Catch up on the biggest open source headlines from the past two weeks.

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In this edition of our open source news roundup, we take a look at GNOME Foundation's new contributor program, a new Linux integrity checker from Microsoft, a free software alternative to smart TVs, and more!

GNOME Foundation launches a new contributor program

A key part of keeping open source communities vibrant and healthy is bringing in new contributors. To help promote this, the GNOME Foundation and Endless teamed up to launch the inaugural Community Engagement Challenge. Phase one launched this week by opening the call for submitting project applications. Candidate projects should be aimed at bringing beginners into open source and encouraging ongoing participation in open source communities. Projects don’t have to be coding, they can also be games, videos, written materials, and so on.

A panel of judges will select 20 projects to participate in phase two, where ideas will be turned into proofs of concept. At each phase, cash prizes will be awarded. Proposals are due July 1, 2020.

Microsoft announces code integrity checker for Linux

When you run a program, you want it to be the one you think you’re running. This week, Microsoft announced Integrity Policy Enforcement (IPE), a Linux Security Model released under the GPLv2.

IPE is targeted toward specific-purpose devices like network firewalls, not for general-purpose computing. It provides runtime verification that the code being executed matches the desired version. This allows administrators to detect and block altered binaries.

IPE is currently in the Request for Comments stage on the linux-security-module mailing list.

KDE announces Plasma Bigscreen

I recently bought a new TV and, if you haven’t been in the market lately, it’s hard to find “dumb” televisions. I didn’t want a smart TV because I worry about the manufacturer abandoning the software and what the device might do with my data. So KDE’s recent Plasma Bigscreen announcement caught my eye.

Plasma Bigscreen takes the KDE Plasma interface I use every day and combines it with Mycroft AI to turn single-board computers into a smart TV. The beta, released last month, includes support for the Raspberry Pi 4 (Model B).