Episode 246: The Bionic Bet

We get the inside scope from the Ubuntu flavors prepping for the 18.04 release, and then we finally make good on a long running threat.

Plus the quiet shuttering of the Windows division inside Microsoft, and how they could help save Linux from Apple.

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• A Modular and Open Source Router is Being Crowdfunded — A company from the Czech Republic is trying to raise money to bring a modular and open source router to the public. It has a number of features that can’t be found in the current line up of routers available for purchase.
• Terminal app appears in Chrome OS Dev, hints at future Linux application support — More evidence of this feature has appeared in the Chrome OS Dev channel, as reported by several Reddit users. A new Terminal app has been added to the app drawer, and clicking it opens a dialog explaining the feature. T
• Blloc | Back to the root — Blloc is a plain and minimalistic smartphone combining a power saving operating system with efficient hardware and an easy to use messaging platform, it’s built to be the perfect communication and productivity tool that you can rely on every day.
• The state of Thunderbolt 3 in Fedora 28 — The GNOME shell bits to enable Thunderbolt 3 support were merged some time ago and made it into 3.28. This means that the GNOME shell will act as authorization agent and will automatically authorize new thunderbolt 3 devices — if the user has administrator rights, is currently logged in and the session is unlocked. I
• Re-evaluating Ubuntu's Milestones — I do not believe there have been any -1s to this proposal from any flavor, nor from the Release Team, so I think it's time to move forward with it.
• Microsoft is ready for a world beyond Windows - The Verge — The first big clue about the OS’s future is that Microsoft’s “Windows and Devices Group” is now “Experiences & Devices,” and it includes Windows, Office, and Surface. Microsoft’s Office chief, Rajesh Jha, is now in charge of this entire division, with Joe Belfiore delegated to lead the Windows experiences.
• Microsoft reorg shakes up Windows group, Windows leader Terry Myerson departs | Ars Technica — The WDG is no more. The group is being split up.
• Windows chief Terry Myerson is leaving as Microsoft reorganizes — platforms. Terry Myerson, executive vice president of the Windows and devices group, is leaving the company.
• Microsoft’s latest reorganization puts cloud over Windows | The Seattle Times — Microsoft's latest reorganization focuses on its cloud and productivity software technology.
• The End of Windows – Stratechery by Ben Thompson — And so we reach last week’s announcements: the Windows division is no more. It is an incredibly meaningful milestone, yet anticlimactic at the same time, thanks to Nadella’s careful management. It is worth noting, though, that Nadella had one critical ally in this journey: Wall Street.
• Satya Nadella email to employees: Embracing our future: Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge | Stories — Moving forward, Rajesh Jha will expand his existing responsibilities to lead a new team focused on Experiences & Devices.
• The Infamous GNOME Shell Memory Leak – Georges Stavracas — It almost feels like there’s a wall between the community and the users of what this community produces. Which is weird. We are an open community, with open development, no barriers for new contributors – and yet, there is such a distance between the community of users and the community of developers/designers/outreachers/etc.
• Progress on Plasma Wayland for 5.13 - subdiff — First of all support for screencasts had to be added to KWin and KWayland. This was done by Oleg Chernovskiy.
• KDE - KBackup - Backup Program — KBackup is an application that lets you back up any folders or files in a tar archive to a local folder, e.g. a locally mounted device like a ZIP drive, USB stick, etc. or a remote URL.
• Bionic Beaver - Kubuntu — The Plasma 5.12 LTS series is the default in this version of Kubuntu