Podcast Summary: Untitled Linux Show 201 - "That'll Bake Your Noodle"
Podcast Information:
- Title: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)
- Host: Leo Laporte
- Episode: Untitled Linux Show 201: That'll Bake Your Noodle
- Release Date: May 4, 2025
- Description: Leo Laporte brings together some of the most interesting personalities in technology to discuss the most important issues. The show is fun, relaxed, informative, and always entertaining, providing listeners with the best tech insights.
1. Introduction and Guest Welcome
The episode kicks off with Leo Laporte welcoming the regulars, Ken and Jeff, while noting Rob's absence due to prior commitments. The hosts set the stage for an engaging discussion on various Linux and open-source topics.
Quote:
- Leo Laporte [02:52]: "This is the Untitled Linux Show. Episode 201, recorded Saturday, May 3. 'That'll Bake Your Noodle.' Hey, folks, it is Saturday, and you know what that means. It's time to geek out with Linux and open source."
2. Orange Pi RV2 Review
Leo delves into a detailed review of the Orange Pi RV2, highlighting its affordability, NVMe slots, and memory options. He praises it as one of the fastest RISC-V boards under $200, suitable for development and testing.
Key Points:
- Affordability: Priced around $49, making it accessible.
- Performance: Dual NVMe slots enable booting without SD cards, enhancing reliability.
- Memory Options: Supports up to 16GB RAM, ideal for running GitHub runners or compilations.
- Networking: Features dual gigabit Ethernet ports and official OpenWRT support.
Notable Quote:
- Leo Laporte [05:00]: "This is just about the fastest RISC-V board. It's definitely the fastest sub$100 RISC-V board."
Discussion Highlights:
- Power Supply Concerns: Leo mentions the importance of using the recommended Geek Worm 27W power supply to prevent brownouts.
- Software Support: While an official Ubuntu image exists, it lacks video acceleration and pulls updates from Huawei Cloud, raising security concerns.
- Potential Uses: Rob suggests using the RV2 as a Plex server with a connected SSD for media storage.
Quote:
- Rob [09:38]: "So if it's got OpenWRT that can run on it and the two gigabit ethernet ports, is it actually fast enough to route at gigabit speeds?"
3. Arch Linux Official WSL Image
Adam introduces the exciting news that Arch Linux now has an official image for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Developed by Jack Kandel, this addition broadens the available distributions for WSL, appealing to advanced users seeking more customization.
Key Points:
- Availability: Arch Linux joins Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora Remix, and others in the WSL ecosystem.
- Development: Jack Kandel is actively releasing updates monthly via GitLab's CI/CD.
- User Base: Targets users who prefer building their own OS installations with greater control.
Quote:
- Adam [12:50]: "Arch Linux now has an official WSL image. Kandel has been developing the project's WSL2 image for some time."
4. Nvidia CUDA 12.9 Update
The hosts discuss Nvidia’s release of CUDA version 12.9, which includes enhanced compiler support and better hardware compatibility. However, Nvidia has announced the cessation of support for older GPU architectures, urging users to migrate to newer hardware for future toolkit versions.
Key Points:
- New Features: Compiler support for SM 10.3 and family-specific architectures.
- Deprecated Support: Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta architectures will no longer receive updates in future toolkits.
- Implications: Users with older GPUs are encouraged to upgrade to leverage ongoing CUDA advancements.
Notable Quote:
- Rob [16:19]: "Nvidia released some news this week saying that they have CUDA version 12.9 released."
5. FreeBSD Foundation Funding Issues
Adam shares an in-depth segment on the financial struggles of the Open Source Lab (OSL) at Oregon State University. The OSL, crucial for hosting mirrors and supporting numerous open-source projects, faces potential shutdown due to decreased corporate donations and reduced university funding.
Key Points:
- Role of OSL: Hosts mirrors for Fedora, Debian, Firefox, Inkscape, and more, impacting countless software users globally.
- Funding Shortfall: Previously covered by the university's College of Engineering, recent changes threaten its operations.
- Call to Action: The OSL seeks $250,000 in donations to continue supporting essential open-source infrastructure.
Notable Quote:
- Leo Laporte [58:30]: "They're just here, the day-to-day operations, what it costs. They're transparent. They have a reasonable breakdown of what they're going to spend $250,000 on."
6. PewDiePie’s Linux Promotion Video
One of the most talked-about segments centers on PewDiePie’s recent YouTube video encouraging his massive audience to adopt Linux. The video has garnered substantial views and sparked discussions within the Linux community about its impact and reception.
Key Points:
- Content Overview: PewDiePie discusses his switch from Windows to Linux, using Mint on his desktop and Arch on his laptop. He highlights both benefits and drawbacks, such as losing access to Photoshop.
- Community Reaction: The video has received over 4.7 million views, leading to both positive buzz and backlash concerning audience behavior.
- Impact: The mainstream exposure has the potential to attract new Linux users, though fears of negative community influx persist.
Notable Quote:
- Rob [35:29]: "PewDiePie released a video on installing Linux and he said that you should too. This gets a lot of eyes on Linux who are not and a lot of people who aren't in the tech world are going to see this."
Discussion Highlights:
- Community Gatekeeping: Leo addresses concerns about toxic listeners infiltrating Linux spaces, advocating for a welcoming environment.
- Customization Showcase: PewDiePie demonstrates extensive Linux customization using tools like EWW (ELCO Wars Wacky Widgets), inspiring viewers to personalize their systems.
Quote:
- Leo Laporte [42:28]: "If you feel that way, you need to step away from your keyboard and really think about your life for a little while. I mean, that's ridiculous."
7. KDE Plasma LTS Discontinuation and Updates
Nate Graham from Pointy Stick provides the latest on KDE Plasma, announcing the discontinuation of the Plasma Long Term Support (LTS) release. The team acknowledges that maintaining an LTS was not effectively serving the user base and shifts responsibility to individual distributions.
Key Points:
- Plasma LTS Removal: KDE will no longer maintain a dedicated LTS version, allowing distributions to handle long-term support if needed.
- Activities Feature Enhancement: Nate introduces innovative ideas for KDE's Activities, such as having different email accounts based on activity context (e.g., home vs. work).
- Telemetry Approach: KDE is transitioning to a telemetry system similar to Steam's hardware survey, ensuring user consent and transparency.
- HDR Improvements: Xaver discusses significant changes to HDR handling in KDE 6.3, addressing tone mapping issues and compatibility with various systems.
Notable Quote:
- Leo Laporte [46:48]: "Plasma LTS is going away, and essentially it's just up to a distro. If a distro wants to do that, they can."
8. Redis Licensing Changes
The conversation shifts to Redis’s recent licensing update. After moving away from open-source licenses to more restrictive ones, Redis has now embraced the AGPL license with its 8.0 release, aligning with open-source standards and addressing previous licensing concerns.
Key Points:
- License Transition: Redis now includes the AGPL license, making it an OSI-approved open-source project once again.
- Impact on Cloud Providers: The AGPL license deters companies like Amazon and Google from using Redis without contributing back, protecting Redis’s ecosystem.
- Community Reaction: This change is seen positively within the open-source community, encouraging more projects to adopt similar licensing models.
Notable Quote:
- Adam [60:54]: "Redis finally got the message, and they are finally doing it. And I am hopeful that more companies will do the same thing because it is an OSI approved license."
9. Command Line Tips: OCR with ocrmypdf and pdf2text
Adam shares practical command-line tools for extracting text from PDF documents, particularly those that are scanned images. He introduces ocrmypdf and pdf2text, demonstrating how these tools can convert PDFs into editable text, enhancing productivity and preserving privacy by avoiding third-party services.
Key Points:
ocrmypdf: Adds selectable text over scanned images within a PDF, making it easier to copy and edit content.pdf2text: Extracts raw text from PDFs, outputting it directly to the terminal or a text file.- Privacy Advantage: Using these open-source tools ensures that sensitive documents remain secure without relying on external websites.
Notable Quote:
- Adam [68:08]: "The first one is
ocrmypdf, all one word. It just does optical character recognition of a PDF, particularly one that's just images."
10. Miscellaneous and Closing Remarks
In the closing segments, the hosts touch on various topics, including the latest issue of PC Linux OS magazine, upcoming personal events such as Rob’s daughter's college graduation, and final shout-outs to community members. They also promote Club TWiT as a way for listeners to support the network.
Quote:
- Leo Laporte [81:03]: "Thank you to everyone that's here and ask you have you checked out Club Twit yet? Don't forget that it is the best place to support the Twit network."
Conclusion: Episode 201 of the Untitled Linux Show offers a comprehensive dive into current Linux trends, hardware reviews, open-source software developments, and community news. From the in-depth review of the Orange Pi RV2 to significant licensing changes in Redis and exciting updates in KDE, the hosts provide valuable insights for tech enthusiasts. Additionally, the episode highlights the growing influence of mainstream figures like PewDiePie in promoting Linux, alongside practical tips for enhancing productivity with command-line tools. The show's engaging format ensures that both seasoned Linux users and newcomers can find informative and entertaining content.