The May holidays have begun, but that does not mean that the news digest from the world of programming has taken a backseat. In this selection, we will go through the important news of the IT world for the week: Arduino developers released the Arduino IDE 2.1 update, the Flipper Zero team added a sleep mode for their device, and the Prossimo project began rewriting sudo and su on Rust.

The PyPI repository has implemented the option to publish packages without binding to passwords and API tokens.

The Trusted Publishers function has appeared in the PyPI repository, which allows you to publish packages without saving external systems, fixed passwords and API access tokens. With the help of the new feature, it is planned to fight viruses that are spread through the compromise of external systems or the theft of passwords and API tokens.

The function is built taking into account the OIDC (OpenID Connect) standard. With its help, confirmation of the package publication operation takes place using time-limited tokens. So far, the feature is implemented only for GitHub Actions, but integrations with other cloud CI/CDs will appear in the future.

Manjaro 22.1 distribution release

Manjaro 22.1 Talos distribution was released. The developers of the operating system updated the desktop environment in the builds and switched to a new version of the Pamac package manager.

From the main:

• Gnome-based build now uses environment version 43.5;

• the Layouts Switcher system application has received an update;

• the Plasma-based build moved to KDE Plasma 5.27 and KDE Gear 22.12;

• the edition with Xfce uses Xfce 4.18;

• Pamac updated to version 10.5;

• Users can download versions with Linux kernels 6.1 LTS, 5.15 LTS, 5.10 LTS on the official website.

Otherwise, the update is minor and does not include major innovations. You can download the assembly on the official website of the distribution.

The developers of Flatpak have introduced an update to the Flathub site

Flatpack developers have updated the Flathub package repository site. The portal interface has become more modern and informative. The main page now has new and recently updated apps sections. The search tab is designed to help users find something new through thematic sections, but a search bar for a specific package by name is available.

The developers of the repository have added a mechanism for application verification. The authors of the project said that the original package and several user versions are often found in the repository. Verification will help distinguish the original version from others. Developers of original programs can confirm the authenticity of the package and receive a verification checkmark, which will be displayed next to the program name.

Arduino IDE 2.1 is out

The Arduino development team has released an update of the proprietary IDE for development under the platform of the same name. Of the big changes:

• redesigned the menu interface of the library manager, making it simpler and more understandable. At the same time, the search system for installed libraries has been improved;

• the Arduino Cloud integration window has a new interface;

• updated the Arduino CLI to version 0.32.2.

Elsewhere, the release includes bug fixes for Arduino IDE 2.0, which exited beta testing in September 2022. The developers of the project added a dark theme, redesigned the user interface and included features that have been requested by users for a long time. For example, code autocompletion appeared during development.

The updated Slack API is out of beta

Slack’s updated API is out of a three-year beta test. The company’s blog said that the new modular architecture will allow developing more powerful integrations for the corporate messenger. Slack also noted that for a long time users complained about problems and difficulties in working with the old version of the API, now the company has fixed it.

The main difference of the updated Slack API was the modular architecture, which gives developers more options. New tools were also introduced, including the Slack CLI, TypeScript SDK, and Workflow Builder, which allows you to automate routine tasks without programming.

Until October 31, 2023, access to the API will be open to everyone. After that, developers will need to pay for the use of the software interface.

TouchHLE, an emulator of old iOS games, now also works on Android

Old game emulator for iPhone OS touchHLE now supports Android. A separate branch is being developed by a developer under the nickname ciciplusplus. The Android build is waiting to be checked out and merged into the master branch.

The initial version of the emulator was released in early March 2022 by a girl with the nickname Hikari no Yume. touchHLE allows you to run iPhone OS games on MacOS and Windows. The project is written in Rust.

Hikari no Yume revealed on social media that the emulator was developed without using the original iPhone OS code and reverse engineering technology. Therefore, the program is open to anyone who complains, and Apple’s lawyers should not find grounds for copyright and patent infringement lawsuits.

The Photo Picker library has received support for Android 4.4 KitKat and later versions

The Photo Picker library allows developers to quickly implement an image selection mechanism for further use within the application. With the library, you can access media files without direct permission to store the media.

The library was available only for new versions of Android, and developers had to write their own solutions for older systems. Google has now announced that it has added Photo Picker support for Android 4.4 KitKat and later as part of the ActivityX 1.7.0 release.

The code of the Simple LAPS GUI utility, designed to work with Windows LAPS, has been published on GitHub

A developer with the nickname htcfreek published on GitHub the code of the Simple LAPS GUI utility, designed to work with Microsoft LAPS and Windows LAPS. Initially, the utility for working with LAPS (Local admin password solution) was delivered as an MSI package. In April, Microsoft developers introduced a new format for working with LAPS, but left support for the old format. Because of this, users experienced compatibility issues. The company promised to release a solution in the future.

The presented Simple LAPS GUI utility comes with a user interface and allows you to work with both the new and the old LAPS format. With its help, administrators can query passwords, change timestamps, expiration dates, and copy passwords.

WinToUSB 7.9 supports Windows 11 Lite

WinToUSB (Windows To USB) is an analogue of the popular Rufus and Ventoy utilities, optimized for creating bootable disks for portable versions of Windows. Version 7.9 supports the creation of bootable USB drives for unofficial Windows 11 Lite. The tool can be downloaded from the official website.

JetBrains showed Kodi, the updated mascot of the Kotlin language

JetBrains introduced Kodde – the updated mascot of the Kotlin language. The company showed the first version back in 2021, but after that decided to redo the design. Along with the mascot, JetBrains has released detailed guidelines for its use, including advice on fonts, color palettes, and overall design aesthetics.

“We wanted to create a funny character that the Kotlin community would understand. We wanted to give our community something special that sparks imagination and a sense of connection. We believe that our mascot is more than just a symbol. It’s a friendly companion that our community can use to express themselves,” JetBrains wrote.

“Open Mobile Platform” has updated the portal for developers of programs for the “Aurora” OS

The company “Open Mobile Platform” has updated the information resource for developers for the Aurora OS. The new version of the portal contains links to materials that will be useful to both beginners and experienced application creators.

The Aurora OS SDK, API documentation, development guides, and SDK and operating system release information can be found on the portal. They also published a link to the project in Figma with UI Kit materials of the Aurora OS.

“As an operating system manufacturer, our company does a lot to provide application developers with the necessary resources and successful development of their products on the Aurora platform.” As the basis of the new version of the portal for developers, we have laid the technologies and approaches that will allow us to develop its functionality and services available to developers,” explained Kyrylo Chuvilin, head of the development and support department for developers for the Aurora OS.

The Flipper Zero team added a sleep mode to the firmware, which gives the device up to one month of battery life.

In the Flipper Zero 0.82 firmware update, a full-fledged sleep mode was added, which extends the device’s battery life by 4 times. The company said that for four years they could not find a bug in the STM32WB55 that prevents the microcontroller from being put into deep sleep mode.

In a detailed article, the developers of the project talked about the new power saving mode and the problems of the STM32WB55 microcontroller that they had to face.

“Flipper Zero is based on the STM32WB series microcontroller. Firmware development with this microcontroller is very difficult due to its dual-core architecture, common peripherals, and closed-source firmware for Core 2 without the ability to debug it,” the developers said.

The Prossimo project will rewrite sudo and su in Rust

Development teams from Ferrous Systems and Tweede Golf, with financial support from Amazon Web Services, have begun implementation sudo and su on Rust. Activity in the repository sudo-rs started back in January 2023, but the current version is not yet ready for a full release.

The documentation states that the product can be used for testing and development. Also, only Linux systems are supported so far. On other Unix-like systems sudo-rs can earn, but without support.