Google has gained permission to sell its e-books and audiobooks directly to customers through its iOS app, Google Play Books. From a report: While iOS apps today can offer access to content previously purchased elsewhere, like e-books bought via a website, developers have to request a specific exception to link their iOS app's users to the company's own website to make purchases. According to a brief post on Google's blog, users will now be able to click on a new "Get book" button in the Google Play Books iOS app which will take them to the Google Play website to complete their e-book or audiobook purchase.

From there, users will be able to see their recently opened book listings and complete a purchase using their Google Account and saved payment information. By processing the transaction on its own website, Google can avoid paying Apple a commission (generally 30%) on in-app purchases of digital content.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/2158214/google-play-books-purchases-on-ios-now-skirt-the-app-stores-commission?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has launched Thinking Machines Lab with several leaders from OpenAI on board, including John Schulman, Barrett Zoph, and Jonathan Lachman. Their mission is "to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable," with a commitment to publishing technical research and code. The Verge reports: In a press release shared with The Verge, the company suggests that it's building products that help humans work with AI, rather than fully autonomous systems. "We're building a future where everyone has access to the knowledge and tools to make AI work for their unique needs and goals," says the press release.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/2235256/mira-murati-is-launching-her-openai-rival-thinking-machines-lab?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: HP will acquire assets from Humane, the maker of a wearable Ai Pin introduced in late 2023, for $116 million. The deal will include the majority of Humane's employees in addition to its software platform and intellectual property, the company said Tuesday. It will not include Humane's Ai pin device business, which will be wound down, an HP spokesperson said. Humane's team, including founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, will form a new division at HP to help integrate artificial intelligence into the company's personal computers, printers and connected conference rooms, said Tuan Tran, who leads HP's AI initiatives. Chaudhri and Bongiorno were design and software engineers at Apple before founding the startup. [...]

Tran said he was particularly impressed with aspects of Humane's design, such as the ability to orchestrate AI models running both on-device and in the cloud. The deal is expected to close at the end of the month, HP said. "There will be a time and place for pure AI devices," Tran said. "But there is going to be AI in all our devices -- that's how we can help our business customers be more productive."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/2245242/hp-to-acquire-parts-of-humane-shut-down-the-ai-pin?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Christoph Hellwig continues to voice strong opposition to Rust in the Linux kernel, arguing that its introduction creates fragmentation, unclear language guidelines, and additional burdens on maintainers. He also says Linus Torvalds has privately stated he will override objections to Rust code, effectively making its adoption inevitable. Phoronix's Michael Larabel has the latest: The latest on Hellwig's perspective of Rust code within the Linux kernel is below. Some interesting insight from a dissenting view. The thread in full can be found on the Rust for Linux mailing list.

[Here's an excerpt from the thread:] "I don't think having a web page in any form is useful. If you want it to be valid it has to be in the kernel tree and widely agreed on. It also states factually incorrect information. E.g. 'Some subsystems may decide they do not want to have Rust code for the time being, typically for bandwidth reasons. This is fine and expected.' while Linus in private said that he absolutely is going to merge Rust code over a maintainers objection. (He did so in private in case you are looking for a reference). So as of now, as a Linux developer or maintainer you must deal with Rust if you want to or not. [...] Right now the rules is Linus can force you whatever he wants (it's his project obviously) and I think he needs to spell that out including the expectations for contributors very clearly."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://linux.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/227222/linus-torvalds-would-reportedly-merge-rust-kernel-code-over-maintainer-objections?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Protector, an app that lets you book armed goons the same way you'd call for an Uber, is having a viral moment. The app started doing the rounds on social media after consultant Nikita Bier posted about it on X. Protector lets the user book armed guards on demand. Right now it's only available in NYC and LA. According to its marketing, every guard is either "active duty or retired law enforcement and military." Every booking comes with a motorcade and users get to select the number of Escalades that'll be joining them as well as the uniforms their hired goons will wear.

Protector is currently "#7 in Travel" on Apple's App Store. It's not available for people who use Android devices. [...] The marketing for Protector, which lives on its X account, is surreal. A series of robust and barrel-chested men in ill-fitting black suits deliver their credentials to the camera while sitting in front of a black background. They're all operators. They describe careers in SWAT teams and being deployed to war zones. They show vanity shots of themselves kitted out in operator gear. All of them have a red lapel pin bearing the symbol of Protector. If the late UnitedHealthcare CEO had used Protector, he might still be alive today, suggests Protector in its marketing materials. A video on X shows "several fantasy versions of the assassination where a Protector is on hand to prevent the assassin from killing the CEO," reports Gizmodo.

The app is a product from parent company Protector Security Solutions, which was founded by Nick Sarath, a former product designer at Meta.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/2150212/uber-for-armed-guards-rushes-to-market?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader shares a report: U.S. personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan sent an urgent email this month to its more than 1,000 lawyers: Artificial intelligence can invent fake case law, and using made-up information in a court filing could get you fired. A federal judge in Wyoming had just threatened to sanction two lawyers at the firm who included fictitious case citations in a lawsuit against Walmart. One of the lawyers admitted in court filings last week that he used an AI program that "hallucinated" the cases and apologized for what he called an inadvertent mistake.

AI's penchant for generating legal fiction in case filings has led courts around the country to question or discipline lawyers in at least seven cases over the last two years, and created a new high-tech headache for litigants and judges, Reuters found. The Walmart case stands out because it involves a well-known law firm and a big corporate defendant. But examples like it have cropped up in all kinds of lawsuits since chatbots like ChatGPT ushered in the AI era, highlighting a new litigation risk.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/2147200/ai-hallucinations-in-court-papers-spell-trouble-for-lawyers?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Public interest groups on Tuesday asked the full 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a ruling that the Federal Communications Commission lacked legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules. From a report: The decision by a three-judge panel blocked the FCC under then President Joe Biden that had sought to reinstate the open internet rules implemented in 2015 but later repealed by the agency under President Donald Trump. The groups -- Free Press, Public Knowledge, Open Technology Institute and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society -- argue the appeals court decision conflicts with an earlier decision by another court.

The groups said the case centers on the FCC's decades-long effort to prevent broadband internet providers "from abusing their gatekeeping power, in furtherance of the providers' economic or political interests, to constrain their users' access to third-party websites."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/205226/groups-ask-us-court-to-reconsider-ruling-blocking-net-neutrality-rules?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Разработчики дистрибутива openSUSE сообщили об успехах проекта по обеспечению поддержки повторяемых сборок. В рамках проекта подготовлен концептуальный форк дистрибутива Reproducible-openSUSE (RBOS), для которого достигнута возможность сборки 100% идентичных бинарных пакетов на основе предлагаемого репозитория с исходными текстами, насчитывающего 3300 пакетов. В процессе работы над проектом подготовлено около 40 патчей (1, 2, 3), решающих проблемы с повторяемой пересборкой пакетов. Примерно половина из данных патчей уже передана в upstream-проекты. Сборки Reproducible-openSUSE пока рассчитаны только на тестирование и не рекомендованы для использования в рабочих системах, так как для них не формируются обновления с устранением уязвимостей.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62744

Lloyds Banking Group is assessing the skills of thousands of technology staffers in the UK to determine whether they can keep working at the bank once it upgrades its technology [alternative source]. Bloomberg: The British lender, which is carrying out a multiyear overhaul of its systems, put these workers on notice this month that they are at risk of losing their jobs and will be required to reapply for new positions across the bank, according to people familiar with the matter. In a company town hall last week, executives informed those staffers that they were in the process of assessing their technical skills based on a test they took last year to determine where, if anywhere, they can be placed within Lloyds, the people said, asking not to be named discussing non-public information.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/1722255/lloyds-is-auditing-thousands-of-it-staffers-technical-skills?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Состоялся релиз проприетарного архиватора RAR версии 7.10.Список изменений в консольной версии:

• 32-битные версии Linux и FreeBSD для x86 больше не поддерживаются.

• Имя переменной среды, в которой хранится набор ключей RAR по умолчанию, изменено с RAR на RARINISWITCHES. Для пакетных файлов довольно типично использовать имя переменной среды RAR для хранения пути к исполняемому файлу RAR, что ранее приводило к конфликту имён.

• При добавлении файлов в существующий RAR-архив каталоги, ранее хранившиеся в таком архиве, перемещаются на место после вновь добавленных файлов. Таким образом, метки времени каталогов устанавливаются после извлечения всех файлов и не изменяются при создании файлов внутри этих каталогов.

• Временный файл больше не создаётся по команде rar ch -tl, если не указаны такие ключи изменения архива, как -rr или -z. Время изменения самого нового архивного файла устанавливается непосредственно по исходному архивному файлу, без копирования архивных данных. Это ускоряет запись на диск и обработку данных.

• Если архив усечён на блоках с данными для восстановления или быстрого открытия архива, то после стандартного «Неожиданный конец архива» дополнительно выводится сообщение о типе усечённого блока.

• Исправлены ошибки:
• Если в существующий частично непрерывный архив RAR, созданный с помощью ключей -se или -s, были добавлены новые файлы, они могли быть повреждены. Эта проблема не затрагивает обычные непрерывные архивы, созданные с помощью -s, а также не непрерывные архивы.

• Хотя поиск данных на большом расстоянии не используется с методом сжатия -m1 (Скоростной), ключи -m1 -mcl+ или -m1 -mcl со словарём сжатия 256 МБ или больше по-прежнему выделяли память, необходимую для алгоритма поиска на большом расстоянии.

Также обновлён до версии [ 7.1.4 ]( https://www.rarlab.com/rar/unrarsrc-7.1.4.tar.gz ) распаковщик с открытым кодом [ UnRAR ]( https://www.rarlab.com/rar_add.htm ) .

https://www.linux.org.ru/news/proprietary/17889046

15 февраля состоялся выпуск версии 6.13 набора консольных утилит btrfs-progs для работы с файловой системой Btrfs в пользовательском окружении.

Одним из значительных изменений этой версии является добавление опции --compress в утилиту mkfs.btrfs. При помощи этой новой опции можно включить и настроить алгоритм и степень сжатия. Она должна использоваться в сочетании с аргументом --rootdir для указания нужных директорий для сжатия, например: mkfs.btrfs --compress zlib:9 --rootdir Documentation img. Поддерживаются следующие алгоритмы сжатия: zlib, lzo, zstd.

( [ читать дальше... ]( https://www.linux.org.ru/news/opensource/17888874#cut ) )

A new report released by Cisco finds that 97% of CEOs surveyed are planning AI integration. Similarly, 92% of companies recently surveyed by McKinsey plan to invest more in generative AI over the next three years. Fortune: To that end, many companies are seeking tech-savvy finance talent, according to a new report by software company Datarails. The researchers analyzed 6,000 job listings within the CFO's office -- CFO, controller, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), and accountant -- advertised on job search websites including LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, Job2Careers, and ZipRecruiter.

Of the 1,000 job listings for CFOs in January 2025, 27% included AI in the job description. This compares to 8% mentions of AI in 1,000 CFO job listings at the same time last year. Take, for example, Peaks Healthcare Consulting which required a CFO candidate to "continuously learn and integrate AI to improve financial processes and decision making," Datarails notes in the report. Regarding FP&A professionals, in January 2025, 35% of analyst roles mentioned AI competency as a requirement, compared to 14% in January 2024, according to the report.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/1718255/27-of-job-listings-for-cfos-now-mention-ai?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has updated its business registry information with key changes to personnel and operational scope, signaling a shift towards monetizing its cost-efficient-yet-powerful large language models. From a report: The Hangzhou-based firm's updated business scope includes "internet information services," according to business registry service Tianyancha. The move is the first sign of DeepSeek's desire to monetise its popular technology, according to Zhang Yi, founder and chief analyst at consultancy iiMedia.

With eyes on developing a business model, DeepSeek intends to shift away from being purely focused on research and development, Zhang added. "The move reflects that for a company like DeepSeek, which managed to accumulate technology and develop a product, monetisation is becoming a necessary next step," Zhang said. DeepSeek's previous business scope said it engages in engineering and AI software development, among others, hinting at a more research-driven approach.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/1634218/deepseek-expands-business-scope-in-potential-shift-towards-monetization?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Later this month, Intuitive Machines, the private company behind the first commercial lander that touched down on the moon, will launch a second lunar mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The plan is to deploy a lander, a rover, and hopper to explore a site near the lunar south pole that could harbor water ice, and to put a communications satellite on lunar orbit. But the mission will also bring something that's never been installed on the moon or anywhere else in space before -- a fully functional 4G cellular network.

Point-to-point radio communications, which need a clear line of sight between transmitting and receiving antennas, have always been a backbone of both surface communications and the link back to Earth, starting with the Apollo program. Using point-to-point radio in space wasn't much of an issue in the past because there never have been that many points to connect. Usually, it was just a single spacecraft, a lander, or a rover talking to Earth. And they didn't need to send much data either. "They were based on [ultra high frequency] or [very high frequency] technologies connecting a small number of devices with relatively low data throughput," says Thierry Klein, president of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, which was contracted by NASA to design a cellular network for the moon back in 2020.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/1616239/nokia-is-putting-the-first-cellular-network-on-the-moon?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Доступен корректирующий выпуск OpenSSH 9.9p1, в котором устранены две уязвимости, выявленные компанией Qualys. Продемонстрирован пример использования данных уязвимостей для совершения MITM-атаки, позволяющей при попытке подключения клиента к SSH-серверу, перенаправить трафик на собственный фиктивный сервер, обойти проверку хостовых ключей и создать у клиента видимость подключения к желаемому серверу (ssh-клиент примет хостовый ключ фиктивного сервера вместо ключа легитимного сервера).

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62742

SCMP: Chinese scientists have developed a revolutionary repair technology that could make lithium-ion batteries last over six times longer. Announcing their discovery in the journal Nature on Wednesday, the researchers said this low-cost, eco-friendly technology could soon be ready to enter the market.

The batteries are key for many modern technologies, from smartphones to electric vehicles. However, as these batteries age, they often become less efficient -- a process that cold weather accelerates. The researchers said they could counter this problem with the "injection" of a special solution to rejuvenate "sick" batteries. At present, lithium-ion batteries rely on sophisticated materials used to generate lithium ions -- whose movement through electrolyte is key to their performance -- and then protect them to ensure a decent lifespan.

Typically these lithium ions move from the positive terminal to the negative when the battery is charging, a process which is then reversed when it is generating power. The battery is considered to have expired when the supply of lithium ions runs low -- for example some electric car batteries have a lifespan of around 1,500 charge cycles -- but other components in the battery still remain in good working order after this happens. This insight prompted the two lead researchers, Gao Yue and Peng Huisheng from Fudan University's macromolecular science department, to see if they could revive a battery by replenishing the supply of active lithium ions.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/166204/scientists-develop-injection-to-make-smartphone-and-ev-batteries-last-longer?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

A new family of superconductors is exciting physicists. Compounds containing nickel have been shown to carry electricity without resistance at the relatively high temperature of 45 kelvin (-228C) -- and without being squeezed under pressure. Nature: Physicists at the Southern University of Science and Technology (Sustech) in Shenzhen, China, observed the major hallmarks of superconductivity in a thin film of crystals of nickel oxide, which they grew in the laboratory. They published their work in Nature on 17 February. "There's a huge hope that we could eventually raise the critical temperature and make [such materials] more useful for applications," says Dafeng Li, a physicist at the City University of Hong Kong.

Nickelates now join two groups of ceramics -- copper-based cuprates and iron-based pnictides -- as 'unconventional superconductors' that operate at room pressure and temperatures as high as 150K (-123C). This new data point could help physicists to finally explain how high-temperature superconductors work, and ultimately to design materials that operate under ambient conditions. This would make technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging, radically cheaper and more efficient.

How unconventional superconductors operate at warmer temperatures remains largely a mystery, whereas the mechanism behind how some metals can carry electricity without resistance at colder temperatures, or extreme pressures, has been understood since 1957. The ability of the Sustech researchers to precisely engineer the material's properties is huge boon in trying to use nickelates to unravel the theory behind unconventional superconductivity, says Lilia Boeri, a physicist at the Sapienza University of Rome. "The idea that you have a system that you can sort of tune experimentally, is something quite exciting."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/1535250/unconventional-nickel-superconductor-excites-physicists?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Acer will raise laptop prices in the United States by 10% next month due to Trump administration tariffs on Chinese imports, CEO Jason Chen said. "We will have to adjust the end user price to reflect the tariff," Chen said. "We think 10 percent probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax."

The Taiwan-based company, the fifth-largest computer seller in the U.S. market behind HP, Dell, Lenovo and Apple, could add hundreds of dollars to its high-end laptops that cost up to $3,700. Chen said Acer is exploring manufacturing options outside China, including possible U.S. production. The company has already moved desktop computer assembly out of China following earlier 25% tariffs during Trump's first term. The 10% tariff imposed this month affects nearly 80% of U.S. laptop imports from China.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/1451205/acer-to-raise-us-laptop-prices-10-after-tariffs?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

India's Tata Consultancy Services allegedly manipulated U.S. visa programs by falsifying management credentials for foreign workers, according to lawsuits and federal data obtained by Bloomberg News. TCS, India's largest IT services firm, received upwards of 6,500 L-1A visas for managers from October 2019 through September 2023, more than the next seven largest recipients combined. In contrast, TCS categorized fewer than 600 of its 31,000 U.S.-based employees as executives and managers in a 2022 federal report.

Former TCS manager Anil Kini alleged in a lawsuit that in January 2017, a senior manager ordered him to alter organizational charts to hide discrepancies for employees without management responsibilities. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found "credible documentary evidence" that TCS "frequently falsifies documents in support of L-1 visa applications," according to a 2019 letter. L-1A visas for managers, unlike H-1B visas, have no pay requirements or caps.

TCS has denied wrongdoing, saying it "strongly refutes these inaccurate allegations by certain ex-employees, which have previously been dismissed by multiple courts."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/141245/former-staffers-say-indias-biggest-it-firm-was-gaming-the-us-visa-system?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

PAjamian writes: Two years ago Red Hat announced an end to its public source code availability. This caused a great deal of outcry from the Enterprise Linux community at large. Since then many have waited for a statement from the Free Software Foundation concerning their stance on the matter. Now, nearly two years later the FSF has finally responded to questions regarding their stance on the issue with the following statement: Generally, we don't agree with what Red Hat is doing. Whether it constitutes a violation of the GPL would require legal analysis and the FSF does not give legal advice. However, as the stewards of the GNU GPL we can speak how it is intended to be applied and Red Hat's approach is certainly contrary to the spirit of the GPL. This is unfortunate, because we would expect such flagship organizations to drive the movement forward. When asked if the FSF would be willing to intervene on behalf of the community they had this to say:As of today, we are not aware of any issue with Red Hat's new policy that we could pursue on legal grounds. However, if you do find a violation, please follow these instructions and send a report to license-violation@gnu.org. Following is the full text of my original email to them and their response: Subject: Statement about recent changes in source code distribution for Red Hat Enterprise LinuxDate: 2023-07-16 00:39:51 > Hi,>> I'm a user of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux and other Linux> distributions in the RHEL ecosystem. I am also involved in the EL> (Enterprise Linux) community which is being affected by the statements> and changes in policy made by Red Hat at> https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/furthering-evolution-centos-stream and> https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/red-hats-commitment-open-source-> response-gitcentosorg-changes> (note there are many many more links and posts about this issue which> I> believe you are likely already aware of). While a few of these> questions are answered more directly by the license FAQ some of them> are> not and there are a not insignificant number of people who would very> much appreciate a public statement from the FSF that answers these> questions directly.>> Can you please comment or release a statement about the Free Software> Foundation's position on this issue? Specifically:> Thank you for writing in with your questions. My apologies for the delay, but we are a small team with limited resources and can be challenging keeping up with all the emails we receive. Generally, we don't agree with what Red Hat is doing. Whether it constitutes a violation of the GPL would require legal analysis and the FSF does not give legal advice. However, as the stewards of the GNU GPL we can speak how it is intended to be applied and Red Hat's approach is certainly contrary to the spirit of the GPL. This is unfortunate, because we would expect such flagship organizations to drive the movement forward. > Is Red Hat's removal of sources from git.centos.org a violation of the> GPL and various other Free Software licenses for the various programs> distributed under RHEL?>> Is Red Hat's distribution of source RPMs to their customers under> their> subscriber agreement sufficient to satisfy the above mentioned> licenses?>> Is it a violation if Red Hat terminates a subscription early because> their customer exercised their rights under the GPL and other Free> Software licenses to redistribute the RHEL sources or create> derivative> works from them?>> Is it a violation if Red Hat refuses to renew a subscription that has> expired because a customer exercised their rights to redistribute or> create derivative works?>> A number of the programs distributed with RHEL are copyrighted by the> FSF, some examples being bash, emacs, GNU core utilities, gcc, gnupg> and> glibc. Given that the FSF has standing to act in this matter would> the> FSF be willing to intervene on behalf of the community in order to get> Red Hat to correct any of the above issues?> As of today, we are not aware of any issue with Red Hat's new policy that we could pursue on legal grounds. However, if you do find a violation, please [follow these instructions][0] and send a report to . [0]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html If you are interested in something more specific on this, the Software Freedom Conservancy [published an article about the RHEL][1] situation and hosted a [panel at their conference in 2023][2]. These cover the situation fairly thoroughly. [1]: https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2023/jun/23/rhel-gpl-analysis/[2]: https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2023/jul/19/rhel-panel-fossy-2023/

[ Read more of this story ]( https://linux.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/0953205/free-software-foundation-speaks-up-against-red-hat-source-code-announcement?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida has attributed the current wave of video game industry layoffs and slowdown to companies overextending during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think it's an overreaction to the COVID situation. Companies invested too much, including ourselves. Then we had to face reality and make adjustments," Yoshida told VentureBeat in an interview.

Yoshida, who left Sony in January after 31 years at PlayStation, suggested the industry's growth would have been more stable without the pandemic-driven surge. "If you take out the COVID years you'd have smoother growth over the years," he said. Yoshida's comments come amid widespread job cuts across the gaming sector, including at Sony, Microsoft, Epic Games, and other major publishers following a post-pandemic decline in gaming engagement.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://games.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/0949207/playstation-veteran-blames-gaming-industry-slump-on-pandemic-overexpansion?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

После почти года разработки опубликован релиз новой стабильной ветки почтового сервера Postfix - 3.10.0. В то же время объявлено о прекращении поддержки ветки Postfix 3.6, выпущенной в начале 2021 года. Код проекта написан на языке Си и распространяется под лицензиями EPL 2.0 (Eclipse Public license) и IPL 1.0 (IBM Public License).

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62741

xAI has launched Grok 3, the latest iteration of its large language model, alongside new capabilities for its iOS and web applications. The model has been trained on approximately 200,000 GPUs in a Memphis data center, representing what CEO Elon Musk claims is a tenfold increase in computing power compared to its predecessor.

The new release introduces two specialized variants: Grok 3 Reasoning and Grok 3 mini Reasoning, designed to methodically analyze problems similar to OpenAI's o3-mini and DeepSeek's R1 models. According to xAI's benchmarks, Grok 3 outperforms GPT-4o on several technical evaluations, including AIME for mathematical reasoning and GPQA for PhD-level science problems.

A notable addition is the DeepSearch feature, which combs through web content and X posts to generate research summaries. The platform will be available through X's Premium+ subscription and a new SuperGrok tier ($30/month or $300/year), with the latter offering enhanced reasoning capabilities and unlimited image generation. To prevent knowledge extraction through model distillation -- a technique recently attributed to DeepSeek's alleged copying of OpenAI's models -- xAI has implemented measures to obscure the reasoning models' thought processes in the Grok app. The company plans to release the Grok 2 model as open source once Grok 3 achieves stability.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/0711226/xai-releases-its-latest-flagship-model-grok-3?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

TOP10 VISITORS:

[1] 45.135.180.x point=225 web=0 up=18.5MB (36%) <--- yesterlink (9/hr)
[2] 37.252.14.x point=144 web=0 up=17.6MB (35%) <--- ake (6/hr)
[3] 80.87.199.x point=71 web=0 up=6.4MB (12%) <--- tgi (3/hr)
[4] Google point=3 web=476 up=3.0MB (5%) <--- Google
[5] 24.130.121.x point=24 web=7 up=1.9MB (3%) <--- spnet (1/hr)
[6] 217.114.158.x point=24 web=0 up=0.8MB (1%) <--- fox (1/hr)
[7] Facebook point=0 web=105 up=0.8MB (1%)
[8] TikTok point=0 web=109 up=0.3MB (<1%)
[9] 52.186.170.x point=0 web=2 up=0.1MB (<1%)
[10] 142.173.80.x point=0 web=1 up=98KB

TOTAL TRAFFIC: 50MB

SanDisk aims to produce petabyte-scale SSDs through its new UltraQLC platform, though the company has not specified a release timeline. The technology, it said, combines SanDisk's BICS 8 QLC 3D NAND with a proprietary 64-channel controller featuring hardware accelerators that offload storage functions from firmware to reduce latency and improve reliability.

The initial UltraQLC drives will use 2Tb NAND chips to reach 128TB capacities, with future iterations targeting 256TB, 512TB, and eventually 1PB as higher-density NAND becomes available. The controller dynamically adjusts power based on workload and employs an advanced bus multiplexer to handle increased data loads from high-density QLC stacks, the company said.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/047217/sandisk-puts-petabyte-ssds-on-the-roadmap?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Спустя год после первой попытки портирования Firеfox на GTK4, предпринятой Мартином Странский (Martin Stransky), мэйнтейнером пакетов с Firefox в Fedora и RHEL, нашёлся энтузиаст продолживший развитие инициативы. Проект взял в свои руки Йенс Перссон (Jens Persson), соавтор приложения Panucci для воспроизведения подкастов и аудиокниг. Работа над портом ещё не завершена, но в репозитории проекта последние два месяца наблюдается активная работа по созданию прослойки с виджетами, реализованной на базе GTK4. В текущем виде работа сосредоточена только на использовании Wayland, а X11 пока не поддерживается.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62740

NAND flash prices are expected to slide due to oversupply, forcing memory chipmakers to cut production to match lower-than-expected orders from PC and smartphone manufacturers. From a report: The superabundance of stock is putting a financial strain on suppliers of NAND flash, according to TrendForce, which says growth rate forecasts are being revised down from 30 percent to 10-15 percent for 2025.

"NAND flash manufacturers have adopted more decisive production cuts, scaling back full-year output to curb bit supply growth. These measures are designed to swiftly alleviate market imbalances and lay the groundwork for a price recovery," TrendForce stated.

Shrish Pant, Gartner director analyst and technology product leader, expects NAND flash pricing to remain weak for the first half of 2025, though he projects higher bit shipments for SSDs in the second half due to continuing AI server demand.

"Vendors are currently working tirelessly to discipline supply, which will lead to prices recovering in the second half of 2025. Long term, AI demand will continue to drive the demand for higher-capacity/better-performance SSDs," Pant said. Commenting on the seasonal nature of the memory market, Pant told The Register: "Buying patterns will mean that NAND flash prices will remain cyclical depending on hyperscalers' buying behavior."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/0348230/nand-flash-prices-plunge-amid-supply-glut-factory-output-cut?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Mexico has threatened legal action against Google after the tech company refused to fully restore the name Gulf of Mexico on its mapping service, escalating a dispute sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump's move to rename the body of water. Google Maps currently displays the water body as Gulf of America within U.S. territory, Gulf of Mexico within Mexican borders, and Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) elsewhere, according to a letter from Google vice president Cris Turner to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Mexico argues the policy violates its sovereignty since the U.S. controls only 46% of the gulf, while Mexico and Cuba control 49% and 5% respectively. The historic name Gulf of Mexico, dating to 1607, is recognized by the United Nations. The dispute has strained U.S.-Mexico relations, with the White House barring Associated Press reporters from events over the news agency's naming policy.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/0252258/mexico-threatens-to-sue-google-over-gulf-renaming?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Apps offering lifetime subscriptions may pose risks despite potential cost savings, according to cybersecurity experts and analysts. While some lifetime plans can pay off quickly - like dating app Bumble's $300 premium subscription that breaks even in five months - others require years of use to justify hefty upfront costs. Meditation app Waking Up charges $1,500 for lifetime access, requiring over 11 years of use to recoup the investment.

Security researchers warn against lifetime subscriptions for services with high recurring costs like VPNs and cloud storage. Such providers may compromise user privacy or cut corners on infrastructure to offset losses, said Trevor Hilligoss, senior vice president at cybercrime research group SpyCloud Labs.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/02/18/0156241/when-a-lifetime-subscription-can-save-you-money---and-when-its-risky?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader shares a report: JPMorgan Chase Bank (Chase) will soon start blocking Zelle payments to social media contacts to combat a significant rise in online scams utilizing the service for fraud.

Zelle is a highly popular digital payments network that allows users to transfer money quickly and securely between bank accounts. It is also integrated into the mobile apps of many banks in the United States, allowing for almost instant transfers without requiring cash or checks but lacking one crucial feature: purchase protection.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/2133224/chase-will-soon-block-zelle-payments-to-sellers-on-social-media?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Luboš Kocman, отвечающий за подготовку релизов openSUSE, сообщил, что компания SUSE рассматривает возможность прекращения поддержки загрузки с использованием BIOS, что приведёт к невозможности использования дистрибутивов SUSE и openSUSE на системах без поддержки UEFI. Желание прекратить поддержку BIOS объясняется тем, что начиная с выпусков SLES 16 и openSUSE Leap 16 cборка пакетов будет осуществляться для архитектуры x86-64-v2, которая охватывает расширения SSE3, SSE4_2, SSSE3, POPCNT, LAHF-SAHF и CMPXCHG16B.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62738

White-collar workers are facing their deepest hiring slump in a decade, with one in four U.S. job losses last year hitting professional workers, according to S&P Global. A 2024 Vanguard report shows hiring for employees earning over $96,000 has fallen to its lowest level since 2014. The downturn has been particularly severe for job seekers â" 40% of applicants failed to secure even a single interview in 2024, according to a survey of 2,000 respondents by the American Staffing Association and The Harris Poll.

Technology and high interest rates appear to be driving the decline, with companies reassessing their workforce needs amid AI adoption and economic pressures. While hiring remains steady for those earning under $55,000 annually, the market continues to be especially challenging for mid-career professionals and higher earners.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/1916201/the-white-collar-recession-is-pummeling-office-workers?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Опубликован выпуск пакета wayland-protocols 1.41, содержащего набор протоколов и расширений, дополняющих базовый протокол Wayland и предоставляющих возможности, необходимые для построения композитных серверов и пользовательских окружений.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62737

Доступен выпуск проекта fheroes2 1.1.6 который воссоздаёт движок игры Heroes of Might and Magic II с нуля. Код проекта написан на C++ и распространяется под лицензией GPLv2. Для запуска игры требуются файлы с игровыми ресурсами, которые можно получить из оригинальной игры Heroes of Might and Magic II. В составе проекта поставляется скрипт для автоматической загрузки и извлечения ресурсов из демоверсии игры, которых достаточно для полноценной работы.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62736

Reddit moderators are struggling to police AI-generated content on the platform, according to ArsTechnica, with many expecting the challenge to intensify as the technology becomes more sophisticated. Several popular Reddit communities have implemented outright bans on AI-generated posts, citing concerns over content quality and authenticity.

The moderators of r/AskHistorians, a forum known for expert historical discussion, said that AI content "wastes our time" and could compromise the subreddit's reputation for accurate information. Moderators are currently using third-party AI detection tools, which they describe as unreliable. Many are calling on Reddit to develop its own detection system, the report said.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/1733222/reddit-mods-are-fighting-to-keep-ai-slop-off-subreddits?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

A tech enthusiast has successfully transplanted the internal components of an iPhone SE 3 into the body of a Nokia Lumia 1020 Windows Phone, according to a post on Reddit's r/hackintosh forum. The modification preserves all key functions of the iPhone SE 3, including its 12-megapixel camera, 5G capabilities, and Touch ID sensor, which has been relocated to the back of the device. The project retains the Lumia 1020's distinctive design while upgrading its outdated microUSB port to Apple's Lightning connector.

The creator adapted the Lumia's original camera shutter button to work as a secondary volume control that can trigger photos in the iPhone's camera app. The only significant feature lost in the conversion was the headphone jack.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/1720232/hardware-mod-showcases-an-iphone-se-3-in-the-body-of-a-windows-phone?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Опубликовано: 2025-02-17T15:49:41+00:00

Александр Соколов рассказывает о самой большой из статуй Древнего Египта — колоссе Рамсеса II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3JkEAxrufk

Ten years after publishing his influential book on data privacy, security expert Bruce Schneier warns that surveillance has only intensified, with both government agencies and corporations collecting more personal information than ever before. "Nothing has changed since 2015," Schneier told The Register in an interview. "The NSA and their counterparts around the world are still engaging in bulk surveillance to the extent of their abilities."

The widespread adoption of cloud services, Internet-of-Things devices, and smartphones has made it nearly impossible for individuals to protect their privacy, said Schneier. Even Apple, which markets itself as privacy-focused, faces limitations when its Chinese business interests are at stake. While some regulation has emerged, including Europe's General Data Protection Regulation and various U.S. state laws, Schneier argues these measures fail to address the core issue of surveillance capitalism's entrenchment as a business model.

The rise of AI poses new challenges, potentially undermining recent privacy gains like end-to-end encryption. As AI assistants require cloud computing power to process personal data, users may have to surrender more information to tech companies. Despite the grim short-term outlook, Schneier remains cautiously optimistic about privacy's long-term future, predicting that current surveillance practices will eventually be viewed as unethical as sweatshops are today. However, he acknowledges this transformation could take 50 years or more.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/1557220/nearly-10-years-after-data-and-goliath-bruce-schneier-says-privacys-still-screwed?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Apple is exploring ways to monetize its Maps app by introducing paid business listings and prioritized search results, Bloomberg News reports, citing an internal company meeting with the Maps team. The initiative would allow businesses to pay for higher placement in search results and more prominent display on maps, similar to Google Maps' advertising model. While no timeline has been set and no active development is underway, the move would mark Apple's first attempt to generate direct revenue from its mapping service. The potential Maps monetization comes as Apple expands its advertising business across other services. The company has previously increased its focus on search ads in the App Store and recently added advertising to its News and Stocks apps, as well as its sports content.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/1520242/apple-weighs-adding-paid-business-listings-to-maps-app?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Junior software developers' overreliance on AI coding assistants is creating knowledge gaps in fundamental programming concepts, developer Namanyay Goel argued in a post. While tools like GitHub Copilot and Claude enable faster code shipping, developers struggle to explain their code's underlying logic or handle edge cases, Goel wrote. Goel cites the decline of Stack Overflow, a technical forum where programmers historically found detailed explanations from experienced developers, as particularly concerning.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/1317210/new-junior-developers-cant-actually-code?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

"Amazon required employees to work from the office five days a week starting January 2nd," writes the Seattle Times, "a change from the company's three-day in-office mandate that had been in effect since May 2023."

And as Seattle's largest employer (with 50,000 Seattle-based workers), this had an impact, according to data the Times cites from the nonprofit Downtown Seattle Association:

In January, downtown Seattle recorded the second-highest daily average for weekday worker foot traffic since March 2020. It also saw 2 million unique visitors on its sidewalks last month. That represents 94% of the visitors downtown Seattle saw in January 2019, the Downtown Seattle Association found...

In a statement Friday, Amazon said "we're excited by the innovation, collaboration and connection we've seen already with our teams working in person together...." Jon Scholes [the president of the Downtown Seattle Association] said Amazon's return has been a boon for downtown Seattle. As the city's largest employer, its mandate instantly brought more people to shop and dine around South Lake Union, the Denny Triangle and surrounding neighborhoods... "I think we're seeing people get reacquainted with the reasons they liked working downtown prepandemic," Scholes said. He expects to continue seeing an uptick in foot traffic over the course of the year as more companies follow Amazon's lead and the weather warms up.

But Seattle magazine says the statistics show foot traffic in neighborhoods where Amazon's offices are located (South Lake Union and Denny Regrade) "at 74% of that of January 2019. Overall, downtown-area foot traffic was 9% higher than it was a year ago, though only 57% of the pre-pandemic average."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/0713230/will-amazons-return-to-office-mandate-revitalize-downtown-seattle?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Здравствуйте, поклонники Героев Меча и Магии 2!

С помощью алгоритмов движка и художников было улучшено окно обмена героев. [ Новые кнопки ]( https://i.servimg.com/u/f85/20/25/62/08/army_e10.png ) для обмена армиями и артефактами заняли место между соответствующими разделами окна. Одностороннюю передачу мы не убирали, а разнесли по сторонам. Игрокам теперь доступны все возможности передачи армий и артефактов в оригинальном игровом дизайне.

В редакторе появилось расширенное [ окно системных настроек ]( https://i.servimg.com/u/f85/20/25/62/08/editor18.png ) , включающее в себя дополнительные кнопки, которые добавили новые возможности взаимодействия с игрой. Теперь для пользователей доступна новая кнопка возврата в главное меню и кнопка запуска текущей карты, чего не было в оригинальном редакторе.

Кроме этого, для удобства пользователей в интерфейсе редактора на главном экране заняли место [ две новые кнопки ]( https://i.servimg.com/u/f85/20/25/62/08/undo__10.png ) . Кнопка «отменить» теперь представлена в новом дизайне, а новая кнопка «вернуть» в схожем стиле расположилась рядом. Данные функции типичны для любого редактора и мы уверены, они намного облегчат работу с нашим редактором карт.

Объект на карте "событие" получил дополнительные [ возможности ]( https://i.servimg.com/u/f85/20/25/62/08/event10.png ) . При взаимодействии с ним герой теперь может получить опыт и даже определённый вторичный навык. В будущем мы планируем ещё расширить функционал этого объекта, чтобы пользователи могли создавать ещё более продуманные карты.

В бою было добавлено новое [ подменю автобитвы ]( https://i.servimg.com/u/f85/20/25/62/08/autoco10.png ) , позволяющее выбирать между традиционной передачей контроля своих войск ИИ или мгновенным разрешением битвы в автоматическом режиме. Теперь игроку доступны эти функции не только с помощью «горячих клавиш», но и при помощи полноценного игрового меню выполненного в стилистике всего интерфейса Героев 2.

Эти и многие другие улучшения и исправления ошибок, которых набралось с прошлого обновления свыше 50, ожидают Вас в новой версии.

Огромная благодарность всем, кто поддерживает проект и команду разработчиков.

Приятной игры!

https://www.linux.org.ru/news/games/17887270

Компания AMD объявила об устранении шести уязвимостей в процессорах AMD EPYC и AMD Ryzen. Три наиболее опасные уязвимости (CVE-2023-31342, CVE-2023-31343, CVE-2023-31345) потенциально позволяют выполнить свой код на уровне SMM (System Management Mode), имеющем более высокий приоритет, чем режим гипервизора и нулевое кольцо защиты. Компрометация SMM позволяет получить неограниченный доступ ко всей системной памяти и может использоваться для контроля за операционной системой. Уязвимости вызваны отсутствием должной проверки входных данных в обработчике SMM, что позволяет атакующему перезаписать содержимое SMRAM. Подробности о методе атаки пока не приводятся.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62734

Компания Zyphra опубликовала под лицензией Apache 2.0 первый бета-выпуск AI-модели для синтеза речи Zonos. Предлагаемый вместе с моделью инструментарий поддерживает функцию клонирования голоса, позволяющую синтезировать речь желаемым голосом, для воспроизведения которого модели достаточно предоставить 30-секундную эталонную запись речи говорящего. Поддерживается синтез на английском, японском, китайском, французском и немецком языках.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62733

Today Seoul's Personal Information Protection Commission "said DeepSeek would no longer be available for download until a review of its personal data collection practices was carried out," reports AFP.

A number of countries have questioned DeepSeek's storage of user data, which the firm says is collected in "secure servers located in the People's Republic of China"... This month, a slew of South Korean government ministries and police said they blocked access to DeepSeek on their computers. Italy has also launched an investigation into DeepSeek's R1 model and blocked it from processing Italian users' data. Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices on the advice of security agencies. US lawmakers have also proposed a bill to ban DeepSeek from being used on government devices over concerns about user data security.

More details from the Associated Press:

The South Korean privacy commission, which began reviewing DeepSeek's services last month, found that the company lacked transparency about third-party data transfers and potentially collected excessive personal information, said Nam Seok [director of the South Korean commission's investigation division]... A recent analysis by Wiseapp Retail found that DeepSeek was used by about 1.2 million smartphone users in South Korea during the fourth week of January, emerging as the second-most-popular AI model behind ChatGPT.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/064219/deepseek-removed-from-south-korea-app-stores-pending-privacy-review?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

shaos> А ну вот же он: http://s.spline-online.ru/idec.html

У меня он в директории с caesium лежит на случай если страничка упадет

+++ Никто не знает, как правильно. Так зачем же выдумывать правила?

TOP10 VISITORS:

[1] 45.135.180.x point=220 web=0 up=18.0MB (33%) <--- yesterlink (9/hr)
[2] 37.252.14.x point=113 web=0 up=13.8MB (26%) <--- ake (5/hr)
[3] 80.87.199.x point=67 web=0 up=6.4MB (12%) <--- tgi (3/hr)
[4] Google point=11 web=819 up=6.1MB (11%) <--- Google
[5] 24.130.121.x point=58 web=9 up=6.1MB (11%) <--- spnet (2/hr)
[6] Facebook point=0 web=178 up=1.0MB (1%)
[7] 217.114.158.x point=23 web=0 up=0.8MB (1%) <--- fox (1/hr)
[8] TikTok point=0 web=112 up=0.3MB (<1%)
[9] 142.173.93.x point=1 web=3 up=85KB <--- 142.173.93.x
[10] Yandex point=0 web=10 up=72KB

TOTAL TRAFFIC: 53MB

California is "considering state ownership of one or more oil refineries," reports the Los Angeles Times.

They call the idea "one item on a list of options presented by the California Energy Commission to ensure steady gas supplies as oil companies pull back from the refinery business in the state."

"The state recognizes that they're on a pathway to more refinery closures," said Skip York, chief energy strategist at energy consultant Turner Mason & Co. The risk to consumers and the state's economy, he said, is gasoline supply disappearing faster than consumer demand, resulting in fuel shortages, higher prices and severe logistical challenges.

Gasoline demand is falling in California, albeit slowly, for two reasons: more efficient gasoline engines, and the increasing number of electric vehicles on the road. Gasoline consumption in California peaked in 2005 and fell 15% through 2023, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, now represent about 25% of annual new car sales... The drop in demand is causing fundamental strategic shifts among the state's major oil refiners: Chevron, Marathon, Phillips 66, PBF Energy and Valero.

Already, two California refineries have ceased producing gasoline to make biodiesel fuel for use in heavy-duty trucks, a cleaner-fuel alternative that enjoys rich state subsidies. More worrisome, the Phillips 66 refinery complex in Wilmington, just outside Los Angeles, plans to close down permanently by year's end. That leaves eight major refineries in California capable of producing gasoline. The closure of any one would create serious gasoline supply issues, industry analysts say. But both Chevron and Valero are contemplating permanent refinery closures. The implications? "Demand will decline gradually," York said, "but supply will fall out in chunks." What's unknown is how many refineries will close, and how soon, and how that will affect supply and demand...

A state refinery takeover seems like a radical idea, but the fact that it's being considered demonstrates the seriousness of the supply issue. It's one of several option laid out by the California Energy Commission, which is fulfilling a legislative order to find ways to ensure "a reliable supply of affordable and safe transportation fuels in California." The options list is disparate: Ship in more gasoline from Asia; regulate refineries on the order of electric utilities; cap profit margins; and many more.

92% of California's gas is produced in refineries, the Times reports. But the special gasoline blends required to reduce air pollution "also drive up gasoline prices and raise the risk of shortages, because little such gasoline is produced outside California."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/02/17/0511251/california-considers-taking-over-some-oil-refineries?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

Кент Оверстрит (Kent Overstreet), разработчик ФС Bcachefs, отправил pull-запрос с исправлениями в Bcachefs, предложенными для включения в ветку 6.14-rc3. Помимо информации об исправлениях в сообщении объявлено о стабилизации формата дисковых структур Bcachefs. Любые дальнейшие изменения формата будут отнесены к категории не обязательных и будут реализовываться в форме опциональных дополнений.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62731

Представлен выпуск пакета Btrfs-Progs 6.13, включающего утилиты и библиотеки для работы с файловой системой Btrfs из пространства пользователя. В состав входит сводная утилита для администритования btrfs, утилита для создания разделов mkfs.btrfs, программа для проверки разделов fsck.btrfs, интерфейс для изменения параметров btrfstune, утилита для создания образов ФС btrfs-image и библиотека libbtrfsutil. Код написан на языке Си и распространяется под лицензией GPLv2.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=62732