diff --git a/content/posts/2025/04/installing-linux/index.md b/content/posts/2025/04/installing-linux/index.md index 2b192ff..f2bc9cc 100644 --- a/content/posts/2025/04/installing-linux/index.md +++ b/content/posts/2025/04/installing-linux/index.md @@ -2,13 +2,13 @@ title = 'Installing Linux' date = 2025-04-17T14:56:34+02:00 lastmod = 2025-04-17T14:56:34+02:00 -draft = true +draft = false author = 'Janis Hutz' tags = [ 'Linux', 'Windows' ] categories = [ 'Guides', 'Tutorials' ] series = [ 'linux-beginner-guide' ] series_weight = 2 -featuredImage = "" +featuredImage = "cover.jpg" +++ With End Of Life of Windows looming, you will have at least four options (sorted in order of best experience): @@ -73,3 +73,17 @@ Now, we want to actually install the operating system. Here are a few notes of c - This guide aims to be as accurate as possible, but it can't cover all aspects, so better check online if you are unsure. AI is your friend here, believe it or not. I will take no responsibility if you loose data here. With that out of the way, let's get started. In Windows, open the start menu, and hold down shift while you click "Restart". Then in the menu that appears, click "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced Options" > "UEFI Firmware Settings" + +Now that you are in BIOS, telling you what to do is a *bit* more tricky. Some devices have a specific one-time boot picker, others do not. For most BIOSes, you can boot off a different device by going to the "Boot" tab and selecting your USB drive. + +Select your drive to boot off of it and wait for your Linux distro to boot up. + +Once that is done, on most distros, the installer will auto-launch. Make sure you connect your device to the internet, so the installer can download the required files, if the installer is using network-install. It will also allow the installer to automatically install the latest updates and any software you can choose in the installer. + +Since the install process for most distros is quite similar and well guided by their installer, I will skip this part mostly. + +Click through the installer, selecting your region, your keyboard layout (most installers nowadays feature an auto-detect functionality for that even), if necessary, select your desktop environment and any software it asks you if you want to have it installed (that you actually need or want to have) and wait for the install to finish. + +The system will now reboot. Two things may now happen: Usually, you will boot straight to your new OS, but if you do not and boot back to the installer, simply shut down from booted distro, unplug the USB drive and boot up again. You should now be in your new operating system. + +**Congratulations, you have installed Linux on your device!** diff --git a/content/posts/2025/06/kernel-level-anti-cheat/cover.png b/content/posts/2025/06/kernel-level-anti-cheat/cover.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e3be588 Binary files /dev/null and b/content/posts/2025/06/kernel-level-anti-cheat/cover.png differ diff --git a/content/posts/2025/06/kernel-level-anti-cheat/index.md b/content/posts/2025/06/kernel-level-anti-cheat/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7017661 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/2025/06/kernel-level-anti-cheat/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,50 @@ ++++ +title = 'Kernel Level Anti Cheat - The epitome of evil practices of gaming companies' +date = 2025-05-31T11:13:37+02:00 +lastmod = 2025-05-31T11:13:37+02:00 +draft = false +author = 'Janis Hutz' +tags = [ 'Linux', 'Windows' ] +categories = [ 'Rants' ] +series = [] +series_weight = 1 +featuredImage = "cover.png" ++++ + +It's again been a while since my last blog post, so sorry for that + + +{{< admonition type=tip title="What is Kernel-Level anti-cheat?" open=false >}} +**What is the Kernel** +The Kernel is the core of the operating system, essentially managing devices, memory access and much more. You may read this [wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kernel_%28operating_system%29) to learn more + +**Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat** +Now that you understand what a Kernel is, Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat is Anti-Cheat software with access to the Kernel itself, and it is allowed to tamper with core, low-level functionality of the operating system to, as they say, prevent cheating much more effectively, while in fact, it makes little to no difference. +{{< /admonition >}} + +# The rant +Today, we got a bit of a rant going. Apparently, EA decided to include Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat in F1 24 and newer, as well as EA Sports WRC. +Now, you might ask, what is the problem with that? They are simply trying to stop cheaters and trolls. If it worked, then granted, sure enough. +The problem though: It doesn't. And will never, especially since EA's moderation tools have never really worked ever and multiplayer lobbies in F1 games have been a disaster ever since their inception. +Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat doesn't fix that. Certainly not. All it does, is prevent people on Linux from enjoying the game, because an evil company decided it wanted to block it by using invasive malware they call "Anti-Cheat" software that has access to the KERNEL(!!) of your operating system. +***THE KERNEL!!!***, the piece of software only drivers and core system components should have direct access to. +No wonder are there many Anti-Cheat related CVEs out there. + +Luckily however, Crowdstrike came to the rescue, crashing millions of PCs with their Kernel-Level AV software with a buggy update. +This truly served as a wake-up call to Micro$oft to finally address the issues of granting... well, basically everything that wants to have it, Kernel access. Yes, that software needs to be signed, blah, blah, blah, but it still doesn't fix the underlying issue of Kernel access: Security and the substantial risk of crashing the whole system with a bug. + +For a long time I did not have any EA games and wanted to keep it that way, but then I got back into F1 and wanted to drive F1 cars too much, so I got some of the F1 games, which are made by EA. +I also got into driving WRC a bit with WRC 9 and saw that the new one was actually pretty good, albeit developed by EA, and got it as well. +At the time I got it, it didn't yet have Kernel-Level anti-cheat, but only mere weeks later it got, as I just found out. +I had been a bit lazy with setup for my Thrustmaster SF1000 Addon Wheel, so I never moved these games to Linux, even though they would have worked perfectly, so I only just figured it out when I tried to do it on the day I am writing this. + +I have never really understood the point of having *Kernel-Level* Anti-Cheat. Anti-Cheat for sure, but you can do without Kernel-Access, for sure. The Kernel-Access is just simply for extra data-mining and to prevent Linux users from using it. +And it's mostly just the latter. Which is a true shame, as these evil practices prevent people who otherwise would have switched to Linux from doing that. +Only because a few evil companies decide to ***intentionally*** prevent their apps from working on Linux. +Like I get it, you don't want to support Linux, that is fine. +I am also fine if you tell the user that you likely won't be able to support them, but don't *spend time and thus MONEY that your CUSTOMERS PAY YOU TO USE YOUR DAMN SOFTWARE* to prevent people from using it if they are using an operating system you *chose not to support*. +Again, I am fine if you don't support it officially, but *blocking it is the problem I have with it*. +I don't blame them if their software doesn't work well. I don't blame them if their software doesn't work at all if they haven't intentionally done so. + +# Conclusion +I really do hope you see my point and why it is important to give these shady companies a financial incentive to stop these kinds of practices. Because if they keep getting away with it and nobody complains or they aren't hurt financially, they will keep doing this BS