Apple Prepares To Add Search Ads To Apple Maps
Apple is reportedly preparing to add search ads to Apple Maps, “and it could start to roll out to users by the summer,” reports AppleInsider, citing sources from Bloomberg (paywalled). From the report: Apple will make an announcement as soon as March. This will bring ads to search queries within the navigation app, which will operate similar to Google’s advertising system. Retail … ⌘ Read more

Steam Linux Beta Prepares For 64-bit, Can Be Run Inside Steam Runtime Container
An interesting new Steam client beta dropped overnight from Valve with some exciting low-level enhancements… ⌘ Read more

Arm Preparing Live Firmware Activation Support For Linux
A new platform feature being worked on by Arm engineers for the Linux kernel is Live Firmware Activation to allow for updated firmware components to be deployed without requiring a system reboot… ⌘ Read more

US SEC Preparing To Scrap Quarterly Reporting Requirement
The U.S. SEC is reportedly preparing a proposal to make quarterly earnings reports optional, potentially allowing companies to report results just twice a year. “The proposal could be published as soon as next month,” reports Reuters, citing a paywalled report from the Wall Street Journal, adding that “regulators are in talks with major exchanges to discuss how thei … ⌘ Read more

Intel Graphics Driver Preps For UHBR DP Tunnels With Linux 7.1
A round of Intel graphics driver updates were sent today to DRM-Next in staging ahead of April’s Linux 7.1 merge window. The changes in this pull aren’t too particularly exciting with a lot of code refactoring and other work, but there are preparations made for supporting UHBR DP tunnels… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.0 Lands Improvements To Deal With Upcoming Rust Changes, Build Reproducibility
Merged to mainline yesterday for Linux 7.0 were yet more Rust changes in preparing for upcoming Rust releases as well as enhancing the kernel build reproducibility when engaging the Rust code… ⌘ Read more

Meta Plans Sweeping Layoffs As AI Costs Mount
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Meta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Meta seeks to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers. No date has been set for the cuts and the magnitude has … ⌘ Read more

Exclusive Preview Of System76’s Completely Redesigned Thelio Desktop
It has been eight years already since System76 announced Thelio as their own built-in-the-USA, custom-engineered cases for desktops and workstations. System76 Thelio is an open hardware design and built exceptionally well out of their facilities in Colorado. System76 Thelio has served them well for their range of desktop systems over the years from ARM64 developer workstations to high-end AMD Linux systems. Now though they are preparing to introduc … ⌘ Read more

Nvidia Is Planning to Launch Its Own Open-Source OpenClaw Competitor
Nvidia is preparing to launch an open-source AI agent platform called NemoClaw, designed to compete with the likes of OpenClaw. According to Wired, the platform will allow enterprise software companies to dispatch AI agents to perform tasks for their own workforces. “Companies will be able to access the platform regardless of whether their prod … ⌘ Read more

Linux’s KVM Virtualization Preparing For Intel Advanced Performance Extensions (APX)
Intel’s Advanced Performance Extensions (APX) debuting with Nova Lake and Diamond Rapids is ready with Linux 6.16+ and recent open-source compilers. One piece of the support puzzle still coming together though that will be especially important for Xeon Diamond Rapids is the KVM virtualization support. New patches there were posted this week… ⌘ Read more

Intel Preps Linux For Directed Package Thermal Interrupts
Intel Linux engineers are preparing the Linux kernel’s Intel Thermal driver for supporting Directed Package Thermal Interrupts as a new feature of recent Intel CPUs… ⌘ Read more

FFmpeg 8.1 Preparing For Release With Vulkan Improvements, JPEG-XS & More
FFmpeg developers are preparing to soon release FFmpeg 8.1 with some great new features and other improvements… ⌘ Read more

AMD CPPC Performance Priority Being Prepared For Linux - New Zen 6 Feature
Patches were posted today to the Linux kernel mailing list for enabling a new feature called AMD CPPC Performance Priority as a new hardware feature being found with “future AMD processors”…. Which given the timing of these patches, almost certainly means the upcoming Zen 6 processors… ⌘ Read more

Intel Begins Preparations For Xe3P Upstreaming To Open-Source OpenGL & Vulkan Drivers
Following the mainline Linux kernel beginning to see Xe3P graphics enablement for upcoming Nova Lake integrated graphics as well as the Crescent Island AI inference accelerator, Intel’s Mesa OpenGL “Iris” and Vulkan “ANV” drivers are preparing to begin laying out their Xe3P driver support… ⌘ Read more

NASA Repairs Artemis 2 Rocket, Continues Eyeing April Moon Launch
NASA is eyeing an April launch window for the upcoming Artemis II mission after it repaired a helium-flow issue on the Space Launch System upper stage rocket. “Work on the rocket and spacecraft will continue in the coming weeks as NASA prepares for rolling the rocket out to the launch pad again later this month ahead of a potential launch in … ⌘ Read more

Intel Adapting Linux’s LAM In Preparing For ChkTag
Last year AMD and Intel as part of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group announced ChkTag for x86 memory tagging across processors to better fight buffer overflows and use-after-free errors. In preparing for ChkTag with future processors, Intel has begun adapting their Linear Address Masking (LAM) support to more nicely jive with it… ⌘ Read more

GIMP 3.2 RC3 Released In Preparation For The Stable GIMP 3.2
Ahead of the stable GIMP 3.2 release hopefully happening soon, GIMP 3.2 RC3 was released this evening for testing… ⌘ Read more

ASUS Linux HID Driver Preparing To See Support For Newer Devices
There’s been a recent lull in activity around the open-source Linux driver for ASUS devices with the HID interface used for supporting various features. But developer Denis Benato who has worked on the ASUS Armoury Linux driver and the like is working on advancing the ASUS HID driver for Linux systems… ⌘ Read more

AMD Prepares Linux For Instruction-Based Sampling Improvements With Zen 6
A set of patches recently posted to the Linux kernel mailing list have now been queued up to a tip/tip.git branch for planned introduction in Linux 7.1. These patches are for enhancing the Linux perf subsystem support for AMD Instruction-Based Sampling (IBS) improvements with next-gen Zen 6 processors… ⌘ Read more

FreeBSD 14.4-RC1 Adds Emacs, Vim & More To DVD Images
For those on the current FreeBSD 14 series with no immediate plans to move to FreeBSD 15 that debuted at the end of 2025, FreeBSD developers have been preparing for the release of FreeBSD 14.4. Released overnight was the first release candidate of FreeBSD 14.4… ⌘ Read more

Burger King Will Use AI To Check If Employees Say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’
An anonymous reader shares a report: Burger King is launching an AI chatbot that will live in the headsets used by employees. The voice-enabled chatbot, called “Patty,” is part of an overarching BK Assistant platform that will not only assist employees with meal preparation but also evaluate their interactions with customers for “friend … ⌘ Read more

AMD Posts Linux Patches For SEV-SNP BTB Isolation
It’s quite a mouthful but today AMD posted Linux kernel patches for preparing SEV-SNP BTB isolation support for further enhancing the security of virtual machines (VMs) for confidential computing… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.0 Features Include More Preparations For AMD Zen 6 & Intel Nova Lake
While the version bump to 7.0 is driven solely by Linus Torvalds’ versioning preferences, with Linux 7.0 there are many great changes to be found in this upcoming stable kernel version to power the likes of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. Here is a recap of all the interesting changes with Linux 7.0. ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.0 Further Prepares For Intel Diamond Rapids With NTB Driver Support
The upstream Linux kernel appears largely ready for Intel’s next-generation Xeon Diamond Rapids processors as the successor to Granite Rapids. Most of the driver support appears to have been settled for a while with just some stragglers remaining. With the ongoing Linux 7.0 kernel one new addition for Diamond Rapids is NTB driver support… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.0 Makes Preparations For Rust 1.95
Last week was the main feature pull of Rust programming language updates for the Linux 7.0 kernel merge window. Most notable with that pull was Rust officially concluding its “experimental” in now treating Rust for Linux kernel/driver programming as stable and here to stay. Sent out today was a round of Rust fixes for Linux 7.0 that includes preparations for the upcoming Rust 1.95 release… ⌘ Read more

Linux Begins Seeing Early Preparations For PCIe 7.0
While we are on the horizon of seeing PCI Express 6.0 devices, there are already early Linux kernel patches beginning to surface for PCI Express 7.0… ⌘ Read more

Trump Directs US Government To Prepare Release of Files on Aliens and UFOs
US President Donald Trump says he will direct US agencies, including the defence department, to “begin the process of identifying and releasing” government files on aliens and extraterrestrial life. From a report: Trump made the declaration in a post on Truth Social, after he accused Barack Obama earlier in the day of revealin … ⌘ Read more

Minecraft Java Is Switching From OpenGL To Vulkan
Minecraft: Java Edition is switching its rendering backend from OpenGL to Vulkan as part of the upcoming Vibrant Visuals update, aiming for both better performance and modern graphics features across platforms like Linux and macOS (via translation layers). GamingOnLinux reports: For modders, they’re suggesting they start making preparations to move away from OpenGL: “Sw … ⌘ Read more

Trump Has Prepared Speech On Extraterrestrial Life
According to Lara Trump, Donald Trump has prepared but not yet delivered a speech about extraterrestrial life, though the White House says such a speech would be “news to me.” White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt continued: “I’ll have to check in with our speech writing team. Uh, and that would be of great interest to me personally, and I’m sure all of you in t … ⌘ Read more

Meta Begins $65 Million Election Push To Advance AI Agenda
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: Meta is preparing to spend $65 million this year to boost state politicians who are friendly to the artificial intelligence industry, beginning this week in Texas and Illinois, according to company representatives. The sum is the biggest election investment by Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagra … ⌘ Read more

System76 Preparing To Introduce Redesigned Thelio Hardware
Linux hardware vendor System76 has begun teasing a redesign of their Thelio chassis that is used by their modern desktops and workstations. Helping distinguish System76 from other Linux desktop/PC vendors has been their custom-engineered, built-in-the-USA enclosures and now they are preparing to launch a next-generation design… ⌘ Read more

Intel Lands Initial Preparations For DSA 3.0 Accelerators In Linux 7.0
Last year we began seeing Linux patches preparing the kernel for Intel Data Streaming Accelerator “DSA” 3.0 IP. Finally with the Linux 7.0 kernel those patches in updated form have now been merged… ⌘ Read more

AMD Preparing Linux Kernel For “RMPOPT” To Help Reduce Overhead On SEV-SNP Servers
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… ⌘ Read more

Anthropic Raises $30 Billion at $380 Billion Valuation, Eyes IPO This Year
Anthropic has raised $30 billion in a Series G funding round that values the Claude maker at $380 billion as the company prepares for an initial public offering that could come as early as this year. Investors in the new round include Singapore sovereign fund GIC, Coatue, D.E. Shaw Ventures, ICONIQ, MGX, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund … ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.0 Performance Events Prep For Intel Xeon Diamond Rapids
The performance “perf” events changes for the Linux 7.0 kernel are continuing to prepare for next-generation Xeon Diamond Rapids processors as the successor to current Xeon 6 Granite Rapids… ⌘ Read more

So I decided that after having two of my three MiniDisc recorders fail on my over the weekend, to prepare myself to say goodbye of most of the discs… and invest in a DAP. More to come on this soon for sure.

Intel Appears To Have Quietly Sunset “On Demand” Software Defined Silicon
Back in 2021 on Phoronix was first to report on Intel preparing Linux patches for a “Software Defined Silicon” feature for activating extra licensed hardware features. That Software Defined Silicon support continued moving forward and was then announced as Intel On Demand with a focus on users being able to pay to activate additional accelerators found on select SKUs but not enabled by default… ⌘ Read more

The World’s First Sodium-Ion Battery in Commercial EVs - Great at Low Temperatures
Long-time Slashdot reader Geoffrey.landis shared this report from InsideEVs:

Chinese battery giant CATL and automaker Changan Automobile are preparing to put the world’s first passenger car powered by sodium-ion batteries on public roads by mid-2026. And if the launch is successful, it could usher in an era whe … ⌘ Read more

Apple Plans to Allow Outside Voice-Controlled AI Chatbots in CarPlay
Apple “is preparing to allow voice-controlled AI apps from other companies in CarPlay,” reports Bloomberg, citing “people familiar with the matter.”

Bloomberg calls it “a move that will let users query AI chatbots through its vehicle interface for the first time.”

The company is working to support the apps in CarPlay within the coming … ⌘ Read more

The European Commission Is Testing an Open Source Alternative To Microsoft Teams
The European Commission is preparing to trial a communications platform built on Matrix, the open source messaging protocol already used by the French government, German healthcare providers and European armed forces, as a sovereign backup to Microsoft Teams.

Signal currently serves as the backup tool but has proven to … ⌘ Read more

Intel Sends Out Initial Linux Patches For Xe3P_LPG Graphics With Nova Lake P
In recent months Intel Linux engineers have been quite active in preparing for next-gen Nova Lake processors. That work has included initial Xe3P graphics support and enabling display support and related display/graphics functionality. The newest now is enabling Nova Lake P including the Xe3P_LPG graphics support… ⌘ Read more

Linux Prepares To Support Microsoft’s “Turn On Display” DSM To Address Laptop Issues
Microsoft in Windows 11 22H2 introduced a new ACPI Device Specific Method (DSM) “Turn On Display” notification that the Linux 7.0 kernel will be adding support for in dealing with some otherwise problematic laptop behavior… ⌘ Read more

Plasma 6.7 Restoring The Air Plasma Theme, Fixes KWin Issue With Intense Alt+Tab’ing
KDE Plasma developers remain quite busy preparing for the Plasma 6.6 desktop release coming up in a little more than two weeks while at the same time continuing to land early features for the Plasma 6.7 release coming later in the year… ⌘ Read more

GTK Developers Plot Improvements To Tackle This Year - Possible Opt-In Unstable API
GNOME developers had a busy week in preparing for the GNOME 50 beta release, many GNOME developers attending FOSDEM this weekend in Brussels, and other happenings… ⌘ Read more

Unable To Stop AI, SAG-AFTRA Mulls a Studio Tax On Digital Performers
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Variety: In the future, studios that use synthetic actors in place of humans might have to pay a royalty into a union fund. That’s one of the ideas kicking around as SAG-AFTRA prepares to sit down with the studios on Feb. 9. Artificial intelligence was central to the 2023 actors strike, and it’s only g … ⌘ Read more

Open-Source Nova Driver In Linux 7.0 Continues Preparing For NVIDIA Turing GPU Support
This week the Rust DRM changes intended for the Linux 7.0 merge window were sent out by Danilo Krummrich. The Apple Silicon Asahi Linux “AGX” DRM kernel driver still isn’t positioned for upstreaming to the mainline kernel so that leaves most of the Rust DRM upstream work currently around the NVIDIA Nova driver as well as the Arm Mali Tyr drivers… ⌘ Read more

Raspberry Pi Preparing To Introduce A Smart Display Module
Raspberry Pi is gearing up to launch another new product: a Raspberry Pi Smart Display Module… ⌘ Read more

Asteroid 2024 YR4 Has a 4% Chance of Hitting the Moon
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Universe Today: There’s a bright side to every situation. In 2032, the Moon itself might have a particularly bright side if it is blasted by a 60-meter-wide asteroid. The chances of such an event are still relatively small (only around 4%), but non-negligible. And scientists are starting to prepare both for the bad (massive r … ⌘ Read more

Saudi Arabia To Scale Back Neom Megaproject
Saudi Arabia is preparing to significantly scale back Neom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s flagship development that sprawls across a Belgium-sized stretch of Red Sea coastline and was once billed as the world’s largest construction site. Financial Times is reporting that Prince Mohammed, who chairs the project, now envisions something “far smaller” as a year-long review nears comple … ⌘ Read more

@movq@www.uninformativ.de I was also extremely surprised and couldn’t believe it myself. But around the hair were definitely two, three millimeters of ice with a bunch of snow on top. I couldn’t simply brush it off, the hair were all frozen together. Back in the house, it took maybe three minutes to melt the solidified white stuff and free up and disconnect the individual hair. Crazy.

Yeah, 0°C in town, maybe -2°C on the summit. It definitely didn’t feel all the cold, but I came prepared with a few layers of cloth.