Linux NewsA Simple Way to Fake Blurred Windows on GNOME
The 2 Wallpapers GNOME extension changes wallpaper when apps open, letting you fake blurred window look in apps that support transparency – clever!
Proton Launches Encrypted Spreadsheets (Browser-Based)
Proton has launched Sheets, an encrypted spreadsheet app available to use in any browser with CSV/XLS import, real-time collaboration and more – for free!
Firefox Colour Theme Adapt Add-On
Firefox looks decent enough on Ubuntu, right? But it doesn’t look very colourful by default, which is where add-ons and themes come in — one I was tipped to recently is certainly eye-catching. And it’s not a theme-theme. Ambient theme by Site Colour is an open-source Firefox add-on that dynamically re-colours the tab bar and toolbar based on the dominant colour from the web page being viewed. If you’ve tried Vivaldi web browser you may have noticed it does something similar. When you switch between different tabs… the colour changes. The add-on’s settings allow you to add sits to exclude […]
Add-On
Firefox looks decent enough on Ubuntu, right? But it doesn’t look very colourful by default, which is why many of us turn to add-ons and themes to — one I was tipped to recently is certainly eye-catching. And it’s not a theme-theme. Ambient theme by Site Colour is an open-source Firefox add-on that dynamically re-colours the tab bar and toolbar based on the dominant colour from the web page being viewed. If you’ve tried Vivaldi web browser you may have noticed it does something similar. When you switch between different tabs… the colour changes. The add-on’s settings allow you to […]
Ubuntu Pro Now Available for Windows (on WSL, Obvs)
Canonical announce Ubuntu Pro for WSL, bringing extended security coverage to users running Linux on Windows. As on desktop, it's free for personal use.
Linux Mint 22.3 Beta Coming This Month
Linux Mint 22.3 ‘Zena’ is readying a beta release for testing, with the distro’s developers aiming to have it out in the first half of December. If it feels a bit “soon” for a new version of Linux Mint to be coming it’s because the release of Linux Mint 22.2 arrived much later than usual. As the distro’s developers don’t want their standard release schedule to slip, and many of the bigger changes planned have been in gestation for a while, there’s no reason to hold back for the sake of it. Amongst changes coming in Linux Mint 22.3 are […]
Linux App Release Roundup (November 2025)
December’s here (“December’s here, December’s here…“ as the festive ear worm from New Found Glory goes) which means November is no longer here — ergo, it’s time for a Linux App Release Roundup! November was host to a number of big software updates, a few of which I did plan to cover properly but, for one reason or another, got away from me. I did cover Firefox 145 and Thunderbird 145 (out like clockwork), the Raspberry Pi Imager 2 released (redesigned), Mission Center 1.1 (better filtering), Fish 4.2 (multi-line suggests) and the GIMP 3.2 Release Candidate (improved text tool). Read […]
ONLYOFFICE 9.2 Update Adds AI Features, Bug Fixes
A new version of ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, the free, open source productivity suite for Linux, macOS and Windows is out. ONLYOFFICE 9.2 includes a new AI agent across all editors in its stack, including Document Editor, Spreadsheet Editor, Presentation Editor and PDF Editor. Thus it is possible to quickly generate documents from prompts, analyse and ask questions regarding specific document contents, fill in PDF forms and, for those feeling brave, allow the AI Agent to do local file management. AI Agent in ONLYOFFICE was introduced in the v9.1 update as a beta plugin users needed to explicitly install. The release […]
Raspberry Pi 5 1GB Launched, Other Models See Price Hikes
A budget version of the Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computer with 1GB RAM and costing $45 has been announced. The new Raspberry Pi 5 1GB is an affordable option, but it’s not as low-cost as it could’ve been owing to the rocketing cost of memory across the tech industry driven, largely, by demand and competition from the increase in AI data centres. But its lower price comparative to other models in the range is, arguably, never more important. Why? Because, alas, the cost of most other Pi models has risen due to the volatile (heh) memory market with price increase […]
Linux 6.18 Released with Speed Boosts, Gaming Fixes and Bcachefs Removal
Linux kernel 6.18 is released with sizeable performance boosts, new laptop drivers, and a controversial filesystem removal – plus more! Key changes inside.
Mozilla’s ‘Rewiring’ to AI – Saving the Web or Saving Itself?
Mozilla is “rewiring” itself to put AI at the centre of everything: what it builds, why it builds it, and how it makes money. Going forward, every product in Mozilla’s portfolio, including Firefox, will need to “design their strategies” and “measure their success” by how much AI is added and, more worryingly for ‘public interest’ projects, how much cash its AI features generate. Target: 20% yearly growth in non-search revenue – around $25 million a year. Mozilla says this is necessary to save the web (and humanity) from big AI, and to give users more “agency” and “choice”. But is […]
Ubuntu 26.04 Snapshot 1 Download
Ubuntu 26.04 Snapshot 1 is now available to download, the first of 5 monthly development release planned between now and April 2026. Canonical began publishing monthly Ubuntu snapshots during the Ubuntu 25.10 development cycle as a way to test and fine-tune a new automated build and testing infrastructure. They’re produced for all flavours too, not just the main edition. As their name implies, Ubuntu Snapshots are simply a snapshot of development on the date they were made. Canonical’s engineers refer to them as “throwaway artefacts” so don’t assume they’re vetted alpha builds. Though not a targeted ‘milestone’ in the way […]
Ubuntu Replacing System Monitor and Totem with New Apps
Ubuntu developers confirm plans to ship 2 new apps in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, replacing its video and system monitor apps with a pair it feels are more 'modern'.
KDE Plasma 6.8 Drops X11 Session, Goes Wayland-Only
KDE Plasma 6.8 will be Wayland-only, joining GNOME 50 in removing support for running the desktop session on the legacy X display server. As with GNOME, the change does not mean X11 applications will no longer work in Plasma 6.8 as they will run on Wayland using Xwayland. But a Plasma X11 desktop session will not be provided. “For most users, this will have no immediate impact,” the KDE team say, adding that “the vast majority of our users are already using the Wayland session, it’s the default on most distributions, and some of them have already dropped — or […]
Google Releases its New Google Sans Flex Font as Open Source
Google has made its ‘next generation brand typeface’, Google Sans Flex, available for download — under an open source license, which is welcome news. A modern sans serif font purpose-designed for use on screens and OSes, Google Sans Flex is a ground-up, multi-axis rebuild of the proprietary Google Sans font, by typographer David Berlow (of Font Bureau fame). The “flex” in GS Flex is because it’s a variable font that is “extremely flexible [with] variable axes for weight, width, optical size, slant, as well as an axis for rounded terminals” (as in terminals in letters, not command-line apps).” Android and web developers will find […]