Linux 7.1 Is A Big Win For Intel Panther Lake With FRED Now Enabled By Default
Last month I ran benchmarks showing the very positive performance impact FRED has on Intel’s new Panther Lake processors while wondering why Flexible Return and Event Deliver wasn’t enabled by default yet on Linux. Hours after that story was published, an Intel engineer posted the patch to enable FRED by default with the rationale they were waiting for hardware to be publicly released in order to evaluate the performance benefit. D … ⌘ Read more

Intel Arc Pro B70 Open-Source Linux Performance Against NVIDIA RTX & AMD Radeon AI PRO
Last week after receiving the Intel Arc Pro B70 review hardware I began with some benchmarks looking at how the Arc Pro B70 compared to existing Intel GPUs on Linux with their fully open-source driver stack. Today’s article features the latest Arc Pro B70 benchmarks under Linux in looking at how the performance and value compares to other NVIDIA RTX and AMD Radeon (AI) PRO workstation graphics cards in the lab. ⌘ Read more

Struggling Shoe Retailer Allbirds Pivots To AI, Stock Explodes More Than 700%
Allbirds made a surprise announcement this morning: it’s pivoting from sustainable shoes to AI compute infrastructure, rebranding as NewBird AI after selling its brand assets and closing its U.S. full-price stores. The move sent shares soaring more than 700%. CNBC reports: The move boosted shares of the miniscule market ca … ⌘ Read more

Rivian’s Illinois Factory Will Run On Recycled EV Batteries
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Wall Street Journal: Rivian is joining with Redwood Materials to reuse EV batteries for energy storage – the largest repurposed-battery energy storage system for an automotive manufacturer in the U.S., executives told The Wall Street Journal. Redwood Materials is a battery-recycling firm started by Tesla co- … ⌘ Read more

Norway Man Cured of HIV With Brother’s Stem Cells
A 63-year-old man in Norway appears to be cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from his brother, who turned out to have a rare mutation that makes immune cells resistant to HIV. “Four years after the transplant, and two years after the man stopped antiretroviral therapy, he still appears to be free of the infection,” reports Gizmodo. From the report: According … ⌘ Read more

Mesa 26.1-rc1 Released For Testing With Many New Vulkan Extensions & Optimizations
Eric Engestrom stepped up again to serve as Mesa release manager for this quarter’s Mesa 26.1 feature release. Mesa 26.1-rc1 was just released in kicking off the weekly release candidate dance until Mesa 26.1 stable is ready for debut in May… ⌘ Read more

Fedora 45 To Consider Building x86_64-v3 Packages
A change proposal has been filed to build x86_64-v3 micro-architecture feature level packages alongside the existing x86_64-v1 packages for Fedora Linux… ⌘ Read more

Sched QoS For Linux Aims To Improve Scheduling & Inspired In Part By Apple’s QoS Classes
Linux developer Qais Yousef with Google has announced the alpha release of Sched QoS as a new initiative for user-space assisted scheduling. The scheduling model in turn is based in part on Apple’s quality of service classes used by iOS for classifying software as user interactive, user initiative, utility, or background tasks… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.1 Adds New Child Auto-Reap & PIDFD Auto-Kill Flags For clone3()
The clone3() system call in Linux 7.1 is adding three new flags for greater control over the creation of child processes… ⌘ Read more

Sony Boss Urges Theaters To Stop 30 Minutes of Trailers and Ads Before Movies
Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman urged theater owners to cut down the roughly 30 minutes of trailers and ads before movies. “Get off the ad crack,” Rothman told the audience at CinemaCon this week. “Get rid of the endless advertising and substantially shorten the long pre-shows.” Variety reports: He noted that fr … ⌘ Read more

AMD EDAC Driver In Linux 7.1 Adds Support For Zen 3 Rembrandt Hardware With ECC
The Error Detection And Correction “EDAC” subsystem updates have been merged for Linux 7.1 that deal with reporting of ECC memory errors and the like from various hardware drivers… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.1 Gets Rid Of Some Unnecessary Memory Clobbers
The x86/asm changes merged yesterday for the Linux 7.1 kernel with a few low-level improvements… ⌘ Read more

exFAT For Linux 7.1 Helps Reduce File Fragmentation, Fixes
The exFAT file-system changes have landed for the in-development Linux 7.1 kernel… ⌘ Read more

Amazon Buys Globalstar For $10.8 Billion, Moving To Expand Its Satellite Internet Service
Amazon is buying satellite communications company Globalstar for $10.8 billion to expand its Leo satellite-internet network and compete more directly with SpaceX’s Starlink. The deal also includes a partnership with Apple to support satellite connectivity for iPhones and Apple Watches, with Amazon pl … ⌘ Read more

Sony Is Removing Many Popular Features From Its Free OTA TV Options
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Cord Cutters News: Sony has notified owners of its recent BRAVIA television models that significant changes to the built-in TV Guide for its OTA TV antenna users and related menu features will take effect starting in late May 2026. The update affects a range of premium sets released between … ⌘ Read more

Linus Torvalds Merged The Code Beginning To Remove Intel 486 CPU Support In Linux 7.1
As a follow-up to the news first-covered on Phoronix earlier this month about Linux 7.1 expected to begin removing i486 CPU support: it indeed happened. Linus Torvalds took the initial removal bits today without any fuss today for beginning the phase out of M486 / M486SX / ELAN kernel support… ⌘ Read more

FCC Grants Netgear Conditional Approval For Routers
The FCC has granted (PDF) Netgear the first exemption from its foreign-made router ban, allowing the company to keep selling new consumer router models made outside the U.S. through Oct. 1, 2027. PCMag reports: The Defense Department reviewed Netgear’s application for an exemption and found that its products “do not pose risks to US national security.” The FCC’s order do … ⌘ Read more

AMD ROCm 7.2.2 Brings Optimization Guide For Ryzen AI / RDNA 3.5 Hardware
ROCm 7.2.2 is out today as a small point release to this open-source AMD GPU compute stack. There are a few code changes but most notable is arguably on the documentation side… ⌘ Read more

Microsoft Reveals Major Price Increase For All Surface PCs
Microsoft has sharply raised prices across its Surface lineup as RAM and component costs keep climbing. “Both its midrange and flagship Surface lines are now significantly more expensive than they were just a few weeks ago, with the flagship Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 now starting at $500 more than they launched at in 2024,” reports Windows Central. … ⌘ Read more

California Ghost-Gun Bill Wants 3D Printers To Play Cop, EFF Says
A proposed California bill would require 3D printer makers to use state-certified software to detect and block files for gun parts, but advocates at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) say it would be easy to evade and could lead to widespread surveillance of users’ printing activity. The Register reports: The bill in question is AB 2047 … ⌘ Read more

LLM-Assisted Patches For Linux 7.1 May Have Negative Impact On 32-bit Systems
Code now merged for the Linux 7.1 kernel may provide some negative performance implications for those still running modern Linux kernels on 32-bit hardware. A fundamental change can present cache line alignment and slab sizing implications for 32-bit Linux OS users but will provide for cleaner code with modern 64-bit computing… ⌘ Read more

Audit Finds Google, Microsoft, and Meta Still Tracking Users After Opt-Out
alternative_right shares a report from 404 Media: An independent privacy audit of Microsoft, Meta, and Google web traffic in California found that the companies may be violating state regulations and racking up billions in fines. According to the audit from privacy search engine webXray, 55 percent of the sites it checked set a … ⌘ Read more

Linus Torvalds Rejects Performance Fix “Hack” & Kconfig “Terrible Things” For Linux 7.1
While a lot of interesting new features and changes have been merged already for the Linux 7.1 merge window, two pull requests stand out so far for being rejected by Linus Torvalds and complete with his to-the-point commentary… ⌘ Read more

Chrome Now Lets You Turn AI Prompts Into Repeatable ‘Skills’
Google is rolling out a Chrome feature called “Skills” that lets users save Gemini prompts as reusable one-click workflows they can run across multiple tabs. The feature also includes preset Skills from Google. It’s launching first for Chrome desktop users set to US English. The Verge reports: Once you have access to the feature, it can be managed by t … ⌘ Read more

Thousands of Rare Concert Recordings Are Landing On the Internet Archive
A Chicago concert superfan Aadam Jacobs who has recorded more than 10,000 shows since the 1980s is working with Internet Archive volunteers to digitize the collection before the cassettes deteriorate. “So far, about 2,500 of these tapes have been posted on the Internet Archive, including some rare gems like a Nirvana performan … ⌘ Read more

@bender@twtxt.net Or maybe I’m just shitty at communication and maybe that’s why nobody at work understands my “arguments” against AI/LLMs. 🤪🤣

(I’m too tired to rephrase the OP. Maybe some other day. Actually, rest assured that I will complain about this again. 😅)

I recon I might be still missing your point. I see it more like a semi-organised ramble, than a rant. LOL. Sooooorryyyyy!

Ubuntu 26.04 Delivers Great Performance Improvements For AMD Strix Point, Especially For RDNA 3.5 Graphics
As part of my ongoing testing around the upcoming Ubuntu 26.04 release I have been running a lot of benchmarks. After recently showing some nice performance gains for AMD Ryzen AI Max “Strix Halo” with Ubuntu 26.04, several Phoronix readers inquired about any performance uplift from the more modest but still powerful Strix Point laptops like the popular Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 SKU. Here are benchmarks showing the … ⌘ Read more

@movq@www.uninformativ.de it went over my head, sorry. Someone wanted you to vet their instruction files, correct? People writing them should know what they are doing, otherwise they should engage with LLMs like that at all (unless it is a hobby, outside the enterprise).

Social Media Platforms Need To Stop Never-Ending Scrolling, UK’s Starmer Says
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said social media platforms should remove addictive infinite-scroll features for young users as Britain considers new child-safety measures. “We’re consulting on whether there should be a ban for under 16s,” Starmer told BBC Radio. “But I think equally important, the addictive scrolling mecha … ⌘ Read more

@bender@twtxt.net … that was not my point. 🥴

@movq@www.uninformativ.de that’s the way large language models work, with a prompt. Rather than entering the prompt, most inference providers allow for specific files to be created that define the scope of what’s been requested, the skills the model is supposedly to posses, the stuff to “remember”, etc. Some will “learn” and add that “knowledge” to the proper files.

Google Faces Mass Arbitration By Advertisers Seeking Billions
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Alphabet’s Google is facing billions of dollars in potential damage claims as part of mass arbitration tied to the company’s online search and advertising technology businesses, which courts have ruled were illegal monopolies. Advertisers are banding together to seek payouts through mass arbitration pro … ⌘ Read more

Nginx 1.30 Released With Multipath TCP, ECH & More
Nginx 1.30 was just released as the newest stable version of this popular web server. Nginx 1.30 incorporates all of the changes from the Nginx 1.29.x mainline branch to provide a lot of new functionality like Multipath TCP (MPTCP)… ⌘ Read more

@itsericwoodward@itsericwoodward.com at least that encouraging in a gentle way. Imagine how do I feel waking up in the middle of the night to take a piss, and within seconds get a message from my watch “It is time to stand up!”. Like, wth?! 😅

GNOME Mutter 50.1 Fixes Performance Regression For Some NVIDIA Driver Versions
GNOME Shell 50.1 and Mutter 50.1 were released today as the first point releases in the GNOME 50 series… ⌘ Read more

A New Computer Chip Could Finally Withstand The Hellscape of Venus
Researchers at the University of Southern California say they’ve developed a memristor memory device that continued operating at 700 degrees Celsius. “And crucially, 700 degrees was not the limit, it was simply as hot as their testing equipment could go,” adds ScienceAlert. “The device showed no signs of failing.” From the report: The devi … ⌘ Read more

Sunshine Game Streaming Introduces Vulkan Video Encode Support
Sunshine v2026.413.143228 released this week as a new feature release for this self-hosted game stream host for Moonlight, an open-source game streaming client that is an implementation of the NVIDIA GameStream protocol. Notable with this Sunshine release is Vulkan Video encode support as an alternative to using the Video Acceleration API (VA-API) for game streaming… ⌘ Read more

OpenSSL 4.0 Released With Encrypted Client Hello, RFC 8998 Support
OpenSSL 4.0 was just released as a big update for this widely-used SSL/TLS and crypto library… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.1 Revamps T10 PI Data Integrity Handling For Better Read Performance
Merged yesterday for the Linux 7.1 kernel is overhauling the T10 PI code for generating and verifying data integrity information. In turn the new code is cleaner while also allowing for better read storage performance… ⌘ Read more

Mesa 26.1 RADV Driver Merges Vulkan Descriptor Heap As Big Improvement For Steam Play
As a big helper for Valve’s Steam Play with DXVK and VKD3D-Proton, the Mesa Radeon Vulkan driver “RADV” has merged its initial support for the VK_EXT_descriptor_heap Vulkan extension… ⌘ Read more

Air Force Pushed Out UFO Investigator
J. Allen Hynek started as an Air Force consultant brought in to help explain away early UFO reports, but over time he grew frustrated with what he saw as the government’s effort to minimize unexplained cases rather than seriously investigate them. Longtime Slashdot reader schwit1 shares an article from Popular Mechanics, in collaboration with Biography.com, that argues Hynek’s shift from ske … ⌘ Read more

KDE Merges Per-Screen Virtual Desktops After 21 Years
A request made a KDE user all the way back in June 2005 on KDE 3.3.2 is finally resolved. After being sought after for 21 years, the latest KWin code now has support for per-screen virtual desktops… ⌘ Read more

AMD Ready With CPPC Performance Priority & Dynamic/Raw EPP In Linux 7.1
All of the power management subsystem feature updates have been merged for the Linux 7.1 kernel… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.1 Lands ARM64 NEON-Accelerated CRC64-NVMe For ~6x Improvement
Merged yesterday were all the CRC code updates for the Linux 7.1 kernel. Most notable with that pull is an ARM64-optimized CRC64-NVMe implementation that can deliver multiple times faster performance… ⌘ Read more

WeatherBug Data Says October 8 Is the Real Perfect Date
BrianFagioli shares a report from NERDS.xyz: For years pop culture has treated April 25 as the “perfect date,” thanks to the famous Miss Congeniality line about needing only a light jacket. But new analysis from WeatherBug suggests that idea does not actually hold up when you look at the numbers. After reviewing U.S. weather data from 2018 through today, the compa … ⌘ Read more

Stanford Report Highlights Growing Disconnect Between AI Insiders and Everyone Else
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: AI experts and the public’s opinion on the technology are increasingly diverging, according to Stanford University’s annual report on the AI industry, which was released Monday. In particular, the report noted a growing trend of anxiety around AI and, in the U.S … ⌘ Read more

Message on my watch this morning: “Last week’s goals slipped away. No worries, this week is yours!”

Thanks, watch. Where would I be without you?

jemalloc 5.3.1 Released With Many Improvements After Nearly Four Year Hiatus
Jemalloc 5.3.1 was released today with next month marking four years since the prior release, jemalloc 5.3.0. While the version bump may not seem like much, jemalloc 5.3.1 comes with many performance improvements, new features, and other enhancements… ⌘ Read more

Apple AI Glasses Will Rival Meta’s With Several Styles, Oval Cameras
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is developing display-free AI smart glasses aimed at rivaling Meta’s Ray-Bans, with multiple frame styles, a distinctive oval camera design, and tight iPhone integration. “The idea is to unveil the product at the end of 2026 or early the following year, with the actual release coming in 2027,” writ … ⌘ Read more