Latest Linux and open source news from around the web
Kairui Song of Tencent sent out a new patch series overnight working on enhancing the Linux kernel's swap code. With the patches there are some memory savings -- and more on the way -- while also providing for slightly faster performance...
9to5Linux Weekly Roundup for January 25th, 2026, brings news about MX Linux 25.1, new Steam Client update, GIMP 3.0.8, GNU Guix 1.5, official Firefox RPM package, CachyOS January 2026 ISO update, Slimbook launches new Linux computers, and more.
The 6.19-rc7 kernel prepatch is out for testing. So normally this would be the last rc of the release, but as I've mentioned every rc (because I really want people to be aware and be able to plan for things) this release we'll have an rc8 due to the holiday season. And while some of the early rc's were smaller than usual and it didn't seem necessary, right now I'm quite happy I made that call. Not because there's anything particularly scary here - the release seems to be going fairly smoothly - but because this rc7 really is larger than things normally are and should be at this point. Along with the usual fixes, this -rc also includes a new document describing the process to replace the kernel project leadership should that become necessary in the absence of an arranged transition. The plan largely follows what was decided at the Maintainers Summit in December.
A new GNOME extension lets you add your own custom toggles to the Quick Settings menu, making it easier to run commands, scripts or service actions when you want. Custom Command Toggle lets you add up to 6 bespoke triggers to the Quick Settings menu, where they sit alongside regular system toggles. You can assign custom labels and icons, the latter pulled from the Adwaita or Yaru icon sets, for each button you add. The extension’s preferences provide plenty of control. You can define separate commands to run when toggling on and off, and choose whether an indicator icon appears when […]
It's not that Linux became “GUI only”, but that the Linux desktop has become far more complete. The modern desktop we know today ships graphical tools that cover almost every common task in ways that are genuinely approachable.
Catch up on the latest Linux news: MX Linux 25.1, CachyOS, GNU Guix 1.5, GIMP 3.0.8, COSMIC 1.0.3, Wine 11.1, Bottles 61, Linux distros I recommend for those switching from Windows, and more.
While we wait to see what comes of the new X.Org Server Git branch plans and a possible X.Org Server 26.1 release, several X.Org libraries saw new point releases this weekend. These seldom-updated libraries saw new releases to ship various build fixes and other minor improvements...
FOSDEM 2026 takes place at the end of this month (January 31 to February 1), as a flock of FOSS enthusiasts, engineers and established companies descend on Brussels, Belgium to chat about all things open-source and Linux. Running annually since 2000, FOSDEM (‘Free and Open Source Software Developers’ European Meeting’) seems to grow in popularity each year. This year sees over 1000 speakers, 1000s, 100s of stands and as many 10,000 attendees. FOSDEM is free to attend, you just turn up as no registration is required, an open approach for an event that’s all about open collaboration. Talks at FOSDEM […]
The Linux 6.19 kernel remains on track for its official release two weeks from today, with the extra RC being baked in due to the end of year holidays. Out today is Linux 6.19-rc7 with a few changes worth highlighting for the week...
Those old CD games that have been sitting on your shelf for eternity? Linux can run them.
With a simple USB drive and Tails, you can turn any PC into a secure, Tor-encrypted workstation in seconds.
In the absence of any official GUI control panel from AMD or Intel for their graphics cards on Linux, LACT remains a popular choice particularly for AMD Radeon Linux gamers/enthusiasts to manage various aspects of their GPU from a convenient UI. LACT also supports Intel GPUs and some features on NVIDIA GPUs too. Out today is LACT 0.8.4 for further enhancing this third-party GPU driver user interface...
This week's batch of AMDGPU and AMDKFD changes queued up ahead of the next kernel merge window is focused on delivering a variety of driver fixes...
Bottles 61 introduces Eagle, a new analysis tool that deeply inspects Windows executables to improve Wine and Proton compatibility on Linux.
A new Linux proposal introduces DAXFS, a read-only filesystem that bypasses page cache for direct access to shared memory.
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