Linux NewsLinux 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 […]
Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0 Released with New Design
Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0 has been released, bringing with it a brand new look, better accessibility and a couple of nifty new features baked in. A preview was released in October so, if you read regularly or you tried it out yourself, you’ll know the broad strokes of what’s new here. Raspberry Pi describe the update as a “complete reimagining” of the tool, switching to a “wizard”-like guided setup process to let users know what’s happening each step. “Each step gets the full window to itself, with room for helpful descriptions, validation feedback, and relevant links. It’s a more spacious, […]
Ubuntu Upstreams Patches to Bring Flutter Apps to RISC-V
Canonical's engineers have submitted pull requests to add RISC-V support to Google's Flutter toolkit, which Ubuntu uses to built many of its desktop apps.
Raspberry Pi 500+ Can Be Used as a Normal Bluetooth Keyboard
When the Raspberry Pi 500+ was announced I’ll admit that I drooled. My first “computer” was an 8-bit Amstrad CPC 464, a hulking great clackity-clack keyboard with the computer (and tape deck, the primary means of loading and saving files) built in. The idea of a owning a premium modern equivalent powered by the Pi 5, Linux, and a mechanical keyboard (with replaceable keys, common layout and programmable backlight) appeals greatly. Alas, the price. At £200, it’s the most expensive Raspberry Pi device released. Not extortionate, but a lot for a Pi (especially since I own 2 I rarely use). […]
LibrePods “Liberates” AirPods from the Apple Ecosystem
Using Apple AirPods Pro on Linux is easy enough, right? You pair them over Bluetooth and listen away – except, not quite. Many features of these gleaming white buds only work on macOS and iOS, meaning that using AirPods Pro on Linux comes with functional limitations: no active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, ear detection or even reliable battery level reporting. If you own a pair of AirPods Pro (any generation), chances are those are the key features you paid for, and you want to use. Well, now you can use them on Linux thanks to the LibrePods project. AirPods […]
TABS API is Mozilla’s Latest Bet on the Agentic Web
Mozilla's new TABS API helps developers build AI agents to automate web tasks, as the company continues to bet on AI as its future. Details, pricing, and links inside.
Xubuntu Reveals How Its Website Was Hijacked in October
The Xubuntu team has shared details on last month’s worrying website hijack, pinpointing how the attack happened and the steps its taking to prevent a repeat in the future. As detailed in our coverage back in October, the official Xubuntu download page began serving a malicious .zip file to users attempting to download the official torrent on October 15. Though the incident was resolved quickly once detected, questions were raised about how it could’ve happened in the first place, and whether any one had been affected. Today, the Xubuntu team, based on information Canonical has shared with it, has answers. […]
GIMP 3.2 Hits Release Candidate with Improved Text Editing + More
A release candidate of the upcoming GIMP 3.2 release is now available for download and testing. GIMP 3.2 will be next major release of the free, open-source raster image editor, arriving a mere 8 months after the huge 3.0 milestone as a result of a new accelerated release schedule.
Monitor Your Linux Laptop Battery Health with Wattage
Wattage is a modern GTK4/libadwaita app that detailed battery information on Linux, including capacity, health, cycles, and power draw – no terminal required.
Thunderbird 145 Brings Microsoft Exchange Support + More
Thunderbird 145 has been released with support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail accounts, DNS over HTTPS, renamed Junk folder and other improvements.