Otto

@ottok
151 Followers
132 Following
139 Posts
Posts on open source software, technology, business and the environment.
Bloghttps://optimizedbyotto.com
LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ottokekalainen/
GitHubhttps://github.com/ottok
OpenPGPopenpgp4fpr:99B452B11F3C74C3B453E46FBED8449FCEE8DA88
Otto2d ago

🛡️ MariaDB's new AppArmor profile is now enforcing in Debian unstable and heading to Ubuntu 26.04. I developed it against 7,000+ tests to minimize false positives, full story at https://optimizedbyotto.com/post/new-apparmor-profile-for-mariadb/

If you are a dba/sysadmin, check your logs and share feedback via the Debian bug tracker.

#AppArmor #MariaDB #opensource

Automated security validation: How 7,000+ tests shaped MariaDB's new AppArmor profile

Linux kernel security modules provide a good additional layer of security around individual programs by restricting what they are allowed to do, and at best block and detect zero-day security vulnerabilities as soon as anyone tries to exploit them, long before they are widely known and reported. However, the challenge is how to create these security profiles without accidentally also blocking legitimate actions. For MariaDB in Debian and Ubuntu, a new AppArmor profile was recently created by leveraging the extensive test suite with 7000+ tests, giving good confidence that AppArmor is unlikely to yield false positive alerts with it.\n

Optimized by Otto
Otto6d ago

After comparing several, seems https://euro-stack.com/ is the most comprehensive. It also allows to filter by _both_ being European _and_ open source 🇪🇺🐧

The same people run https://eurostack.eu/ and also got fame delivering the https://euro-stackletter.eu/ letter to President Von der Leyen a year ago.

#OpenSource #EU #Europe #DigitalSovereignty

OttoMar 15

Yet another directory of European alternatives: https://eutechmap.com 🇪🇺

There quite a few of these now. Which directory do you think is the best one to recommend/promote?

#OpenSource #Europe #eurostack

EU Tech Map | European tech alternatives

Find European tech, software, and service alternatives that respect your data sovereignty, are GDPR compliant, and store data in Europe.

EU Tech Map
OttoMar 7

🐧 Univeristy student keen to gain open source skills this summer? If you or someone you know wants to contribute to #Debian with Google's sponsorship, explore the #GSoC2026 project ideas now: https://wiki.debian.org/SummerOfCode2026/Projects

Applications open until end of March! Don't miss out, look into project ideas already this weekend!

#OpenSource #FOSS

OttoFeb 26

🇪🇺 Naïve Europeans finally waking up to realize what is the difference between an ally and a master? We should aim for collaboration, not just one-way dependency.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/us-orders-diplomats-fight-data-sovereignty-initiatives-2026-02-25/

'Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens' personal information - initiatives often described as "data sovereignty" or "data localization.'

OttoFeb 23
Is the #AI hype still on or have the models plateaued? I tested 9 flagships (Claude 4.6, GPT-5.2, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Kimi K2.5, etc.) in my own mini-benchmark with novel tasks, web search disabled and zero training contamination and no cheating possible:
https://optimizedbyotto.com/post/ai-models-plateaued-or-not/
Do AI models still keep getting better, or have they plateaued?

The AI hype is based on the assumption that the frontier AI labs are producing better and better foundational models at an accelerating pace. Is that really true, or are people just in sort of a mass psychosis because AI models have become so good at mimicking human behavior that we unconsciously attribute increasing intelligence to them? I decided to conduct a mini-benchmark of my own to find out if the latest and greatest AI models are actually really good or not.\n

Optimized by Otto
OttoFeb 18
The #MySQL community manager since 10 years, Frederic Descamps , expains in https://lefred.be/content/i-joined-the-mariadb-foundation/ why he now quit Oracle and joined #MariaDB: more innovative, more features and most importantly welcomes #opensource contribitions.
I joined the MariaDB Foundation - lefred blog: tribulations of a MariaDB Community Advocate

Last Friday was my last day at Oracle. Today is my first day at MariaDB.org! Of course, this move is a big surprise for many people, but not for me, and it might not be for those following the MySQL ecosystem closely. My decision to leave Oracle was made before…

lefred blog: tribulations of a MariaDB Community Advocate
Show threadOttoFeb 11
@nemobis Sure there is MariaDB, TiDB, Percona Server and more., but so far the world hasn't entirely moved to MariaDB despite it being the most fork by original MySQL authors, so there seems to be room for more forks.
Show threadOttoFeb 10
I wouldn't be surprised to see multiple MySQL forks emerge in 2026, now that more people are realizing how bad Oracle has been as an open source project steward for MySQL.
OttoFeb 10

Check out VillageSQL, the newest #MySQL fork: https://villagesql.com

It's an #OpenSource venture backed by $35M from FirstMark Capital, Spark Capital, and GV (Google Ventures). It's a drop-in replacement for MySQL with an extension architecture. See their native UUID extension with efficient 16-byte storage as an example.