Systemd is Back, Microsoft Hearts Linux, and Qubes OS

News seemed a bit slow on this All Hallows Eve, but there was still plenty to highlight. Folks are questioning Microsoft's recent claims to "love Linux." Systemd is back in the headlines with a primer from Chris Hoffman, a Fedora Rawhide systemd warning is in effect, and someone Ask Slashdot if readers could say anything nice about systemd. Jack M. Germain reviews Qubes OS and Larry Cafiero brings "The Wide World of Canonical."

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was recently quoted as saying he (and by extension, Microsoft) loves Linux for cloud stuff and part of their cloud effort is running on Linux. Well, that was yesterday. Today folks are asking if they heard correctly. Our own Sam Dean asks if their love extends beyond the cloud stuff - probably not. Simon Phipps today said, "The evidence suggests Microsoft "loves" Linux the same way abusive partners "love" their spouses -- a deep need in one area of the relationship that changes nothing elsewhere." Besides, didn't we hear all this changing of heart stuff before?

Larry Cafiero today posted a humorous look at some of Canonicals claims and numbers. Many of us have heard and questioned the "25 million users in 240 countries" claim, but Cafiero tackles it head on today by saying numbers "may not be Canonical's strongest suit." Cafiero points out there aren't 240 established countries in the world. He concludes, "I'm going to give Canonical the benefit of the doubt and just chalk it up to a simple error, rather than just another case in a long line of misinformation."

Several systemd items appeared in the news this evening. First up, Chris Hoffman has an introduction to this controversial software. He gives a nice little summary with graphics making it (and the controversy) easier to understand.  Then after weighing some of the pros and cons Hoffman concludes, "If Linus Torvalds doesn’t have any big issues with the design of systemd, perhaps it’s not all bad."

This might be too late for Rawhide users but Adam Williamson and Kevin Fenzi have both warned of a "nasty little bug" in the new systemd 217. Williamson said, "It’s probably not a good idea to try and upgrade to Fedora 21 with fedup right now. Don’t do it. Really, don’t." Fenzi said it's been fixed upstream and packages should be available tomorrow. Williamson added it should all be ironed out by Beta Tuesday.

And finally, Slashdot user samzenpus asked, "Can You Say Something Nice About Systemd?" The very first comment is titled, "What Does Systemd Mean to Me?"

In other news:

* Security-Minded Qubes OS Will Satisfy Your Yen for Xen

* Desktop Linux users beware: the boss thinks you need to be managed

* Free-software pioneer says it's all about liberty