Servers: Containers, 'Cloud', Microservices, and Hyperledger

• How to Choose a Linux Container Image

  A comparison of Linux container images talks about the best-practices in choosing an image. Architecture, security and performance are among the factors, while commercial users would also look for support options. A Linux container allows separate management of kernel space and user space components by utilizing cgroups and namespaces, which are resource and process isolation mechanisms. Solaris and BSD also have abstractions similar to Linux containers but the article's focus is on the latter only. The host running the container has the operating system kernel and a set of libraries and tools required to run containers. The container image, on the other hand, has the libraries, interpreters and application code required to run the application that is being distributed in the container. These depend on underlying system libraries. This is true for interpreted languages too as the interpreters themselves are written in low level languages.

• The Four Pillars of Cloud-Native Operations

  As organizations shift their application strategies to embrace the cloud-native world, the purpose of the cloud transitions from saving money to delivering and managing applications. Platforms such as Cloud Foundry, Kubernetes, and Docker redefine the possibilities for application environments that utilize the cloud. It’s time for us as operations professionals to rethink how we approach our jobs in this new world. We should be asking, how do our organizations take advantage of cloud-native as a new mode of application delivery?

• How to align your team around microservices

  Microservices have been a focus across the open source world for several years now. Although open source technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Swarm make it easier than ever for organizations to adopt microservice architectures, getting your team on the same page about microservices remains a difficult challenge. For a profession that stresses the importance of naming things well, we've done ourselves a disservice with microservices. The problem is that that there is nothing inherently "micro" about microservices. Some can be small, but size is relative and there's no standard measurement unit across organizations. A "small" service at one company might be 1 million lines of code, but far fewer at another organization.

• Hyperledger Stitches in Another Blockchain Project

  The Linux Foundation’s open source Hyperledger Project, which works on blockchain technologies, added a sixth sub project — this one dubbed Quilt. Hyperledger Quilt started around 18 months ago and is an implementation of the Interledger Protocol (ILP), which helps facilitate transactions across ledgers.

• Chinese Search Giant Baidu Joins Hyperledger Blockchain Consortium

  Chinese search engine giant Baidu has become the latest member of the Linux Foundation-led Hyperledger blockchain consortium. In joining the group – which focuses on developing blockchain technologies for enterprises – Baidu will assist the project's efforts alongside other member companies including Accenture, IBM, JP Morgan, R3, Cisco and SAP, among others.

Games: Steam Sale, Skirmish Line, Maia, Observer

• The next three major Steam sale dates have been leaked

  Valve never do manage to keep sale dates hidden for long, but for the dates of the three next major sales to slip is a bit embarrassing. Not really much they can do about it though, unless they want to hide the dates from developers for longer, or restrict who is able to actually see them.

• Skirmish Line, a strategy game inspired by classic flash game Mud and Blood 2 is now on Linux

  Skirmish Line [Steam, Official Site], a game inspired by an older flash game Mud and Blood 2 is now in Early Access with Linux support.

• Colony building sim 'Maia' has a huge update with cats, dogs, hurricanes and more

  Pet lovers gather around, as your off-world colonists will now have some pets! This might be one of the biggest updates Maia [itch.io, Steam] has ever had.

• Cyberpunk game Observer gets a Mac and Linux release date

  Blade Runner 2049 might not be a commercial smash, but Denis Villeneuve’s film has fortunately turned out to be an excellent, and worthwhile, follow-up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 future-noir masterpiece.

Canonical on Path to IPO as Ubuntu Unity Linux Desktop Gets Ditched

In October 2010, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu open-source operating system and CEO of Canonical, announced his grand plan to build a converged Linux desktop that would work on mobile devices, desktops and even TVs. He called the effort "Unity" and poured significant financial resources into it. Seven years later, the Unity dream is dead. On Oct. 19, Ubuntu 17.10 was released as the first Ubuntu Linux version since 2010 that didn't use Unity as the default Linux desktop. In a video interview with eWEEK, Shuttleworth details the rationale behind his decision to cancel Unity and why he has now put his company on the path toward an initial public offering (IPO). Because Ubuntu has moved into the mainstream in a bunch of areas, including the cloud, he said some of the things his company had been doing were never going to be commercially sustainable. Also: Ubuntu 17.10 delivers new desktop and cloud enhancements

More “Linux On Galaxy”

• Samsung Is Bringing Desktop Linux To Its Smartphones

  Samsung is bringing desktop Linux to its smartphones. The 'Linux on Galaxy' project will let users "run Linux-based distributions on mobile devices".

• “Linux On Galaxy” Is Bringing Your Favorite Linux Distros On Smartphones

  echnology companies have worked in the past to let your smartphones work like desktop computers; Microsoft’s Continuum is the most notable effort in this direction. The latest attempt was made by Samsung. The company, with the launch of its flagship Galaxy S8, introduced the new DeX dock.

• Linux on Galaxy

• After Windows 10, Samsung is bringing Linux to Galaxy S8 and Note 8 smartphones

• The power of Linux is coming to select Galaxy devices, via DeX