Last week I posted benchmarks of Windows Server 2019 against various Linux distributions using a Tyan dual socket Intel Xeon server. In this article are some complementary results when adding in the performance of FreeBSD 11.2 against the new FreeBSD 12.0 stable release for this leading BSD operating system. As some fun benchmarks to end out 2018, here are the results of FreeBSD 11.2/12.0 (including an additional run when using GCC rather than Clang) up against Windows Server and several enterprise-ready Linux distributions.
Source: Phoronix – FreeBSD 12.0 Performance Against Windows & Linux On An Intel Xeon Server
Monthly Archives: December 2018
Grab Your LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar Before It Goes Missing Like Luke Skywalker
I realize Christmas was nearly a week ago, but if you forgot to buy this year’s Star Wars advent calendar, you can still get one on sale before it’s gone forever. And since the calendar is already in the past, you can just give into your childlike instincts and rip open all of the panels at once to enjoy the cute,…
Source: Gizmodo – Grab Your LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar Before It Goes Missing Like Luke Skywalker
"Targeted" Ransomware Hits LA Times and Tribune Publishing
The Los Angeles Times and Tribune Publishing have reportedly been hit by a “targeted” ransomware attack originating from outside the United States. Reports from the Times and the Chicago Tribune themselves say their servers started going down on Saturday, and that Saturday editions of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times on the West Coast were also delayed due to problems at an LA Time printing press. A report by AP after the indecent claims that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes the “Ryuk” malware involved in the attack as “highly-targeted, well-resourced and planned,” but officials still don’t know where the attack came from.
Mark Weatherford, a former DHS deputy under secretary for cybersecurity who is now chief cybersecurity strategist at California-based vArmour, said Sunday that phishing links are the most common way such attacks gain entry. “It’s fairly non-discriminatory. This could happen to anybody, although it seems to be more of a targeted attack,” Weatherford said. He added, however, that it was too early to draw conclusions. Tribune Publishing also reported the attack to the FBI on Friday, the Chicago Tribune said. The FBI did not immediately return a message seeking comment Sunday.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – “Targeted” Ransomware Hits LA Times and Tribune Publishing
Turn Out the Lights On 2018 With These Philips Hue Deals
If you didn’t get all the Philips Hue lights you wanted for Christmas—or if you did and now find that you need to scratch that itch even more—Amazon’s discounted a few different Hue products today, with an extra 5% clippable coupon thrown in on top for good measure.
Source: LifeHacker – Turn Out the Lights On 2018 With These Philips Hue Deals
What's Coming and Going From Netflix the Week of December 31, 2018
The end of year offerings from Netflix were grim, so it is with pleasure that I welcome the bumper crop of entertainment in this week’s harvest. We’ve got the full complement of Indiana Jones flicks arriving on Tuesday (I see we are now calling the first installment “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,”…
Source: LifeHacker – What’s Coming and Going From Netflix the Week of December 31, 2018
Charge Smarter In 2019 With Amazon's New Year's Eve Anker Sale
Amazon’s bringing the year to a close with a Gold Box sale on several popular Anker products, spanning a variety of categories. The PowerPort Cube power strip was probably the biggest new hit with our readers this year, but who couldn’t use a new Qi pad, a 5-port charging hub, or a USB-C hub for their laptop? For the…
Source: LifeHacker – Charge Smarter In 2019 With Amazon’s New Year’s Eve Anker Sale
A New Year's resolution: Stop worrying about your personal carbon footprint
Think bigger.
Source: TreeHugger – A New Year’s resolution: Stop worrying about your personal carbon footprint
The Many Features Coming To The Wine 4.0 Stable Release From Vulkan To New Input Devices
January should bring the release of Wine 4.0 as the annual stable release of this software for running Windows applications/games on Linux. As Wine 4.0 continued to be developed over the course of bi-weekly development releases all year, here’s a look back at the notable features to find with this upcoming Wine 4.0.0 release…
Source: Phoronix – The Many Features Coming To The Wine 4.0 Stable Release From Vulkan To New Input Devices
Fedora Had A Killer 2018, But It Will Be Interesting To See What Comes Next Year
It was a very exciting year for Red Hat’s Fedora Linux distribution process with the successful releases of Fedora 28 and 29, each of those new Fedora releases adding in plenty of new features, achieving the long-desired flicker-free polished boot experience, and Fedora Silverblue taking shape for what was formerly their Atomic Workstation initiative. Next year though could be even more radical for the project…
Source: Phoronix – Fedora Had A Killer 2018, But It Will Be Interesting To See What Comes Next Year
Top 10 vegan blogs to follow
If eating more plant-based foods is on the menu, here’s where to get some great inspiration.
Source: TreeHugger – Top 10 vegan blogs to follow
The Linux Kernel In 2018 Summed Up: Spectre/Meltdown, CoC, Speck Fears, New Features
It was a very busy year in kernel space from mitigating security vulnerabilities to preparing new features. Here is a look back at the most popular kernel topics of this year…
Source: Phoronix – The Linux Kernel In 2018 Summed Up: Spectre/Meltdown, CoC, Speck Fears, New Features
Can legacy automakers survive the switch to electric?
It’s gonna require some clever maneuvering, say analysts.
Source: TreeHugger – Can legacy automakers survive the switch to electric?
OPTPOLINES – Formerly Relpolines, Lower Overhead To Retpolines For Spectre Mitigation
It’s been nearly one year to the day since the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities were made public. While the security vulnerabilities were quickly buttoned up in the Linux space, kernel developers continue working to offset the performance overhead introduced by these mitigations. They made a lot of overhead reductions in 2018 while still there are some patch-sets pending still for bettering the experience. One of these patch-sets was known as “Relpolines” but now has been updated and morphed into what is being called Optpolines…
Source: Phoronix – OPTPOLINES – Formerly Relpolines, Lower Overhead To Retpolines For Spectre Mitigation
Larry Roberts, Grandfather of the Internet, Dies at 81
Lawrence “Larry” Roberts, one of a small handful of people who can truly be called the grandparents of the internet, died of a heart attack on December 26 at his home in Redwood City, California. He was 81 years old.
Source: Gizmodo – Larry Roberts, Grandfather of the Internet, Dies at 81
The Morning After: AI got its eyes in 2018
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
We took the weekend to work on it and it turns out Netflix’s Black Mirror special episode (have you found all of the endings yet?) is not named Baldersnatch, Bumbersloot or Blipblops. We’ll see if 2019 brings mo…
Source: Engadget – The Morning After: AI got its eyes in 2018
Linux 4.20-ck1 Released With An Updated Version Of MuQSS Scheduler
Con Kolivas has announced a New Year’s Eve release of his Linux 4.20-ck1 kernel patch-set and the newest MuQSS scheduler…
Source: Phoronix – Linux 4.20-ck1 Released With An Updated Version Of MuQSS Scheduler
Why Huawei Gives the US and Its Allies Security Nightmares
Perhaps the most insightful piece that sums up why the U.S. and its allies are apprehensive of using Huawei’s products. Six reasons, we are just highlighting the pointers, click on the source story to read the description:
1. There could be “kill switches” in Huawei equipment.
2. … That even close inspections miss.
3. Back doors could be used for data snooping.
4. The rollout of 5G wireless networks will make everything worse.
5. Chinese firms will ship tech to countries in defiance of a US trade embargo.
6. Huawei isn’t as immune to Chinese government influence as it claims to be.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Why Huawei Gives the US and Its Allies Security Nightmares
Photo: The Milky Way runs riot with lucky stars
Our photo of the day comes from Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Source: TreeHugger – Photo: The Milky Way runs riot with lucky stars
Soulja Boy's emulator consoles meet their inevitable end
Less than a month after Soulja Boy made an initial foray into the world of handheld and console gaming, and the project has been shut down. In a tweet, the musician and entrepreneur claimed that he had to “boss up,” adding that he “didn’t have a choi…
Source: Engadget – Soulja Boy’s emulator consoles meet their inevitable end
Seasonic FOCUS SGX-450 450W SFX-L PSU Review
Seasonic is delving deeper into the small form factor end of the power supply pool with its new FOCUS SGX. The SGX-450 has a 125mm x 125mm footprint, is supplied with an ATX adapter bracket, is fully modular, carries Gold efficiency certification, and comes with Seasonic’s rock solid 10 year warranty.
Source: [H]ardOCP – Seasonic FOCUS SGX-450 450W SFX-L PSU Review