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Python Foundation Rejects Government Grant Over DEI Restrictions
The Python Software Foundation rejected a $1.5 million U.S. government grant because it required them to renounce all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. "The non-profit would've used the funding to help prevent supply chain attacks; create a new automated, proactive review process for new PyPI packages; and make the project's work easily transferable to other open-source package managers," reports The Register. From the report: The programming non-profit's deputy executive director Loren Crary said in a blog post today that the National Science Founation (NSF) had offered $1.5 million to address structural vulnerabilities in Python and the Python Package Index (PyPI), but the Foundation quickly became dispirited with the terms (PDF) of the grant it would have to follow. "These terms included affirming the statement that we 'do not, and will not during the term of this financial assistance award, operate any programs that advance or promote DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion], or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws,'" Crary noted. "This restriction would apply not only to the security work directly funded by the grant, but to any and all activity of the PSF as a whole."
To make matters worse, the terms included a provision that if the PSF was found to have voilated that anti-DEI diktat, the NSF reserved the right to claw back any previously disbursed funds, Crary explained. "This would create a situation where money we'd already spent could be taken back, which would be an enormous, open-ended financial risk," the PSF director added. The PSF's mission statement enshrines a commitment to supporting and growing "a diverse and international community of Python programmers," and the Foundation ultimately decided it wasn't willing to compromise on that position, even for what would have been a solid financial boost for the organization. "The PSF is a relatively small organization, operating with an annual budget of around $5 million per year, with a staff of just 14," Crary added, noting that the $1.5 million would have been the largest grant the Foundation had ever received - but it wasn't worth it if the conditions were undermining the PSF's mission. The PSF board voted unanimously to withdraw its grant application.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Is VPN Safe for iPhone? What the Latest OpenVPN Vulnerability on Linux and macOS Means - LinkedIn
Categories: Linux
Kali Linux 2025.3 Lands: Enhanced Wireless Capabilities, Ten New Tools & Infrastructure Refresh - Linux Journal
Kali Linux 2025.3 Lands: Enhanced Wireless Capabilities, Ten New Tools & Infrastructure Refresh Linux Journal
Categories: Linux
Kali Linux 2025.3 Lands: Enhanced Wireless Capabilities, Ten New Tools & Infrastructure Refresh - Linux Journal
Kali Linux 2025.3 Lands: Enhanced Wireless Capabilities, Ten New Tools & Infrastructure Refresh Linux Journal
Categories: Linux
Kali Linux 2025.3 Lands: Enhanced Wireless Capabilities, Ten New Tools & Infrastructure Refresh - Linux Journal
Kali Linux 2025.3 Lands: Enhanced Wireless Capabilities, Ten New Tools & Infrastructure Refresh Linux Journal
Categories: Linux
AI News Anchor Debuts On UK's Channel 4
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Variety: A news special on Britain's Channel 4 titled "Will AI Take My Job?" investigated how automation is reshaping the workplace and pitting humans against machines. At the end of the hour-long program, a major twist was revealed: the anchor, who narrates and appears throughout the telecast reporting from different locations, was entirely AI-generated.
In the final moments of the special, the host says: "AI is going to touch everybody's lives in the next few years. And for some, it will take their jobs. Call center workers? Customer service agents? Maybe even TV presenters like me. Because I'm not real. In a British TV first, I'm an AI presenter. Some of you might have guessed: I don't exist, I wasn't on location reporting this story. My image and voice were generated using AI."
The hour aired Monday at 8 p.m. as part of the "Dispatches" documentary program, which Channel 4 says is now the first British television show to feature an AI presenter. The "anchor" was produced by AI fashion brand Seraphinne Vallora for Kalel Productions and was guided by prompts to create a realistic on-camera performance. "The use of an AI presenter is not something we will be making a habit of at Channel 4 -- instead our focus in news and current affairs is on premium, fact checked, duly impartial and trusted journalism -- something AI is not capable of doing," said Louisa Compton, Channel 4's head of news and current affairs. "But this stunt does serve as a useful reminder of just how disruptive AI has the potential to be -- and how easy it is to hoodwink audiences with content they have no way of verifying."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
TrueNAS 25.10 Released With NVMe-oF Support, OpenZFS Performance Improvements - Phoronix
Categories: Linux
UK Cyclist Receives 3D-Printed Facial Prosthetic After Crash Left Him With Third-Degree Burns
A cyclist who received severe third-degree burns to his head after being struck by a drunk driver has been fitted with a printed 3D face. The Guardian: Dave Richards, 75, was given a 3D prosthetic by the NHS that fits the space on his face and mimics his hair colour, eye colour and skin. [...] While recovering, he was referred to reconstructive prosthetics, which has opened the Bristol 3D medical centre, the first of its kind in the UK to have 3D scanning, design and printing in a single NHS location. Richards, from Devon, said surgeons tried to save his eye but "they were worried any infection could spread from my eye down the optic nerve to the brain so the eye was removed."
[...] He called the process of getting a 3D-printed face "not the most pleasant." He added: "In the early days of my recovery, I felt very vulnerable, and would not expose myself to social situations. It took me a long time to feel comfortable about my image, how I thought people looked at me and what they thought of me -- but I have come a long way in that respect."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Nearly 90% of Windows Games Now Run on Linux, Latest Data Shows
Nearly nine in ten Windows games can now run on Linux systems, according to data from ProtonDB compiled by Boiling Steam. The gains came through work by developers of WINE and Proton translation layers and through interest in hardware like the Steam Deck.
ProtonDB tracks games across five categories. Platinum-rated games run perfectly without adjustment. Gold titles need minor tweaks. Silver games are playable but imperfect. Bronze exists between silver and borked. Borked games refuse to launch. The proportion of new releases earning platinum ratings has grown. The red and dark red zones have thinned. Some popular titles remain incompatible, however. Boiling Steam noted that other developers appear averse to non-Windows gamers.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Categories: Linux
Nearly 90% of Windows Games Now Run on Linux, Latest Data Shows
Nearly nine in ten Windows games can now run on Linux systems, according to data from ProtonDB compiled by Boiling Steam. The gains came through work by developers of WINE and Proton translation layers and through interest in hardware like the Steam Deck.
ProtonDB tracks games across five categories. Platinum-rated games run perfectly without adjustment. Gold titles need minor tweaks. Silver games are playable but imperfect. Bronze exists between silver and borked. Borked games refuse to launch. The proportion of new releases earning platinum ratings has grown. The red and dark red zones have thinned. Some popular titles remain incompatible, however. Boiling Steam noted that other developers appear averse to non-Windows gamers.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Distribution Release: Fedora 43
The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Jef Spaleta has announced the launch of Fedora 43. The key highlights of the new release are a new system installer which was tested in the Workstation edition of Fedora 42 and is now available for all spins, and Wayland-only sessions on the Workstation edition. "There are, however,....
Categories: Linux
DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 1145
The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. This week in DistroWatch Weekly:
Review: Linux Mint Debian Edition 7
News: AlmaLinux offers Btrfs support for fresh installs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5.0, Fedora accepts AI-written contributions, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates
Questions and answers: Advice for new Linux users
Released last week: Ultramarine Linux 42, OpenBSD 7.8, Clonezilla....
Review: Linux Mint Debian Edition 7
News: AlmaLinux offers Btrfs support for fresh installs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5.0, Fedora accepts AI-written contributions, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates
Questions and answers: Advice for new Linux users
Released last week: Ultramarine Linux 42, OpenBSD 7.8, Clonezilla....
Categories: Linux
Development Release: MX Linux 25 RC1
The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. The MX Linux team has announced the availability of the first release candidate for MX Linux 25, the upcoming major release of the project's Debian-based Linux distribution with user-friendly enhancements and the Xfce desktop (with Fluxbox and KDE Plasma variants also provided). Departing from its non-systemd stand in....
Categories: Linux
Distribution Release: Planeta Tecno OS 7
The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Pablo Arreche has announced the release of a brand-new version of Planeta Tecno OS, a Uruguayan Linux distribution based on Debian 12, with MATE as the default desktop and a variety of artificial intelligence tools integrated into the desktop. "Today we officially present an improved version of Planeta....
Categories: Linux
Distribution Release: Vinari OS 5.0.0
The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Javier Vintimlla has announced the release of Vinari OS 5.0.0, the latest version of the project's a desktop Linux distribution based on Debian's "Stable" branch and featuring a customised GNOME desktop. Code-named "Krypton", Vinari OS 5.0.0 is the first release that is based on Debian 13. The changelog....
Categories: Linux