Linux kernel – Purism https://puri.sm/ High-quality computers that protect your freedom and privacy Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:29:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.28 https://puri.sm/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cropped-purism-logo-rectangle-1-32x32.png Linux kernel – Purism https://puri.sm/ 32 32 The Quiet Revolution: GNU/Linux Crosses 6% Desktop Market Share—And It’s Just the Beginning https://puri.sm/posts/the-quiet-revolution-gnu-linux-crosses-6-desktop-market-share-and-its-just-the-beginning/ Fri, 29 Aug 2025 01:21:31 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=84000 For decades, the phrase “Year of the Linux Desktop” has been tossed around like a tech industry punchline. But now, it’s no longer a meme—it’s a movement. According to the U.S. government’s own analytics, GNU/Linux has officially crossed the 6% threshold in desktop usage. That’s not hype. That’s hard data.

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]]> America’s Mobile Security Crisis: Why It’s Time for a Secure, Private Alternative https://puri.sm/posts/americas-mobile-security-crisis-why-its-time-for-a-secure-private-alternative/ Thu, 12 Jun 2025 12:31:02 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83429 As reported by ABC news, "Chinese Hackers and User Lapses Turn Smartphones into a "Mobile Security Crisis", June 8th, 2025, A wave of mysterious smartphone crashes among government officials, journalists, and tech professionals recently revealed something far more disturbing than a software glitch.

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]]> Hidden Operating Systems in Chips vs. Secure, Auditable OSes: A Cybersecurity Comparison https://puri.sm/posts/hidden-operating-systems-in-chips-vs-secure-auditable-oses-a-cybersecurity-comparison/ Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:18:36 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83347 The Threat Beneath: The Invisible Operating Systems Inside Your Devices Beneath the surface of nearly every modern computer lies a hidden threat—one most users never see or control. Today’s Intel and AMD processors ship with embedded subsystems like the Intel Management Engine (ME) and AMD’s Platform Security Processor (PSP)—proprietary, low-level firmware environments that operate outside and below your main operating system.

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]]> How Big Tech Exploits Apps to Circumvent Privacy Laws & a Solution from Purism https://puri.sm/posts/how-big-tech-exploits-apps-to-circumvent-privacy-laws-a-solution-from-purism/ Thu, 22 May 2025 15:51:14 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83303 Despite the promises of robust privacy laws like Europe’s GDPR and California’s CCPA/CPRA, Big Tech continues to push the envelope when it comes to data collection. This is especially the case with regard to mobile applications.

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]]> The Importance of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) https://puri.sm/posts/the-importance-of-software-bill-of-materials-sbom/ Fri, 21 Mar 2025 14:02:56 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82807 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been at the forefront of enhancing software supply chain security through its Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) initiatives. The SBOM is a comprehensive inventory of all components, libraries, and dependencies used in software development. This transparency is crucial for identifying potential vulnerabilities and mitigating risks associated with software supply chains.

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]]> True Choice for Smartphone Privacy and Security https://puri.sm/posts/true-choice-for-smartphone-privacy-and-security/ Tue, 08 Oct 2024 17:22:41 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82492 Since the mass-adoption of consumer smartphones in 2007, much has been written about the tradeoffs consumers and business users alike have been forced to accept when it comes to mobile computing.

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]]> Phone Kernel Development at Purism https://puri.sm/posts/phone-kernel-development-at-purism/ Mon, 19 Aug 2024 00:05:22 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82328 At its core, the kernel is the fundamental layer of the operating system, acting as a bridge between the hardware and software. It manages system resources, handles memory allocation, and facilitates communication between applications and the hardware. Without a robust and efficient kernel, even the most advanced smartphone would struggle to perform basic tasks.

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]]> Your Phone is Giving Away More Than You Ever Bargained For https://puri.sm/posts/your-phone-is-giving-away-more-than-you-ever-bargained-for/ Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:05:47 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82040 The year 2007 represented a watershed moment for the modern smartphone industry as we know it. This was the year that Apple introduced its first iPhone device and Google announced Android via its participation in The Open Handset Alliance (which notably leveraged the Linux kernel and open-source code to create its mobile OS). Fast forward […]

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]]> Free Yourself from Surveillance Capitalism with the Liberty Phone https://puri.sm/posts/free-yourself-from-surveillance-capitalism-with-the-liberty-phone/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 18:43:59 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79551 Surveillance Capitalism = Internet Centralization Surveillance Capitalism has led to internet centralization and is the reason why monopolistic tech giants that include Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta (Facebook) control access to the internet while dominating internet commerce and trade. Internet centralization has led to cyber-enslavement and consumer exploitation where these tech giants have monetized […]

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]]> PureBoot Framebuffer Boot Support https://puri.sm/posts/pureboot-framebuffer-boot-support/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:00:46 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79869 The latest release of PureBoot, Release 27, now boots memtest86+, Debian netinst, and other OSes that rely on framebuffer output! We worked with the Heads team to implement this change upstream, and it is now in our latest release. Update your firmware with our update instructions! If you’ve ever tried to boot from PureBoot, and […]

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]]> PureOS 10.3 Power Optimization https://puri.sm/posts/pureos-10-3-power-optimization/ Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:51:02 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79637 With PureOS 10.3, power saving and new goodies is the name of the game. Most companies abandon hardware soon after launch, but we have a different approach with the Librem 5.  With every upgrade to PureOS we push on the Librem 5, the more the device can do and the more efficient it gets. One […]

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]]> DHS Security Report: Data Security & Privacy At The OS Level https://puri.sm/posts/dhs-security-report-data-security-privacy-at-the-os-level/ Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:38:39 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79467 Data security and end user privacy requires focusing on the operating system (OS) that supports smartphones, tablet PCs, connected products, IoT/IIoT devices, wearable tech, and PCs. The Problem- Leaky Operating Systems and Intrusive Apps Intrusive app and social media developers, plus nation-state hackers, know that one of the largest gateways to the smartphone or PC […]

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]]> Librem 5 Product Report and Roadmap for 2023 https://puri.sm/posts/librem-5-product-report-and-roadmap-for-2023/ Thu, 25 May 2023 19:08:14 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79312 It has been some time since we last published a global product report for the Librem 5 phone. This is not because of slowing down our development effort, it is the opposite. We have been very busy and we have made substantial progress during the last few months. We have been listening to our customers […]

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]]> Is Advanced AI A Reason To Decouple From The Centralized Internet? https://puri.sm/posts/is-advanced-ai-a-reason-to-decouple-from-the-centralized-internet/ Tue, 16 May 2023 19:20:27 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79270 With the recent advancements and proliferation of AI (such as ChatGPT and other probabilistic algorithms), it may be time for individuals, companies and governments to consider exiting the centralized internet. There is high concern over security, privacy, and safety threats exposed by artificial intelligence pioneers and industry voices who have recently come forward including Alphabet’s […]

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]]> How PureOS Can Stop Devices From Being Infected With Intrusive Adware! https://puri.sm/posts/how-pureos-can-stop-devices-from-being-infected-with-intrusive-adware/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 22:21:10 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79111 It has been reported by TechRadar and other publications that over 100 million devices, such as smartphones, have been infected with an intrusive adware that operates in the background without the knowledge of the device owner and/or end user. The intrusive adware has been identified as Goldoson malware by cybersecurity researchers at McAfee and was […]

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]]> Repo stats https://puri.sm/posts/repo-stats/ Fri, 07 Apr 2023 18:14:18 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=77432 It’s no secret that I will take any opportunity to look in the warped mirror of statistics to glean insights on myself. I did it before for squeekboard, and I dug into the prehistory of my browser tabs. Recently, a new tool appeared, called Git-Heat-Map, and I asked the statistical crystal ball some questions. Which […]

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]]> To Byzantium and Beyond https://puri.sm/posts/to-byzantium-and-beyond/ Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:59:57 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73762 PureOS has had some major changes in 2021 PureOS 10, codename: Byzantium, is the new stable release of PureOS. PureOS 10 is likely not a newcomer to everyone, it’s been around for a while as a rolling release or a “testing” release. It has been shipping on Purism’s new hardware. We’ve moved our kernel forward. […]

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]]> Purism and Linux 5.13 https://puri.sm/posts/purism-and-linux-5-13/ Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:49:21 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=72412 Following up on our report for Linux 5.12 this summarizes the progress on mainline support for the Librem 5 phone and its development kit during the 5.13 development cycle.

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]]> Librem 5 March 2020 Software Update https://puri.sm/posts/librem-5-march-2020-software-update/ Fri, 24 Apr 2020 14:36:43 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=68138 Let’s take a look at what the Librem 5 software team were busy with in March 2020 (weeks 10-13). Some items are covered in more detail in separate blog posts at https://puri.sm/news. The idea is to summarize the coding and design efforts for the month and showcase how we’re standing on the shoulders of giants. […]

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]]> Librem 5 January 2020 Software Update https://puri.sm/posts/librem-5-january-2020-software-update/ Fri, 03 Apr 2020 11:58:15 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=67926 January saw development take off again after the end-of-year break, and following on from the Chestnut shipment of the Librem 5. Some of the activities below were already mentioned in their own articles in Purism’s news archive; others will be covered in more depth in future articles. This is just a taste of all the […]

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]]> Purism’s contributions to Linux 5.5 and 5.6 https://puri.sm/posts/purisms-contributions-to-linux-5-5-and-5-6/ Tue, 24 Mar 2020 20:12:33 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=67827 Following up on our report for Linux 5.4, we continue to improve mainline kernel support for the Librem 5 phone. Here’s a summary of the progress we have made during the 5.5 and 5.6 development cycles. Librem 5’s backlight LED driver The driver that saw the most patches was the LED backlight driver. More specifically […]

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]]> Librem 5 Power Management Improvements up to Jan 2020 https://puri.sm/posts/librem-5-power-management-improvements-up-to-jan-2020/ Wed, 19 Feb 2020 11:00:43 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=67170 Power-management improvements continue to find their way into PureOS. We still have a ways to go before the battery can make it through a day, but progress is steady. Let’s go over a few of the latest changes. Improvements: Apps can now detect the charging state and various usb-c properties. This could come in handy […]

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]]> 2019 Year in Review: Librem 5 Software and Kernel https://puri.sm/posts/2019-year-in-review-librem-5-software-and-kernel/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 16:37:16 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=66957 The Librem 5 software team have shared monthly updates throughout 2019 but we wanted to highlight some of the big achievements here. As of 2019 we’re shipping a phone with a GNOME stack that has essential phone functionality. Work is ongoing to feed all that back into upstream GNOME (contacts, folks, gnome-settings-daemon, gnome-control-center (wwan panel), […]

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]]> Librem 5 November 2019 Software Update https://puri.sm/posts/librem-5-november-2019-software-update/ Tue, 24 Dec 2019 13:32:33 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=66849 General In November, we shipped the Birch batch of Librem 5, fixed audio routing, made changes to various apps and shared Librem 5 at various meetups and talks. A couple of other articles appeared about software development: Oxidizing Squeekboard described the use of the Rust programming language in the Librem 5’s virtual keyboard, and the […]

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]]> Purism & Linux 5.3 https://puri.sm/posts/purism-linux-5-3/ Wed, 25 Sep 2019 09:09:29 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=65721 Following up on our report for Linux 5.2, here’s a list of Purism’s contributions for the 5.3 cycle Linux kernel. We contributed 12 patches, which include the Librem 5 devkit device tree and a driver for the i.MX8MQs D-PHY. Librem 5 devkit device tree Besides the kernel sources, the Linux git repository contains device tree […]

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]]> Librem 5 July Update https://puri.sm/posts/librem-5-july-update/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 16:25:24 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=64648 Hi Everyone! The Librem 5 team has been hard at work. and we want to update you all on our software progress. These last few weeks have been heavily focused on polishing the UI and bug fixes, in order to get ready for a string of journalist demos. When we deliver the Librem 5, its […]

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]]> Purism and the Linux 5.2 Kernel https://puri.sm/posts/purism-and-the-linux-5-2-kernel/ Wed, 10 Jul 2019 16:51:58 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=64622 Hello again. Following up on our report for the Linux 5.1 kernel, here’s a list of contributions for the Linux 5.2 kernel cycle, for which our team recently contributed with 14 patches–including a new driver for the Librem 5 devkit’s panel: Support for the Librem 5 devkit’s proximity and light sensor The following series of […]

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]]> Security Advisory: Kernel and Firmware Updates for Intel MDS Vulnerability https://puri.sm/posts/security-advisory-kernel-and-firmware-updates-for-intel-mds-vulnerability/ Mon, 20 May 2019 22:31:05 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=63788 Last week Intel announced a new group of speculative execution vulnerabilities in its processors related to the well-known Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities from over a year ago. These new attacks have been labeled as the MDS (Microarchitectural Data Sampling) vulnerabilities by Intel, but in the age of branded vulnerabilities they also have been given more […]

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]]> Purism and the Linux Kernel https://puri.sm/posts/purism-and-the-linux-kernel/ Mon, 20 May 2019 18:27:00 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=63757 Purism contributes to several free software projects such as GNOME, wlroots and Debian. We’re especially proud of our kernel contributions – where 13 patches have made it into 5.1. Since this is our first installment, it also includes the changes that went into 5.0 and 4.20. Bellow is a list of our most recent contributions. […]

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]]> Librem 5 general development report — September 6th, 2018 https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-progress-report-20/ Thu, 06 Sep 2018 19:10:27 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=57997 Conferences Some of the Purism team members attended Akademy 2018 in Vienna. This conference facilitated further discussions with KDE developers and it was nice to meet everyone in person! We would like to express our gratitude to @Puri_sm, not only for sponsoring #Akademy2018, but also for working with our developers so we can have a […]

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