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SteamVR 2.14 brings fixes for a Linux memory leak, a Steam Link freeze for AMD GPUs and more  GamingOnLinux

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Some members of the maker community are distraught about Arduino's new terms of service (ToS), saying that the added rules put the company's open source DNA at risk. Arduino updated its ToS and privacy policy this month, which is about a month after Qualcomm announced that it's acquiring the open source hardware and software company. Among the most controversial changes is this addition: "User shall not: translate, decompile or reverse-engineer the Platform, or engage in any other activity designed to identify the algorithms and logic of the Platform's operation, unless expressly allowed by Arduino or by applicable license agreements ..." In response to concerns from some members of the maker community, including from open source hardware distributor and manufacturer Adafruit, Arduino posted a blog on Friday. Regarding the new reverse-engineering rule, Arduino's blog said: "Any hardware, software or services (e.g. Arduino IDE, hardware schematics, tooling and libraries) released with Open Source licenses remain available as before. Restrictions on reverse-engineering apply specifically to our Software-as-a-Service cloud applications. Anything that was open, stays open." But Adafruit founder and engineer Limor Fried and Adafruit managing editor Phillip Torrone are not convinced. They told Ars Technica that Arduino's blog leaves many questions unanswered and said that they've sent these questions to Arduino without response. "Why is reverse-engineering prohibited at all for a company built on openly hackable systems?" Fried and Torrone asked in a shared statement. There are also concerns about the ToS' broad new AI-monitoring powers, which offer little clarity on what data is collected, who can access it, or how long it's retained. On top of that, the update introduces an unusual patent clause that bars users from using the platform to identify potential infringement by Arduino or its partners, along with sweeping, perpetual rights over user-generated content. This could allow Arduino, and potentially Qualcomm, to republish, modify, monetize, or redistribute user uploads indefinitely.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader shares a report: The average American now holds onto their smartphone for 29 months, according to a recent survey by Reviews.org, and that cycle is getting longer. The average was around 22 months in 2016. [...] Research released by the Federal Reserve last month concludes that each additional year companies delay upgrading equipment results in a productivity decline of about one-third of a percent, with investment patterns accounting for approximately 55% of productivity gaps between advanced economies. The good news: businesses in the U.S. are generally quicker to reinvest in replacing aging equipment. The Federal Reserve report shows that if European productivity had matched U.S. investment patterns starting in 2000, the productivity gap between the U.S and European economic heavyweights would have been reduced by 29 percent for the U.K., 35 percent for France, and 101% for Germany.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Amazon Black Friday Week 2025 has arrived, and I will update this post over the next several days. My first stop is to check the “Buy Again” tab for any red discounts on the specific stuff that you already buy. There are also several refreshed promos for linking certain credit cards as payment methods and/or using their points. I recommend trying all the links again.

(Note: If you are reading this in an email/RSS reader, unfortunately I am not allowed to include any Amazon affiliate links in e-mails, so they have been removed. Please click here to view the links.)

Some deals require a Prime membership. New members can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Amazon Prime Student (student OR age 18-24) has a 6-month free trial and then 50% off the regular price ($7.49/month). If you’ve already done the trial, you can simply buy a month of Prime for $14.99 ($6.99 with SNAP, EBT or Medicaid card).

Deals and Offers

• List of all current Black Friday deals (updated constantly).
• Gift Card Sale – Up to 20% Off. Examples include CPK, Cracker Barrel, Krispy Kreme, Lane Bryant, Eddie Bauer. .
• Don’t have the Prime Visa? Get a limited-time $250 instant Amazon gift card (limited-time offer).
• Already have the Prime Visa? Get 10% back on these Prime Card Bonus items.
• Earn 25 cents/gallon of gas on Fridays with Earnify. After that, save 10¢ a gallon at BP, Amoco, and participating ampm stations when you link your Amazon Prime and earnify accounts.
• Amazon Device Deals (Echo, Blink, Eero, Ring, Kindle, Fire, etc).
• Apple Deals (Apple Watch, Airpods, Macbook, AirTags, etc).
• Samsung Deals (Galaxy Phones, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Watch, etc).
• YETI Deals (YETI tumblers, bottles, coolers, etc)
• Sony Deals (headphones, earbuds, cameras)
• Playstation Deals (headphones, earbuds, cameras)
• Dyson Deals
• Apple iPad (A16, 11th Gen, 128 GB) – $279 (20% off)

Amazon-related Services

• Kindle Unlimited – 3 months for $1 trial. Usually $11.99 a month. Targeted.
• Amazon Music – 3 months free. Usually $10.99 a month. Targeted.
• Audible Premium Plus – $0.99/month for 3 months + $20 Audible credit. Includes 1 free credit per month, so that could be 4 free audiobooks. Targeted.
• Amazon Photos – $15 credit with first-time use.

Shop with points (check again if targeted). Offers for using your rewards points to offset your Amazon purchase. If you haven’t linked your card, you may enroll your card and check back in after 24 hours.

• Get $10 off with Discover® rewards. Refreshed; Your targeted offer might be better.
• Get 15% off with Membership Rewards points. Refreshed; Your targeted offer might be better.
• Get 10% off with American Express Reward Dollars. Refreshed; Your targeted offer might be better.
• Get $ off with Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Most likely not working at the moment.
• Get $ off with Capitol One Rewards points. Most likely not working at the moment.
• Get $ off with US Bank Rewards points. Most likely not working at the moment.
• Get $ off with Citi ThankYou points. Most likely not working at the moment.

Stuff I Like

• SHOKZ OpenRun Bone Conduction Headphones – I bought these for running about a year ago and they have been great. I can hear cars and other road noise for safety but also enjoy music or audiobooks while outside. I honestly don’t know what the more expensive version offers, I bought this cheaper version and it works just fine through the sweat and rain.
• Apple Watch SE (3rd Gen, most recent) [GPS + Cellular 40mm] . Now $249. I just bought one for Kid #2 for use as a standalone watch with US Mobile service ($78 a year).
• Coway AP-1512HH HEPA Air Purifier. These have now been used nightly for 7 (!) years. The mechanical design is simple and reliable. I have alternated between the OEM Coway filters and these VEVA brand filters and found them very comparable. Once you see how much dust these things collect, then you keep them running.
• Dyson V11 Origin Cordless Vacuum. Expensive. Powerful. Solid. Used daily.
• Amazon Eero mesh WiFi router system (3-pack). I have the older model, but I appreciate that it continues to just work with minimal fuss. Used reliably every day for years now.
• COSORI Air Fryer 5 Qt. Love this air fryer. We use it almost daily, just like a microwave, except it keeps things crispy instead of soggy. Easy to clean. Owned since early 2023 and still running fine.
• Vitamix 5200 blender. Had it for many years. Kitchen staple, sometimes we use it a lot, sometimes rarely, but it’s always there ready and powerful.
• KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer. 20 years of use on ours and counting.

An anonymous reader shares a report: As part of the settlement with Universal, Udio has amended its terms of service, and users can no longer download their outputs. This has AI music makers furious, and with good reason. Unfortunately, they have little recourse, as the contract they sign when creating a Udio account includes a waiver of the right to bring a class action.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Crypto exchange Kraken is now offering up to a $150 bonus in crypto after you open a new account and complete the requirements. You must trade crypto that isn’t stablecoin, like BTC. The details are below. That’s my referral link, which should auto-populate with the promo code 2zr4jyp5 . Thanks if you use it!

• Open an account and deposit at least $100.
• Trade at least $100, earn $15.
• Trade at least $300, earn $20. ($35 total)
• Trade at least $500, earn $50. ($75 total)
• Trade at least $5,000, earn $75. ($150 total)

Select cashback portals are offering bonuses as well, which change regularly but can be upward of $100 as well, like TopCashback and Rakuten. The payouts vary up to daily, but I would wait until one is above $100, currently Rakuten is at $125 at time of writing (Hat tip to DoC). I am not 100% certain if this will stack with the referral discount, but I would still try going through the portal link and then adding the referral code. There are multiple successful reports of stacking.

Other crypto offers:

• Gemini $50 bonus after trading $100.
• OKX $150 bonus after depositing and trading $200 of crypto.

Rust For Linux Kernel Co-Maintainer Formally Steps Down  Phoronix

Drug maker Novo Nordisk says semaglutide, the active ingredient for the weight loss jab Wegovy, does not slow Alzheimer's -- despite initial hopes that it might help against dementia. From a report: Researchers began two large trials involving more than 3,800 people after reports the medicine was having an impact in the real world. But the studies showed the GLP-1 drug, which is already used to manage type 2 diabetes and obesity, made no difference compared to a dummy drug. The disappointing results are due to be presented at an Alzheimer's disease conference next month and are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

This immutable Linux distro has a killer tool that sets it apart - and makes ditching Windows easy  ZDNET

This immutable Linux distro has a killer tool that sets it apart - and makes ditching Windows easy  ZDNET

This immutable Linux distro has a killer tool that sets it apart - and makes ditching Windows easy  ZDNet

Google's long-rumored plan to merge ChromeOS and Android into a single desktop operating system now has a name: Aluminium OS, AndroidAuthority reports, citing a job listing. The job listing explicitly tasks applicants with "working on a new Aluminium, Android-based, operating system." The job listing confirms Google intends to eventually replace ChromeOS entirely, though the two platforms will coexist during a transition period. Aluminium OS won't be limited to budget hardware -- the listing references "AL Entry," "AL Mass Premium," and "AL Premium" tiers across laptops, detachables, tablets, and mini-PCs.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Target also has some gift cards on sale that may be of interest:

• Free $15 Target Gift Card when you buy a $100 Apple Gift Card. Apple gift cards are good on everything from devices to app purchases to iCloud storage.
• Free $15 Target Gift Card when you buy a $100 Cheesecake Factory Gift Card.
• 15% to 20% on select gift cards (includes Uber/Uber Eats, Xbox, Fandango, Red Robin, Cinemark movies, etc).
• Free $5 Target Gift Card when you buy a $50 Google Play gift card.

Curiosity Stream, the decade-old science documentary streaming service founded by Discovery Channel's John Hendricks, expects its AI licensing business to generate more revenue than its 23 million subscribers by 2027 -- possibly earlier. The company's Q3 2025 earnings revealed a 41% year-over-year revenue increase, driven largely by deals licensing its content to train large language models. Year-to-date AI licensing brought in $23.4 million through September, already exceeding half of what the subscription business generated for all of 2024. The streaming service's library contains 2 million hours of content, but the "overwhelming majority" is earmarked for AI licensing rather than subscriber viewing, CEO Clint Stinchcomb said during the earnings call. Curiosity Stream is licensing 300,000 hours of its own programming and 1.7 million hours of third-party content to hyperscalers and AI developers. The company has completed 18 AI-related deals across video, audio, and code assets.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Google is pushing back on viral social media posts and articles like this one by Malwarebytes, claiming Google has changed its policy to use your Gmail messages and attachments to train AI models, and the only way to opt out is by disabling "smart features" like spell checking. But Google spokesperson Jenny Thomson tells The Verge that "these reports are misleading -- we have not changed anyone's settings, Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

AMD SDCIAE Working Its Way Into The Linux 6.19 Kernel  Phoronix

Action1 Extends Autonomous Endpoint Management to Linux, Giving MSSPs a Unified Cross-Platform Patching Platform  MSSP Alert

Action1 Extends Autonomous Endpoint Management to Linux, Giving MSSPs a Unified Cross-Platform Patching Platform  MSSP Alert

Action1 Extends Autonomous Endpoint Management to Linux, Giving MSSPs a Unified Cross-Platform Patching Platform  MSSP Alert

Linux Foundation Launches the Open Robust Compartmentalization Alliance (ORCA) to Advance Software Security  PR Newswire