Matrix Synapse, an open-source Matrix homeserver developed and maintained by the Matrix.org Foundation, has announced the first release candidate for version 1.96.0, marked as v1.96.0rc1. Synapse has been under development since 2014 and reached version 1.0.0 in 2019. The development of both Synapse and the Matrix protocol itself continues actively.

The release candidate, v1.96.0rc1, includes several new features, bug fixes, and improvements to the documentation and internal processes. Some of the notable features and bug fixes include:

Features:

• Experimental support for multiple workers to write to receipts stream
• Introduction of a new module API for controller presence
• Addition of a new module API callback to add extra fields to events’ unsigned section when sent to clients
• Performance improvements for claiming encryption keys

Bugfixes:

• Fixed a bug in the example Grafana dashboard that prevented it from finding the correct datasource
• Fixed a long-standing, rare edge case where the first event persisted by a new event persister worker might not be sent down /sync
• Fixed a bug where /sync incorrectly did not mark a room as limited in sync requests when there were missing remote events
• Fixed a bug introduced in Synapse 1.41 where HTTP(S) forward proxy authorization would fail when using basic HTTP authentication with a long username:password string
• Fixed a bug where /sync could tight loop after restart when using SQLite
• Fixed a bug where invited/knocking users would not leave during a room purge

Improvements to Documentation:

• Improved documentation of the presence router
• Added a sentence to the opentracing docs on using Jaeger in a different location than Synapse
• Corrected the description of unspecified rule lists in the alias_creation_rules and room_list_publication_rules config options and improved their descriptions
• Updated the recommended poetry version in the contributors’ guide
• Fixed a broken link to the client breakdown in the README

Internal Changes:

• Improved performance of delete device messages query
• Reduced memory allocations
• Enhanced replication performance when purging rooms
• Ran tests against Python 3.12
• Ran trial & integration tests in continuous integration when the .ci directory is modified
• Made various improvements to type hints and performance optimization

The release also includes updates to locked dependencies, with various packages being bumped to newer versions.

Matrix Synapse’s release candidate v1.96.0rc1 brings several new features, bug fixes, and improvements, making it an exciting update for users of the Matrix homeserver. The release demonstrates the commitment of the Matrix.org Foundation to continuously improve and enhance the Matrix protocol and its associated software.

XCP-ng has released Xen Orchestra 5.88, packed with new features and improvements. In the backup area, there have been code improvements and bug fixes, as well as an optimization for full backups using S3. The Terraform provider has also seen updates, including support for XenServer/XCP-ng bonded networks and improvements to the XO internal API. XO Lite now allows for cloning and snapshotting of VMs, and a “Ctrl Alt Del” button has been added to the console view. Xen Orchestra 6 is also in the works, with a focus on backup management and a revamped user interface. Mockups of the new UI have been shared, showcasing a more streamlined and efficient backup view. XOSTOR, the hyperconverged storage solution, now has a simple UI for creating new storage. XCP-ng 8.3 features have been added to Xen Orchestra, including vTPM management in the web UI and a new optional argument for the host.evacuate method. Overall, Xen Orchestra 5.88 brings a range of enhancements and improvements to the platform.

The Linux 6.6 release has just been announced by Linus Torvalds on the Linux Kernel Mailing List. This release comes about two months after the release of Linux 6.5, and it brings several notable changes and updates to the kernel.

One of the highlights of Linux 6.6 is the addition of Intel’s shadow stack hardware support. This feature helps prevent exploits by maintaining a secondary (shadow) stack that cannot be directly modified. The processor pushes the return address to both the normal stack and the shadow stack, and upon return, it compares the two copies. If they differ, the processor raises a control protection fault, which can prevent stack modification exploits. It’s important to note that this implementation only supports shadow stack on 64-bit kernels and offers support for 32-bit via IA32 emulation only for userspace.

Another significant change in Linux 6.6 is the introduction of the EEVDF task scheduler. This scheduler replaces the CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) that was merged in Linux 2.6.23. The EEVDF scheduler is designed to ensure that processes that are not getting the attention they deserve are automatically picked the next time, while processes that have been given more attention than necessary are “punished.” This algorithmic approach improves the latency of tasks that would be left behind by the CFS scheduler.

Additionally, Linux 6.6 brings faster asynchronous Direct I/O using io_uring, resulting in up to a 37% improvement in throughput/latency for low queue depth IO.

In terms of Arm architecture changes, Linux 6.6 introduces various updates and additions for Allwinner, Rockchip, Amlogic, Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and other Arm platforms. These changes include support for new boards, improvements to clock drivers, additions to device trees, and various driver updates.

The RISC-V architecture also sees some updates in Linux 6.6, including support for new device tree interfaces, userspace access to performance counters, more instructions in kprobes, crash kernels allocated above 4GiB, support for KCFI, and more. The MIPS architecture receives some cleanups and fixes in this release.

Overall, the Linux 6.6 release brings important updates and improvements to the kernel, enhancing security, task scheduling, and I/O performance. It also expands support for various architectures, including Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS. Linux enthusiasts and developers will find these updates valuable for their servers, Linux-based home labs, and DevOps environments.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

BookStack has released version 23.10 of its software, introducing several new features and improvements. The update includes a new “My Account” area, which provides users with a centralized location to manage their account settings and preferences. Additionally, the release adds support for the Uzbek language, thanks to the contribution from the user @mrmuminov.

Other notable changes include the addition of basic Progressive Web App (PWA) support, making it easier for users to access BookStack from their mobile devices. The update also includes new header bar partials for easier customization, as well as a “View Tags” button on non-default homepage views.

The page editor interface has been updated with a new design, providing a more intuitive and user-friendly experience. The app’s caching behavior has also been improved to avoid expiry scenarios, ensuring a smoother performance.

Several bug fixes have been implemented in this release, addressing issues such as an awkward sidebar scroll behavior at mid-level screen sizes, a buggy dark/light mode button, and the incorrect clearing of the tag input field when pressing the enter key.

BookStack v23.10 also includes various updates to improve the codebase and optimize the software’s performance, such as updating the HTTP calling, language handling, and icon handling. The release also enables new translations for Albanian, Finnish, and Norwegian Nynorsk languages on Crowdin.

Users should be aware that this update includes changes to the URLs, paths, and interfaces for user-self management. Documentation and user guidance may need to be updated accordingly.

For more information about the release, including a video overview and update instructions, please refer to the provided links.

Source: BookStack

Longhorn has released version v1.4.4, a distributed block storage system for Kubernetes. This release includes various enhancements, improvements, bug fixes, and stability and resilience updates. Some of the notable improvements include the addition of disk status Prometheus metrics, improved log levels for resource update failures, and support for both NFS hard and soft with custom timeo and retrans options for RWX volumes. Bugs related to volume synchronization, attaching/detaching loops, and volume mounting have also been addressed. This release is aimed at providing a more stable and reliable storage solution for Kubernetes environments. For more information, you can visit the Longhorn v1.4.4 release page.

The openSUSE community has announced a logo competition for a new openSUSE logo, as well as four openSUSE distributions: Tumbleweed, Leap, Slowroll, and Kalpa. The aim of the competition is to strengthen the visual identity of the openSUSE brand and create a cohesive brand identity for its distributions.

The new logo designs should visualize a unified brand and integrate well with newer project logos like Aeon, MicroOS, and Leap Micro. The logos for the openSUSE distributions are designed with simple shapes and lines, typically as empty outlines. The logos use a 16u square canvas with a 1u stroke width.

The competition is open to the openSUSE community and the deadline for submissions is November 22. The winners will receive a “Geeko Mystery Box” as a reward for their creative designs.

The rules of the contest state that the logo should be licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 and allow everyone to use it without attribution if it is used as the logo for the openSUSE Project. The design must be original and not include any third party materials. Both monochrome and color formats are required for submission, and the design should reflect the openSUSE communities.

To submit a design, participants must email their vector file in SVG format to ddemaio@opensuse.org, along with a PNG of the design posted on the openSUSE website. The file size should be less than 512 KB. Participants should also include their name, mail address, and a description of the design’s philosophy.

The submitted designs will be added to a survey where the community can vote on them. The final decision will be made at an openSUSE Community meeting.