Latest Linux and open source news from around the web
In testing thus far on Ubuntu 26.04, the KDE Plasma 6.6 desktop with the Wayland session is working pretty darn well and delivering a performance edge across many games/graphics workloads compared to the default GNOME 50 desktop. At least as far as AMD Radeon graphics are concerned, Plasma 6.6 is in quite impressive shape for the upcoming Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release.
The real reason you stayed on Linux has nothing to do with ideals but a strong functional foundation that we all take for granted.
Alongside announcing the new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Panther Lake parts with vPro for commercial PCs and the Xeon 600 workstation processors, Intel finally announced their professional "big Battlemage" BMG-G31 graphics card with the Arc Pro B70 as well as the Arc Pro B65...
FreeCAD 1.1 is out today as the newest feature release for this leading open-source CAD application...
Earlier this month with the release of the Lemonade SDK 10.0 and FastFlowLM 0.9.35, using AMD Ryzen AI NPUs for running LLMs on Linux finally became feasible. AMD XDNA 2 NPUs can now run on Linux well for LLM workloads! Released on Tuesday was Lemonade 10.0.1 with a few improvements for the setup process of this local LLM open-source solution on Linux...
Ubuntu developers at Canonical are looking to strip the signed GRUB bootloader features to the bare minimum for the Ubuntu 26.10 release later this year. Dropping support for XFS, ZFS, Btrfs, LVM, md-raid (except RAID1), LUKS-encrypted disks, and other features is being looked at in the name of security...
With the recent Fedora 44 beta release, Mesa 25.3 graphics drivers were in use rather than the newest Mesa 26.0 series. The good news is that there is now approval for getting Mesa 26.0 drivers to land in time for next month's official Fedora 44 release...
Unvanquished 0.56 is out today as the latest major update to this prominent open-source, community-driven shooter game. Unvanquished continues progressing after more than a decade in development for this open-source game and with today's v0.56 release features improved visuals, OpenMP for CPU-based rendering of skeletal models, and other enhancements...
It’s been nearly 7 years since Pine64 (remember them?) introduced the PineTime (remember that?), a FOSS-friendly smartwatch priced under $30 and aimed at tech tinkerers and open hardware hackers. Now, it’s time for take two. Revealed in a community update recapping its activities at FOSDEM 2026, Pine64 has announced an updated version is on the way, with an AMOLED display, built-in GPS, blood oxygen sensing and a rotating digital crown (with an extra button). Individual components can be powered down independently, something the original couldn’t do, which Pine64 says will improve battery life. The new ‘Pro’ will use what Pine64 […]
Kali Linux 2026.1 ethical hacking and penetration testing distribution is now available for download with 8 new tools, fresh new artwork, Kali NetHunter updates, a BackTrack mode, and other changes.
Intel's open-source "ANV" Vulkan driver for Linux systems enabled a new feature called BTP+BTI RCC Keying. You may be wondering what it means or stands for, but long story short it helps with the performance of Direct3D 12 (DX12) games running on Linux by way of Valve's Steam Play with Proton + VKD3D-Proton...
Kali Linux 2026.1 introduces BackTrack mode, updates NetHunter, upgrades to kernel 6.18, and adds eight new tools along with several package changes.
Mozilla Thunderbird 149 open-source email client is now available for download with support for exporting selected address book cards, the ability to create address books in the Account Hub, and other changes.
Old Android phones are still a better option.
Hopefully the final push that makes you go open source.
Linux News