GNU C Library v. 2.28 Released, Purism Update on Librem 5 Communication Apps, Istio v. 1.0 Now Available, 4.18 Kernel Delayed and City of Rome Switching to LibreOffice
News briefs for August 1, 2018.
The GNU C Library version 2.28 was released this morning. New features include localization data for ISO 14651 has been updated to match Edition 4, introducing significant improvements to the collation of Unicode characters; it now can be compiled with support for Intel CET, aka Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology; it now supports ABSOLUTE symbols; and more. Packages for the 2.28 release are available from http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/libc or http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/libc.
Purism posted an update on the Librem 5's communication apps yesterday. The "Calls" app is not only for regular calls, but is "designed to integrate a much higher level of security and privacy through end to end encrypted technologies in a very transparent way". You can see the repository of designs for the Calls app here. The plan for the "Messages" app is "to be able to handle regular text messages (SMS) while also handling secure end-to-end encrypted messages in a transparent way between two compatible devices", and that repository is available here.
Istio, the open-source service mesh, released version 1.0 yesterday. According to the post on Light Reading, "Istio provides visibility into container performance, support for user testing, updating controls and security for service interactions. The availability of version 1.0 of the software means those features are locked down, ready for deployment in production applications, and developers can write software to those features without worrying that the apps will break due to changes in future versions, as future Istio versions will be backwards-compatible with 1.0."
The 4.18 kernel will be delayed one week, LWN reports, due to "some late-discovered problems". Linus Torvalds posted on LKML: "I _prefer_ just the regular cadence of releases, but when I have a reason to delay, I'll delay."
The city of Rome is switching to open-source LibreOffice. The city installed LibreOffice alongside the proprietary alternative on all of its 14,000 PC workstations in April and is gradually making the change. There are 112 staff members called "innovation champions", who are in favour of free and open source, and who are helping with the switch by explaining the reasons for changing to open source and training co-workers (source: Open Source Observatory).
Jill Franklin is an editorial professional with more than 17 years experience in technical and scientific publishing, both print and digital. As Executive Editor of Linux Journal, she wrangles writers, develops content, manages projects, meets deadlines and makes sentences sparkle. She also was Managing Editor for TUX and Embedded Linux Journal, and the book Linux in the Workplace. Before entering the Linux and open-source realm, she was Managing Editor of several scientific and scholarly journals, including Veterinary Pathology, The Journal of Mammalogy, Toxicologic Pathology and The Journal of Scientific Exploration. In a previous life, she taught English literature and composition, managed a bookstore and tended bar. When she’s not bugging writers about deadlines or editing copy, she throws pots, gardens and reads.
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