Following the December launch of Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS and the first major COSMIC desktop release, System76 software engineers have continued making improvements to their Rust-based desktop environment....
LWN has had a number of articles on immutable distributions, such as Bluefin and Bazzite, in recent years. These distributions have taken a variety of approaches, including using rpm-ostree, filesystem snapshots, and bootable container (bootc) images. But those approaches, especially the latter, lead to extra complexity for a...
A change proposal has been cleared by the Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee "FESCo" for providing a nice out-of-the-box experience for Windows on ARM laptops namely the recent Snapdragon X1 laptops and will also be important for the upcoming Snapdragon X2 laptops too....
A lot of HID subsystem updates have been queuing up ahead of the Linux 6.20~7.0 merge window in February. There is a lot of new hardware support on the way along with quirks for some existing hardware support ranging from laptop keyboard issues to enabling support for more PS4/PS5 guitars under Linux.
Six months after switching to immutable design with its major 25 release, a Debian-based Deepin 25.0.10 ISO has been officially released as a feature-enhanced, bug-fix release, powered by Linux kernel 6.12....
A proposal has been laid out for a new X.Org Server "main" Git branch to house their development going forward and cleaning up the development lapses over the past few years. Ultimately the hope is for having a new cleaned-up X.Org Server and XWayland Git branch for shipping new releases in 2026....
Two months after the major 25 release, MX Linux has rolled out MX-25.1 “Infinity,” a new point update that refreshes installation media across all supported editions and restores one of the project’s long-standing distinguishing features: dual init support....
Last year Valve contractor Timur Kristóf managed to improve the AMDGPU driver enough for old GCN 1.0 Southern Islands and GCN 1.1 Sea Islands GPUs that with Linux 6.19 AMDGPU is now the default for those GPUs with better performance, RADV Vulkan out-of-the-box, and other benefits. He isn't done though improving the old GCN...
Snap Store, a centralized application repository for distributing snap packages operated by Canonical, allows developers to publish applications with relatively low barriers to entry, while users can install and update software automatically through a single trusted channel. However, that trust is now under strain....
Mozilla announced today in a blog post that it is now offering an RPM package of the Firefox open-source web browser for RPM-based GNU/Linux distributions, with an initial focus on the Firefox Nightly releases....
The MX Linux team announced today the general availability for download of MX Linux 25.1 as the first update in the MX Linux 25 “Infinity” series of this Debian-based distribution featuring Xfce, KDE Plasma, and Fluxbox flavors....
A developer has submitted a draft to the KDE team for KWin to hook up a full Plasma VR mode and it looks pretty awesome. As it's currently a draft, it needs plenty more work before being accepted but the idea behind it and how it looks has me quite interested....
For the past few years, generation of user documentation at docs.kde.org was not working. After a few months on working on the related issue, we finally managed to make it functional again and it once again displays the documentation for almost 150 applications!
Ahead of the Linux 6.19-rc6 kernel release due out later today are two USB fixes for Apple M1 / M2 Macs running the mainline kernel. These Apple USB fixes are also marked for back-porting to the stable Linux kernel series....
A new BSD on the block is ChaosBSD that intends to serve as a testing distribution for unfinished and broken drivers not suitable for upstreaming to FreeBSD proper....
The Amarok Development Squad is happy to announce the immediate availability of Amarok 3.3.2, the second bugfix release for Amarok 3.3 "Far Above the Clouds"!...
With the Linux 6.19-rc6 kernel release due out later today there will be a number of sound fixes/workarounds to note from the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X gaming handheld to several newer laptops seeing fixes for their audio support....
Synex is a Linux distribution that's been around for some months as a Debian-based, minimalistic Linux distribution out of Argentina focused on the needs of small and medium businesses. Making it a bit more intriguing for some now is that with their new release based on Debian 13 is a server edition and they have added native...
As part of the GNOME Foundation funded Digital Wellbeing project, the GNOME Shell for GNOME 50 has merged options to prevent unlocking the desktop session past their bed time. The intent here is on rounding out GNOME's parental controls functionality....
The inability to use Adobe Creative Cloud on Linux is often cited as a major barrier for many users considering a switch to the platform. But perhaps, just perhaps, there has already been a breakthrough in that direction....
System76 Continues Driving More Improvements Into The COSMIC Desktop ( www.phoronix.com )
Following the December launch of Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS and the first major COSMIC desktop release, System76 software engineers have continued making improvements to their Rust-based desktop environment....
An alternate path for immutable distributions ( lwn.net )
LWN has had a number of articles on immutable distributions, such as Bluefin and Bazzite, in recent years. These distributions have taken a variety of approaches, including using rpm-ostree, filesystem snapshots, and bootable container (bootc) images. But those approaches, especially the latter, lead to extra complexity for a...
Fedora 44 Feature Approved For Better Windows On ARM Laptop Experience ( www.phoronix.com )
A change proposal has been cleared by the Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee "FESCo" for providing a nice out-of-the-box experience for Windows on ARM laptops namely the recent Snapdragon X1 laptops and will also be important for the upcoming Snapdragon X2 laptops too....
Support For More Bluetooth Guitars & Other HID Changes Ahead Of Linux 6.20~7.0 ( www.phoronix.com )
A lot of HID subsystem updates have been queuing up ahead of the Linux 6.20~7.0 merge window in February. There is a lot of new hardware support on the way along with quirks for some existing hardware support ranging from laptop keyboard issues to enabling support for more PS4/PS5 guitars under Linux.
Adreno Gen 8 Vulkan Graphics Merged For Mesa 26.0 To Support The Snapdragon X2 ( www.phoronix.com )
Deepin 25.0.10 Released With File Manager and Installer Improvements ( linuxiac.com )
Six months after switching to immutable design with its major 25 release, a Debian-based Deepin 25.0.10 ISO has been officially released as a feature-enhanced, bug-fix release, powered by Linux kernel 6.12....
X.Org Server May Create A New Selective Git Branch With Hopes Of A New Release This Year ( www.phoronix.com )
A proposal has been laid out for a new X.Org Server "main" Git branch to house their development going forward and cleaning up the development lapses over the past few years. Ultimately the hope is for having a new cleaned-up X.Org Server and XWayland Git branch for shipping new releases in 2026....
MX Linux 25.1 ISOs Are Now Available With Dual Init Support ( linuxiac.com )
Two months after the major 25 release, MX Linux has rolled out MX-25.1 “Infinity,” a new point update that refreshes installation media across all supported editions and restores one of the project’s long-standing distinguishing features: dual init support....
New Patches From Valve Bring AMDGPU Power Management Improvements For Old GCN 1.0 GPUs ( www.phoronix.com )
Last year Valve contractor Timur Kristóf managed to improve the AMDGPU driver enough for old GCN 1.0 Southern Islands and GCN 1.1 Sea Islands GPUs that with Linux 6.19 AMDGPU is now the default for those GPUs with better performance, RADV Vulkan out-of-the-box, and other benefits. He isn't done though improving the old GCN...
Linux Snap Users Warned as Attackers Push Malware Through Old Trusted Apps ( linuxiac.com )
Snap Store, a centralized application repository for distributing snap packages operated by Canonical, allows developers to publish applications with relatively low barriers to entry, while users can install and update software automatically through a single trusted channel. However, that trust is now under strain....
Mozilla Now Offers an Official Firefox RPM Package for RPM-Based Linux Distros ( 9to5linux.com )
Mozilla announced today in a blog post that it is now offering an RPM package of the Firefox open-source web browser for RPM-based GNU/Linux distributions, with an initial focus on the Firefox Nightly releases....
MX Linux 25.1 Is Out with Dual-Init Support, Debian 13.3 Base, and Linux 6.18 LTS ( 9to5linux.com )
The MX Linux team announced today the general availability for download of MX Linux 25.1 as the first update in the MX Linux 25 “Infinity” series of this Debian-based distribution featuring Xfce, KDE Plasma, and Fluxbox flavors....
Draft code submitted to KDE Plasma turns it into a full VR desktop ( www.gamingonlinux.com )
A developer has submitted a draft to the KDE team for KWin to hook up a full Plasma VR mode and it looks pretty awesome. As it's currently a draft, it needs plenty more work before being accepted but the idea behind it and how it looks has me quite interested....
So, why should GNOME support server side decorations? ( blister.zip )
an article explaining why GNOME should support SSD, but also arguing against the reasons often given for why they shouldn't...
Restoration of docs.kde.org ( blogs.kde.org )
For the past few years, generation of user documentation at docs.kde.org was not working. After a few months on working on the related issue, we finally managed to make it functional again and it once again displays the documentation for almost 150 applications!
Linux 6.19 Landing Fixes For USB2/USB3 Issues With Apple M1/M2 Macs ( www.phoronix.com )
Ahead of the Linux 6.19-rc6 kernel release due out later today are two USB fixes for Apple M1 / M2 Macs running the mainline kernel. These Apple USB fixes are also marked for back-porting to the stable Linux kernel series....
ChaosBSD Is A New BSD For "Broken Drivers, Half-Working Hardware, Vendor Trash" Test Bed ( www.phoronix.com )
A new BSD on the block is ChaosBSD that intends to serve as a testing distribution for unfinished and broken drivers not suitable for upstreaming to FreeBSD proper....
Developer patches Wine to make Photoshop 2021 & 2025 run on Linux — Adobe Creative Cloud installers finally work thanks to HTML, JavaScript and XML fixes ( www.tomshardware.com )
Amarok 3.3.2 released ( blogs.kde.org )
The Amarok Development Squad is happy to announce the immediate availability of Amarok 3.3.2, the second bugfix release for Amarok 3.3 "Far Above the Clouds"!...
Linux 6.19-rc6 Bringing Sound Fixes For ROG Xbox Ally X & Various Laptops ( www.phoronix.com )
With the Linux 6.19-rc6 kernel release due out later today there will be a number of sound fixes/workarounds to note from the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X gaming handheld to several newer laptops seeing fixes for their audio support....
9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: January 18th, 2026 ( 9to5linux.com )
Synex Server: A New Debian Based Linux Distro With Native ZFS Installation Support ( www.phoronix.com )
Synex is a Linux distribution that's been around for some months as a Debian-based, minimalistic Linux distribution out of Argentina focused on the needs of small and medium businesses. Making it a bit more intriguing for some now is that with their new release based on Debian 13 is a server edition and they have added native...
Malware peddlers are now hijacking Snap publisher domains ( blog.popey.com )
GNOME 50 Will Make Sure You Don't Use Your Computer Past Your Bedtime ( www.phoronix.com )
As part of the GNOME Foundation funded Digital Wellbeing project, the GNOME Shell for GNOME 50 has merged options to prevent unlocking the desktop session past their bed time. The intent here is on rounding out GNOME's parental controls functionality....
Developer Claims Photoshop Installers Now Work on Linux Using Wine ( linuxiac.com )
The inability to use Adobe Creative Cloud on Linux is often cited as a major barrier for many users considering a switch to the platform. But perhaps, just perhaps, there has already been a breakthrough in that direction....