From 579a5e7845596229bcd10de6133787f50db9788e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Norman Feske Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:02:32 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] News item for Sculpt 23.10 --- doc/news.txt | 56 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 56 insertions(+) diff --git a/doc/news.txt b/doc/news.txt index d8290fc949..355505cd28 100644 --- a/doc/news.txt +++ b/doc/news.txt @@ -3,6 +3,62 @@ Genode News =========== + +Sculpt OS release 23.10 | 2023-10-26 +#################################### + +| Modern PCs provide plenty of metering and power-management options. +| Version 23.10 of the Genode-based Sculpt operating system makes these features +| available via an interactive user interface. One can watch the temperature +| of each CPU core, monitor the individual CPU frequencies, switch between +| power profiles, and reveal details about power draw. + +Our official +[https://genode.org/documentation/articles/sculpt-23-10 - documentation] +introduces Sculpt as an operating system that puts the user in the position +of full control. With the new release, this promise is taken to the precise +control and monitoring of physical CPU parameters. + +Besides restricting workloads to specific CPU cores, each individual core can +be interactively parametrized, e.g., by balancing performance against power +efficiency. The effects of changing these parameters become immediately +visible by the monitored frequencies, temperature, and power draw. The new +knobs add plenty of play value and an entirely new sense of control to the +user experience. You can find the new power-control feature described in a +[https://genodians.org/alex-ab/2023-10-23-msr - dedicated article]. + +The advanced power-control abilities are accompanied with generally improved +support for modern laptops. E.g., on the Framework Gen 12 laptop, +features like battery monitoring, keyboard backlight control, and external +displays just work now. + +Like the previous release, Sculpt OS is available for both PCs and the +PinePhone. The PinePhone version received several usability improvements +motivated by the feedback we got from the Pine64 community. Most importantly, +a new screensaver reduces the power draw to less than 40%, making the device +more viable in practice. +Under the hood, Sculpt completely removes the drivers for the display and the +touchscreen while the screen is blanked. Those drivers are restarted when +pressing the power button. Furthermore, the volume buttons have become +functional, and the dial pad has become more flexible. + +Beside the user-visible improvements, the underpinnings of Sculpt OS +received a number of improvements. The entire software is now consistently +built with GCC 12.3. The former iPXE-based network driver has been replaced +by driver code of the Linux kernel 6.1.20, which works nicely on modern +machines. The new version also introduces the principle mechanisms needed +for on-target debugging, switches to a much revised virtualization interface, +and replaces the block-encryption engine of the file vault. Users of the latter +should follow the documented +[https://genodians.org/m-stein/2023-10-25-file-vault-migration-1 - migration steps]. + +Sculpt OS 23.10 for PC and PinePhone is available as ready-to-use system image +at the [https://genode.org/download/sculpt - Sculpt download page] accompanied +with updated [https://genode.org/documentation/articles/sculpt-23-10 - documentation]. +Seasoned Sculpt users can conveniently switch to the new version via the +system-update dialog. + + Genode OS Framework release 23.08 | 2023-08-24 ##############################################