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Welcome
to issue 185 of Linux User & Developer
This issue
» Master Ubuntu 17.10, p18 » Machine learning with TensorFlow, p54 » Build a robot sentry, p40 Welcome to the UK and North America’s favourite Linux and FOSS magazine. I discovered recently that ‘aardvark’ means ‘earthpig’ in its original Afrikaans. You’re either going to view the release of Ubuntu ‘Artful Aardvark’ 17.10 as a grounded and pragmatic approach to moving to the GNOME Shell or as more like putting lipstick (in the form of extensions) on a pig. Send us an email and tell us what you think! In the meantime, there’s still a lot to unpack in Ubuntu 17.10, so dive into our feature (see p18). This issue we’ve got a little automation theme running, with a feature on generative artists who use, for example, autonomous programs to capture brainwaves to paint pictures from a person’s emotional state. We’ve also got a guide to the machine learning library, TensorFlow (see p54) and even a nearfuture short story on the back page about an AI revolt (see p98)! In tutorials, we’re building a sentry robot, hitting some advanced uses for grep and helping you squeeze more juice from your Linux laptop, among many other things. In Practical Pi, we’re playing with the Pi Status Board, setting up a Jupyter server and getting a little festive with a seasonal Twitter sweater that flashes LED lights when it receives a tweet. We hope you enjoy the issue! Chris Thornett, Editor
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Contents 18 discover Tensorflow
17.10
54 62 algorithm
artists
OpenSource
Features
Tutorials
06 News
18 Ubuntu 17.10
34 Essential Linux
Wi-Fi gets KRACKed, while Purism
disables Intel’s Management Engine
Everything you need to know about
‘Artful Aardvark’, which represents a seismic shift in Canonical’s approach to its flagship Linux distro, with plenty of changes to excite users
10 Letters
Scribbled musings from readers
12 Interview
Will Cooke, Ubuntu desktop manager runs us through 17.10’s reasons to be cheerful
16 Kernel Column
The latest news on the Linux kernel
InspireOS 30 The Quest for Open Science
Dr Bowman’s 3D-printing adventures
4
54 TensorFlow
W ith Google’s TensorFlow, you can add leading-edge machine intelligence to your own smart projects. Discover how to get started with this incredibly powerful tool
62 Algorithm Artists
Amazing artworks can be produced
using computer algorithms and just a little artistic input. Mike Bedford explores the fascinating world of generative art
In part four of our Master Shell Scripting guide, we unleash the power of grep using regular expressions
38 Laptop Power Management
By tweaking a few settings, you can make your battery last longer between charges
40 Arduino: Build a sentry
Build a robot sentry using the combined power of Arduino and Raspberry Pi
44 Security: Reverse engineering Use Radare2’s ESIL language to emulate binaries and discover their secrets
48 Java: Add multiplayer
Turn your single-player adventure into a multiplayer network game
Issue 185 November 2017 facebook.com/LinuxUserUK @linuxusermag
94 Free downloads
We’ve uploaded a host of new free and open source software this month
86 70
72
74
88
Practical Pi
Reviews
Back page
70 Pi Project
81 Group test: Terminals
96 Short story
Another marvellous mashup of old and new tech from Martin Mander, the Kodak Pi Notification Lamp lights up whenever certain messages are received
78 Pythonista’s Razor
Get started with Jupyter Notebook, a great web-based front-end to your Pi’s computational resources
88 Parrot Security 3.8
paGes of
Master
Machine Learning
GUiDes
Parrot Security enters the pen‑testing distro arena, aiming to dethrone current champion Kali Linux
90 Fresh FOSS
magazine The essenTial GeNeratioN for the GNU
Privacy-focused Brave browser, HTTraQt 1.4.9 download manager, Phoronix Test Suite 7.4.0 and Stellarium 0.16.1
> shell scripting > Laptop power tips > Build a bot sentry
add brain power to your code
s! all the new feature ons, extensi pLUs the best tools and customisation spins alternative
e New reLeas
www.linuxuser.co.uk
Light up your festive sweater whenever a special trigger word appears in your Twitter timeline
Can a $99 ARM-based Linux laptop get the job done? We put the Pinebook to the test
launch pack
www.linuxus
ubuntu 17.10
74 Xmas Sweater
86 14-inch Pinebook
When sentient household items are thrown away, they may not like it
cial ntu 17.10 spe free dvd ubu er.co.uk
issue 185
Use the versatile Pi Hut Status Board to monitor share prices, currencies and more at a glance
& DeveLoper
This month’s fab four are a bunch of terminal emulators, ranging from the bare-bones to highly advanced. Which one will come out on top? LiNUx User
72 Pi Status Board
omise it ✔ install it ✔ Cust ✔ Master it
projects
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06 News & Opinion | 10 Letters | 12 Interview | 16 Kernel Column
Hardware
Has your Wi-Fi network been KRACKed? New flaw discovered in Linux and Android wireless networking Updates have been released for Ubuntu and other key Linux distributions to address a stunning wireless security flaw. Weaknesses in the WPA2 protocol were uncovered during the summer, and made public in October by Belgian security researcher Mathy Vanhoef. Dubbed ‘KRACK’ (Key Reinstallation AttaCK), the vulnerability exploits the fourway handshake employed by WPA2 to ensure the client device and access points have the correct credentials. The KRACK attack enables the attacker to force the client device to use a previously used encryption key, when these should only be used once. When the key is accepted, encryption can be bypassed, allowing the attacker to wreak havoc. To be clear, KRACK poses a risk against the safe, secure and private use of the internet. Online messaging, online shopping and social networking are at risk. Online banking and other financial transactions are open to intrusion. By breaking the encryption, an attacker will have their own digital panopticon, able to observe (and copy) the important credentials (and other details) of every online transaction. Indeed, KRACK is an excellent argument against giving
6
governments backdoors into encryption. As Vanhoef notes: “[The] attack is not limited to recovering login credentials (i.e. email addresses and passwords). In general, any data or information that the victim transmits can be decrypted. Additionally, depending on the device being used and the network setup, it is also possible to decrypt data sent towards the victim (e.g. the content of a website).” So far, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android have all received patches, as have some routers. As for Linux, KRACK impacts a vast range of systems, from a standard PC to Linux-based Internet of Things applications. Linux and Android devices are potentially most at risk. Around 50 per cent of all Android devices on the planet need patching against the exploit, and given how platform fragmentation is still an issue, this will take some work to fix. On the matter of Linux, Vanhoef explains: “[The] attack is especially catastrophic against version 2.4 and above of wpa_ supplicant, a Wi-Fi client commonly used on Linux. Here, the client will install an all-zero encryption key instead of reinstalling the real key […]. This makes it trivial to intercept and
Above You may want to switch to an Ethernet connection to protect vulnerable devices
manipulate traffic sent by these Linux and Android devices.” As noted, many Linux distros have rolled out updates to patch the flaw; however, some lag behind. Some devices – such as routers and media centres – may never be patched. As such, it’s worth considering several short-term solutions. These include switching to Ethernet wherever possible, and if in public, using your phone’s tethering feature. Using a VPN will also prevent a successful KRACK attack. Meanwhile, if you’re using IoT devices, check with the manufacturer for a patch. If none is forthcoming, avoid using the device until a patch is issued.
Distro feed
Top 10
(Average hits per day, month to 20 October 2017)
Mint 2. Debian 3. Manjaro 4. Ubuntu 5. Antergos 6. openSUSE 7. Fedora 8. Solus 9. elementary 10. Zorin 1.
Hardware
Intel Management Engine disabled, Librem hits target low-level software, advance GNU/Linux for a 5-inch touch-only interface, and commence testing and developing of the KDE/Plasma and GNOME/GTK+ middleware. By early 2018, developer kits should be ready, with the phone itself ready by late 2018. There’s a lot to get through, but Weaver reassures us it doesn’t end there. “Then we get into the growth stage for the phone, that mirrors what we are already doing on the Librem laptops, primarily inventory, incremental hardware improvements, software releases, enterprise sales and support.” With additional partnerships for VPN, maps, carriers and more set to continue, perhaps the most surprising prospect for Librem 5 is planned for 2019. “Since there are no ethical phone devices on the market we [have] a long-term strategy of incrementing the product from secure communication device with browser […] to Android/iOS replacement device thereafter.” Weaver makes clear that “the long-term disruption of the market by creating a credible, ethical, user-controlled phone” is very much the aim here.
1924 1686 1372 1343 964 938 920
797
786
This month ■ Stable releases (17) ■ In development (3) Ubuntu 17.10 is doing well, with word-ofmouth contributing to Ubuntu’s best showing in a long time. Mint remains dominant, but for how long?
Purism takes aim at mobile big guns and continues to enhance laptop security A busy month for Purism saw the developer of open hardware for security--conscious users defeat the Intel Management Engine (ME). For the past decade, researchers have been attempting to bypass or break the ME, which ships in Intel-based laptops as part of Intel AMT (Active Management Technology). This secondary CPU can be used to control a PC even when switched off, and is seen by many as an unnecessary security risk. Purism’s Youness Alaoui says: “Removing the management engine entirely is the next step beyond just disabling it. Coreboot also includes another binary, the Intel FSP, a less worrisome but still important binary to liberate, incorporating a free vBIOS is another step Purism plans to take.” In the meantime, Purism has released an update for existing devices to disable the ME. But what of Purism’s Librem 5 Linuxbased phone? Speaking exclusively to LU&D, founder and CEO of Purism, Todd Weaver, explained that they would “begin development and manufacturing. Incrementing through the next 12 months,” the firm intends to hire key developers for
2596
Highlights Ubuntu 17.10
The long-awaited return of Ubuntu, thanks to the release of the GNOME-ready 17.10, has shocked few. What has surprised is how simple the Unity-like, GNOME 3-based desktop is to use. Could Ubuntu be top by Christmas?
Linux Mint
Sitting atop the table, looking down at the competition, Mint is probably unassailable. Even if Ubuntu does somehow regain the top spot, Mint will probably reclaim it soon after.
Antergos
Another distro relying on GNOME 3, Antergos has held position in the top 10 list for over 12 months, building up a following and expanding its community. Worth a look!
Latest distros available: filesilo.co.uk
www.linuxuser.co.uk
7
OpenSource
Your source of Linux news & views
licensing
Developer enforces copyright in GPL and secures millions of euros It seems that the GPL has a loophole. Ambiguities in the GNU Public License 2.0 have resulted in a developer with slight contributions to GPL-licensed software winning multiple copyright enforcement lawsuits. The result: a few million euros in his pocket. Patrick McHardy was once involved with Netfilter, a networking project that adds various networking benefits to Linux (such as NAT). However, in 2016 McHardy was suspended from his role for “consistent allegations from various trusted sources” concerning “the style of
Despite making millions of euros, he is believed to have contributed less than 0.25% of code in the kernel his licence enforcement activities on parts of the […] software he wrote.” Later, the Software Freedom Conservancy noted that “the most common criticism that we hear from those who have been approached by
Patrick is an accusation that he violates one specific Principle: prioritising financial gain over compliance.” In what will probably be remembered as an example of copyright trolling, McHardy took advantage of German law to mount his claims. Despite pulling millions of euros in payments over the course of four years, however, he is believed to have contributed less than 0.25% of code in the kernel, according to lawyer Heather Meeker (writing at opensource.com). All of this has resulted in the “Linux Kernel Community Enforcement Statement” which will be included in future Linux documentation. Penned by Linux kernel maintainer Greg KroahHartman and others, the statement aims to restore confidence, and “adopts the same termination provisions we are all familiar with from GPL-3.0 as an Additional Permission, giving companies confidence that they will have time to come into compliance if a failure is identified.” Time will tell if this is enough to deter copyright copycats.
CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentation updated for future versions of Linux
Above Linux kernel maintainer, Greg Kroah– Hartman and others have been forced to pen an ‘enforcement statement’ to give companies time to rectify non-compliance with the kernel’s licence.
LINUX
Desktop Linux market share stats baffle advocates ‘Dramatic rise’ in Linux usage due to statistical inaccuracy The way in which researchers monitor market share was called into question this month following the announcement that Linux had jumped to a 6.91% portion of the market. The news, based on figures from website NetMarketShare, was unfortunately inaccurate. While Linux use is certainly increasing (the share has doubled from 1.57% in October 2015 to a peak of 3.37% in August 2017), the initial 6.91% figure would have represented a stunning rise. It would also have meant a bigger share of the market than macOS!
8
So, how did the error occur? At this point, it’s difficult to be sure. NetMarketShare conducts research by sampling data from 40,000 websites globally. The consensus is that NetMarketShare bundles Linux figures alongside those collected from Chromebooks and other Chrome OS devices. This can be compared with the data collated by StatCounter, which displays Chrome OS as 0.84% and Linux as 1.66%. Clearly the total differs, but not enough to end the discussion. Sadly, Linux’s growth continues to be slow, despite the maturity of many distros and the
arrival of Linux-like Chrome OS. While we can be hopeful of Linux one day overcoming the proprietary platforms, it’s worth considering that these statistic services are using data from online sources, collated from USER_ AGENT information from visiting browsers. As many Linux devices never go online (such as a sizable chunk of the 13 million Raspberry Pis), figures counted from website visits can never be accurate. Want to help bring Linux to a wider audience? Install it for friends and family and let them see just how great it is.
opinion
The concept of applying collective responsibility to open source risk We can’t eliminate the risks of increasingly complex software, but Mel Llaguno thinks we need a smarter approach
A
ll software has bugs. This applies to widely used open source software (OSS) like the Linux kernel, Apache httpd, or OpenSSL. And while we know how transformative collective collaboration can be when developing software, we rarely talk about the risks associated with the consumption of OSS. We’ve already proven that the quality of OSS is on a par if not better than commercially developed software in regard to defects per lines of code, but this has not reduced the impact to the users who consume and rely on the OSS the community produces. Why? The increasing complexity of the software we develop and the fact that programming is a largely human endeavour guarantee imperfection. These combined refute one of the core tenets which underlie the perception of improved quality of OSS – that “given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” (Linus’s Law). The problem with this is the assumption that code which is widely accessible will be audited more rigorously as the developer community around the project expands. This is not the case. In fact, recent vulnerabilities highlighted in widely publicised disclosures, such as Heartbleed and Shellshock, reveal that while the code in these OSS projects can be reviewed and audited, these measures are not sufficient to prevent these types of bugs. We can make the argument that more testing is required, but even when there is sufficient test coverage within a project, as Edgar Dijkstra pointed out – “Testing shows the presence, not the absence of bugs.” What this means is that risk is inherent regardless of the overall quality of the software and the development practice of individual projects. By quality, we mean the perceived security, robustness, and functional safety of the software. This is problematic because the things we collectively rely upon now also put us at risk. Today, OSS as a paradigm for innovation is pervasive and ubiquitous. While there is a greater scope for collective benefit, it also broadens the impact for harm. Given this breadth of exposure, how can we improve the state of OSS security? We have many tools available, but their application is inconsistent. What is needed is a maturity modelling framework which provides transparent objective measures of a project’s health coupled with the application of software quality tools.
As the result of Heartbleed, the Linux Foundation’s Core Infrastructure Project in 2015 attempted to model maturity with its Census Project. Criteria such as the number of CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) associated with a project as well as contributor count, popularity, programming language and network exposure, are used in conjunction with package information such as transitive dependencies, patches and crash statistics. This information was applied to a core Debian image. High scores were not indicative of security vulnerabilities or measures of quality, but reflected projects which were in need of attention. These metrics however constitute a starting point. In addition to enumerating what is known about a project, maturity should consider the unknowns – weaknesses or unspecified/aberrant behaviour. Tools such as Software Composition Analysis (to track a package’s dependencies) Static Analysis (to identify actionable software quality defects which may be vectors for exploitation), Fuzzing
Mel Llaguno
is the open source solution manager for Synopsys SIG
Risk is inherent regardless of the overall quality of the software (to test for the failure in the face of malformed and unexpected inputs), and Test Coverage (to measure the scope of automated tests) can be applied to projects to broaden our view of a project’s maturity profile. The challenge is to apply these tools not at a point in time, but continuously as the project matures. What the application of maturity modelling with an automated software quality toolchain provides is the ability to measure the risk associated with individual OSS projects. In turn, this information can help developers prioritise issues which may have potentially widespread impact on a project’s users. The goal is not to completely eliminate risk (which is impossible), but to potentially reduce exposure through the improvement of a project’s overall quality. This is only possible if the community as a whole accepts this collective responsibility. It is not enough to simply identify projects at risk; it requires developer engagement to address the discovered issues.
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OpenSource
Your source of Linux news & views
Comment
Your letters
Questions and opinions about the mag, Linux and open source it’s safer to use TLP, a power management utility that we’ve covered in this issue, Head to p38 for some tips on power management for laptops generally, but we also focus on installing and enabling TLP (most Debianbased distros will have it available in their repositories through the usual sudo apt install tlp). TLP has a default configuration that provides optimised powersaving out of the box, which helps to manage your laptop’s temperature and power usage. For many users it stops fans spinning up unnecessarily and saves a lot of battery life. More involved hardware solutions are replacing the thermal paste used for the CPU and GPU, as most laptop manufacturers use the cheap stuff and it tends to lose its thermal conductivity. We’d also suggest cleaning out the inside of your laptop with some compressed air, but since you have a new Zenbook, it’s probably not necessary.
Above We mention it in the tutorial, see p38, but there’s a graphical front-end for TLP, which makes it a little easier to use (https://github.com/ d4nj1/TLPUI)
Get in touch!
Got something to tell us or a burning question you need answered? Email us on linuxuser@ futurenet.com
10
Take off
Dear LU&D, Help! My Asus Zenbook laptop has a habit of spinning up like a helicopter. I feel that one day that it may lift off and take flight through the nearest window! I installed the Ubuntu 17.04 operating system on this laptop a few months ago and I’ve changed some things in the System Settings. However, I need to try something else as my laptop is now scaring my dog. Dave Smith Chris: Sounds like your fans are having a wild time. First off, you could try checking the temperature of your system by using lm-sensors. If you type sensors into the Terminal, you should get results from any sensors you have. For instance, it spotted the temperature of the graphics card through the PCI adaptor. If, for some reason, your sensors aren’t detected, use sudo sensors-detect to access them and sudo service kmod start to add the modules to the kernel. You could go on to install fancontrol, which will enable you to set min and max temperatures for your fan, but
Canonical conspiracy?
Dear LU&D, I was sad and not a little angry when Canonical decided to drop Unity after all these years. They were so close! Why did they do it? Do you think that this is just a ploy? Is Canonical abandoning Ubuntu altogether? Dustin Phelps Chris: This a surprisingly common misconception that I see on forums and Twitter. I’m not sure why this is – it may simply amount to an unfortunate distrust of Canonical from past experiences – but I don’t see a logical reason for Canonical to drop Ubuntu. Certainly, if it did decide to shutter the desktop team, the thriving community around the distro would pick it up instantly. Remember, that community has vastly expanded now with GNOME. But fret not, it’s not going to disappear. Canonical’s decision is motivated by a pragmatic focus on outside investment and an IPO in a few years’ time and GNOME makes supporting a desktop OS, which informs some of the server ISO as well, much less of a headache. With GNOME, Canonical has the ability to post upstream to help improve the core technologies that are important
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Below Is Canonical actually killing Ubuntu? No, it’s just being more pragmatic with how it supports a desktop OS as it winds up for an IPO
top tweet @Ads20000: So when’s the theming contest for 18.04? ;)
Funnily enough, you can see the answer to this tweet on in our interview with Will Cooke – see p12. Follow us on Twitter @LinuxUserMag to the company while tailoring some of the desktop experience with session-based extensions. So, Dustin, there’s nothing to worry about for now. Check out our Ubuntu feature, starting on p18, for how you can revive some of the things you loved about Unity and keep an eye on some of the community projects that have been spawned from Unity’s ashes. For instance, Yunit, the fork of Unity 8, had an update last month and has now been ported to Debian and Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. Progress is slow-going, but the recent update offers a smoother experience – it’s early days, however, and users are still encountering desktop freezes.
Chris: Thanks for your comments, Lars. Yes, Jon’s column is a monthly masterpiece that manages to encapsulate hundreds of commits into two pages. He likes to cut it a little close on those print deadlines, though, so if you turn the page to find a photo of Linus Torvalds giving a one-finger salute, you’ll know Jon’s finally missed it. Regarding content – we do try to be more technical, but it is a tricky balance of making complexity approachable. We’d be interested to hear what other readers think about some of our recent in-depth pieces. Are they hitting the sweet spot or are they a little light for you too?
Below Jon Masters – Smoke me kipper, I’ll back for breakfast with my Kernel Column… What a guy!
Master column
I’ve personally been using Linux since 2005 and am currently employed in the IT field as a Linux sysadmin. I’ve previously been a reader of Linux Format and found their content to be of a high quality and it’s not easy to see where LU&D really differs. Both magazines do have a niche target and although LU&D is a good magazine, I only find it to be a little bit more technical than LXF while some articles feel too light. So far I think you got a good magazine with a good mix of news, reviews, DIY projects and I especially like Jon Masters’ Kernel Column. I think you should consider easing down on the tutorials (people find these online) and go for some more in-depth content. Louis Tim Larsen
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11
OpenSource
Your source of Linux news & views
Interview canonical
Ubuntu in transition We spoke to Canonical on the day of 17.10’s release, to chart its route from Unity to GNOME and gauge how it feels its significant move has gone down with users
Will Cooke
is the desktop manager at Canonical. Previously, he was the product strategy engineering manager on Ubuntu TV.
It’s strange – even six months after founder and returning CEO of Canonical, Mark Shuttleworth, announced that the Unity project was dead – to hear Unity 8 described as a “bad investment” by a Canonical employee. Will Cooke, desktop manager at Canonical, seemed quite comfortable with the new narrative when we spoke to him on release day, although he preferred to use the term ‘parked’ in relation to Unity 8 rather than closed, which would appear to open the possibility of Unity 8 being reversed out of its ‘parking bay’ in the future. His initial comment on Mir was quite open-ended as well: “Mir still exists, the display server still exists and is in development and that’s especially interesting to IoT device manufacturers, but for the time-being we’re using Wayland on the desktop now.” However, given the widespread support for Wayland now, and the Ubuntu desktop team’s own support of Wayland, it seems unlikely that Mir will become the default display server on Ubuntu’s desktop distro. Whatever you think of GNOME 3 returning as the default desktop, Ubuntu 17.10 is a defining fork in the road for the distribution that’s used by millions of Linux users, so for this interview we were mostly concerned with the transition.
Can you tell us how the run-up to 17.10 has gone? We decided that GNOME Shell was the right toolkit for our users. We’ve used Unity 7 for six or seven years and all the core set of applications were built around the GNOME desktop, so going to GNOME made the most sense. The transition path between Unity 7 and GNOME on the desktop was hopefully going to be fairly straightforward, quite smooth and it’s turned out to be that way. So now we’ve got the latest GNOME desktop running on Ubuntu. We’ve put our stamp on it to make sure the users that have been using Unity 7 for the last six or seven years don’t suddenly upgrade one day and find that the desktop that they are used to using, in the way that they have been using it, indeed all of the examples and the screenshots on the internet, are still relevant to the new desktop. So we’ve added a couple of extensions in there to add the launcher back and a few features that we felt were missing from the desktop that were there in Unity and not in GNOME. [...] All that work was done with the blessing of the GNOME community and with the blessing and support of those extension developers. Any new features we’ve added there or bug fixes, have been done upstream rather than hosting it ourselves and keeping it for Ubuntu only. The plan is that when you upgrade to 17.10 you’ll see something familiar and something that you feel at home with. Some of the user interactions are a bit different, but we don’t think they are so different that people are going to struggle with GNOME Shell and the initial results say, yes, that is the case, so we’re very pleased that people are able to get it working and use it and don’t feel they have to overcome or learn a new way of working. You mentioned session-override. Could you explain that for our readers? All the things that we’ve changed to make it Ubuntu are completely temporary. When you log in, they are applied and when you log out, they are gone. Your settings will continue to be your settings, but all of the tweaks that we make are applied at session time, so there’s no patches to GNOME, or source code, to make stuff work the way that we want it to work. It’s just upstream GNOME with a few tweaks to
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SPECIALS & GUIDES
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