Category Archives: Linux

Getting Started with Containers via Podman (No Docker Daemon Required)

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Containers have revolutionized how we develop, test, and deploy applications. While Docker is the most well-known containerization technology, Podman offers a compelling alternative that doesn’t require a daemon running in the background. Podman is a free and open-source container engine that’s compatible with Docker while providing additional security benefits through its daemonless and rootless design. This tutorial will walk you through setting up Podman on Ubuntu and getting started with basic container operations.

libinput Preparing To Introduce A Lua-Based Plugin System For Modifying Devices/Events

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The libinput input handling library that’s used by both X11 and Wayland based environments on the Linux desktop is preparing to introduce a Lua-based plug-in system. Via Lua scripts it will be possible to modify evdev input events / input device behavior to deal with quirky/broken input devices and better workaround other problems that aren’t currently easily addressable…

Status report on optional Rust in FreeBSD support

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Shawn Webb has published a status
report on work to provide basic support in FreeBSD for userland components
written in Rust.

We introduced a new BSD makefile, located at share/mk/bsd.rust.mk,
that enables building a Rust application during buildworld. As of this
writing, we only support building and installing Rust
applications. Supporting library crates is planned (we would like to
be able to build/install library crates that expose an FFI, like for
C/C++ compatibility). Normal library crates build and install just
fine. Support for cdylib Rust library crates specifically is what’s
missing, but is desired and planned.

We do NOT currently support Rust in the kernel. Kernel support
requires more work that we deemed out-of-scope for this initial
proof-of-concept/work-in-progress patchset. We also do NOT support
building multiple programs in the same BSD Makefile (like with
bsd.progs.mk), though that is also a desired feature.

LWN covered a
discussion about including Rust in the FreeBSD base system in August
2024.

[$] Recent disruptive changes from Setuptools

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In late March, version 78.0.1 of Setuptools — an important
Python packaging tool — was released. It was scarcely half an hour before
the first bug
report came in, and it quickly became clear that the change was far
more disruptive than anticipated. Within only about five hours 78.0.2 was
published to roll back the change, and multiple discussions were
started about how to limit the damage caused by future breaking
changes. Nevertheless, many users still felt the response was
inadequate. Some previous Setuptools releases have also caused problems on a smaller but still notable scale, and hopefully the developers will be more cautious going forward. But there are also lessons here for the developers of Python package installers, ordinary Python developers and end users, and even Linux distribution maintainers.

Make Ubuntu Updates Easier with Nala

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Ubuntu systems rely on APT (Advanced Package Tool) for package management. While APT is powerful, its output can be overwhelming and difficult to parse at a glance. Enter Nala, a frontend for the APT package manager that offers a more user-friendly experience with cleaner output, parallel downloads, and useful quality-of-life features. If you’ve ever been frustrated by APT’s verbose and sometimes confusing output, Nala might be the tool you’ve been looking for in Ubuntu 24.04 and newer versions.