News briefs for June 15, 2018.
Purism detailed some of its future plans for PureOS in a blog post[1] this morning. The team is looking into Librem 5 specific-image builds, and besides the ARM64 architecture, they also are "researching usage of OSTree, Flatpak, and a couple of other new technologies to use by default in PureOS on the desktop and/or the phone". In addition, "PureOS is planning to host its own Flathub instance (dedicated to Freedom, of course) so upstream developers can just package their app and submit it to PureOS's flathub if they don't want to trouble themselves with system-wide dependencies." Also, part of Purism's plans for handling apps includes developing "an ethical app store that will provide users with an option to donate, 'pay what you want', or 'subscribe' (support as a patron) the apps you use".
Ars Technica reported[2] this week that "a single person or group may have made as much as $90,000 over 10 months by spreading 17 malicious images that were downloaded more than 5 million times from Docker Hub." A user first complained of the backdoor in September, but nothing was done, and 14 more malicious images were submitted. See Kromtech's report[3] for more details on the cryptojacking. And note that "despite the images being pulled from Docker Hub, many servers that installed the images may still be infected."
Samsung yesterday announced[4] its new Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 convertible laptop, running the Linux-based ChromeOS. The Chromebook Plus "is equipped with a built-in pen and offers a light, thin and stylish design that delivers versatility, portability and a premium experience at a competitive price point". It will be available starting June 24 from Best Buy for $499.99.
Fedora 29 will fully support the FreeDesktop.org Boot Loader Specification, Phoronix