Before Microsoft became the company that shipped Windows to corporate desks around the world, it had to start somewhere. That somewhere was a scrappy little operating system written by one guy at Seattle Computer Products.
Tim Paterson built what he initially called QDOS, short for Quick and Dirty Operating System, in 1980. Intel's 8086 chip was out, but CP/M, the dominant OS of the time, had no 8086 support. He wrote something to fill that gap, modeling the CP/M API so existing software would run on it.
Microsoft bought the rights to 86-DOS for just under $100,000, shipped it to IBM as PC DOS 1.0 in August 1981, and retained the rights to sell the same OS to other PC manufacturers as MS-DOS.
That single deal set Microsoft on the path to dominating personal computing for the next two decades.
Fast forward to now
On April 28, the 45th anniversary of 86-DOS 1.00, Microsoft published a blog post announcing that the earliest known DOS source code is now publicly available on GitHub, under the MIT license.
And the story behind it is an interesting one. Tim did not hand over a tidy source archive; instead, what he kept were physical assembler printouts and stacks of continuous-feed paper from 1981 that he had held onto over the decades.
Getting those into usable shape took effort, with historians Yufeng Gao and Rich Cini having to locate, scan, and transcribe the DOS-related portions into compilable code.
What's included are the 86-DOS 1.00 kernel, several development snapshots of the PC-DOS 1.00 kernel, utilities like CHKDSK, and the assembler Paterson used to write the OS itself.
Who's this for?
Honestly, seeing Microsoft open up old code is not that surprising anymore. 6502 BASIC went open source in September 2025. MS-DOS 4.0 in 2024. MS-DOS 1.25 and 2.0 back in 2018. There is a clear pattern at this point.
If you are into retro computing or low-level systems work, this is genuinely worth digging into. The source code is compilable, and you will need a copy of Seattle Computer Products' ASM assembler, which you can pull from any 86-DOS or early MS-DOS release.
The GitHub repository's README has the necessary steps for you to follow.
Ptyxis is a modern terminal emulator built with GTK4 and libadwaita. It provides a cohesive look for the GNOME desktop, making it feel like a natural part of the system.
The application was specifically developed to meet the needs of modern software development workflows. In my opinion, its standout feature is the seamless container support for tools like Podman, Distrobox, and Toolbox.
Ptyxis is rapidly gaining popularity across the Linux community. It has already become the default terminal for many modern distributions, including Fedora and the upcoming Ubuntu releases.
As I have been using it for some months now, let me share some of my favorite features in this new terminal. I hope you like them as much as I do.
The first thing you notice when opening Ptyxis is the tabs and overview system. While other emulators like GNOME Terminal or Kitty use a standard tab bar, Ptyxis introduces a visual tab selector that feels very similar to the GNOME Activities overview.
Tabs Overview
If you have multiple tabs open, you can simply click the Show open tabs button in the top-right of the title bar.
Click on Tab Overview (Show open tabs) button
This opens an interface where each tab displays its title alongside a small preview, making it easy to see exactly what is running before you click back into a full view.
The flexibility here is excellent because you can drag and drop tabs in the overview to rearrange them.
Rearrange tabs by drag and drop
You can also pin important tabs to keep them visible at the top of the list at all times.
Pin tabs in overview
My favorite feature, however, is the ability to easily custom name your tabs and search through them later. By right-clicking a tab in the overview and selecting "Set title," you can choose to either prepend a name to the default process or create a completely custom title.
Renaming a tab in Ptyxis
Once your tabs are named, you can use the search button in the top-left of the title bar to find exactly what you need. This is incredibly helpful when you are managing a large number of active sessions simultaneously.
Search for Tabs in overview
📋
When you have multiple terminal sessions, the tab and overview feature helps a great deal in finding the right tab in the same application interface.
Color Schemes
A standout feature of Ptyxis is the support for a wide range of preset color schemes. You can access these options by opening the preferences window through the three-dots menu in the top-right of the title bar.
Open Preferences
Once inside the Appearance tab, click on the "Show all palettes" option to see the full list. The interface provides a neat preview for each selection, and your chosen theme is applied immediately.
All color schemes in Ptyxis terminal.
In my opinion, the way these colors adapt is impressive. The scheme is applied intelligently to the tab bar as well, ensuring the entire terminal maintains a cohesive and professional look.
Among the vast list of options, I have a few specific favorites that I think look incredible. Omni, Pixiefloss, and Tomorrow Night, Ubuntu are all excellent choices that provide a very modern feel.
Themes applied in the order: Omni, Pixiefloss, Tomorrow Night, Ubuntu
📋
It's not just the dark and light mode. That's too simplistic. You have plenty of color themes to choose from.
Scrollback Search
The ability to search through what appears on your screen is a massive help during long sessions. While tools like grep are great for text files, you often need to find specific information directly within the shell scrollback.
For example, if you have displayed a massive log file using the cat command, you can quickly find what you need without re-running the command. By pressing SHIFT + CTRL + F, a search interface opens at the bottom of the terminal.
Scrollback Search Interface
The extra search filters provides better matching. You can choose to match case, match whole words, or even use regular expressions to narrow down your results.
Scrollback Search Criteria
The interface includes simple navigation buttons to move up and down through your search matches. This makes it incredibly easy to jump between different instances of a term within a long output.
Searching in the Scrollback contents
📋
This has been a struggle in standard terminals. Finding text that has been displayed on the screen earlier is a good productivity booster for me.
Container Support
This is the flagship feature of Ptyxis. The terminal works directly with container technologies like Podman, Distrobox, and Toolbox to make your development workflow much smoother.
If your system has containers using these platforms, Ptyxis detects them automatically and provides a dedicated way to access them. You can simply click the dropdown button in the top-left of the title bar and select a specific container from the list to launch it instantly.
Enter a container using Dropdown menu
The ptyxis-agent coordinates with your system to handle the discovery and management of these environments. For example, if you are using Distrobox, Ptyxis will execute the proper run commands for you behind the scenes.
📋
The lack of Docker integration is surely a letdown. While you can still run Docker CLI commands manually, the terminal will not detect them automatically or allow you to enter them through the UI like it does for Podman. No matter how good Podman is, Docker is still omnipresent. I am lowkey disappointed that it cannot detect docker containers.
Profiles
Okay. This is not new. Almost all modern terminals support the profile feature and yet I think that profiles are the most underrated feature that many people often ignore.
How do they help? Let's say you want to try a new shell like ZSH, you can create a specific profile for it instead of changing your entire system shell. You could also create a dedicated profile for a terminal multiplexer like Zellij.
Custom Profiles
Ptyxis has excellent support for profile creation and management. You can find these options in the Profile section of the Preferences window.
By default, you will only see an Untitled Profile, but you can use the Add Profile button to create something new. The profile creation dialog is vast and offers many different options.
Click on Add Profile button
You can set specific color schemes, choose a custom shell, or even assign a default container to a profile. For example, I can create a profile that automatically opens my Ubuntu Distrobox container every time I launch it.
Once your profiles are set up, you can set one as the default for all future terminals. Alternatively, you can quickly switch between your different profiles using the dropdown menu in the title bar.
💡
I suggest that you do not alter the default profile. This will be very beneficial if you ever mess up a configuration and need to restore the original behavior.
Context Awareness
Ptyxis can intelligently identify your current context, such as active root privileged windows or SSH connections. This provides immediate visual feedback about the environment you are working in.
For example, if you run a command using sudo, the title bar of the terminal turns red to notify you of the changed privilege level. If you log in as the root user, the title bar remains red until you finally log out.
0:00
/0:11
Ptyxis titlebar color change for previlieged windows.
📋
In my opinion, this is an excellent communication method for the user. it provides a clear warning about the caution needed while interacting with the terminal in a high-privilege state.
Some hidden gems
Apart from the major features I mentioned above, Ptyxis also has a few more tiny functions that deserve attention. The Shortcuts option in the Preferences window allows you to alter existing keyboard combinations or add new ones for various terminal actions.
The Shortcuts page in the Preferences window allow you to change the existing shortcuts or add new shortcuts to various terminal actions.
An advanced addition is the Terminal Inspector. This tool allows you to monitor exactly what is running in the terminal at any given moment, which is a massive advantage for developers.
Ptyxis terminal inspector
You can use the inspector to track underlying shell processes, monitor mouse pointer locations, and even peek at OSC (Operating System Command) hyperlinks. It is a specialized feature that makes debugging terminal-based applications much easier than before.
I can see why Ubuntu and Fedora made it default
Ptyxis is a good upgrade from the classic GNOME Terminal. While the container integration might not be for everyone, the app has significantly improved many day-to-day features that improve the overall experience.
What do you think about this new terminal emulator? Will you use it as your main terminal, or are you sticking with your current favorite? Share your opinions in the comments section!
Linux gaming has been on a great trajectory these past few years.
Proton turned a massive chunk of the Steam library into playable Linux titles thanks to Wine as its backbone, and purpose-built Linux gaming consoles are now a product category that actually exists.
We recently covered the Playnix Console, a $1,179 Linux gaming machine from the EmuDeck team that ships with a custom Arch-based OS and boots straight into Steam's gaming mode.
Today, we have a project that lets you run a Linux-powered operating system on Sony's PlayStation 5 console.
Running Linux on a PS5?
Sourced from Andy Nguyen.
Andy Nguyen, the developer behind this, first posted about him running Linux on the PS5 back in March, where he demonstrated playing GTA V Enhanced with Ray Tracing enabled.
More recently, he posted that his project "ps5-linux" was live on GitHub, allowing gamers to turn their PS5 (non-slim) devices into a fully functioning Linux gaming PC.
You see, the PS5 does not run a Linux kernel. Sony's operating system is built on a heavily modified version of FreeBSD, which is a separate Unix-like OS altogether. What ps5-linux delivers is a genuine Linux port, not some tweak on top of what was already there.
In terms of what you actually get, it's a full desktop Linux environment. The PS5's 8-core, 16-thread CPU can be pushed to 3.5 GHz, the GPU to 2.23 GHz, and HDMI video output goes up to 4K at 60Hz. Steam runs on it, providing you with access to PC games and settings that Sony's own OS doesn't offer.
There are some gaps though; the PS5's onboard Bluetooth and networking hardware currently have no Linux driver support. You'll need a USB Ethernet or WLAN adapter for internet access and a Bluetooth dongle if you want to use a DualSense controller wirelessly.
It's also not a persistent install as the console's internal SSD is left completely untouched, so bricking your PS5 isn't really a concern. The trade-off is having to re-run the exploit from scratch on every single reboot.
I ported Linux to the PS5 and turned it into a Steam Machine. Running GTA 5 Enhanced with Ray Tracing. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aMbT0PQ1dS
It works on PS5 (non-slim) consoles only. Devices running firmware 3.xx (3.00, 3.10, 3.20, 3.21) are supported but without M.2 SSD support. If you are on firmware 4.xx (4.00, 4.02, 4.03, 4.50, 4.51), you get the full package, including the ability to dedicate an M.2 SSD to Linux.
And you can run the following Linux distributions:
Arch Linux (with Sway)
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
Alpine Linux 3.21
Apart from that, you will have to follow the instructions closely and make use of the PS5 Linux Image Builder to get a Linux OS installed on your PlayStation 5 device. Andy also has a Discord server set up for people who can do a kernel exploit on his project and help him hack drivers.
Some thoughts
Is it practical? Not really. Using the exploit means starting the whole process over, and Sony will almost certainly DMCA the repos or employ some other legal mechanism at some point.
But someone built a full Linux port for a console that was never meant to run it, got Steam working on it, and put it all out for free. The Linux community has always been more interested in proving something is possible than in whether it's convenient, and this project is exactly that.
The Sovereign Tech Agency has launched a new pilot program called Sovereign Tech Standards, and it will be paying open source maintainers to get involved in the processes that actually shape how the internet works.
The problem they are trying to tackle here is of access. Participation in bodies like IETF, W3C, and ISO is relatively open, but the reality is different. Attending meetings, keeping up with working group discussions, and contributing meaningfully takes a lot of investment, both in terms of time and money.
Large tech companies are said to be sending people to these meetings as a routine business investment, but most independent open source maintainers simply do not have the time, resources, or sustained capacity to do the same.
Why is this an issue? Maintainers are the people who actually build software on top of these standards, and they know better than anyone where the specs fall apart in practice.
So, wouldn't it be reasonable to directly involve such talent with the standards themselves?
Sovereign Tech Agency ran a survey among maintainers who had worked with such standards and found that many of them relied on the specifications in their day-to-day work. Yet very few could afford to take part in their development in the long term.
During 2026's pilot run, up to ten maintainers will be selected for a cohort running from mid-June 2026 through June 2027. They will need to put in around ten hours a week on standards work at IETF, W3C, or ISO.
Every one of the selected developers will get a monthly stipend between €4,800 and €5,200, with things like SDO participation fees, travel to in-person meetings, and onboarding covered.
How to apply?
To be eligible, you need to be an active maintainer of an open source project whose work is related to standards at IETF, W3C, or ISO in some way. Prior experience with standards bodies is not required, and there are no geographic restrictions either.
The selection panel scores applications on how foundational the relevant standard is, what you are planning to work on, whether your perspective is missing from that working group, and your background as a maintainer.
You should go for it if you meet those requirements.
Applications are open now and close on May 19, 2026, at 11:59 PM CEST. Review and selection will happen during May 2026, with the applicants being notified in June 2026.
The program itself is set to kick off at the end of June 2026. You can also find some additional information on the program's official page.
Warp has open-sourced its terminal client. The code is now on GitHub, and the company wants the community involved in building it out going forward, but the contribution model looks nothing like you would expect from an open source project.
They say that the main bottleneck in development right now is no longer writing code but the human-led tasks such as deciding on features and verifying the behavior of a piece of software.
They are looking towards agents to handle the implementation, while human contributors focus on ideas, spec work, and review. The developers are now confident enough that Oz-generated code, guided by their own rules and verification processes, puts contributors in a good position to get features right.
If you didn't know, Oz is Warp's cloud agent orchestration platform, announced earlier this year, which lets you run multiple coding agents in parallel in the cloud with full visibility and control over what they're doing.
Announcing this move, Zach Lloyd, the CEO of Warp, added that:
Open-sourcing is fundamentally coming from our desire to build a successful business. We are competing with other highly funded, closed-source competitors, and we think opening and providing the resources for the community to improve Warp is a smart way for us to accelerate product development.
As a refresher, Warp (partner link) is a modern terminal and agentic development environment built in Rust. It runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS, with a block-based command interface and built-in support for AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI.
Get the sauce
The client codebase is now live at github.com/warpdotdev/warp, and the licensing is split depending on the component. The UI framework, consisting of warpui_core and warpui crates, is under the MIT license, while the rest of the codebase is under AGPLv3.
OpenAI is the founding sponsor of the repository, and the agentic contribution workflows are powered by GPT models. Keep in mind that other coding agents are welcome too, but Warp would rather you use Oz, which already has the right context and checks baked in for this workflow.
Warp is also expanding open source model support with this announcement, bringing in Kimi, MiniMax, and Qwen, plus a new "auto (open)" routing option that selects the best open model for a given task. A settings file for programmatic control and easier portability across devices is shipping too.
The Linux Vendor Firmware Service, or LVFS, is what makes firmware updates on Linux not a nightmare. Hardware vendors upload their firmware directly to it, and users get those updates delivered through fwupd and tools like GNOME Software.
But the project is moving towards a dilemma that most open source projects of its scale eventually face. To be a sustainable undertaking in the long term. 🗓📈
They need support
Just a placeholder image of the LVFS dashboard.
Right now, the Linux Foundation covers all of LVFS' hosting costs, and Red Hat funds Richard Hughes, the project's only full-time developer. Richard, along with a bunch of part-time contributors, keep over 20,000 firmware files in circulation.
Their sustainability plan flags some key issues that come with being this understaffed.
The project has no dedicated security response team, its sole maintainer has no backup, and the volume of critical work keeps growing with no one new stepping in to help.
Security vulnerabilities get handled on a best-effort basis (yikes ☠️), and very few companies are supporting fwupd core or the LVFS web service. You could call it a tragedy of the commons where everyone depends on it, but almost no one is paying for it.
The plan was published in August 2025, and LVFS has been rolling out restrictions in phases since then. April 2025 already brought in fair-use download utilization graphs to vendor pages. Fair use upload tracking came in July, and sponsorship tiers opened up in August 2025.
The April 2026 phase kicked in at the start of this month and has been live for nearly four weeks now. Any firmware page where a vendor is crossing 50,000 monthly downloads now shows an overquota warning.
Courtesy of Richard Hughes.
Vendors below the "Startup" sponsorship level have also lost access to detailed per-firmware analytics. In August, custom LVFS API access will be cut for non-Startup vendors, with automated upload limits following in December.
What they actually need is either two full-time software engineers or $400,000 to fund the hires through the Linux Foundation, plus a separate $30,000 for hosting. The sponsorship tiers are as follows:
Premier: $100,000 per year
Startup: $10,000 per year (under 99 employees)
Associate: Free, but only available to registered non-profits, academic institutions, and government entities.
Both Premier and Startup tiers require an LF Silver Membership (page 28) on top of the listed fees. There is no free option for commercial hardware vendors. Alternatively, vendors can contribute a full-time engineer to work on LVFS or fwupd directly.
We have been routinely seeing open source projects getting hit by malicious actors with varying degrees of sophistication. Developers are often left scrambling to push out fixes in such situations.
As to why they get targeted, their attack surface is wide, maintainer bandwidth is limited, and one bad package can quietly reach thousands of users before anyone even notices.
When something slips through, developers have to yank releases, rotate credentials, and piece together what got out.
We now have a similar situation where Elementary Data's OSS Python CLI was compromised. And if you had the affected version installed, then you have some cleanup to do.
How it happened
The attack came down to a flaw in one of Elementary's GitHub Actions workflows. It was set up in a way where text from a PR comment could be passed directly into a shell command, so whatever the comment said, the runner would execute it.
At 22:10 UTC on April 24, the attacker posted a malicious comment on a pull request. The workflow ran it as code, handing over access to the runner's secrets, including the PyPI publish token and the GITHUB_TOKEN.
With those in hand, they created the branches and pull requests needed to stage a release, then kicked off Elementary's release workflow. By 22:20 UTC, elementary-data 0.23.3 was live on PyPI. A malicious Docker image was pushed four minutes later.
Who got hit
Only users who installed elementary-data 0.23.3 (now removed) from PyPI are affected, as well as anyone who pulled the compromised Docker image during the attack window.
However, Elementary Cloud is unaffected, the Elementary dbt package is unaffected, and every other version of the CLI is unaffected. That said, if you were running 0.23.3, the exposure is serious. The malware had access to anything the environment could reach.
The remedy
First check your installed version first:
pip show elementary-data | grep Version
If it shows 0.23.3, get rid of it and install the clean version:
pip uninstall elementary-data
pip install elementary-data==0.23.4
Update your requirements files and lockfiles to reflect that too.
You should also check for a marker file the malware leaves behind. If it's there, the payload ran on that machine:
Linux/macOS:/tmp/.trinny-security-update
Windows:%TEMP%\.trinny-security-update
If you find it, rotate every credential that environment had access to, and get your security team looking for any suspicious activity on those credentials.
On their end, Elementary has already pulled 0.23.3 from PyPI, GitHub, and the Docker registry on April 25.
They also decommissioned the compromised workflow, audited the rest of their GitHub Actions for the same type of vulnerability, regenerated all affected secrets, and moved to OIDC authentication.
They are currently working with an Israelicybersecurity firm to conduct an investigation and step up their protection against such attacks going forward.
