News Russia's Linux-based Alt OS now supports Chinese LoongArch CPUs

[Admin]

Russian Alt Linux ported to Loongson's LoongArch64 architecture to properly support LS5000 and LS6000 processors.

Russia's Linux-based Alt OS now supports Chinese LoongArch CPUs : Read more

 

[abufrejoval]

I guess we'll see more of these non-US controlled architectures and Linux variants along the road, because US governments and agents (just like everbody else, I guess) can't resist weaponising technology and IT.

Where it becomes really interesting is when these forks are upstreamed and vulnerability-management is being done on both sides of the political trenches.

There is a good chance, collaboration will just continue in the spirit of open source, but if course this could get weaponized and core developers may be coerced into doing so even against their will.

Ever since I heard how Ross-Perot-Systems, which used to run Iran's health care system during the times of the Shah, used software that would basically send critical health data to the US embassy across the street via electronic emissions much like a telegraph, modulating CPU produced noise using modified idle loops, I've become rather paranoid.

Yet within open source also lies some of the biggest potential to regain bilateral trust and peace.

 

[Jerry_W14]

I guess we'll see more of these non-US controlled architectures and Linux variants along the road, because US governments and agents (just like everbody else, I guess) can't resist weaponising technology and IT.

Where it becomes really interesting is when these forks are upstreamed and vulnerability-management is being done on both sides of the political trenches.

There is a good chance, collaboration will just continue in the spirit of open source, but if course this could get weaponized and core developers may be coerced into doing so even against their will.

Ever since I heard how Ross-Perot-Systems, which used to run Iran's health care system during the times of the Shah, used software that would basically send critical health data to the US embassy across the street via electronic emissions much like a telegraph, modulating CPU produced noise using modified idle loops, I've become rather paranoid.

Yet within open source also lies some of the biggest potential to regain bilateral trust and peace.

I see ample opportunities to inject malicious malware in this process. Oh man a hackers dream, who will be the 1st to inject ransomware into all those russian made Chinese computers. LOL. I can see them laughing all the way to the water cooler at the NSA. My bet is North Korea though, Kim would love this opportunity to double dip into Putin's pockets! It's a cruel, cruel world in the axis of evil.

 

[RedBear87]

I see ample opportunities to inject malicious malware in this process. Oh man a hackers dream, who will be the 1st to inject ransomware into all those russian made Chinese computers. LOL. I can see them laughing all the way to the water cooler at the NSA. My bet is North Korea though, Kim would love this opportunity to double dip into Putin's pockets! It's a cruel, cruel world in the axis of evil.

We live in the world where the German chancellor was being spied by the NSA, so it's not exactly limited to the "axis of evil"...

 

[Jerry_W14]

Yeah but Germany did start WWII after losing WWI. So history says you have to keep your eyes upon them. Now it's Russia and China we must keep eyes upon.

 

[bit_user]

I see ample opportunities to inject malicious malware in this process.

If there's a vulnerability in just the Loongarch path, then you pretty much know there's little chance for it to impact "friendly" users or their networks. That's the main downside I see to having your own architecture, assuming they don't just permanently fork the Linux kernel and tightly control all contributions.

 

[buzeze]

Where it becomes really interesting is when these forks are upstreamed and vulnerability-management is being done on both sides of the political trenches.

I don't expect it'll be upstreamed in near future.
There are precedent on rejecting kernel patch by political reasons: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20230314103316.313e5f61@kernel.org/

 

[bit_user]

I don't expect it'll be upstreamed in near future.
There are precedent on rejecting kernel patch by political reasons: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20230314103316.313e5f61@kernel.org/

The longer they maintain out-of-tree patches, the more effort it's going to be. If they're blocked from upstreaming for long enough, it'll be creating a defacto schism.

That's a somewhat extreme take, however. There are patchsets which have been maintained out-of-tree for many years, so it's not impossible they could take this route.