to read fontconfig PRs to figure out why my fonts broke, even on Arch.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "urn:fontconfig:fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
  <description>Accept bitmap fonts</description>
  <!-- Accept bitmap fonts -->
  <selectfont>
    <acceptfont>
      <pattern>
        <patelt name="outline"><bool>false</bool></patelt>
        <patelt name="scalable"><bool>false</bool></patelt>
      </pattern>
    </acceptfont>
  </selectfont>
</fontconfig>

Original question by @[email protected]

What Distros do you want to shoutout and why you think they are doing well/are the best at what they do?

I am curious what is out there and have only had some experience with Linux Mint, SteamOS, and Pop!_OS

I am disappointed in some of the reactions this !! proposal !! has received, with some people apparently reading it in the most uncharitable way. It was a proposal that tried to address technical problems package maintainers and release engineering is facing, not some conspiracy to break the “gaming use case”.

Not my article.

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/216877

Fedora is known for adopting new technologies and making bold decisions well before other major Linux distributions. This approach has made it a top choice among developers and power users. Heck, even Linus Torvalds uses it.

But that forward thinking sometimes comes with controversy, and the latest example is its plan to completely ditch 32-bit support. The proposal outlines a two-step phase-out: first, removing all 32‑bit libraries from the 64‑bit (x86_64) repositories, and later, stopping i686 builds entirely.

Fedora argues this will eliminate a growing maintenance burden, pointing out that other distros have already dropped 32-bit support. They are right in that regard, but many others, especially in the Linux gaming community, are pushing back.

Among the critics is the founder of Bazzite, Kyle Gospodnetich, who has voiced serious concerns about what this change means for his project’s future.

Bazzite's Founder Isn't Happy

Kyle communicated his point of view clearly.

Kyle argues that, while he understands the intention behind the change, it is simply too soon to drop 32-bit support. He warns this move would kill off projects like Bazzite entirely.

He points out that essential Steam use cases would break even if the required packages were rebuilt. Beyond the technical issues, Kyle warns of significant reputational damage to Fedora.

After he said all that, there has been a lot of back and forth between Fedora developers and community members. Some defend the move as necessary progress, while others continue to push to preserve key 32-bit components vital to gaming.

Kyle, at one point, even said that if the change were to go forward as it is written, then the best option would be to disband the Bazzite project.

Luckily, the situation is not a stalemate. The proposal to drop i686 support is still under discussion and has not yet been approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee (FESCo).

Plus, Kyle agrees with what Fedora maintainer and FESCo member, Neal Gompa, has said:

If I assume that the Steam client isn’t getting ported to 64-bit x86 anytime soon, and that nobody develops any 32on64 thunking mechanism for Linux libraries, then we have to think about how far we may need to keep it.

We can put this off retiring i686 for quite a long time since each Fedora release is only supported for ~13 months. The last release we could reasonably maintain support for 32-bit x86 is Fedora 65 (released in October 2036 if I got my math right), since its EOL would be November 2037.

All in all, most people involved have handled the situation well. While there were a few offhand replies, the key parties seem to have reached a mutual understanding.

Suggested Read 📖

Fedora Looks to Completely Ditch 32-bit SupportFedora plans to drop 32-bit packages completely.It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

From It's FOSS News via this RSS feed

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/32154976

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/44560289

What's new in this release:

• Preparation work for NTSync support.
• More support for generating Windowsill Runtime metadata in WIDL.
• Various bug fixes.

The source is available at https://dl.winehq.org/wine/source/10.x/wine-10.11.tar.xz

Binary packages for various distributions will be available from the respective download sites.

You will find documentation here.

Wine is available thanks to the work of many people. See the file AUTHORS for the complete list.

Original question by @[email protected]

Sometimes my entire screen will turn green requiring a reboot. This has happened while gaming but also while watching videos in browser. I'm trying out undervolting/underclocking using LACTL. Have you experienced this? What was the cause and how did you fix it?

Original question by @[email protected]

I made the jump off windows to EndeavourOS. I work from home most days of the week, and as such RDP to my workstation(laptop on a dock nearby).

I need an RDP client that can authenticate to win11 RDP, and support audio/mic to the session. Being able to span dual-screen is a plus.

I can't install any software on the work PC as I do not want to fall foul of the security team.

RDesktop doesn't support mic input. Remmina doesn't appear to authenticate to win11 properly. FreeRDP not updated in 8 years?

Opinion | Microsoft, tactically admitting it has failed at talking all the Windows 10 PC users into moving to Windows 11 after all, is – sort of, kind of – extending Windows 10 support for another year.

For most users, that means they'll need to subscribe to Microsoft 365. This, in turn, means their data and meta-information will be kept in a US-based datacenter. That isn't sitting so well with many European Union (EU) organizations and companies. It doesn't sit that well with me or a lot of other people either.

The French city of Lyon has decided to ditch Microsoft’s Office suite and plans to adopt Linux and PostgreSQL.

The République’s third-largest city and second-largest economic hub on Tuesday cited a desire to reduce dependence on American software, extend the lifespan of its hardware and therefore reduce its environmental impact, and strengthen the technological sovereignty of its public service.

Achieving those goals will see Lyon’s government, which serves over a million people, replace Office with OnlyOffice, a package developed by Latvia-based Ascensio Systems and made available under version 3 of the GNU Affero General Public License.