Table of Contents

Welcome From The Chief Editor

ICYMI: Ransomware Operation Adds Support For Linux Devices

PCLinuxOS Recipe Corner: Black Garlic Potatoes Au Gratin

Exploring LXQt: A Basic Guide, Part 2

Fair Use Creep Is A Feature, Not A Bug

Converting Between Graphics Formats, Revisited

Tip Top Tips: Xfce Configuration For The CAPS-LOCK

GIMP Tutorial: Time-Saving Tips

PCLinuxOS Bonus Recipe Corner: Spicy Mac 'N' Cheese

Game Zone: X-Com: UFO Defense

PCLinuxOS Puzzled Partitions

Screenshot Showcase

From The Chief Editor's Desk...

OMG! Not again!

In the U.S., Daylight Savings Time is "starting" again. As in, "spring forward." That means we all advance our clocks by one hour. Bleh! I'm reminded of the supposed old American Indian quote (no one really knows if it is, but it makes the point perfectly): "Only white man thinks that cutting one foot from top of blanket and sewing to bottom of blanket makes blanket one foot longer."

I'm sure this insanity is also happening in other parts of the world.

This year, the U.S.'s observance of the annual time dance fiasco starts at 2 a.m. on March 12, 2023. Residents of the U.K. complete their annual time dance fiasco two weeks later, on March 26, 2023.

In case you can't tell, I ***hate*** the whole messing-with-the-clocks insanity.

Time, at least in the way that we refer to it, is a manmade construct. We've set it up to help explain night from day, to mark the passage of time during our lifespan, to help establish some order to our existence, and is precisely tailored to (and ruled by) the diurnal behavior of the only home world we have. Oh, it has other attributes, too. This list could go on for a long time, but you get the idea. Entire series of books have been written trying to explain our concept of time.

I'm more of the mind that if you want more hours of daylight, get up and get started on the day's activities earlier. Most animals rule their lives by hours of daylight. They get up and "do their thing" when the sun goes up (or down) and bed down to rest when the sun goes down (or up). The "confusion" there depends on whether the animal is nocturnal, or if it goes about its activities during the daylight. We are the only fools of the animal kingdom that think we can come up with a better way of defining our existence than that from Mother Nature herself.

And, it's not as though we "create" additional hours of daylight. Rather, we temporarily reassign different values to them. No matter how we mark them, there are still the same number of hours of daylight in any given day.

A year or two ago, in the U.S., the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill to permanently move us to year-round Daylight Savings Time, where we stay on the advanced hours year round and do away with the end of Daylight Savings Time in the fall. There would be no more "falling back" in November, as it is now.

The last I had heard was that although passing through the U.S. Senate, the bill never passed through the U.S. House of Representatives, and cannot be enacted unless or until it is approved by both chambers of Congress.

Phew! Narrowly dodged that one!

I'm a proponent of just doing away with the whole Daylight Savings Time mess, and keeping us on regular time all year. With one move, we can eliminate all of the stress associated with the biannual dance with our clocks. The "stress" induced is well documented, even among prestigious scientific outlets. Perform your own search for "stress of daylight savings time."

And stress is one thing we'd all like to lessen its impact on our lives. We sure don't need to add to it, and if we can eliminate some of it, then even better. Here's our chance to set things right, and to lessen stress at the same time.

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This month's cover image is by Monoar_CGI_Artist, on Pixabay.

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Until next month, I bid you peace, happiness, serenity and prosperity ... and continued good health!

ICYMI: Ransomware Operation Adds Support For Linux Devices

by Paul Arnote (parnote)

I'm going to try something a little different this month. To be perfectly honest, the monthly Short Topix column is very time consuming to write (as in DAYS, not hours), and sometimes (often) quite difficult to write. I collect "things" that I think might be of interest to a wide variety of PCLinuxOS users all month long, and that part isn't changing.

PCLinuxOS users have a wide variety of interests, and it's important to keep ourselves informed about what's going on beyond the borders of our beloved PCLinuxOS playground. Sometimes, it's even good to reach out beyond our normal interests and comfort zone. It's how we discover "new things" that we like. A "roundup" article, therefore, is still warranted (in my humble opinion). So, to mark the "change," we're going to change the name of Short Topix to ICYMI (in case you missed it). The entries will be shorter, with the same links you've become accustomed to in the Short Topix column, and you can follow the links to read more about the topics that interest you.

This will be more of a "roundup" type of article. Gone will be the subdivisions that have been a part of the former Short Topix column. Instead, I'll be presenting items in the order in which I "find" them. This should also lend itself to having an even greater range of topics. Instead of me wondering how I'm going to write up the assorted sections of the previous Short Topix article (which resulted in some items never being mentioned, for a myriad of reasons), there'll just be a short "blurb" about each item to give you the gist of what each "topic" is about.

Hopefully, this will make the column easier to write every month, plus give you -- the readers -- a wider variety of topics. Prior to this change, and since I'm being honest about it all, I was considering doing away with the Short Topix column. I just didn't have the time or resources to continue Short Topix in its current format. However, this change will/should allow us to maintain that monthly "happenings" column, hopefully without the strain that Short Topix placed upon me. So, let's try it "this" way for a while.

Now ... let's see what you might have missed ...

Your Gmail account will soon look a little bit different as the company finally rolls out its long-expected makeover to all users, according to an article on TechRadar.

Astronomers have discovered 12 new moons around Jupiter, putting the total count at a record-breaking 92, according to an article on Yahoo! News. That's more than any other planet in our solar system. Saturn, the one-time leader, comes in a close second with 83 confirmed moons.

Royal Ransomware is the latest ransomware operation to add support for encrypting Linux devices to its most recent malware variants, specifically targeting VMware ESXi virtual machines, according to an article on BleepingComputer.

New research from Check Point Research exposes a crypter that stayed undetected for six years and is responsible for several major malware infections around the globe, according to an article on TechRepublic.

A new attack campaign launched by an unknown threat actor targets the U.S. with two malware families: MortalKombat ransomware and Laplas Clipper, according to an article on TechRepublic. The campaign is aimed at Windows users.

Helsinki-based security firm WithSecure has unearthed a kudzu-like network of fraudulent content aimed at getting people to invest in fake cryptocurrency investments, according to an article on TechRepublic.

Cybersecurity experts at Minerva recently made a stunning discovery of a new malware tagged Beep that has the features to evade detection and analysis by security software, according to an article on TechRepublic. The cybersecurity organization discovered Beep after samples were uploaded on VirusTotal.

Fears have been growing that the U.S. and the world could be hit by a recession this year, and with a slower economy comes the prospect of job cuts. If layoffs are in store, however, a new report from cybersecurity industry association (ISC)² says that security professionals will be among the least affected, according to an article on TechRepublic.

Two newly discovered forms of frozen salt water could help scientists resolve a mystery concerning the Solar System's ice-encrusted moons, according to an article on ScienceAlert.

Freiburg researchers demonstrate that the transport of molecules along the cell's skeleton plays a crucial role in cancer metastasis according to an article on SciTechDaily.

For the first time, researchers at the University of California San Diego have created an atomic-level computer model of the H1N1 virus that reveals new vulnerabilities through glycoprotein "breathing" and "tilting" movements, according to an article on SciTechDaily. This work, published in ACS Central Science, suggests possible strategies for the design of future vaccines and antivirals against influenza.

Google Chrome [has] always had a big problem with memory usage. [Google] is finally addressing the issue in a new Chrome 110 update that promises to reduce RAM usage by up to 30% and make the browser more efficient, according to an article on digitaltrends. Check out this article from ZDNet for directions on how to ensure these settings are turned on for you in Chrome 110.

The plethora of hidden features buried within Android phones are part of what makes these devices some of the best phones around. From simple hacks to help save you time, through to powerful developer tools, there are plenty of ways to get your Android phone to give you more, according to an article from Tom's Guide.

Heinz has launched a search for Elvis Francois, a man who survived on nothing but ketchup and spices while he was drifting at sea for 24 days, according to an article on The Independent.

Mars rovers tasked with hunting for traces of biology could roll over microscopic life forms without smelling a thing, simply because their instruments aren't up to the task. A new study carried out in Earth's oldest desert shows how current technology can't always spot the signatures of life on our own planet's surface. Let alone on Mars's, according to an article on Science Alert.

The networking subsystem feature updates for the Linux 6.3 kernel were submitted that feature not only some prominent networking driver enhancements and new wired/wireless hardware support but also core networking improvements like BIG TCP for IPv4, according to an article on Phoronix.

Linus Torvalds reacts to poorly-executed pull requests for Linux 6.3, according to an article on It's FOSS.

Meanwhile, Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, released the latest milestone with the Linux 6.2 kernel, according to an article on SDX Central. A big part of the new Linux kernel is a long list of networking-related updates that will serve as a foundation for the next generation of networking and telco equipment.

Researchers publishing in Age and Ageing have found that, rather than being protective, an increase in dietary protein is associated with an increased chance of sarcopenia, according to an article on lifespan.io.

An ongoing malware campaign targets YouTube and Facebook users, infecting their computers with a new information stealer that will hijack their social media accounts and use their devices to mine for cryptocurrency, according to an article on BleepingComputer.

People who regularly use laxatives, a common treatment for constipation, may have more than a 50% increased risk of developing dementia than people who do not use laxatives, according to a study published in the February 22, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, according to an article on the Science Blog website.

By 2025, nearly half of cybersecurity leaders will change jobs, 25% for different roles entirely due to multiple work-related stressors, according to Gartner, Inc. in a press release on the Gartner website.

Research into the disease [Alzheimer's] has focused on plaques in the brain. But some scientists think viruses and bacteria play a role -- and their work is gaining ground, according to an article on The Guardian.

For the first time, research conducted by Associate Professor Duc Dong, Ph.D. has revealed that the detrimental effects of Alagille syndrome, a genetic disorder that has no cure, can be reversed using a single drug, according to an article on SciTechDaily.

PCLinuxOS Recipe Corner: Black Garlic Potatoes Au Gratin

Black Garlic Potatoes Au Gratin

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp Black Garlic Salt *
1/2 tsp freshly ground Peppercorns
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup mascarpone
3/4 cup (6 oz) shredded Gruyére cheese
2 1/2 lbs (about 6) Yukon Gold potatoes, preferably uniform in size

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 F with the rack positioned in the center. Butter a 9-inch baking dish and place on a rimmed baking sheet, set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, thyme, black garlic salt and pepper; sautè with a wooden spoon until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 to 8 minutes. While continuing to stir, fold in the mascarpone and grated cheese until well combined and the cheese is melted. Set aside to prepare the potatoes.

Scrub the potatoes with a vegetable brush and thinly slice each potato using a Mandoline, about 1/8-inch thick.

Stir the cream mixture and pour half into the prepared baking dish. Arrange potatoes in a slight overlapping pattern. Depending on the size and shape of your baking dish, you may need to create additional rows. Pro-tip: Fan out the sliced potatoes in groups on the counter before arranging them in the dish. Slowly pour enough of the remaining cream mixture to barely cover the top of the potatoes, you may not need all of the filling. Too much filling will prevent the potatoes from crisping.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the potato edges are crispy. For a deeper golden brown crust, broil for a few minutes, but watch carefully as the cheese can burn easily.

Cool for 10 minutes, serve while warm.

* Where to buy Black Garlic Salt

https://jacobsensalt.com/collections/infused-sea-salt/products/infused-black-garlic-salt

https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Ground-Fermented-Garlic/dp/B08VW1MVHF/ref=sr_1_16?crid=YSF6L04WFF81&keywords=black+garlic+salt&qid=1672718165&sprefix=black+garlic+salt%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-16

TIPS:

Serve with a simple green salad or as a side dish for any occasion.
If you, like me, love crispy edges, opt for a wider baking dish with an increased surface area.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 190         Carbs: 26g         Fiber: 1g         Sodium: 330mg         Protein: 3g

Exploring LXQt: A Basic Guide, Part 2

by kalwisti (David Pardue)

Editor's Note: Part one of kalwisti's article appeared in the February 2023 issue. It continues here, with tips and themes.

PCManFM-Qt (File Manager) Tips

LXQt's default file manager, PCManFM-Qt, has some handy capabilities which might enhance your workflow. A split-screen feature makes it very convenient to copy files between two different locations.

In addition, PCManFM-Qt is able to connect to a remote server (such as an FTP server or NAS [Network Attached Storage]).

I described these two features in a previous magazine article, so I will refer you to that rather than repeating the information here. https://pclosmag.com/html/Issues/202103/page05.html

QMPlay2

I enjoy listening to internet radio streams while I am working on the computer. Although I usually install VLC Media Player for this purpose, I decided to try QMPlay2 (Qt Media Player 2) since it came pre-installed. QMPlay2 has impressed me; it can play all formats and streams supported by ffmpeg and libmodplug. Daniel has a personal connection with QMPlay2, as he is one of the program's German translators.

The app also has an integrated YouTube browser.

To add a radio stream (.mp3, .aac or .ogg), follow the steps below.

Open QMPlay2 and click on the "Internet radios" tab to bring it forward:

Click on the green " + " [plus] button to begin adding a new station:

Third in the pop-up dialog, paste the URL of your desired radio station and click the "OK" button:

The new station will appear in the "My radio stations" pane.

To name the station and add other ID metadata, click on the "Edit selected radio station" button:

Type in the station's name (or call letters and frequency) and click the OK" button:

Close the window, select your new radio station and click on the "Play" button.

If you want to turn off the music visualizer (animated display), click on the "X" box in the right corner above the graph:

Alternatively, you can accomplish this by going to the Widgets menu on the main toolbar > and unchecking (deselecting) "Simple visualization." (If you decide to restore the music visualizer later, just check (tick) this same menu option).

Integration with radio-browser.info Database

QMPlay2 has a feature that turns it into an excellent radio player; it incorporates the radio-browser.info database which currently contains more than 35,000 radio stations from around the world. This allows users to search for radio streams by (Radio) Name, Tag, Country, Language or State:

In the example below, I searched for stations / streams in the Basque language (an exotic isolate) and retrieved several results:

When you find a station that you enjoy and wish to save it to your Favorites list, right-click on the station and choose "Add to my radio stations":

Third, in the pop-up dialog

Clearing the Playlist and Grouping Stations

To clear your list of recently played stations, from the Playlist menu > select "Clear list."

To create a custom group of related stations (e.g., by genre, such as rock, jazz, classical), from the Playlist menu > choose "Create group" (or press the F7 function key).

In the screenshots below, I created a group of Classical radio stations. First, in the Properties pop-up window, type your desired group name or classification term, and click on the OK button:

Next, in your Playlist widget / panel, drag the relevant stations into your newly created group folder. (This screenshot shows the expanded view of my Classical folder):

FocusWriter (How to exit)

FocusWriter is designed to be a distraction-free word processor. As such, the application opens in full-screen mode and it was not apparent how to exit the program. (My first instinct was to press the Escape key, which had absolutely no effect).

To access the drop-down menus which are hidden away, move your cursor to the top of the screen. Once the top toolbar appears, go to the File menu > and select Quit. Or you may simply type the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Q.

The F11 function key toggles between Fullscreen mode and Minimal (smaller) mode.

Customization / Themes Basics

I should clarify that this is a bare-bones introduction because I am not a theming guru. I typically make only minor changes to the default theme, then focus on using the DE. However, for the purposes of this article, I spent more time experimenting than usual. Although LXQt looks nice out of the box, it looks even better after some customization.

The realm of themes is subjective and the old maxims, "De gustibus non est disputandum" and "Design trends are cyclical" hold true -- regarding icon themes, flat designs versus 3D or skeuomorphic designs, light versus dark themes, etc. For some people, dark themes lessen eye strain; for others, such themes cause discomfort. Some users prefer a mix: a dark desktop environment with a light-themed window manager. The permutations are almost endless, therefore I limited myself to configuring seven different themes: three official / native LXQt themes and four community-created themes. Screenshots of these themes appear at the end of the article, accompanied by a "specification sheet" of their configuration settings. If you see a combination that you like, you can quickly replicate it by referring to the spec sheet.

Many of the style components that you will be tweaking -- such as widget style, icons theme, LXQt theme -- are found under the Preferences menu > LXQt Settings > LXQt Configuration Center > Appearance:

LXQt themes are either located in /usr/share/lxqt/themes (if installed system-wide) or ~/.local/share/lxqt/themes. (If you install a theme locally, you will first need to create this directory. Don't forget the initial period before " .local "! To display hidden files / folders in PCManFM-Qt, either type Ctrl+Hb or go to its View menu > and select the Show Hidden option).

A nice feature is that locally installed themes are identified with the qualifier "(User Theme)" in the LXQt Theme list display:

Third, in the pop-up dialog Window Manager

This 2022.11 Community Edition uses xfwm4 as its window manager. (Since LXQt is windows-manager agnostic, some distros opt for Openbox as the window manager; others use xfwm4 as the WM. It is also possible to use KWin -- the window manager for KDE Plasma -- as the WM). Not only is xfwm4 available in nearly all Linux distros, but it also has the advantage of being a window manager and a compositor.

Xfwm4's settings are found under the Preferences menu > Admin > Configure Your Computer > Configure XFWM4 Window:

Kvantum Manager

Since it can be tricky to find a theme that matches both the Qt style and the GTK theme style, this is where Kvantum Manager plays a role. Kvantum is a theming engine -- a very nice app which allows us to make the DE more consistent with regard to theming. (However, you must still use Xfwm4 Settings to configure the window title bars and decorations).

Kvantum Manager is accessed via the Preferences menu > Admin > Configure Your Computer > Kvantum Manager. The active theme is indicated in the bottom left corner of its window:

To change the active Kvantum theme, click on the Change/Delete Theme tab:

Afterwards, a list of available themes will be displayed:

Once you have chosen a theme, click on the "Use This Theme" button to make your selected theme active:

To further explore a theme's settings, click on the "Configure Active Theme" button:

To watch Kvantum Manager in aThird, in the pop-up dialogction, visit Ermanno Ferrari's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijmu0IDFJ44

EF - Linux Made Simple. "LXQt Customization." YouTube (33 min., 16 sec.). 13 May 2020. The segment from 18:04 -- 19:58 focuses on Kvantum Manager. (Although he is using Arch Linux, Kvantum behaves identically in PCLinuxOS).

Other Considerations (Compositor)

If you own an older PC with limited resources, you can gain some speed and reduce the load on your graphics card by disabling visual effects and/or compositing. These settings can be found under the Preferences menu > Admin > Configure Your Computer > Configure XFWM4 Compositor. Next, click on the Compositor tab:

One of Linux's advantages is that it is customizable; you are not tied to how the default desktop looks. So if you are inclined to modify LXQt's appearance, I know that you can find settings that please you.

More LXQt themes can be found by searching Opendesktop.org. Creators often include brief instructions on how to install a particular theme:

https://www.opendesktop.org/browse?cat=446&ord=rating

Additional Resources on Customization

https://github.com/lxqt/lxqt/wiki/Theming

LXQt Wiki. "Theming."
https://www.pcsuggest.com/best-lxqt-themes/

Satapathi, Arnab. "5 Best LXQt themes for a better desktop experience." PCsuggest, 6 Mar. 2018.

Satapathi's installation instructions for the Lush theme and the Notturno theme are still valid (although for Notturno, you must first install the git package from the PCLinuxOS repositories).

https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-linux-tips/customize-the-lxqt-desktop/ Diener, Derrick. "How to Customize the LXQt Desktop." Addictive Tips, 21 July 2017.

https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/principles/web-design/flat-vs-material-skeuomorphic-examples/

Babich, Nick. "Flat vs. Material vs. Skeuomorphic Design Examples." Adobe XD Ideas, 24 Nov. 2020.

Theme Screenshots

Official Themes

1. Kvantum:

Widget style: kvantum
Icons theme: Papirus-Breeze
LXQt theme: Kvantum
Kvantum Manager theme: KvArcDark
XFWM4 WM style: Daloa
Wallpaper: plasma-logo-dark.png
(Stock wallpaper from /usr/share/lxqt/wallpapers)
Link to full-resolution screenshot: https://pcloscloud.com/index.php/s/i87rFS6yAPZfF4i

2. Valendas:

Widget style: kvantum
Icons theme: Papirus-Breeze
LXQt theme: Valendas
Kvantum Manager theme: KvArcDark
XFWM4 WM style: Daloa
Wallpaper: this-is-not-windows.jpg
(Stock wallpaper from /usr/share/lxqt/wallpapers)
Link to full-resolution screenshot: https://pcloscloud.com/index.php/s/AxW5pPrCZn4BSrK

3. Clearlooks:

Widget style: kvantum
Icons theme: Plataro
LXQt theme: Clearlooks
Kvantum Manager theme: KvCurvesLight
XFWM4 WM style: Daloa
Wallpaper: cloud.png
(Stock wallpaper from /usr/share/lxqt/wallpapers)
Link to full-resolution screenshot: https://pcloscloud.com/index.php/s/WsycCmCcsyrgA5w

Community Themes (Installed Locally)

4. Lush:

Widget style: kvantum

Icons theme: Papirus-Green

LXQt theme: Lush-lxqt-theme-0.1

Kvantum Manager theme: KvCurvesLight

XFWM4 WM style: Daloa

Wallpaper: drop.png

(Stock wallpaper from /usr/share/lxqt/wallpapers)

Link to full-resolution screenshot: https://pcloscloud.com/index.php/s/DD5cEZwS7crR5xt

5. Notturno:

Widget style: kvantum
Icons theme: Papirus-Blue
3 LXQt theme: Notturno
Kvantum Manager theme: KvArcDark
XFWM4 WM style: Daloa
Wallpaper: plasma-logo-dark.png
(Stock wallpaper from /usr/share/lxqt/wallpapers)
Link to full-resolution screenshot:https://pcloscloud.com/index.php/s/4H6mLLJ8kRZMENi

6. MGLinux:

Widget style: Fusion
Icons theme: Oxygen
LXQt theme: MGLinux
Kvantum Manager theme: KvCurvesLight
XFWM4 WM style: Daloa
Wallpaper: waves-logo.png
(Stock wallpaper from /usr/share/lxqt/wallpapers)
Link to full-resolution screenshot: https://pcloscloud.com/index.php/s/XfdbcXj37kQeGx8

7. EXperience (for nostalgia's sake with a smidgen of Windows XP humor):

Widget style: Windows
Icons theme: YlmfOS
LXQt theme: EXperience
Kvantum Manager theme: KvCurvesLight
XFWM4 WM style: Daloa
Wallpaper: Bliss_1920x1080.png
( Downloaded from the Google Drive link in this Reddit thread: https://tinyurl.com/4a23myxh )
Link to full-resolution screenshot: https://pcloscloud.com/index.php/s/tKGHEFg8QkdnHDr

Fair Use Creep Is A Feature, Not A Bug

by Corynne McSherry
Reprint from Electronic Frontier Foundation
Under Creative Commons Attribution License

Lawyers, scholars, and activists, including EFF, often highlight Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and Section 230 (originally of the Communications Decency Act) as the legal foundations of the internet. But there's another, much older, doctrine that's at least as important: Fair use, which dates back many decades and is codified in law as Section 107 of the Copyright Act. Fair use is, in essence, the right of the public to use a copyrighted work in a variety of circumstances, without the rightsholder's permission. It's why a reviewer can quote from the book they're reviewing, a parody video can include excerpts from a movie, and security researchers can copy a software program in order to test it for malware.

Fair use is essential to the internet for at least two reasons. First, the vast majority of what we do online, from email to texting to viewing images and making TikToks, involves creating, replicating, and/or repurposing copyrighted works. Since copyright is a limited but lengthy monopoly over those works, in theory, using or even viewing them might require a license; now, and for many decades in the future.

Second, technological innovation rarely means starting from scratch. Instead, developers build on existing technologies, hopefully improving them. But if the technology in question involves code, it is likely copyrightable. If so, that add-on innovation might require a license from the rightsholder, giving them a veto right on technological development.

As digital technologies dramatically (and sometime controversially) expand the reach of copyright, fair use helps ensure that the rights of the public expand as well.

Examples abound. In 2021, for example, the Supreme Court held that Google's use of certain Java Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) was a lawful fair use. While we argued that the API's weren't copyrightable in the first place, the decision gave more legal certainty to software developers' common practice of using, reusing, and re-implementing software interfaces written by others, a custom that underlies most of the internet and personal computing technologies we use every day. Or consider Authors' Guild v. Hathitrust, where the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that fair use sheltered book digitization. Contrary to the complaints of rightsholders, neither decision has discouraged investment in new creativity.

Today, fair use is helping to defend the efforts of public interest organizations to share culture, ideas, and knowledge in ways that would never have been possible without the internet. In one case, at stake is the ability of librarians to make decisions about how to curate and lend the books in their collections. In another, at stake is access to the law.

In Hachette v. Internet Archive, four of the biggest publishers in the world, are trying to shut down Controlled Digital Lending, which allows people to check out digital copies of books for two weeks or less and only permits patrons to check out as many copies as the Archive and its partner libraries physically own. That means that if the Archive and its partner libraries have only one copy of a book, then only one patron can borrow it at a time.

Supported by authors, libraries, and scholars, the Internet Archive has explained that CDL is a lawful fair use that serves copyright's ultimate purpose: enriching our common culture. Through CDL, the Internet Archive is fostering research and learning by helping its patrons access books and by keeping books in circulation when their publishers have lost interest in them. Digital lending also allows patrons to borrow books without having their reading habits tracked by commercial entities, like OverDrive and Amazon, that may not share librarians' traditional commitment to protecting privacy. Perhaps most importantly, it gives librarians the power to curate their own digital collections, just as they curate their physical collections. If the publishers have their way, however, books, like an increasing amount of other copyrighted works, will only be rented, never owned, available subject to the publishers' whim.

In ASTM et al v. Public.Resource.Org, three huge industry associations are trying to prevent a tiny nonprofit, Public.Resource.Org, from posting online standards, such as building codes, that have been made into laws. Our laws belong to all of us, and we should be able to find, read, and comment on them free of registration requirements, fees, and other roadblocks. The industry associations insist that because they helped shepherd the volunteers who actually develop those standards, they own and can control access to those laws. As Public Resource explained to a federal appeals court last year, even assuming the standards can be subject to copyright at all, posting them online, for free, to facilitate research and comment, is a quintessential fair use. A lower court has already reached that conclusion, and we expect the appeals court will agree.

The lawsuits are ongoing, but these projects, and the benefits they create, might not exist at all if these nonprofits couldn't rely on the fair use doctrine.

But even where a use is clearly lawful and fair, efforts to invoke it can be stymied by practical, technical, and legal barriers. Defending fair uses can be expensive. As Professor Larry Lessig once said, "Fair use is the right to hire a lawyer" -- and many of us don't have the resources to do that, nor access to pro bono counsel. What's worse is rightsholders often rely on a combination of contracts, technical measures, and legal constraints to prevent or inhibit fair uses. In the gaming space, for example, vendors require users to agree to contracts that forbid them from using add-on services, and do not hesitate to sue third parties who try to provide those services. They put digital locks on games to prevent efforts to remix or even just preserve games for posterity. And if anyone breaks those digital locks, even for otherwise lawful reason, they may face a legal claim under Section 1201 of the DMCA.

But this problem goes far beyond traditional creative industries. Manufacturers of everything from medical devices to tractors use the same tactics to prevent independent repair and competitive innovation that are otherwise protected fair uses.

As technology creeps into every facet of our lives, right holders will continue to look to copyright to jealously guard their legacy position as gatekeepers. Fortunately for the public, fair use has likewise grown to protect the original purpose of copyright: to encourage forward progress. And no matter what Hollywood or John Deere tells you, that's a feature, not a bug.

Converting Between Graphics Formats, Revisited

by Paul Arnote (parnote)

Back in November 2022, there was a thread in the PCLinuxOS forum where GOTHBITES was asking how to view a JXL (JPEG XL) file. Back in April 2022, the JXL format was talked about in an article on WEBP graphics. PCLinuxOS users ... heck, most users, regardless of the operating system ... are pretty much up a creek without a paddle when it comes to viewing or using JXL files. I'm doubtful that the JXL format will gain much traction, performing like most of the JPEG Group's other attempted modifications to the original JPG format. And none of them resulted in anything resembling widespread use, except among the committee members and their fanbois.

By the second page of the aforementioned forum thread, talk had turned to the "newish" WEBP graphic format (originally announced by Google in September 2010 as an open source format, but the first stable version of its library didn't come out until April 2018, according to Wikipedia) that appears to be coming on strong with widespread adoption, at least on the web. I've even seen "reports" that the Google Chrome web browser will save images in the WEBP format when/if you select "Save Image..." from an image on a web page. However, none of the usual word processors or publishing programs known and used by Linux users (including LibreOffice and Scribus) recognize the WEBP graphics format, but all of the major web browsers and GIMP support the format.

As a result, users are encountering WEBP graphic files at an ever increasing rate. In short, the huge benefit to WEBP graphic files is their smaller file size and excellent image quality means web designers can use smaller files, which helps webpages load and display faster. Whenever those users find a WEBP graphic and want to use that graphic in a LibreOffice creation or in a publishing program, that WEBP graphic has to be converted to either a PNG or JPG file (typically) that the importing program recognizes.

Now rewind 10 years, to March 2013. Then, I published a custom Zenity-enhanced bash script in my Xfce Power User Tips, Tricks & Tweaks: Working With Graphics article. I still use that bash script, albeit slightly enhanced, attached to a Thunar Custom Action today ... A LOT. That forum thread lit a fire under me to further enhance the script I originally published 10 years ago.

So, below is the newly enhanced version of that script. To keep the line numbers in proper order, the script is presented as a graphic. You can download the script from the magazine website. When/if you do so, store the bash file wherever you typically store your bash files (preferably somewhere within your path), strip the ".txt" file extension from the downloaded file, and make the file executable.

The first 10 lines of the script create the Zenity dialog box below (specifically, line 5), asking the user to choose a graphics file format to convert the original graphic to. I have altered the original script to prevent accidentally overwriting your original files. In previous iterations of this script, if you entered the same file extension for the output file as the input file, and you were saving that file in the current directory (./), you risked overwriting your original file. Such an overwrite of your original graphic file(s) has the potential to be disastrous. Of course, if the image is already in the format you desire, there's little other reason for you to be using this script, anyways. But, mistakes can and do happen, so I've taken steps to mitigate this particular disastrous outcome. Another thing you could do would be to specify a new directory (in the third dialog box of this script) to place all of your output files into. But, my solution should completely eliminate the possibility of your original files ever being overwritten.

You can choose between JPG, PNG, WEBP, AVIF, TIFF, BMP or GIF file formats for the output file. The last two were added in a flight of fancy, and I suspect not too many users will want to use either on a regular basis. It would be trivial to add (or remove) file formats to this command in line 5 (hint: they are listed near the end of that command). If you choose to add additional graphic file formats to the script, just be sure that they are formats that ImageMagick recognizes (since it's what does the heavy lifting in this script).

Lines 9 and 10, holdovers from the original script where users had to enter the file format manually, ensure that the file extension is in lowercase text.

In the next dialog box (represented by lines 12-15 in the script), enter the number representing the percentage of quality level for the output file. You can enter any number between 1 and 100. Just keep in mind that larger numbers represent less compression (thus, a larger output file size and higher image quality), while smaller numbers represent greater compression (thus, a smaller output file size and lower image quality).

I've also added in some "error checking" with this version of the script, in lines 16-19. The number you enter MUST be between 1 and 100. If it is not, a Zenity error dialog appears, as shown below, and the script exits. The script also displays the error message and exits if you hit the "Enter" key without any input, or if you enter letters instead of numbers, or a mixture of letters and numbers.

The third (main) dialog box (represented by lines 30-36) is where you specify the directory for the output file. You can enter "./" as the output directory (meaning the same directory as the input file). Or, you can specify a different directory. If the directory you specify doesn't already exist, it will be created for you.

Lines 38-47 set up a loop that processes each file (yes, you can enter multiple files or use wildcards) with the ImageMagick convert command (line 44). It's in this line of the script where the valid value you entered for the quality level is appended to the end of the input filename, preventing the overwriting of your original file(s).

Finally, line 49 displays a progress dialog box for visual feedback for the user about where in the process the script is for converting the graphic files, before exiting cleanly when all tasks are completed in line 51.

As with most of my scripts, it is intended to be run either as a standalone bash script from the command line, or (in my case, and in the case of other Xfce users) as a Custom Action from within Thunar. If you are "new" to Xfce and need assistance in setting up the Custom Action in Thunar, review my original article from March 2013. There, I show step-by-step how to create the Custom Action for this script. Mate and KDE users should also have very little trouble adapting this to either Caja or Dolphin file managers in a similar manner, but I'm not the one to direct that endeavor, since I really never use those desktops. I'm sorry LXQt users, but PCFileMan is a different animal altogether.

Summary

This article isn't a deep, detailed look at the WEBP graphics format. For that, reread my previous article from 11 months ago, where I dive deeply into it. It is a good output format that offers very good image quality with great savings in file size.

However, it's going to take time for the LibreOffice and Scribus developers ... and many others ... to catch up. For example, my favorite image viewer is GPicView, because it's so small and fast. It is incapable (at this time) of viewing WEBP images.

I have not tested the script with JXL files (why would I even have these files littering up the place when there's so little support for them in the first place?), but it should also work to convert from that format. Basically, if ImageMagick "understands" the input graphic file format, the script should be able to convert it to a more common graphic file format that you can use.

So, for those times when you need to convert between graphic file formats, I give you this bash file to more easily facilitate the conversion of WEBP graphic files to a format that you can use with those programs. Are there other ways to get the "job" done? Certainly. But this script is simple and easy, and most of all, reliable.

Tip Top Tips: Xfce Configuration For The CAPS-LOCK

by Davecs
from The PCLinuxOS Forum

Do you ever look up from your keyboard to the screen, only to see that you've typed everything in CAPS, and you have to delete and retype it? You'd pressed the CAPS key in error. It happens.

Now in the Xfce Settings Manager > Keyboard > Layout, it's possible to reassign CAPS LOCK to Compose, meaning that the worst that can happen if you accidentally hit the CAPS key is that one character has to be replaced by 2 or 3. However, if you do that, there may be times when you actually require CAPS to be LOCKed. One example here in Britain is when you get a loyalty voucher from a well-known supermarket chain, and to claim it, you have to enter a long string of characters consisting of numbers and capital letters, and you don't want to keep alternating the SHIFT key as you type. Lower case letters result in an error. It is possible to set CAPS LOCK by pressing both SHIFT keys via the KDE Control Centre, but not Xfce.

As a sort of extra, there is a redundant light on most keyboards, the SCROLL LOCK indicator. If you have more than one language/layout setting on your keyboard, the Xfce Settings Manager>Keyboard>Layout, enables you to use a key (e.g. Scroll Lock) to switch between layouts, but does not allow you to toggle the indicator on the keyboard. This feature is enabled in the KDE Control Centre, but not in Xfce.

Well, here is a short script which will enable you to set CAPS LOCK by pressing both SHIFT keys together, and turning it off by pressing a single SHIFT key. It will also enable the SCROLL LOCK lamp to come on when you switch to your secondary keyboard layout. I've called it "keyboard-extras" and put it in the folder /usr/local/bin/. It has to be saved as root and made executable.

#!/bin/bash

#wait a while to let original setup finish first,
#on a slow computer you might need to give it more time
#otherwise the changes made in this script will be overwritten
#and ineffective

sleep 10

#this line adds the option for two shift keys together to set
#CAPS LOCK, and one of them alone to cancel it.

setxkbmap -option "shift:both_capslock_cancel"

#this line causes the SCROLL LOCK lamp to come on when you
#switch to your secondary keyboard layout.

setxkbmap -option "grp_led:scroll"

#other lines as necessary

Now all you have to do is add a new item to Xfce Settings Manager > Session and Startup as follows:

Name: Keyboard Extras
Description: Add extra features to keyboard
Command: /usr/local/bin/keyboard-extras
Trigger: on login

And you will have these extra features when you next log in!

GIMP Tutorial: Time-Saving Tips

by Meemaw

I've been on YouTube again, looking for extra knowledge about GIMP. As I've said before, one of my faves is Davies Media Design. He outlined ten time-saving tips, which are mostly keyboard shortcuts, but they are really good, so I'll share. Some of them have two tips in the same section, so you'll end up with more than ten.

1. Opening a new project - Pressing <CTRL> + N, then <Enter> quickly opens a new project using the last size & configuration you chose. Also, <CTRL> + 1 opens the last project you had open, <CTRL> + 2 opens the one before that, and so on…

2. Create guides easily using the Guides menu. <CTRL> + A selects all, then Image > Guides > New Guides opens a window where you can enter the location of your guide and which direction it needs to be. You can do this by percent or by measurement (there are two menu items - one says New Guides by percent). If you have something selected, you can do New Guides from selection, which will put guides around the borders of your selection. Below, I have added a horizontal guide to my blank project, and have opened it again to add a vertical one. My width was 1024 px so adding the guide at 512 px will make it centered.

3. You can open multiple images at the same time. All you have to do is select the ones you want to open and then drag them into the square at the top of the tools menu (where the GIMP mascot is), and all images will open in separate tabs. Also, if for some reason you want to open them all in the same project, drag them to the window where you do your work, and there will be one tab with each image on its own layer.

4. <CTRL> + F performs the last action you have done. On one of my photos, I used Levels to bring out the color of the vegetation. I thought that the same settings would work on one of the other photos, so I switched to it and pressed <CTRL> + F. Every photo is different, so that doesn't always work, but this time it worked pretty well for me. To bring up the last tool used (in my case it was Levels), press <CTRL> + <SHIFT> + F, and the tool's window will appear, and you can adjust it from there.

5. You can use the colors menu to change a layer mask. I know, layer masks are confusing, but if you have done one, you can change the effect. Years ago, I did a layer mask on an image of a flower for a different effect.

If I decide I want it to have the leaves colored and the flowers gray, I select the layer mask (that white square next to the upper layer), then choose Colors > Invert.

I don't like that - I like the red flowers, so I'll press <CTRL> + Z to undo the color invert.

6. Adding a folder location - If you put several things in one folder and don't want to have to keep finding it, you can add the folder location to your save window. I'm working on several photos I want to save in the same spot. When I export the first one, I can add that folder to my export window. When you navigate to the folder you want to save, select it, then click the little plus sign at the bottom left of the folder window.

Alternatively, if you have a folder you use a lot, you can go into GIMP Preferences, and add the folder location there (in the section called Folders).

7. Find where you originally got your image. If you haven't saved that folder to your shortcuts yet, and can't remember where you got that image, press File > Show in File Manager, and your file manager (Thunar, Dolphin, whatever you use) will open to the folder your image came from.

8. Move tool settings - The move tool has two different modes - pick a layer or guide, which means you have to select the layer or item you want to move. What if you have several stacked levels? Do you want to move something on the 5th level down and can't get hold of it? Change your Move mode to Move the active layer and make sure the correct level is chosen, and move your item.

9. Bring any layer to the top immediately - Press <Shift> + Up Arrow and your chosen layer will move instantly to the top. This works particularly well if your project has several layers.

10. Use the search action in Help to find any filter. Help > Search and run command can find that elusive filter in the location you forgot. For some reason, I need to generate a coffee stain on my drawing, but I can't remember where it is, so I'll choose that help item.

If you already know all of these tips, you're ahead of me! If not, I hope you learned some useful information!

PCLinuxOS Bonus Recipe Corner: Spicy Mac 'n' Cheese

Spicy Mac 'n' Cheese

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS :

3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 Serrano (or jalapeno peppers), chopped into thin rings
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for the top
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, plus more for the top
2 tsp of Jacobsen Salt Co. Tingly Sichuan Salt.
1 tsp freshly cracked Peppercorns
1 tbsp chives, thinly sliced
1 lb uncooked pasta shells (or elbow, penne, or rigatoni pasta but common shells are the best)
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

In a large saucepan, melt your butter over medium heat and cook your garlic until it turns translucent before adding your serrano peppers and cooking for an additional three minutes. Meanwhile, on the neighboring burner, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt into the water.

Lowering the heat under the pan to medium-low, pour your half and half into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Start to sprinkle in your cheeses one handful at a time while whisking each handful until it's fully incorporated into the sauce and season the cheesy mixture with Tingly Sichuan Salt and chives.

By this time, your water should be at a rolling boil, keeping your cheese sauce in the corner of your eye and continuing to stir so it doesn't stiffen or form a skin over its surface, cook your pasta and drain. Add your pasta shells to the saucepan with your cheesy sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until each noodle is completely coated in cheese.

Spoon your pasta into a baking dish or oven-safe cast iron skillet, get every drop of sauce over your shells. Top the baking dish or pan with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least five minutes before serving.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 530         Sodium: 550mg         Carbs: 51g         Fiber: 1g         Protein: 23g

Game Zone: X-Com: UFO Defense

by Alessandro Ebersol (Agent Smith)

Folks, where has the world gone? After all that we have been going through in the last few years, we are now having a wave of UFO sightings. Yes, unidentified objects are popping up everywhere, and if they are just Chinese balloons, we are fine. BUT what if they are not? If the aliens are really visiting us and preparing an invasion ?

Well, to prepare for the aliens' arrival, nothing better than playing X-Com: UFO Defense, a strategy game by Microprose, released in 1994.

Aliens Attack!

X -COM: UFO Defense (known as UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe) is a 1994 science fiction strategy video game developed by Mythos Games. It was published by MicroProse for DOS and Amiga computers, the Amiga CD32 console, and the PlayStation.

Originally planned by Julian Gollop as a sequel to 1988's Laser Squad, the game mixes real-time management simulation with turn-based tactics. The player assumes the role of the commander of X-COM - an international paramilitary organization that secretly defends Earth from an alien invasion. Throughout the game, the player is tasked with issuing orders to individual X-COM troops in a series of turn-based tactical missions. On a strategic scale, the player directs research and development of new technologies, builds and expands X-COM bases, manages the organization's finances and personnel, and monitors and responds to UFO activity.

The game received strong reviews and achieved commercial success, acquiring a cult following among strategy fans; several publications listed X-COM: UFO Defense as one of the best video games ever made, including IGN ranking it as the best PC game of all time in 2007. It was the first and best entry in the X-COM series and directly inspired several similar games, including UFO: Alien Invasion, UFO: Extraterrestrials and Xenonauts. An official remake of the game, X-COM: Enemy Unknown, was created by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games in 2012. Mythos Games' and Julian Gollop's own original spiritual successor project, The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge, was canceled in 2001 and then partially transformed into UFO: Aftermath by another developer. Gollop's new X-COM project, Phoenix Point, was released in 2019.

The story of X-Com : UFO Defense, for those who don't know...

The story of X-COM, set in the near future, at the time of the game's release, begins in the year 1998. The initial plot centers on increasing reports of UFO sightings, as reports of abductions and rumors of attacks by mysterious aliens become widespread, much the way it is happening now... Is life imitating fiction ?

The nations of the world come to perceive this as a threat, and try to form their own forces - such as Japan's Kiryu-Kai force - to deal with the crisis, but these efforts are not successful. On December 11, 1998, representatives of some of the world's most powerful nations met secretly in Geneva to discuss the issue. From this meeting is born the clandestine defense and research organization Extraterrestrial Comb

At first, the player will only have access to conventional weapons, but as the game progresses, the player learns more about the enemy, their species, mutant creations, and technology. In the end, it is revealed that the "leaders" behind the alien invasion are a race known as Ethereals who possess powerful mind-control abilities and enslave other alien races to carry out their plans, and that their main base in the Solar System is located in the Cydonia region on Mars. The player must then prepare the final assault team, attack Cydonia, and destroy the mastermind behind the alien invasion, the Alien Brain biocomputer.

The game can end in several ways. If the player's performance is poor or worse for two consecutive months, the player runs a deep deficit for two consecutive months, all the player's bases are captured, or the player mounts an assault on the alien Mars base and loses, the game ends in defeat, where in the PlayStation version, the nations funding council makes a futile attempt to negotiate with the aliens, who violently murder the negotiator. While in the MS-DOS version, the funding nations sign pacts with the aliens promising peace, but instead destroy every city and poison the water and air to destroy any resistance, the remaining survivors are placed in slave camps to help terraform Earth for future alien colonization. If, however, the player is victorious in the final attack, the game ends with the victory of humanit

Gameplay

Well, I am a huge fan of this game, and when I saw that there was a community made version, I wasted no time in bringing it to our repositories.

I used to stay up all night defending the earth against the aliens, and it was a great game. As described above, it has two phases: A managerial strategy phase, where the player manages the X-Com bases around the world, and, because of this, many factors must be taken into consideration: where to establish the bases, how many quarters to make per base, how many scientists to hire, how many soldiers to recruit. And, of course, always invest in better equipment, both for the soldiers and for the bases, which have aircraft capable of shooting down attacking UFOs.

The difficulty goes from very easy to the super human level. At this level, the aliens are invincible and attack incessantly. It is quite a challenge.

Its second phase is turn-based combat, like a good war game, where the player must lead his squadron to the wreckage of downed alien ships, or, in more advanced levels, alien bases on earth, and, in the end, on Mars.

It is necessary to be very careful with your squadrons, as your soldiers are upgraded throughout the game, and losing them is costly, as they cannot be resurrected. Dead soldiers must be replaced by new recruits with minimal skills.

Of course, playing for so long, you eventually get tired of it and get a stat editor for your soldiers, increasing their powers much faster than playing normally, but it is a way to balance the game's relentless AI.

How to play on PCLinuxOS

To play Openxcom on PCLinuxOS, you must have a copy of the original DOS game, X-COM: UFO Defense.

Install openxcom, via terminal or Synaptic.

Run the program for the first time, it will create an .openxcom folder in your /home directory. Note the "." at the beginning of the folder name. This will make it a hidden directory on your computer.

From there you should copy any X-com game you have into a subfolder inside the .openxcom folder.

For the first game, you should have a subfolder called UFO, in capital letters. For the second game, a folder called TFTD, in uppercase as well. In these folders, as described above, the respective games should be copied.

After that, just click on openxcom in the program menu and start the battle against the aliens!

So, a game that mixes 50's fiction movies with managerial strategy, it's not every day that it appears.

I hope you enjoyed it, and happy gaming!

P.S. If you don't have the original games, they can be bought cheap from GOG

https://www.gog.com/en/game/xcom_ufo_defense
https://www.gog.com/en/game/xcom_terror_from_the_deep

PCLinuxOS Puzzled Partitions

Sudoku

Download Puzzle Solutions Here!

Scrappler

Download Puzzle Solutions Here!

Crossword

Download Puzzle Solutions Here!

WordFind

Download Puzzle Solutions Here!

Mixed Up meme Scrambler

Download Puzzle Solutions Here!

Screenshot Showcase

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