GNU Linux-libre 7.3-gnu Removes More Firmware Blobs
GNU Linux-libre 7.3 is now available following yesterday’s Linux 7.3 release. The GNU Linux-libre downstream continues stripping out driver/hardware support where dependent upon firmware blobs or other proprietary elements deemed out of line with free software ideals… ⌘ Read more

Linux kernel 7.3 is out with some nice improvements for gaming
Linux kernel 7.3 has officially been released, bringing with it plenty of improvements for Linux gaming.

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Read the full article on GamingOnLinux. ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.3 Released With Faster I/O Performance, AMD Zen 6 Preparations & More
The Linux 7.3 kernel is out today for an on-time release of this next stable kernel version… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.4 Features Very Exciting With Radeon HDMI 2.1 By Default, AMD PerfOpt, Apple M4
The Linux 7.3 kernel is expected to be released as stable later today and with that version there are many exciting changes and improvements. However, the Linux 7.4 kernel merge window will then open up and there are even more exciting changes expected to be merged for this follow-on kernel cycle. Here is a preview of some of the many exciting feature changes expected for Linux 7.4… ⌘ Read more

Linux Lands Fix for Rare, Varying SMP Boot Hangs Affecting Kernels Since 2024
Among the flurry of last minute patch activity ahead of tomorrow’s presumed Linux 7.3 stable kernel release is a fix for addressing some rare hangs at boot time. The reports varied but ultimately tracked down to a kernel change made two years ago… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.3 Lands Last-Minute Fixes For Samsung 990 PRO & 990 EVO Plus SSDs
Ahead of the Linux 7.3 stable kernel expected to be released tomorrow, last minute workarounds were merged for the Samsung 990 PRO and Samsung 990 EVO Plus NVMe solid state drives… ⌘ Read more

SteamOS 3.9.3 Beta arrives with improved support for Steam Frame wireless adapter
Valve released SteamOS 3.9.3 Beta with another set of upgrades, and now the Steam Frame should connect better with the Steam Machine.

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Read the full article on [GamingOnLinux](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/10/steamos-3-9-3-beta-arrives-with-improved-suppor … ⌘ Read more

My mate and I were fortunate enough to witness one of the very best, top-quality sunsets of the year on our evening hike. Very hard to get any better than this. The really good stuff easily lasted for 20 minutes, even one hour after the sun disappeared behind the horizon, there were red clouds slightly glowing in the dark. Absolutely insane. Enjoy!

https://lyse.isobeef.org/2026-10-16-waldspaziergang/

The Best Features Of Linux 7.3: Performance Improvements, Lots From Valve
The Linux 7.3 kernel is slated to be officially released on Sunday, 18 October, barring any last minute issues from coming about. With that said, here’s a reminder about some of the most exciting features to look forward to in this next kernel version… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.3 Squeezes Even More Performance Out Of The AMD Threadripper PRO 9995WX
With the Linux 7.3 kernel due out for release on Sunday, I’ve continued running more benchmarks recently of this forthcoming kernel version and it looks great. In my Linux 7.3 testing of the Git state it’s been looking great in testing on a variety of hardware shown across multiple systems. Recently I decided to try out this new kernel code on the 96-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX workstation… ⌘ Read more

Mesa’s Zink Now Offers VA-API Video Acceleration Atop Vulkan Video
Merged today to Mesa 26.3 is initial video acceleration support for the generic Zink Gallium3D driver built atop the Vulkan APIs. What this implementation allows is exposing Video Acceleration API (VA-API) implemented atop the Vulkan Video interfaces… ⌘ Read more

Ubuntu 26.10 Released
prisoninmate shares a report from 9to5Linux: Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) has been released today, and it is now available for download for those eager to update their Ubuntu systems to a newer release. Powered by the upcoming Linux 7.3 kernel series, Ubuntu 26.10 ships with the latest GNOME 51 desktop environment, TPM-backed full disk encryption (FDE) support on computers without a hardware root of trust, updated Settings to s … ⌘ Read more

Ubuntu 26.10 Released With Linux 7.3 + GNOME 51, Rust Coreutils Migration Complete
Ubuntu 26.10 “Stonking Stingray” is now officially available as the newest six-month non-LTS update to Ubuntu Linux… ⌘ Read more

Kroger to Lay Off 3,000 Corporate Employees In AI Restructuring
Kroger says it will cut 3,000 corporate jobs over the next three years as it expands its use of AI and other technology to streamline operations. “Technology is reshaping what’s possible,” CEO Greg Foran wrote in a memo to employees on Monday. “The way work gets done is changing across every industry; we must adapt and take advantage of technology. We ne … ⌘ Read more

Framework Laptop 12 Offers Improved Performance & Efficiency With Intel Core 3 Wildcat Lake
Last year Framework Computer launched the Framework Laptop 12 as a convertible, 2-in-1 laptop that was friendly with Linux and upgradeable inline with the beloved Framework Laptop 13 and 16 models. The initial Framework Laptop 12 was nice but the use of an Intel Raptor Lake U SoC in 2025 wasn’t all that exciting. Now though Framework Laptop 12 is available with Intel Core 3 “Wildcat Lake” for offering better perf … ⌘ Read more

IREE 3.12 Introduces Rolls Out Rewritten Vulkan Driver, Experimental AMD HSA HAL
Rolling out last week was a new version of IREE as the Intermediate Representation Execution Environment for MLIR-based end-to-end compiler and run-time for lowering machine learning models into a unified IR and working across different hardware/driver stacks. Making IREE 3.12 notable is a rewrite to its Vulkan code… ⌘ Read more

ROCm 10 OpenCL vs. Mesa 26.3-dev Rusticl Performance On AMD Strix Halo
With all the recent progress on Mesa’s Rusticl driver as a Rust-based OpenCL driver working across the different Mesa Gallium3D hardware drivers, a Phoronix Premium supporter inquired about seeing some fresh benchmarks of this open-source OpenCL solution. Here is a look at how the Mesa 26.3 Rusticl driver is looking against AMD’s official OpenCL driver within ROCm 10. ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.3-rc7 Released With Linux 7.3 Hopefully Out Next Weekend
Linus Torvalds has made available what is hopefully the final release candidate before Linux 7.3 is ideally minted next Sunday… ⌘ Read more

Linux Landing Kernel Workaround For AMD TLBI Erratum href=”https://we.loveprivacy.club/search?q=%231718”>#1718**
AMD TLBI Erratum #1718 was worked around in CPU microcode for addressing a defect in certain Zen CPUs where the Translation Lookaside Buffer Invalidate Instruction use could lead to to stale translation entries. But for those on affected AMD CPUs and not running the updated microcode, a kernel workaround is being introduced with today’s Linux 7.3-rc7 kernel and to be back-ported to prior kernel versions… ⌘ Read more

Corsair Novablade Pro & 8BitDo Pro 2 Controllers To Be Supported With Linux 7.3-rc7
Sent out today as part of this week’s input subsystem fixes are device ID additions to the XPad driver for enabling two more gaming controllers to work nicely under Linux… ⌘ Read more

Linux Networking Diverts 50+ Fixes To Next Kernel, Still Bombarded With AI Fueled Churn
Ahead of the Linux 7.3-rc7 kernel due for release on Sunday, this week’s batch of networking fixes were submitted and merged. The vast networking subsystem of wired and wireless drivers plus the various other networking features continues to see a lot of activity due to AI-driven bug reports and patches… ⌘ Read more

SQLite 3.54 Released With Faster Performance, Drops Windows XP Support
SQLite 3.54 released today for this wildly popular embedded SQL database engine used by countless applications and other software. With SQLite 3.54, support for Microsoft Windows XP and older is finally removed… ⌘ Read more

Python 3.15 Released With Experimental JIT Compiler Running Faster
Python 3.15 is out today as the newest annual feature release for the Python programming language… ⌘ Read more

Valve Lands VK_AMD_anti_lag Support For AMD RADV Driver In Mesa 26.3
There is yet another feature to get excited about for this quarter’s Mesa 26.3 release. Months in the making, the Valve-contributed VK_AMD_anti_lag support for the Radeon RADV driver was merged today for benefiting AMD Linux gamers as a nice improvement over the former implementation… ⌘ Read more

XMFS: Experimental File-System Being Worked On By Huawei For Modern Linux Servers
Huawei engineers are experimenting with a new file-system called XMFS. XMFS was presented this week at LPC 2026 in Czechia as a file-system for modern Linux servers with CXL 3.0 or Huawei United Bus connectivity… ⌘ Read more

Microsoft Updates Its WSL2 Linux Kernel With DXGKRNL Improvement, More Features Enabled
Following the Windows Subsystem for Linux 3.0.2 release with support for running WSL2 now on very large servers and also experimental sparse VHD storage support, Microsoft has now released a new version of the WSL2 Linux kernel as their downstream kernel configuration tailored for WSL2 usage… ⌘ Read more

Google Enters Massive 3.6-GW Power Deal With Constellation Energy
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Google has contracted for 3,590 megawatts of power from Constellation Energy on the largest US power grid, with new nuclear energy accounting for about a quarter of that supply, the companies said on Tuesday. Constellation will make more than $4.3 billion of new investments in its fleet as par … ⌘ Read more

@prologic@twtxt.net It depends on which part you’re asking about…

First some quick context: I’ve been into tabletop role-playing games (ex: Dungeons & Dragons) since I was a teenager, and I’ve been playing and/or running games for most of the last decade (mostly on Discord for the past few years, as my players are scattered around the country).

The Planar Vagabond’s Guide to the Multiverse is a website where I’ve collected much of the material I’ve written or adapted into my custom RPG ruleset, HOSR (Heroic Old-School Roleplaying), and I just published some new stuff there. 🤩

While most RPGs are played as “campaigns” (over multiple gaming sessions), a one-shot is an adventure that can (theoretically) be finished in a single-night (3-5 hours of gameplay). I’ve done horror-themed one-shots around Halloween for years, typically based on the classic gothic adventure, Ravenloft. But this year, I’m running something new(-er) called Escape the O.V.T.!, and I’m being intentionally cagey about it because I want it to be a surprise for my players.

Does that explain it? I’m happy to go deeper on any of it. 🙂

Alexa Can’t Control the AUX Input On Amazon Echo Speakers Anymore
Amazon has removed Alexa voice control for the 3.5mm aux input on several older Echo speakers, meaning users can no longer ask Alexa to play or pause audio coming through the wired connection. It’s unclear why the feature was removed. The Verge reports: Ars Technica points to this Reddit poster claiming they received a message from Amaz … ⌘ Read more

Windows Subsystem For Linux Can Now Run On Very Large Servers, Experimental Sparse VHD
Microsoft yesterday released WSL 3.0.2 as their latest WSL update since last week’s WSL3 release with “WSLC” for promoting Linux containers on Windows to general availability. Some notable changes in WSL 3.0.2 include automatic virtual NUMA support and experimental support for sparse VHD storage… ⌘ Read more

Auto-CPUFreq 3.2 Adds Configurable HWP Dynamic Boost, Platform Profile Reporting
The open-source Auto-CPUFreq tool for active system monitoring and power optimizations is out with a new release for continuing to enhance battery life on Linux laptops… ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.3-rc6 Released: Normal For The New “AI Normal”
Linus Torvalds just released Linux 7.3-rc7 as we work toward the stable Linux 7.3 kernel release in two weeks… ⌘ Read more

Steam On Linux - Down To 3.05% For September?
Phoronix reports:

Steam on Linux use in March hit an all-time high of around 5.33% marketshare. Since then it pulled back to around 4% while for September 2026 the Steam Survey results… indicate a rather steep decline of 0.85%, down to 3.05%. Meanwhile macOS is at 1.92% and Microsoft Windows at 95%… Steam’s Survey reports a 7.42% increase in Chinese use, up to 31.39% overall of t … ⌘ Read more

1 In 8 Cancer Cases Worldwide Are Due to Infections
An estimated 2.3 million cancer cases worldwide in 2024, about one in eight, were attributable to infections, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology. “This recent Lancet data is a profound reminder that a significant portion of our global cancer burden is fundamentally preventable,” said David Greenberg, MD, of Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University … ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.3 To Better Support The High-End Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race
Coming with Sunday’s Linux 7.3-rc6 kernel release is support added for the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race, a high-end $649~700 USD racing wheel and pedal system… ⌘ Read more

SteamOS 0.4.3 (Beta) for Steam Frame brings improved power efficiency and battery life
Valve are working quickly to improve their new Steam Frame VR kit running SteamOS Linux, with another major Beta now available.

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Read the full article on [GamingOnLinux](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/10/steamos-0-4-3-beta-for-steam-frame-brings-improved-power-ef … ⌘ Read more

Steam On Linux Dives Down To 3.05% For September
Steam on Linux use in March hit an all-time high of around 5.33% marketshare. Since then it pulled back to around 4% while for September 2026 the Steam Survey results are now in and it’s clocking in just above 3%… ⌘ Read more

Ubuntu 26.10 Beta Released With Linux 7.3 Kernel, GNOME 51 Desktop
Ubuntu 26.10 beta is now available for the official Ubuntu editions as well as the various community flavors… ⌘ Read more

Some Networking Fixes Being Diverted To Linux 7.4, AI/LLM Activity Still Increasing
With the vast array of wired and wireless networking drivers within the Linux kernel and range of protocols and other networking features, it’s a big expanse of code for AI/LLM agents to analyze and critique. The Linux networking developers have acknowledged being “complete overwhelmed” by the AI/LLM-driven patch activity and bug reports as well as battling against AI slop patches. Even though Linux 7.3 stable won’t be out f … ⌘ Read more

Clearing Out Linux’s Old 32-bit ARM Platform Code Is Itself A Challenge
Longtime ARM Linux maintainer Arnd Bergmann over the past year has been working to clear out a number of old ARM platforms from the mainline kernel tree. With Linux 7.3 many older 32-bit ARM platforms were deprecated and in turn hundreds of kernel drivers orphaned. Now it’s on to removing that actual code, which given the amount of entangled code, is itself a challenge… ⌘ Read more

NVIDIA Olympus SMT Optimizations For Vera CPU Showing 3~6% Performance Gains
Back in August I wrote about NVIDIA working on Linux scheduler improvements for helping the SMT performance on their new Vera CPU with Olympus cores. That work remains ongoing but is looking fairly beneficial for performance especially for knocking it out in less than one hundred lines of code… ⌘ Read more

Haha, indeed:

1. Initial uptime: A bit over 1 minute.
   
2. Changing to serial console, running uptime again: It’s down to 7 seconds.
   
3. Changing back to the VGA console: It’s again down to 1 second.
   

This really doesn’t track the actual uptime, it just happens to “mostly work”. (Like a lot of things in DOS.)

Rusticl Had A Great Year For Rust OpenCL In Mesa With 3.1 Support, More Drivers
Rusticl lead developer Karol herbst provided a status update on this Mesa Rust-based OpenCL driver during the XDC 2026 conference happening in Toronto… ⌘ Read more

@zyak@twtxt.z85b.xyz Beautiful! Is that the lizard snack? Poor little guy. When I visited Down Under, I petted a blue-tongued lizard. That was really cool. And I was very surprised how rough and bumpy that was. I expected it to be very smooth, but no, not at all.

Meta Releases OpenZL 0.3 With Decompression Speed 144% Faster Than Zstd
Just shy of one year ago Meta announced OpenZL as a format-ware compression framework focused on delivering both high compression ratios and high speed compression/decompression. OpenZL has continued making more optimizations and out today is OpenZL v0.3 and advertising some huge gains over Zstandard (Zstd) that is also worked on by Meta engineers… ⌘ Read more

California Is Banning Public Officials From Making Memecoins
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2409, barring California public officials from issuing memecoins and prohibiting companies from listing memecoins that use a public official’s image or likeness. Engadget reports: The governor’s office pointed to reports that about a million investors lost an alleged $3.8 billion on their purchases of the memecoin re … ⌘ Read more

Mesa 26.3 Enables Intel’s New Jay Shader Compiler By Default, Compile Times 55% Faster Or 66% Faster Than Windows
Over the past year Jay has been in development as a new open-source shader compiler for Intel GPUs. Alyssa Rosenzweig has been leading its development since joining Intel in 2025. For Mesa 26.3 the Jay shader compiler is being enabled by default for modern Intel graphics hardware and is around ~10% faster than the existing BRW compiler code… ⌘ Read more

D7VK version 2.3 released and mature enough to now be in maintenance mode
D7VK is a Vulkan-based translation layer for Direct3D 7, 6, 5 and 3 for use with Wine / Proton, and with version 2.3 out now it’s entering maintenance mode.

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Read the full article on [GamingOnLinux](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/09/d7vk-version-2-3-released-and-mature-enough-to-now-be-in … ⌘ Read more

D7VK Reaches Maturity For Older Direct3D APIs Atop Vulkan
D7VK as a Vulkan-based implementation of the Microsoft Direct3D 7 / 6 / 5 / 3 APIs for Linux/Wine (Steam Play) usage is out with version 2.3 and the developer now believing its marking the point that the project is rather mature… ⌘ Read more

El Nino Bursts Through Temperature Record Months Before Peak
The current El Nino has already surpassed the highest Pacific temperature anomaly recorded in the modern era, reaching 3.05C above the 1991-2020 average months before its expected peak. The commonly used ONI measure is also on the verge of breaking the 2015 record. Forecasts cited by The Guardian suggest the event could reach about 4.0C later this year. F … ⌘ Read more