MOFO Linux / Blog: Recent posts

Hello Linux Users,

MOFO Linux has been upgraded to version 9.4.0 and is available worldwide for download.

It is the fifth release in the 9.x series. Although it retains a similar look and feel to its predecessor, there is significantly more firmament in the system:

1. A more reliable sequence for starting the window manager, based on systemd.
   • Debian upstream appears to be tweaking the Debian Live package, upon which this live computing environment is based, and they changed something which caused some problems getting the Xserver and DWM started.
   • Using systemd service units to initiate the desktop / window manager works like a charm.
2. Kernel 6.14, with the Xanmod efficiency and speed tweaks, runs this Linux very nicely on new and old hardware.
3. To make things easier for any of you who want a persistent system, which remembers changes in files or settings, I have set the persistence boot parameter. To work, it requires you to have a Linux partition labeled "persistence," containing a configuration file named persistence.conf. Look online for more information about persistent Debian Live setups.
4. Most of the utilities and scripts associated with MOFO Linux, such as the wrappers for SuperSDR and Sshuttle, are based on originals stored in my Github repositories. The binaries or scripts are now cloned from the repos to /usr/local/src and symlinked to /usr/local/bin. Maintenance is easier, as they can now be updated with a simple "git pull."
5. The Element Messenger and chat application was adding a lot of size to this iso image, weighing in at more than 460 MB, so I have switched it to use the online web interface, working through the web browser.
6. The Telegram Messenger and chat application was also adding a lot of size to this iso image, weighing in at more than 180 MB, so I have switched it to use the online web interface.
7. Discord has been added as another chat application, also working through their online web interface in the browser.
8. Some tools have been changed for efficiency and to use data files in csv format, instead of odd mixtures of spaces and quotations.
   • Csv data can be more easily edited, parsed, and otherwise managed.
   • The Internet Radio Playlist no longer needs a template, and can handle thousands of stations.
   • SuperSDR-Wrapper now also uses csv files, loading parsed SDR server and station data into Pandas dataframes.
9. Note-taking is better now in MOFO Linux:
   • Obsidian now gets its own keybind: Super + O.
   • I crafted a nifty terminal-based note sorter and editor, available with Super + Shift + O. Hit the F key for deep, recursive searching through all subfolders.
10. Python-Tgpt accompaniess the older Golang-based Terminal GPT.
    • This new AI chatbot can use more than 40 models.
    • Quality and speed are quite good.... read more

Fellow MOFO Linux users,

MOFO Linux is now upgraded to version 9.2.0, bringing Linux kernel 6.11 and several software updates and bug fixes. Most important for some users is the bug fix in the Wireguard connection manager. Also, the SDR streamer has been worked on, so it runs smoothly, bringing you live radio from KiwiSDR servers all over the world.. Kodi Media Center has also gotten some updates - not only for the main interface, but for the audio / video addons too.... read more

Signal is among my most favorite of apps with strong privacy protections. Signal has now been around for a decade, and media outlets are featuring articles about it. I cannot imagine a better person being Signal's president than Meredith Whittaker. She has the smarts and the courage to make Signal be all it can be. She is an interesting person too, on her own merits.

Brew up some good coffee and have a read of Whittaker's interview in Wired. Beware of the pretenders out there who will collect information on you and sell it, or would allow it to be used to block your access to info or interactions you seek. For more on that, see Surveillance Watch, which Whittaker has cited as a great resource, covering the connections between surveillance companies, their funding, and their unsavory clients.

Linux Enthusiasts and Anti-Censorship Advocates,

MOFO Linux v9.1.0 is available for download.

This update brings a fresher kernel, Xanmod 6.8, and some other software updates and tweaks.

Remember, these version 9 isos are set up as live computing environments. Upon creating a live USB device and booting it, your first actions are likely to be:
1. Connect to the network (keys SUPER + N).
2. Connect Bluetooth (keys SUPER + B).
3. Copy in your home directory and ssh settings, if saved elsewhere.
4. Copy in or download some Wireguard or OpenVPN configs, if you use them.
5. Establish your ssh tunnel, VPN, or Tor connection.
6. Go out on the open internet or into cypher spaces (Tor, I2P, etc). ... read more

Linux Enthusiasts and Anti-Censorship Advocates,

MOFO Linux v9.0.0 is presently in the release process, with uploading expected to be completed by time 2024/03/07 - 1700 UTC.

Migration from its base of Ubuntu LTS to rolling Debian Sid is complete. The new system contains freshly updated apps and scripts to keep you ahead of any barrier between you and the people, information, and media of the global internet. See the latest highlights of this release on the MOFO Linux summary page.... read more

Friends,

It has been some time since the most recent release of MOFO Linux; here is an update on the next version release. Sometime in the next couple of months, hopefully before the start of winter, MOFO Linux version 9 will hit the wires. It is being switched from an Ubuntu base to a rolling Debian Unstable / Sid. If you have tried Catbird Linux, you'll know what a lightweight and responsive system can be built on Sid. Generally, it will work much like the latest version 8 release, but better.... read more

If you are a person at risk, or discussing topics prohibited where you live, you absolutely need to avoid text messaging apps which are not end to end encrypted. In a separate development, the splinternet continues fighting for its life. Here are some articles:

• Messages about ending a teen pregnancy lead to arrest of Nebraska mother and daughter. Cops were given evidence from Meta, which had incriminating data on their servers. Here is another article, which indicates that the mother and daughter conversed in the clear on Facebook Messenger. Of course, the whole arc of events might not have happened if the young woman and her partner been more informed about contraception and managing risks in sex. Friends, if you don't know, you can find out... ... read more

Greetings to All,

I am pleased to announce the release of MOFO Linux version 8.4.0, bringing updates, tweaks, and an important new feature.

New AI Tools...
With this release, MOFO Linux now carries AI tools, which are a new and prioritized target of the censors in autocratically leaning countries. We are starting small, with the addition of Terminal GPT, which is a terminal interface connecting to the to the Bai Chatbot. Currently, Bai is on GPT 3.5, and worked well with the prompts given to it during testing. What I really like about it is that it may be used anonymously: no API keys, no account, and no need to log in. ... read more

There seems to be a great gap between realities of today's internet and what state legislatures believe it to be. Over my cup of bad morning coffee, I read in the news that Montana has passed a new law banning TikTok within the state and requiring app stores to make it unavailable to Montana residents. It is an action one would expect from the People's Republic of China or any of the other autocracies existing around the world. The ban is contrary to the First Amendment, a terrible way to deal with security issues, and is unenforceable. It is typical for MAGA legislators who have no clue about technology and could care less about actual governance.... read more

It has been approximately fifteen years that I have been getting first-hand experience with the many shades of internet and freedoms of expression in the world. Previously, anonymity and privacy tools were mostly things to play around with to see what mathematics could do. It all got real in a hurry when I was out on trips to the Middle East, South Asia, and the Far East in search of work. There were places where the newspapers and television were so full of bunk that I cut them out of daily life. On top of that, the good stuff on shortwave radio was either buried in noise or jammed by regional dictatorships. WTF was I going to do to find some decent punk and reggae music? WTF was I going to do for believable news? ... read more

MOFO Linux has existed, in its various forms, for almost 13 years. I created it because I took a job in a country with very restricted internet and I wanted uncensored access to news and social media. I had no intention of allowing anyone to interfere with ties I had to people anywhere else in the world or to tell me what to think. The system worked and I shared it with my colleagues. Realizing that it was something a lot of people would use, I made MOFO Linux available via SourceForge and various bit torrent trackers.... read more

Greetings, friends.

MOFO Linux version 8.3.0 is uploading now, with an expected completion time of about 2023/02/21 - 1820 UTC. This update addresses some minor bug fixes, window manager adjustments, and other small improvements.

Most noticeable changes to the i3 Window Manager is the automatic show / hide behavior of the terminal and file manager. They now reside mostly on the scratchpad, once opened. You use the hot keys to open them, and the same keys hit again will stow those windows out of sight, on the scratchpad. It means they appear almost instantly when you want them, and they can be made to vanish quickly too (still open, but out of the way).... read more

Happy New Year!

MOFO Linux 8.2.0 is released and available for download.

Features of this release are:
- Freshened Linux Kernel 6.0.11
- Updated applications
- New "SDR Map" for finding currently active WebSDR and KiwiSDR radio servers.
- New "VPN Gate Download" to get a big batch of ovpn files for VPN Gate's servers. Save them for later or connect right away. Remember that the "VPN Gate Connect" app is a fine way to see which servers are connectable right now through your internet.
- V2Ray core functionality and the QV2Ray interface. Tested with some V2Ray / V2Mess servers.
- Trimmed the Python pip cache and byte code to reduce the iso file size.
- Various system tweaks to get smoother operation.

I am still looking down the road for the best way into MOFO Linux version 9. This update, 8.2.0, was necessary to meet the worsening censorship situation. Beating the autocrats in the art of information warfare requires as many ways as possible to exploit the permeability of censorship barriers, and MOFO Linux will be usable until the last data cable is cut or until the last baddies are plowed into the soil to feed the weeds and sunflowers.

Cheers,
PC / MOFO Linux

MOFO Linux is very much about accessing internet media which is often blocked by authorities or radio signals jammed by the same. I packed the web browser with plenty of links to internet SDRs which allow you to remotely tune radios in hundreds of places around the world, at no cost and no restrictions. I have used them myself to keep the BBC playing in my home, even though authorities repeatedly blocked the official streams.... read more

Friends,

MOFO Linux is now updated to version 8.1.1 and currently uploading to SourceForge. It fixes an issue involving TwitGrid and brings a nicely refreshed Neovim configuration. There is also an updated Xanmod Kernel 5.15.44-rt.

It is unusual to push an update so quickly, but it seemed to be the right thing to do, as TwitGrid stopped working on the same day as MOFO Linux 8.1.0 was uploaded. Being a regular user of the same application as installed on Catbird Linux, I had it updated in a matter of minutes and didn't want the people on MOFO Linux to not have a working version. ... read more

Friends, MOFO Linux version 8.1 is released. Download this one and dump your older versions. This one is good stuff. It brings an updated kernel, package updates, and some bug fixes. Find it on SourceForge now; proper torrent links will go up soon on MOFO Linux.com.

Of particular interest for this update, work went into fixing a bug which was crashing the installer, linux-clone, and getting a nice and smooth experience in Vivaldi when using Tor, I2P, and Freenet. They are all good to go at this time. ... read more

A release target date has not been set, but MOFO Linux version 8.1 is in the works. This will be a simple update - kernel, software packages, and some of the scripts.

As there has been a lot more pressure on circumvention methods recently, I want to emphasize the effectiveness of running your own bare metal server or VPS at a distant location to host a VPN or have Tor set up. It is not such a big deal in free countries, but in non-free places - including Red states in the USA - you may be more safe without Tor on your electronic devices. You should consider using SSH to reach a distant server and run Tor from there to access your unrestricted internet. See the tutorial posted on BunkerbusterVPN for more details on setting it up.... read more

When I think of MOFO Linux, what comes to mind is empowerment of people in non-free areas of the world to engage in communication no matter which adversary may want to prevent it. Recently, freedom in my my homeland has been substantially degraded in a political shift to the far right. To be more specific, fascist Christian nationalists are attacking school curriculum, content in libraries and bookstores, marriage rights, contraception, and medical services related to reproduction and gender identity. If you told me a decade ago that my home country would, at least in part, be governed by people who act similarly to dictators in the Far East, Africa, or the Middle East, I would not have believed you. However, we are there. We are going to have some conflict and MOFO Linux will be one of the weapons.... read more

A notification from SourceForge has arrived in my mailbox, informing me that that MOFO Linux has crossed the milestone of 50,000 downloads during the lifetime of the project. Enthusiasm has gone up and down over time, but people have always been interested in using this special configuration of Linux. There are other, much larger projects on this platform, some drawing 50k downloads in a month, but I am happy that people find MOFO Linux useful for having some control over their internet. Thank you all for giving me a reason to do something meaningful with my time and to find ever more ways to break the fuck out of national internet barriers. I guess a lot of people could simply use Skylink or the next satellite-based internet service. In my case, I gain satisfaction from helping people with basic local services evade restrictions on access and defeat much of their ISP-based surveillance.... read more

Greetings All,

MOFO Linux v8.0.1 is uploading, with an expected completion time of 2021/12/25 1500 UTC. It brings updated packages, a few bug fixes, and tweaks to the system. If there are any issues downloading from here, try the magnet link on the main website, MOFOlinux.com.

Cheers,
MOFO Linux

MOFO Linux 8 appears to be working well. There are some minor bugs, which are slated for correction in a future update. Two applications, Streisand and Algo, fail if started from the Rofi program launcher. Start Streisand or Algo from the terminal with one of these commands:

algo-controller.sh

streisand-controller.sh

In fact, most of the scripts in MOFO Linux reside in these directories:

/usr/local/sbin
/opt
/usr/local/src... read more

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your patience.

As of today, MOFO Linux version 8.0 is complete, released, and available globally. Enjoy the fresh new system, featuring a virtual battering ram of VPN and proxy applications to break censorship barriers and permit the connecting and interacting of people, on a person to person level. The i3 window manager with Rofi and Fzf menus make this version of MOFO Linux a firecracker for workflow. Get to know your keyboard shortcuts and the system is a snap. For a detailed list of keybindings or aliases for i3, Neovim, and Bash, see the readme files linked in Firefox and on Mofolinux.com... read more

You may have noticed that much time has passed since the release of MOFO Linux version 7. In fact, there have been no minor updates, bug fixes, or point releases. To be honest, it was my opinion that MOFO Linux 7.0 did its job quite well, but was becoming less relevant as communication and assembies were trending more towards smart phones. So many easy-to-install smartphone and Linux apps were appearing, that it did not seem productive to update and publish a fresh MOFO Linux iso,... read more

After a much longer than expected cycle of development, MOFO Linux 7.0 is released, with more options for communicating, collaborating, and accessing blocked content behind national censorship barriers.

Almost a year ago, during development of MOFO Linux version 6.1, it was discovered that censorship technology upgrades by the main proliferators would make version 6.1 obsolete before it was released. Version 7.0 is the developer's response: decentralise, be flexible, and never, ever, accept infringements of the rights to freely think, speak, and peacefully assemble with others. If VPNs are being detected and blocked quickly, obfuscate better. If server access is blocked quickly, switch to other servers as you can with Streisand and Algo. Go peer-to-peer and encrypt end-to end. Find more ways to use Tor and IPFS.... read more

After a much longer than expected cycle of development, MOFO Linux 7.0 is released, with more options for communicating, collaborating, and accessing blocked content behind national censorship barriers.

Almost a year ago, during development of MOFO Linux version 6.1, it was discovered that censorship technology upgrades by the main proliferators would make version 6.1 obsolete before it was released. Version 7.0 is the developer's response: decentralise, be flexible, and never, ever, accept infringements of the rights to freely think, speak, and peacefully assemble with others. If VPNs are being detected and blocked quickly, obfuscate better. If server access is blocked quickly, switch to other servers as you can with Streisand and Algo. Go peer-to-peer and encrypt end-to end. Find more ways to use Tor and IPFS.... read more