this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2025
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] FreddiesLantern@leminal.space 4 points 59 minutes ago

Sudo apt-get huge friggin discount

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 2 points 52 minutes ago

Why do your self checkout kiosks look like they're 20 behind from the ones we use in Denmark?

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 41 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

No EFI environment detected?

Sounds like someone deleted the EFI partition maybe.

Or the machine is so old it still has a BIOS.

[–] tburkhol@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Copyright line only mentions 2014, so I'm guessing it's 10 years old and only BIOS.

[–] data1701d@startrek.website 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

UEFI first became common on new computers in 2011-2012, so I don’t a lot of 2014 computers were BIOS.

I have a cheapo laptop from 2012 (one of last Gateways) and it’s a UEFI machine.

At this point, I think 15 years ago is a more realistic estimate for the last legacy BIOS machines - my Win7 box with a 1st gen i5 is legacy BIOS.

[–] Drito@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 hours ago

My Lenovo from 2015 has an option to fallback to Bios. And I used it.

[–] redlemace@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Let's be gratefull it does not run win11 okay? (Or any windows for that matter)

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Yeah, I'd hate to think that Wal-Mart may be stealing my personal data.

[–] Stez827@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Doesn't every computer have a bios? Genuinely asking

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 31 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I think (not 100% sure) that UEFI is a replacement for BIOS. All modern computers use UEFI.

People still colloquially call it "BIOS" because it serves a similar purpose, but there is a technical difference.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That is correct, it's been quite awhile now since UEFI became standard but almost everyone still calls it the BIOS. Although I've noticed the word firmware is starting to be used more as well.

[–] Peffse@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

which is funny because firmware is a legacy term for what evolved into what is honestly software.

You don't need to socket any new chips nowadays.

[–] Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 day ago

I mean, if what we're using is pulled from a chipset on the motherboard whose storage space isn't rewritable from the OS interface, wouldn't that be called firmware? You are using a flash chip to boot after all.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

You are in fact correct. UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is the modernized version of the very very old BIOS (Basic Input/Output System).

It brought a parade of improvements including the GPT (GUID [Global Unique Identifier] Parition Table) partition table replacing the old MBR (Master Boot Record) partition table.

[–] affenlehrer@feddit.org 8 points 1 day ago

Computer is a pretty broad term. Not all have or need a BIOS, e.g. in embedded systems.

[–] russjr08@bitforged.space 7 points 1 day ago

Yes, though I think the exception is (some?) ARM based PCs don't run UEFI, in which ARM in general doesn't have a universal standard for booting which adds complexity to it. Perhaps that's already changed though, I haven't kept up too well in the ARM space.

Not sure if maybe the Walmart self checkout terminals aren't x86 machines, perhaps they're ARM or another embedded type of system.

[–] Zen_Shinobi@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (2 children)

When I used to work at Walmart in 2012, they still used MS-DOS for their signage

[–] carotte@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 day ago

the machine used to manage schedules at the job i had this summer used windows XP

[–] tonyn@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 day ago

If it ain't broke...

[–] spits@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

IDK where this is, but I repaired self checkouts in Oklahoma and Texas for years and they all had Windows. The regular registers looked like this when they booted. But going off the way the surrounding hardware is facing the same direction as the screen and what looks like a debit reader barely visible on the left and the printer on the right, it does look like a self checkout, just not one like I've ever seen.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Sam’s Club doesn’t use windows for their machines. The self checkout uses some pervert proprietary version of Linux and the registers for humans have some java powered thing. No windows.

[–] spits@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Yes, Sams club. Regular registers set up to be self checkouts. Yep, I remember that.

[–] skiguy0123@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 day ago

This is in Ontario

[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] mbirth@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Open-source Mbrowser 52.2, packed with security features

Does anyone know where to find this?

EDIT: All I can find are the user agent strings which indicate that this might be some IBM product. Also, there's rv:52.0 in the environment part, but IBM Mbrowser/60.5.1 in the engines part - so the actual version of the browser component might be 60.5.1 in this case, not 52.x. (There's also a rv:60.0 with Mbrowser/60.9.0 - no IBM this time.)

[–] Sarcasmo220@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

Maybe there were dual booting Windows and then a Windows update broke the boot partition