Digest of news from the world of programming #2
The May holidays have begun, but this does not mean that the news digest from the programming world has faded into the background. In this compilation, let’s go through the important news of the IT world over the past week: the Arduino developers released the Arduino IDE 2.1 update, the Flipper Zero team added a sleep mode for their device, and the Prossimo project began to rewrite sudo And su on Rust.
The PyPI repository introduced the option to publish packages without being tied to passwords and API tokens
The PyPI repository has a Trusted Publishers feature that allows you to publish packages without storing fixed passwords and API access tokens in external systems. With the help of the new function, it is planned to fight viruses that spread due to compromise of external systems or theft of passwords and API tokens.
The function is based on the OIDC (OpenID Connect) standard. With its help, confirmation of the operation of publishing a package occurs using time-limited tokens. So far, the feature is implemented only for GitHub Actions, but integrations with other cloud CI / CD will appear in the future.
Release of the Manjaro 22.1 Talos distribution
The Manjaro 22.1 Talos distribution has been released. The developers of the operating system have updated the desktop environments in the assemblies and switched to a new version of the Pamac package manager.
From main:
Gnome-based build now uses environment version 43.5;
the Layouts Switcher system application has received an update;
Plasma-based build moved to KDE Plasma 5.27 and KDE Gear 22.12;
the Xfce edition uses Xfce 4.18;
Pamac updated to version 10.5;
users can download versions with Linux kernels 6.1 LTS, 5.15 LTS, 5.10 LTS on the official website.
The rest of the update is minor and does not include major innovations. You can download assemblies on the official website of the distribution.
Flatpak developers have presented an update to the Flathub website
The Flatpack developers have updated the Flathub package repository site. The portal interface has become more modern and informative. The main page now has sections with new and recently updated applications. The search tab is intended to help users find something new using thematic sections, but a search bar for a specific package by name is also available.
The repository developers have added an application verification mechanism. The authors of the project said that often the original package and several user versions are in the repository. Verification will help distinguish the original version from others. Developers of original applications can verify the authenticity of the package and receive a verification checkmark, which will be displayed next to the name of the application.
Arduino IDE 2.1 released
The Arduino development team has released an update to the proprietary IDE for development under the platform of the same name. Of the major changes:
redesigned the library manager menu interface, making it simpler and more understandable. At the same time, we improved the search system for installed libraries;
the Arduino Cloud integration window has got a new interface;
updated Arduino CLI to version 0.32.2.
The rest of the release includes bug fixes for the Arduino IDE 2.0, which exited beta in September 2022. The developers of the project added a dark theme, redesigned the user interface and included features that users have been asking for a long time. For example, code completion appeared in the development environment.
Updated Slack API is out of beta
The updated Slack API is out of a three-year beta test. In a company blog, they said that the new modular architecture will allow developing more powerful integrations for the corporate messenger. Slack also noted that for a long time users complained about problems and difficulties in working with the old version of the API, now the company has fixed this.
The main distinguishing feature of the updated Slack API is a modular architecture that gives developers more options. They also introduced new tools, including Slack CLI, TypeScript SDK and Workflow Builder, which allows you to automate routine tasks without programming skills.
Until October 31, 2023, access to the API will be open to everyone. After that, developers will have to pay for using the programming interface.
The touchHLE emulator of old iOS games now works on Android
Emulator of old games for iPhone OS touchHLE now supports Android. A separate branch is being developed by a developer under the nickname ciciplusplus. The Android build is pending checkout and merging into the master branch.
The original version of the emulator was released at the beginning of March 2022 by a girl under the nickname Hikari no Yume. touchHLE allows you to run iPhone OS games on macOS and Windows. The project is written in Rust.
Hikari no Yume revealed on social media that the emulator was developed without using the original iPhone OS code and reverse engineering technology. Therefore, the application is open to all complainers, and Apple lawyers should not find grounds for lawsuits for copyright and patent infringement.
Photo Picker Library Gets Support for Android 4.4 KitKat and Later
The Photo Picker library allows developers to quickly implement a mechanism for selecting images for further use within an application. Using the library, you can access media files without express permission to store media.
The library was only available for new versions of Android, and developers for older systems had to write their own solutions. Now Google has announced that as part of the release of ActivityX 1.7.0, it has added Photo Picker support for Android 4.4 KitKat and later.
The code for the Simple LAPS GUI utility for working with Windows LAPS has been published on GitHub
The developer under the nickname htcfreek published on GitHub the code of the Simple LAPS GUI utility designed to work with Microsoft LAPS and Windows LAPS. Initially, the utility for working with LAPS (Local admin password solution) was supplied as an MSI package. In April, Microsoft developers introduced a new format for working with LAPS, but left support for the old format. Because of this, users have experienced compatibility issues. The company promised to release a solution in the future.
The presented Simple LAPS GUI utility comes with a user interface and allows you to work with both the new and the old LAPS format. With it, administrators can request passwords, change timestamps, expiration dates, and copy passwords.
WinToUSB 7.9 supports Windows 11 Lite
WinToUSB (Windows To USB) is an analogue of the popular Rufus and Ventoy utilities, optimized for creating boot disks for portable versions of Windows. Version 7.9 supports creating bootable USB drives for unofficial Windows 11 Lite. The tool can be downloaded from the official website.
JetBrains showed Kodi – an updated mascot of the Kotlin language
JetBrains introduced Kody (Kodde), an updated mascot of the Kotlin language. The company showed the first version back in 2021, but after that it decided to redesign the design. Along with the mascot, JetBrains released detailed guidelines for its use, including advice on fonts, color palettes, and overall design aesthetics.
“We wanted to create a fun character that the Kotlin community would understand. We wanted to give our community something special that sparks imagination and a sense of connection. We believe that our talisman is more than just a symbol. This is a friendly companion that our community can use to express themselves, ”write in JetBrains.
Open Mobile Platform updated the portal for application developers for Aurora OS
The Open Mobile Platform company has updated the information resource for developers under the Aurora OS. The new version of the portal contains links to materials that will be useful for both beginners and more experienced application creators.
On the portal, you can find the Aurora OS SDK, API documentation, development guides, and information about SDK and operating system releases. We also published a link to the project in Figma with the materials of the UI Kit of the Aurora OS.
“Our company, as an operating system manufacturer, is doing a lot to provide application developers with the necessary resources and the successful development of their products on the Aurora platform. We have based the new version of the portal for developers on technologies and approaches that will allow us to develop its functionality and services available to developers,” said Kirill Chuvilin, head of development and developer support for the Aurora OS.
The Flipper Zero team has added a hibernation mode to the firmware, giving up to one month of battery life for the device
In the Flipper Zero 0.82 firmware update, a full-fledged sleep mode was added, extending the battery life of the device by 4 times. The company said that for four years they could not find a bug in the STM32WB55 that prevented the microcontroller from switching to deep sleep mode.
In a detailed article, the project developers talked about the new power saving mode and the problems of the STM32WB55 microcontroller that they had to face.
“Flipper Zero is based on the STM32WB series microcontroller. Developing firmware with this microcontroller is very difficult due to its dual-core architecture, shared peripherals, and closed source firmware for Core 2 without the ability to debug it, ”said the developers.
Prossimo project will rewrite sudo and su to Rust
Development teams from Ferrous Systems and Tweede Golf, funded by Amazon Web Services, have begun work on the implementation sudo And su on Rust. Activity in the repository sudo-rs started back in January 2023, but the current version is not yet ready for a full release.
The documentation notes that the product can be used for testing and development. Also, only Linux systems are currently supported. On other Unix-like systems sudo-rs can earn, but without support.
