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Is GNU Taler usable?

Thanks for creating the community. The sidebar description sounds like monero without blockchain. Is it currently usable?

3
Linus Torvalds Comments On The Russian Linux Maintainers Being Delisted
  • Legally, it doesn't seem like he had much choice. The war has been going on for 2+ years now? I'm just surprised it took so long.

    Regardless, this is probably going to have an impact on existing maintainers as it most likely isn't clear who will act as replacements. I'll bring it up again: 2% of the Linux Foundation's money simply isn't good enough for the Linux Kernel. It should be way way way more.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • Stack Overflow Survey: 80% of developers are unhappy
  • The bloody managers are the biggest problem. Most don't understand code much less the process of making a software product. They force you into idiotic meetings where they want to change how things work because they "don't have visibility into the process" which just translated to "I don't understand what you're doing".

    Also trying to force people who love machines but people less so into leading people is a recipe for unhappiness.

    But at least the bozos at the top get to make the decisions and the cheddar for being ignorant and not listening.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • Projections show that Arm CPUs will power 40% of notebooks sold in 2029
  • More ARM notebooks means more games for the ARM arch, which means less emulation on those platforms. This is great for Asahi Linux that'll help it become the gaming OS for Mac laptops.

    If Microsoft decides to, and I bet they won't, they could even port windows to the Mac, which would probably kill any gaming efforts Malus is thinking of. It would be child's play for Malus to decide to nip that in the bud though - at the risk of an antitrust lawsuit from Microsoft.

    Exciting times ahead!

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • Multiple process or threads? And, why?
  • Thank you. That's good to know. In my OS architecture lectures, we were introduced to an OS with core bound threads. I can't remember if it was a learning OS or something that really existed, hence my doubts.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • Multiple process or threads? And, why?
  • IINM whether it's "true" parallelism depends on the number of hardware cores (which shouldn't be a problem nowadays). A single, physical core means concurrency (even with "hyper threading") and multiple cores could mean parallelism. I can't remember if threads are core bound or not. Processes can bound to cores on linux (on other OSes too most likely).

    So I suppose this is the preferred way to do concurrency, there is no async/await

    Python does have async which is syntax sugar for coroutines to be run in threads or processes using an executor (doc). The standard library has asyncio which describes valuable usecases for async/await in python.

    and you won’t use At “just” for a bit of concurrency. Right ?

    Is "At" a typo?

    We learn a little bit everyday. Thanks!

    You're welcome :) I discovered the GIL the hard way unfortunately. Making another person aware of its existence to potentially save them some pain is worth it.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • Multiple process or threads? And, why?
  • Python has a Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) which has been a bane and a boon. A boon because many basic types are thread-safe as actions happen in lock step. A bane because despite having multiple threads, there's still a master coordinating them all, which means there is no parallelism but concurrency. Python 3.13 allows disabling the GIL, but I cannot say much to that since I haven't tested it myself. Most likely it means nothing is really thread safe anymore and it's up to the developer to handle that.

    So, in Python, using multiple threads is not a surefire way to have a performance boost. Small tasks that don't require many operations are OK for threading, but many cycles may be lost to the GIL. Using it for I/O bound stuff is good though as the main python thread won't be stuck waiting on those things to complete (reading or writing files, network access, screen access, ...) . Larger tasks with more operations that are I/O bound or require parallelism (encoding a video file, processing multiple large files at once, reading large amounts of data from the network, ...) are better as separate processes.

    As an example: if you have one large file to read then split out into multiple small files, threads are a good option. Splitting happens sequentially, but writing to disk is (comparatively) slow task that one shouldn't wait on and can be dedicated to a thread. Doing these operations on multiple large files is worth doing in parallel using multiple processes. Each process will read a file, split it, and write in threads, while one master process orchestrates the slave processes.

    Of course, your mileage may vary. I've run into the issue of requiring parallelism on small tasks and the only thing that worked was moving out that logic to a cython and outside the GIL (terrible experience). For small, highly parallel operations, probably Python isn't the right language and something like Rust should be explored.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • Asahi Linux’s bespoke GPU driver is running Windows games on Apple Silicon Macs
  • I said it a while ago and it's getting much closer now: Linux will become the OS for people who want to game on a Mac. With all the work going into this, hopefully the devs are getting nice donations. They seem to be doing a better job than Malus at getting games to run.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • How proficient do you rate yourself in your most coded language?
  • Even the creators of languages don't know their own languages 100%. I wouldn't even call them the limit. So, I'm good enough in my main language that a lot of code doesn't surprise me. And I try very hard to write code that others can understand as well when in a team.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
    phys.org 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show

    Scientist Jim Wild has traveled to the Arctic Circle numerous times to study the northern lights, but on Thursday night he only needed to look out of his bedroom window in the English city of Lancaster.

    'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show

    > Scientist Jim Wild has traveled to the Arctic Circle numerous times to study the northern lights, but on Thursday night he only needed to look out of his bedroom window in the English city of Lancaster.

    2
    Google is preparing to let you run Linux apps on Android, just like Chrome OS
  • Are what point do they stop pretending and just make it a pure linux platform with a different packaging format for any linux app to run in? They are doing it with CROS (or whatever the new Chrome on Linux OS is being called) and maybe it's time to do it with Android. Running a VM just seems quite wasteful.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

  • Dark Matter Black Holes Could Fly through the Solar System Once a Decade
    www.scientificamerican.com Dark Matter Black Holes Could Fly through the Solar System Once a Decade

    The universe’s hidden mass may be made of black holes, which could wobble the planets of the solar system when they pass by

    Dark Matter Black Holes Could Fly through the Solar System Once a Decade

    > Black holes the size of an atom that contain the mass of an asteroid may fly through the inner solar system about once a decade, scientists say. Theoretically created just after the big bang, these examples of so-called primordial black holes could explain the missing dark matter thought to dominate our universe. And if they sneak by the moon or Mars, scientists should be able to detect them, a new study shows.

    33
    Telegram Removes Z-Library Posts 'Due to Copyright Infringement' * TorrentFreak
    torrentfreak.com Telegram Removes Z-Library Posts 'Due to Copyright Infringement' * TorrentFreak

    Telegram has taken action against Z-Library's channel, with several of Z-Library's own messages removed "due to copyright infringement."

    > Telegram, an essential communication tool for millions, finds itself under scrutiny once again. Copyright holders have long expressed concerns about the lack of enforcement on the platform, and recent actions suggest Telegram is responding. Subscribers to Z-Library's popular channel recently noticed that several of the shadow library's messages have been removed "due to copyright infringement."

    33
    A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons
    phys.org A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons

    Researchers from Japan and Thailand investigating microplastics in coral have found that all three parts of the coral anatomy—surface mucus, tissue, and skeleton—contain microplastics. The findings were made possible thanks to a new microplastic detection technique developed by the team and applied ...

    A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons

    These findings may also explain the "missing plastic problem" that has puzzled scientists, where about 70% of the plastic litter that has entered the oceans cannot be found. The team hypothesizes that coral may be acting as a "sink" for microplastics by absorbing it from the oceans. Their findings were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

    0
    A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons
    phys.org A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons

    Researchers from Japan and Thailand investigating microplastics in coral have found that all three parts of the coral anatomy—surface mucus, tissue, and skeleton—contain microplastics. The findings were made possible thanks to a new microplastic detection technique developed by the team and applied ...

    A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons

    cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/30414

    3
    Deserts' biggest threat? Flooding
    phys.org Deserts' biggest threat? Flooding

    A new study from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering researchers, along with researchers from the Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris at the University of Paris Cité, has found that the increase in soil erosion in coastal areas due to desertification is worsening flood impacts on Middle Easter...

    Deserts' biggest threat? Flooding

    > A new study from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering researchers, along with researchers from the Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris at the University of Paris Cité, has found that the increase in soil erosion in coastal areas due to desertification is worsening flood impacts on Middle Eastern and North African port cities.

    0
    Radicle 1.0 released
    radicle.xyz Radicle

    Sovereign code infrastructure.

    Radicle

    cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/21810137

    > Radicle is an open source, peer-to-peer code collaboration stack built on Git. Unlike centralized code hosting platforms, there is no single entity controlling the network. Repositories are replicated across peers in a decentralized manner, and users are in full control of their data and workflow.

    0
    Are there any 3 in 1 (in terms of width) or 48:9 monitors out there?

    I've only found 2 in 1 / 2 monitors wide with aka 32:9. They call them "ultrawide" but IMO they should be called double wide monitors. Even the Samsung 57" Odyssey Neo G9 monitor, despite its size, is still just 32:9.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

    0
    Space & Astronomy @mander.xyz onlinepersona @programming.dev
    SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission aiming for history with first private spacewalk
    phys.org SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission aiming for history with first private spacewalk

    The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, a daring multiday orbital expedition that will feature the first-ever spacewalk by private citizens, is targeting liftoff early Tuesday, though weather could play spoilsport.

    SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission aiming for history with first private spacewalk

    > If they launch, the highlight of the mission will be the first spacewalk composed entirely of non-professional astronauts, who will be wearing sleek, newly developed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits outfitted with heads-up displays, helmet cameras, and an advanced joint mobility system.

    2
    Asterinas: a rust kernel with a linux ABI

    Linux maintainers are unwilling to get rust into the kernel, so some rust folks decided to start writing a new kernel with same ABI. This allows them to make new architectural decisions. An example being their "frame kernel" (something between a monolithic kernel and a microkernel).

    If I may say, it's more legible and the tooling is way better, right off the bat.

    34
    Global South cities lack cooling green spaces
    phys.org Global South cities lack cooling green spaces

    Cities in the Global South are more exposed to extreme heat because they lack cooling green spaces, new research shows. The study found that Global South cities have just 70% of the "cooling capacity" provided by urban greenery in the Global North. The paper, published in the journal Nature Communic...

    Global South cities lack cooling green spaces

    cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/20502

    5
    Researchers identify effective materials for protecting astronauts from harmful cosmic radiation on Mars
    phys.org Researchers identify effective materials for protecting astronauts from harmful cosmic radiation on Mars

    Researchers have identified specific materials, including certain plastics, rubber, and synthetic fibers, as well as Martian soil (regolith), which would effectively protect astronauts by blocking harmful space radiation on Mars. These findings could inform the design of protective habitats and spac...

    Researchers identify effective materials for protecting astronauts from harmful cosmic radiation on Mars

    cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/16484

    3
    Test of a prototype quantum internet runs under New York City for half a month
    phys.org Test of a prototype quantum internet runs under New York City for half a month

    To introduce quantum networks into the marketplace, engineers must overcome the fragility of entangled states in a fiber cable and ensure the efficiency of signal delivery. Now, scientists at Qunnect Inc. in Brooklyn, New York, have taken a large step forward by operating just such a network under t...

    Test of a prototype quantum internet runs under New York City for half a month

    cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/16876

    21
    Is the megathread only maintained by reddit?
    rentry.co 📜 ➜ Megathread

    ➜ Not so fast sailor! Do this first ✔️ Recommended: Use Firefox + uBlock Origin Firefox is the top non-Chromium browser, offering nice security and privacy features. It also boasts the best compatibility with uBlock Origin for effectively blocking ads and other harmful web content. ✔️ Recommended...

    📜 ➜ Megathread

    >➜ Quality over quantity > > The Megathread is to subject to rigorous 👁️‍🗨️ Quality Control checks, and often updated. > Visit our r/Piracy, r/Torrents communities for all the sailing discussions.

    How do we contribute from the fediverse?

    5
    U.S. Wind and Solar Are on Track to Overtake Coal This Year
    www.scientificamerican.com U.S. Wind and Solar Are on Track to Overtake Coal This Year

    Two renewable resources, wind and solar, together have produced more power than coal through July—a first for the U.S.

    U.S. Wind and Solar Are on Track to Overtake Coal This Year

    cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/10432

    7
    Ladybird browser is switching from C++ to Swift

    Andreas Kling aka @awesomekling wrote:

    >We've been evaluating a number of C++ successor languages for @ladybirdbrowser , and the one best suited to our needs appears to be @SwiftLang 🪶 > >Over the last few months, I've asked a bunch of folks to pick some little part of our project and try rewriting it in the different languages we were evaluating. The feedback was very clear: everyone preferred Swift! > >Why do we like Swift? > >First off, Swift has both memory & data race safety (as of v6). It's also a modern language with solid ergonomics. > >Something that matters to us a lot is OO. Web specs & browser internals tend to be highly object-oriented, and life is easier when you can model specs closely in your code. Swift has first-class OO support, in many ways even nicer than C++. > >The Swift team is also investing heavily in C++ interop, which means there's a real path to incremental adoption, not just gigantic rewrites. > >Strong ties to Apple? > >Swift has historically been strongly tied to Apple and their platforms, but in the last year, there's been a push for "swiftlang" to become more independent. (It's now in a separate GitHub org, no longer in "apple", for example). > >Support for non-Apple platforms is also improving, as is the support for other, LSP-based development environments. > >What happens next? > >We aren't able to start using it just yet, as the current release of Swift ships with a version of Clang that's too old to grok our existing C++ codebase. But when Swift 6 comes out of beta this fall, we will begin using it! > >No language is perfect, and there are a lot of things here that we don't know yet. I'm not aware of anyone doing browser engine stuff in Swift before, so we'll probably end up with feedback for the Swift team as well. > >I'm super excited about this! We must steer Ladybird towards memory safety, and the first step is selecting a successor language that we can begin adopting very soon. 🤓🐞

    72
    Microbiology @mander.xyz onlinepersona @programming.dev
    Bacteria encode hidden genes outside their genome; do we?
    phys.org Bacteria encode hidden genes outside their genome; do we?

    Since the genetic code was first deciphered in the 1960s, our genes have seemed like an open book. By reading and decoding our chromosomes as linear strings of letters, like sentences in a novel, we can identify the genes in our genome and learn why changes in a gene's code affect health.

    Bacteria encode hidden genes outside their genome; do we?

    cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/8399

    1
    How reef fish may use the moon's cycle to manipulate the sex of their offspring
    phys.org How reef fish may use the moon's cycle to manipulate the sex of their offspring

    For some fish, being born close to a new moon increases the chances they will develop as male, while female offspring are more likely when the moon is full, a new study has found.

    How reef fish may use the moon's cycle to manipulate the sex of their offspring

    For some fish, being born close to a new moon increases the chances they will develop as male, while female offspring are more likely when the moon is full, a new study has found.

    0
    InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)ON
    onlinepersona @programming.dev
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