System76 and the Cosmic Desktop
- Reason for Creation: System76 developed the Cosmic desktop to avoid relying on extensions, which they found to be an unstable foundation for building a unique user experience.
- Technological Approach: Instead of forking GNOME, they chose to develop their own desktop environment using the Rust programming language.
- Customization Features: Cosmic will include a toggle to theme GTK apps (though not KDE apps for now) and allow users to customize colors and button shapes.
- Update Strategy: System76 plans to roll out new features for Cosmic annually, similar to how Windows handles updates.
Linux Market Share
- Global Desktop Market: Linux has achieved a 4.45% share of the global desktop market, marking a 33% increase over the past year, according to StatCounter.
- Gaming Market: On Steam, Linux’s market share remains steady at 2.08%.
Security Study
- Vulnerability Findings: A recent study revealed that 40% of environments are susceptible to complete takeover through privilege escalation attacks.
- Attack Blocking: The study found that Linux blocked 65% of these attacks, Windows blocked 62%, and macOS blocked 23%.
- macOS Security: The study indicates that macOS is inherently less vulnerable in its default state, but many companies do not invest in further hardening it.
Distribution Releases
- Vanilla OS 2: This new release supports Android apps and includes graphical tools.
- Linux Mint Debian Edition Version 6: This release is based on the latest stable version of Debian.
CrowdStrike Fallout
- Lawsuits: Delta Airlines is suing CrowdStrike and Microsoft due to an outage that resulted in losses estimated between $350 million and $500 million. Additionally, CrowdStrike is facing a lawsuit from its shareholders following a 32% drop in share price.
